Sarah’s Bean Bag Poses & Precious Wrapping | Client Preference List

Through the use of the squishiest bean bag posing and gorgeous newborn wrapping, Sarah creates timeless and unique family heirlooms you may forever treasure.

Good morning to you! Thanks for visiting my blog! I'm stoked you're here! Today's post showcases the type of bean bag posing I offer as well as cozy baby wrapping you may expect during our time together. This post is intended to viewed by clients so you may relay your posing preferences. For example, once baby has arrived and is earth side, all fresh and new, and part of this world, you'll notify me. I send you 3-4 dates to select from that take place in the first 14 days of life. You're sent a session styling questionnaire in which you're able to request props or items you've seen in studio, share you color preferences, and also let me know your *must have* poses. Let's get started!

When choosing a newborn photographer to photograph your baby, it's important you research their qualifications. How were they trained? Do they practice newborn safety and proper handling? Who did they mentor under? What type of precautions do they take when working with little ones? This in mind, these poses are ones I have learned through newborn workshops and mentoring; I have invested thousands of dollars into my newborn photography education. 

These poses take patience, time, love and care. Please do not attempt these at home. :-) 

A few things you should know about my business, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography, LLC: 

• I specialize in posed newborn photography. I am exclusively focusing on my precious, petite clients so they may have my undivided attention. My heart belongs to baby portraiture and I cannot express the joy in working with new parents during the first few days of life, capturing this time for you, and creating stunning works of art.
• Baby is always kept safe through the use of composites. I also implement safety tactics such as keeping the room warm so they may regulate their temperature, adding weights to the bottom of the baskets so they never tip forward, not straining or hurting baby's muscles by forcing them into a position, and absolutely NEVER leaving baby unattended, balancing them, or looking away for even a moment. 
• I have been working with newborns, full time, for 3 years. I average 15 due dates per month year around.
• I am fully vaccinated and legally insured.

Side Sleeper Pose

Side sleeper pose makes the list as one of my favorite in studio poses because it's simply precious as can be. As listed, this is when baby is simply posed on their side and it's the quintessential pose in showcasing baby's curly nature from their sweet little hands touching their face or tucked beneath their chin. I love how you can see all of baby and their squishiness!

Side sleeper pose is also very versatile because it can be done on back drops, flokati rugs, or even floor props such as the wooden trench seen below.

Froggy Pose 

Froggy pose is the number one pose parents request. It's classic, timeless and shows how flexible a new baby is. This pose is a favorite because we can see baby's beautiful face, their adorable tootsie toes and their adorable little hands gently cup their face. Truly a stunning fine art image, though it is truly not designed for a novice newborn photographer to attempt. 

Tooshie Up

Tooshie is beyond precious! This shows their face and entire body, plus those rolls you spent months growing. I love when their feet are tucked under their bum and their little hands gently touch their cheek. 

Taco

Taco pose is especially adorable because this is how they grow in the womb; their feet by their face. I like this pose because we see their entire face.

Back To Sleep

This is a favorite pose of mine because I love the way their feet are curled into their chest. It can also be done as a naked pose or wrapped option, too, so if you prefer more modest posing that's a great pose to consider for your session.

Forward Facing

Parents adore this pose because it's all about baby's face and hands! Oh, my goodness. Who would not want this as a portrait in their home? The chubby cheeks, full lips and their sweet fingers. Sigh. Pure newborn cuteness.

Potato Style of Newborn Baby Wrapping

Potato sack pose is a cornerstone to my newborn photography sessions. I love wrapping babies because it keeps them happy and warm, but also allows you to do several scenes without disturbing little one. The rounder baby is, the happier I am, ha! 

Tootsie Wrapping Style

Tootsie wrap is truly a sweet style because their darling little toes are featured. 

Bucket

Bucket is a fantastic option for your gallery! I do a bucket or basket pose like this with every single baby who visits my studio space.

All Tucked In

ARMS TO CHEST

Arms Out Wrapping

MACRO DETAIL IMAGES

Specializing in timeless posed baby portraiture, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer serving the surrounding areas including Houston metro & 610 area, Cypress, Katy, Spring, Sugar Land, West University, Memorial & Galleria, Bellaire and The Woodlands, TX. See why Sarah offers the Best Newborn Photography. In addition to breathtaking newborn images, Sarah also offers stylish natural light family photography as well as dynamic outdoor maternity sessions for expecting couples.

Earth Tones | Classic, Natural, & Timeless Newborn Photography

5 Day Old Newborn Boy Jack + his classic, rustic and organic earth tone studio session by Sarah Borchgrevink Photography.

All Things Earth Tones for sweet baby boy

Howdy, friends! Happy Monday! I hope your day is having a great start, and I'm glad to see you've found your way to my little 'ol blog. This is where I preview the cutest newborn sessions in Houston and delight in sharing fun information about my studio baby sessions.

Today's blog post is all about earth tones and how to create rustic, timeless, natural and organic newborn photography sessions. They're absolutely some of the best colors and one of my favorite aesthetics with which to work. The texture, richness, and endless options are truly fantastic and are simply beautiful because they are classic, pure and fresh.

Earth tones are a "color scheme that draws from a color palette of browns, tans; any of various rich colors containing some brown. The colors in an earth tone scheme are muted and flat in an emulation of the natural colors found in soil, moss, trees and rocks. Earth tone colors come from natural things around us: brown soil, green leaf, sky, as well as the red sun. These palettes can create a warm, nature-friendly atmosphere (source).

Some of my favorite earth tone color hues are:

• amber
• beige
• bronze
• rust
• auburn
• copper
• hazel
• chocolate
• cinnamon
• chestnuts
• forest
• spinach
• olive
• apple
• fir
• willow
• sienna
• moss

plus many more! Color and texture are the ultimate newborn session inspiration.

Tans and Browns during Naked bean bag posing

For the first set up, I pulled a precious hand knitted bonnet and chunky knit blanket. Jack is posed in many different styles and looks so sweet, cozy and precious! Classic and natural newborn photography is the heart of my portraiture brand because they are timeless. 30 years from now when baby is married or graduates from college, you'll have the most stunning images of your little one. By removing many distracting props and themes, their true characteristics are showcased and nothing detracts from little one.

When working with little earth side cherubs, I adore when their hands are posed so sweetly! Jack's skin is completely gorgeous, too! I did not even have to air brush him, ha! In order to have natural newborn photography, it does take some time to pose them so baby looks very relaxed, but it is well worth the time to have lovely newborn galleries. Baby's are the epitome of innocence and their gallery should look serene and effortless. Newborn studio photos are anything but effortless (typically lasting 2-3 hours and that's a "fast" session) but the work is completely rewarding. 

Gorgeous, rich browns during floor props

This rustic wooden bed is a new prop I have in studio. I also have a cream one, too! However, for this earth tone inspired session, the rich brown felt classic - the perfect accompaniment to the natural styling of little baby boy Jack. This wrapped knit is also the perfect blend of softness so baby looks like they're nestled perfectly into a little cocoon. Newborns love to be wrapped! This makes them feel safe and secure. 

Stone during second portion of bean bag, squishy posing

Side Sleeper Pose

Womb Pose

Taco Pose

Forward Facing Pose

More muted stone colors can be seen here during this naked bean bag posing. Isn't this bonnet precious? :-) I have this style in nearly every color! 

Rustic, Classic and Timeless Newborn Portraiture

This deep, rich brown makes baby's skin look super creamy and buttery! The brown flokati is one of the many shades you'll find in my studio and I love all the different layers.

Greens and Dark Browns

It's no secret green is my favorite newborn color to use with both boy or girl babies. The hues are truly beautiful and it's an under utilized color scheme. Long, whimsical and organic wraps play a huge part in styling this wooden trench. The dark brown floors look perfect and add much contract and enbable to green to look even more vibrant.

Sienna Red | Texture and Layers 

Deep Brown with a Muted Chocolate

Stone Grey & Classic Wooden Bucket + Barn Wood Floors

This is the most requested floor prop you'll find in my studio and I'm not surprised! It's a galvanized wooden bucket and has a ton of character. Much of it has developed since I have used it many times for outdoor family or child sessions, too, so over time it's developed into a really cool piece for my clients to use. 

Heavenly back lit macro images of baby

If you liked checking out this post and seeing all the squishy, naked posing and wrapping you may like these posts, too:

1. 3 Adorable Styles of Newborn Wrapping
2. Best Newborn Poses for Bean Bag
3. Vintage Inspired Newborn Photography | Why I avoid Trends

As always, thanks for stopping by my blog, friends! I hope you enjoyed reading about gorgeous earth tones during a posed newborn session and how they result in natural, classic and timeless newborn photography. If you are looking for a custom newborn photographer in Houston, TX I would love if you would consider me for your portraiture needs. Wishing you a wonderful rest of your Monday!

Warmly,

Sarah

Specializing in timeless posed baby portraiture, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer serving the surrounding areas including Houston metro & 610 area, Cypress, Katy, Spring, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, West University, Memorial & Galleria, Bellaire and The Woodlands, TX. See why Sarah offers the Best Newborn Photography. In addition to breathtaking newborn images, Sarah also offers stylish natural light family photography as well as dynamic outdoor maternity sessions for expecting couples.

Tricks to Implement Bean Bag Posing During Newborn Photography

Tips & Tricks for Posing Newborn Babies During a Studio Session by Houston Newborn Photographer Sarah Borchgrevink

Howdy! Thanks for stopping by my blog to read some tips and tricks I have learned when it comes to posing sweet babies during a studio newborn session. Many parents adore these stunning, curly poses because they replicate how baby is during their time in the womb. Their brand new nature is truly divine and they are my favorite subjects to photograph. If this is your first time here, welcome! A few fun facts: my name is Sarah Borchgrevink and I'm a Houston TX Newborn & Baby Photographer who specializes in posed newborn photography through the use of sweet, cozy, unique wrapping and also darling naked bean bag posing. I am often influenced by texture, color, textiles, and light and my styling results in timeless, classic and pure newborn portraiture. I have been photographing babies, full time, for about 3 years, though have also been working with families and maternity portraiture for 5. My heart belongs to newborn photography and I'm really excited to see you're at my blog. Let's get started.

Schedule baby accordingly

The first trick I have for you is the foundation of your newborn session: for baby to be the appropriate age for studio portraits. While every newborn artist does have their own preferences on specific dates, I personally prefer the first 14 days of life, but my absolute favorite days to have your little one in studio is 5-8 days new and fresh. While this does sound really early to most parents, you must keep in mind that the longer baby is out of the womb, the less curly they are and bendy. They also don't sleep as well once they're over 10 days. Sometimes parents call me when baby is around 4 or 5 weeks new and unfortunately, I cannot guarantee they'll receive the poses they see in my portfolio. I can offer some really sweet wrapped shots, however, for those naked and squishy adorable poses, we really need baby to be as new as possible. Most mothers book in the second trimester and notify me immediately once baby is earthside. For example, the next newborn I'll be seeing was born 2 days ago. Mom called last night to arrange her appointment. I offered her 3-4 days that fell within this week so I'll be seeing baby at 7 days fresh. 

Keep It Simple

Secondly, when working with newborn babies, don't worry if the pose is simple. Simple is good. Simple is beautiful. Simple is timeless and classic. Sometimes photographers feel like they have to accomplish every single pose known to man in order to be creative, unique or offer a gorgeous gallery to parents. My rule is that I offer 3-5 poses with several different angles, hats, wraps, or headbands. This alone can yield 15-20 different images full of variety. Paired with macro photos, which are those upclose and sweet details of baby's characteristics, such as nose, profile, toes or lips, you'll have many beautiful options to show the parents. By keeping it simple, you learn the flow that works for your own studio, you focus on improving, and also learn your own tricks to nailing those adorable, naked bean bag poses time and time again. Keeping your posing simple also does not create too many expectations for the baby. Remember: the baby is a person, too, and sometimes it's just too much on them to try every single pose you can think of. Choosing your favorite 3-5 will yield better results. 

Don't forget safety

Tip and trick nothing number three is to always keep baby safe. I cannot stress the importance of this enough! One way you can keep baby safe is making sure you use composites at the appropriate times. A composite image is when two or more photos are merged together in processing to create a new image. This is often done in Photoshop with the popular pose called "froggie" in which baby is sitting up with their hands holding up their head. When photographing this, you want to do several images and merge them together later on. This is a more advanced pose, but by being safe you will be able to feel more confident once you're no longer a beginner. I also think it's important to let clients and beginner newborn photographers know that these poses require skill and safety; professional newborn photographers, like myself, do not just stick baby on a backdrop and hope they can hold their heads up. In fact, we have newborn safety awareness month, every September,  for this very reason: because people try things they see online and think it's not difficult, when in fact, the could hurt a baby. See behind the scenes images of how the froggie pose is achieved.

To elaborate, in the images above, I keep my hands on baby at all times. I take images in which I am holding baby's head and she is never supporting herself. Then, I take more images in which I am holding her hands in place while keeping her neck stable. I keep my entire hand underneath her chin and upper arms. Then I merge the images together in processing, seen below, to create the final look.

The froggie pose is beautiful and sweet, but does require safety and skill. By seeing how it's done, I hope it inspires you to always use proper safety techniques. If you're a parent, I also hope it teaches you to ask photographers if they composite this image.

Firm Bean Bag that's tightly packed

The fourth tip I have for you is to make sure your bean bag is tightly packed and filled to the brim with packing peanuts. The more firm your bean bag is, the more supported baby is and this also helps to make sure baby does not sink into the bean bag. We want to see each adorable little toe, facial feature, and also make sure baby is curled up nicely. You can buy bean bag fill at many places like Amazon but I like to go to my local post office or UPS store and have it filled very tightly so it is super firm. 

Warmer is better

Because your womb, or uterus, is in the core of your body, baby is used to a warm environment of 98.6 degrees. Baby has spent 9 months in a warm hot tub and enjoys being in a warmer environment. Remember: baby cannot regulate their body temperature always, even if full term, and a baby's body surface is about three times greater than an adults, compared to the weight of his/her body (source - Stanford Children's). Because of this, babies lose heat rapidly. In order to pose baby in these sweet, curly poses and help soothe baby, it is best to create an environment that mimics the womb. Often, parents worry the room is too warm, but by keeping all of these facts in mind, it'll help you understand that by keeping the studio at an optimal temperature, baby is neither too hot or too cold and they can maintain a comfortable temperature. 

I personally keep my studio at 77 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit through the use of air conditioning. I also have several small, mobile space heaters on hand that can be placed 3 feet or so from the baby so that they have warm air when needed. Baby's comfort is always on the forefront of my mind. While we may feel a little warm, no one is ever sweating buckets. 80 degrees is the warmest it'll ever be. Here in Houston, that's almost chilly compared to the type of weather we usually experience, ha!

White noise

White noise is my fifth tip for you because like heat, this emulates the womb environment. When babies are growing, this is is what they hear. I use a white noise app on my smart phone, but you can buy many awesome options such as this one. I have white noise on after I greet the parents and help get them settled. Mom and Dad come in, get situated, undress baby, and we immediately start feeding baby. Once baby is being fed and is down to their diaper, I turn on the white noise and also make sure parents have the opportunity to ask any questions. 

Posing pillow sets

Posing pillow sets are paramount to your newborn sessions because they help keep baby safe, secure, and move them from pose to pose. Without a posing pillow set, you cannot scoop baby's face up into the light or have them supported enough to hold a pose. The posing does take time and these pillow sets will help you tremendously. I personally use the photoblock set, but if you're on a budget there are many options out there such as this affordable set. There are also even some nifty DIY options you can do, too! For instance, when I first started working with newborn photography, I used bags of rice, lentils or beans because they're firm and sturdy. To this day, I still keep them in my studio to help weigh down floor props like bucket or put behind baby's back when doing froggie pose so that they don't move forward. 

Keep your fabric taunt and tight

The final tip I have for you is to keep your fabric or backdrop taunt and tight when setting up. The more taunt and tight the fabric is, the less wrinkles you'll have to remove when editing the images during post processing and you'll also have a smoother, more seamless final look to your newborn images. Don't make things harder on yourself than they need to be! Take time to set up, use heavy duty clamps (I like these from home depot) and this will make sure the back drop stays in place. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog to read some of my favorite tricks and tips on newborn bean bag posing during your session! I hope you enjoyed reading about safely posing babies and were able to find some new ways to work with babies! 

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.