Outdoor Family First Birthday Session Cake Smash in Houston

The M Family's Natural Light & Outdoor Family Cake Smash Combination in honor of Baby Boy Jeremy turning the big one.

Here's what Jeremy's parents had to say about their baby plan membership to Sarah Borchgrevink Photography:

Sarah is absolutely fantastic. Not only are her pictures superb, but her professionalism, personality, and all around demeanor are top notch. We are baby plan clients and at our of  sessions Sarah has been very easy to work with and has taken our specific likes and wants and incorporated them into our sessions. The best part by far is her turn around time. At our sessions we received our online gallery within a week of our session! I highly recommend Sarah for newborn and family photography!

Friends, good morning! I am excited to blog this incredibly adorable children's session in which we did a family + birthday photo shoot for one of my longtime clients. The M family first contacted me while Mom was pregnant; they booked a baby plan membership, which is a wonderful way to preserve the first year of life for your precious little one.

The Baby Plan Membership is any of the following combination:

• In studio posed newborn session (wrapped mini, petite or full collection) of your choice
• Any combination of 3, 6, 9 or 12 month milestone session

In this case, this sweet couple chose to do a full newborn collection as well as 6 and 12 month session. This is the most popular combination since many parents see the most difference in growth between newborn and 6 months; followed by 6 and 12 month differences. Here are some of my favorite images from our sunrise session.

Family Photos Take Place First 

Family sessions are lifestyle in nature, meaning I embrace the spirit of your family. I encourage you to play with your kiddo, interact with your spouse and feel at ease. Family photos take place at the beginning so that little one has time to warm up to me. Plus, baby will be smashing a cake after the family part so this makes sure baby is clean for your family images, ha!

Individual Photos of Baby Are after family

The milestone portion of your child's session follows the family set ups. Milestone portion is where we focus on developmental changes since our last session together. For 12 months, it's usually standing or walking, pulling up, clapping their hands, smiling, and really showcasing their personality.

Let Them Eat Cake

After baby's individual portion of milestone images, we then focus on the cake smash aspect of your session. I provide timeless and vintage inspired props for this session, but also ensure baby is the focus of our time together, too. I do not like distracting aspects in the images so props are kept to a minimum so baby will be the shining star. Examples of props I may bring as things like an antique high chair, quilt, crate, etc. Due to allergy purposes, I have parents bring the cake. You may go as festive or minimalist as you like. :-) Outdoor cake smash or first birthday sessions always take place right around sunrise or sunset, too, for optimal lighting. You're given a location list to pick from so have no worries: I have lots of good options for you!

It's all in the details

An important aspect to me is the details of your session. I love showing off their little toes, messy hands, sweet up close shots of their faces, etc. While we do include many images of baby playing, exploring and checking out the cake, I adore showing all those precious moments Mamas are sure to love. Their little fingers, for instance, reaching for the cake is absolutely precious as can be! They're only little for a short time. Let them be small. This cake smash encourages them to be who they are and their personalities to shine through. 

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.

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Sarah is located in NW Houston TX

 

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.

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

 

Houston Newborn Photographer | 5 Color Alternatives to Pink

Newborn Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink, is located in Houston. Here are some color alternatives to pink for your babies session. 

5 Color Schemes for a Newborn Session that Aren't Pink

Greetings, friends! Good morning to you! I hope everyone is doing well and is having a great Friday. :-) As always, I'm excited you're here. Today I am going to be writing about some color options that are great to consider. Now, before I begin this please know I have nothing against the color pink. It's very popular among parents. I choose to sometimes use pink, too. It's dainty and showcases all these girly. After all, certain color schemes will always be associated with each gender. For instance, when my husband, Kevin, and I chose to announce our latest pregnancy, we used blue so there was no confusion that we're expecting a little boy. However, as a portrait artist, I joyfully delight in providing all props and items for your session. It's important to me the session be both unique and special. Pink is a typical color found in girl collections, so this is may way of designing something a little outside of the box. 

Here's what a recent had to say about her gorgeous, jewel tone session (that did not include any pink):

We were referred to Sarah by another photographer who was fully booked around our due date - and I’m so grateful! Sarah provided an amazing newborn photo experience from the start! She was quick to reply via email to all my questions, and had great advice on how to make sure our little one snoozed the whole time. She was so gentle and sweet handling our daughter, and she was so fun to talk with while we watched her work! I highly recommend you allow her to pick the color schemes for your baby. We let her pick all the colors and our favorite pictures ended up being with colors I would have never thought to pick! We are definitely hoping to come back for family pictures each year!

Part of your stress free portraiture experience includes leaving everything to me. You arrive at my studio, located in NW Houston, and everything is ready to go. Just bring baby and their diaper bag. Leave the rest to me. I encourage you to be surprised by all the neat colors I have on hand.

Let's get started! For this post, I'm excited to use a little lady who came to my studio at just a week old. She is 6 pounds and has the most amazing skin! She loved to be wrapped, but we also did some really cute bean bag sets up, too. :-) 

GREEN

Green is a huge favorite of mine! This is because green looks gorgeous on little girls; you can pull kelly, sage, mints, and also tie in many darker hues to ensure baby's skin has a beautiful, soft glow.

BURGUNDY

As always, I adore maroon or burgundy colors. They remind me of a rich, vibrant wine tone and lend a timeless feel simply because they're elegant. 

grey

Grey is a great color for a newborn baby girl session because it is neutral, soft and feminine. With each baby I have in studio, I typically will do a grey set up of some sort. Not only does this add a neutral aspect to your gallery, it is clean and looks nice on most skin tones. Grey can also be lighter, such as heather grey, but also may be darker, such as the charcoal scheme. Either way, I like them all. I hope you do, too!

NAVY BLUE

I like navy blue during girl newborn sessions because it's a little bit unexpected. It's also majestic and lends a graceful tone to your session. For parents who are worried that they session may look a tiny bit masculine, have no fear: I always use a tie back piece or headband, seen below, to suggest baby's gender. I do completely acknowledge it's fun for everyone to know baby is a girl, if she's a girl, of course, ha!

Purple or Plum

Purple or plum are absolutely ethereal colors for our time together. I do admit I generally prefer richer, more vibrant purples but I also have plenty of lavendar and softer, muted tones on hand. I keep your baby's skin tone in mind when pulling colors, so I will always ask for a little bit of information about baby once baby is actually born.

Following the session, this sweet baby girl's parents left the following review about my portraiture services. I hope this inspires you to let me fully style your session and enjoy what I've designed just for your new cherub.

The first time I am leaving a review for someone. Very very well deserved 5 stars. If you are looking for a new born session, look no further. The way she handles new born children is absolutely amazing. Its quite a sight to see her engrossed with your little one trying to ensure every single shot is picture perfect.

Pro Tip: Let her plan the entire session.Colors, props, pose everything. Just leave it to her and relax. 

Thank you so much Sarah for giving us something we will treasure for a life time.

Located in Houston, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Full Service Photography studio specializing in Houston Newborn Photography. In addition to breathtaking baby portraits, Sarah offers stylish natural light and outdoor family photography as well as maternity sessions for expecting mothers and couples. Sarah proudly serves the entire Houston area as well as North Houston, Cypress, Tomball, Spring, The Woodlands, Magnolia, Rice Village, Waller, Memorial & West Houston, Jersey Village, Hempstead, Katy, Richmond and Humble TX. Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is ranked among the Best of Houston TX Newborn Photographers on the criteria of reputation, credibility, experience, availability, professionalism and engagement. Connect to schedule a studio tour.

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