Pittsburgh Newborn Photography: Hospital Newborn Sessions

This mama has had her first three babies photographed in the hospital and so it was natural for her to do the same for her fourth baby, but she was shocked when she asked about a hospital photographer and found there wasn’t one available. Thankfully, she reached out to me and we found some time to make it work before she left the hospital.

babe in mama's arms

His daddy had this rosary made with his name on it.

baby with id rosary

This was one tiny room with a window tucked around the corner from the beds, so we got up close to the lovely natural light.

proud mom and dad with newborn

I love seeing parents gazing at their newborn!

sweet moments with their baby

I had to supplement the light for this group shot with the big siblings. While I’m not a fan of using flash for newborn sessions, I sure do love seeing all of these smiling faces!

baby brother and big siblings

I could shoot close-ups of newborns all day and I think seeing mama’s caring hands in the shot makes it extra special – it expresses the love and caring surrounding this baby boy.

happy baby

After his first photo shoot, this little fella is ready for a nap!

sweetly sleeping

If you or someone you know is getting ready to have a baby, I’d be happy to talk with you about hospital or in-home newborn sessions!

Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Downtown Makes a Great Setting

I recently photographed a family of seven in downtown Pittsburgh, an unlikely setting for any children’s portrait unless the city happens to be home, but this brave family with five kids was up for the challenge and let me say, they have my awe and respect! We started walking through the Cultural District and walking shots like this one are one of my favorite ways to keep a photo shoot moving so that the kids don’t get bored.

walking through the city

We came across this alley with an overhead lighting feature which made for a fun design element in this family portrait.

alley family portrait

There are a lot of nice spots for portraits downtown and I’ve learned many of them by photographing weddings. However, just recently, some of the parklets have started to close on weekends, so there are fewer options with greenery these days.

portrait at the train station

family walking

After all of our walking, the kids were getting tired, but I still like this shot of the family by the bridge. The facial expressions on the kids are comical – it’s not a portrait I’d hang on the wall, but it will be fun for this family to look back on someday!

on the bridge

As we headed back to our parking garage, we stopped for one last shot with mom and dad. Well done, mom and dad!

husband and wife

Pittsburgh Quinceañera: A Latina’s Sweet Fifteen!

In May, I had the pleasure of photographing my first quinceañera, I’ve photographed bar and bat mitzvahs before, so I had some idea of what to expect, but let me say, this special milestone for latinas turning 15 is my kind of party! It’s a lot like a wedding in many ways with the formalities—the special dress and cake, but it’s all about the celebration of an emerging young lady. One of the sweet traditions of a quinceañera is that she comes to her party in slippers and later in the night, she ceremoniously changes into high heels! And then of course, she dances in them! What a fun way to celebrate womanhood!

Before the party started, we met at the overlooks at Mt. Washington for some portraits.

walking to Mt. Washington Overlook

quinceañera

portrait at Mt. Washington

The quinceañera was held at Franzee’s-Javy’s in Ambridge, Pa.

Quinceañera cake

After some introductions and a welcome speech the quinceañera danced with her father.

dancing with her father

first dance

A little later in the evening, came the champagne toast and this quinceañera had her first taste.

champagne

father's toast

cheers!

One of the littlest members of this quinceañera’s court presented the high heels to her father.

presentation of the high heels

She promenaded in her new heels with grace and poise.

promenading in her new shoes

And then the quinceañera court entered for the formal dance.

grand entrance

formal dance

And after that, the dance floor was jumping!

bustling dance floor

I’m pleased to add quinceañeras to my events coverage and would love to photograph more. Please contact me if you would like to learn more!

Pittsburgh Wedding Photography: Sentimental Details Bring Sweet Moments

When I first met with this happy couple, I was intrigued at how thoughtful they were in making their wedding plans. They were simple, but had so much meaning. This couple chose to marry at The Point, where they shared part of their first date. They met by a tree for a prayer moments before their ceremony and invited their closest family and friends to gather by the fountain to witness their ceremony—which was also broadcast on Facebook Live and later replayed for the guests at their reception.

the new mr. and mrs.!

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Cranberry Family Portraits: First Birthdays and Celebrating Milestones

A first birthday is a great time to schedule a portrait session. Our babies learn and grow so much over the first year, so there is so much to celebrate! And while you’re at it, it’s a great opportunity to update your family portrait, which is exactly what this sweet family did. I’ll start of with this photo of the big and little sister – how precious to have a photograph of these two to look back on?

sisters

Bubbles are a favorite activity for little ones during sessions and this big sister was pleased to help with the bubble-making!

blowing bubbles

Little ones learning to walk is pretty high up there in my list of favorite things to photograph. So proud!

big girl walking!

And Cranberry Woods has these amazing paths through the woods that make for great and safe walking shots. No roots to trip on!

family walking holding hands

We stepped a little farther into the woods for this family portrait.

family portrait

This mama wanted to document her daughter’s first taste of cake and even made the cake herself! Very impressive!

first birthday

While this little sweetie was timid, she definitely enjoyed her cake!

cake smash