Sneak Preview: Asher Rocked His First Birthday + Smash Cake Session

Asher's outdoor, natural light first birthday photos by Sarah Borchgrevink Photography

Sneak Preview of Mr. Personality | Happy Birthday!

Good morning, friends! Today's blog post is all about previewing highlight from baby boy Asher's outdoor, natural light cake smash session! He is a long time client of mine, so of course I have been looking forward to working with him again! Friday happens to be his birthday, too, so of course I am very excited to showcase his adorable session.

The first year of life is exciting for new parents! There are many fun milestones you anticipate such as meeting baby for the first time and welcoming baby into your life, baby learning to sit up and crawl, and then of course baby starting to walk and even say a few words! For instance, Asher can now say "da da" and "uh oh"! It was beyond precious; his soulful eyes would look at me and his sweet little voice would call out, "Uh oh!" Truly melting.

For our time together, we chose a rustic and natural location in Houston. We chose a sunset time since this is when baby is most happy. I also have to give a huge shout out to Asher's mama: she was so prepared and organized! Not only did she bring the grandparents to help, she even beat me to the location, lol! She provided this adorable wooden bucket, seen below on the bridge photos, and picked out the most delicious, darling cake.

Nevertheless, here are a few shots from his session! 

As always, thank you for visiting my blog! I am thrilled you took the time to preview Asher's first birthday session and hope you enjoyed the images! If you are currently pregnant and are considering custom portraiture of your little one, my baby plan membership is a wonderful option for new parents. Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to recieve more information on the baby plan. 

Check out the latest blog posts and topics.

Cake Smash Smack Down | Must Have Photos for Baby's First Year

Baby's First Cake Smash Photography in Houston Texas. Chandler's Baby Plan Membership features a newborn session, 7 month sitter session, as well as a sweet cake smash session.

First Year of Life: Baby Plan Membership to Sarah Borchgrevink Photography

Good morning, friends! Thanks for visiting the blog! Today's blog post is a year in review for Chandler's baby plan membership. You may be wondering what exactly this is. As a professional newborn baby photographer, I offer a curated membership to my photography services. These cater to the first year of baby's life and encompass the sweetest new milestones for your little one! You will cherish these images forever. 

Many of my newborn clients move forward with the membership because they have already developed a relationship with the photographer. Moreover, the photos will match on the walls because they're the same style. It's also nice because there is a discount to clients who book multiple sessions at once.

Before I preview Chandler's cake smash session, let's take a quick peek at a few of his other sessions. 

The baby plan membership to Sarah Borchgrevink Photography includes the following:

• Custom newborn portraiture session taking place in my Houston Newborn Photography Studio

• 7 month sitter milestone session

• 12 month cake smash session with option to add bubble bath for a "smash and splash"

Sweet Chandler has been such a dream to photograph, so of course when it came time for his cake smash session, I was really excited to see him! Working with baby's over their first year is bittersweet: on one hand, you remember how small and little they were as newborns, just so sweet and cuddly, but then when you see them at the cake smash session they're walking and saying a few words, soon to be a toddler on the move! His parents also booked an outdoor, natural light family session so they're my featured family of the month, too!

Cake Smash Smack Down Details

Little known fact: sometimes a 12 month kiddo does not like cake. I know, I know. It *seems* like what could could NOT want cake, but think of it like this: for the first year of baby's life, they've either had formula, breast milk (or some type of combination) and maybe some baby food. A lot of parents are not introducing solids until a little later, too, so baby has never even seen or had cake. It also can be overwhelming to little one. 

Cake smash tip from an experienced baby photographer: put the cake in the car the afternoon of your shoot. It'll be warm and easy to get into. Also avoid fondant so baby likes the taste of the icing. If the cake is cold, baby dislike the temperature and texture. 

But sometimes the baby LOVES the cake! You never know what's going to happen during these session. The anticipation is, admittedly, really fun as photographer, ha! 

For Chandler's cake smash, we used an outdoor, natural light location in Houston, Texas for his session. My baby plan membership currently includes studio, but parents can upgrade to an outdoor session (sunrise or sunset) for an additional fee. 

We used one of my favorite vintage props for a timeless feel: the cream distressed antique high char, yes! I love to remove distracting items, such as tons of props, and only use a few pieces so baby is showcased. Simple make me happy, so I urge parents  to make sure they like the same style as me. :-) 

Chandler did not dissapoint! Here are some of my favorite images from his cake smash smack down! 

If you enjoyed reading about Chandler's cake smash session, here are some other blog posts you may like checking out, too!

• Baby Milestone Photography Sessions in Houston

• Sample Galleries by Sarah Borchgrevink | Houston's Best Newborn Photographer

• Outdoor Dynamic Maternity Portraits for Expecting Mothers & Couples

Ninja Wrapping Skills | Artistic and Cozy Ways to Feature a New Baby

Houston Newborn Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink, features three darling ways to wrap a baby during their portraiture session.

Stunning Wrapping Techniques

Howdy, friends! Welcome! Today's blog post is an overview of beautiful newborn wrapping that's both artistic and cozy. It's all about displaying baby in a lovely way while keeping the little one happy and safe. 

Part of being a custom newborn photographer is having unique ninja wrapping skills, ha! Often when the parents are in the studio, they will marvel at how baby immediately goes to sleep once I begin working with little one; they will even ask for a quick tutorial on wrapping techniques, too! 

The wrapping skills I've learned are from one on one mentoring; however, over time I've learned several great tips simply from practice. I have a huge variety of newborn wraps; literally hundreds, lol! For example, sometimes I use chunky knit, other times wispy cheesecloth that's light and delicate. Either way, I have every color, size, and texture you could possibly want.

The newborn wrapping is also a great tool to have in your studio because it's a great option for babies who are super petite and maybe do not enjoy being handled or also for parents who do not like naked bean bag posed images. Some parents prefer the modest look of wrapping or how cozy and sweet it is; being able to offer your clients several options is a huge plus for your business.

The three styles of wrapping techniques I'll be sharing today are my favorites and are part of my workflow: tootsie, potato sack and then cradle.

“Awesome pictures! We went recently for a newborn session for our first child. Will be cherishing those pictures for a long time. :)”

— Tina

Potato Sack Pose 

Potato Sack in Floor Prop Pose

Cradle Wrap

Baby in a Bucket Pose

As always, thanks for stopping by my blog! I hope you enjoyed seeing stunning images of sweet, new babies in the three favorite styles of wrapping such as potato, straight jacket and tootise. Before you go, you may be interested in reading more information on these topics. 

• 6 Funny Quirks for Newborn Photographers

• Earth Tones are Truly Gorgeous | Newborn Portrait Styling

• 5 Must Have Props you can find on Amazon Prime