Why Schedule Multiple Photo Sessions During Baby’s First Year

Having a baby is one of life’s most extraordinary moments, filled with ALL the feels – overwhelming joy, love, sleep deprivation, wonder, exhaustion, and everything else in between.

The first year with a new baby often feels like a total blur. Which is why there are so many benefits to capturing that time through multiple photo sessions.

Not only does it allow you to document the journey from tiny toes to toothy grins, but also your own growth as a parent, with lots of evidence that you survived it all!

4 Reasons To Schedule Multiple Photo Sessions During Your Baby’s First Year

Here are just four of many, many reasons to get multiple photo sessions during your baby’s first year!

1. Make a commitment while your excitement is at a high

We all have the best intentions to do ALL of the things. Especially when it comes to our children. But eventually we get busy or distracted, or the excitement simply dies down.

By committing to multiple photo sessions from the beginning, you can ensure that the most rapidly changing year of your child’s life is properly documented.

2. Start the habit of being present in your family photos

Parents belong in the frame with their kids. We are, after all, such a big part of their story.

So why is it that so many of us end up with thousands of photos of our kids, but only a handful that include us, the parents?

By starting the habit of getting professional family photos on a regular basis, you will get used to being part of these images.

Our children will have no memory of their first few years with us. We must be part of their early childhood photos to show them we were there.

3. Create those first precious heirlooms

Having digital images to scroll through or share on social media is great. But with the help of your photographer, you can finish that first year with lots of wall art, home decor, photo books or albums – TANGIBLE items that you can keep forever and will only become more valuable over time.

4. Go for the discount

By committing to multiple photo sessions ahead of time, you’ll likely be offered some type of discount to sweeten the deal. Take it! Many photographers will raise their prices on a yearly basis, so this is a great chance to lock in that price for multiple sessions.

When To Schedule Your Photo Sessions

I ask my clients to pick 3 from these 4 key moments during their baby’s first year or so.

Maternity

This works great for families who already have an older child or children. It feels like a honeymoon session with the bigger kids, before they have to share their parents with the new baby. If it’s just the two of you, it’s a great opportunity to show off that baby bump and have some time to enjoy each other before everything changes.

Newborn

Newborn sessions can happen anytime between 2 days to 2 months of age with a new baby. There is no right or wrong time to schedule a newborn session. It depends on your recovery, how quickly everyone acclimates, whether there are older siblings, family in town, etc. Check out my article on Newborn Posing (and why I don’t,) with information about deciding on the best age to schedule your session.

6 Months

The marker I use for this session is when the baby is sitting up on their own. That independence allows for more variety in the photos and new activities. It’s usually when solid foods are introduced and the first couple of teeth are coming out.

1 Year

I love to schedule the last session just before the baby’s 1st birthday. That way by the time they turn 1, you can sit back and watch the slideshow that captures their first year. It’s such an important marker, more for the parents than the baby, to reach the end of that first year!

Watch Your Baby Grow

Imagine gathering the family on your baby’s 1st birthday to watch the slideshow that documents their whole life so far.

Best Way To Display Photos

As I mentioned above, it can be overwhelming to decide how to display your photos. Lean on your photographer to help you find the best print items for your family.

Photo books and albums are the most popular choice for multiple sessions as you can include images from each session. These work well as a “highlight reel” with favorite images from each milestone moment.

Photo ledges are another great choice when looking at a larger number of photos. Not only do they allow you to mix and match photos of different sizes and orientations to make visually interesting displays, but you can also update them in the future without adding new hardware to your walls.

Slideshows also deserve a mention here even though it is a digital product. With the addition of music, watching a slideshow that tracks that whole first year can have quite an emotional impact. It’s also the easiest form of sharing multiple photos with family and friends who live far away.

Ready to Schedule Your Multi-Session Package?

Interested in hearing more about a multi-session package? Reach out to me via my Contact Page and let’s set up a quick chat to talk logistics and pricing!