As one of the most desired Hudson, Ohio photography studios, we talk to a lot of new moms. One of the most common questions we’re asked is when and how they should choose a date for their newborn session. Birth is unpredictable, newborn photography is not something that families do often (such as updating their family portraits yearly), so today we’re going to help guide you through how we schedule newborn photography sessions.

There are two main camps of newborn photography: posed and natural.

Posed newborn photography is what you may think of when you hear studio newborn photography; baby on a backdrop, posed with their hands holding up their head, surrounded by bright colors and props and artificial lighting. This type of photography really does need to be completed within the first 7-10 days so that your baby will sleep very deeply to allow such intricate posing.

Natural newborn photography is also sometimes referred to as “lifestyle photography” and can be held in a studio or in your own home. We offer a very natural, organic newborn style in our studio which relies heavily on the participation of family members as we feel the bond with your new baby is the most important thing to document. We prefer to follow baby-led posing, similar to how they were bundled up in the womb. We do not need baby to be in a very deep sleep, or even asleep at all! For this reason, we have tons of flexibility with newborn session scheduling. While we aim to hold our newborn sessions within the first 21 days of life, we comfortably work with newborns anywhere between 5 days and 8 weeks without much noticeable difference in the images.

You may be wondering how a newborn session is scheduled when you have no idea when your baby will actually arrive. Every photographer likely has their own process at choosing dates, but we’ll explain what works best for us! When a newborn session is reserved (ideally in the late first or early second trimester), we will choose a date approximately one week following your estimated due date. This ends up working out more often than not, but should your baby arrive much earlier or later than expected, we simply move the date when the time comes.

To sum up, we recommend booking your newborn session early in pregnancy to ensure availability. When scheduling a date, we recommend around one week after your due date while keeping an open mind that we may need to shift that date once your baby has made their grand entrance. Any questions? Leave them in the comments and we’ll be happy to answer them for you!

Erin Davison Photography is a Hudson Ohio photography studio for busy moms who want a stress-free and luxury portrait experience. Specializing in newborn, maternity, family, and baby photography, our studio is located in the heart of Cuyahoga Falls, just north of Akron. We serve families in Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Chagrin Falls, Avon, Twinsburg, Pepper Pike, Bainbridge, Solon, Hudson, Gates Mills, Brecksville, and all throughout the Greater Cleveland area. Erin offers a high-end, full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to the carefully curated Studio Wardrobe and cozy bright and airy studio space, an online viewing gallery to share with loved ones and download your included high-resolution digital files, in-person viewing and ordering sessions, and an array of family heirlooms such as beautiful albums, prints, custom framing and more to pass down to your children. If you are searching for the perfect maternity, newborn or family portrait photographer near Cleveland and are wanting to create heirlooms for your family, we can’t wait to serve you.

See more of our newborn work here!