Have you ever considered cherry blossom portraits at North Park? The lake by the Boathouse is surrounded by a variety of beautiful cherry trees thanks to The Pittsburgh Sakura Project, a nonprofit that has been planting and maintaining the trees since 2009.
2023 has been a great year for me as a photographer and I’ve enjoyed photographing mamas, babies and families all over Pittsburgh and in my Cranberry Photo Studio. Being a one-woman business means I sometimes get behind on sharing the latest sessions, so now that the holidays are here, I’ll take this opportunity to do a quick catch-up with this 2023 year-in-review. So naturally, I’m starting with maternity sessions above. I love capturing this beautiful time in a mama’s life. And I’ve been mixing it up between a lifestyle/natural-light look and a dramatic/studio-lighting look and I can’t decide which direction I want to go in, so I think I’ll keep exploring both looks in the new year. And I’m adding to my maternity wardrobe, which has been such a fun addition to my studio!
My favorite approach to photographing newborn sessions is lifestyle with light posing and props and natural light. I’m also enjoying some posed newborn portraits, but only when my clients request. So I’m gathering lots of baskets, blankets and swaddles.
Most of my family sessions take place in the fall because it’s beautiful here in Western Pennsylvania. I’ve added some favorite new locations and am always on the look-out for new places. And I love photographing families in studio too and will be adding more studio family portraits to my portfolio this year.
With a studio, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph birthday sessions all throughout the year. And this year marks our first Santa Sessions, which were so much fun, I’ve booked two dates with Santa for 2024.
It’s been a joy to photograph lots of senior sessions this past year. I love getting to know each one and creating portraits that fit their personality.
I’m often asked by families if my newborn sessions are limited to just babies. And this surprises me because I feel the family is a very important part in the story of a newborn. I absolutely encourage the whole family to be a part of the session and that sometimes even includes the family dog! I remember back to when my youngest son was born. One of my main desires for his newborn session was capturing my two boys together. And I feel the same way about capturing baby with each parent. To me, that is more important than having lots of posed images of baby alone.
This family waited to capture their baby at 8-months old with a sitter session in and around their home. The first year of a baby’s life has so many wonderful milestones, rolling, sitting, crawling, eating, talking, and walking. Sometimes some of these things happen after the first year. It’s not so much about when it happens, but celebrating the growth when it does happen! And this baby girl was just beginning to sit up independently for a few seconds. Her parent were so thrilled to see her figuring out this new and exciting thing! Just look at that face—so proud!
I just met this sweet boy for the first time during his photo shoot and it seemed to me that he was having the time of his life! His parents tickled him and he giggled. And I think his parents were also tickled with his adorably enthusiastic response to being photographed.
Captivating Imagery
Captivating Imagery
Captivating Imagery
Captivating Imagery
Captivating Imagery