I know what you're thinking...
How can I schedule my newborn photoshoot before my baby is born? What if they arrive early or late?!
These are questions I’m often asked by mums-to-be, so here’s all you need to know in one blog post :-)
We’ll schedule a provisional photoshoot date based on your due date! This is usually around 7 days after your expected due date. However, because babies are unlikely to arrive right on time, I deliberately leave plenty of wiggle room in my diary - I limit the number of sessions I take on per month which means I can be flexible for times when baby arrives early or late.
However, it’s actually not often that we need to move the reserved date! That’s because babies are usually still within the 2 week window (the first 2 weeks of life being the ‘ideal’ time frame for posing newborns).
Generally, as long as your baby is between 6 and 14 days old on the day of your scheduled session, we won’t have to make any adjustments to your date. If we do need to move it though, you can rest easy knowing that if you’ve already booked, I’ll definitely have room on my calendar for your little one.
What about premature babies? Babies born prematurely will sometimes be photographed at a later stage. When baby is home from hospital, we are usually good to go unless there are medical concerns. Personally, I prefer to wait until your baby is over 6lbs as well.
Little Aeden below was photographed at 3 months old but he was still super sleepy, so we were able to photograph him in some of the traditional newborn poses! Sometimes this isn’t possible and we have to do more wrapped or candid images instead. It really depends on your baby and how they are feeling on the day, but that’s the beauty of being a baby-led photographer – nothing is ever forced as your baby’s comfort and safety are my top priority.
The families I work with are always grateful that I can be flexible with their date when things don’t quite go to plan. For example, here’s some short snippets from my clients’ Google reviews:
“…Sarah was so responsive and very accommodating when we needed to change the date of the appointment…” Katie
“...Sarah really takes the time to get the perfect shot, and doesn't rush or hurry - there was no time limit as we were her only clients that day, which we liked...” Lisa
Taking on fewer clients allows me to spend more time perfecting your images and providing the level of service that each family deserves. I never want my clients to feel like they are on a conveyor belt – in, out and next please! I’d rather you felt taken care of, as if you were my ONLY client, with the reassurance that it’s never a problem to adjust your date with some advance notice. All I ask is that you keep me informed :-)
One final thing to note is that with a limited number of spaces available per month, my diary can fill up quickly! Remember to enquire as early as possible to secure your spot on my calendar.