When to Book Newborn Photos

The question usually arrives while there's still a bump. Somewhere in the last stretch of pregnancy, people start asking when to do newborn photos, and how far ahead they need to sort it.

The answer is a window rather than a date. The first 2 weeks hold that soft, folded, still-curled newborn, and that's the baby most people are picturing when they start looking into newborn photography in Sydney.

If those are the frames you want, aim for somewhere between day 5 and day 14, and reserve the window while you're still pregnant.

When to do newborn photos if you want the sleepy, curled frames

Something lovely happens in that first fortnight. Your baby is still folded the way she was folded inside you, knees tucked up, hands near her face, deep in that milk-drunk sleep that lets me move slowly and quietly around her.

Day 5 to day 10 tends to be the sweetest stretch. Your milk has usually come in, feeding has found a rhythm, and the curl is still there.

I work in soft window light and keep the morning unhurried. There's feeding, there's settling, and there are long quiet pauses. Those pauses are part of it.

Booking after the first 2 weeks still works beautifully

If that fortnight passes while you're finding your feet, you've still got a baby worth photographing.

From about 3 weeks she's more awake, more alert, more inclined to look straight at you. The session moves towards lifestyle newborn photography, at home, on your bed, in the rooms you've been living in since you came back from hospital.

I've photographed babies at 5 weeks, at 9 weeks, at 4 months. What you get is different, and it's every bit as yours. Your partner's hand still covering her whole back. Your toddler leaning in to check on her.

Booking a due-date window instead of a fixed day

A newborn session runs on your baby's timing, so the booking holds a window and the day gets chosen once she's here.

You give me your due date. I set aside a stretch of about 3 weeks around it and leave the exact day open.

When she arrives, you send me a message, and you pick a day inside that window that suits how you're feeling. Usually that lands within the week.

When in your pregnancy to sort it out

People usually ask when to do newborn photos and when to book it in the same breath. Around 28 to 32 weeks is a comfortable time to settle the window, while you're still moving easily and the diary has room in it.

Plenty of people lock in their newborn window at the same time as their maternity booking, which is worth knowing if you're weighing up the best weeks for maternity photos as well.

I'm based in the Hills District and I photograph across Sydney and up into the Blue Mountains, so the travel is worked out long before your baby is here.

If she comes early, or takes her time

Babies keep their own schedule, and the window is built for exactly that.

An early arrival moves everything forward and I shift with it. A baby who stays put until 41 weeks slides the whole thing back, and the window slides with her.

If you're home later than planned, or you're recovering slowly, I'll come later and I'll keep it gentle. The photos keep.

A few small things that make the day easy

Have the room at a comfortable temperature and dress her in a light layer, the way you would for any nap. A settled baby gives you the curl, and settling is mostly about a full tummy and an unhurried morning.

Feed just before I arrive, and feed again mid-session whenever she asks. I plan the timing around it.

Have a couple of plain wraps out and something soft and neutral to wear yourself. Mornings tend to suit everyone, while the light is clean and the house is calm.

Leave the mess where it is. I need a good pocket of window light and a bed to work near.

What you'll look at in 10 years

The frames people come back to are usually the small ones.

Her fingers curled around your thumb. The size of your hand under her head. Your own face in the couple of seconds you forgot I was there.

Whenever your session lands, early in that first fortnight or somewhere further along, that's what I'm watching for.