When to Book Your Newborn Photographer in Montreal (And When It Might Be Too Late)
Here is a question I get asked more than almost any other: when should I book my newborn photographer?
And here is the honest answer: earlier than you think. Much earlier.
If you are reading this while pregnant, whether you are 10 weeks along or 36 weeks along, this post is for you. If you are reading this with a brand new baby in your arms and you haven't booked yet, keep reading too. There is still hope, I promise.
And if you are booking while pregnant, here is a little bonus worth knowing: I offer a maternity and newborn package that lets you capture both milestones together. Your bump, glowing and round. Then your baby, fresh and new. Two of the biggest moments of your motherhood story, photographed by the same person who already knows your face and your family. If you are even a little bit curious about maternity photos, booking pregnant is the perfect time to explore that. You can check out the package details and reach out here.
The short answer: book while you are pregnant
You do not need to have your nursery finished. You do not need to know if it is a boy or a girl. You do not even need to have settled on a name. All you need is a due date and a gut feeling that you want these photos.
Newborn photographers, myself included, tend to book up months in advance. When clients reach out at 8 or 10 weeks pregnant, I reserve their spot around their due date and we figure out the details as the pregnancy progresses. It is the lowest-stress way to do it, and it means that when your baby actually arrives, booking your photographer is already crossed off the list.
The ideal window? Anytime during your pregnancy works. Third trimester is very common. But I have clients who book in their first trimester and I love it, because it means we have time to really connect before the session.
Why newborn spots fill up so fast
Montreal has no shortage of talented photographers, but good newborn photographers, the ones who know how to work with a sleepy, unpredictable, occasionally screaming tiny human, tend to have full calendars. Most of us only take a limited number of newborn sessions per month because they are time-intensive and require flexibility around the baby's cues.
What this means for you: by the time you announce your pregnancy on Instagram, your due date is getting close to other people's shoot dates. If you wait until the third trimester to start looking, you may find that your first two or three choices are already booked.
What happens after baby arrives: the sweet spot for the shoot
Here is where timing gets really specific.
The ideal window for a newborn session is within the first three to five weeks of life. This is when babies are at their sleepiest and most curled up. They spend a lot of time in that beautiful, snoozy, frog-legged state that makes for the most magical photos. After about three weeks, babies tend to become more alert, more opinionated, and a little harder to settle during a session.
This does not mean we cannot do beautiful work after three weeks. It just means the session looks a little different, and we might spend more time on awake poses and family moments rather than those deeply asleep, tucked-in shots.
So the goal is to have your photographer booked before baby arrives, so that as soon as you know your birth date, you can reach out and confirm the session for sometime in those first three weeks.
What if you are already 35+ weeks or baby is already here?
First of all: do not panic.
I always try to make it work when someone reaches out late. If I have availability that lines up with your newborn window, I will absolutely squeeze you in. It does not always happen, but it happens more often than you might think, especially if you are flexible on the day of the week or time of day.
The risk when booking after baby is born is simply that I may not have a spot open in time to catch that first three-week window. That is the honest truth. It does not mean the photos will not be beautiful, it just means we work with wherever baby is at developmentally when we do connect.
If you are reading this late in the game, the best thing you can do is reach out right now. Not tomorrow. Today. Send a quick message with your due date or birth date and I will tell you exactly what I have available.
One more thing worth knowing
Newborn sessions are not just about the baby. They are about you becoming a family. They are about the way your partner looks at that tiny face. The way your toddler climbs up and plants a kiss on a forehead. The way you look, exhausted and glowing and completely in love, in those first surreal days of new parenthood.
These moments do not last. The newborn stage is beautiful and brutal and gone before you know it. Having photos from that time is one of the things parents tell me, again and again, that they are most grateful for.
So if you are on the fence about whether it is worth it, or whether you waited too long, the answer is almost always: reach out and let me tell you what is possible.
Frequently asked questions
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Anytime during your pregnancy is ideal. Booking in the second or early third trimester gives you the best chance of securing your preferred date, but I welcome inquiries at any stage of pregnancy or even after baby arrives.
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Within the first three weeks of life. Babies are sleepiest and most curled up in this window, which makes for the most natural and peaceful session. That said, beautiful sessions happen outside this window too.
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Reach out right away. I always try to accommodate late requests when availability allows. The sooner you contact me, the better your chances of fitting into the newborn window.
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Most photographers with a busy newborn practice book one to three months in advance, sometimes more. Popular dates, especially weekends in spring and fall, fill fastest.
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Not at all. All I need is your due date. We work out the details as your pregnancy progresses.
Ready to reserve your spot? Get in touch here and let's make sure your newborn session is locked in before baby arrives.
