My Baby Has Spotty or Flaky Skin. Should We Postpone Our Newborn Photo Shoot?

Your gorgeous new baby has arrived, and you can't wait to have some beautiful, sleepy photographs taken of them at their newborn photo shoot. But as the date approaches your baby's skin starts to flake, becomes blotchy or they develop spots.

Should you postpone the shoot until their skin has healed?

This question is something I'm often asked by parents in the run up to their newborn session. I completely understand why any parent would be concerned - you've decided to invest in professional photographs of this precious time in your baby's life, and you want to capture them at their best - not during the few days when these blemishes or flakes appear.

In fact, the vast majority of babies that I photograph do have spotty, blotchy or flaky skin on the day of their shoot.

In this article, I'll explain why we can go ahead with the shoot even if your baby does have spotty, flaky or blotchy skin and how I make sure that your photographs capture your baby exactly as you want to remember them.

Most Newborn Babies Have Blotchy, Flaky or Spotty Skin During The First Few Weeks

When a family books a newborn photo shoot with me, we'll usually schedule the shoot during the first 5-14 days after their baby is born. It's very unusual for me to photograph a baby during this period who doesn't have spots or flakes or blotchy skin. Most babies do, in my experience, and it's a completely normal part of their development.

• Related Article: When to book your newborn photo shoot

How I Edit Blotchy, Spotty or Flaky Skin After The Photo Shoot

After every photo shoot, the next stage of the process is for me to edit and retouch the final photographs. 

When a baby has blotchy, flaky or spotty skin (which is the vast majority of babies that I photograph), and with their parents permission, I fix these issues when I am retouching the photographs after the shoot. You can see a before and after example below.

This is something that most parents want me to do, but if you would prefer to keep those features on your baby's skin, I won't retouch them. I'll always check with you before you leave the shoot, so that I know what your preferences are, and what you would like me to do.

OVER TO YOU

In my experience, at least 90% of the babies that I photograph do have spots, blotchy skin, or flaky skin, and tidying that up for you when I edit the photographs afterwards is all part of the service that I offer.

I hope that this article has helped to reassure you that you don't need to delay your newborn photo shoot if your baby has blotchy, flaky or spotty skin.

If you have any other questions about getting ready for your shoot, please do get in touch. If you've got any more questions about preparing for your shoot, please do get in touch. You can email me, give me a call, or send me a message via my website.

RELATED ARTICLES & VIDEOS

As you prepare for your newborn session, you may also find these articles and videos helpful:

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What do I need to bring to a newborn photo shoot?

What to wear for your newborn baby's photo shoot

What if my newborn baby doesn't sleep during their photo shoot?