Can You Do Newborn Photos at 6–8 Weeks? | Bay Area In-Home Newborn Photographer Weighs In
Yes! Babies can absolutely have beautiful newborn photos at six, seven, or eight weeks old—and I actually love photographing babies at this age.
By six to eight weeks, babies are often becoming more alert and expressive. They’re looking around more, making better eye contact and beginning to show little hints of their personalities. And, in my opinion, they’re getting ridiculously cute as they start to fill out and become more expressive. :)
What Does a Newborn Session Look Like at 6–8 Weeks?
One of the biggest differences between photographing a brand-new baby and a six- to eight-week-old baby is that an older baby may spend more of the session awake.
That’s not a problem. It’s an opportunity. I love photographing babies looking intently at their parents, staring curiously into my camera or making all the hilarious and adorable expressions babies make at this age. And while older newborns may be more alert, they still sleep frequently. I’ve photographed many babies at this age and we almost always have been able to capture sleeping photographs as well. That means your gallery can include both sides of this wonderful stage: your bright-eyed, increasingly curious baby and the tiny sleeping baby curled against your chest.
Six to Eight Weeks Is an Adorable Stage
By this age, many babies have started filling out. Their cheeks are getting rounder, their features are becoming more expressive and they’re beginning to look less like a just-born newborn and more like themselves. The wonderfully round-cheeked, bright-eyed baby stage develops over these first few months. There’s a reason some of the classic “baby” imagery we think of features babies who aren’t just a few days old. Fun fact: the original Gerber Baby was actually about four months old when her famous portrait was created! There’s something especially adorable about babies as they begin to fill out, become more expressive and develop those wonderfully round baby cheeks. I love photographing this stage as babies move from the sleepy early newborn days into a more alert and expressive phase.
Lifestyle Newborn Photography Doesn’t Have an Expiration Date
The often-repeated rule that newborn photos must happen during the first 7–14 days comes largely from posed studio newborn photography. Certain curled poses are easier when babies are extremely young and sleepy. That’s not how I photograph newborns. My sessions take place in your home and revolve around your actual life with your baby: cuddling on the bed, snuggling on the couch, holding your baby in the nursery, feeding, soothing, interacting, and simply being together.
None of that stops being beautiful because your baby turned six weeks old. In fact, the added interaction can make the photographs even more meaningful in my opinion.
Did You Wait Too Long? No.
If your baby is six, seven or eight weeks old and you’re searching for a Bay Area in-home newborn photographer, please don’t assume you’ve missed your opportunity.
Your session might look a little different than it would have at one week old but different is beautiful: You may get more eye contact. More expressions. More interaction. More glimpses of your baby’s emerging personality. And you’ll still get plenty of tiny fingers, tiny toes, cuddles, swaddles and—very likely—some wonderfully sleepy moments too. I photograph newborns in homes throughout San Jose, Los Gatos, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and the surrounding Bay Area, and babies at six to eight weeks (or even more) are very welcome. I happen to think this age is pretty perfect for an in-home newborn session.
