January 2017 - Pittsburgh Maternity, Newborn & Family Photographer

Cranberry Baby and Family Portraits

January 31, 2017/by kmiller

One of my favorite portraits during a newborn session is a close-up with baby’s eyes wide-open and gazing into the camera. And this sweet girl was ready for her close-up!

newborn close-up

I met this family at their home in Cranberry and one natural spot for a family portrait is on the couch where families tend to gravitate when spending time together. And this precious little one was wide-awake as she studied her adoring family.

newborn and family

I love seeing kisses from big brother or sisters. And this little guy seemed to genuinely want to give his little sister kisses.

kisses from big brother

All smiles here, minus baby girl, who just drifted off into sleep.

the whole family

I’m also a fan of portraits of mamas with their babies. When my littles were newborns, I remember wanting to take selfies with my babies all of the time! I think it must be the excitement of finally getting to hold our babies in our arms after anticipating their arrival for 9 months.

mama and baby

And here’s a full-length capture of this little sweetheart. And I just want to point out that her skin isn’t retouched. When I made the shift to capture my clients more naturally, I made a conscious decision to stop retouching skin. After looking at some of my first son’s newborn portraits and regretting how I smoothed over the sweet imperfections in his skin, I was careful not to make the same mistake with my second son. And since then, I’ve shifted my business goals for creating flawless portraits to capturing genuine images with good lighting and an emphasis on natural beauty.

baby girl full-length portrait

Cranberry Family Portraits

January 26, 2017/by kmiller

Family portraits can be tricky especially when multiple families are involved, but this family made it easy and I got to photograph them in their beautiful wooded backyard again so this session was a walk in the park, or more literally, the woods. Ha!

We started with the largest group so I could make sure we achieved their main goal, which was the whole family in one portrait, as part of the family lives overseas so that doesn’t happen very often.

extended family portrait

Then we did smaller groupings of the individual families.

family portrait in woods

With all of the foliage, I brought along some lighting gear, especially to accommodate the extra depth of focus needed for larger groups in low-light. And I love how the light blends with the natural light of the sun, bringing some dimension to the trees in the background and highlighting them from behind.

young family portrait

Here’s a shot with all of the grandchildren.

grandchildren portrait

And this brother and sister were really having fun while their grandma was making them laugh from behind my camera.

siblings portrait

I’m a sister, and my close cousins are both sisters, so sisters portraits are so sweet to me. We have lots of portraits like this one throughout our family.

sisters portrait

And while we were at it, we couldn’t leave out the couples. It’s always nice to remember who we were before becoming parents and take a little stroll down memory lane.

husband and wife portrait

married couple portrait

grandparents portrait

With a little time left in our session after crossing off all of the groupings they wanted for their portraits, we headed down the path to this beautiful lake. It’s so vivid with the setting sun, that I feel like I have to note that it’s not a backdrop or manipulated in Photoshop. This is the real deal, and it is gorgeous!

large family portrait

South Park Newborn Session

January 24, 2017/by kmiller

This newborn session was given as a shower gift by the mama’s cousin. What a thoughtful gift for an expecting mom?! And her baby girl was so very cooperative, that is was really a gift for all involved! She was completely content to curl up in her crib and did not fuss at the crocheted crown.

PittsburghNewbornPortraits-003 1

It’s completely natural for babies to fuss and I come expecting it, but this session was an absolute breeze.

PittsburghNewbornPortraits-028

I really love it when babies look up at their parents.

PittsburghNewbornPortraits-025 1

And the faces they make when mommies kiss them.

PittsburghNewbornPortraits-007 1

This session was just a few weeks before Christmas, so we did a few family portraits in front of the Christmas tree. It looks like someone’s getting sleepy!

PittsburghNewbornPortraits-017 1

Now she’s all ready for her nap! Good job, mom, dad, and baby girl! Congratulations on your little blessing!

PittsburghNewbornPortraits-013

Pittsburgh Senior Portrait

January 19, 2017/by kmiller

This high school senior is ready for take-off. I know him from church and I think it’s safe to say, our whole church family is proud of him. He’s a kind, gifted, and all-around likable guy, so it was fun to meet up for his senior portraits this past fall. We met at SteelGate Studio on the South Side.

PittsburghSeniorPortraits-001 1

I love this studio for it’s natural light (it’s also fully equipped with strobes and tons of gear for studio lighting) and ambiance.

PittsburghSeniorPortraits-003 2

This particular shot is in part of the building that is unfinished and it is a favorite location of mine, so I’m glad it was fitting for this senior session.

PittsburghSeniorPortraits-004 3

We also popped outside the studio for some shots around the Terminal Building—it’s got a great vibe with all of the industrial scenery and unexpected pops of color.

PittsburghSeniorPortraits-012 1

I really like this bright shirt he chose against the dark and rusty fire escape.

PittsburghSeniorPortraits-014 1

As a photographer, one of my chief aims is to capture clients looking their best, but something his mom said after seeing his photos really caught my attention. Her favorite shot of him is one where she said I really captured his personality, and not his smile-for-the-camera smile. Sweet! I’m not even sure I know which images she’s referring to, but I am affirmed in my goal to bring out genuine personality!

PittsburghSeniorPortraits-015 2

Pittsburgh Wedding: Twelve Oaks Mansion

January 17, 2017/by kmiller

It seems so long ago to think back on this gorgeous summer wedding, but it won’t be long until summer breezes are blowing though again and this couple can celebrate their first anniversary. We started our day with their first look in Cranberry Woods.

TwelveOaksMansionWedding-002

It was a bright, sunny, sweaty kind of day, so the woods offered some much needed shade. And while they may have felt uncomfortable all dressed up in the heat, don’t they look cozy?

Pittsburgh weddings

It’s tough for a bride to walk through tall grass with scattered roots and twigs, so this groom was glad to sweep his bride up in his arms and carry her to our location for portraits.

TwelveOaksMansionWedding-003

How sweet it is to be in love!

TwelveOaksMansionWedding-004

I really like this sweet moment they shared during the first look. I asked them to forget that I was there, and I think they were successful!

TwelveOaksMansionWedding-005

The ceremony at Twelve Oaks Mansion was short and sweet.

TwelveOaksMansionWedding-006

TwelveOaksMansionWedding-007

TwelveOaksMansionWedding-008

After the ceremony, we went to the front entrance of the mansion and did the family portrait there in the lovely open shade. And I had to share this one. It was a request from one of the grandparents to get all of their grandchildren in one photo—what a great group of kids!

TwelveOaksMansionWedding-009