How Often Should You Get Professional Photos?
You probably read this title and said to yourself “Riley.. You’re a professional photographer. You’re going to tell me to book a session all the time. To hire a photographer for everything.”
Nope! That is not what I am here to do. That is completely unrealistic. Hiring a professional photographer can be expensive, and you have so many other places to spend the money you worked so hard to get. So how often should you hire a professional? Heres my honest opinion, and even better, my reasons why.
Your Baby’s First Year:
New parents are constantly under a ton of pressure to get *all* the professional photos. But there is no need to book a session once a month. That is pretty unreasonable if you ask me. What I do recommend is to follow up your maternity session with a newborn session, then a 6 month session, and finally 12 months.
1. Newborn Session
After your maternity session I recommend following up with your photographer and inquiring about a newborn session. You absolutely want to capture the squishy, sleepy phase of your little bundle of joy, but this phase doesn’t last forever. I typically do my newborn sessions when baby is about 1-2 weeks old, but up to a month may also work.
2. 6 Months (Give or Take)
When your little bundle of joy is about 6 months old, they can finally hold themselves up, but aren’t crawling just yet. This is such a perfect age to get professional photos taken. Babies are so expressive, and typically pretty interactive, so it is an amazing opportunity to capture some of the most precious memories.
3. 1 Year
The jump from 6, to 12 months is bonkers! It’s a whole new ballgame. Baby is scurrying around, some maybe even walking! This is the time for a cake smash session, or to capture your baby doing his/her thing, just walking around!
While some also prefer to capture the 3 month and 9 month milestones, they are crucial for documenting the growth of your baby. However, if you would still like me to capture these ages, I would be thrilled to!
Here’s another bonus for you baby’s first year: Booking with the same photographer for each of these sessions (including your maternity session) is a HUGE perk! All of your baby’s milestone photos will be consistent, and look so beautiful when hung up beside one another.
Family Photos:
My honest and easy answer… You should get professional family photos once a year. Perfect for holiday cards, profile pictures, displaying in your home, and really anything else you can think of! After your little ones first year of life, annual family photos are perfect for documenting any dramatic growth. Though it wouldn’t hurt to get family photos twice a year, specifically every other season. Such as spring and autumn, or summer and winter. This routine is perfect if your budget allows, if you’d like more options for home decor, or simply just love documenting your family’s growth!
Senior Year(s):
Both high school and college graduations are such amazing accomplishments, and they deserve to be documented beautifully. Hiring a professional photographer for these milestones is money well spent. I promise.
Weddings:
Believe it or not, some people decide to go the cheap route, or (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) simply just don’t hire a wedding (or engagement) photographer at all. And that just breaks my little photographer heart. Your wedding day is not a day you want to forget, and is worth hiring a professional photographer for. While I don’t personally photograph weddings (though I do shoot engagements!), I have some amazing photographers that I would be more than happy to refer you to. Moral of the story; Don’t skimp out on your wedding photographer. You won’t regret it.
Head Shots:
The short answer: Every 2-3 years. But there *are* some exceptions. Those include dramatic changes to your appearance (e.g hair style, facial hair), promotions, or a change in your career as a whole. This is important for personal branding, and marketing.
There you have it! Is it time to get some updated family photos, or book your maternity session? Great! I am so excited to capture what matters most to you.
6/24/2025