Perfectly Coordinated Clothing for Outside Photos | Nolan Family

Sneak preview of the sweet Nolan family + the best colors for family pictures outside.

Introducing last weekend's natural light family session

Good morning, friends! Happy Friday to you! Please allow me to introduce one of the sweetest families I've ever had the honor of photographing. They are also the perfect example of how to coordinate your outfits for a natural light, outdoor family session. 

When Mom first contacted me in October of 2017, my calendar was full as I was pregnant with Jack, my fourth baby, and was squeezing everyone in before he arrived. Mom and I selected a January date for their session. I assumed we would shoot on our session date, but Houston weather had other plans for us! Thunderstorms arrived and it seemed like the weather was always bad on a weekend, which is when most families are available for a session.

 We had several reschedules due to heavy rain and thunderstorms. The morning of their session, it was dark and cloudy, I could even hear some raindrops, though thankfully the sun came out and we had great light! Finally, we were able to shoot in mid-March. While the original session was supposed to occur during cooler months, their outfits displayed are an amazing sample of how to coordinate colors.

Many thanks to this awesome family: nobody complained once about being warm and they had very happy spirits the entire time!

As you can see, Mom selected a gorgeous color scheme featuring taupes, blush, cream, ivory and a navy accent color. When they arrived, I could not help but swoon over their beautiful outfits. 

It can be challenging dressing several people so that you look cohesive but you're not "matchy-matchy", as that is no longer the trend. Here are some tips for perfectly coordinating your family. Mom did an excellent job encompassing these traits:

• Choose colors that are coordinating but not the same. She breaks the color scheme up to where everyone has a cream or ivory clothing item, yet there are soft blushes and taupe and tans. Neutrals are truly awesome for the spring months, too, but look nice year around since Houston is so warm. We don't really have a "winter" here.

• Be inspired by your home decor. Your photos are meant to be hung. If your home has neutrals, this is the type of color scheme that will look fantastic as the images grace your walls.

• Limit patterns that are distracting to the eye.

• Say no to logos and characters. For example, there is no need to have Paw Patrol on your child's shirt. Of course, my own kiddos love characters so I know this can often require a little negotiating when you have toddlers, ha!

• Avoid all white, black or red. See how mom chose a soft ivory? It removes starkness from the images and yet everyone is perfectly coordinated.

• Textures are amazing! I love how mom pulled inspiration from cable knit. It is soft, inviting, cozy and really timeless yet classic.

• Think timeless. Your photos will be hanging on the walls forever. You will eventually pass these images down to your children. 50 years from now you want the images to look as if they were taken yesterday. The photos are meant to preserve this incredibly special time in your life as your children grow and hit new milestones.

Sneak Preview of the Nolan Family

I would like to begin by stating this family is beyond gracious, kind, sweet and so much fun! Their children were an absolute dream to photograph and I cannot wait to finish up their gallery and send Mom her selections.

For their session, we chose a location that is rustic, natural and rural. This adds a timeless aspect to your final gallery. We started with the classic posed look so that there are options for perfectly posed images on their walls in which everyone is beautifully showcased.

I always bring a vintage or antique quilt to my sessions so we also pose you in positions such as sitting down, all cuddled and snuggled up together. :-) I know I love holding my own children and they will not be small forever! 

After family photos, we always include images of the children as individuals. Little one, Si, brought her precious teddy bear for part of the images. This truly made my heart melt because the bear is obviously very special to her. When she's older, having photos of her fur friend will be such a joy to look back on and treausre.

Little sister, pictured above, has 4 older siblings who were so sweet and easy going! Here is a quick headshot of each little one. :-) 

Thanks for stopping by to see the Nolan family's sneak preview + also to receive tips on how to coordinate your outfits perfectly. If you enjoyed reading about these topics you may like reading others such as the following:

• What to wear for outdoor photos when it's hot in the south

• Perfect Dress to Slay during Family or Maternity Session

• 8 Awesome Tips for the Best Maternity or Family Session

• Top 10 Maternity Gowns that won't break the bank

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Sloane’s Spring Inspired Sitter Session | Houston Baby Portraits

Sneak preview of Sloane's Spring Inspired Sitter Milestone Session by Sarah Borchgrevink Photography.

Howdy, friends! Welcome to my blog! As I write this post, I cannot help but be super excited to showcase a sweet baby girl named Sloane! I first met her at her posed newborn session in August. It's been about 6 months and now she's a precious infant who is sitting up, clapping her hands, rolling over, and hitting all of those adorable baby milestones parents love to see! 

Fun fact: Sloane's mama told me that her name means "female Irish warrior" which I truly believe is fitting for a modern gal! I really love when parents share details about the names of little ones and why they chose the name. 

Another fun part of Sloane's newborn session was the color scheme; we used many hues from rust, green, purple, and many antique, vintage buckets such as an aged metal pail you'll find in my studio. Color can make a session truly unique and special; while neutrals are the current trend, the color is what makes babies have that creamy, gorgeous skin in the images. 

Before we get started, here are a few images to swoon over that took place during the newborn portion of my time with baby girl.

Preview of Newborn Milestone for Baby Girl Sloane

So much sweet bean bag posing here! As a professional photographer, I do specialize in posed newborn photography and enjoy working with the smallest of clients. This rust-red color is absolutely amazing against her skin and really makes the gallery special.

As a newborn, she was a complete squish with gorgeous features and a precious head full of golden locks. Her parents were a dream to have in studio + big brother was the best! 

Inspiration for Sloane's Sitter Session: Spring and Green

When newborn returns for their sitter session (and eventually their 12-month session!) each session is designed with the newborn photos in mind. For example, I use the floor props from their newborn session to show how much baby has grown. In this case, the rustic and antique bucket is the perfect vehicle to showcase little Sloane and all her cuteness.

The night before Sloane was scheduled to come in, I created a set up for her based on beautiful Spring green and hues; I also ordered a new succulent headband for her to match the floral tone. This is the same bucket from her newborn session and I'll definitely use it again for the 12-month cake smash!

Booking a session at Sarah Borchgrevink Photography means you'll have full access to a large array of amazing props, all of which are classic, vintage, and result in timeless baby photography.

This headband is so dainty and perfect for a baby girl! I love how soft & simple it is so as not to detract from little one.

Sneak Preview: Cutest Cherub in Houston!

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Creating a Soft, Natural Light Look through Artificial Studio Lights

Update: as of June 1st, 2019, Sarah is in a new commercial space and no longer utilizes the space below.

Houston Newborn and Baby Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink, uses artificial light in order to create soulful yet natural looking portraits. 

Artificial Lighting Tips for a Natural Light Look

Greetings, friends! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm really excited you're here because today's post is all about using artificial light. You see, as a Houston Newborn Photographer, one of which specializes in professional baby portraiture, I work with light on a daily basis, but in the beginning of my photography journey, I was really intimidated by studio lighting. I did not understand it or how to work within these perimeters. However, have no fear! I am excited to talk to you about the type of lighting I use, how I set it up, the camera settings and gear you'll find, and why artificial light is truly special. 

First things first: please allow me to introduce my studio to you. It's 400 square-feet over everything you need for adorable baby and newborn studio sessions from props, a huge wood wall, a plethora of prime lenses, and a huge array of hats, bonnets, head bands, and vintage inspired pieces. 

However, many times clients are truly shocked to know there is absolutely zero natural light in my Houston Newborn Portrait studio. It's simply a dark room. In fact, artificial light is the only type of light source I use and over the years, I've learned how to create soft, diffused lighting during my newborn sessions in order to be super consitent and manipulate the light to suit my tastes and style. 

A few reasons I enjoy using artificial light are:

• I can take sessions any time of the day, no matter the weather. If there are clouds or stormy skies, there may not be enough light to shoot. Also, this allows me to work at night and accommodate clients travel and work schedules.

• Consistency is very important when working as a professional newborn baby photographer. Clients must receive what they see on your website. Artificial light allows me to have the same lighting in all of my galleries.

• Zero stress. Because I know how the light will look, I can also focus more on posing, wrapping, working with clients, and perhaps putting energy where I am needing to improve. I know the light will be nice no matter what I am doing.

Light is Light, no matter the source.

When I first began photographing newborns, full time, I thought I needed a huge natural light studio. While this is nice if you happen to have an unlimited budget, north/south facing windows, and many other factors, now that I've been working with artificial light, I would never switch over. Light is light, no matter the source. I don't even use an expensive or complex set up. I am currently using constant lighting, which means they're not strobes. They have several bulbs which are always on. It does make my studio a little bit warmer, but during newborn sessions I want the room to be 80 degrees so this is not a huge factor to me. 

In my studio, I have 4 lights. They are inexpensive and I purchased everything from Amazon. 

• I purchased (2) sets of these at $164.95 and removed the softboxes so I could use bigger ones

• I purchased (4) Black and Silver Reflective Parabolic Umbrella with Neutral White Diffusion Cover

I placed the PLM (references above) on the lights linked above and bam, instant lights.

In my studio, I have 20x20 feet of space, thus giving me 400 Square feet. It's just a big white room. 

I had a 5" PVC Pipe installed across the ceiling and use these curtains to diffuse all of my light. The lights are behind the curtains at all times and diffuse the light to create soft images, shown below. I purchased about 30 pairs of these inexpensive, Ikea curtains. 

When I am not working, the lights are off and it's pitch black, as there is not a single window in my studio space. 

How to set up artificial light for back lit sibling portraits 

Sibling photos are often requested by parents. I have three little girls so understand completely how precious it is to see your babies together! As a mama, it makes my heart sing to have photos of my own kiddos taken, so believe me: I want these images to be magical! Back-lit family or sibling images are my favorite to do during your newborn sessions. 

To set up artificial lights so they look like natural light is very simple:

• Make sure your lighting set up is diffused behind curtains, like the sheers I linked above. This will mimic windows, thus resulting in a natural light look.

• Lower lights via your stand so they're close to the ground. Child will be sitting on the ground.

• Place whatever type of rug underneath child, in this case, a white flokati rug I have.

• Photograph little one and encourage them to interact/pose newborn however suits your taste. Since this blog post is about lighting I won't bother you with how I wrap newborns for their sessions, but we'll talk about that next month I'm sure, ha! For now, let's stick to lighting.

When working within my studio, I use professional grade equipment, so the settings I am going to list are based off the type of equipment I use such as (2) Canon Mark iii bodies, a professional grade 50 mm lens, 35 mm lens, 24 mm lens, and 20 mm lens, plus a 100 mm macro lens.

For these particular shots, my settings are typically 1/200 (to allow light in), f/2.0 (with the focus point on baby's face), and then ISO 1/800. This is with 2-3 lights, depending on how large I want my set up to be.

Then I raise my lights again when I move to family or parent images, but use the same settings of course. That way the background is blown completely out and when we get into processing, there is very little work to do on the actual image.

For side-lit images, my settings are a little different. As you can see from the photos below, the curtains are still there diffusing the light, but the subject is standing perpendicular to the light set up. My subject is always around 3-4 feet from the actual light.

These sets up are typically photographed at ISO 400, F/2.5 and shutter speed of 1/160.

And that's it! Creating a natural light look through the use of constant lighting kits does not have to expensive or difficult. I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit of my creative process and how I set up for your newborn sessions! If you're a photographer, feel free to let me know how these worked for you, too! 

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