How to Incorporate Client Props into your Houston Newborn Session

Houston Newborn Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography, specializes in the custom art of posed baby portraits and serves the entire Houston area. Here are some fun ways to incorporate clients props into your studio sessions.

Seamlessly Add Client Props into your session flow

Greetings, friends! Happy Sunday to you! Today in Houston the weather is absolutely beautiful and we have temperatures in the 60's, wow! That's essentially winter for us, ha! However, this morning I am at my desk catching up on print orders, contracts, e-mails and blog posts. I have an adorable little boy coming to my studio in a few hours for a family + newborn session so I am looking forward to that part of my day. Today's blog post is going to chat about what's included in a newborn session and how you can add parent props into your workflow seamlessly while being on task with your time.

Parent props are a common request. Oftentimes, there is an heirloom item, such as quilt or wedding ring, that mom and dad would like added into to their session. They also may have had a cute knitted hat a co-worker made them or maybe even a blanket grandma crocheted just for their little darling. While I do provide everything for your session and style the images so they're classic and timeless, I allow a few outside props in to add a bit of spunk to your sessions. I ask parents to please limit the number of props to about 3 since we must hit all your other set ups in the time allotted for our time together. 

Introducing Ava 

Sweet baby girl Ava visited my Houston Newborn Photography Studio when she was just over a month old. She arrived earth side early and with Hurricane Harvey, scheduling was a little bit hectic. However, her sweet parents booked a wrapped mini session with me, which is what I recommend for newborns who are a little older. While full time babies have their session at 14 days or newer, for babies who make their entrance into the world earlier than expected and perhaps spend some time in the NICU, I will go a little further in age to accommodate NICU stays. 

The wrapped mini includes the following:

WRAPPED MINI NEWBORN COLLECTION | $450 + TAX

One hour studio session featuring cozy, beautifully wrapped newborn images with full styling provided by Sarah. Please note this session does not include naked bean bag posing. Includes (2) family poses, (1) pose of Mom with Baby, (1) pose of Dad with baby, (3) unique styles of gorgeous wrapping, (2) floor props such as bucket/bowl/crate, flokati rug set up, and macro images up close details such as lips, eyelashes, toes, hands, etc. 20 retouched high resolution digital files are delivered to you via digital download + released printing rights, as well as (3) 5x7" deep matte professional prints of your choice. Black & white conversions of each image are also included. See the three styles of cozy newborn wrapping I always implement in these sessions. See a full gallery of a wrapped newborn mini session. Please note these do include family photos for parents who choose to do so but there is no obligation or discount if you choose to not utilize the family images. This is simply a perk I offer to clients and it has no monetary value.

Darling Fox Hat during Potato Pose

The potato pose is one of my favorite parts of the session because baby is wrapped to perfection in an organic textured wrap, often one of the softest quality. I love the way their little hands are tucked delicately beneath their chins and they sleep so sweetly! This is a great spot to incorporate a prop the parents brought from home because you can easily swap items out such as hats, wraps, flokati rugs, etc. This allows you to stay within your time limits, but also incorporate the parents items. I truly believe each parent should have the newborn images of their dreams! By being flexible and kind to your clients, you exhibit great customer service skills and still maintain the authenticity of your brand. It costs nothing to be kind. Always go the extra mile. :-) 

All tucked in with grandma's blanket

If grandma has created a knit or crochet blanket for little one, a great set up to add these items into your posed newborn session is during a tucked in shot. For Ava, I used an adorable rustic crate and added the soft baby pink hat and matching blanket in here. Like potato pose, listed above, this is a wonderful way to make your client happy and ensure they love their gallery.

Check out more highlights from Ava's wrapped newborn session

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.

Here's where sarah is located

 

Candid & Natural Photography | The Tiny Tribe of Wild Women

My philosophy on letting my kiddos be little and embracing the spirit of the Tiny Tribe of Wild Women

Everyday Happenings With Emma, Lucy, and Amelia

“So let them be little, cause they’re only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love, every day.
Let em cry, let em giggle, let them sleep in the middle.
Oh, just let them be little”

— Songwriters: Billy H. Dean / Richie Mcdonald

Hi, friends! Today's blog post talks about how I started my photography journey and the inspiration I find in my daily life, how I apply this to my own portraiture work, and why I enjoy using a more candid and natural photography style to preserve my little ones in the most authentic manner.

Welcome! If this is your first time visiting my blog, you should you know I do specialize in posed newborn photography, however, I work often with my own little ones and photograph them in our everyday lives. My kiddos are what started me on my photography journey which has eventually developed from a small hobby to a thriving business in which I am the breadwinner for my family.

Over the years, my husband, Kevin, and I have welcomed three little girls into our home! Emma is our eldest, who is 7, followed by Lucy, 3, and Amelia, 1, who will be 2 in December, though, so I am looking forward to that birthday milestone! We're also really excited to announce we're having a little boy, Jack, in December so stay on the look out for fun newborn and family photos once he arrives, ha! 

As time has passed, Emma, Lucy and Amelia's personalities have truly flourished and we've started called the gaggle of red headed girls the "Tiny Tribe of Wild Women", lol! Yes. We even have had a sign made for their playroom (seen below). 

Why they're called the tiny tribe of wild women

Emma, Lucy and Amelia are certainly modern women who do not have meager, quiet, or meek personalities. A few words I would use to describe them are perhaps: spirited, lively, ardent, courageous, vivacious, and truly remarkable. As parents, my husband and I celebrate their personalities and really enjoy raising them. For example, my spouse is the stay at home parent while I work full time, so there are often days I come home to dance parties and lots of dresses and glitter, ha! Kevin is a great sport and awesome daddy. He is always up for a trip to the park, baking cookies, or painting toe nails. He is also the ultimate story reader and puts extra bubbles in the tub because that's what makes life interesting, right? Who needs a bath without bubbles? 

When photographing my children, I embrace their spirit and will document their everyday lives candidly. My children don't respond well to sitting quietly or being told they must wear a fancy gown and sit perfectly still and smile. This simply is not who they are and part of having their photos taken is preserving their childhood. 

Love letters to my children

I am taking everyday, natural, and candid photos for my little ones. These are for them to have when they're older, it is my love language. This is my gift to them: albums and prints and canvases showing them as they are, allowing them to be their own people, and showing the journey as they grow. Life is not perfect. Nothing is ever going to be precise (unless you're doing math problems, but that's another blog post, ha!). By allowing them to be who they are, it removes expectations that are unnatural for them and also will be a connection to our past. I adore looking through older images of them and sometimes it makes me a little sad because it's not until a milestone has passed do you realize how precious it is.

As parents, we're sometimes so focused on what's next, what our children will accomplish next, we forget to see the everyday beauty right in front of us. Photographing them in their everyday moments, the simple truth in our daily lives, will forever preserve this sacred time. I know I will miss them being small. I distinctly remember crying the day my eldest went to kindergarten. She stepped onto the bus, waved goodbye to me, and the doors shut. I looked at my husband, in a complete panic, and said, "We have to follow her. I don't even know the bus driver! Who let's their child in a vehicle with someone they don't know?" Of course, these milestones are harder on me than them and by having many everyday images of them, it it truly wonderful to look back on their lives and celebrate them.

I also must note: a yearly family photo shoot is a must. Once a year, I do like to have professional family photos taken and I would never discount the beauty in this type of photography. However, one photography session a year is not enough to capture who they are as they do change very quickly.

Having young children inspires my own family portraiture work because it teaches me patience and how to engage with others without being intrusive. It also shows me that mothers will relish in those precious, candid images and enjoy looking back on them. It's totally nice to have 3-4 images in which your whole family is smiling at the camera, but it's also okay to have more natural images, too. There is a balance. I tell parents to not worry: we always do the more posed images first and then we play, have fun, and I give you many tips on interacting with your children. 

Here are some of my favorite everyday happenings from November.

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.

 

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.