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

If you would like to schedule a session, please contact me via this form – I’d love to hear from you!

Pittsburgh Maternity and Newborn Photography: Being a Part of Our Child’s Story in Pictures

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Compared to the number of newborn sessions I photograph, I don’t get to capture many maternity sessions. I have no sure way of knowing why that’s the case, other than to remember my own feelings about being photographed when pregnant. Also, let me just say, these are my feelings and in no way, reflect on this radiant couple. I adored photographing their maternity and newborn sessions and am using their images to make a point – this special time in their lives is so fleeting and how wonderful that they can look back on it through these photos!

expecting parents on a walk through the woods

maternity portrait

I suspect it’s two things: the first and most likely is that many women don’t feel particularly beautiful in their last trimester of pregnancy; and secondly, all of their energy is focused on getting ready for their baby. I understand. But it is truly one of the most remarkable times in a woman’s life!

soon-to-be-mom and dad

getting ready for their baby

And I’m not writing to try and sell more maternity sessions, but I want to encourage moms to be photographed with their children all throughout their lives. I feel sad when I get contacted about a newborn session and the mom doesn’t want to be in the photos. What a loss! Of course, it’s wonderful to capture that sweet baby at just a few days or weeks old, but such a big part of that baby’s story is missing if parents aren’t included in the photos.

first family portrait

When I look back at photo albums my mom put together, one of my favorite things is seeing what my mom and dad looked like as I was growing up. And look at this dad – he’s baby-wearing and in front of their greenhouse full of lovely fruits and vegetables! It’s all a part of telling their story.

dad wearing his baby

And when I look back at my son’s newborn sessions, I’m glad that I was a part of the photos too. Because, gosh darn it, I was doing the amazingly incredible hard work of being mama and I’m proud of that!

mama and her baby

I’m so glad when I get the opportunity to photograph this special time in other family’s lives. What a blessing!

baby sleeping in mama's arms

Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Keeping Baby’s Wardrobe Simple

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I love photographing babies simply swaddled or dressed in a basic onsie. It’s funny how when a parent is getting ready for their baby to arrive, it’s so much fun to shop for their clothes and get all of the warm, fuzzy feelings that go with anticipating our baby wearing them. So when I suggest dressing a baby simply for my sessions, I know that’s hard to do as a parent. We are so excited for our baby to be photographed and there are so many outfits to choose from, but I think this recent session illustrates how lovely and timeless a simple swaddle or onsie can be.

baby sleeping on a moose

One of the benefits of dressing a baby simply is that you don’t have to do an outfit change, which irritates most babies and by going with a soft onsie or swaddle, the baby is comfortable and more likely happy. This little guy sure way.

sleeping in his mama's arms

Even their dog was super relaxed!

family dog meets baby

They had great window light on the landing of their stairs, so we made a quick stop on our way up to the nursery.

mom and dad admiring their baby boy

so snuggly!

More great window light in the nursery too! Just love these images of mama with her baby.

mama and baby

kisses from mommy

And dad gets a turn too.

daddy kisses too!

When you’re a baby, yawning is adorable.

big yawn, sleepy baby

This might be one of my favorite shots of the session. Just look how this little sweetie is studying his dad!

checking out his daddy

This last one pretty much sums up how meaningful this time can be. Two adoring parents and a brand new baby, what a great start to this family’s story!

sweet family

In-Home Christmas Family Portraits

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I was blessed with a referral to photograph this sweet family in the spring. And when they were ready to schedule a session as a gift to grandma and grandpa, I was thrilled!

Christmas-family-portrait

It was a chilly November morning and there was even some snow left from the first snowfall in their backyard!

At-home-family-portrait

We knew the kids wouldn’t want to be out in the cold long, so we kept a brisk pace, making sure we got some keepers on the way.

Outdoor-family-portrait

Love this baby girl’s sweet smile, all swaddled in her blanket!

children-Christmas-portrait

We went inside after about 20 minutes and captured some more groups, but the kids’ individual portraits are some of my favorites from this session.

baby girl with parents close-up

What a little lady!

girl close-up portrait

Big smiles from the big brother!

boy close-up portrait

And this last one is a blessing. I’m always pleased to get a good shot of an active toddler. This guy is smack dab in the middle of the toughest age to photograph. And I think he sparkles with personality!

toddler close-up portrait

Merry Christmas!

Raves

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wedding ravesBrittany and Paul

I just wanted to let you know how beautiful your photographs of our wedding are. The time you put in to visiting the spaces, meeting with us, and thinking of particular shots is greatly appreciated. The pictures represent our wedding and reception in an artistic and creative way. We had such a wonderful experience with you and you were so flexible with changes in the schedule. Thanks again for everything!
~ Brittany

 wedding-raves-3Gina and Corey

We were playing scrabble when your email came and I cut the game short to see these. All I can say is “WOW!” Seriously, Corey and I are both just so impressed. You managed to get so many different shots; it doesn’t seem like we just moved basically from one place to one other place. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

~ Gina
wedding-raves-4Corry and Mike

OMG Kate!

THE PHOTOS ARE AMAZING!

I just looked through all of them and I want to go through them again! You are so wonderful at what you do!

~ Corry

 wedding-raves-5Celeste and Aaron

Oh Kate…the photos are so beautiful. I can’t tell you how happy we are with them.

We can’t wait to see them all! You’re the best!!!

~ Celeste
wedding-raves-6Dacia and Mike

You did a WONDERFUL job! Our pictures are so nice. Thank you so much! I am so happy that you were there to do our wedding. I don’t think I could have asked for a better person and now looking at your work we couldn’t ask for a better photographer. They are great! I can’t wait until Mike can see them. Thank you again, I love them.

~ Dacia

 wedding-raves-7Samantha and Chris

Kate, thank you so much! We love all the photos. You and your second photographer do amazing work!!

I love the album…you do such an amazing job!! Thanks so much!

~ Samantha
wedding-raves-8Danielle and Chris

Kate, your photos are fantastic!

We’re so happy with everything and we’re receiving lots of compliments!

~ Danielle

 wedding-raves-9Katie and John

Thank you so much for making our special day everlasting through your “captivating” images and creative ideas! It rained and you still made us smile.

I just saw the pictures online and they are BEAUTIFUL! We are sooo happy with them – thank you for doing such an amazing job!

~ Katie
wedding-raves-10Lee and Brian

We love our pictures!!!

Thanks again!

~ Lee

 wedding-raves-11Renee and Orland

Thank you SO much for everything, the pictures are wonderful!!!!! You did such a great job!!! We will be in touch, just wanted to let you know we love them.

~ Renee
wedding-raves-12Sarah and Mike

Thank you so much for being such an awesome photographer.

The pictures are better than I possibly could have imagined! Thank you!

~ Sarah

 wedding-raves-13Sarah and Terry

I wanted to thank you again for such a great experience with you and your assistant at our wedding! You guys were wonderful and put up with all the craziness so well. Thank you for being patient and capturing all the moments we could have asked for.

~ Sarah
wedding-raves-1Chrissy and Jason

I cannot thank you enough for the most beautiful pictures that I have ever seen. You did such a fantastic job! I will forever pass your name along! I cried while viewing the slide show! I truly can not thank you enough for capturing our wedding!

~ Crissy