Editing a Posed Newborn Session in Adobe Lightroom |Before & After

How to Edit A Newborn Photo in Lightroom | Effective and Easy Tips

Tutorial by Sarah Borchgrevink | Professional Editing Software

Howdy, friends! Today's blog post shares some effective tips and tricks for editing a newborn session in Adobe Lightroom. First and foremost: please allow me to introduce myself! I'm Sarah! I'm a professional newborn photographer in Houston TX; I specialized in posed baby sessions within a studio environment. Because my sessions are affordable and have completely transparent pricing, I am often booked well in advance. I have around 20 new arrivals in my studio monthly, which means I've learned how to edit my sessions very quickly! The best way I have learned is through Lightroom. Let's get started!

The sample photo I'm using today is of a sweet little girl named Layla. She visited my Houston Newborn Portrait Studio at 7 days old and her parents booked my 'petite' package, which includes those oh-so-adorable naked poses. This means all of her skin is exposed, so she's a great example for how to quickly streamline your editing when you have a ton of work on your desk!

Before & After | How to Achieve This Look

White Balance Adjustment

To foundation to an amazing newborn portrait is always having the perfect white balance. In my studio, I use professional lighting, and specifically use constant lights. You may be interested in this post sharing how I create a natural light look through studio lighting. I tend to prefer warmer white balances, such as 5300 degrees, or so. Whether you prefer warm or cool temperatures, make sure it is very consistent throughout the entire session. Don't jump around - it'll make the gallery lack cohesiveness. Here you will also look at the magenta and adjust as needed. I tend to prefer rosy images so I was a 50 on the magneta slider.

Creamy Skin Development | Reduce Red, Yellow, and Orange Skin Tones

To create those gorgeous creamy skin tones, I use my sliders in Lightroom. This is my next step after adjusting white balance. I will always start by removing the colors that are too strong in the images; for instance, newborn babies typically have a yellow, red, or orange undertone to their skin. The best place to begin would be by increasing luminescence, which gives baby that beautiful glow, reducing saturation, and adjusting hue. I placed a screenshot above. Of course, you are going to have different settings for different babies, but the sliders in Lightroom will give you full control of the babies skin as far as color.

Fun tip: you can create skin presets on your own without even having to pay for them.

Once you find the look you prefer in your own studio, developing presets will not only make your editing lightening fast, but will give you a very consistent look. Each gallery you send to parents should be very similar to the galleries earlier that week. This is part of your brand and being one of the Best Photographers in your area! 

 

Smooth Skin

I do not do any skin smoothing in Photoshop for any of my newborn sessions. With the exception of the froggy pose, (check out a free step by step tutorial on how to safely pose a baby) all of my editing is done in Lightroom. After fixing white balance, adjusting baby's skin tone, and cropping my images, I will then skin smooth the baby. Babies can handle a reduction in clarity; I also will reduce the contrast a little bit, such as by -8, and will increase my highlights by +3, so baby still has beautiful contours and shadows to their face without the light look flat.

I will use the brush for this portion or (k) on a PC. Generally, the density is about 50-55, and I'll smooth different parts of the baby more than others. Their face, for example, always gets around 3 sets of brush strokes. Make sure you "erase" the brush on their lips, nose, and hands, however, so you do not lose detail.

Sharpen

After this, I sharpen the image last because I want to make sure it's not too sharp, but may also need more sharpening after the skin smoothing. This entire process takes me about 2 minutes/image, which means I can fully edit a newborn gallery in less than an hour. For sharpening, I prefer it to be around 70, with noise reduction at 12-15, depending on my ISO. Of course, these items will depend on what your own camera settings are. In my studio, my camera settings, according to my lights and how I like the images to look, are usually 1/160, f/2.2, and then ISO 320. I use a Sigma ART 35 mm f/1.4 and a Sigma ART 50 mm f/1.4. You'll also find a gorgeous 100 mm f/2.8L macro lens, which creates those super dreamy macro images, so sharpening of photos will always depend on your camera settings.

Thanks for stopping by my blog to read tips on how to edit newborn sessions in Lightroom!

Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer specializing in gorgeous posed newborn sessions. Her studio is located in Northwest Harris County. 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 Houston, Cypress, Tomball, Spring, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Memorial & West Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, Richmond, West University and Rice Village.

High School Sweethearts Justin & Ashley | Love Story + a Miracle Baby Boy

Featured Natural Light, Outdoor Maternity Session for the Month of June.

Howdy, friends! Today's blog post is all about my favorite pregnancy portraits from the month of June. Ashley and Justin's photo shoot took place in northwest Houston during sunset. It also happened to be Ashley's birthday so it was a fun way to celebrate her that day! Cozy up and get comfy to see highlights from their session + for a little q&a. 

How did you two meet?

We went to rival high schools, but we met in church when we were 15 on the Fourth of July. Later that summer, on Labor Day, we went bowling and started "going out". We've pretty much been together ever since. By the time the baby arrives, we will have been together 19 years (10 years of dating; 9 years of marriage)!

What is a favorite color in Baby's nursery?

The nursery is a monochromatic safari theme, but we did an accent wall in Sherwin Williams Outerspace. It's this dark, dark grayish blue. It's nice because it's a masculine color but it's also very soothing.

What was the first thing Dad did when you two found out you're expecting?

It's hard to remember! It was a shock. Long story short, prior to getting pregnant, we were told I was in premature ovarian failure, and the chances of us conceiving with my eggs was around 5%. We were actually gearing up to start an IVF cycle at the time I found out I was pregnant. It was a BIG but HAPPY surprise. Hopefully Baby Boy won't be our last, but he is definitely our little miracle!

What is Baby's due date?

August 16th

Any pregnancy cravings? Favorite meal?

I like to have vegetarian sushi or the Airstream Salad from Torchy's for lunch. Those are my GOOD cravings. But my most consistent, longest running craving is ice cream. We go to a lot of Astros games, and if you can't have a cold IPA, Bluebell in a cone is the next best thing :) I seriously eat ice cream almost every day. I think it's how I'm surviving the summer heat.

What are you most excited about in terms of being a mom?

To see different traits from my husband, Justin, and myself in our baby. I remember thinking I was nothing like my parents growing up, and now I see parts of my mom and dad's personalities reflected in me ALL the time. And to see his unique personality, what he likes, how he thinks.

Any fur siblings?

We have 2 Toy Australian Shepherds; Rookie, our male that's 2, and Pip, our female that's almost 1. Her birthday is 3 days before the baby's due date, so hopefully she doesn't have to share her special day :)

 What's the first thing you bought for baby?

It's kind of a strange purchase, but I bought these animal prints that I knew I wanted for the nursery. They are gender-neutral, so whether it was a boy or girl, I knew they would work. It was kind of a celebratory purchase once we made it to the 11 week mark and felt we could breathe a little easier.

Do you have any nicknames for your baby bump?

 Since we haven't decided on baby's name just yet, we have quite a few, but probably the funniest nickname came from our niece. She just turned 7, and is really into martial arts / karate, so she watches lots of that stuff on YouTube. From pretty early on, she has called the baby "John Cena". She says if we name him that, he will be the strongest baby in the world. It's kind of hard to argue with that logic! But it's stuck, it's a joke in our family now. 

See more highlights from their session:

Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer specializing in gorgeous posed newborn sessions. Her studio is located in Northwest Harris County. 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 Houston, Cypress, Tomball, Spring, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Memorial & West Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, Richmond, West University and Rice Village.

 

FAQ From Clients: What to Wear to Baby's Newborn Photo Session

In Studio Family Photos during Newborn Session: What Should Parents or Siblings Wear?

Booking your baby's first professional portraits is truly exciting! You've waited months to meet the baby and have dreamed of holding them in your arms! Now that you've selected your photographer and are gearing up for a great session, you may be a little unsure what to wear to your newborn session. Have no fear! As a professional newborn photographer plus mom (I mean, I DO have four kiddos!) I know how important these images are to you. You'll treasure them forever. You would like to look and feel your best. I'm here to guide you and provide an amazing, laid back experience for you new parents.

Creams, Beige, and White | Top Colors that Photograph Best

When your baby arrives, you'll receive a newborn prep guide from me. This is a detailed guide that tells you everything to expect, such as how to prepare your new arrival for the spotlight, but also covers when your family images will take place and how to dress for those. In my studio, I use a large wood wall for the photos. Because it's rustic, I prefer neutrals and lighter tones against the dark wood. My least favorite options are black and prints; my favorite is always beige, cream, taupe, ecru, white, etc. These tones are natural, classic, and will not detract for your little one during the session.

The V-Neck for Dad | Classic, Clean,Timeless

One of my favorite poses of Dad and Newborn Baby is when Dad is holding the baby against his chest; I love how Dad is the protector here. Baby is so small and new they literally fit in the palm of Dad's hand. During this portion, a v-neck that's fitted is a great outfit choice because it will forever be classic. There are no distracting prints or colors; Dad's arms are also showcased in comparison to the tiny newborn so it makes for a beautiful image! Any brand of these v-neck t-shirts is totally fine. Some parents buy them at Target or you can also find them at stores such as JCrew. Most men already have these in their closet, so it's one less thing to worry about on the morning of baby's photography session. For all of my family and parent posing, the baby is wrapped in a simple style so they're the perfect little bundle of joy you can hold. I always pull a wrap that looks nice against the cream or lighter tones I prefer you wear.

Simple Top or Maxi Dress for Mom

Moms are usually most nervous about the family photos because they worry about how they'll look. All photos, however, at my studio are hip up so baby is the star. I pose baby so you they act as a prop. I typically don't do a lot of images in which Mom is staring into the camera and smiling; it's more about connecting with your baby. A great idea for Mom to wear is a maxi dress or even the maternity gown from the baby shower, or, if you had pregnancy portraits with me, you probably purchased a dress for those images. You can definitely wear the same dress again. Not only will this makes thing easier for you, the dresses are usually jersey knit, which is a breathable textile. It's stretchy, soft, and you'll be able to move easily.

Sibling: Jean or khakis +A Light Cotton Top

The sibling portion always makes mom's heart soar! This is a very popular request for sessions and we set aside an additional 30 minutes for these setups. I like to pose the older sibling on their back while the eldest child holds the new baby. This is a safe way for them to interact without worrying if the baby will be dropped. A neutral colored flokati, such as cream or white, is a really pretty option here. Little ones look super precious in classic, natural attire such as dark wash blue jeans, perhaps even khaki pants, and then a simple top in a lighter color, such as beige, cream, white, or tan. 

Thanks for stopping by to see my favorite colors in the studio, plus some tips on what to wear for our time together in the studio! 

Let's recap this post:

• Avoid bright colors, such as neon or even dark tones, such as black

• Maxi dresses or light, airy tops are great for Mom

• V-neck t-shirts are fabulous for Dad

• Sibling looks adorable in simple top and dark wash jeans

• Target, Kohls, J-Crew, or even Amazon are great resources for shopping. Your own closet is full of inspiration I bet, too!

If you are pregnant and are thinking about booking a professional newborn portrait artist in the Houston area, I would love to be considered for your photo needs! Let's chat! I look forward to hearing more about your family.