Photography is an important tool for documenting the milestones in a baby's development. Many families choose professional photography for these times to create artistic images as professional archival prints that will last for generations. Knowing the importance of this task, many parents wonder, what is the best time for baby photography? Here is a guide for what you can expect at the different stages of the first year or so related to professional infant and baby photography.

 Newborn - The best time to photograph a newborn is the first 14 days, preferably day 5 to day 10. During that time, newborns are easier to work with, as they tend to cry less and they are less likely to have baby acne, which generally starts around day 16 and can last for several weeks. Most posing will be baby laying down naked, often sleeping, or with the newborn baby being held by parents, with siblings. These portraits are an amazing beginning to documenting a baby's life and should not be missed.

 2 to 3 months - This time is still considered newborn, but the babies are often much harder to work with at this age as they tend to be very fussy. They will have better head control than in the first month, and they usually can smile at this point, but do not count on getting a smiling portrait at this age. Most posing will involve the baby laying down on back or stomach, being propped up, and being held in arms.

 4 to 5 months - The infant usually is a fairly good smiler at this point, and has gotten quite chubby. Most infants at this age cannot sit up yet, but they are far better at interacting with people and objects, and are much less fussy. This is a great age for capturing chubby legs and bare bottom shots.

 6 to 7 months - Around this age the infant is able to sit up, and there are many more options for photography posing. Outdoor sessions are now possible for six month old portraits, but remember that babies at this age love to put everything in their mouth, so choose the outdoor location carefully. This is a great age for portraits with pets, and siblings as the infant is usually not mobile yet - just able to sit up, laugh and smile!

 8 to 10 months - This age can be very active as most infants are crawling at this point. These sessions are lots of fun as the baby tends to be very expressive and playful. Try a white background in the studio for a classic, clean look. But be ready to have to reset the baby continually to the right area of light. For very active babies, consider a home study session where the photographer comes to the home and uses natural light to capture the roaming baby on their own turf.

 11 to 14 months - Between these months, most babies are pulling up, "cruising" along furniture, standing and walking. Location sessions are ideal at this age when the baby is very determined to be mobile in their environment. During this time frame a one year portrait should be done to document the amazing development from birth to one. This should be a very playful session which includes family members as well.

 So given these ages for professional baby photography, which ones are the best? As a photographer and a parent, I would recommend having the baby professionally photographed as a newborn (around 7 to 10 days old), then at 4 months (chubby baby bottoms), followed by 6 or 7 months (sitting), 9 months (crawling), then 12 to 13 months (standing). If you can only do three - make sure to get newborn, 6 to 7 month portraits, and the One Year milestone. When purchasing prints, order professional archival prints that will last for generations, as these photos should be around for this babies great grand-babies. This is the gift of professional photography.