Is My Baby Too Old for Newborn Photos?
I get this message ALL the time.
“My baby is already four weeks old. Have I left it too late for newborn photos?”
Or six weeks. Or eight weeks. Occasionally accompanied by an apology, as though they were supposed to organise a photoshoot while simultaneously recovering from childbirth, learning how to keep a tiny person alive and surviving on three hours' sleep.
So, no. Your baby is not too old for newborn photos.
The photos do change as your baby gets older, though, which is why I’ve put this together. These are real babies I’ve photographed in my Brisbane newborn studio, starting at two weeks old and working all the way through to 12 weeks.
You’ll see the sleepy newborn stage slowly turn into more awake time, more eye contact, longer little limbs and eventually those gorgeous first smiles and expressions. But you will also see that there is actually no rhyme or reason to newborn photography because babies are just little people after all and we are all unique.
There’s no cliff at two weeks where beautiful newborn photos suddenly stop being possible. Promise.
So if you’ve been Googling “is my baby too old for newborn photos?”, have a scroll through and see what babies at each age actually look like in front of my camera.
And if you’re reading this while you’re still cooking your baby, you clever little organised thing, now is actually the perfect time to book. Booking your newborn photography while you’re pregnant means I can pop you into my diary around your due date, you’ll have the best choice of availability, and your maternity photography session is complimentary when you book your newborn session.
But if the baby is already here, please don’t read that and think, well, bugger, I’ve missed it. You haven’t. It is genuinely never too late to get in touch. I photograph older newborns and young babies all the time, and this entire blog is basically photographic evidence of exactly that.
TWO WEEKS OLD
Little Eloise was two weeks old here and pretty much gave us the best of both worlds.
We had all that delicious sleepy newborn goodness, the tiny curled-up poses and snug little wraps, plus she decided to open those enormous eyes and stare straight down my camera like she’d been doing this professionally for years.
Two weeks is still very much in the traditional newborn stage, but even at this age I’m never trying to force a baby to sleep just because that’s what newborn photos are “supposed” to look like. If they sleep, gorgeous. If they wake up and give me big beautiful eyes like Eloise did, also gorgeous.
And yes, we absolutely include the rest of the family too. Her big brother clearly understood the assignment.
Two weeks old is a beautiful age for newborn photos, and you definitely haven’t left it too late.
THREE WEEKS OLD
I’m still filling this little spot in my week-by-week newborn project.
If your baby is currently 1–2 weeks old, you can apply for a complimentary newborn photography session including 4 digital images.
FOUR WEEKS OLD
I’m looking for a four-week-old baby!
This spot is still waiting for its tiny model. If your baby is currently 2–3 weeks old, you can apply for a complimentary newborn photography session including 4 digital images.
FIVE WEEKS OLD
Five weeks old and look at those eyes!
This is where you can really start to see that little shift from brand-new sleepy newborn to “Oh hello, there’s a whole world out here.” Eloise gave us plenty of gorgeous wide-awake photos and eye contact, but she also happily snoozed away for those sweet, snuggly newborn images too.
At five weeks I’m not going to promise your baby will wrap or curl up and sleep through their entire session like a tiny burrito. They’re generally more alert, more interested in what I’m doing and have very definite opinions about proceedings.
But that doesn’t mean we’ve missed anything. We simply follow their lead and photograph the gorgeous little person they are right now.
And getting a gallery with sleepy newborn photos and those huge curious eyes looking straight back at you is a pretty fabulous trade-off.
SIX WEEKS OLD
Six weeks old and Donovan is a perfect example of why that old “newborn photos have to be done in the first two weeks” rule needs to quietly disappear.
He was wide awake and full of little expressions for part of his session, then completely conked out and gave us those beautiful sleepy newborn photos as well. At six weeks babies are generally spending more time awake, so we tend to get more eye contact and personality creeping into the gallery, while still having plenty of opportunity for those soft, sleepy images.
And with older siblings involved, being a few weeks older can actually be rather handy.
Donovan was completely unfazed by all the attention from his big brother and sister, which is exactly what you want when you're the newest member of a busy family.
SEVEN WEEKS OLD
I’m looking for a seven-week-old baby!
I’m still filling this spot in my week-by-week newborn project. If your baby is currently 5–6 weeks old, you can apply for a complimentary newborn photography session including 4 digital images.
EIGHT WEEKS OLD
And here’s where things start getting really fun. At eight weeks old, Ayla was very much awake, watching me and taking in everything happening around her. We even got some of those gorgeous early smiles, which you’re much less likely to see during a traditional newborn session.
She still gave us plenty of that newborn sweetness though. We could wrap her, use the little beds and baskets and create images that still have that soft newborn feel, they just have a bit more personality mixed in now.
Eight weeks is definitely not too old for newborn photos. Your gallery might look a little different from a two-week-old baby’s gallery, but when the trade-off is smiles like that, I’m quite happy with the deal.
NINE WEEKS OLD
I’m still filling this little spot in my week-by-week newborn project.
This little spot is still waiting for the right baby. If your baby is currently 7–8 weeks old, you can apply for a complimentary newborn photography session including 4 digital images.
TEN WEEKS OLD
By ten weeks old, we’re definitely seeing more of the little person who has moved into your house. Flynn was alert, curious and very interested in what was going on, with loads of eye contact and some brilliant little expressions.
At this age I’ll adapt the session to what your baby can comfortably do. We can still use wraps, little beds and some of the newborn styling, but we also have more options for awake photos, tummy time and cuddles with Mum and Dad.
So if life got away from you during those first couple of months and suddenly your newborn is ten weeks old, please don’t write off having photos taken.
They may be past that brand-new stage, but there is SO much good stuff happening now.
ELEVEN WEEKS OLD
I’m looking for an eleven-week-old baby!
I still need an eleven-week-old to complete this part of the project. If your baby is currently 9–10 weeks old, you can apply for a complimentary newborn photography session including 4 digital images.
TWELVE WEEKS OLD
By twelve weeks, we’ve well and truly left the sleepy newborn stage behind, but look what we get instead.
Sylvie has eye contact for days, great head control, chubby little legs and a whole lot more personality to bring to her photos.
At this age the session starts to feel more like a young baby session than a traditional newborn one. There’s more tummy time, more interaction and plenty of cuddles with Mum and Dad. The wrapping days are long gone and those tiny outfits that would have completely swallowed them a couple of months ago finally get their moment.
So if your baby is approaching three months old and you’ve only just thought, argh, we never did newborn photos, get in touch anyway. We haven’t missed the chance to capture them while they’re tiny. We’ll just photograph the version you have now, hair, chunky thighs and all.
So, is your baby too old for newborn photos?
Hopefully, after scrolling through all those gorgeous little faces, you can see why I don’t have a strict cut-off age for newborn photography.
Yes, babies change quickly. A two-week-old session will usually look a little different from a six-week-old session, and by 10 or 12 weeks we’re getting much more eye contact, personality and those first proper smiles. But there’s something beautiful to photograph at every stage.
So if you’re sitting there with a baby who is already six, eight or even 12 weeks old thinking you’ve missed your chance, please get in touch. We’ll plan the session around the baby you have now, rather than worrying about the photos you could have taken a few weeks ago.
And if you’re still pregnant, this is your little nudge to get organised early. Booking while you’re pregnant gives you the best availability in my newborn diary and includes a complimentary maternity photography session.
Ready to plan your Brisbane newborn photography session? Get in touch here and let’s get your little person photographed before they get any bigger.
About the Author
Natarsha March is an award-winning Brisbane newborn, baby and family photographer with over 15 years of experience and more than 1,600 families photographed. She is known for her relaxed, stress-free sessions where mums and kids actually enjoy themselves (yes, it is possible). Based in Bunya, Brisbane, Tarsh creates natural, heartfelt images that focus on real connection, not stiff poses. If you are looking for a trusted photographer in Brisbane who makes the whole experience feel easy, Family Photography by Natarsha March is your girl.
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