Tag Archive for: session

Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

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A very good place to start! This session took place when this wee one was just 7 days old. And she was awake for almost the whole hour and was so content! We started in this family’s gorgeous foyer. It had ample window light and lots of room so that I could back up and use my favorite lens.

kisses and snuggles

mom, dad, and baby

It’s so sweet to see parents swoon with delight when their baby yawns.

yawning baby

This might be my favorite shot of the session. I love seeing their faces so close together—the loving kiss of a mother and her baby so contented in her arms.

mommy kissing baby

We moved out to their front porch on this unusually cool day in August. Just look at that sweet pouty face.

on the front porch swing

I love how the light highlights her features while she rests in her daddy’s hands.

baby close-up in black and white

And this lovely nursery is going to be home to some wonderful memories!

in the nursery

At just seven days old, it’s hard to stay awake long. So this sweet slumber is a perfect conclusion to our session.

in mama's arms

Congratulations and blessings to this sweet family!

Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Why Scheduling at One-Month Old is Not Too Late

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I got an email from this mama inquiring about a newborn session for her one-month old daughter. And the timing was perfect—I had an opening the next week. While there are a lot of recommendations out there for photographing newborns before they are two weeks old, I think this particular session goes to show the benefits of scheduling beyond those first few weeks.

bright-eyed baby

Just the way she holds her head up and makes eye contact is so amazing! Babies learn and grow so quickly and it’s so neat to see how this baby girl is starting to interact with the world around her.

baby smile

She’s looking into her daddy’s face and really studying him.

looking at her daddy

kisses from daddy

Love the lighting in this nursery.

mom and dad looking at their baby

And how baby girl is looking up at her parents!

baby looking up at mom

One last image before wrapping up this post, this view from the top of their stairs caught my eye as we were going back downstairs, this window light was irresistible so we stopped for a quick portrait.

a new family from above

With a lifestyle approach to this session, there’s no pressure for tedious posing or outfit changes, and it’s ok if the baby is sleeping or awake. So it’s a much less stressful approach for the baby and parents! When I left their home, this dad mentioned that he had fun and was relieved that it went so smoothly. And the mom said she couldn’t imagine trying to pose a baby and was so glad for the lifestyle approach. With a pleasant experience and a natural feel to the photos, I wholeheartedly feel that lifestyle photography is the way to go.

Family Lifestyle Portraiture: Document Your Family On a Fun Outing

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My family spent the 4th of July at Moraine State Park and Lakeview Beach and it’s been a while since I’ve photographed my boys, so remembering to bring my camera was just as important as remembering to pack the picnic basket!

On the lake at Moraine State Park

We rented a pontoon boat on Lake Arthur and had a terrific time cruising around the lake.

Taking in the sights at Lake Arthur

I love this mischievous smile.

Love it when he smiles like he's about to be mischevious

Our nephew came along with us and is so good with our boys. And they adore him!

my nephew hugging my littlest

Then we headed to Lakeview Beach for some swimming, because when you’re little, you can’t go on a boat and not swim in the water! That would be a terrible tease.

Getting acquainted with the lake

With nap time looming, this little guy was primed for a solid afternoon nap. Lots of fun and sun will wear a little guy out!

Giggles before nap time

I love capturing days like this and hope to do more of that on our upcoming vacation. I have over a year’s worth of photos like this to print and I’m going to make that happen this winter. It’s funny that I’ve gotten so far behind in filling our albums with 4×6 prints, because I’m slightly neurotic about being able to go back and look at these moments. And if you’re someone who hasn’t made regular prints of your family, I urge you that it’s never to late to start and if you’re overwhelmed, just back up your current digital files and start making batches of prints from your new captures each month. With digital photography, we’ll have a lot less to look back on and pass down to our families if we’re not diligent about backing up and printing these precious memories!

Pittsburgh Newborn: Finding Natural Light in the Home

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When possible, I love to use natural lighting for newborn sessions. When I first spoke with this mama, she was concerned about whether her home had enough natural light and I assured her that I’d do a quick walk-through to find some of the best spaces and bring supplemental lighting as back-up. But look at this first portrait of her and sweet baby by the window. So glad I didn’t need to get out my strobes until later!

mama and her baby at the window

Sometimes siblings of newborns are in a tender state as they adjust to life with a baby. For that reason, I love taking some time to make them feel special too.

dad and big sister

We still haven’t left their bedroom as it has lots of soft light and the bed is a perfect place to photograph the whole family.

family portrait on the bed

Just love how babies gaze at their parents and this little guy seemed to be very aware of his surroundings.

father and son

I’m not bashful about admitting how I love this arrangement for the parents and baby. My husband and I spent a lot of time on the couch, just checking out our little baby boys, so it comes naturally to suggest this.

baby looking up at his parents

And for a close-up of just the little guy, we snuggled him up in this blanket and placed the basket on the landing of the steps that was washed in bright window light. This baby boy was so close to falling asleep!

snuggly baby boy

Blessings to this sweet baby and his family!

Pittsburgh Newborn: Photographing Siblings and Baby

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One of the toughest photo requests I get during newborn sessions, and one that I deeply understand the motivation for, is a shot with the baby and sibling/s—especially when there’s uncertainty about being able to hold the baby safely. There are lots of different approaches for this like propping them up between pillows on a couch or bed, or laying them side-by-side on the floor. But my favorite find during this recent session is when there are older siblings who can confidently hold the baby, to let the siblings interact and not really pose them at all.

siblings and baby

Aren’t these children adorable with their matching blonde hair?! And then their dog even sat in for a portrait! Impressive!

family portrait

When you have a larger family, I feel like a lifestyle session is really the best way to go. There is so much to photograph so why not capture the whole family in a free and lighthearted way?

a family and their dog

I love using shallow depth of field to lead viewers to the main focal point, but with just enough detail out of focus to tell the story. It’s important for me to have everyone comfortable and feel part of the shoot before we break away to focus on just baby and parents.

mom and baby with family

And this little sweetie pie, stayed awake for the whole session and was so pleasant!

mom and baby

dad and baby

parents looking over their baby

The kids were so great for this session, but they were naturally getting a bit restless, and we had one more family portrait in mind. And I love the result. Dads have a knack for embracing the chaos and this shot makes me smile to see big brother upside down. We have a photo like that too, when my second son was born. Maybe that’s why I like this one so much? Even though my oldest wasn’t into begin photographed that morning, I’m so glad our photographer captured our chaos.

embrace the chaos

And this last shot is a happy conclusion to this in-home newborn session. What a sweet and blessed family!

family portrait on the bed