Newborn photography involves a careful consideration of a baby's age in order to get those curly, squishy poses that we have all come to adore in our newborn portraits.

Some poses are easy, and some are a little more demanding in regards to flexibility and sleepiness in a new little human. Every baby is different, of course. Some are more flexible than others, and some are more alert. But age always plays an important role in what can be accomplished during a session.

The typically recommended age to hold a newborn session is usually within the first 2 weeks of life. I tend to love a filled out baby and include an extra week in my recommended window of time (8-21 days). That general area of recommended age varies from photographer to photographer, but typically speaking it's important to schedule a session within the first few weeks, despite sleep deprivation on the new parents' part, to achieve the maximum number of poses to do during a newborn session.

That being said, sometimes time escapes us and we realize time is fleeting. Sometimes I get little "newborn" clients who are past that recommended window of time, but I won't turn them away. While the poses may not be entirely the same, and we may have to get a little creative in working around awake time vs. sleepy poses, my goal is simply to create beautiful portraits of the little humans that mean the most to my clients.

I like taking on the opportunity to show people that even if you *think* you've missed your window, there ARE ways to make a session work. It is never too late to get photos of your littles. And while adjustments may have to be made, and maybe the NEWBORN styled poses may not all be possible, gorgeous photos can still be captured that you are bound to treasure and cherish for the rest of your life.

Let me introduce to you a roly-poly baby who was, at the time, 7 weeks old for her newborn-styled session. Sophia was definitely more solid and a little less flexible than the newborns I'm used to working with, but that didn't make our session together anything less than amazing.

I had to move twice as slow to avoid waking her, but even then she slept through most of her session and I am so thrilled with how her session turned out, despite her being a few weeks older than my typical newborn client. And while she was no longer flexible enough to achieve poses like taco and froggy, we still have a variety of different posing options to achieve a gallery full of variety.

As previously mentioned, I do love a "filled-out" baby and little Sophia was definitely filled out! Just check out her rolls and those amaaaaazing cheeks! I was prepared for Sophia to be mainly awake for the majority of her session, but I was pleasantly surprised when she fell sound asleep at the beginning of the session and pretty well stayed asleep throughout. However, when she DID wake up, she was fully AWAKE. But that only presented the perfect opportunity to let some personality shine through and let her choose her own poses for a few shots!

She was a happy little bubba, and her sweet little face had my cheeks burning from smiling throughout the entire session. I can't wait to see this little chica again in a few weeks for her sitter session and fully expect to have those chubby cheeks and rolly thighs steal my heart all over again.

Sophia's momma is such a gem, as well. I had to giggle one night, while we had a phone conversation to discuss a few options in regards to a print order (and trying to pick photos from her gorgeous gallery!) and we ended up chatting about life, kids, and funny stories for quite a while. I love when my client relationships turn into fun chats and laughter-filled conversations as we get to know each other and build a friendship. It brings a certain "fullness" to a session, knowing that my clients are not only enjoying their photographs but also their experience. I can't even put the feeling into words, but it brings me encouragement, fulfilment, and true happiness!

Oogle over Sophia's adorable gallery and try to fight off the baby fever... if you can! Here is Sophia, 7 weeks fresh and my squishiest model of the year!