Pakenham has more first-time parents than almost anywhere else we shoot, and first-time parents tend to ask the best questions. How long will it take. What if the baby won’t settle. Does the house need to be tidy first. We’ll answer all of that properly further down this page, but the short version is: two to three hours, they usually don’t settle and that’s completely fine, and no.
Sessions are $650 in your home or $550 at our Beaconsfield studio, about fourteen minutes away. Both include 20–30 fully edited photographs and a 30-second highlight film, and we currently sit at 23+ Google reviews, all five stars.
23+ Reviews
5.0 Google Rating
100+ Families
Beautifully Captured
Pakenham & South-East Melbourne
Maternity • Newborn • Family
Newborn Photography in Pakenham
Welcoming a new baby is one of life’s most meaningful moments. Our newborn photography sessions in Pakenham are designed to feel calm, relaxed and baby-led, creating timeless portraits you’ll treasure for years. We recommend booking during pregnancy, with sessions taking place within the first 5–14 days after birth when those peaceful newborn poses happen most naturally.
Maternity Photography in Pakenham
Pregnancy is a beautiful chapter worth remembering, and our maternity photography sessions in Pakenham are designed to celebrate it naturally. Whether you prefer a golden-hour outdoor session or a relaxed lifestyle shoot, we’ll create timeless portraits that reflect your growing family’s story. We recommend booking your maternity session between 28 and 34 weeks, when your baby bump is beautifully visible while you’re still comfortable enough to enjoy the experience.
Every session is guided with gentle posing, styling advice and plenty of time to help you feel confident in front of the camera. Partners and older siblings are always welcome, making it easy to create meaningful family memories before your little one arrives. Many families continue their journey with us through newborn, milestone and first birthday sessions, creating a complete Bump to Baby story across Pakenham and Melbourne’s south-east.
Studio or In-Home Newborn Photography in Pakenham
Most Pakenham families we work with choose an in-home session, and for first-time parents especially, it tends to be the more comfortable option—familiar surroundings, no travel with a newborn, and nothing new to adjust to on a day that already feels overwhelming enough.
| Studio - $550 | Your home - $650 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Maternity, milestones, cake smash | Newborns in the first fortnight |
| Lighting | Fully controlled, consistent | Whatever your windows give us |
| Props and backdrops | Everything already set up | We bring a full selection with us |
| Mess | Ours to clean up | Cake smashes at home get messy |
| With a six-day-old | A fourteen-minute drive, very doable | No car seat, no packing, no rush |
Our honest recommendation: for a first newborn session, home. You'll already be adjusting to enough that's new, there's no reason to add a drive and an unfamiliar space to the list. Save the studio visit for maternity, or for the cake smash once your baby is older and a bit more portable.
Book your session
We’re open 8 am to 7 pm, seven days. Send us your due date or your baby’s age and we’ll check availability for Pakenham.
Maternity & Newborn Photography Prices in Pakenham
| Session | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity or newborn – our studio | $550 | 20–30 edited photos + 30-second film |
| Maternity or newborn – your home | $650 | Same experience, in your own space |
| Baby shower or gender reveal | From $135/hr (4hr min) | Photos + 3–4 minute highlight film |
| Photo + video combined | From $255/hr (4hr min) | Editing and travel included |
| Second shooter | $125/hr | For larger events |
| Albums | From $700 | Designed with you |
Drone coverage: Included in all packages, not sold as an upgrade.
Booking: A 10% non-refundable retainer secures your date, with the remaining balance due on or before your session.
Delivery: A sneak peek within 2 days and your full gallery within 14 days. Longer event films take up to 8 weeks.
When to book
Maternity: 28 to 34 weeks is the sweet spot. The bump is clearly there and you’re usually still moving comfortably. If you’re expecting twins, or you’ve been told you may deliver early, aim for 26 to 30 weeks instead.
Newborn: the first 5 to 14 days. Babies this young still curl naturally into those tucked-up, sleepy shapes and settle through most of the session. Book at 20 to 30 weeks pregnant, we hold a flexible window around your due date rather than a fixed day, and you message us once your baby arrives so we can confirm the exact date inside that window.
Being seven minutes from Berwick helps here more than it might sound. Babies rarely arrive when anyone plans for them to, and being this close means we can usually move your session by a day or two either way without any drama, rather than trying to slot you into a diary built around travel time.
Cake smash: 11 to 12 months, ideally shot a couple of weeks before the actual birthday so your images are back and ready in time for the party itself.
Around Pakenham
Deep Creek Reserve is the standout among the Pakenham locations. The wetland boardwalks give you a distinctive backdrop you won’t find at a standard suburban park, there’s genuine birdlife if you’re patient, and the open grass areas work well for family groupings once the individual and couple shots are done. Light here is best in the couple of hours before sunset, when it comes in low and warm across the water.
Toomuc Reserve follows the creek line closer to the centre of town and gives you a mix of trees and water without needing to drive far, which matters when you’re heavily pregnant or managing a newborn’s feeding schedule around a session.
IYU Recreation Reserve is more open and practical than scenic, it’s a solid choice for a family session that includes older kids, since there’s plenty of room for them to move around between shots, and parking is straightforward.
If you’d prefer something with a bit more architectural structure behind you rather than parkland, the grounds around the Cardinia Cultural Centre offer a cleaner, more contemporary backdrop that works particularly well for maternity portraits.
Why families book us
- Pricing on the page. No “enquire for a quote” and no surprises later. You know exactly what your session costs before you ever message us, which we’ve found matters a lot to first-time parents already juggling a long list of new expenses.
- A team of two. Jay and Yesha shoot together on every session. One of us watches the light and the frame while the other keeps things calm, whether that’s settling a newborn or simply keeping the mood relaxed for parents who’ve never done this before.
- A film in every session. Every maternity and newborn booking includes a 30-second highlight video at no extra cost. Most Melbourne newborn photographers hand you a gallery of photos and stop there, we hand you a gallery and something you can genuinely send to family who couldn’t be there in person.
- Since 2015. We’ve been photographing families for over ten years, and we currently sit at 23+ Google reviews, every one of them five stars.
- English, Hindi and Gujarati. Useful when extended family is part of the session, or when a baby shower or godh bharai has its own running order to follow.
- We explain everything, every time. For first-time parents especially, we don’t assume you know how a session works, we walk you through it from the first message to the delivered gallery.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve never done a photoshoot before, what actually happens?
We arrive, warm the room if it’s a newborn session, and take about fifteen minutes to let everyone settle before we start anything. From there it’s two to three unhurried hours built around your baby’s feeds and changes, and we direct you the whole way through, you genuinely don’t need to know how to pose or what to do with your hands. That’s our job, not yours.
When should I book my newborn session?
During pregnancy is ideal, with sessions taking place within 5–14 days after birth.
Does our house need to be tidy?
No, not even close. We use one corner of one room, typically near whichever window gives the best light. We’ve never once had a house we couldn’t work in, and we’ve never noticed a washing pile once we’re focused on your baby.
How many photos will we get, and how quickly?
20 to 30 fully edited images plus your 30-second highlight film. You’ll get a sneak peek within 2 days of your session, with the complete gallery following within 14 days.
What if our baby cries the whole time or won’t settle?
Completely normal, and genuinely nothing to worry about. It’s exactly why we build two to three hours into every newborn session rather than trying to rush through in less. Crying, feeding and changing are all part of a typical session, not a sign that anything’s gone wrong.
Do you charge extra to come to us in Pakenham?
No. In-home sessions are a flat $650 with no travel surcharge, regardless of exactly where in Pakenham you are.
Can grandparents or other family be part of the session?
Yes, and we’d genuinely encourage it. Just let us know who’s coming when you book so we can plan the groupings in advance, rather than trying to work it out on the spot.