When parents first come home from the hospital with their baby, they’re often unsure of the best time of day to schedule for newborn portraits. If the delivery didn’t have any complications and they get to come home two days later, they haven’t had much opportunity to get a feel for their baby’s best time of day. And with days blurring into nights, it’s hard to really think straight (at least it was for me.)
So when my clients call to set up their session, I most often suggest mid-morning, keeping in mind that I’ll be using mostly window light. The afternoon works as well, and it really depends on the family’s best time of day. If you’re not a morning person, then it makes perfect sense to go for the afternoon.
What’s more important than the time of day, is that the baby starts the session right after a feeding. So if you’re following a feeding schedule, that can be helpful to consider when scheduling.
With lifestyle photography, there is no pressure to make sure the baby is sleeping or awake, lifestyle sessions are aimed at capturing baby
and family in their natural state. Although, it’s best if parents are awake! And some mamas have a preference of sleeping vs. awake and most of the time babies will do both within the time of the photoshoot.
Really love seeing this little daring in the dress with the huge bows at her shoulders!
Here’s a shot from this couple’s maternity session. They are going to be such great parents!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-07-11 13:53:492017-07-11 13:53:49Cranberry Newborn Portraits: Scheduling the Best Time for Your Baby
There are two ideal times of day for outdoor portraits when it comes to finding the best light: early morning and early evening. And depending on the time of year, your family’s makeup and routines, one of those times will be much better than the other. In the summer, I might suggest as early as 7 or 7:30 a.m. and I know that sounds like madness at first, but for some families with young children it makes a lot of sense because kids can wake up well before then. Plus, it’s still cool and the kids are still well rested. As a mom myself, I can say hands down, that my children are at their best in the morning. I’m sure that’s not the case for all little ones, but I think it generally applies to most children. And with my children, they’re less consistent in mood and behavior closer to dinner time, so for now, we are best photographed in the morning. And from a photography standpoint, the shadows are more spacious and open shade is where I like to spend most of my time photographing families because the light is even and soft. You really want to have the light coming from a low angle, behind or from the side, just not from above like it would at noon, causing squinting or shadows in the eyes. And for a warm, sunny look, it’s nice to use the sun as a back light in the early morning or at sunset.
But for the most part, I look for open shade, because kids like to move around a lot and I can focus on capturing the moment rather than having the distraction of continually adjusting my exposure in the changing lighting. On overcast days, lighting is a breeze just about anywhere and we have a lot of days like that in Pittsburgh, but you can’t count on it, so it’s best to plan for closer to when the sun is rising or setting. And if your family is not made up of morning-people, then early evening is your best bet. It is really the better of the two best times of day, because shooting into sunset, the light gets prettier and prettier, where as shooting after sunrise, the light gets increasingly harsh as the sun continues to rise. But that’s not to say that you can’t capture great portraits in the morning.
Another trick I like to use for little ones on the move is to bring chairs. Not for their form, but all for function. When you have the right sized chair, kids will sit for a bit, and this was the perfect way to keep these darling two-year old twins off of the wet grass and stationary enough to get them looking at the camera at the same time. Plus, their mama’s trick of singing Happy Birthday with some fun variations got them giggling and we all started cheering for them and what a good job they were doing and it was like magic!
We walked around their neighborhood in Mars, Pa., and stopped at the community playground for some candid shots on the playground. This is such a natural opportunity for lifestyle photography. Love the smiles when kids are at play.
It’s unscripted, pure joy at this age!
And we walked back to their home for some portraits in front of their front door, which happened to be in open shade.
After getting some great shots of the family, we brought in their dog for a few. What a sweet family!
And if you’re not sure what time of day, suits your family, give me a call. Sunset and sunrise changes throughout the year, so there’s a wide range of times depending on the season. I’d be happy to help you figure out your best bet!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-06-28 06:36:362017-06-28 06:37:13Mars Family Portraits: Scheduling for Your Best Time of Day
This recent wedding was tons of fun and I think the bride and groom will look back on it with many fond memories. The day started with your usual pre-wedding hustle and bustle, the ceremony was sweet and heartfelt and the reception was joyous with a full dance floor thanks to music by the Bachelor Boys Band. But, let’s start at the very beginning (or at least, the time my coverage started!) with the bride in her gown from One Enchanted Evening in Zelienople, Pa. And the bouquet, which is better seen below is by Hearts and Flowers Floral Design in Hampton, Pa. The flowers were truly lovely!
I love it when brides turn the corner to walk down the aisle with a lowered gaze. It’s so bashful and bride-like. Then she looks up and sees the room full with adoring guests and her groom anxiously awaiting her at the other end.
Their vows were sweet. And having been married for 10 years myself, I feel there was a lot of wisdom in the wording they chose. It might seem funny for a photographer to share an opinion about that, but I felt like saying a big amen!
The Valley Brook Country Club is an absolutely lovely venue for a wedding. The ceremony was supposed to take place outside, but it rained the night before and the grounds were pretty soggy, so they used the reception space for the ceremony and transformed it for the reception during the cocktail hour – impressive!
Love this line-up of the bridal party on the bridge and I think they were having fun with it too.
Look at how he embraces her! Such a lovely couple!
I can’t take any credit for this fun shot. It was their idea and so much fun!
Seeing the way a bride and groom look at each other can really make a difference. Just love the expression on his face!
Love seeing her cathedral veil outstretched in this shot, but even more the feeling between these too.
The toast had lots of laughs and sentiment.
Some quests requested the bride and groom sing one of their karaoke classics and they obliged!
This is one of my favorite shots of the night. It’s just about the last song, Sweet Caroline, and everyone was into it!
Congratulations and blessings to this happy couple!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-06-20 14:01:172017-06-13 12:00:18Pittsburgh Weddings: Valley Brook Country Club
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!
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.
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.
Just love how babies gaze at their parents and this little guy seemed to be very aware of his surroundings.
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.
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!
Blessings to this sweet baby and his 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.pngkmiller2017-06-15 13:19:092017-06-13 14:13:43Pittsburgh Newborn: Finding Natural Light in the Home
Family portraits with kiddos this little keep me on my toes. They actually used to intimidate me before having my sons who have trained me well in the four years since I became a mom. However, I still feel that before every session with young children, I need to manage expectations, mine included as I know how it feels as a mom to want just one perfect photo of my boys at their best behavior in adorable clothing, with no distractions in the background and good lighting. Actually, I’m not sure most moms have put this desire into words, and even more unlikely those words, but I feel they want something along those lines.
Before becoming a mom, I would have disregarded this photo below. But now I know better to appreciate it. Isn’t this the way it goes sometimes? Wardrobe is carefully planned. Everyone is looking great and there’s just this one thing that isn’t working for this family – this little guy hates laying in the grass. Mom and daughter look great and Dad is trying his best to comfort his son, but it’s just not happening. But fussy baby boy and all, aren’t they a sweet family? And this moment is one that should make them smile someday—remembering what they did in pursuit of the perfect photo. It’s real life and this image was a part of the set in their gallery. We never did get all four of them to smile, or just look at the camera, while they were laying in the grass in this beautiful lighting, but how could I not share this sweetness?
There’s something I love about photographing one-year olds. I love how they can look into the camera with no inhibition and really just study it with no pretense for smiles. I have some portraits like this of my sons and they’re still some of my favorites to this day.
And then they get bigger and learn how to turn on the charm for the camera (when they’re in the mood to comply, that is!) and that is just downright charming.
For little guys like this one, a ride on daddy’s shoulders is a sure-fire way to get some good father and son portraits.
And this little sweetheart just did something funny that made her mama laugh and this was the embrace in the moments that followed.
We did get a couple of family portraits where everyone is looking at the camera and content to be photographed. And that’s a reasonable expectation when it comes to family portraits with little ones. The expectation of getting all smiles is sometimes a tall order, depending on the age and particular mood of the kids in that moment. I do share some things I’ve learned about trying to cultivate a positive environment for photo shoots on my Getting Ready page and it’s definitely worth checking out before your session. I’ll continue to add what I’m learning along the way because I want sessions to go well and understand all of the pressure that comes with getting ready for a photo shoot.
And here’s the moment where this little brother and big sister simultaneously shared in big smiles—as they were looking through this park bench! I’ll take it!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-06-13 12:50:312017-06-13 12:50:31Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Riverview Park
Cranberry Newborn Portraits: Scheduling the Best Time for Your Baby
/by kmillerWhen parents first come home from the hospital with their baby, they’re often unsure of the best time of day to schedule for newborn portraits. If the delivery didn’t have any complications and they get to come home two days later, they haven’t had much opportunity to get a feel for their baby’s best time of day. And with days blurring into nights, it’s hard to really think straight (at least it was for me.)
So when my clients call to set up their session, I most often suggest mid-morning, keeping in mind that I’ll be using mostly window light. The afternoon works as well, and it really depends on the family’s best time of day. If you’re not a morning person, then it makes perfect sense to go for the afternoon.
What’s more important than the time of day, is that the baby starts the session right after a feeding. So if you’re following a feeding schedule, that can be helpful to consider when scheduling.
With lifestyle photography, there is no pressure to make sure the baby is sleeping or awake, lifestyle sessions are aimed at capturing baby
and family in their natural state. Although, it’s best if parents are awake! And some mamas have a preference of sleeping vs. awake and most of the time babies will do both within the time of the photoshoot.
Really love seeing this little daring in the dress with the huge bows at her shoulders!
Here’s a shot from this couple’s maternity session. They are going to be such great parents!
Mars Family Portraits: Scheduling for Your Best Time of Day
/by kmillerThere are two ideal times of day for outdoor portraits when it comes to finding the best light: early morning and early evening. And depending on the time of year, your family’s makeup and routines, one of those times will be much better than the other. In the summer, I might suggest as early as 7 or 7:30 a.m. and I know that sounds like madness at first, but for some families with young children it makes a lot of sense because kids can wake up well before then. Plus, it’s still cool and the kids are still well rested. As a mom myself, I can say hands down, that my children are at their best in the morning. I’m sure that’s not the case for all little ones, but I think it generally applies to most children. And with my children, they’re less consistent in mood and behavior closer to dinner time, so for now, we are best photographed in the morning. And from a photography standpoint, the shadows are more spacious and open shade is where I like to spend most of my time photographing families because the light is even and soft. You really want to have the light coming from a low angle, behind or from the side, just not from above like it would at noon, causing squinting or shadows in the eyes. And for a warm, sunny look, it’s nice to use the sun as a back light in the early morning or at sunset.
But for the most part, I look for open shade, because kids like to move around a lot and I can focus on capturing the moment rather than having the distraction of continually adjusting my exposure in the changing lighting. On overcast days, lighting is a breeze just about anywhere and we have a lot of days like that in Pittsburgh, but you can’t count on it, so it’s best to plan for closer to when the sun is rising or setting. And if your family is not made up of morning-people, then early evening is your best bet. It is really the better of the two best times of day, because shooting into sunset, the light gets prettier and prettier, where as shooting after sunrise, the light gets increasingly harsh as the sun continues to rise. But that’s not to say that you can’t capture great portraits in the morning.
Another trick I like to use for little ones on the move is to bring chairs. Not for their form, but all for function. When you have the right sized chair, kids will sit for a bit, and this was the perfect way to keep these darling two-year old twins off of the wet grass and stationary enough to get them looking at the camera at the same time. Plus, their mama’s trick of singing Happy Birthday with some fun variations got them giggling and we all started cheering for them and what a good job they were doing and it was like magic!
We walked around their neighborhood in Mars, Pa., and stopped at the community playground for some candid shots on the playground. This is such a natural opportunity for lifestyle photography. Love the smiles when kids are at play.
It’s unscripted, pure joy at this age!
And we walked back to their home for some portraits in front of their front door, which happened to be in open shade.
After getting some great shots of the family, we brought in their dog for a few. What a sweet family!
And if you’re not sure what time of day, suits your family, give me a call. Sunset and sunrise changes throughout the year, so there’s a wide range of times depending on the season. I’d be happy to help you figure out your best bet!
Pittsburgh Weddings: Valley Brook Country Club
/by kmillerThis recent wedding was tons of fun and I think the bride and groom will look back on it with many fond memories. The day started with your usual pre-wedding hustle and bustle, the ceremony was sweet and heartfelt and the reception was joyous with a full dance floor thanks to music by the Bachelor Boys Band. But, let’s start at the very beginning (or at least, the time my coverage started!) with the bride in her gown from One Enchanted Evening in Zelienople, Pa. And the bouquet, which is better seen below is by Hearts and Flowers Floral Design in Hampton, Pa. The flowers were truly lovely!
I love it when brides turn the corner to walk down the aisle with a lowered gaze. It’s so bashful and bride-like. Then she looks up and sees the room full with adoring guests and her groom anxiously awaiting her at the other end.
Their vows were sweet. And having been married for 10 years myself, I feel there was a lot of wisdom in the wording they chose. It might seem funny for a photographer to share an opinion about that, but I felt like saying a big amen!
The Valley Brook Country Club is an absolutely lovely venue for a wedding. The ceremony was supposed to take place outside, but it rained the night before and the grounds were pretty soggy, so they used the reception space for the ceremony and transformed it for the reception during the cocktail hour – impressive!
Love this line-up of the bridal party on the bridge and I think they were having fun with it too.
Look at how he embraces her! Such a lovely couple!
I can’t take any credit for this fun shot. It was their idea and so much fun!
Seeing the way a bride and groom look at each other can really make a difference. Just love the expression on his face!
Love seeing her cathedral veil outstretched in this shot, but even more the feeling between these too.
The toast had lots of laughs and sentiment.
Some quests requested the bride and groom sing one of their karaoke classics and they obliged!
This is one of my favorite shots of the night. It’s just about the last song, Sweet Caroline, and everyone was into it!
Congratulations and blessings to this happy couple!
Pittsburgh Newborn: Finding Natural Light in the Home
/by kmillerWhen 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!
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.
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.
Just love how babies gaze at their parents and this little guy seemed to be very aware of his surroundings.
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.
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!
Blessings to this sweet baby and his family!
Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Riverview Park
/by kmillerFamily portraits with kiddos this little keep me on my toes. They actually used to intimidate me before having my sons who have trained me well in the four years since I became a mom. However, I still feel that before every session with young children, I need to manage expectations, mine included as I know how it feels as a mom to want just one perfect photo of my boys at their best behavior in adorable clothing, with no distractions in the background and good lighting. Actually, I’m not sure most moms have put this desire into words, and even more unlikely those words, but I feel they want something along those lines.
Before becoming a mom, I would have disregarded this photo below. But now I know better to appreciate it. Isn’t this the way it goes sometimes? Wardrobe is carefully planned. Everyone is looking great and there’s just this one thing that isn’t working for this family – this little guy hates laying in the grass. Mom and daughter look great and Dad is trying his best to comfort his son, but it’s just not happening. But fussy baby boy and all, aren’t they a sweet family? And this moment is one that should make them smile someday—remembering what they did in pursuit of the perfect photo. It’s real life and this image was a part of the set in their gallery. We never did get all four of them to smile, or just look at the camera, while they were laying in the grass in this beautiful lighting, but how could I not share this sweetness?
There’s something I love about photographing one-year olds. I love how they can look into the camera with no inhibition and really just study it with no pretense for smiles. I have some portraits like this of my sons and they’re still some of my favorites to this day.
And then they get bigger and learn how to turn on the charm for the camera (when they’re in the mood to comply, that is!) and that is just downright charming.
For little guys like this one, a ride on daddy’s shoulders is a sure-fire way to get some good father and son portraits.
And this little sweetheart just did something funny that made her mama laugh and this was the embrace in the moments that followed.
We did get a couple of family portraits where everyone is looking at the camera and content to be photographed. And that’s a reasonable expectation when it comes to family portraits with little ones. The expectation of getting all smiles is sometimes a tall order, depending on the age and particular mood of the kids in that moment. I do share some things I’ve learned about trying to cultivate a positive environment for photo shoots on my Getting Ready page and it’s definitely worth checking out before your session. I’ll continue to add what I’m learning along the way because I want sessions to go well and understand all of the pressure that comes with getting ready for a photo shoot.
And here’s the moment where this little brother and big sister simultaneously shared in big smiles—as they were looking through this park bench! I’ll take it!