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

 

Styling Behind Your Newborn Session | Be Timeless & Vintage

Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer offering timeless and vintage inspired styling for your baby's portraiture session. 

Be timeless in a world of trendy

Good afternoon! Thanks for visiting my blog! Today's blog post is full of great information for you! As an expecting mother, you're probably curious about the newborn options available to you. Please allow me to introduce myself: my name is Sarah and I specialize in the stunning art of posed newborn photography. I am fully vaccinated, insured, and trained in newborn photography. I have taken workshops on newborn safety & handling, soothing, posing, flow, and post processing of your images. This in mind, I take your investment very seriously. I delight in working with your sweet baby and look forward to our time together! 

When booking your newborn session, it's very important you research why your photographer is a good fit for you. Each photographer has a different way of posing and working with newborns; we have props that are specific to our brand. You select your photographer based on the styling of their images. It's pertinent you select someone who is a good fit for you; someone who uses colors you like, especially. There is no "wrong" or "right" way to style your newborns, I promise! It's a personal choice your photographer makes and is part of their brand as an artist.

This blog post explains how I style my newborn sessions. This will help you see the vision behind my newborn portraiture and if I'm a good fit for you. :-) First up: I welcome you to take a little virtual tour of my newborn studio, located in NW Houston near Barker Cypress & 290. This is where all newborn sessions take place, typically in the first 14 days of life. They also take place 7 days a week between the hours of 9 AM - 4 PM. They're typically 1-2 hours long from start to finish. 

Classic, Timeless, Fresh and Pure Newborn Photography

Sometimes parents are curious what it means to use classic or timeless styling. Since they're not newborn photographers themselves, it can feel overwhelming when sifting through the numerous styles you come across. To me, I interpret these terms to be simple, time-honored, and representative of all things beautiful in a newborn. By removing props that date the images, you're able to convey a vintage tone. As women, we all have our little black dress in our closets: this dress is perfect for any occasion and never goes out of style. Vintage is prime because it will forever be stylish. 30 years from now when you view these images, nothing will detract from your precious baby. All you will see is excellent newborn portraiture.

When selecting newborn props for your session, I think of quintessential accessories such as sweet little bonnets which exemplify the chubby cheeks of your baby. Hand created headbands and tie backs adorn your cherub's forehead and will endure the test of time. I remove brands, cartoon characters, sports teams, and hobbies in order to showcase the beauty of newborn. The session should feel endearing, distinguished, and pure - all things adorable about a brand new baby.

By using props that are often an antique, there is an interesting element in the photo but nothing too distracting. Examples of floor props I might use are a metal bucket or pail, wooden box, or a weaved basket. 

The importance of texture & color

The texture and color in your newborn sessions creates character, balance, interest and improves the overall composition of the portrait because these elements are the ultimate framework in showcasing how precious a baby is. Simplicity is key - the photos should look effortless through the listed elements. For instance, I used distressed wood floors that are coarse and rustic; paired with the organic wrap and the fine texture of the knitted plush blanket, your baby is super comfy. Interest is developed this way. The soft bonnet and hands gently folded beneath her chin are the final touches needed.

The colors I generally pull inspiration from are soulful, moving, vibrant and rich. Jewel tones are especially some of my favorites because they illuminate the baby's skin in the most gorgeous way! While I will use a soft neutral or organic tone sparingly, the more dynamic the color scheme is, the more I adore the image. Parents who are seeking vibrance are a wonderful fit for me from an aesetic perspective. 

Simple and Fresh Posing

Newborn posing can be tricky because baby must be very sleepy and new. Part of the reason newborn sessions take place in the first 14 days of life is because this is when babies are most mold-able. They've recently left the womb, and while in there, baby was in all sorts of cute positions, thus making little one super flexible. After all, there's only so much space there and so they're curled up with their feet near their faces, for instance. I choose to pose my newborn sessions as simply as possible; I do this by ensuring baby is the star of the image. I will use a cute tieback or head band (shown below) to suggest the gender of baby, but I remove as many elements as possible so baby is the focal point. The more props you remove, the better your posing has to be because there's nothing to distract the viewer. Instead, the hands need to be gently placed on their face or folded beneath their chin. Their little bodies look lovely when curled up and we can see all the squishy aspects of your brand new little love!

Cozy & Unique Wrapping 

Creative, cozy and adorable wrapping is a cornerstone to all of my newborn sessions. I cannot express how precious this wrapping is and how comfortable and happy it keeps your baby. This wrapping is a favorite of mine and I always do a majority of the session in many different styles. Parents are often in awe when they see how well their babies sleep and we're able to move through the session very quickly and efficiently. Babies love to be wrapped because it reminds them of being in the womb; it keeps them cozy and comfy! Remember: baby spent 9 months in a tight environment at 98.6 degrees, so my newborn sessions emulate this for the comfort of baby.

Here's what this mother had to say about her newborn portraiture experience with Sarah:

The newborn session was great. You could tell that Sarah was very experienced with newborns. I LOVED the rich jewel tones colors that Sarah chose for the session. I'm ecstatic with the results and look forward to having these captured moments displayed in my home.

Thanks for stopping by to read information about styling your newborn session! I hope you found this post to be informative and understand why I use the colors, texture, props I do in order to come up with creative yet classic designs of your little baby! Wishing you a wonderful week!

Warmly,

Sarah

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.