7 Tips to Rock the Baby in a Bucket Pose: Last Week in Studio

Houston Newborn Photographer, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography, offers stunning portraiture for brand new babies & their family. See tips for posing babies in the ever so popular parent requeted set up: the bucket.

Favorite pose of parents

When booking a newborn session, parents are sent a styling questionnaire in which they're able to share their favorite props, colors, and also must have poses. It never fails: every parent requests a bucket shot because what is more precious than a newly earth side little one perfectly tucked into an adorable bucket? 

As a professional baby portrait studio, I truly love working with my most petite & darling clients, particularly when it comes to a floor prop set up, such as an antique bucket. I have a huge array of props on hand, all of which are available to you. They're all vintage-inspired, often purchased from local antique shops. 

When posing a baby in these rustic pails, parents often ask, "How do you achieve this look?" Have no fear! I am happy to share some tips on this so you, as a potential client, can be informed on how I safely pose little ones.

Moreover, this blog posts also showcases babies who visited in the last week so you can see variety in how I style my dreamy, timeless and stunning newborn sessions. 

7 Tips for the bucket set up:

1. Baby must be in a deep sleep for these images. I keep my heat on 77 degrees so baby is nice and warm, but also mold-able and peacefully slumbers so we have serene, gorgeous galleries! Part of being one of the Best Houston Newborn Photographers is providing parents with amazing galleries. The foundation of an amazing floor prop set up must always be a warm room so we have a sleepy, sweet baby.

2. Place weights in the bottom of the bucket. This keeps it from toppling over and helps baby stay in place.

3. Don't pose baby naked in the bucket. You see, we want to create the "illusion" that baby is naked, however, if their legs are out, this could be a danger to baby's well being because newborn babies are much stronger than they appear! They could push forward with their legs, thus launching baby out. This would be a disaster so in order to avoid this, keep baby's legs wrapped and their arms out.

4. Select a bucket, pail or another floor prop that coincides with baby's size. I know, I know: all buckets are the same, right? Actually: this is not true! I have different buckets for different sized babies. 5-pound babies, to elaborate further, will need a different bucket than a 10-pound baby. The baby should fill most of the prop and you should not be stuffing tons of items in the bucket. To ensure we have the perfect prop for your precious, sweet little baby, I send a questionnaire once little one has arrived so you may share details such as their weight.

5. Make sure baby is fully supported. You do so by using posing beans.

6. Pose baby's arms before placing them in the bucket. You do not want to be picking the baby up and moving them around whilst in the bucket. The placing of the baby should be seamless: pose their arms, while the baby is in your lap, and then move them into the bucket. This keeps their head supported and you're not jolting their ever so fragile limbs.

7. Get those elbows hooked. Essentially, this means that you have to hook their elbows over the rim of the bucket so baby does not slip downward. This is why it's ever so important to place weights (such as 20 pounds) inside of the bucket so it will not be top heavy.

Joshua's aquamarine set up

Isabella's neutral bucket pose with galvanized pail

Gorgeous Aria's Mint and Seafoam Green Rustic Pail

Mia's ivory, lavender, and warm wood classic baby in a bucket pose

Chase's feminine and girly lavender & purple floral styling

Desmond's Pale Green & Spring Greenery Newborn Portraits on barn wood flooring

Are you currently pregnant and expecting your own bundle of joy? Let's connect so I may more information about the newborn collections I offer. 

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.

When is the Ideal Time to Schedule Your Posed Newborn Session?

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

As always, thanks for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoyed reading about when is the best time to schedule your little one's first professional photography session! If you liked reading about this topic, you may find the following blog posts to be helpful, too!

• 22 Babies who Rocked Their First Photos

• How to Work With Alert Newborns in Studio

• How I use Artificial Lights to Create Natural Light Look in Studio