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We did a newborn shoot, were gifted a shoot we did around 15 months (just LO, 5 poses), and then did family photographs at 18 months. We'll do newborn for LO2 and then family photos when they're between 1 and 2. Then I'll probably do family photos every 1.5-2 years after that. I did also buy a nice camera and have my dad take photos once a year in the fall, and document other things ourselves. It's worked just fine for us.

All I've ever had done professionally was my wedding photography. We took so many photos of DD as a newborn, and my sister is pretty good at photography so I never feel the need to hire someone professionally for so much $$$! I just turn our family photos into a photobook once a year and that fills my photog needs

We just take our own photos. It's been fine. We have lots of good ones. They don't look professional but they capture what we want them to capture. I would rather have photos from our experiences than staged sessions anyway.

We did a newborn shoot for my second and have gotten family pics done a couple of times. One of the family sessions was while I was pregnant and although I didn't really want a bunch of maternity pics, she did take a couple. Honestly I think the newborn shoot is great but as for the rest, from now on I'm with @Anagram: and my financial goals are more important to me. I'm a good photographer, we can take our own for most of the family shoots. I am considering another newborn shoot just because I don't want to try to pull it together enough in the first few days after delivery to try to do a session myself.

Newborn and "babys first year" are often a package set and just include a small handful of pictures. Many family and holiday sessions are done as a "mini" session for $50-$100. And many MANY shoots are styled!!! Sounds like especially for the photographers sites you are browsing. Most people are happy with a dozen good photos

I have a nice camera and make it a priority to get photos of my kid. But I also have all the software to ensure I get excellent pictures!

I like professional photos once a year. I often will go with a friend and her family and she takes some of us and I take some of her and its just enough for christmas cards

We did maternity and 6 month. My mom has a nice camera and took our Christmas card photo. I'm a cheapskate and really, I think it's a little insane to have that many photo shoots.

We just did professional photos for holiday cards for each of our babies' first Christmas (so, 2012 and 2014), and for Char's 1st birthday. We didn't do maternity or newborn photos, because we're not fans.

If you can afford it, and you like taking photos, I think it's great! I wouldn't send out 3, 6, 9 month professional photos to anyone other than grandparents, because that's just annoying.

I think doing them all is over the top... how many semi-staged photos of yourself (general) and your dh, lo, dog, do you really need? I say just pick the ones that are most important to you and stick with those. We did the hospital ones, a one month (studio) one, a six month lo/family one, and a 2 year lo/family one. Plus cheap holiday cards at the mall. And that was PLENTY!

We had my cousin who is an art school graduate take maternity photos and nb photos for us w ds. We do annual family photos and get solo shots of ds then since we do them around his birthday usually.

ETA: We also purchased a DSLR when I was pregnant in hopes that we'd capture some good photos ourselves too!

@mrscobee: I actually prefer diy photography. I just don't like how a lot of pro photography looks the same (pinterest, etc.). I feel like photography in general has lost a lot of authenticity, -like when I look at a pro photo, or almost any photo these days it means little to me because I don't trust it (editing, etc.) but that's just my rambling opinion, coming from a darkroom photographer- but yes, I love diy photography. I think the heart of it is I just appreciate photojournalism- but yeah, why not?

I have very few pictures of myself as a child and so photos are important to me. My son had newborn, 4, 6, 8, 10-family and 12 month shoots we did all of them but the newborn as as $50-5 digital picture-30 min sessions and it is totally worth it to me. Those sessions covered all his changes through the first year. Now that he's not changing as quickly, I plan on 2 sessions a year, one family and one just him. Also we didn't buy new outfits for each shoot just used our favorites from his wardrobe.

For my oldest, I got them done every three months for the first year at a studio.

For the youngest, I've done them all myself...mostly with my phone lol.

We got a package from a family member who was just starting out that did Maternity, hospital, newborn, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months shots. It was really inexpensive and I love having all the pictures documenting T's first year. But it did feel excessive when we were doing them. But hey. It was cheap and the pics are beautiful so I'm not complaining. I will probably do the same for #2 but until then maybe just one photo shoot a year.

We did professional maternity pictures and looking back I wish we hadn't, they are beautiful but once that baby is born, I wish we would have done professional newborn pictures.... at the time I was just so overwhelmed and thought ahhh we will take our own, but if I were to choose it would be for the baby

I try to do at least one individual shoot and one family per year. We did newborn, and family pictures when LO was 3 months and then first birthday photos for LO and a family picture (DIY "professional") at Christmas when LO was 18 mo. I'm not all about this mini and that mini but I will try to do them here and there so I have nicer pictures of the kids without struggling to be the one to coordinate them. I take a ton myself! My favorite pictures are not professional ones!

I think it just depends on how much you value photography! My DH and I are pretty frugal but our big splurges in life are travel and photos. Our wedding cost <$10k and 1/3 was our photographer! We did a package for maternity/newborn photos, and then had planned to do a 6 mo/family shoot, but our photographer did an Easter mini session so we did that for a 6 mo thing and then will do sort of an 8 monthish family shoot? We're moving from this coast to back home when she is 9 mo so we kind of wanted to do a family thing to commemorate her birthplace. The photos are mostly for ourselves and grandparents, although we did use newborn ones on our birth announcements we mailed out. We have a frame with a few maternity shots in the nursery and then a photobook with maternity and newborn printed. Also have some newborn ones framed for the nursery I just haven't put them up...whoops! None of this is necessary though, we just love photos. We're also doing a weekly photo project for LO (with our iphones, we don't know how to use fancy cameras, which is why we pay other people!) and I'm already working on her photo album. About half the framed art in our house is photos we've taken on trips. Just depends on what matters to you!

We can't afford professional pictures for everything. So we do professional pics for newborn and 1st birthday. We've also done a mini session at Christmas that was much cheaper and only lasted 15 minutes. I got these printed at mpix and gave to family.
We did buy a nice camera when DS1 was born and took plenty of everyday pics ourselves. Sadly, we have taken nearly as many since DS2 was born but there isn't enough time and DS1 has started running from the camera.

LO just turned 2 and hasn't had any professional pictures taken. We bought a nice camera shortly before LO was born and have been using it. I like that we can grab it at any moment so we have nice pictures from lots of ages/settings/outfits. I also like that we can take nice pics of our friends and family's parties and events. They seem to really appreciate it. I just wish that other people weren't so intimidated by the camera and would take more pics of me and LO.

LO2 is on the way and I'm considering newborn pics for him since I think our family will be complete. We would include the four of us,

I'm a hobbyist photographer, so I've shot all of our shoots myself. If I didn't know my way around a DSLR, maybe I would have considered hiring a pro. But frankly, the baby in a basket with bunny ears pics aren't at all my style.