Last Updated on 06/06/2026 by Armands Sprogis
How long does a newborn shoot take, and what happens.
Your newborn baby is here, you’ve chosen your photographer, but you might be wondering why newborn sessions can last 2–4 hours.
Many of my clients are surprised to hear that a session might last that long and often assume that I’m taking photographs non-stop for the entire time. Some parents are even concerned that it might be too much for a new baby. I do offer shorter newborn sessions as well, but that’s a story for another day.
Today, I’d like to break down how long newborn shoot takes and what actually happens during a typical newborn photography session. I will share with you a real newborn session. Yes, some images are not edited
I’ve been photographing newborn babies since 2010 and have a lot of experience in the field. Of course, every baby is different, but I’ll talk through a general session and explain where all that time goes.
If you’d like to watch part of a real session, you can check out my beginner’s guide where you’ll see some of the things I’m talking about.
Beginning of the Newborn Photo Session
Let’s assume you’ve followed my preparation guide, packed your bag the night before, checked the directions to the studio, had a smooth morning and arrived on time.
If you’ve managed all that, you deserve a sticker already!
Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen very often, but that’s absolutely fine. Life with a newborn is unpredictable.
Let’s talk about what happens when you arrive.
10:00am – Session Starts
You arrive, we have a little chat, and I take your baby to be undressed and wrapped in a blanket. The nappy stays on because around 90% of the time we’ll start with a feed straight away. As part of my preparation guide, I ask parents to feed their baby at the studio rather than in the car beforehand. This helps us start the session in the best possible way.
Let’s assume we’re lucky and the feed goes smoothly. Between settling in, feeding baby and discussing which poses and setups we’ll be doing, around 40 minutes can pass quite quickly.
10:40am – Settling and Preparing Baby
I take the baby and begin a gentle settling routine. Baby often isn’t asleep yet, and that’s completely fine. We’ll do a good burp, a little massage and spend some time with the baby on my arms, walking around the studio, so the baby can become comfortable with me. I like to keep everything very calm and relaxed. After around 15 minutes, I sit down and begin photographing some simple awake poses. These are usually basic portraits with the baby lying comfortably on their back. I typically spend around 10 minutes capturing these first images.
11:00am – Working Through Your Chosen Setups
If you’ve booked one of my longer sessions, you’ll have chosen some poses from my website beforehand. Some are very simple, while others are more detailed and take a little longer to achieve. There are usually around 7–9 pose options available, and each pose can easily take 20 minutes or more to complete. As you can imagine, those minutes add up very quickly. Even if you’re not using a pose selection sheet, we’ll gradually move through different setups, changing wraps, blankets, colours and props as we go.
By this point, I would normally aim to complete at least two setups. We might have photographed one wrapped pose and one prop pose, but we’ve already spent around 30 minutes doing so. At this stage, baby is often becoming a little tired or unsettled and may be ready for a cuddle, a top-up feed and another settling routine. We’ve probably had at least one little toilet accident by now as well!
11:40am – Feeding, Cleaning Up and Settling Again
Yes, newborn sessions usually involve a few toilet accidents. They’re completely normal and something I expect at almost every session. The clean-up itself is usually quick, but it naturally interrupts the flow of the session.
At this point, we’ll often do a small top-up feed, a cuddle and another settling routine. Getting the baby back into a deep, comfortable sleep can easily take around 20 minutes. Once baby is asleep, I can move on to some of the more advanced setups.
12:00pm – More Advanced Newborn Poses
Your baby’s safety is always my number one priority. I will never attempt a pose unless I feel completely comfortable that it is safe and suitable for your baby. While I enjoy being creative and trying new ideas, safety always comes first.
This is usually the stage where I attempt some of the more detailed poses from my pose selection sheet. These setups often require extra time because baby needs to be positioned carefully and settled deeply into sleep. If I’m creating two or three of these more advanced setups, perhaps one on the posing table and then moving to a floor setup, it can easily take around an hour to complete.
As always, that timing also includes any feeding breaks, cuddles or unexpected toilet accidents.
This family didn’t ask for very complicated setups, but here are some examples of what these could be.
1:00pm – Family Portraits
By this point, the individual newborn portraits are usually complete and my focus shifts towards family photographs. If siblings or family pets are part of the session, I often photograph those combinations during the previous stage while the baby is sleeping deeply.
Now it’s time for the family portraits.
Sometimes, the baby begins to wake up around this point and may need a little extra settling, but let’s assume everything goes smoothly. We’ll create a selection of family photographs together, along with portraits of each parent individually with baby. Even if a family originally requests a portrait with dad, I’ll always make sure mum gets some beautiful photographs too. This part of the session usually takes around 30 minutes.
1:30pm – Final Portraits and Details
During the final stage of the session, baby may be awake or just beginning to wake up. If I feel we can capture a few additional images, I might photograph some tiny details such as hands, feet or close-up portraits. These are often some of my favourite images from the session. If baby has decided they’ve had enough, that’s absolutely fine too. Newborn sessions are always baby-led. My job is to work around your baby’s needs and get the best possible variety of images while ensuring they remain comfortable and content throughout.
2:00pm – Time to Head Home
Baby is dressed, perhaps enjoying one final top-up feed, and the session is coming to an end. While you’re getting ready to leave, I’ll explain what happens next, discuss the viewing process, show you some of the products available and answer any questions you may have.
And there you have it. Before you know it, four hours can disappear in what feels like no time at all.
Hopefully, this gives you a better understanding of what actually happens during a newborn photography session and why these sessions take longer than many parents expect.
Feel free to check out my other guides for parents and photographers.
