I am a big fan of backyard family portraits. I think I mentioned that a time or two. So when I got an email for a multi-generational family portrait here in Cranberry, I was thrilled! It was coordinated by a daughter as a gift for her parents during the family’s get-together at the grandparent’s home. Sweet! And she also mentioned that their family has exploded in the last few years with four kids ages 2 and under. Can I just be honest and share that’s a bit intimidating? It is, but I like a challenge.
First I’ll share the whole family as that’s where I like to begin when everyone is fresh and ready to go. I find that the best shot of the whole group is one of the first few images I shoot, so it’s important to have everything ready to go on my end, so that the first few shots are not a loss.
Then we break off into smaller groupings like this one of the grandparents and their grandchildren. For this one, I ask one or two parents to get behind me and do a little pep rally to get their kiddos looking in my direction. I’d say, they did great!
And then we go through and do a bunch of different combinations based on the family’s requests.
And when the kids start getting restless and we’ve covered the list of must-have groupings, it’s time to photograph kids being kids, my favorite part!
The dads suggested the boys race and I think this is one of my favorite shots!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-29 10:47:342017-08-17 14:33:09Cranberry Family Portraits: Multiple Generations
I tend to walk a lot when photographing people at a park and for this maternity session at Moraine State Park, we had the extra benefit of cool sand for this mama’s sore feet. Some of the best shots took place at or near the water. But before getting our feet wet, we walked along the bike trail and for some of the beautiful natural surroundings by Lake Arthur.
The bike trail at this park provides a great way to get into the woods while wearing sandals and a dress. This mama looked amazing, but she certainly did not come dressed for a hike, so the paved bike trail was a blessing!
Love close-ups of the bump, especially through the leaves!
Here they talked sweetly to the baby, they are so ready for this!
And as the sun began to set, we headed to the beach.
I’m singing “kissing on the dock of the lake, waisting time” followed by a whistle interlude…
It was a gorgeous evening spent with these soon-to-be parents. Congrats and blessings to you both!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-24 13:16:372017-08-17 13:47:29Moraine State Park Maternity Session: Sharing the Love by the Lake
I know full-well the struggles families face when welcoming a new baby home. I am a first born and have been told how much it rocked my world when my little sister came along and I’ve been able to witness it all over again with my oldest son as well. It’s really tough for some kids and when it’s tough for a kiddo, mom and dad are feeling it too. We have this crazy mix of emotions wanting to love on the new baby and protect our big kids from feeling left out. I’m sharing all of this personal experience because this darling family had a big sister who had mixed emotions about her baby brother’s arrival like so many of the older siblings I’ve photographed during newborn sessions. I guess you could say, a photo shoot has a way of bringing it all out and I’m sensitive to that.
I have a few things I like to do to help older kids feel special. First, I like to say hello and build a little rapport. And if they’re willing, I take a moment to photograph big sibs all by themselves or with a parent so that they don’t feel like it’s only about the baby. Then I ask them to kiss the baby and give them a lot of praise for being a good sibling.
And on this particular session, the big sister wanted to wear mommy’s lip gloss and her mama approved, so we captured this sweet and funny moment. Luckily, mama had make-up wipes on hand!
Now that we could check off this very important family portrait, I could shift my focus to this sweet baby boy.
Really love the sweet simplicity of this bright-eyed boy on his mom and dad’s bed. Congrats to this precious family!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-22 12:38:002017-08-17 13:11:12Pittsburgh Newborn Session: Baby Snuggles and Sibling Troubles
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!
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.
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.
So charming!
And here are some favorite shots of this little lady enjoying having her photo taken.
I love how she’s posing here. No one would know she didn’t feel like having her photo taken earlier.
To keep the fun going, mom brought a wagon and dad pulled them around.
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!
This mama also brought a picnic blanket and it’s a good thing because the ground was really dewy that morning.
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!
These kiddos were so good and did such a great job, so we ended this session with some fun on the playground.
I just love seeing the joy on her face. Oh to be two again!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-17 12:27:282017-08-17 12:27:28North Park Family Portraits: Staying Positive When Kiddos Won’t Smile
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!
We rented a pontoon boat on Lake Arthur and had a terrific time cruising around the lake.
I love this mischievous smile.
Our nephew came along with us and is so good with our boys. And they adore him!
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.
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!
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!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-07-18 15:18:482017-07-11 15:51:23Family Lifestyle Portraiture: Document Your Family On a Fun Outing
Cranberry Family Portraits: Multiple Generations
/by kmillerI am a big fan of backyard family portraits. I think I mentioned that a time or two. So when I got an email for a multi-generational family portrait here in Cranberry, I was thrilled! It was coordinated by a daughter as a gift for her parents during the family’s get-together at the grandparent’s home. Sweet! And she also mentioned that their family has exploded in the last few years with four kids ages 2 and under. Can I just be honest and share that’s a bit intimidating? It is, but I like a challenge.
First I’ll share the whole family as that’s where I like to begin when everyone is fresh and ready to go. I find that the best shot of the whole group is one of the first few images I shoot, so it’s important to have everything ready to go on my end, so that the first few shots are not a loss.
Then we break off into smaller groupings like this one of the grandparents and their grandchildren. For this one, I ask one or two parents to get behind me and do a little pep rally to get their kiddos looking in my direction. I’d say, they did great!
And then we go through and do a bunch of different combinations based on the family’s requests.
And when the kids start getting restless and we’ve covered the list of must-have groupings, it’s time to photograph kids being kids, my favorite part!
The dads suggested the boys race and I think this is one of my favorite shots!
Moraine State Park Maternity Session: Sharing the Love by the Lake
/by kmillerI tend to walk a lot when photographing people at a park and for this maternity session at Moraine State Park, we had the extra benefit of cool sand for this mama’s sore feet. Some of the best shots took place at or near the water. But before getting our feet wet, we walked along the bike trail and for some of the beautiful natural surroundings by Lake Arthur.
The bike trail at this park provides a great way to get into the woods while wearing sandals and a dress. This mama looked amazing, but she certainly did not come dressed for a hike, so the paved bike trail was a blessing!
Love close-ups of the bump, especially through the leaves!
Here they talked sweetly to the baby, they are so ready for this!
And as the sun began to set, we headed to the beach.
I’m singing “kissing on the dock of the lake, waisting time” followed by a whistle interlude…
It was a gorgeous evening spent with these soon-to-be parents. Congrats and blessings to you both!
Pittsburgh Newborn Session: Baby Snuggles and Sibling Troubles
/by kmillerI know full-well the struggles families face when welcoming a new baby home. I am a first born and have been told how much it rocked my world when my little sister came along and I’ve been able to witness it all over again with my oldest son as well. It’s really tough for some kids and when it’s tough for a kiddo, mom and dad are feeling it too. We have this crazy mix of emotions wanting to love on the new baby and protect our big kids from feeling left out. I’m sharing all of this personal experience because this darling family had a big sister who had mixed emotions about her baby brother’s arrival like so many of the older siblings I’ve photographed during newborn sessions. I guess you could say, a photo shoot has a way of bringing it all out and I’m sensitive to that.
I have a few things I like to do to help older kids feel special. First, I like to say hello and build a little rapport. And if they’re willing, I take a moment to photograph big sibs all by themselves or with a parent so that they don’t feel like it’s only about the baby. Then I ask them to kiss the baby and give them a lot of praise for being a good sibling.
And on this particular session, the big sister wanted to wear mommy’s lip gloss and her mama approved, so we captured this sweet and funny moment. Luckily, mama had make-up wipes on hand!
Now that we could check off this very important family portrait, I could shift my focus to this sweet baby boy.
Really love the sweet simplicity of this bright-eyed boy on his mom and dad’s bed. Congrats to this precious family!
North Park Family Portraits: Staying Positive When Kiddos Won’t Smile
/by kmillerThis 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!
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.
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.
So charming!
And here are some favorite shots of this little lady enjoying having her photo taken.
I love how she’s posing here. No one would know she didn’t feel like having her photo taken earlier.
To keep the fun going, mom brought a wagon and dad pulled them around.
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!
This mama also brought a picnic blanket and it’s a good thing because the ground was really dewy that morning.
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!
These kiddos were so good and did such a great job, so we ended this session with some fun on the playground.
I just love seeing the joy on her face. Oh to be two again!
Family Lifestyle Portraiture: Document Your Family On a Fun Outing
/by kmillerMy 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!
We rented a pontoon boat on Lake Arthur and had a terrific time cruising around the lake.
I love this mischievous smile.
Our nephew came along with us and is so good with our boys. And they adore him!
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.
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!
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!