Missed out on newborn photos? Baby Milestone sessions are awesome too!
Baby Milestone Photography - the joy of baby’s first year
Perhaps you didn’t think about it before, or with everything happening you forgot to organise a newborn photoshoot, and now you are worried you’ve missed out.
Don’t be sad!!
Maybe you’ve had a newborn session and would love to document your baby as he or she grows.
Great idea!!
Babyhood is such a fleeting time for you and your baby but with so many delightful stages!
It’s like a 10 course taster meal
Each course is utterly delicious, every mouthful something wonderful to be savoured, but short lived - no sooner have you tucked in and fallen in love with the flavours of one course that your plate is whisked away and the next is placed before you.
Baby’s first year is full of gorgeous milestones, and then suddenly they’re one, and it’s over!
I love capturing each and every stage of babyhood - there is no right or wrong time to bring them into the studio, but here are some favourite milestones to capture:
tummy time
By age 3-4 months, most babies are very responsive to stimuli and will smile loads for the camera. By this age they can also usually handle a few minutes on their tummy, which is just a nice way to capture them rather than being laid on their back all the time.
They are also able to control their heads better by now, and can be propped up in a basket for some upright shots too, which is super cute.
2. sitter sessions
My favourite sessions, possibly!
This age is truly delightful. Timed for when baby is sitting up confidently, unaided, but before the next stage of crawling.
This is usually around 7 - 9 months and normally babies are very easy going at this stage - happy to engage, easy to play with and get laughing, happy to be moved around a bit, and open to what’s happening.
I love that they don’t move around too much, so it’s pretty easy, and for sure the cutest in terms of styling and the variety of poses. They can lay down on their backs, tummies, be sitting up with a prop or just by themselves. They are normally ok with hats and hairbands being put on their head so we can go to town with outfits and accessories which just adds extra variety and gorgeousness.
3. First Birthday
In terms of milestones, that first birthday is certainly pretty massive on the parent calendar. It’s always hard to believe it when your little one turns one, and can be quite emotional.
It’s a very special occasion that deserves to be celebrated and captured beautifully!
Most babies are on the move by this point - either crawling (fast!) or taking first steps. This keeps me on my toes and I have some tricks to keep them still, which work most of the time!
However, I have found in some cases, first birthday can coincide with a more stranger-weary phase and with it a need to feel more securely attached to mum. There is a growing sense of self by this age, which often leads to some shyness and reluctance to engage without a fair amount of winning over.
Each child is totally different of course, and some will be more extrovert than others. This is simply the age when these tendencies start to come out, which can impact on a session.
That said I have photographed so many babies, and have only been defeated once by a toddler who never backed down or succumbed to my wit or charm.
We might not get a gallery full of smiles, as it can be serious business for baby to work everything out, but we do still try to make it fun and parents are always prepared beforehand so that they don’t feel disappointed if things don’t go to plan. Usually the only thing that is actually ‘wrong’ is unrealistic expectations.
Book your session
To book or enquire about a session with me, get in touch - I’d love to hear from you. No matter how old your baby is, it’s always going to be the last time they’ll be this small.
