Babies Photographed at Various Ages

Many parents often ask me why I recommend babies are under 16 days old if they are wanting curled up sleepy portraits.

The truth is you don’t need to have photographs taken while your little one is under 16 days old. It’s just the age that photographers love to photograph them. I’m hoping the following images give you an idea why the 16-day thing is a thing, for photographers, and also let you see what the alternatives are if you want to leave it a little later before booking in for your baby portraits.

When your baby is newborn they are naturally curled up and sleepy as if they were still inside the womb. It’s so easy to think (and hope) they’ll stay this small forever but my goodness do they change, and so very quickly.

As your baby gets past the 2-3 week mark you will notice that they are more awake and alert during the day (and hopefully sleep a little longer at night). They are also getting stronger, pushing off with their legs and pushing back as you try and get their gorgeous squishy arms into their babygrow.

These changes can affect what they’re like when being photographed. If they’re awake during the session then my aim is to take beautifully peaceful and calm photographs of them, comfort is the top priority. So if they aren’t happy curled up on their tummy I will move them into a position that they are comfortable in. Completely baby led all the way.

I hope these images help to illustrate how the photographs of your baby will change as they grow.

9 days new and still as curly and sleepy as if he were still in the womb. Babies, this age can more easily be posed and are much more likely to sleep during a session, allowing me to move them into different positions and if requested place them into props.

As you can see there’s a huge difference in how alert this beautiful 3.5-week old baby is compared to the 9-day old baby. Her limbs are less bendy and she was indeed much less likely to sleep. They are still beautiful portraits but as you can see they’re a little different. Once babies are strong enough to kick and fight their way out of a swaddle wrap or are awake enough to let you know that they hate being on their tummy, I have to take their lead which often results in much more natural and less posed photographs. Some parents love this style and hold out to have their session a little later.

And this little guy woke evey single time he was touched so I checked with his mum if she wouldn’t mind a simpler gallery and I photographed him without moving him and then right at the end of the session when he was deep enough asleep I managed to move him onto his tumm for some gorgeous sleepy posed photos. Mum got more photos than a Simply Baby Session but they were all taken on this gorgeous white backdrop. This session along with the 12 week session below has resulted in me creating a new option for babies over 16 days old. It will be on the website shortly!

This little lady above was 5.5 weeks and she did sleep for some of the session and she also let me swaddle her.

Wow, I adored this session! I’m not going to lie, there aren’t many photographers that photograph this age, they prefer tiny newborns or older sitting babies. I think they’re missing out 🙂

This little lady was a dream! This session was done on my bed set up (a thick piece of foam on the floor with a white linen duvet set over the top). For this sort of session the baby can have outfit changes to give the gallery a bit of variety and I have a lovely selection of
outfits and headbands available or you can bring your own.

This sort of session is again very dependent on each baby, sometimes parents need to be in more of the photos if that’s how baby is happy and perhaps they don’t like being on their tummy for long. Whatever they are happy and settled with is how I work.

They just keep getting squishier and more adorable don’t they!
By around 6 months some babies are able to sit unaided, they are also oozing personality! I love photographing their inquisitive eyes and watching their unique mannerisms and body language as they reach for toys. There are outfits available but you are also very welcome to bring your own.

This little lady thoroughly enjoyed her session. We kept shooting as she got her mummy cuddles which resulted in some really beautiful portraits with her mum. More outfits are available at this age, the pink one above was brought to the session by mum.

By twelve months some little ones are walking around whilst others are still bottom shuffling or crawling. I prefer to keep sessions simple, classic and timeless so you can have the photographs on your walls for years to come. Balloons and bubbles usually go down a treat and the wooden toys are a big hit too. Some outfits are available or, like the girl above you’re welcome to bring your own.

Interested in booking a session?

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