Tricks to Implement Bean Bag Posing During Newborn Photography

Tips & Tricks for Posing Newborn Babies During a Studio Session by Houston Newborn Photographer Sarah Borchgrevink

Howdy! Thanks for stopping by my blog to read some tips and tricks I have learned when it comes to posing sweet babies during a studio newborn session. Many parents adore these stunning, curly poses because they replicate how baby is during their time in the womb. Their brand new nature is truly divine and they are my favorite subjects to photograph. If this is your first time here, welcome! A few fun facts: my name is Sarah Borchgrevink and I'm a Houston TX Newborn & Baby Photographer who specializes in posed newborn photography through the use of sweet, cozy, unique wrapping and also darling naked bean bag posing. I am often influenced by texture, color, textiles, and light and my styling results in timeless, classic and pure newborn portraiture. I have been photographing babies, full time, for about 3 years, though have also been working with families and maternity portraiture for 5. My heart belongs to newborn photography and I'm really excited to see you're at my blog. Let's get started.

Schedule baby accordingly

The first trick I have for you is the foundation of your newborn session: for baby to be the appropriate age for studio portraits. While every newborn artist does have their own preferences on specific dates, I personally prefer the first 14 days of life, but my absolute favorite days to have your little one in studio is 5-8 days new and fresh. While this does sound really early to most parents, you must keep in mind that the longer baby is out of the womb, the less curly they are and bendy. They also don't sleep as well once they're over 10 days. Sometimes parents call me when baby is around 4 or 5 weeks new and unfortunately, I cannot guarantee they'll receive the poses they see in my portfolio. I can offer some really sweet wrapped shots, however, for those naked and squishy adorable poses, we really need baby to be as new as possible. Most mothers book in the second trimester and notify me immediately once baby is earthside. For example, the next newborn I'll be seeing was born 2 days ago. Mom called last night to arrange her appointment. I offered her 3-4 days that fell within this week so I'll be seeing baby at 7 days fresh. 

Keep It Simple

Secondly, when working with newborn babies, don't worry if the pose is simple. Simple is good. Simple is beautiful. Simple is timeless and classic. Sometimes photographers feel like they have to accomplish every single pose known to man in order to be creative, unique or offer a gorgeous gallery to parents. My rule is that I offer 3-5 poses with several different angles, hats, wraps, or headbands. This alone can yield 15-20 different images full of variety. Paired with macro photos, which are those upclose and sweet details of baby's characteristics, such as nose, profile, toes or lips, you'll have many beautiful options to show the parents. By keeping it simple, you learn the flow that works for your own studio, you focus on improving, and also learn your own tricks to nailing those adorable, naked bean bag poses time and time again. Keeping your posing simple also does not create too many expectations for the baby. Remember: the baby is a person, too, and sometimes it's just too much on them to try every single pose you can think of. Choosing your favorite 3-5 will yield better results. 

Don't forget safety

Tip and trick nothing number three is to always keep baby safe. I cannot stress the importance of this enough! One way you can keep baby safe is making sure you use composites at the appropriate times. A composite image is when two or more photos are merged together in processing to create a new image. This is often done in Photoshop with the popular pose called "froggie" in which baby is sitting up with their hands holding up their head. When photographing this, you want to do several images and merge them together later on. This is a more advanced pose, but by being safe you will be able to feel more confident once you're no longer a beginner. I also think it's important to let clients and beginner newborn photographers know that these poses require skill and safety; professional newborn photographers, like myself, do not just stick baby on a backdrop and hope they can hold their heads up. In fact, we have newborn safety awareness month, every September,  for this very reason: because people try things they see online and think it's not difficult, when in fact, the could hurt a baby. See behind the scenes images of how the froggie pose is achieved.

To elaborate, in the images above, I keep my hands on baby at all times. I take images in which I am holding baby's head and she is never supporting herself. Then, I take more images in which I am holding her hands in place while keeping her neck stable. I keep my entire hand underneath her chin and upper arms. Then I merge the images together in processing, seen below, to create the final look.

The froggie pose is beautiful and sweet, but does require safety and skill. By seeing how it's done, I hope it inspires you to always use proper safety techniques. If you're a parent, I also hope it teaches you to ask photographers if they composite this image.

Firm Bean Bag that's tightly packed

The fourth tip I have for you is to make sure your bean bag is tightly packed and filled to the brim with packing peanuts. The more firm your bean bag is, the more supported baby is and this also helps to make sure baby does not sink into the bean bag. We want to see each adorable little toe, facial feature, and also make sure baby is curled up nicely. You can buy bean bag fill at many places like Amazon but I like to go to my local post office or UPS store and have it filled very tightly so it is super firm. 

Warmer is better

Because your womb, or uterus, is in the core of your body, baby is used to a warm environment of 98.6 degrees. Baby has spent 9 months in a warm hot tub and enjoys being in a warmer environment. Remember: baby cannot regulate their body temperature always, even if full term, and a baby's body surface is about three times greater than an adults, compared to the weight of his/her body (source - Stanford Children's). Because of this, babies lose heat rapidly. In order to pose baby in these sweet, curly poses and help soothe baby, it is best to create an environment that mimics the womb. Often, parents worry the room is too warm, but by keeping all of these facts in mind, it'll help you understand that by keeping the studio at an optimal temperature, baby is neither too hot or too cold and they can maintain a comfortable temperature. 

I personally keep my studio at 77 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit through the use of air conditioning. I also have several small, mobile space heaters on hand that can be placed 3 feet or so from the baby so that they have warm air when needed. Baby's comfort is always on the forefront of my mind. While we may feel a little warm, no one is ever sweating buckets. 80 degrees is the warmest it'll ever be. Here in Houston, that's almost chilly compared to the type of weather we usually experience, ha!

White noise

White noise is my fifth tip for you because like heat, this emulates the womb environment. When babies are growing, this is is what they hear. I use a white noise app on my smart phone, but you can buy many awesome options such as this one. I have white noise on after I greet the parents and help get them settled. Mom and Dad come in, get situated, undress baby, and we immediately start feeding baby. Once baby is being fed and is down to their diaper, I turn on the white noise and also make sure parents have the opportunity to ask any questions. 

Posing pillow sets

Posing pillow sets are paramount to your newborn sessions because they help keep baby safe, secure, and move them from pose to pose. Without a posing pillow set, you cannot scoop baby's face up into the light or have them supported enough to hold a pose. The posing does take time and these pillow sets will help you tremendously. I personally use the photoblock set, but if you're on a budget there are many options out there such as this affordable set. There are also even some nifty DIY options you can do, too! For instance, when I first started working with newborn photography, I used bags of rice, lentils or beans because they're firm and sturdy. To this day, I still keep them in my studio to help weigh down floor props like bucket or put behind baby's back when doing froggie pose so that they don't move forward. 

Keep your fabric taunt and tight

The final tip I have for you is to keep your fabric or backdrop taunt and tight when setting up. The more taunt and tight the fabric is, the less wrinkles you'll have to remove when editing the images during post processing and you'll also have a smoother, more seamless final look to your newborn images. Don't make things harder on yourself than they need to be! Take time to set up, use heavy duty clamps (I like these from home depot) and this will make sure the back drop stays in place. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog to read some of my favorite tricks and tips on newborn bean bag posing during your session! I hope you enjoyed reading about safely posing babies and were able to find some new ways to work with babies! 

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.

 

Ways to Create Unique Newborn Baby Portraits through Texture | Levi

Houston Newborn Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink, shares ways to create unique newborn portraits during studio baby sessions.

Texture, Textiles and Timeless Accents Props

Good morning, friends! Thanks for stopping by to view some tips on how texture, textiles and timeless props create unique newborn portraits. My name is Sarah and if this is your first time here, welcome! I specialize in posed newborn photography. Serving the entire Houston area, I delight in working with my most precious clients and cannot express how special these babies are to my heart. I hope you find these tips inspirational in your own sessions. If you're a parent and are looking for a newborn photographer, I'd love if you could consider my professional baby portrait services. Most mothers to be book in their second trimester to ensure availability, though I do my best to fit in all inquiries, however, sometimes there is just not enough of me to go around. However, let's get started!

Hand Knit Bonnets, Hats or Caps

Hand knitted bonnets, hats, or caps are a second way to create gorgeous newborn portraits through texture because the bonnets are always created with different material. Each pattern is unique and each method of stitching is lovely. I like to use these adorable hats during all parts of your session, except for parent posing, since I like these to have as few props as possible. You may be interested in reading the following about parent posing while you're here:

• Outfit inspiration for parent posing

• Sweet and simple family photos during newborn session

• Flattering ways to pose new parents

• Why family photos are important during your posed newborn session

I have these sweet bonnets in every single color so there is always one that looks great on whichever backdrop color you choose to use. For instance, when working with Levi, he looks absolutely breathtaking in a soft, muted heather grey. I pulled a slightly darker grey hat so that there is a little bit of contrast, but not anything too distracting. After all, your session will be timeless and classic through the use of texture and textiles. This bonnet helps to create unique baby portraits because the texture of the stings look lovely as they cascade down his shoulders and also add a bit of interest to the images since the bonnet adorns his sweet little face. My favorite aspect of a hand knitted bonnet is that it frames their cheeks perfectly and makes their face the star.

Gorgeous Organic Wraps

Without a doubt, cozy and unique wrapping is my favorite way to implement texture into your images when creating unique baby photos. This is a cornerstone to all of my newborn work and I cannot begin to tell you how much babies love this! The wrapping keeps baby feeling safe, secure, and also peaceful. After all, as a new mother, you're going to want to remember these sweet fleeting newborn moments in which your baby is fresh and just beginning to be part of this world. The texture of the wraps adds a unique dynamic to your newborn session because each wrap is made with a different material and can be layered in a variety of methods, from chunky knit sweater fabric, to cheese cloth, to any color you can imagine. When paired with a vintage floor props, classic bowl, or adorable knitted bonnet the results are breathtaking! Newborn portraiture is essentially my life and as a Houston newborn photographer and Mom, I cannot tell you how important these sessions are to me. 

Another tip for creating unique baby photographs through texture is to pull props from an earlier part of your session, such as this sage green bonnet and wrap against the light green and muted backdrop. This helps tie the session together, keep things looking cohesive, and ensure there is a lovely theme throughout the images. Also, don't forget to switch up your angles when taking photos of your newborn clients. The texture of the backdrop adds interest to your images because, in this case, the drop is completely seamless and allows baby to shine. The viewer is not looking at anything but baby.

Custom Curated Wood Floors

 Another top for creating gorgeous and breathtaking newborn portraits through texture is having curated wood floors. You may be curious what that means. It's simple: in your studio, you'll have backdrops. For me, I personally chose to have a huge wood wall built by my husband. It was a wedding anniversary gift and he spent about 50 hours working on it. The wood was custom stained by him and he spent hours mixing stains and asking my approval. There is no other wood wall exactly like it, and part of what makes it unique is each board has a different texture added to it. He used a bag of bricks to hit the floors making nicks and grooves; he also used a blow torch to add more character to these floors and even sanded the floors to different depths so that each board has its own look. 

Wooden walls add texture to your photos because each board is different. You can do a variety of things with wood walls from floor props, flokati rugs, using different wraps, etc. For instance, in this set up with baby boy Levi, I pulled a hand knitted bonnet, chunky textured wrap, and a metal pail with a wooden handle so that everything looks like there is contrast. Paired with his handsome little face, I was swooning and bucket shots are always included in each newborn session.

Make sure to move around when photographing this set up so that there's many different angles for parents to select from.

Classic and Vintage Inspired Props 

The last tip I have for you is to select classic props so your baby sessions truly are unique. In this case, texture is a creative element because I pulled a grey classic flokati rug, 2 different hand-dyed cheese cloth wraps, and a chunky knit bump blanket with the white bowl so that all the different textures are harmonious in showing off the softness of Levi's brand new nature. The wrapping allows him to look very curly, just like when he was in the womb. 

Don't forget to do a shot on  the wood floors, too! This is a quick way to achieve two different looks without disturbing baby. 

And of course, this classic green backdrop is a great way to create texture because the softness against baby is classic, timeless and does not distract. 

Newborn Photography Poses through Unique & Cozy Wrapping | Allison

Newborn Photography for Houston Babies by Sarah Borchgrevink | Using Unique Wrapping to Create Posed Sessions

Allison at 2 Weeks Fresh and New | Wrapped Mini Collection

Greetings and howdy to you! My name is Sarah and I'm a Houston Newborn Photographer located in NW Harris County. My newborn portrait studio is the perfect place for your brand new baby because I have everything you need for gorgeous baby portraiture. Today's blog post is going to chat about how to pose newborn babies through cozy and unique wrapping styles. 

Before we get started, however, I invite you to check out the following post as these may interest you:

• Affordable Payment Plans for Houston Newborn Photography
• Three Precious Newborn Wrapping Styles
• My favorite poses during sessions

Please allow me to introduce this darling baby girl! Her name is Allison and she visited when she was just over 2 weeks new. My newborn sessions do take place in the first 18 days life. While I adore all of my clients and look forward to meeting you, I was especially excited to work with Allison because her mother is a dear friend of mine. I first met her mom at a playgroup when our kiddos were a little younger. Over the years, I've really enjoyed getting to know her sweet mama and when I heard she was pregnant, I eagerly awaited the arrival. I may also check out all her Instagram baby posts because her daughter is simply stunning!

Allison weighed a little over 8 pounds when she visited and has copper hair, a button nose, and the most gorgeous skin tone. I cannot help but feel blessed I was able to capture this time for her parents. Her session features all things adorable wrapping and through these styles, we're able to achieve stunning newborn portraiture. 

Posing Baby Through Tootsie Wrapping

The tootsie style of wrapping is a favorite of mine because it's creative, unique, and really allows us to see those adorable little toes you spend hours kissing, ha! As a mother myself, I understand how you simply cannot stop taking in all the gorgeous details about your brand new baby, such as their little toes or hands. This wrap is a great way to pose babies because it can be done via the bean bag or in any variety of floor props. For this particular session, I pulled a white washed bowl that has much character; it's full of chips and is well worn. This lends a vintage tone to the images, since I adore for the photos to have a classic quality to them. I use a precious cream bump blanket, white organic wrap, and stunning cream, gold, and light tan headband for baby's textured items. When placed against the barn-wood style of rustic floors, the set up is truly stunning because of contract. I love the way the light fills baby's face. The tootsie style of wrapping is a must have for any posed newborn session! 

Here's a quick tip for having more variety in your sessions: pair the bowl with a flokati rug to achieve two set ups in one look. This makes the session a little smoother and quicker. After all, when you have 1 hour with parents, you want to make the most of each set up. You could even swap out the headband for a classic knit bonnet, too! The options are endless. 

Wrapping Baby and Using Bean Bag

Another cozy and sweet way to wrap a newborn baby is by having their adorable little legs out and curled up, just like the womb! I usually do this in the beginning right after the parent posing portion of the session. You can use a variety of colors, textures, hats, headbands, etc. here. 

This wrapping style is also helpful because sometimes baby is still awake. Every baby is different; some are more alert than others. By wrapping this little one, I was able to keep moving through our session and not waste any time. I also take this opportunity to capture detailed shots of baby's feet. The closer baby gets to 18 days, the more alert and awake she is. This means you have to find ways to keep baby content and happy. Cozy wrapping is a fantastic way to have an amazing newborn session because it allows you to move through the session without baby looking uncomfortable or having flailing limbs.

Potato Sack Wrap: My Favorite Way To Pose Newborns

Okay, so the potato sack wrap is one that I L-O-V-E. Literally. It's my favorite. You can achieve SO much with the wrap! You can tuck baby in, put them on bean bag, put baby into floor props, put baby into bucket, the ideas are infinite. If I could only do one style of wrapping when posing the newborns, this is the one. I cannot stress how important this wrap is, too, because it practices newborn safety. By keeping their feet wrapped up, it makes them a perfect little ball and you can place their hands under their cheeks, perhaps delicately upon their face, or even sweetly underneath their chin. Either way, it's the perfect wrap and I cannot tell you how much I love doing it. 

Keep on scrolling to see all the fun ways to use this wrap from bean bag, to bucket, to floor props. 

Thanks for stopping by to see Allison's session and how I use creative, unique and cozy wrapping to achieve stunning newborn portraiture in a short amount of time. I hope you visit again soon!

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.