I received a call from Charlotte’s mommy, and one of the first things that came up was that Charlotte was already nearing her third week. She was wondering if I’d still be open to photographing her since Charlotte had already neared the end of the typically 14 day newborn photography time frame. I know how those first couple weeks fly by, and I always encourage and recommend that my expectant parents make sure to schedule their baby’s newborn session while they are still pregnant! First of all, there’s one less thing to worry about with the flurry of activity once baby arrives, but also, because it’s the only way to know for sure I’ll still have availability on my schedule! However, it’s not uncommon for me to hear from (sometimes desperate) clients once their baby is already nearing week 2 or 3. Those who’ve already done research have realized (sometimes unexpectedly) that most photographers (myself included) typically recommend doing the newborn session within those first 14 days. It often does make a huge difference in how sleepy the baby is, how alert the baby is, how flexible and easily posed they can be. Once they head into their third week, they start to get more muscle development and start to lose their flexibility that kept them cozy in the womb, that same flexibility that allows them to be posed into the curled up, adorable poses. SO, whenever possible, I do try to photograph babies in those 14 or so days. But with all that being said, it’s entirely possible to photograph a newborn in their 3rd week, and I’ve had incredible success doing so! This is where skill and experience with handling the littlest of subjects comes into play, and having photographed so many babies, I am definitely confident in my skills and ability to do so! Along with the camera and photography aspect, it’s also so much about knowing how to soothe, care for, and keep a baby comfy and cozy while posing and working with them. When they are a little older, more alert, and more cognizant of being handled and posed, it’s about being able to comfort them and keep them sleepy. The session may take a little bit longer, they may be more alert, they may be less tolerate to posing…OR in the case of Charlotte, they may be perfectly peaceful and sleep totally fine! You just never know, each baby is so different! I’ve had babies in their third week who sleep like a dream, while some 6 day olds have been bright eyed and completely alert for a huge part of their session. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. So, even though Charlotte’s mom also informed me that she’d been unusually awake and alert since she’d arrived to the world, I had a really good feeling, and was totally up for the challenge! We moved forward and planned Charlotte’s newborn session for her 20th day. It went so incredibly smoothly, and she slept like a dream! It was a beautiful and warm day, so we also decided to take her outside into my outdoor newborn garden since there was a glorious pink rosebush in bloom, rounding out a great session with an adorable gallery of images for her mom and dad to choose from!
