let me tell you about one of my unpopular opinions as a photographer:
I love baby milestone photography sessions, especially around the age of three months.
For a lot of photographers, this isn't the case. Why? Because babies at this age tend to be very awake/alert, aren't easily molded into poses, and aren't yet strong enough to sit up on their own (or even hold up at tummy time for a given duration - or if they've figured out how to roll over, that's all they want to do). Because of this, some newborn photographers won’t photograph babies between 1 to 6 months of age since it doesn’t fit with their posing workflow and their overall style. The good news in my world? With lifestyle photography, it’s really more of a vibe that we’re going for than anything else, so any element of "posing" is minimal. It’s all about capturing this time in your world with your little one and trying to relay an ounce of that in your photos.
All of this to say, YES - I can (and do - happily!) accept milestone clients of all ages throughout Baby's first 24 months.
While I love photographing all babies, there's something about the stage between one and three months that I absolutely adore. I love looking at photos of my kids from this age. That time in our world was such a whirlwind of sleeplessness, changing diapers, and round-the-clock feedings that my recollection of my babies' little features is hazy at best.
Babies also have a "look" in this timeframe that’s not replicated at any other time during their infancy. Newborns kinda look like all other newborns (let's be honest), and between 6-12 months babies seem to retain their facial features, but 3 months is a different ballgame. They have these beautiful chubby cheeks, curious wide eyes taking everything in, and social smiles that are just starting to come through. Those squishy round little faces and early social smiles deserve to be documented!
That said, there are definitely some things to be aware of going into a milestone photography session, particularly for the 1-3 month-old cohort. Let's dive in:
1. (A LACK OF) POSING
There's just not much to be done about posing your child at this age. This means that you can expect to be involved in the majority of photos from your session, as your child will need to be held and/or engaging with you. Trust me when I say you don't need 100 photos of your baby on their back, and that your little one doesn't want to tummy-time it for the duration of the session. My intention as a lifestyle photographer is to incorporate what this time looks like in your world, and that means getting you into the frame.
2. EXPECT A WIDE-EYED BABE
Expect that your child won't sleep much (if at all) during their milestone photography session. If you're hoping for sleepy-baby-vibes, I definitely recommend scheduling a newborn session within the first couple weeks of Baby's date of birth. If you've already missed that window, know to expect an alert little babe for the majority of their photos.
3. EXPECT TO TAKE BREAKS DURING YOUR SESSION
I sometimes have milestone sessions where parents think that since their baby is beyond the initial newborn stage, s/he "should" be able to make it through the session on a regular schedule without being fed. In my experience, this usually isn't the case. A small investment in allowing your child to get a feeding (or even just a small "snack") during your photography session can help the whole thing run more smoothly. Trying to keep Baby on a specific feeding schedule can actually prolong your session and end up being more difficult for everyone involved. It's never a problem for us to break so Baby can eat (and if you're breastfeeding and want photos of Baby nursing, I'd love to take them for you!)
Considering a milestone session for your little one?
I'd love to chat and see if a documentary-inspired lifestyle photography approach is right for you! Reach out so we can get the conversation started.
