Tag Archive for: lifestyle

Cozy In-home Maternity Session: Ronnie and Brad

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When it comes to spending time away from my main job as a mama, there are few things I enjoy more than photographing growing families. This in-home session with Ronnie and Brad was no exception, because I love to document the time before a baby arrives. I feel like you can see all of the hopes and dreams in the eyes of expectant parents.

dad newborn photography

It’s fun to see all of the details they pull together to celebrate their baby on the way!

Pittsburgh maternity photography

This photo above reminds me of a sonogram image because of the pattern of white surrounding them as they sit in the corner of this window seat. If it’s just me, I chalk it up to staring at the images as I was narrowing down my choices to share in this post.

expectant parents and dog

If you’re a dog owner, then you know that no session is complete without a shot of the fuzzy child with four legs.

maternity session pittsburgh

Isn’t she glowing?

in-home maternity photo

And here’s one last detail that I just can’t resist sharing – daddy serenading his baby.

maternity session details

Photos of their sweet baby girl are up next!

Lifestyle Newborn Session: Baby Wesley

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Meet Baby Wesley, also known as their little Smurf by his adoring mom and dad. I had the pleasure of photographing their maternity session too. I just loved photographing Megan and Rick on their farm and their newborn session with Wesley was no different. We even got outside for a few family portraits with his extended family! But my favorite images from this session are by far the lifestyle images that mostly took place on the bed in their bedroom. I’ll get to those in a bit, but for now, meet this precious little guy!

newborn close-up

We started out focusing on Wesley with a few accessories and some minimal props and we found out that Wesley preferred his mama and dada’s arms. So we took breaks so that they could soothe him in order to get some of the essential shots we were after. This one below is one of Rick soothing Wesley to sleep and it happens to be a favorite.

baby and dad portrait

And once he was out, he slept quite peacefully, so much so that we could even place him in this vintage bath basin from Megan’s family.

newborn portrait

And here’s where I started to fall in love with this session – Megan swaddled Wesley and sat on the edge of her bed in the soft natural light.

baby and mom portrait

Then Rick joined her and they scooted back toward the headboard where the window light was glowing.

Pittsburgh lifestyle photography

And here’s my all-time favorite of the three of them. They actually chose this for a framed print and I’m so excited to put it together.

Pittsburgh newborn photography

And here’s a sweet pose that I don’t often think of, but Megan suggested it and I’m so glad she did!

newborn session photos

Congratulations, Megan and Rick! Wesley is precious and it’s such an honor to photograph your family! Blessings to you!

Outdoor Newborn Photography: Baby Julian

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Most of my newborn sessions take place inside where it’s warm, but given a humid summer morning and an expertly landscaped yard with lots of lovely shade, you can bet I’ll be making the most of it (with mom and dad’s permission of course). And for Baby Julian’s session, we were all in agreement about starting outside before it rained.

Here’s sweet Julian in an outfit made by his very talented mommy, Abby.

newborn-photos-outdoors

It was tempting to leave him in that outfit the whole session, he was so gosh darn cute.

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But he’s too cute in his birthday suit so we wrapped him in blankets and gauze.

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This next series of shots were taken on a hill behind their home. I like that the background is personalized that way.

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black-and-white-newborn-portrait

mother-and-baby-photos

father-and-baby-photos

We went inside and did a few shots on this beautiful baby blanket that has been passed down through their family. Just look at that face!

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And Elsie, their first “baby” even made an appearance in this shot with Julian in his nursery. I can’t get enough of babies with their pets – although I can’t claim to be an expert in photographing such a challenging combination. This one just fell in my lap!

baby-and-dog-photos

Congratulations Abby and Jared on your beautiful baby boy! Thanks for the opportunity to document your precious family!

Touching Newborn Photos: Baby Lucas

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One of the most satisfying parts about being a portrait photographer is getting to see how families grow. And I was so very excited to get an email from Janelle during her third trimester, inquiring about booking a maternity and newborn session. I was honored to photograph their engagement session while I was still shooting weddings and remembered how much fun we had working together. And little Lucas is no different. He slept most of the session and while we found out that he didn’t like being on the large bean bag, he loved being held in his parents arms, and that’s where the magic happens.

Sweetly Sleeping
 When I arrived at their home just east of Pittsburgh, Lucas had a belly full of milk and was nodding off to sleep, so we started with him in this cozy sweater suit and tucked him into bed.

newborn sleeping

baby feet

Two Weeks and Younger
This session is a great example of why it’s best to schedule newborn sessions within the baby’s first two weeks. Luke was just 8 days old and still in that dreamy state where he can pretty much sleep through anything. At this stage, newborns are less likely to be fussy because their little bodies are still adapting to life outside the womb. So Luke was pretty easy-going. Of course he cried a little here and there, but that’s to be expected. And we found out that he really did not enjoy laying on the large bean bag I use for individual shots. Most babies enjoy sinking in to the soft blankets on the bean bag, but each baby is unique so I’m always on the lookout to find a way to make each baby comfortable. So for the images that are all about Luke, we responded by including his parents in the shots in a way that he felt comforted, but was still the main focus of the image. Here’s a great example of one of those shots. And I kind of love seeing the soft outlines of Janelle and Andre looking over their little bundle.

sound-asleep-newborn

I love seeing the baby and mama’s faces in close proximity. And in this shot, it almost looks like Luke is smiling at Janelle.

mama and baby

Capturing the Wonderful Bond Between Parents and Their Baby
You can usually tell when a baby breastfeeds by how they respond in their mama’s arms. And I think that’s really neat, because in this next shot, you get the feel that he’s nursing even though he’s not and there’s no need to blush. I know from my own experience that it can be embarrassing when your baby does this (especially when you’re out in public) but it’s completely natural and I love it when it happens in front of the camera because breastfeeding can be such a wonderful bonding experience and in my opinion, newborn sessions are all about capturing the wonderful bond between parents and their baby.

new family

First Family Portraits
These last two shots are straight-up family portraits that we shot in their living room. Studio lights were added for this one.

newborn family portrait

And I went with natural light for this one. They’re equally great ways to show off this sweet little family, but there’s something about this natural light portrait that I love. It feels more spontaneous and that’s one of the aspects of lifestyle photography that really sticks with me.

baby's first family portrait

If you like this approach to newborn photography and are expecting a little one, you might want to click here to find out more about what it’s like to work with me.

Lifestyle Newborn Session: Baby Zayn

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Now that I have a little one of my own, my response to a friend or a loved one who’s having a baby is extra spirited. I can finally relate on a personal level, and I’m thrilled to find out about someone else’s joy and all of the fun things ahead as they expect their little one. So when my friend Annie told me she was pregnant with baby Zayn, I did a happy dance, or two, or three. Sometimes I just can’t contain myself and this was one of those times.

Bright-eyed Baby
Here’s one of my favorite shots from their on-location session at their home in Wexford, Pa. Look at those eyes! I’d just love to know what he’s thinking!

baby close-up

First Family Portraits
The baby’s first family portraits is one of my favorite parts of the session. Because that’s where you get to see the love. Sometimes the portraits are formal with everyone looking at the camera and sometimes they’re informal with a focus on relationships and emotions.

lifestyle newborn session

Mixing Natural and Studio Lighting
In my previous post, I mentioned the need for adding lighting to already existing natural light as a family portrait gets larger. Here’s a great example of just that. We started with natural light and I overexposed so that there is adequate light on their faces.

natural light family portrait

This was a cloudy afternoon in December and the sun was setting fast. So it was time to start mixing in some studio lighting, especially since we added in Annie’s parents and I’d need to increase the depth of field to make sure that everyone is in focus. So here’s a shot with some mixed lighting. I still wanted to keep the feel of this shot light and airy, so I made the most of the light coming in from the window and added some studio light to illuminate their faces. This might be too much info if you’re not interested in photography, but I think it’s worth mentioning because my clients sometimes ask why I use extra light in some shots but not in others.

family portrait with mixed lighting

The Lifestyle Approach: Keeping It Natural
Here are a few more natural light images since I’m partial to lifestyle photography and keeping things natural.

babe in arms

baby toes

Are you pregnant or adopting and looking for a newborn photographer? If so, please check out this post with an overview of custom newborn photography.