Vintage Meets Classic for Timeless Results | Newborn Studio Props

Full Time Newborn Portrait Artist, Sarah Borchgrevink, shares her favorite studio props that are vintage, classic and timeless. Check out the list for parents to view for session styling!

The Cutest Baby Props for Houston Newborn Portraits

Good morning, gang, and welcome to my blog! This post is a preview of my studio space so potential clients may see the sort of props I have on hand. If this is your first time here, welcome! As a professional photographer, I exclusively photograph precious newborn babies in the first 14 days of life. I take 15-18 due dates per month with most of my clients booking in the second trimester. My preference to have you in studio is between 5-8 days, however, for the most squishy, darling posing. The earlier the better! This is when baby is most curly and still flexible enough to move  through many poses.

Let's get started, shall we?

My studio serves the Greater Houston Area and is located in Northwest Harris County. Many parents travel to me from locations such as The Woodlands, Galveston, Sugar Land, College Station and Brenham, as well as West University or Montrose.

In my experience, clients select me based on the type of newborn photography work I offer and the unique style I provide. I am fully vaccinated and insured while running a completely legal and tax paying business. Unfortunately, there are many "photographers" who are not running legal businesses, so this is why you see the rates you see on my pricing guide. My newborn profession is how I feed my little ones and take care of my family. 

I'm often asked if I offer in home newborn sessions. Many parents do not understand that I would have to close my studio for the day and would be unable to take any other sessions, ordering appointments or consultations. I do not offer in home photography sessions, however, because as you can see in the photos below, the type of equipment I use is huge. My lights, for example, are 86" and I have three of them. My wood wall is 8'x10' - it is not able to travel as it is mounted into the studs on my studio wall for baby safety. Moreover, I do not like natural light or use any natural light in my baby portraiture, so this is why they all take place in studio.

My studio is extremely cozy and is around 400 square feet. I've done by best to utilize the small space. I've even watched episodes of "Tiny House" for ideas and inspiration on how to use my square footage and make the most of what I have. Inside my space, you'll find everything you need for the best Houston newborn photography. I have every color of wrap, backdrop, numerous antique floor props, a custom wood wall, classic white bed, and lovely light just for you. :-) I also have a huge array of hand made headbands and newborn baby accessories likes caps, bonnets, hats, tiebacks and the most dainty little items to adorn your precious baby! 

I provide everything for your session. I request parents do not bring props, however, I will add 1 personal item into your session if you wish. :-) 

Organic Wraps | Inspired by Texture and Color

Wrapping newborn babies is a huge cornerstone to the type of work I do with my most petite and precious little clients. I pull inspiration from an array of color and hues as well as textures. I like to use organic and wispy items for a soft, feminine look but also chunky knits for a more robust session tone. Babies loved to be wrapped - it's cozy and sweet. The wrapping keeps little one content and allows us to come up with a variety of gorgeous newborn images in a short time. My typical session lasts around 1-2 hours, very rarely do I go to three hours.

I also use the wraps for lovely layering pieces during naked bean bag posing, too. 

Antique Floor Props for a Classic and Timeless Baby Session| Inspired by a love for all things vintage

All of my floor props are hand picked and selected so they're classic, timeless and inspired by my love of vintage newborn photos. I have everything you could possibly need for our floor prop session from buckets, pails, baskets, crates, boxes, etc. If there is a certain prop you love, be sure to let me know so I may pull the item for you. :-) 

Precious Classic Knit Bonnets for Your Cherub plus dainty, feminine and girly newborn girl accessories such as headbands and tieback pieces 

Below is just a small sample of the type of newborn hats, bonnets, caps and other accessories I have on hand for your little one. I also have a huge stash of newborn girl tiebacks and headbands to adorn your sweet little girl! I have nearly 100 bonnets and close to 200 headbands so I assure you there is something for every taste and preference. Whether you like muted pastels, vibrant jewel tones, or laid back neutrals there is the perfect piece to style your baby's first professional portraiture session with Sarah Borchgrevink Photography.

Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer specializing in gorgeous posed newborn sessions. Her studio is located in Northwest Harris County. 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 Houston, Cypress, Tomball, Spring, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Memorial & West Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, Richmond, West University and Rice Village.

 

The Magic of Froggy Position | Step by Step & How to Safely Pose

Located in Houston, Sarah Borchgrevink shares newborn posing tips on how to safely composite the popular & precious "froggy" pose.

“Sarah is AMAZING! The time and care she takes setting up everything for the newborn session to be perfect is great. She was so patient and careful with our son like he was her own. You can tell she has so much fun doing her job and loves what she does. Dont waste your time calling other photographers, Sarah is the person to go to document you little one. What Sarah does is truly a gift! She is outstanding!!”

— Deborah

Please note the following: This post is intended to show parents how we safely creating this classic newborn pose that is commonly requested. 

See Behind the scenes images of newborn posing in a studio atmosphere 

Greetings and welcome! Today's blog post topic is an overview on the popular froggy pose. This is the most requested pose by parents and one that I truly enjoy doing. There's something super sweet & special about baby's chubby cheeks being showcased and seeing their darling little tootsies! However, this pose is very advanced and requires special training.

Moreover, parents typically ask, "What do you mean by training?" Newborn safety and training, for instance, is mentoring and taking hands on workshops in which you learn how to safely handle and pose a newborn baby. While newborn photography should look effortless, as if baby posed themselves even, it is anything but. It requires much safety, skill and time.

As one of the best newborn photographers in Houston, I do pride myself on always being respectful of my most petite clients. Part of this is creating beautiful fine art images of brand new cherubs through the use of safety techniques. 

A few things to note:

• Not every baby likes froggy pose. If baby resists, we move on.
• This is best achived with a new baby who is 5-8 days new 
• If baby is not flexible enough, we do not force this pose
• This pose is ALWAYS a composite. 
• Do not EVER try to do this on your own. It is not worth the risk of hurting a new baby.

What is a composite?

Froggy pose is always done as a composite. A composite image is when two or more images are merged together in post processing software, such as Photoshop. It's sort of like building an image: you take multiple photos in which baby is fully supported and then through the magic of editing, a beautiful image is created in which we're able to truly showcase the stunning aspects of a new baby. 

Hands on Baby at all times

Once baby is in a very deep sleep, I place baby on my bean bag. I ensure baby is completely supported through the use of posing beans, which are the must have safety tool for all photographers.

Tips to ensure baby is sleepy:

• White noise machine playing (mimicking the sound of the womb)
• Warm environment - typically around 77 - 80 degrees 
• Lots of patience and soothing
• Pacifier is a huge help

Step One: Hands supporting baby's chin from beneath

The baby you see here is Sebastian. He was very laid back and easy to work with; because he was also very new and flexible, we were able to quickly pose him into the froggy pose perfectly. As you can see, he is sleeping peacefully and my hand is holding him in place. At no point did I ever remove my hand from the baby. I took two images here. He is supported on my bean bag and then has posing beans beneath and behind him to ensure he does not slide forwards or backwards.

Step Two: Hands Supporting Head From Above

After baby is in a very deep sleep, I place my hand on his head from above. I am holding his weight and he is supported beneath through the posing beans I linked in an earlier paragraph (above). 

Merge your images in processing through photoshop composite

Switch up the angles for more interest

When working with a newborn baby, it's fun to do a profile angle of baby during froggy. If they're very laid back, I am often able to  do more than one angle, such as straight on or side view. I like side view, however, because it shows off baby's face better and is more interesting, in my opinion. However, I do like front on, too, and this is the preference of most parents so I include both if possible. 

Check out other recent froggy poses that I've done in studio.

Thanks for stopping by the blog to read how to safely pose a newborn baby in the perfectly precious froggy pose! I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about the magic of Photoshop and how we achieve these fine art looks! While froggy is a stunning image and makes for gorgeous portrait of your baby, please remember this is an advanced pose and should never be attempted without taking a workshop and hands on training. Parents: also remember this looks easy when you see behind the scenes photos, but it's not anything you should attempt at home. Do not ever risk your baby's safety for a DIY photo shoot. Always trust professionals like myself! :-) 

If you liked reading about newborn safety, these posts may pique your interest, too!

• Tricks to Implementing  Bean Bag Posing into your Workflow
• Striking a Pose: How to Add Vibrancy to a Newborn Color Scheme 

Specializing in posed baby portraits, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer serving the surrounding areas including Houston metro area, Cypress, Katy, Spring, The Heights, Sugar Land, West University, Bellaire, and The Woodlands, TX. In addition to breathtaking newborn images, Sarah also offers stylish natural light family photography as well as dynamic outdoor maternity sessions for expecting couples.