The first few weeks after bringing baby home come with a huge adjustment—it’s a wonderful, yet sleep-deprived time, marking the beginning of that precious one’s life and the beginning of a family’s story. Being a handful of years beyond that time, I can look back and say that I’m glad I hired a photographer to capture my sons as newborns and that I could be in the photos! We had both photo shoots done at our home and I remember feeling relieved that we didn’t have to go anywhere, because that took so much energy! And since we’ve moved, our photos in our old home are that much more meaningful to us now. Here’s a newborn session from earlier this summer and as I talked with this mama, she mentioned that she hadn’t heard of in-home newborn sessions before and was so glad to be able to schedule one for her baby.
Their loft had lovely light and this baby was so content.
It’s so nice to see this dad’s feelings for his son.
We headed to the rooftop terrace in their building for a family portrait with a view!
This baby boy seemed to like the sounds and fresh air and how sweet to see this mom and dad enjoying this moment!
If you’d like to plan for a newborn session in your home, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me here.
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-08-24 15:50:452018-08-24 15:50:45Pittsburgh Newborn Photography: Keep It Simple with an At-Home Session
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.
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.
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.
No family portrait session with little ones is complete without dad tossing a kiddo 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!
Yay! This big girl even clapped on que. I think she enjoyed her first birthday photo shoot.
If you would like to schedule a session, please contact me via this form – I’d love to hear from you!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-08-03 13:22:442018-08-03 13:22:44Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Keeping It Authentic with a Casual Look
This family’s baby girl just turned one and so the time was right for an updated family portrait! We headed to the city for a change of pace and found some unexpected fun, like fountains and gardens, the train station, and an excellent opportunity to encourage these sweet kiddos with a treat of ice cream after the session was over: Millie’s Market Square Scoop Shop The next time I’m downtown, I want to check this place out, it was hopin’!
Anyway, we had lovely sceenery, happy children and fun times!
Part of the fun of downtown sessions is walking between locations. And I can’t get enough of seeing families walking together hand-in-hand.
Or silly moments! While this sweet girl is all giggles, big brother is busy styling dad’s hair!
When you’re one, it’s exciting to sit in a big chair, and mama is close-by to supervise!
Here’s a close-up of the birthday girl – look at those eyes!
Big brother was excited to go to the train station. And to be sure that he felt special too, we stopped to get some portraits of just him with mom and dad too!
If you’d like to schedule a session in the big city, I’d love to talk with you! Please use this form to get in touch, thanks!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-07-27 13:44:392018-07-27 13:44:39Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Sessions in the City Are Fun!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
I’m so glad when I get the opportunity to photograph this special time in other family’s lives. What a blessing!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-07-20 12:15:052018-07-20 12:15:05Pittsburgh Maternity and Newborn Photography: Being a Part of Our Child’s Story in Pictures
Sometimes kids like this sweet little girl can be very serious when it comes to participating in a photo shoot. She was pleasant and didn’t seem to mind being photographed, but she just wasn’t feeling like smiling that day. It could have been the hot weather that made her sleepy, but despite the efforts of her family and myself, we couldn’t get her to smile. And as these things go, she probably smiled as soon as we left North Park! But I find these images which capture her sweet nature and thoughtfulness, can be just as meaningful—if not more, than a big cheesy grin.
This might be my favorite portrait of her from this session. Such a tiny sweetheart!
As far as props go, I like using things that are functional and natural like books, chairs and bubbles. We used all three of those in this session!
Ah, the wonder of bubbles!
And in this last shot, I don’t think she was consciously posing, but I find it so endearing!
I’d love to hear from parents on your thoughts about smiling vs. serious portraits and what they mean to you!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-07-12 09:55:042018-07-12 09:55:04Pittsburgh Children’s Portraits: Embracing the Mood of Your Photo Shoot
Pittsburgh Newborn Photography: Keep It Simple with an At-Home Session
/by kmillerThe first few weeks after bringing baby home come with a huge adjustment—it’s a wonderful, yet sleep-deprived time, marking the beginning of that precious one’s life and the beginning of a family’s story. Being a handful of years beyond that time, I can look back and say that I’m glad I hired a photographer to capture my sons as newborns and that I could be in the photos! We had both photo shoots done at our home and I remember feeling relieved that we didn’t have to go anywhere, because that took so much energy! And since we’ve moved, our photos in our old home are that much more meaningful to us now. Here’s a newborn session from earlier this summer and as I talked with this mama, she mentioned that she hadn’t heard of in-home newborn sessions before and was so glad to be able to schedule one for her baby.
Their loft had lovely light and this baby was so content.
It’s so nice to see this dad’s feelings for his son.
We headed to the rooftop terrace in their building for a family portrait with a view!
This baby boy seemed to like the sounds and fresh air and how sweet to see this mom and dad enjoying this moment!
If you’d like to plan for a newborn session in your home, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me here.
Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Keeping It Authentic with a Casual Look
/by kmillerWhen 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.
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.
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.
No family portrait session with little ones is complete without dad tossing a kiddo 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!
Yay! This big girl even clapped on que. I think she enjoyed her first birthday photo shoot.
If you would like to schedule a session, please contact me via this form – I’d love to hear from you!
Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Sessions in the City Are Fun!
/by kmillerThis family’s baby girl just turned one and so the time was right for an updated family portrait! We headed to the city for a change of pace and found some unexpected fun, like fountains and gardens, the train station, and an excellent opportunity to encourage these sweet kiddos with a treat of ice cream after the session was over: Millie’s Market Square Scoop Shop The next time I’m downtown, I want to check this place out, it was hopin’!
Anyway, we had lovely sceenery, happy children and fun times!
Part of the fun of downtown sessions is walking between locations. And I can’t get enough of seeing families walking together hand-in-hand.
Or silly moments! While this sweet girl is all giggles, big brother is busy styling dad’s hair!
When you’re one, it’s exciting to sit in a big chair, and mama is close-by to supervise!
Here’s a close-up of the birthday girl – look at those eyes!
Big brother was excited to go to the train station. And to be sure that he felt special too, we stopped to get some portraits of just him with mom and dad too!
If you’d like to schedule a session in the big city, I’d love to talk with you! Please use this form to get in touch, thanks!
Pittsburgh Maternity and Newborn Photography: Being a Part of Our Child’s Story in Pictures
/by kmillerCompared 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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
I’m so glad when I get the opportunity to photograph this special time in other family’s lives. What a blessing!
Pittsburgh Children’s Portraits: Embracing the Mood of Your Photo Shoot
/by kmillerSometimes kids like this sweet little girl can be very serious when it comes to participating in a photo shoot. She was pleasant and didn’t seem to mind being photographed, but she just wasn’t feeling like smiling that day. It could have been the hot weather that made her sleepy, but despite the efforts of her family and myself, we couldn’t get her to smile. And as these things go, she probably smiled as soon as we left North Park! But I find these images which capture her sweet nature and thoughtfulness, can be just as meaningful—if not more, than a big cheesy grin.
This might be my favorite portrait of her from this session. Such a tiny sweetheart!
As far as props go, I like using things that are functional and natural like books, chairs and bubbles. We used all three of those in this session!
Ah, the wonder of bubbles!
And in this last shot, I don’t think she was consciously posing, but I find it so endearing!
I’d love to hear from parents on your thoughts about smiling vs. serious portraits and what they mean to you!