If you do nothing else, do this

I love newborns and I love newborn photo sessions!

If I could only do one type of photography, it would be newborn photography. Well, aside from photographing my son of course, and really, well, I love working with all babies and young children...

...but there is something really special about newborn photography.

And that's because there's something really special about newborns.

But here's the thing - as a first time parent, you don't have the perspective to realize it!

As a first time parent, you are anxious and exhausted. If you were the one giving birth, you're probably physically uncomfortable too, and really, you're just overwhelmed trying to figure out how to look after this tiny but often quite demanding and possibly angry little thing.

Time moves slowly. You look at your watch and only 3 minutes has passed when your baby is supposed to feed for 15! Loading the dishwasher is an amazing achievement because everything else is baby baby baby.

You can't wait until they're older so they can DO something, anything, a smile, some sort of interaction that doesn't require a diaper change!

Don't get me wrong, I loved the newborn stage, but really, I think a lot of that love was in retrospect.

And that's why you need photos!

You need absolutely gorgeous, heart-stopping photos because believe it or not, a year from now, you will want to relive every detail.

Well, the good ones anyway.

A lot of people hold back on newborn photography, spending less, buying fewer or smaller, or waiting, thinking they have plenty of time and a lot more photos to come. Which is true. Except that none of them will be as special as the newborn photos because no other period goes so quickly or is as hard to remember or as unique.

I SO WISH I had more newborn photos. Oh I have loads, but most of them are snapshots, including many attempted iphone self-portraits of me and the baby while he fell asleep feeding in the middle of the night. You need those too. But you also need the beautiful ones, the ones that are artwork that you will have in your home and soak up hungrily for the rest of your life.

So, my recommendation?

Splurge on newborn photography.

If you do nothing else, do this. You will never, ever regret it.

nyc baby, child and family photographer & architect alethea cheng fitzpatrick is based in brooklyn. she specializes in baby photography as interior design & interior design for babies. view her portfolio of babies, children or families or send her an e-mail here!

Meet Lilah

Working with a newborn is such a special experience. As the mother of an 18 month old, I have a completely different perspective than I had before or just after having a baby. Everyone tells you they grow and change so fast. It's such a cliche, but you really don't realize the truth of it until you experience it. It feels like they will be a baby forever (time doesn't always go quickly those first few weeks!) and then it's over in an instant.

And I'm sure that when I have an 18 YEAR old I'll have yet another perspective as well!

Lilah had her photo session when she was just under 2 weeks old and she was such a pleasure. I first met with her parents just before she was born. I love seeing the transformation a baby brings. It's such an exciting time. And already her parents look like pros, even though they said they felt far from it.

Welcome to the world, Lilah!

nyc baby, child and family photographer & architect alethea cheng fitzpatrick is based in brooklyn. she specializes in baby photography as interior design & interior design for babies. view her portfolio of babies, children or families or send her an e-mail here!