What I tell Perth mums who think they’ve missed their chance

There seems to be a point somewhere around 4–8 weeks when I start getting messages from mums asking:

“Have I left newborn photos too late?”

And my answer is no. You haven’t missed it.

We can still photograph those beautiful, soft moments between you and your baby. The cuddles. The kisses. Your older toddler or kids with their new sibling. Those tiny feet and yes, they’re still tiny. The way they fit against your chest and the way you hold them right now.

There is still so much worth remembering.

What if my baby is awake?

They probably will be for some of it.

Most babies have awake periods during their newborn session, and awake isn’t bad.

We work with your baby.

Sometimes a feed and a full tummy is all they need to settle back to sleep. Some babies are naturally sleepier than others. Some are determined not to miss a bloody thing. 😂

And that’s okay.

There are photographers who will spend a long time settling a baby back to sleep to create a particular sleepy photograph. That’s absolutely fine if that’s the style of photography you’re looking for.

But that’s not what your baby needs to do for me.

If they’re asleep, I’ll photograph those soft, sleepy moments.

If they’re awake, I’ll photograph their eyes. Their expressions. The way they look at you. The way they settle into your arms.

Your baby doesn’t have to sleep for us to have something beautiful to photograph.

But will we still get sleepy photos?

We very well might.

Being 4, 6 or 8 weeks old doesn’t mean your baby won’t sleep during their session.

We’ll follow their cues. We can stop for a feed. We can cuddle. We can settle. There is no rush to get through a checklist of photographs while your baby does something completely different.

And when they drift off, that’s when we get those sleepy moments too.

What will we photograph?

Honestly? The works.

Your baby on their own.

Their tiny hands and feet.

Baby with Mum.

Baby with Dad.

Your family together.

Big brother or sister meeting, cuddling, kissing or interacting with the newest member of their family.

The way your baby fits in your hands.

The little details you see every day right now and don’t realise are already changing.

Your gallery doesn’t depend on your baby sleeping through the entire session.

It comes from all of it.

If you’re pregnant and reading this…

This is where we can then talk about timing without making the mum who arrived through Google feel like she’s already failed.

If you know you particularly love sleepy newborn photographs, then I recommend planning your session for those first few weeks.

Younger babies will often sleep for longer stretches, particularly once they’re settled with a full tummy, which gives us more opportunity for those sleepy photographs — especially the ones I love with baby tucked into Mum or Dad.

I don’t do heavily posed, curled newborn photography. My newborn work is about your baby and your family together — connection, cuddles, little details and everything that comes with those first weeks.

So yes, if sleepy photographs are especially important to you, earlier is best.

But if you’re reading this and your baby is already 4, 6 or 8 weeks old?

Go right back to the answer I gave you at the beginning:

No. You haven’t missed it.

Newborn photography in Hilbert, Perth

My newborn sessions take place in my home studio in Hilbert, close to Byford and Armadale and around 15 minutes from Piara Waters.

Baby, parents and siblings are all included, because newborn photographs aren’t just about documenting what your baby looked like.

They’re about documenting all of you at the beginning of this new version of your family.

So if you’re sitting there wondering whether your baby is already “too old”, send me their age.

We’ll take it from there.