FAQ From Clients: What to Wear to Baby's Newborn Photo Session

In Studio Family Photos during Newborn Session: What Should Parents or Siblings Wear?

Booking your baby's first professional portraits is truly exciting! You've waited months to meet the baby and have dreamed of holding them in your arms! Now that you've selected your photographer and are gearing up for a great session, you may be a little unsure what to wear to your newborn session. Have no fear! As a professional newborn photographer plus mom (I mean, I DO have four kiddos!) I know how important these images are to you. You'll treasure them forever. You would like to look and feel your best. I'm here to guide you and provide an amazing, laid back experience for you new parents.

Creams, Beige, and White | Top Colors that Photograph Best

When your baby arrives, you'll receive a newborn prep guide from me. This is a detailed guide that tells you everything to expect, such as how to prepare your new arrival for the spotlight, but also covers when your family images will take place and how to dress for those. In my studio, I use a large wood wall for the photos. Because it's rustic, I prefer neutrals and lighter tones against the dark wood. My least favorite options are black and prints; my favorite is always beige, cream, taupe, ecru, white, etc. These tones are natural, classic, and will not detract for your little one during the session.

The V-Neck for Dad | Classic, Clean,Timeless

One of my favorite poses of Dad and Newborn Baby is when Dad is holding the baby against his chest; I love how Dad is the protector here. Baby is so small and new they literally fit in the palm of Dad's hand. During this portion, a v-neck that's fitted is a great outfit choice because it will forever be classic. There are no distracting prints or colors; Dad's arms are also showcased in comparison to the tiny newborn so it makes for a beautiful image! Any brand of these v-neck t-shirts is totally fine. Some parents buy them at Target or you can also find them at stores such as JCrew. Most men already have these in their closet, so it's one less thing to worry about on the morning of baby's photography session. For all of my family and parent posing, the baby is wrapped in a simple style so they're the perfect little bundle of joy you can hold. I always pull a wrap that looks nice against the cream or lighter tones I prefer you wear.

Simple Top or Maxi Dress for Mom

Moms are usually most nervous about the family photos because they worry about how they'll look. All photos, however, at my studio are hip up so baby is the star. I pose baby so you they act as a prop. I typically don't do a lot of images in which Mom is staring into the camera and smiling; it's more about connecting with your baby. A great idea for Mom to wear is a maxi dress or even the maternity gown from the baby shower, or, if you had pregnancy portraits with me, you probably purchased a dress for those images. You can definitely wear the same dress again. Not only will this makes thing easier for you, the dresses are usually jersey knit, which is a breathable textile. It's stretchy, soft, and you'll be able to move easily.

Sibling: Jean or khakis +A Light Cotton Top

The sibling portion always makes mom's heart soar! This is a very popular request for sessions and we set aside an additional 30 minutes for these setups. I like to pose the older sibling on their back while the eldest child holds the new baby. This is a safe way for them to interact without worrying if the baby will be dropped. A neutral colored flokati, such as cream or white, is a really pretty option here. Little ones look super precious in classic, natural attire such as dark wash blue jeans, perhaps even khaki pants, and then a simple top in a lighter color, such as beige, cream, white, or tan. 

Thanks for stopping by to see my favorite colors in the studio, plus some tips on what to wear for our time together in the studio! 

Let's recap this post:

• Avoid bright colors, such as neon or even dark tones, such as black

• Maxi dresses or light, airy tops are great for Mom

• V-neck t-shirts are fabulous for Dad

• Sibling looks adorable in simple top and dark wash jeans

• Target, Kohls, J-Crew, or even Amazon are great resources for shopping. Your own closet is full of inspiration I bet, too!

If you are pregnant and are thinking about booking a professional newborn portrait artist in the Houston area, I would love to be considered for your photo needs! Let's chat! I look forward to hearing more about your family.

How to Incorporate Client Props into your Houston Newborn Session

Houston Newborn Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography, specializes in the custom art of posed baby portraits and serves the entire Houston area. Here are some fun ways to incorporate clients props into your studio sessions.

Seamlessly Add Client Props into your session flow

Greetings, friends! Happy Sunday to you! Today in Houston the weather is absolutely beautiful and we have temperatures in the 60's, wow! That's essentially winter for us, ha! However, this morning I am at my desk catching up on print orders, contracts, e-mails and blog posts. I have an adorable little boy coming to my studio in a few hours for a family + newborn session so I am looking forward to that part of my day. Today's blog post is going to chat about what's included in a newborn session and how you can add parent props into your workflow seamlessly while being on task with your time.

Parent props are a common request. Oftentimes, there is an heirloom item, such as quilt or wedding ring, that mom and dad would like added into to their session. They also may have had a cute knitted hat a co-worker made them or maybe even a blanket grandma crocheted just for their little darling. While I do provide everything for your session and style the images so they're classic and timeless, I allow a few outside props in to add a bit of spunk to your sessions. I ask parents to please limit the number of props to about 3 since we must hit all your other set ups in the time allotted for our time together. 

Introducing Ava 

Sweet baby girl Ava visited my Houston Newborn Photography Studio when she was just over a month old. She arrived earth side early and with Hurricane Harvey, scheduling was a little bit hectic. However, her sweet parents booked a wrapped mini session with me, which is what I recommend for newborns who are a little older. While full time babies have their session at 14 days or newer, for babies who make their entrance into the world earlier than expected and perhaps spend some time in the NICU, I will go a little further in age to accommodate NICU stays. 

The wrapped mini includes the following:

WRAPPED MINI NEWBORN COLLECTION | $450 + TAX

One hour studio session featuring cozy, beautifully wrapped newborn images with full styling provided by Sarah. Please note this session does not include naked bean bag posing. Includes (2) family poses, (1) pose of Mom with Baby, (1) pose of Dad with baby, (3) unique styles of gorgeous wrapping, (2) floor props such as bucket/bowl/crate, flokati rug set up, and macro images up close details such as lips, eyelashes, toes, hands, etc. 20 retouched high resolution digital files are delivered to you via digital download + released printing rights, as well as (3) 5x7" deep matte professional prints of your choice. Black & white conversions of each image are also included. See the three styles of cozy newborn wrapping I always implement in these sessions. See a full gallery of a wrapped newborn mini session. Please note these do include family photos for parents who choose to do so but there is no obligation or discount if you choose to not utilize the family images. This is simply a perk I offer to clients and it has no monetary value.

Darling Fox Hat during Potato Pose

The potato pose is one of my favorite parts of the session because baby is wrapped to perfection in an organic textured wrap, often one of the softest quality. I love the way their little hands are tucked delicately beneath their chins and they sleep so sweetly! This is a great spot to incorporate a prop the parents brought from home because you can easily swap items out such as hats, wraps, flokati rugs, etc. This allows you to stay within your time limits, but also incorporate the parents items. I truly believe each parent should have the newborn images of their dreams! By being flexible and kind to your clients, you exhibit great customer service skills and still maintain the authenticity of your brand. It costs nothing to be kind. Always go the extra mile. :-) 

All tucked in with grandma's blanket

If grandma has created a knit or crochet blanket for little one, a great set up to add these items into your posed newborn session is during a tucked in shot. For Ava, I used an adorable rustic crate and added the soft baby pink hat and matching blanket in here. Like potato pose, listed above, this is a wonderful way to make your client happy and ensure they love their gallery.

Check out more highlights from Ava's wrapped newborn session

Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer specializing in gorgeous posed newborn sessions. Her studio is located in Northwest Houston. In addition to breathtaking baby portraiture, Sarah also offers stylish natural light family photography as well as dynamic outdoor maternity sessions for expecting mothers and couples. Sarah joyfully serves the entire Harris and Montgomery county areas including North Houston, Cypress, Tomball, Spring, Jersey Village, The Woodlands, Magnolia, Conroe, Willis, Montgomery, Humble, Kingwood, Porter, New Caney, Waller, Memorial & West Houston, Katy, Fulshear, Sugar Land, Pearland, Hempstead, Richmond, West University, Rice Village and Porter TX. Connect to chat with Sarah today! Please consider booking your session at your earliest convenience in order to secure your appointments on the calendar.

Here's where sarah is located

 

Rainbow Baby Girl Calista | Cutest Houston Newborn Photography

Sarah Borchgrevink Photography offers timeless, fresh and unique baby photography. Calista + her sweet parents visited the studio at 11 days new.

Hi, friends! Good morning to you! Happy Friday! Today is a great day here in Houston. The sun is shining, it's about 80 degrees out, and I have a full calendar of fun shoots geared up for this weekend. However, up first is an adorable studio session focusing on a precious baby girl. If this is your first time at my blog, welcome! I'm excited you're here. 

In case you're interested, C's parents booked both a natural light, outdoor maternity session that took place during sunset . This is a huge treat for me because it's fun to work together before we document your newborn baby's session. This is also a great idea for clients because it ensures the editing style is the same so all of your wall art is cohesive and matches, plus it means you've met the person who will be handling your new baby. As a mama, I completely understand who you choose to photograph your newborn is a huge deal! I am currently pregnant with baby number 4 and just booked me own newborn session for him; I did a TON of research! 

Also: before we dive into the session I have to brag a little bit. Mom is a super talented hair and make up artist serving the entire Houston area. I refer her to all of my clients so here's a little more information about her professional beauty services in case you're ever looking for someone to make some magic, ha! She also is extremely sweet, giving, kind and a joy to work with. I cannot recommend her highly enough. She's located close to my studio, too, so it's really convenient. 

Let's get started, shall we? :-) 

Family and Parent Images 

For family and parent images, I like to wrap baby in a soft neutral color so as not to detract from baby's elegance. For little boys, I generally leave them without a bonnet or hat, however, for little ladies, like Calista, I will adorn their sweet heads with a lovely flower crown, headband or tie back. In this particular instance, I used a pink and purple headband by one of my favorite newborn prop vendors since this reflects the colors in baby's nursery. This vendor is located in the UK, but makes amazing items! Check her out. :-) 

Rainbow Baby Girl | Calista at 11 days fresh & new

You may be asking yourself, "What's a rainbow baby?" According to kick's count, a rainbow baby is:

A “rainbow baby” is a baby that is born following a miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death or infant loss.In the real world, a beautiful and bright rainbow follows a storm and gives hope of things getting better. The rainbow is more appreciated having just experienced the storm in comparison.

The mama natural blog also elaborates explaining that:

Like the miracle of a rainbow after a storm, many mamas refer to babies born after loss as their rainbow babies.  The rainbow doesn’t erase the storm, nor does the arrival of a new baby eclipse the tragedy of previous pregnancy loss.

Calista and her parents stopped by for a full newborn collection when she was 11 days fresh and new. Weighing over 9 pounds, her chubby cheeks and adorable features truly made my heart melt. I could not help but marvel at her beauty and tell her mama how lucky she is. 

This collection is about 2 hours long. This gives plenty of time for baby to be fed, soothed, etc., and also allows for diaper changes and a relaxed atmosphere. 

There's something especially fresh and pure about using white during a newborn session. While I am a really big fan of all things vibrant, I do include neutrals here and there since it adds a timeless element to your gallery. All of my headbands, tie backs, bonnets and hats are custom designed by small business owners so there's a huge selection.

This super cute floor prop is a dream! I wish it was mine, but Mom did bring it in. It looks perfect again the burgundy! 

Followed by the vintage Dr. Pepper box, we used one of my favorite buckets. The sage green looks lovely on her. Green, you see, is one of those colors parents don't always consider. That's part of my job during session design: coming up with neat combinations for you. 

The vintage cradle is one of my other favorite props. This is because the prop can be styled to reflect the gender of baby. In this case, we used a soft mauve that's muted. Pink is not my favorite color but I will use a mauve here and there. While there is nothing wrong with the color pink, it's a common color and my goal is to create interesting images that are dynamic, fresh and authentic through the use of texture, color, and vintage inspired props and items. :-) If you like pink, however, no worries! I always make sure it is showcased at some point in your collection. In case you are interested in some alternatives to pink, feel free to read away!

After floor props, this is where we do the bean bag posing. All of these are done with care and usually take about 45 minutes from start to finish. Baby does call the shots here, so if she is not comfortable in a pose, we move on and try something else. If you would like to read more about my favorite newborn poses, too, you'll find tons of great information on newborn safety, posing and handling. 

Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer specializing in gorgeous posed newborn sessions. Her studio is located in Northwest Houston. In addition to breathtaking baby portraiture, Sarah also offers stylish natural light family photography as well as dynamic outdoor maternity sessions for expecting mothers and couples. Sarah joyfully serves the entire Harris and Montgomery county areas including North Houston, Cypress, Tomball, Spring, Jersey Village, The Woodlands, Magnolia, Conroe, Willis, Montgomery, Humble, Kingwood, Porter, New Caney, Waller, Memorial & West Houston, Katy, Fulshear, Sugar Land, Pearland, Hempstead, Richmond, West University, Rice Village and Porter TX. Sarah has also been ranked among the Best Houston TX Newborn Photographers on the criteria of reputation, credibility, experience, availability, professionalism and engagement. Connect to chat with Sarah today! Please consider booking your session at your earliest convenience in order to secure your appointments on the calendar.

Connect With Sarah | Let's Chat

Here is where Sarah's Houston Newborn Studio is located: