When to book a newborn photographer in Perth

Most people start looking for a newborn photographer somewhere around the middle of their pregnancy, then wonder whether that's too early, too late, or whether they should just wait until the baby actually arrives.

Here's how it works, and why it's gentler than it sounds.

The short answer: during your pregnancy

The best time to get in touch is while you're still pregnant, ideally from around your 20 week scan.

There's no magic to that date. It's simply late enough that you know your due date, and early enough that you haven't yet reached the part of pregnancy where everything feels urgent.

I only take a limited number of newborn sessions each month, so getting in touch during pregnancy gives you the best chance of a place around your due date. That said, I'd rather you enquired late than not at all, and later in this article I've covered what happens if your baby is already here.

If you're also thinking about maternity portraits, the same conversation covers both, and Bump to Baby photographs the two chapters together.

You reserve your due month, not a date

This is the part that surprises people.

You don't choose your newborn session date while you're pregnant. You reserve space around your due month, and once your baby arrives you let me know, and we choose the actual date together.

It works this way because it has to. Nobody knows when your baby is coming, including your baby. Holding a specific date in advance would only mean moving it later.

Your session fee secures your place, and it carries across to whatever date we settle on.

Babies rarely arrive on time, and that's already allowed for

If your baby comes two weeks early, that's absolutely fine. If you go a week over, that's fine too.

Arriving early or late isn't a complication to be managed around. It's simply how babies are, and it's built into the way newborn sessions are scheduled. You don't need to call ahead to warn me, or apologise, or worry that you've ruined the plan.

When your baby is here, you message me, and we find a date.

The first two weeks are ideal, not a deadline

You'll read a lot online about a narrow window, usually put as the first two weeks. That window is real, and there's a reason for it: newborns are sleepier and curl more easily in those first days, which is what makes the very quiet, folded portraits possible.

But it's an ideal, not a cut-off, and it's worth saying plainly: babies up to around six weeks can still be photographed beautifully.

The session simply looks a little different. An older baby is more awake, more alert, and more interested in what's going on. You get fewer of the deeply asleep frames and more open eyes, more expression, more of a little person looking back at you. Those awake, expressive portraits can be just as beautiful in a completely different way.

If your baby is already here

Please still get in touch.

I don't deliberately hold spaces aside for short notice, and I can't promise how quickly I'll have something, because it depends entirely on what my calendar looks like that week. But if I have availability, I'd love to fit you in.

What I'd rather you didn't do is decide you've missed your chance. Two weeks, three weeks, five weeks — none of that means it's over. Send me a message and we'll see what's possible.

If your baby comes early, or you need more time

Sometimes those first weeks don't unfold the way anyone planned.

I had a premature baby myself, so I know how overwhelming and emotional the NICU journey can be, and how far photographs can sit from the front of your mind while you're in it.

If your baby arrives early, needs a longer stay in hospital or in the NICU, or if you need more time to recover after birth or a caesarean, please don't spend any energy worrying about fitting portraits into a window. You and your baby come first. We'll photograph them when you're ready, with as much flexibility as you need.

What the session itself looks like

Newborn sessions are held in the studio in Joondalup, which is inside Beautiful Beginnings Ultrasound at Lakeside Joondalup, close to the car park with pram parking at the door.

Sessions run on weekdays between 10am and 2pm, and take two to four hours. That sounds long, and it's deliberate: the time is there so your baby can feed, settle and be unsettled without anyone watching the clock.

The studio is stocked with wraps, props and accessories, so there is very little you need to bring with you. Parents and siblings are included, and there's no extra cost for them to be in the photographs.

Questions parents ask me

When should I book a newborn photographer?

During your pregnancy, ideally from around your 20 week scan.

Do I have to choose a date before my baby is born?

No. You reserve your due month, and we choose the date once your baby has arrived.

Is it too late if my baby is already a few weeks old?

No. The first two weeks are ideal, but babies up to around six weeks can still be photographed beautifully.

How long does a newborn session take?

Two to four hours, on a weekday between 9am and 3pm.

Can my partner and older children be in the photos?

Yes, and there's no extra cost.

Your next step

If you'd like to think it through at your own pace first, the free Portrait Planning Checklist covers when to book, how to choose the right photographer and the questions most expecting parents ask. It's on the newborn page, and there's no email required.

When you're ready, send me a message. Anytime from your 20 week scan is a good time, and if your baby is already here, that's a good time too.