This is beautiful baby Sklyar who was just 9 days new when I photographed her.
She was a few days overdue but still little when she arrived and super sleepy for her first photo session.
Newborn Photography and The Best Time for Your Session
The best time for newborn portraits is when babies are 10 days of age or younger with the optimal time between day 5 and day 8.
After 10 days, babies are less likely to pose for newborn portraits as they are too alert and awake and have also started to stretch out losing their womb like curliness.
Since working as a professional newborn photographer full-time for 7 years and photographing over 700 newborn babies, I have come to know when the best time for posing newborns is.
Whether your baby arrives early or is overdue, there are some standard rules I usually apply to determine when the best time for your session is. That being said, it always depends on how mom’s feeling too. I provide some suggestions, for instance, if baby is born 5 days overdue, I add 5 days to the number of days old baby is. In Baby’s Skylar’s case, she was 9 days old when I photographed her but a few days overdue. This usually means baby will be a bit more alert and awake for their session.
Your Toronto Newborn Photographer Keeps Baby’s Comfort First
The studio is kept nice and warm and babies are given nursing and feeding breaks throughout the session whenever needed.
Moms have access to vinyl nursing pillows to assist with feedings throughout their newborn picture session. Blankets are available to lift babies head for nursing and if mom feels comfortable, I can help her get ready for feedings and use a cold wash cloth to help baby stay awake and feed a bit longer.
Ensuring that baby is well fed before your newborn photography sessions provides the best results for posing. A baby that is well fed is more likely to fall into a deep sleep and pose for pictures beautifully.
Sessions last approximately 3 to 5 hours or longer depending on baby’s needs. You will never see me looking at the clock during a session. I go through transitional posing starting with the easiest poses first and working my way through the more difficult set-ups. Baby needs time to get used to me and after an hour or so, they become conditioned to being repositioned for the various poses.
Sessions are never rushed.
Skylar was a tiny little peanut at just 5 pounds 8 ounces when I photographed her.
She didn’t fuzz at all throughout her session. She even gave me multiple smiles that I was able to capture on camera. I’m pretty fast with my shutter, so if your baby smiles throughout your session I’ll most likely be fast enough to catch one of their very first grins.
Her dad watched most of the session while her mom rested in the lounge area and had a nap during the session.
Two of my favourite things in this world are (1) holding my own daughter and spending time with her and (2) being behind my camera spending time with wonderful families capturing memories for them.
To learn more about sessions with Chandra Lee Photography, you can contact me at 905.449.2200 or email me using the inquire tab above.
