The Newborn Session I Almost Canceled—Until Magic Happened

The Newborn Session I Almost Canceled—Until Magic Happened

There’s something incredibly special about photographing newborns. They’re soft, snuggly, and overflowing with sweetness—a pure reminder of life’s gentlest beginnings. As a photographer, I consider it an honor every time I’m invited into that sacred space. But any seasoned newborn photographer knows: behind those dreamy images are sometimes very real, very fussy babies. And truthfully? That’s part of the beauty.

During a recent session, I met a little one who had just undergone a circumcision the day before. Understandably, he was uncomfortable, squirmy, and far from sleepy. Every attempt at posing him gently ended in tears, and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get a single peaceful shot. After a while, his sweet mama looked at me and said, “You have a lot of patience.”

That stuck with me—because patience is the secret sauce when it comes to newborn photography. Sometimes babies are hungry, gassy, overstimulated, or just in need of mama’s touch. And that’s okay. It’s our job as photographers to read the room, adapt, and put their comfort first.

As much as I love chasing “the shot,” I knew in that moment it might be best to reschedule. We began to pack up, ready to try again on a better day. But as fate would have it, once the baby was snug in his car seat, he drifted off into a deep sleep. We all looked at each other and thought the same thing: Should we give it one more try?

We did—and it was magic.

The little one slept peacefully through the entire shoot. I was able to capture everything I had envisioned, and the parents left happy, relieved that their session was complete and they had beautiful memories to treasure.

This session reminded me of something so simple yet so profound: flexibility and patience often lead to the most beautiful results. Sometimes, all it takes is a little time and a second chance—and the rest just falls into place.

By Bekah Ball