Professional Portraits of Your 3 Month Old

Our studio offers a first year portrait program we call Bebe Steps. Depending on when the parents call they can choose to have portraits at the newborn stage and then 4, 8 and 12 months; or at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. We have, at the beginning of any session, a few images/poses we want to try and capture to illustrate the first year growth milestones.

At the three month session we want the baby to be able to lay on their tummy and hold their head up nice and strong. (Like in the center image above.) We encourage parents to practice this pose with their baby at home. You can do the same thing by laying your child on their tummy, scooting their elbows up under their chest like you see here and then crossing their arms. If you follow those instructions they will hold their head up. It is much harder for the baby if their arms are extended out front of them. In a pre-portrait consultation we tell the parents their child should be able to hold this pose for 15 to 20 seconds. If the baby can't do this then we encourage them to reschedule their appointment.

Three months is also a perfect time to capture relationship images. During this first year your child depends on you for everything. You are their world. Showing the tiny size of their hands and feet in relation to you are images that will be cherished forever. Isolating those images against a black background gives them additional impact.

If you've done this whole baby thing a time or two already, you're well aware that babies do what babies do. There is no "smiling on command" at this age.

When the big portrait day arrives take your time and don't rush. Even a three month old can tell when you're harried and nervous and it rubs off on them. If you're anxious chances are your baby will be as well. Plan to leave the house 15 minutes earlier than you need to. If you arrive early most studios will have a place for you and baby to relax and get comfortable. Take this time to "top off the tank" if need be and change diapers. If your baby is fed and warm and dry your session has a better than average chance of succeeding.

It is inevitable with high school senior portraits that even the most porcelain skinned cheerleader will wake up on picture day with a giant blemish. No reason to believe infants are any different. Babies get "infant acne" and those tiny fingernails can be very sharp and they can often scratch themselves. If you're utilizing a professional portrait studio they will most certainly offer you the option of having any blemishes or scratches removed. Chain and department store studios typically do NOT offer this service.

I think this is more personal preference than anything and it depends on what you're looking for in your finished portraits.

Unfortunately, in today's world of over-anxious crackpots you can't be too careful. I read in the news recently about a Mom who was arrested for taking "nudies" of her little girl in the bathtub!!! A clerk at the photo processing lab reported the "porn" to the authorities and now that poor mother is facing who knows what kind of charges and character defamation for taking innocent normal childhood photos of her own children.

I will continue to do "bare butt" photos in our studio at the parents request. Typically I have drawn the line at nine months. I think naked portraits (just the baby not the parents;-) are appropriate and perfectly acceptable at three and six months. At nine months we're trying to capture baby standing and holding on and at 12 months standing on their own - both of which are better served by a clothed child.

So . . . what then to wear. It would seem that simple, solid colored baby clothes are nearly non-existent. To be certain those tiny multi-colored outfits are beyond cute - which is exactly the problem. Do you really want the first comments from someone viewing your child's portrait to be, "Isn't that outfit adorable?!" Try to keep patterns to a minimum and if you can find solid colored outfits that is always best. Skip the shoes in this first year or at least until the 12 month walking portraits.

Brightly colored hats are one exception I will make. We've created some very cute images - cropped tight showing just part of the hat - and those big blue eyes. My personal recommendation for parents at the three month session is to have the baby naked or in a diaper for the images where they are laying on their tummy. I also prefer naked/diaper for the relationship images with Mom and Dad. And in those images Mom and Dad should be wearing dark solid colored shirts or turtlenecks with long sleeves as in the images above.