The Cutest Pumpkin at the Patch | Ben Turns One with a Smash

Houston Baby Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography, offers adorable outdoor and natural light first birthday and cake smash sessions. Check out Benjamin's one year session!

Benjamin Turns The Big One with a Fall Inspired Pumpkin Pie Smash

Hi, friends and happy Monday to you! I'm excited you're here at my blog. If you've stopped by, you're in for a treat because today's sweet blog post chats about the cutest little pumpkin in the patch, aka Benjamin! He is a Baby Plan Membership client of mine meaning his parents commissioned me to photograph his newborn, sitter, and one year birthday photos. I adore working with these clients as they're especially near and to me.

A few questions I often am asked are where do cake smashes take place, what's included, and how to book. I'm honored to assist you! To begin: cake smash sessions take place either in my Houston Newborn & Baby Studio or from an outdoor location list I've curated over the years.

For cake smashes, I provide simple props like a vintage high chair, buckets, boxes, crates, etc. Anything super specific to your theme or decor is provided by parents. You're welcome to go as simple or festive as you like. In this case, for instance, Ben's parents chose to do the cake smash after his first birthday party so they brought decorations from his fall inspired October birthday party. 

If you have a little girl, you may be interested in reading about the following:

• Whimsical and Shabby-Chic Baby Girl First Birthday Session

Fall Inspired Outdoor Cake Smash Session

As you can see from the detailed images below, Ben's parents provided some super adorable details, such as home made baked pumpkin pie (that smelled so delicious!) as well as a banner with his name and a cake topper. They also provided the pumpkin. At the photographer, I brought the barrel and the high chair. 

Before the actual smash, however, I really like to spend time with baby taking some individual portraits of him. This is when we show off their first birthday milestones, such as walking, if they are walking at this time, standing, clapping, etc, and of course those adorable contagious smiles that parents love so dearly! It's so fun to see little one again, especially when you're a baby plan client, because I've been documenting the first year of life since newborn.

For this session, we used a great location in NW Houston called Telge Park. Because it is fall and the busiest time of the year for photos, we found a quiet little spot so it worked out nicely! We also shot at sunset so baby could have a long afternoon nap. A tip I always share with my baby clients: choose a time for your session in which baby is most happy. My sessions begin early in the morning or later in the evening, so this is an important factor for having a really great session!

After individual images of little one and the detailed shots of their decor and themed set up, we move on to the grand finale: the smash! One of my favorite parts of this Houston Cake Smash and First Birthday Session is the pumpkin pie. There's something super endearing about keeping the season in mind; his mom made the most adorable pumpkin pie. Ben was a little unsure of the pie at first, however, I was completely in love with his sweet toes, long lashes, and his beautiful grins, so he kept me busy at this part! 

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog to read about Ben's first birthday and cake smash session! I hope you return soon to see more adorable sessions I've had the honor of photographing. You may also be interested in seeing the outdoor family photos we took with his parents before the actual smash took place. :-) 

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.

 

How to Pose Families & Create Natural, Carefree and Candid Photos

Houston Family Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink, uses dynamic natural light, timeless locations, and candid, close knit posing to create fun and carefree portraits.

Simple Tips for Photographing Natural Family Sessions

Howdy, friends! Thanks for visiting my little blog to see some fun and easy tips on posing families in order to create candid, natural, and gorgeous family portraits. My name is Sarah and I'm a Houston TX Photographer offering lovely outdoor family sessions. My sessions are fun, laid back and carefree. However, over the years I have learned simple tips that help the session run smoothly. 

You see, as a mother to three little girls, I treasure the images that are more natural and truly showcase my children's personalities. Photography is a connection to our past, a link to who we are, and will always bring you back to those precious memories, such as babies first steps or a fun milestone sessions. For example, this sweet family I am previewing today has been wonderful to work with over the last year. They began as maternity & newborn clients, and have commissioned me to document their family's outdoor family photography session plus their sweet son's first birthday images. This in mind, they're truly a joy to photograph and I'm thrilled to use their session as an example.

Choose a quiet location

The foundation of a great family session is selecting an environment in which your subjects feel comfortable. I prefer rustic, rural locations such as an open field. This type of location is quiet and will allow your client to relax. It can already be a little bit nerve wracking to have a huge DSLR camera in your face; by selecting a location that's off the beaten path and does not have a lot of traffic, you won't feel like people are staring at you. It'll allow you to take a step back and enjoy the beauty of nature.

To elaborate, when booking a session with me, clients are given a curated location list to browse. This allows you to see sample galleries and different types of sessions from sunrise and sunset, to maternity, child or family. These are locations I have hand selected for quality and aesthetic purposes since it's important the final look be timeless.

Give your clients an activity or task

I always start my sessions by giving my clients something to do; typically it's something like playing with their children. I will ask them to tickle baby, or make a "baby sandwich" so that baby is on display. It also helps clients relax to have their child in their arms. Assigning a task or activity ensures they know what to do with their hands and they're not awkward standing there, unsure what to do. The session should flow smoothly and not have any weird pauses or parents feeling like you're not leading. Take charge of your session.

Take a step back and have fun

When I was a little girl and growing up, having your photo taken generally meant you'd sit in one spot at a photo studio like Sears or JC Penny; you would be perfectly posed like a statue and smile directly at the camera. While it is nice to have a few photos of everyone smiling and looking at the camera, it's also great to have images in which the client is not thinking about the camera. Take a step back. Forget what you've always been told about photography. Simple tips for creating vivacious and fun family photos can including little one being tossed into the air, running, playing, tickle fights, or just cuddling up together. 

Think about focal plane

Your focal plane is super important in achieving candid, fun photos because everyone needs to be seen. I like for all of the subjects to be on display; it also makes sure everyone is in photo. I typically line my clients up in a cozy position where everyone is comfortable. Don't be nervous to adjust your client. If you can see the bottom of Dad's shoes, just rotate him. If Mom has a leaf in her hair, just remove it; these things are much easier to fix during the session than to worry about in processing. When everyone is lined up in the proper focal plane, you can see all the limbs, expressions, smiles, and also the background.

Encourage your client and give positive feedback

Clients don't like silence. When they're with you, they may feel like the session is not going well if you don't utter a single word. Keep things light and fun; ask them questions but also don't forget to give positive feedback to them. If you notice Mom is super pretty in the golden morning light, tell her. If baby looks precious, make sure to tell Dad how much you're enjoying time with little one. I promise clients respond well to positive reinforcement and it makes them feel more comfortable. When photographing my clients, it's almost like a little "mini friend date". I say this meaning that you have about half an hour to get to know them; you want to treat them like a friend because family photography is a personal experience. They've chosen you and should have a great time during their session.

Thanks for stopping by my blog to read about posing families in a candid, natural and carefree manner! I'm excited you've visited and hope these tips are helpful to you! 

You may also be interested in reading:

• 8 Awesome Tips for an Amazing Maternity & Family Session
• Choosing the perfect outdoor sunrise location
• What to wear for fall family photos in the south

Here's what this client had to say about their photo experience with Sarah:

Sarah has done both our newborn posed session and a first year family session. I have ABSOLUTELY LOVED every single picture she has taken and produced. Sarah is a wonderful photographer and goes above and beyond to help you not only save these memories, but make new ones as well. We will definitely use Sarah again!

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.

Capturing Baby's Darling Personality| Houston Baby Photographer

Precious Baby Girl Alexa's In Studio, Milestone Session with Sarah Borchgrevink Photography

Rustic Wooden Floors, Sweet Smiles and the Cutest Baby in Houston!

As a Houston portrait photographer, one of which specializes in newborn and baby portraiture, I delight in photographing your most precious little ones! Few things make my heart more happy. When coming into my studio, I cannot help but feel such joy in knowing all the fun we'll have that day. When I am not photographing the most squishy and stunning newborn babies in Houston, I make time for baby milestone sessions. These are a great option for parents seeking gorgeous portraits of their little one, who is always the light of your life.

Because I am also a mama, I can truly identify with connecting with young children, showing patience, and making sure everyone has a great experience.

Check out what baby girl A's mother wrote about her portraiture experience:

Amazing does not do justice in describing Sarah and her work. She is extremely talented, sweet and personable. She takes the stress and worry out of a photo session and is able to capture the perfect shots. She has taken both newborn and one year photos for me and it was the best investment ever! I appreciate her organization, effective and prompt communication and quick turn around time in delivering the final product. I have hired several other photographers in the past and although they take great photos they have fallen short in these areas with some taking months to just return digital files. I can't say it enough, I highly recommend Sarah!!!

I'm excited to present baby A's in studio, milestone session to you. This blog post is also intended to share a few tips on capturing baby's darling personality and how to create classic, timeless and beautiful baby portraiture. 

Keep Nap Times in Mind

When working with younger babies, I embrace the spirit of the little one and make sure to capture who they are. This age is full of laughs, giggles, clapping, sitting up, even crawling. Baby's personality is beginning to shine; sometimes she's more soulful and thoughtful and other times she's carefree and inquisitive. No matter the characteristics, I enjoy working with little ones because many of the baby clients I have happened to be former newborn sessions, too. It's great to catch up with you and hear more about the first year of life. It's full of bright moments, and I truly treasure our time in the studio together.

When booking a baby milestone session, I keep your child's nap time in mind. She's also probably just eaten, so this is a great time to photograph her. I do make time for you to nurse/bottle feed, if needed, so don't feel any pressure. Sometimes mamas choose to exclusively nurse the first year of life, so don't feel worried about time or feeding baby in advance: I want her to be happy and full when we work together. I know when I'm not hungry, I have a better afternoon, lol!

Playing their favorite music

This part truly makes me laugh. I have three little girls (Emma, Lucy and Amelia) and they're completely fun and make my day. However, their favorite music is a video on Youtube called "Daddy Finger" and this song makes me cringe, lol! I have talked to many other parents, however, who also feel the same way about the daddy finger genre. Kids simply love it. It's catchy and repetitive, they know what to expect, etc. When photographing this session, Mama and I played the daddy finger song (linked here for you, just so you don't miss out, ha!) Baby immediately started to smile and engage with the camera by simply having her favorite music on. Of course, it was stuck in my head all day, but I it was worth it! A is simply so charming, sweet, and infectious I cannot help but marvel at how fun it was having her in my studio. 

Chat with baby

I know, I know - baby is not talking in full sentences just yet, but they do like when you talk with them. Engage baby by asking her questions; play peek-a-boo, and just compliment her. Babies are generally very sweet natured and like you to show them attention. It's a treat to hang out with a precious kiddo, so I don't mind sitting on the floor, (even in my third trimester, haha) and getting on their level. 

This will allow you to capture a ton of variety from sweet gazes, soulful expressions, open smiles, and those awesome grins that really show off the cute little teeth that are growing.

Use props that are low to the ground for safety

Parents often ask, 'what kind of props do you use?' Well, it's simple: anything you see in my newborn gallery are the type of props you'll find in my baby sessions. This is because I like things to be classic, timeless and inspired by vintage pieces, such as this antique hat box little one is sitting on. It's also low to the ground, so she feels comfortable. Baby should never be suspended above the air or places onto an object that her feet cannot touch the ground. I know when I am nervous and feeling tentative, the last thing I want to do is take photos. So by us making sure baby is safe, secure and at ease, we can engage with her in many different angles, such as back lit photos in which the light is behind her and surrounds her in the most ethereal, fresh, and pure ways. I adore the halo of light. While the wood floors are super cool, I have to say that stunning light makes me swoon!

Use Light to show their souls

Speaking of light, I cannot begin to express to you how important you lighting is during a session. Photography, after all, is capturing emotion through the use of dynamic lighting. My studio looks like it's full of gorgeous natural light, but I do not use any natural light sources, such as the sun. This is because the sun is different every day; sometimes clouds cover it or it's raining and this means you cannot shoot. However, by using giant soft boxes (I have 3 86" plms on at all times) you're able to be truly consistent, shoot anytime of the day, manipulate light, and also place the light so it fills baby's face and you can see those gorgeous, expressive eyes!

See the full session here: