Sarah Borchgrevink, a baby photographer based in Houston TX, shares how she designs dainty and girly newborn sessions for her most petite, precious clients.

“Sarah is amazing! She took photos of our daughter at 6 days old and was everything we could’ve hoped for and more! She was so gentle with her and handled her as if she were her own! Being able to select colors and themes for our session was so special and the pictures are just stunning. We will cherish these forever and are so happy we made the investment into Sarah Borchgrevink Photography!”

— Lindsey

Pink, Grey, Tan, Cream & Ivory for Timeless & Classic Baby Portraiture

When I think of a newborn girl session and the styling behind your timeless newborn portraiture, the first thing that comes to mind is dainty, classic, chic, and feminine. While I am a professional Houston newborn photographer, I also have three little girls of myself and I love all things sweet and simple! When designing baby's first portrait session for my clients, I like the session to be soft and pretty, particularly for little girls.

For instance, neutrals with one pop of color can be a truly stunning final gallery! Grey, to elaborate, is one of the most perfect neutral colors because it can be light or dark, warm or cool. This is perfect because baby's have a variety of different skin tones. Grey is a lovely accent color, too, because it's forever in style and timeless. In this case, I sent over my styling questionnaire to this sweet baby girl's parents, and they requested pink or peach be used in their session. They're totally in luck because my studio has every color you could possibly want, ha!

Let's get started on some fun inspiration for your own baby's session! I am super excited to preview this darling little one to you and hope you feel inspired!

Rustic Wooden Bowl with Grey Tones and Ivory Lace

This is a new rustic bowl you'll find in my huge prop collection. It's a great choice for a newborn girl session because it can be styled with either neutrals or color, depending on your preferences. In this particular case, however, Sadie's sweet mom requested grey to match their home and nursery. In order to create a unique set up for her baby girl session, I used several layers such as antique lace, chunky knit layer, hand dyed cheese cloth and an organic, custom made tie back to adorn baby's beautiful forehead. Vintage meets classic timeless results is my newborn motto: it means that through this type of styling and design, you create stunning newborn portraiture that will forever be beautiful. Why be trendy when you can be timeless? :-) These newborn images will be passed down to your child and their own children will view them - they'll be displayed at weddings and beyond. Investing in a photographer who provides gorgeous styling and all props is something you'll never regret.

Antique Farmhouse Metal Bucket with Cream & Tan Textured Layers

The distressed metal bucket or pail is a staple in my photography sessions. It fits most babies who are 10 pounds or less; it has a ton of character and also is just super cute, ha! The baby in the bucket image is one of the most requested photos by parents. To make this set up incredibly chic and precious, I pulled an ivory antique lace layer, and also a tan + taupe chunky knit layer so they contrast with the barnwood distressed floors. I paired Sadie's set up with a soft, muted blush pink headband, too, with the most girly hand sewn bead work, simply adorable!

Soft Ivory Backdrop with Matching Wrap & Dainty Handmade Tie Back

Ivory is a color I much prefer to white, mostly because there is a little more warmth to this color than white. It also looks better against the skin of newborns. White, you see, contrasts so much with newborn skin that it often highlights redness, jaundice, or purple and blue undertones. When styling for the newborn, their skin tone needs to be kept in mind. Sadie looks sensational here, wrapped artistically in a womb style. I adore when little one's hands and feet are curled perfectly, reflecting how they grow in the womb, and also when you can see their face perfectly. Remember: when posing a newborn you should always be able to see each characteristic on their face. It should never be hidden. You can achieve a chic and precious portrait session for a newborn baby girl by adding fun elements to the session such as the feminine tie back, seen below, that has a small hint of peach. :-)

Muted Blush Pink Cheesecloth Wrap & Sweet Bean Bag Posing

Naked bean bag posing is truly beautiful. We can see all baby's precious details while still keeping the neat and modest. Their chubby cheeks, little rolls, feet, and belly are truly adorable! To make Sadie's session very girly, without using too many props, I pulled a very light blush pink cheese cloth wrap for her bean bag portion. It's a nice layer that suggests gender but also is soft, sweet, simple, timeless and dainty - just like a beautiful newborn baby girl!

Warm Pink and Chunky Knit Layer for Potato Sack Flokati Pose

This flokati rug and wrap are both new to my studio. :-) It's a rose colored rug, perfect for a little baby girl! It is everything that showcases a little girl. I prefer the chunky knit layer, shown below, because it makes baby more round. When posing baby in the popular potato sack pose, you don't want any lumps to be seen.

Cream Vintage Egg Basket + Quilted Pillow & White Flokati Rug

This was my favorite set up mostly because how fresh, clean and simple it is. Sadie's hands are gently folded beneath her precious chin, a little white bonnet frames her face beautifully, and this pillow is just lovely underneath her sweet little head. I bought this flokati rug in December and now it's a favorite of mine for newborn girl photography! I love how fluffy it is. This vintage egg basket is also the perfect oval prop for a new baby and fits literally every newborn I've used with it! Score! Styling for chic newborn sessions that are super girly has a lot to do with the props; in this case, the lacy detail on the bonnet and the pink hue of the pillow suggest baby's gender.

Neutral Inspired Tootsie Wrap Set Up with Girly Beaded Headband

Again, I used the white flokati rug when styling this super girly newborn session since Mom and Dad like neutrals a lot. The neutral cream looks perfect against her skin, adding a soft creaminess and luminescence to little one. Sometimes parents ask me if the baby's skin is altered in Photoshop; I actually don't do a lot of retouching on little ones. I do clean them up and adjust skin tone as needed but most of the work is done via lighting. If your lighting set up is correct, then baby's skin will have contours, shadows and highlights. Think of it like this: as women, we contour our face via make up in order to sculpt our features. Professional lighting during a newborn session is key: the portrait session for a newborn will fall flat if your lighting is poor. This wrap is also a favorite of mine since baby's sweet little toes poke out in such a cute manner! Finally, to add the feminine and chic detail to this darling newborn girl's session, I added a beaded headband filled with different hues such as pink, blush, rose, quartz, cream and white so that it fits the theme of her dainty session while also showing baby is a girl. :-)

Precious Macro Details | Baby's Unique Characteristics

I love macro details! Parents ask me frequently what these are and the answer is simple: they're the unique details that make your baby who she is. It's her lips, button nose, dimpled chin, chubby cheeks, cupids bow, sweet little ears, tootsie toes, fingers, profile, hands, etc. I photograph these throughout all of my sessions at different points; some images are done during bean bag, some during floor props. Either way, these are details you will treasure forever! Right now baby is brand new but I cannot tell you how fast little one changes. Before you know it, baby will be a month old; you'll blink and then she'll be 6 months old.

All newborn sessions should contain macro images because they add much soul and depth to your final galleries.

Houston Newborn Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink, shares important details about the ideal time to schedule your baby's first professional photography session.

Age Matters | Posed Newborn Appointments

When you first see the + sign on a pregnancy test, you're probably not thinking about when you should book your custom posed newborn portraiture session. That's perfectly okay! Awaiting the arrival of a new baby is full of excitement and many important details. There's numerous (and sometimes lengthy) doctor appointments, baby showers, nursery decor, prenatal classes, breastfeeding classes, and several other items that contend for your attention such as scheduling your maternity leave, etc. Pregnancy is a wonderful time but it's filled with hustle and bustle!

In addition to the above, you're also thinking about your health and the responsibility of growing a new life: drinking plenty of water, sleeping enough, taking your prenatal pills, trying to get through morning sickness, figuring out when and how to announce, touring hospitals, etc. It's no wonder newborn photos are often put on the back burner.

Before I specialized in newborn portraits, I figured photographers took photos of babies at pretty much any time. I assumed that because baby is only a few months old, it did not matter. However, it does: age is one of the most important parts of having a successful newborn session.

The Best time to Book is the second trimester

Scheduling your baby's first photo-shoot in the second trimester is the most ideal time to book because this ensures you have an appointment on the photographer's calendar. Just because babies come on their own schedule does not mean photographers book babies once they're actually earth side. Part of offering a luxury service is having a calendar full in advance, but also taking a limited number of appointments so each client can have the attention to detail they deserve. This includes consultations and designing a beautiful, timeless baby session for your little cherub. By booking in advance, you're sure to have an appointment when your baby is the right age.

For example, I take 15 due dates per month as of 2018. This keeps me very busy. In addition to my photography sessions, I also have many business tasks, as I am a full time business owner, and I cannot take last minute appointments typically since I usually will have a deadline or consultation already scheduled for that day.

Furthermore, finding the right newborn photographer can take time. It's a lot of research and many important factors to consider, such as the 9 Questions You Should Always Ask.

When do newborn sessions take place?

Newborn sessions at Sarah Borchgrevink Photography take place when the baby is 5-8 days new if they're a full term baby. Premature babies have more flexibility in scheduling, however. I will take newborns up to 30 days if needed, though I rarely go this old since the older baby is, the less the cooperate. Around 14 days old, the baby becomes very alert and does not sleep through the posing, wrapping and all of the set ups.

For scheduling, I have parents notify me when baby has arrived. Afterward, parents are sent 3-4 dates from which they may select. By booking early, your due date secures the appointment on the calendar and makes sure I don't book too many newborns in the same time frame as you.

Newborns have top priority on the calendar. Babies come when they come.

By booking in advance, you're sure to have an appointment during the optimal time listed above, which is 5-8 days new. For instance, I have four young children myself and with my last baby, I booked his newborn session with a professional photographer when he was 16 weeks new. It was very important to me I have my preferred portrait artist and I made sure I secured her talent so we can have her stunning work on our walls. :-)

What can you expect?

At my photography studio, expect to have an absolutely stunning newborn session! I delight in working with brand new babies + their darling parents. This time in life is beyond special and precious; there is something almost sacred about the first few weeks as parents bond with their new baby. You can expect the most lovely posing, organic wrapping and textile, hand made and custom props, as well as baby to be at peace. Baby's session should evoke a sense of tender, unconditional love.

Sample Images of Babies Who Visited at 5-8 Days New