(from someone who has done it hundreds of times)
If you’ve just found out you’re pregnant, or you’re sitting there with a seven-day-old and wondering if it’s too late to book, this post is for you.
I’m Lucy, and I’ve been photographing newborns just outside York for years. I’ve sat with hundreds of families in those raw, tender, exhausted first days. I’ve cried with them. I’ve laughed with them. I’ve become genuine friends with some of them.
And I want to tell you everything I wish more people knew before they booked their newborn shoot.
First – it’s not what you think it is
The biggest misconception I come across, again and again, is that newborn photography is going to be stiff and awkward. A production line of poses where you sit in a chair, smile, and leave.
It is genuinely nothing like that.
What I offer is an experience. Not just photographs – an experience. You come through the door, we sit down, we get to know each other. We talk about your labour. We talk about how feeding is going. We talk about whatever’s on your mind, because you’ve just been through something enormous and sometimes you just need someone to listen.
I’ve been through it myself, with two children of my own. I get it. I really do.
The sweet spot: when to book your newborn shoot
The ideal time to photograph a newborn is between five and ten days old. In those early days, babies are still beautifully curled and sleepy – they haven’t yet had the growth spurt that can make them a little unsettled around ten to fourteen days.
That said, I’ll happily photograph babies up to around three weeks old (and on but the newborn wraps are much easier up to around three weeks). Because I have complete flexibility with my sessions and no time constraints, we can always take the time we need to settle, soothe, and get those gorgeous images – even if baby needs a little more coaxing.
After about two weeks, babies start to get wonderfully kicky and wiggly, which just means we adapt. Every baby is different, and I’ve never had a session where we didn’t come away with something beautiful.
“But what if my baby won’t settle?”
This is the number one worry I hear from parents before their shoot – and I completely understand why.
Here’s the honest answer – babies get upset for a reason. They’re hungry, or tired, or need a nappy change, or they’re a little too warm or too cold. There is always a reason, and there is always a solution.
I’ve had babies who needed two feeds mid-session. I’ve had babies who needed a ten-minute drive around the Yorkshire countryside with dad to calm down while mum sat in the studio with a cup of tea and a biscuit. I’ve had babies who screamed for the first forty minutes and then produced the most angelic, peaceful images you’ve ever seen.
Because I only ever photograph one family per day and I put no time limit on my sessions, there is absolutely no pressure. We go at your pace. Always.
What to wear (and why you don’t need to panic about it)
I have a full wardrobe at the studio – dresses in all sizes and shapes, because I know that the last thing you want to think about after having a baby is finding something that fits and feels comfortable.
Everything I own is neutral: whites, creams, beiges. That’s a deliberate choice, because I want every single person looking at your photos to look at your baby’s face – not a mismatched pattern or a bright colour competing for attention.
My wrap dresses and loose flowing styles tend to be the most popular, but if you’re a jeans-and-a-top person, we’ll work with that too. A loose cardigan or a shirt that buttons up and down works beautifully – especially if you’re breastfeeding.
You don’t need to go shopping. You don’t need to stress. Just come as you are, and we’ll figure it out together.
Why professional photography isn’t the same as your phone
I know. Phones are incredible now. But here’s the thing – they change.
The photos you took three years ago on your phone already look blurry compared to what phones can do today. And in another three years, the same will be true again.
Professional photography looks the same forever. Print it the size of a wall and it’s as crystal clear as the day it was taken.
More than that – when you look back at a photo, you don’t just see the image. You remember how that day felt. The warmth in the room. The way your baby smelled. The fact that someone was there holding space for you and your family, not a timer on a phone propped up against a cushion.
Those tiny details – the microscopic hairs on their cheeks, the eyelashes, the perfect curl of their fingers – you can’t capture those on a phone.
And you can’t recreate them once the moment has passed.
The full journey – from bump to beyond
For many of my families, it starts even before the baby arrives.
I often hear from people around their twenty week scan. We spend months in touch, talking about birth plans and outfits and excitement.
Then comes the maternity shoot – either a golden hour sunset session in the Yorkshire countryside or a studio shoot, depending on what feels right.
Then the newborn session.
Then a sitter shoot around six to seven months – bubbles, giggles, a baby who has discovered they have opinions.
Then a first birthday, with a little cake, a bubble bath to clean them up, and the most joyful photos you can imagine.
And then, often, every year after that.
I have families who have been coming back to me since before their first child was born, who now have two or three children, and a growing shelf of albums with the year printed on every spine. Maternity. Newborn. First birthday. Second birthday. Third.
That’s what this is really about. Not just photos. A record of your whole family, growing up.
Why families come back again and again
I’ve got over 150 five-star Google reviews, and when I read through them, the same things come up every time. Not just the quality of the images – but the feeling. That they were never rushed. That they felt cared for. That someone truly listened.
I live just five minutes outside York, in the countryside. All you can hear at the studio is birds and horses.
It’s calm and quiet and peaceful – which is exactly what you need when you’ve just had a baby and the world feels like a lot.
I don’t tell families what to do during a shoot. We work together. We make it fit your family, your story, your style.
And I think that’s what people keep coming back for.
A note on finding the right photographer for you
I always say this, and I mean it: do your research. Look at Instagram. Look at Pinterest. Look at portfolios. Make sure the style you’re seeing is the style you actually want – because you’re going to be looking at these photos for the rest of your life.
If my style is right for you, I would absolutely love to meet you. And if it’s not quite right, I’d still rather you find someone whose work you’ll truly love forever than book with me and wish you’d gone elsewhere.
That’s how much I care about this.
Ready to find out more?
If you’re based in York, North Yorkshire, or the surrounding area and you’d like to talk about booking a newborn session, or anything from maternity right through to first birthday, please get in touch.
I would genuinely love to be part of your story.
