Tag Archive for: North Park

Pittsburgh First Birthday Portraits: Come to Your Session Ready to Play

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One-year olds are so much fun to capture and I’ve found that it’s best to come to a first birthday session with an expectation for play, a lot of exercise (whether they’re crawling or walking), and a willingness to be silly. Although, I am careful to judge whether or when I can be silly because it’s natural for one-year olds to be wary of strangers.

enjoying a laugh with his daddy

daddy tickles

These photos are posted from the end of the session to the beginning. As you’ll see later, we started with some simple portraits at a nearby park. But it’s really when we got back to their house that this little guy warmed up and was ready to play.

so curious!

This little fella is super cute, but I love how this mama’s face lights up as she looks into her son’s eyes.

mommy and son

And dads sure do know how to bring out the sillies.

daddy and son

I brought this tiny chair, which slowed this guy down just long enough to capture him sitting on it before he popped up and walked away!

sitting on a tiny chair

And while I’m all about capturing emotion and relationships, I know how important it is to capture a family portrait too!

fall family portrait

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Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Keeping It Authentic with a Casual Look

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When we first talked about what this mom had in mind for her family portraits, she mentioned almost apologetically, that they’d like to keep their look casual to reflect how they dress on a regular basis. And I said, “of course, please do!” because that is one of the things I love about being a lifestyle photographer—there’s no need to be anything but yourself, no pressure, no pretense.

dad, mom, and daughter sharing some laughs

While this family chose to represent their day-to-day look, they carefully chose their wardrobe with complimenting shades and a fun dress to highlight their daughter who just celebrated her first birthday.

pittsburgh children's portrait

We met at one of my favorite spots by the lake at North Park. It’s a great location for families with little ones, because there’s a decent variety of scenery within a short distance.

mother and daughter

walking hand-in-hand

No family portrait session with little ones is complete without dad tossing a kiddo in the air!

dad tossing his daughter in the air

Lately, I’ve had some wonderful luck with a dog walking behind me at just the right time. This was one of those times!

mommy and daughter portrait

Yay! This big girl even clapped on que. I think she enjoyed her first birthday photo shoot.

sitting on a park bench

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North Park Senior Portrait/Family Photo Shoot: Combining Sessions

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The last senior portrait session I wrote about made me chuckle because it was a high school guy who was obliging his parents. This session was later that same day and this high school senior guy actually requested me for his portraits! That felt awesome—but I should point out that I’ve known him since he was a little boy. His mom and I go way back and it was such a treat to photograph him and his family!

senior guy portraits

We started by the huge pine trees off of Pierce Mill Road. I just love that setting for a high school senior guy! It’s majestic and fitting for this high school senior as I’m certain he’s going to do great things!

high school senior

This might be my favorite so I’m voting for this one as his yearbook photo! Isn’t it great that students are no longer limited to stuffy cookie-cutter portraits for their yearbook these days!?

handsome senior student

There are lots of occasions where families want to combine sessions and I’m happy to do that within the designated time for the photoshoot. We were already at the park on this gorgeous day, so why not capture a couple of shots of the whole family?

family portrait at North Park

We’re so blessed in Western Pennsylvania to have so many gorgeous settings for portraits. And what a treat to photograph this family there!

family portrait in the woods

And because portraits of husbands and wives don’t happen often enough after the wedding day!

cute couple

North Park Family Portraits: Staying Positive When Kiddos Won’t Smile

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This darling family got out early on a Saturday morning in their bright whites, looking altogether adorable. And when this sweet girl wasn’t feeling it during the first attempts at a family portrait, mom and dad stayed positive. And that is so important in setting the tone for a session. We tried a few things to engage her and found something that worked!

family portrait warm-up

She really liked playing the “who’s got your nose?” game. And we went with it. We were tossing noses back and forth and the kids were having fun. Sometimes she needed a break as all two-year olds do, so her dad turned her upside down and the giggles commenced.

little girl taking a fun break with dad

And it’s worth mentioning that most kids go through phases where they are trickier to photograph and eventually come around to see that it is fun. They realize that the session will result in images of them and with that understanding they are curious about the end result. This older brother was really enjoying the photo shoot and was also so good about encouraging his sister.

big brother by the lake

So charming!

handsome close-up of this little boy

And here are some favorite shots of this little lady enjoying having her photo taken.

perfect little lady

I love how she’s posing here. No one would know she didn’t feel like having her photo taken earlier.

little girl sitting pretty on a chair

To keep the fun going, mom brought a wagon and dad pulled them around.

riding in a wagon

When people ask me about props, I love incorporate functional things can make a session fun, like wagons, books, bubbles or balloons. This family portrait is that much more fun with the wagon!

family portrait with kids in a wagon

This mama also brought a picnic blanket and it’s a good thing because the ground was really dewy that morning.

family portrait on a blanket

I love using back-lighting and overexposing for good detail on the faces of this family portrait. It’s the little things that can separate a photographer from an iphone!

family on a wooden bridge

These kiddos were so good and did such a great job, so we ended this session with some fun on the playground.

fun on the swings

I just love seeing the joy on her face. Oh to be two again!

a joyful way to end this session

Natalie and Chuck’s engagement session

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Natalie and Chuck are getting married in August and the excitement about their upcoming wedding is plain to see. This lovely couple was so easy to photograph. They chose North Park as the location for their photo shoot and it offered plenty of great scenery especially with the early morning lighting. And thank God for good weather! We had scheduled another early morning session that was rained out, so this was “take two.” Here are some of my favorites:

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