Newborn Girl Photography | Ideas for a Chic & Precious Portrait Session

Sarah Borchgrevink, a baby photographer based in Houston TX, shares how she designs dainty and girly newborn sessions for her most petite, precious clients.

“Sarah is amazing! She took photos of our daughter at 6 days old and was everything we could’ve hoped for and more! She was so gentle with her and handled her as if she were her own! Being able to select colors and themes for our session was so special and the pictures are just stunning. We will cherish these forever and are so happy we made the investment into Sarah Borchgrevink Photography!”

— Lindsey

 Pink, Grey, Tan, Cream & Ivory for Timeless & Classic Baby Portraiture

When I think of a newborn girl session and the styling behind your timeless newborn portraiture, the first thing that comes to mind is dainty, classic, chic, and feminine. While I am a professional Houston newborn photographer, I also have three little girls of myself and I love all things sweet and simple! When designing baby's first portrait session for my clients, I like the session to be soft and pretty, particularly for little girls.

For instance, neutrals with one pop of color can be a truly stunning final gallery! Grey, to elaborate, is one of the most perfect neutral colors because it can be light or dark, warm or cool. This is perfect because baby's have a variety of different skin tones. Grey is a lovely accent color, too, because it's forever in style and timeless. In this case, I sent over my styling questionnaire to this sweet baby girl's parents, and they requested pink or peach be used in their session. They're totally in luck because my studio has every color you could possibly want, ha! 

Let's get started on some fun inspiration for your own baby's session! I am super excited to preview this darling little one to you and hope you feel inspired!

Rustic Wooden Bowl with Grey Tones and Ivory Lace

This is a new rustic bowl you'll find in my huge prop collection. It's a great choice for a newborn girl session because it can be styled with either neutrals or color, depending on your preferences. In this particular case, however, Sadie's sweet mom requested grey to match their home and nursery. In order to create a unique set up for her baby girl session, I used several layers such as antique lace, chunky knit layer, hand dyed cheese cloth and an organic, custom made tie back to adorn baby's beautiful forehead. Vintage meets classic timeless results is my newborn motto: it means that through this type of styling and design, you create stunning newborn portraiture that will forever be beautiful. Why be trendy when you can be timeless? :-) These newborn images will be passed down to your child and their own children will view them - they'll be displayed at weddings and beyond. Investing in a photographer who provides gorgeous styling and all props is something you'll never regret.

Antique Farmhouse Metal Bucket with Cream & Tan Textured Layers

The distressed metal bucket or pail is a staple in my photography sessions. It fits most babies who are 10 pounds or less; it has a ton of character and also is just super cute, ha! The baby in the bucket image is one of the most requested photos by parents. To make this set up incredibly chic and precious, I pulled an ivory antique lace layer, and also a tan + taupe chunky knit layer so they contrast with the barnwood distressed floors. I paired Sadie's set up with a soft, muted blush pink headband, too, with the most girly hand sewn bead work, simply adorable! 

Soft Ivory Backdrop with Matching Wrap & Dainty Handmade Tie Back

Ivory is a color I much prefer to white, mostly because there is a little more warmth to this color than white. It also looks better against the skin of newborns. White, you see, contrasts so much with newborn skin that it often highlights redness, jaundice, or purple and blue undertones. When styling for the newborn, their skin tone needs to be kept in mind. Sadie looks sensational here, wrapped artistically in a womb style. I adore when little one's hands and feet are curled perfectly, reflecting how they grow in the womb, and also when you can see their face perfectly. Remember: when posing a newborn you should always be able to see each characteristic on their face. It should never be hidden. You can achieve a chic and precious portrait session for a newborn baby girl by adding fun elements to the session such as the feminine tie back, seen below, that has a small hint of peach. :-) 

Muted Blush Pink Cheesecloth Wrap & Sweet Bean Bag Posing

Naked bean bag posing is truly beautiful. We can see all baby's precious details while still keeping the neat and modest. Their chubby cheeks, little rolls, feet, and belly are truly adorable! To make Sadie's session very girly, without using too many props, I pulled a very light blush pink cheese cloth wrap for her bean bag portion. It's a nice layer that suggests gender but also is soft, sweet, simple, timeless and dainty - just like a beautiful newborn baby girl!

Warm Pink and Chunky Knit Layer for Potato Sack Flokati Pose

This flokati rug and wrap are both new to my studio. :-) It's a rose colored rug, perfect for a little baby girl! It is everything that showcases a little girl. I prefer the chunky knit layer, shown below, because it makes baby more round. When posing baby in the popular potato sack pose, you don't want any lumps to be seen. 

Cream Vintage Egg Basket + Quilted Pillow & White Flokati Rug

This was my favorite set up mostly because how fresh, clean and simple it is. Sadie's hands are gently folded beneath her precious chin, a little white bonnet frames her face beautifully, and this pillow is just lovely underneath her sweet little head. I bought this flokati rug in December and now it's a favorite of mine for newborn girl photography! I love how fluffy it is. This vintage egg basket is also the perfect oval prop for a new baby and fits literally every newborn I've used with it! Score! Styling for chic newborn sessions that are super girly has a lot to do with the props; in this case, the lacy detail on the bonnet and the pink hue of the pillow suggest baby's gender. 

Neutral Inspired Tootsie Wrap Set Up with Girly Beaded Headband

Again, I used the white flokati rug when styling this super girly newborn session since Mom and Dad like neutrals a lot. The neutral cream looks perfect against her skin, adding a soft creaminess and luminescence to little one. Sometimes parents ask me if the baby's skin is altered in Photoshop; I actually don't do a lot of retouching on little ones. I do clean them up and adjust skin tone as needed but most of the work is done via lighting. If your lighting set up is correct, then baby's skin will have contours, shadows and highlights. Think of it like this: as women, we contour our face via make up in order to sculpt our features. Professional lighting during a newborn session is key: the portrait session for a newborn will fall flat if your lighting is poor. This wrap is also a favorite of mine since baby's sweet little toes poke out in such a cute manner! Finally, to add the feminine and chic detail to this darling newborn girl's session, I added a beaded headband filled with different hues such as pink, blush, rose, quartz, cream and white so that it fits the theme of her dainty session while also showing baby is a girl. :-) 

Precious Macro Details | Baby's Unique Characteristics 

I love macro details! Parents ask me frequently what these are and the answer is simple: they're the unique details that make your baby who she is. It's her lips, button nose, dimpled chin, chubby cheeks, cupids bow, sweet little ears, tootsie toes, fingers, profile, hands, etc. I photograph these throughout all of my sessions at different points; some images are done during bean bag, some during floor props. Either way, these are details you will treasure forever! Right now baby is brand new but I cannot tell you how fast little one changes. Before you know it, baby will be a month old; you'll blink and then she'll be 6 months old. 

All newborn sessions should contain macro images because they add much soul and depth to your final galleries. 

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.