Do you feel your baby is now slowly turning into a child and may no longer be a cuddly smushy little baby? Worry not. There isn’t one perfect time for doing baby photos of your little one. Every age brings with it new things, new expressions, new joys and something that’s unique to that phase. I intend this post to be a Complete Guide to Baby Photography For Your Little One – this has information on when to get a shoot, what to expect from that phase, and where is that session best shot.
Personally, my favourite age for baby photography sessions is 15 months – when they’re on their feet, toddling around and walking here and there, running and playing and having an absolute blast of a time. This is the most explosive phase in terms of growth and certainly one of the cutest. Babies are often at their cutest at this age, and are very easy to interact with. They respond to cues and also have a good time with new people around them.
Having said that, each phase from newborn infant to two years of age is absolutely precious and it’s worth documenting it all. As they say, these days do not come back.
Let’s talk about the various ages and what there is to look forward to at each phase. I’ve broadly split this up into 5 phases in this 2 year period.
1. Newborn to 3 months
At this phase, they’re tiny, sleepy and curly. At less than 15 days, they curl up into a lot of cute positions, at less than 30 days, they’re mostly asleep so it’s easy to get shots of their angelic smiles, their various expressions in their sleep. Their toes and fingers are absolutely adorable at the newborn phase and is something that would be treasured life long – the way their teeny tiny fingers curl around your index finger is something precious.
Older than a month, they start being awake more, but they’re still not responding much to external stimuli. They haven’t yet started putting on baby fat, and can be quite restless in this phase. I personally feel that a photo shoot is best either under the one month mark, or after they’re a little older (at 3 months plus).
Though newborns are asleep for most of their day, in their sleep and even when they are awake, they have a ton of unique and absolutely precious (and short lived!) expressions. It’s priceless to have those expressions and emotions captured.
The best place to do the session at is at your own home where the infant is most comfortable and at ease. This is not an age where they should be disturbed too much. Also, the photography session needs to account for time for easing the infant, feeding time during the shoot (if necessary). This session is run on the clock of the infant and her/his wishes entirely. It can take any where between 1.5 hours to 4 hours. Personally, we take about 1.5 – 2.5 hours for one newborn session.
Here are a few snaps of a sleepy newborn, Siddhant, and then Siddhant in his element. He was less than 25 days old when these were shot.
2. 3 months+ to 9 months
This is the growth spurt where the little munchkins learn how to support their own neck, sit up, go through tons of tummy time, learn to respond to external stimuli and also start crawling. Depending on the baby and the exact age, they may be doing some or most of these things. Personally, I like the 6 month plus mark when they’re fairly sorted with their tummy time, and some even start crawling. If they haven’t started crawling yet, it’s fairly simple to get them to cooperate and have a fun shoot. When they’re crawling, it’s of course, tougher, but still those are some of the cutest photos ever.
Shoots at this age are best done at home and also at an outdoor park area. Home is best for getting those natural moments in a documentary style, and outdoors is to get a complete picture. When crawling babies are taken to a large park outdoors, they go CRAZY HAPPY. And that’s a super fun session to document. We usually take about 1.5 hours – 2 hours to do this kind of a session.
Here are a few photos of little Amrit and Anant (twin boys) at their at home candid photography session at almost 6 months. We also went downstairs to the park in their colony to get some outdoor shots.
3. 9 months+ to 1 year
A glorious phase. They are toddling, they are crawling, they are abundantly cute. They are just about to turn a year old or hey, they ARE turning a year old! This is the perfect time to document this precious milestone. This is also a phase where they learn what a camera does and many babies LOVE to be in front of a camera. They love seeing their own pictures and it’s delightful to interact with them.
The best place to do a photography session at this age is outdoors – pick a park and go out for a picnic! It’s perfect. Spend some time with your bub and have those moments and all of your little one’s antics documented in a beautiful, aesthetic way. The first birthday is a milestone which must not be missed – and doing a photography session to commemorate it is perfect. Even 30 minutes is good for a quick session, but any thing up to 1.5 hours is good.
4. 1 year+ to 15 months
My personal favourite age. They’re quite grown up by now – some may even call them “children” but to me they’re still babies! Most of them are walking and running around. They don’t stay still. They’re always at it. You need to watch them constantly – otherwise who knows what they’ll be up to next?! They are at their most curious and adorable at this age. They’re fearless. They’ll walk into and examine everything around them. They have enormous amount of energy. They exhibit tons of expressions and emotions. Each child is absolutely unique and there will be those unique things that your baby does at this age. It’s an absolutely darling phase to capture. There will be the most amount of stories and anecdotes from this phase. You’ll be cracking up at all the funny little things they do (and say?!). That’s why this is my most favourite phase to capture. In case your baby just turned one and you didn’t do a photography session, worry not. Schedule one soon and reap the rewards for eternity in the form of adorable memories and stories to retell.
The best place to do a photography session at this age is outdoors – at a park. Let the little kiddo have some space and area to explore- and it will be a wonderful, memorable experience. During the shoot, the parents can take a little breather from their little kiddo. We will be doing all the running around the baby and the parents can sit by and enjoy the beautiful day! Even 30 minutes is good for a quick session, but any thing up to 1.5 hours is good.
5. 15+ months to 2 years
Many would call them young kids at this phase. They’re talking a LOT in their own language, and also talking in our language. They ask many questions. They don’t sit still. This is a precious age because they’re on the brink of becoming their own people, developing their own habits and answering questions by themselves. It’s amazing to see their responses to new stimuli and their multitude emotions and expressions. This is a fantastic phase to document those moments where they’re slowly turning into their own people. It’s very difficult to do this – because they don’t ever stay put, but hey that’s the fun of it, and their energy, mischief and inquisitive nature would be a big part of what we document in such sessions.
The best place to do a photography session at this age is outdoors – at a park. Let the little kiddo have some space and area to explore- and it will be a wonderful, memorable experience. During the shoot, the parents can take a little breather from their little kiddo. We will be doing all the running around the baby and the parents can sit by and enjoy the beautiful day! Even 30 minutes is good for a quick session, but any thing up to 1.5 hours is good.