Guest Blog by Lovely Lane Photography
So you’ve missed the 14 day window…
How important is it to have your newborn images taken before your baby is 14 days old?
There are three ‘ideal’ developmental stages for having professional images taken of your baby:
1. Newborn sessions – when your baby is less than 14 days old
2. Sitter sessions – when your baby can sit up independently but can’t yet walk
3. First birthday sessions – sometimes done as ‘cake smashes’
Newborn sessions are best taken before your baby is 14 days old (ideally, between 5 and 10 days). Some photographers feel so strongly about the timing of newborn shoots, that they won’t accept commissions for babies over the age of 14 days.
The main reason for this is that many parents love the curly poses that epitomise newborn photography. Newborn babies can adopt these poses when they are first born because at this stage, some of their bones are made of cartilage in order to allow them easier passage through the birth canal. Once they are born, the cartilage starts to turn into bone so very quickly, babies become much less flexible; by the time they are 14 days old, those curly poses are much more difficult to 
achieve.
Another reason photographers prefer to photograph babies under two weeks old, is that older babies are much more alert and less likely to sleep through the session. Babies who are awake, are very difficult to pose – they know their favourite comfy spots and won’t be coaxed into position while they are wide awake.
So if you’ve gone beyond that 14 day window, can beautiful images still be achieved, or will you need to wait until your baby is at the sitter stage?
The answer to that depends on your expectations; if you want curly newborn images, then you may be disappointed; babies do develop at different rates and curly poses may still be achievable for some, but it’s much less likely after 14 days.
However, if you have an open mind about what images you’re going to get and you are willing to go with the flow, beautiful images can still be achieved.
By working with your baby’s own movements and responding to the situation in front of us, the session can still result in beautiful images; instead of whole-body poses, we can focus on close-up images of the baby’s beautiful features; organic, lightly-posed images ensure that the focus is on your baby. The current trend for props and poses may eventually become dated but simple, classic images of your newborn baby will never go out of style.
If you are interested in having a newborn or ‘nearly new’ session taken in the comfort of your own home, please get in touch.
Website: www.lovelylanephotography.co.uk Email: [email protected]
