Dad’s Little Football Player | How to Add a Special Prop from Home

Special request by parents: Lucas' sports inspired newborn boy session. Let's play some ball!

Greetings, friends! A common question I receive from parents is, "Can we bring a prop from home?" No worries! The answer is simple: YES. As a professional newborn photographer in Houston, I have a portrait studio catering to all things newborn and baby. I pride myself on offering a huge array of props and textiles to create lovely sessions. However, I also recognize parents often have a few ideas of their own. I delight in offering timeless and unique styled sessions and will happily incorporate a few of your own items into my session.

For example, when Lucas' sweet mama called to book her newborn collection, she relayed that Dad is a huge sports fan and they would love to showcase a few sports themed baby photography images during our time together. First and foremost: I was completely honored to hear from her because she was kind as can be, but also I knew I had a few great ideas up my sleeve to still maintain my newborn style while also incorporating a prop from the clients' house. 

Baby with Football during Posed Session

Little man Lucas visited at just 7 days new. He was a full term baby boy weighing over 8 pounds! So much gorgeous newborn rolls, chunk, and a cherub face that is too handsome! When adding a prop that is not found in my studio space, such as a football or other sport, there are a few spots you may easily add the item, such as the bucket, seen below, or even during the naked bean bag posing.

Timeless and Unique Newborn Set up with football | Styling and Vision

When styling a brand new baby's session, my motto is simple: vintage meets classic for timeless results. I use antique props and rustic floors to create dreamy images. I also like for the sessions to be very masculine for little boys and very dainty for girl babies. To add the football into the session I chose charcoal grey, heather grey, and a metal pail that pops against the barnwood floors and rich colored football. This is a wonderful compromise to be true to my own newborn photos (dreamy, gorgeous, classic images) without having too many distracting props that take away from the beauty of baby boy.

A second place to add the football into the session is during the naked bean bag posing. I love working with little ones during this set up because this showcases all of their adorable newborn features from their tiny fingers, chubby cheeks, long lashes, etc. I posed Lucas in forward-facing pose, seen above, and then added the football underneath him. Mom and Dad were right next to me helping me assist during this time. :-) Remember: baby's safety is of the utmost importance so it's always best to act with caution. 

There you have it! Two adorable yet timeless ways to add a special prop from home into your newborn session! Thanks for stopping by, friends! Keep on scrolling if you'd like to read more details about the professional portrait services provided by Sarah Borchgrevink Photography.

I'd love to meet your baby! Let's connect for your own session.

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.

Honored to Photograph Stunning Women | Mothers Day 2018

Check out the recent mothers Sarah had the privilege to photograph. Houston Maternity, Family & Newborn Baby Portrait Photographer 

Mamas in Studio & Outdoors | Celebrating Mommy & Baby Portraits

Greetings and good morning to you, friends! Howdy! Happy early Mothers Day! I have been looking forward to this blog post because aside from being a full time portrait photographer, I have the honor of being the mommy to my four little ones: Emma, Lucy, Amelia and Jack. I jokingly call them "the tiny tribe of wild women" and "chief Jack" because I cannot help but see the humor in things, especially with the spirited dynamic  surrounding having four children. Nevertheless, humor aside, Mothers Day is an absolutely awesome holiday! Yes, yes - I know it's sometimes viewed as a Hallmark Holiday meant to sell cards and flowers, but there is a lot more to celebrating Mothers Day than gifts.

From the moment you hear your child's heartbeat, you are tied to them for life. There is nothing more amazing than holding a brand new life in your hands or feeling the gentle and soft kicking of you baby as they grow in your belly.

This in mind, I am excited to showcase recent sessions featuring beautiful mothers in a portraiture setting. If this is your first time visiting, please allow me to explain: My name is Sarah Borchgrevink (Bork-Grey-Veenk) and I am a Houston TX Newborn Baby Portrait Photographer also offering some of the Best Maternity Photos in the NW Harris County area. I also work with young families, too, and I cannot express the joy I feel in calling this my full time job since 2013. 

Motherhood is a never ending adventure. This inspires me to create stunning pregnancy portraits as this is the beginning of documenting all that is beautiful about expecting a little one. For instance, I joyfully offering a la carte packages for newborn, maternity and family sessions, but in addition to single sessions I am super thrilled to share that I also offer bundled portraiture memberships meaning you can select Baby's First Year, Maternity + Baby's First Year as well as a Belly & Baby Membership, so this pricing does reflect a discount for clients booking multiple sessions. In return, you receive mother and child portraits at every stage of our time together. There are no hidden fees or add on's: each session always includes beautiful set ups of you and your baby from the maternity session, to the newborn portraits, even at the sitter 7 month milestone session and the 12 month smash and splash (which are SO SO SO SO fun!).

Without further delay, please allow me to share some of the most gorgeous mamas who have worked with my studio (and on location!) recently.

As always, thank you for visiting my blog to see beautiful images of mothers and their little ones! I am so happy you took the time to stop by and I truly hope you enjoyed seeing these gorgeous mommies! I wish you an amazing Mothers Day this year. All my joy to your family, friends! 

If you are interested in your own session showcasing the everlasting bonds of motherhood, I would love to chat with you about session options, such as in studio or outdoors in a natural light setting. Let's chat and get to know one another!

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.

How to Rediscover a Location when Your Favorite Spot is Packed

Sarah Borchgrevink Photography shares tips and tricks on rediscovering and falling in love with hidden gems at your favorite location.

Good morning, friends! Greetings to you and howdy! Today's blog post is all about what to do when your session is not going exactly to plan. For instance, as a professional photographer, I have a great list of locations for my clients to peruse. It includes everything from downtown Houston and urban decor to rustic, rural fields and tree-lined paths. Part of designing a fantastic natural light, on location session is selecting the perfect location! After this, clients base their outfits and even hair and makeup around the look of the location. Typically, we arrive at sunset, or sunrise if this is your preference, and then have a dynamic, soulful session.

In this case, however, the client chose a popular location. It is totally swoon-worthy, so I get it. It's perfect. Why would someone not shoot here? 

I pull into the location and I can barely park. I feel a little bit of shooting anxiety starting to build up. There are at least 30 other cars there and all of my "go to" spots are being used. I had a succinct session flow in mind on what I was going to do with my client; the light is fleeting and I start to feel a little bit of pressure. 

I ask myself, "How am I going to create a gorgeous set of maternity photos when I cannot use the areas I like?" I considered moving locations, but then had a thought: look around. Let the light guide me. Find a new path. Check out what's around the corner. Don't let the client see you sweat. Be flexible and open to new experience.

For someone like me who is type A, that's easier said than done. Part of why I enjoy photography is having creative freedom. In this case, I was tempted to fall into old habits. But I took a deep breath, greeted my client, and told myself, "You will rock this session. This will be amazing." 

After all, if you're shooting a natural light, on location maternity session, such as I was, and you're in a public location everyone else has just as much right to be there as you. And that's okay. I take no issue with this. If anything, the issue was me being nervous to step outside my comfort zone.

But I did it. I discovered new parts of this location I love. I followed the sun as it set and let the golden rays showcase the beautiful love, bonds, and commitment between this expecting couple as we documented their pregnancy portraits. 

My tips and tricks to you are to be kind. Be open. See everyone for who they are and to not let yourself feel stress or anxiety when things don't go quite as planned. There is a whole world out there and even if 30 other people are using the same backdrop as you, make it your own. Use your artistic creativity and gifts to shine through. Rock that session and give your clients photos that last a lifetime!

Here are my favorite images from their session. 

Melissa & Brandon's Stunning Maternity Portraits in Houston Texas

This sweet couple is the best! Also: mom's gown is perfection! She selected from a list I provide on Top 10 Gowns for your session. We had an amazing time together and they were very genuine, kind, warm, and giving. I loved hearing about their daily lives, how they meet, what they do for a living, and even making friends with their adorable fur baby pup, Bailey. I will be seeing them this summer for an in-studio posed newborn session as they are belly and baby membership clients.

Here's what Melissa and Brandon said about their experience with Houston Maternity & Newborn Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink:

I am beyond thrilled with my maternity photos from Sarah Borchgrevink Photography!! Sarah is incredibly talented and kind. She makes everything super easy and stress free. I first saw Sarah's work on Facebook and followed her for years before we were blessed with our first little miracle baby. I immediately knew who I wanted to do our newborn photos. From our first contact, Sarah was professional but personal and very prompt in responding. She remained in close communication every step of the way so I had no questions or need to worry. You can tell that she truly loves what she does. Our maternity photos were gorgeous! She made me feel beautiful and captured the joy my husband and I feel as we cherish this precious time waiting for baby. There are so many amazing shots, I don't know how I'll choose which ones to display on our walls. I absolutely cannot wait for our newborn photos!

Thanks for reading about how to fall in love with a location, even if your favorite parts are being used! If you are currently pregnant, feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I'd love to have you on my calendar for a gorgeous session and document this joyful time in your life.

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.