The Best Time to Book Your Newborn Photography Session

1. When the Stick says “pregnant”. 😉

We newborn photographers will joke about this and say we are they first they should call when the stick says they are pregnant, but in all honestly no need to be that early. I suggest you take deep breath and soak in the fact that you are going to have a sweet baby to snuggle in nine months and don’t freak out and try to plan things right then.

2. First Trimester: Start the processing of googling and asking about newborn photographers in your area.

Just start with a simple google search and you will see who the top newborn baby photographers are in your local area. Then check out their sites and see if you like their work. Is the quality good? Do you like their style? Do they appear to be active on social media and keeping current? Reach out to them and just start asking questions.

Word of Mouth marketing is always the best marketing tool for any small business and the same is for newborn photographers. When a family has a wonderful experience and has gorgeous photographs to show for it, they are going to be happy to share their photographer’s name and business with you. So check out your friend’s social media pages that just had babies, or just start asking around and see if you have friends and acquaintances that have used the same photographer.

3. Second Trimester: Ultrasound and Heartbeat! 

There is nothing like having that first ultrasound and hearing your sweet baby’s heartbeat going strong! We have found that most moms reach out to us after that 20 week ultrasound when they know all is good with baby and may even know the gender! We love it when moms reach out to book us at this stage because we have time to talk about a maternity session as well and make sure that is scheduled enough in advance so we do not have to worry about getting to close to the due date.

Also, most photographers request a session fee or deposit to hold dates, so this way you can pay it now, and not have an extra payment due right at the newborn session.

One last thing about this time frame, is that the good photographers book out fast and far. You may think you have time, but remember that newborn photographers do not and can not schedule to many sessions a week because our schedules have to be flexible to babies….they come when they want to and we need to leave enough time to be able to reschedule if baby comes early or later than the due date. There are a lot of newborn photographers out there, but if you found one you love, don’t wait to long and then be disappointed when they sadly can not fit you in. Most photographers will schedule the newborn photography session one week after the due date.

4. Budget! 

The really good high quality professional photographers are not cheap, and honestly that is for very good reason. I wrote a blog post on “Why invest in newborn photography”, please feel free to check it out to learn more!  Having a newborn is just as significant of a time in your life as getting married. When you look back on the highlights of your life….this stage is at the top for sure, when you were gifted with this sweet itty bitty baby. Give this baby the gift of amazing photography as well for them to look back on 20,30,40 years from now!

If you love and want something, you find a way. I know that is how it works in my life and my budget. Time is key when budgeting. When you first find out you are pregnant and you know that you want gorgeous photographs to document this time and display in your home, you have nine months to really start saving for it. Above we suggested to book your newborn session around 20 weeks into your pregnancy, so half way through…and that is good advice to allow you to pay for a session fee to lock in your photographer and then save for the ordering appointment after the session as you pick out your favorite images to have.

5. Third Trimester: Getting Ready!

At this point in the pregnancy you are feeling big and probably overwhelmed. We all think you are as cute as can be as we watch you grow that sweet baby! As you are thinking about your newborn photography session, reach out to the photographer and just make sure all is good, and let them know how you are doing…..are you tracking to go early? Any signs or complications that the photographer may need to know about?

Have you thought about what you would like for your newborn session?

If you have any fun props or ideas about the newborn photography session that you would like to bring and have incorporated into the photographs……please let them know. We love to have parents bring some fun props or even help them set up a whole scene that makes it unique to them…such is true wit the two images above. Dad is an avid fisherman and wanted to incorporate his love of fishing into the newborn photography session.

The other image tells quite a story of mom’s journey through infertility and the over 200 injections she had to be able to have this sweet baby girl. Both parents agree whole heartily that she is so worth it, and they wanted to document that journey through this image.

Finding the right photographer for you can take a little while but having a newborn session is such a personal experience so it’s important that you connect with your photographer and you love their style. Newborn photography is similar to Wedding photography in a way because you can’t really go back and re-shoot if you’re unhappy with your photographs.

When you find a photographer you love, you usually stick with them as your family photographer as well. There is no greater compliment to me when I am asked to photograph a newborn and then become their family photographer through the years as that family grows!

This is me, Melissa Gregersen!  If you would like to learn more about my newborn photography services, please feel free to reach out to us through our contact page or you can just click here. My studio focuses and specializes in posed newborn photography. We have a huge supply of props such as buckets, bowls and beds…and even more accessories such as headbands, bonnets, sleeping caps, wraps and blankets. We would be thrilled to hear from you and answer any questions you might have.