We really do love to take photos of newborns.  Our newborn shoots last 4 times longer than our regular shoots.  About 2 weeks ago, we took pictures of this little guy.  Photography was done by Kim.

He was such a sweetie.  He hardly cried at all even though he wasn’t very sleepy after he got here.  Mom and Dad brought in a ton of outfit changes just to be prepared, even though we mostly kept him naked because we love seeing baby’s skin.  Even big brother, Michael, joined in some of the photos.

Introducing Anthony.

When it comes to inquiries about our newborn sessions, we require you schedule a shoot before baby passes the 14th day. And we are always asked why… (and we completely understand how overwhelming those first couple weeks are with a brand new baby). But we promise, we have a very good reason for doing so.

Safety, safety, safety.

To get those amazing shots, your baby needs to be malleable and sleeping. If they are awake and moving their muscles, it is not safe to pose them in many of the newborn poses that make your session special.

Day 5 is the sweet spot. Baby is still used to being in the womb and will not mind while we’re curling them into those adorable poses that make mom and dad say, “aww.” They’ll be sleeping blissfully away while we put baby gently into place in mom or dad’s arms, on our blankets, or on our cradle.

As newborns grow older, they get used to being out of the womb. They’re more likely to wake from being moved around, and the shoot may be more uncomfortable from all the different poses we’ll be doing during the 2-hour shoot.

After 14 days, babies begin to move their muscles. But they lack control of movement. The stretches, pushing, twisting and wiggling does not make for a cute photograph. While it is wonderful to see your baby explore movement, it is not camera friendly. From experience, it becomes harder to capture those wonderful newborn moments once they pass the 14th day mark. Newborns aren’t used to moving and in those early days, they don’t have control over their movement—those awkward movements can lead to awkward photos.

If their eyes can’t focus, you want them to be asleep. Closed eyes soften the image to create that angelic look. And newborns can’t see more then a foot in front of them and for them, focusing on the camera is just impossible. While crazy eyes may make you giggle, you do not want an entire session of pictures just for laughs.

If you miss the 14th day mark, wait until 3-4 months when your baby can easily lift their head and smile while laying on their belly (the Gerber baby pose). When I gave birth to my daughter Asher, I didn’t venture outside of the house until she was 10 days. I had no clue about the 14-day time period. Our first photo session was at 6 weeks.  She wasn’t young enough to be sleepy but she also wasn’t old enough to hold up her head. With Asher straining to lift up her head, the wrinkles in her forehead made her look constipated in every photo. But in her next session when she a couple of months older, it was absolutely adorable. Naked bottom in the air, and a big smile.

Other notes about safety during our newborn sessions

1. When the babies are sound asleep we can use props like cradles and baskets.

2. We shoot a lot on or over the beanbag. This gives us flexibility to “fake” some specialty shots. It may look like baby is hanging from a net or dangerously in mom’s arms. But we keep them safe with the beanbag.

3. Safety and siblings: Everyone wants wonderful sibling photographs with a new baby. But again, safety is our priority. In most cases it is not safe for an older sibling to hold a brand new 5 day old baby. Even the most mature 3 year old is unsure about the handling of a new sibling.  In every session with siblings we will have family shots. Expect only 1 or 2 poses with the baby and their sibling alone. We have limited options where safety is maintained.

4. Trust us. We know how nerve wrecking it can be to pass your new little bundle to someone else. What makes a beautiful newborn picture is the careful posing of hands and feet. We spend lots of time in each pose. We often use an assistant or have mom/dad carefully spot. We want your pictures to be wonderful. And your baby to be safe. And your experience to be amazing.

We have had a lot of newborn shoots in the past few weeks.  These shoots are definitely a workout!  It takes 2 hours to photograph newborns.  We take our time with them because they are so little and we want them sleep as much as possible and be safe in any pose we put them in.

We had this little sweetheart in a few days ago.  Photography was done by Brian.  She was such a happy baby and easy to photograph.  When she was awake gave the sweetest smiles and was a great sleeper.   Mom brought in the cutest little flower headband for the shoot and it really made the photos so adorable.

Introducing Nyla.

Often, during our newborn sessions, we are asked when is the next time to take pictures. And more often we are called about newborn sessions when the baby is already past the 2 week mark. Years ago newborn shoots were actually closer to the 3 month session (or even 6 month session). The typical shot of the baby with the blanket over the head was thought to be newborn. And this ends up being where so many of us, after giving birth or forgoing portraits of our naked bumps, begin taking professional pictures.

Here is our important first year milestones for photography list:

1. Maternity & newborns:  The moment your new baby enters the world, we all fall in love and want to document each precious moment. Newborn sessions are for babies 2 weeks old and younger. And let’s face it, so many of us are overwhelmed and exhausted, that we miss this opportunity. And well, maternity sessions are often skipped as well.

2. “Baby’s got head strength”: Often you hear 3 months is the time to take pictures. But  wait for the milestone, it will happen and when it does, the portraits will be beautiful.

really it’s about milestones and not age. Babies grow at different speeds and the first year is about what they can do, not about what

month they reached. Usually this does happen around 3-5 months. I made the mistake of having portraits taken of my first daughter when she was 2 months. What a mistake! She hadn’t yet developed enough neck strength to not strain when lying on her belly. It basically looks like she is constipated in every single pictures. She is super cute nonetheless, but I wish I would have waited. It is so important t

The most important milestone is your baby holding their head up with ease. But at this point you will also find there are usually responsive smiles too. Those first real smiles are such a wonderful moment to capture. Around this time babies also discover their chubby little feet, grabbing them and putting them in their mouths.

All of these milestones allow us to photograph those quintessential pictures. From the gerber baby blanket over the head to naked bottoms in the air, taking pictures at this stage gives you all the classic baby poses.

3. Sitting up!: When your baby is sitting up like a pro but not quite crawling yet, there are a ton of new poses to attempt. It is important that your little one can sit up without tripodding – meaning they do not need to rest on their hands for balance. At this point we may still use props to help them sit up, like vintage tubs or antique crates.

This is also the perfect time to incorporate mom and dad into the pictures. The baby is strong enough for a gentle toss in the air or smootchy kiss on the cheek. I once read that babies memories before 4 years old are those reinforced by photos. So I always make sure to try and include moms in the photos. Since we are a ‘no sitting fee’ photographer, there really is no harm in trying. If mom hates herself in the picture it is not a picture she is obligated to buy. But it’s always worth a try since these photos are hopefully going to last for your child to keep as memories.

3. The 9 month belly laughs: By far my favorite time to photograph is 9 months. It’s not a huge milestone age. Crawling sometimes happens, sometimes doesn’t. And sometimes your baby can pull up on a chair or sit in a kids chair. But really there is something so special about 9 month portraits. They are FUN.

The best part about a photo session that is the photos are always fantastic. Don’t miss this session. It really will amaze you.

4. Turning one: They sit, they stand, they maybe even walk. But have they ever had sugar? The first birthday session is probably the most important session we shoot. The milestone is huge. At Big Apple Portraits, we celebrate turning one with a cake smash. We are purely B.Y.O.C (bring your own cake). Watch your baby dive into a cake or simply pick at the sprinkles one by one. Whatever the reaction a cake smash session commemorates the milestone of turning one.

• Several years ago we offered a welcome baby package called the BabySnap panel. It had three pictures during the first year of life in a frame. While it was lovely and a wonderful keepsake from baby’s first year, we found it didn’t give people what they really wanted – digitals. That way they can make gifts for family members and be able to make wall collages in a custom design. Normally our digitals are $75 a piece with a 2 digital minimum. With this package you can get that one special image from each session as a digital and you also get a lay-flat book including 20 pages.