When Is the Best Time for Newborn Photos?

If you've started looking at newborn photography while pregnant, you've probably come across the same advice again and again:

Newborn photos must be taken within the first two weeks.

But what happens if your baby is already three weeks old?

Or six?

Have you missed it?

Absolutely not.

The first few weeks with a new baby don't tend to follow schedules particularly well. You're recovering, learning each other, probably running on very little sleep — and booking photographs might not be the first thing on your mind.

There are advantages to photographing a baby during those very early days, but there isn't one magical deadline after which beautiful newborn photographs suddenly become impossible.

The best time depends on the kind of photographs you'd love to have.

Is 7–14 Days the Best Time for Newborn Photography?

The first two weeks are popular for newborn photography for a reason.

Babies are still incredibly tiny, often sleep for longer stretches and naturally curl themselves into some of those positions they held before they were born.

It's a beautiful stage to document.

Tiny toes wrapped around your finger. Flaky newborn skin. Little hands. Sleepy faces. The way their entire body still seems impossibly small against yours.

These details change incredibly quickly.

If you already know you'd like photographs from this very early stage, I recommend getting in touch during pregnancy. We can plan around your due date and confirm the session once your baby arrives.

But 14 days is a guide — not an expiry date.

What If My Baby Is Already a Few Weeks Old?

Please don't panic.

Your baby hasn't become "too old" for newborn photographs.

At three, four or six weeks, we simply photograph a slightly different chapter.

Your baby may be more alert. We might see more eye contact, expressions and stretches. They may want more cuddles and feeding breaks.

Those things aren't problems to work around.

They're part of your baby at that particular moment.

Some of my favourite photographs aren't the ones where a newborn is perfectly asleep. They're the tiny interactions between baby and parent — a hand wrapped around a finger, being settled against Mum or Dad, or simply the scale of this tiny new person in your arms.

The goal isn't to make every baby behave exactly the same way.

It's to remember your baby.

Natural or Styled Newborn Photography? You Can Have a Little of Both

Newborn photography doesn't have to sit completely at one extreme.

You don't necessarily have to choose between a heavily styled studio session and photographs that are entirely documentary.

My own approach has evolved towards something softer and more timeless.

I love neutral colours, whites, creams, warm natural tones and simple textures that keep the attention on your baby.

We can photograph the beautiful little details exactly as they are — hands, feet, faces, cuddles and your family together — while also creating a few gently styled newborn portraits.

A simple basket, beautiful knit or neutral backdrop can create something polished without overwhelming the person we're actually there to photograph.

Your baby should always be the most important thing in the photograph.

Trends will change.

Those tiny features won't come back.

What Does a Newborn Photoshoot Actually Look Like?

Slow.

That's probably the easiest way to describe it.

A newborn session shouldn't feel like everybody is racing against a clock while desperately trying to convince a baby to cooperate.

Babies need feeding.

They need changing.

Sometimes they need cuddled for twenty minutes.

Sometimes they sleep beautifully.

Sometimes they absolutely do not.

We work around them.

There is time for settling, feeding and breaks throughout the session, and nothing has gone "wrong" because your baby wakes up.

You don't need to arrive with a perfectly sleeping baby.

That's our job to navigate together.

Don't Forget the Tiny Details

It's very easy to concentrate on getting one beautiful photograph of your baby's face.

But I always want some of the details too.

Their toes.

Their fingers.

The little creases in their skin.

The way their hand looks against yours.

The eyelashes, lips and wisps of newborn hair.

They're photographs that might seem simple now, but they become increasingly precious as your child grows.

One day it becomes difficult to believe they were ever that small.

Should Parents and Siblings Be in Newborn Photos?

Yes — please.

Even if you don't particularly feel like being photographed right now.

You don't need to be in every photograph, but I always encourage parents to step into at least a few.

Because this isn't only the beginning of your baby's story.

It's the beginning of a new version of your family.

If there is an older brother or sister, I love including them too. We don't need perfect smiles or everybody looking at the camera.

Sometimes the photograph of a sibling inspecting the new baby, leaning in for a cuddle or simply existing beside them says far more.

These photographs naturally become part newborn photography and part family photography — which is exactly what this stage of life really is.

What Should We Wear for Newborn Photos?

Keep it simple.

Neutral and soft colours photograph beautifully with newborn skin tones and keep the gallery feeling timeless.

Cream, white, beige, oatmeal, soft browns and other muted colours work particularly well.

You don't all need to match.

In fact, I'd rather you didn't.

Think coordinated rather than identical.

Most importantly, choose something you feel comfortable in. You've just had a baby. Nobody needs the additional pressure of dressing for a fashion campaign.

A Newborn Session Doesn't Have to Look Like Everyone Else's

This is something that has become increasingly important to me.

I don't want to create the exact same photograph for every family who walks through the door.

There can be consistency in the way something feels without every baby being placed into exactly the same setup.

Soft.

Warm.

Simple.

Connected.

Timeless.

Some families will love a few gently styled photographs. Others will be drawn almost entirely to close details and family connection.

We can create a gallery that includes both.

Newborn Photography in Perthshire

My newborn photography sessions take place in my studio near Auchterarder in Perthshire, welcoming families from Perth, Crieff, Dunblane, Stirling and surrounding areas.

If you're still pregnant, you're welcome to enquire before your baby arrives.

And if you're reading this with a three-week-old asleep on your chest thinking you've left it too late — you haven't.

We'll photograph the stage you're in.

Because newborn photography isn't really about achieving the perfect pose at the perfect number of days old.

It's about remembering just how little they once were.

Feeling over perfect.