Sarah Borchgrevink Photography offers stylish and timeless family outdoor photography in the Houston area.

Gorgeous Natural Light Family Session Featuring Older Kids

Hi, friends! Welcome to my blog! I'm excited you're here to read about one of the latest natural light, outdoor family photography sessions I've had in beautiful Houston Texas! If this is your first time here, welcome! While I do specialize in posed newborn photography, I take a handful of family or maternity portraiture sessions per month and delight in working outside within nature. It's fun to get out of my studio once in awhile, ha!

However, most of my family clients have young children since many of the clients did maternity and newborn photos with me. This means that their kiddos are probably 5 years old or under, since this is how long I've been in business. Family photography is a lot of fun, nonetheless, it does not mean all sessions have the same dynamic. For example, the way you pose a family with teenagers is much different than the way you pose a family with toddlers. This session was really fun for me because it's something outside of the box, as far as my own portraiture work, and made me really think about connections and posing.

To further elaborate, when working with younger children, the session is often all about parents holding their little ones, kissing them, tossing them up into the air, and really embracing the spirit of the child. These are my "go to" poses, lots of playing and snuggling, because when the children are toddlers, this is what you want to remember: their innocence, laughter, how their face fills with absolute joy when Dad holds them on their shoulders, things like that. As a mama to three little girls, I cannot tell you how much I treasure the images of my children being young and carefree. There will be a time when they're more aware of the camera and become older; I will miss this! Working with teenagers can be a challenge because sometimes they may feel awkward in front of the camera.

These kiddos, though, were fantastic! I really enjoyed having them in front of my camera. They were super laid back, respectful, and just overall a complete joy. :-)

When commissioning your family photographer, it's important to select someone who's work reflects the type of images you're looking for. Because of this, I do like to show full galleries and enjoy blogging my sessions because it's enjoyable to share what I've been photographing.

Let's get started!

This beautiful family contacted me about 10 weeks in advance to secure their appointment on my calendar. When their contract came through, I saw the ages of their children and thought, "Okay, this will be new for me!" We had a great time, though, and I'm really pleased with the final gallery. We used a lovely location in Northwest Houston that features stunning fir trees and an open field. This is a great choice for sunset photography since the sun sets in the west. That way, your background has the sun filtering through the trees, truly adding a gorgeous element to your images.

Plus, their outfits look great! If you are currently unsure of how to style your own family, take this family as inspiration. They did an excellent job coordinating without looking too similar. Plus, the photos can be hung year around without looking like they were taken during the holiday months. After all, the goal of your images is for them to be hung on the wall and act as lovely time capsule in your home. I do sell digital files in all of my collections, but we ultimately want you to print and frame them. :-)

Here are some of my favorite images from my time with this beautiful family! I hope you enjoy viewing and seeing highlights. If you're currently looking for a family photographer in the Houston area, I do take a handful of sessions per month and am currently booking for February - April 2018 now. My 2017 is fully booked to captacity, but I would love to see you in the Spring or Winter! :-)

Houston Professional Family Photographers

Natural Light Family Photography Houston

Outdoor Posing with Teens and Older Siblings

Family Portrait Poses with Older Siblings

Relaxed and Casual Teen Posing in Outdoor Photo shoot

Teen Photoshoot Ideas and Themes during Family Photos

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.

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).

Pregnancy Annoucnement by Sarah Borchgrevink

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.