I’m just going to say it – I honestly hate when I hear the line, “book the photos now because they’ll never be this little again!!” I’m not pretending I’ve never said or thought that to myself before, but I don’t think fear is the reason to book your photos.
Obviously, yes, they will never be this little again. And you know what? You will still love them. You will still adore them.
Six month old baby cute as ever pictured above.
The FOMO Myth
The other day I was photographing a newborn session and the mom confided in me that she’s a little nervous about the transition of going back to work and starting daycare for her first baby.
What she feared the most was missing her baby’s first time rolling over or missing her first steps. My heart sank for a second knowing it could happen, but as I thought more about it I realized even though I’ve had the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom, I still managed to miss one of my babies’ first steps! It just so happened to be while I was doing something else and my husband was watching him.
The reality is there’s no real way to make sure we’re present in every single moment. I know plenty of moms who are SAHM’s and are only half-present throughout the day because of illnesses, businesses, family situations, lack of sleep, doom scrolling, you name it! Not all bad reasons to be a little distracted, but it does happen. And we’re all guilty of it.
Meanwhile, I also think of my mother-in-law. She was a full-time (or, honestly, overtime) working mom during my husband’s childhood, and while he remembers that, he also remembers that when she was with him, she was 100% present to him. And to this day, that’s still who she is as a person. She isn’t able to be present at every single important moment, but when she’s here she’s all-in.
Whether you’re in a busy season of work and life demands or in a more relaxed one, fear is not the reason I recommend taking your family’s photos this year. As moms, we have enough fears and worries about if we’re doing the best for our kids and as a Plano family photographer who loves nostalgic imagery, I don’t want to be one more person shaming you into making sure you document every last detail.
I want you to book your family photos because you’re wildly in love with your family, not because you’re preemptively mourning the loss of their childhood.
So What Happens if I Miss the Best Time for Newborn Photos?
I say all this to share that there is absolutely no bad time to take the photos.
I want to acknowledge that yes, at some point your baby is no longer a newborn. And that is totally ok. It doesn’t mean you’ve missed the window of opportunity to take beautiful pictures together as a family. It just means the newborn phase gets to live on in your hearts as a special and intimate time that maybe you don’t have professional pictures of, but you absolutely still have certain memories etched into your mind forever (even if those memories are of midnight cries or blowouts).
If newborn pictures happen closer to 3 months instead of 3 weeks you want to know what will really happen? You will just find new things at this stage that you adore about them and want photographed to cherish forever. Just as you saw the beauty and goodness in them at 3 weeks, you’ll see it again at 3 months, and at their first birthday, and when they go to Kindergarten, and again even as a pre-pubescent teen, and as they graduate and become a young adult.
At every single stage of your child’s life there is something you will adore about them. My job when preparing for your Plano newborn photoshoot is to draw that out of you. I want to hear all the little details you just love about them, and the sweet things your children do, say, and get excited about. With every family I work with, we marvel at how far you’ve come and dream together of the life you’re currently building for your family, the good parts and the hard ones. And this doesn’t happen through a couple of intake forms, this happens through real conversations of getting to know you.
After all, I’m not here so you can hold on to some specific “version” of your kids, I’m here so you can hold on to how it feels to belong. And the work you’re doing now of showing up for your kids is the best preparation really needed for a family photoshoot.
When Really is The Best Time for my Plano Newborn Photoshoot?
The beauty of meeting families where they’re at is that there is no weather, time of year, or milestone that limits our possibilities to capture your story.
Since most of my sessions are indoors in your homes and out and about at your favorite coffee shops, parks, Sunday afternoon spots, etc. I truly don’t have a “best time” to book.
The best time doesn’t wait for…
When the house is all clean
When your kiddo finally starts sleeping through the night
When the children stop destroying furniture
When the home decor is perfect
or
When the sunset is beautifully golden, but it’s witching hour for the baby and hangry hour for the rest of us.
The best time to book is when your family feels ready to be a little vulnerable and to let someone else in on witnessing your love.
Some Final Thoughts
So, if you’re looking for a Plano newborn photographer that works to capture more than milestones and pretty pictures, but actually wants to understand what you find so wonderful about your children, then you’re in the right place.
I like to meet my families in the same way they meet their children – with genuine curiosity and amazement.
Because the truth is, there’s no bad time to schedule family photos.
Inquire here to talk about what a low-pressure, high-intentionality family session would look like for you.
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