I love everything about sending Christmas cards. It’s something I’ve enjoyed since my husband and I were first married. Every year, we’d plan a custom photo card and up until recently, our dog Brownie has graced the front of our cards (he was overlooked last year with the birth of our son, and this year, you can find him on the back of our cards…poor guy, but that’s how it goes). Anyway, I love coming up with the idea for the design and photos, all the way down to the details of the envelopes and stamps.
Mind you, I skimp on other holiday joys like baking cookies, but Christmas cards are kind of my thing. And there is a lot of work involved from beginning to end. And if you’ve ever created your own cards, I think you know what I’m talking about. I’ve seen the wearied faces of parents at the photo kiosk in Target trying to select images off of their thumb drive with those painfully slow Kodak machines. And even though there are lots of options with custom cards available online these days, it’s tough to beat having fun family portraits by a pro! So this year, I offered a set of 25 custom cards with my holiday mini sessions to make it easier for everyone to have fabulous Christmas cards with stunning photos! And I’d love to share Amanda and Chris’ card because I really love how they styled their wardrobe for this holiday mini session.
Aren’t they cute with their fun winter wear (and Chris’ hunting cap and jacket)? It’s the details like this that personalize a session. And what better attire for a photo session amidst fresh cut Christmas trees at Reilly’s Summer Seat Farm? We also used the greenhouse there for part of the session because it was a great place to warm up and it was brimming with poinsettias.
So just by booking a mini session, planning their attire, and coming out for a 30-minute photo shoot, Amanda and Chris made their Christmas cards to do list a breeze. After their session, they selected their three favorite images and the card design was emailed for their approval the next day and delivered the following week. And they had an online gallery of images to order prints from as Christmas gifts for their family! Check and check!
And I guess I’ll share our cards too for some variety since we didn’t want to take our son out in the cold with a cold. I set up a backdrop and some lights in our family room and lowered my expectations because it’s always tricky photographing your own family. But I was thrilled to find that Brennan actually enjoyed it (for the most part)! We spent maybe 10 minutes in front of the camera. Sweet!
And I think I’ll also offer on-location sessions like this next year so clients with young kids have the option of checking the session off of their list without having to leave the comfort of their home. If you’d like to be kept in the loop about opportunities like this holiday mini session and custom cards, please let me know so I can add you to our email list.
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2013-12-20 17:34:502013-12-20 17:34:50How to Get Fabulous Christmas Cards Without Going Crazy
I’d like to take some time to introduce this precious little baby I had the pleasure of photographing a few weeks ago. Baby Gabriel is the latest in a cluster of little boys to be born among my friends from church here in Pittsburgh. And we’re so excited to add this tiny fellow into the mix!
BYOBB – Bring Your Own Baby Blankets! His mom brought some wonderful handmade baby blankets and toys which is a great way to personalize your session. And we really loved seeing him snuggle up to this knit bunny.
The Best Time to Photograph Your Newborn During the session, Gabriel was just about two weeks old—that’s about as old as I like to photograph newborns because they become more and more alert and there’s just so much more we can do with infants who sleep most of the time during their first two weeks. Anyway Gabriel was so easy going, asleep or awake. He even cooperated for this shot by curling up over his knees while on his tummy.
Not every baby will do that…including mine! I remember trying to get my son to pose for a similar shot and he was not having it. He hated tummy time from the very start!
First Family Portraits And one of my favorite parts of newborn sessions are the first family portraits. Carolyn and Joe, you two are naturals!
Don’t you just love little feet? And look at them next to his mom and dad’s hands. I love that.
Isn’t it hard to resist kissing your baby? With boys, I figure we should squeeze all of the kisses in while we can!
Babies in the Buff And I know we don’t normally hold our little ones in the buff for practical reasons, but isn’t he precious? That’s why I like to have newborns nude for most of their photos. Their is no need to buy cute little outfits for their newborn photos because nothing is better than seeing your baby (tastefully posed) in his birthday suit!
Below is a slideshow I put together to present the images from Gabriel’s session to his parents. If you’re expecting and would like to schedule a maternity or newborn session, check out this overview of our custom newborn photography.
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2013-11-19 14:39:042014-01-06 16:23:16Sweet Newborn Photography: Baby Gabriel
I’m getting all ready for our first-ever holiday mini sessions and as part of my preparations, I’d like to do a test shoot. So, I’m looking for a family who would like to be my model so that I can create an image to use in my marketing that will give everyone an idea of what to expect with our mini sessions.
Here’s how I’ll choose this family: please write a short essay (300 words or less) on what family portraits mean to you and send me a snapshot of you and your family. By doing this, you’re giving me permission to share your story and photo on my site and Facebook page. I’m planning on doing this test shoot on November 19th at 4 p.m. So your family will need to be available at that time. The winning family for this Photo Op will be selected next Wednesday, on November 13th. So time is ticking!
Congratulations to Casey and Matt! You two have been such a sweet and fun couple to work with and your wedding day was no different. This wedding is bittersweet for me because it is the last wedding of the season. And with the close of this season, I’ll be shifting my focus to newborn and children’s portraiture. So while it’s been a thrilling 6 years of photographing weddings, I couldn’t think of a better way to go out with a bang! And the super-talented Melanie Grady was with me and we had a wonderful day shooting this beautiful wedding. So if you’re reading this and looking for a wedding photographer, Melanie would be a great one to call.
Ok, on to the good stuff. We started with Casey getting ready in her room at the hotel, Days Inn Butler.
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2013-10-29 15:36:542013-10-29 15:36:54Casey and Matt are Married! Butler Wedding Photography
I’m so excited to be offering holiday mini sessions (for the first time ever!) at Reilly’s Summer Seat Farm on November 23rd and 24th! We’ll be shooting by the Christmas trees and I’ll have some fun props to add some color. The sessions are 30 minutes long and include 25 custom-designed, flat holiday cards (5×7, 5×5, or snowflake-shaped 3×3 inserts (great if you already have your cards, and they make awesome ornaments!) You’ll be emailed an online proofing gallery on November 25th, which will remain active for one month. If you make your image selections for your holiday card by the 26th, we’ll have your cards ready for you by the first week of December! The session fee is $150. Sessions are limited!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2013-10-16 12:37:432013-10-16 12:37:43Get Your Holiday Mini Session On!
How to Get Fabulous Christmas Cards Without Going Crazy
/by kmillerI love everything about sending Christmas cards. It’s something I’ve enjoyed since my husband and I were first married. Every year, we’d plan a custom photo card and up until recently, our dog Brownie has graced the front of our cards (he was overlooked last year with the birth of our son, and this year, you can find him on the back of our cards…poor guy, but that’s how it goes). Anyway, I love coming up with the idea for the design and photos, all the way down to the details of the envelopes and stamps.
Mind you, I skimp on other holiday joys like baking cookies, but Christmas cards are kind of my thing. And there is a lot of work involved from beginning to end. And if you’ve ever created your own cards, I think you know what I’m talking about. I’ve seen the wearied faces of parents at the photo kiosk in Target trying to select images off of their thumb drive with those painfully slow Kodak machines. And even though there are lots of options with custom cards available online these days, it’s tough to beat having fun family portraits by a pro! So this year, I offered a set of 25 custom cards with my holiday mini sessions to make it easier for everyone to have fabulous Christmas cards with stunning photos! And I’d love to share Amanda and Chris’ card because I really love how they styled their wardrobe for this holiday mini session.
Aren’t they cute with their fun winter wear (and Chris’ hunting cap and jacket)? It’s the details like this that personalize a session. And what better attire for a photo session amidst fresh cut Christmas trees at Reilly’s Summer Seat Farm? We also used the greenhouse there for part of the session because it was a great place to warm up and it was brimming with poinsettias.
So just by booking a mini session, planning their attire, and coming out for a 30-minute photo shoot, Amanda and Chris made their Christmas cards to do list a breeze. After their session, they selected their three favorite images and the card design was emailed for their approval the next day and delivered the following week. And they had an online gallery of images to order prints from as Christmas gifts for their family! Check and check!
And I guess I’ll share our cards too for some variety since we didn’t want to take our son out in the cold with a cold. I set up a backdrop and some lights in our family room and lowered my expectations because it’s always tricky photographing your own family. But I was thrilled to find that Brennan actually enjoyed it (for the most part)! We spent maybe 10 minutes in front of the camera. Sweet!
And I think I’ll also offer on-location sessions like this next year so clients with young kids have the option of checking the session off of their list without having to leave the comfort of their home. If you’d like to be kept in the loop about opportunities like this holiday mini session and custom cards, please let me know so I can add you to our email list.
Sweet Newborn Photography: Baby Gabriel
/by kmillerI’d like to take some time to introduce this precious little baby I had the pleasure of photographing a few weeks ago. Baby Gabriel is the latest in a cluster of little boys to be born among my friends from church here in Pittsburgh. And we’re so excited to add this tiny fellow into the mix!
BYOBB – Bring Your Own Baby Blankets!
His mom brought some wonderful handmade baby blankets and toys which is a great way to personalize your session. And we really loved seeing him snuggle up to this knit bunny.
The Best Time to Photograph Your Newborn
During the session, Gabriel was just about two weeks old—that’s about as old as I like to photograph newborns because they become more and more alert and there’s just so much more we can do with infants who sleep most of the time during their first two weeks. Anyway Gabriel was so easy going, asleep or awake. He even cooperated for this shot by curling up over his knees while on his tummy.
Not every baby will do that…including mine! I remember trying to get my son to pose for a similar shot and he was not having it. He hated tummy time from the very start!
First Family Portraits
And one of my favorite parts of newborn sessions are the first family portraits. Carolyn and Joe, you two are naturals!
Don’t you just love little feet? And look at them next to his mom and dad’s hands. I love that.
Isn’t it hard to resist kissing your baby? With boys, I figure we should squeeze all of the kisses in while we can!
Babies in the Buff
And I know we don’t normally hold our little ones in the buff for practical reasons, but isn’t he precious? That’s why I like to have newborns nude for most of their photos. Their is no need to buy cute little outfits for their newborn photos because nothing is better than seeing your baby (tastefully posed) in his birthday suit!
Below is a slideshow I put together to present the images from Gabriel’s session to his parents. If you’re expecting and would like to schedule a maternity or newborn session, check out this overview of our custom newborn photography.
Captivating Imagery Photo Op!
/by kmillerI’m getting all ready for our first-ever holiday mini sessions and as part of my preparations, I’d like to do a test shoot. So, I’m looking for a family who would like to be my model so that I can create an image to use in my marketing that will give everyone an idea of what to expect with our mini sessions.
Here’s how I’ll choose this family: please write a short essay (300 words or less) on what family portraits mean to you and send me a snapshot of you and your family. By doing this, you’re giving me permission to share your story and photo on my site and Facebook page. I’m planning on doing this test shoot on November 19th at 4 p.m. So your family will need to be available at that time. The winning family for this Photo Op will be selected next Wednesday, on November 13th. So time is ticking!
Casey and Matt are Married! Butler Wedding Photography
/by kmillerCongratulations to Casey and Matt! You two have been such a sweet and fun couple to work with and your wedding day was no different. This wedding is bittersweet for me because it is the last wedding of the season. And with the close of this season, I’ll be shifting my focus to newborn and children’s portraiture. So while it’s been a thrilling 6 years of photographing weddings, I couldn’t think of a better way to go out with a bang! And the super-talented Melanie Grady was with me and we had a wonderful day shooting this beautiful wedding. So if you’re reading this and looking for a wedding photographer, Melanie would be a great one to call.
Ok, on to the good stuff. We started with Casey getting ready in her room at the hotel, Days Inn Butler.
Read more
Get Your Holiday Mini Session On!
/by kmillerI’m so excited to be offering holiday mini sessions (for the first time ever!) at Reilly’s Summer Seat Farm on November 23rd and 24th! We’ll be shooting by the Christmas trees and I’ll have some fun props to add some color. The sessions are 30 minutes long and include 25 custom-designed, flat holiday cards (5×7, 5×5, or snowflake-shaped 3×3 inserts (great if you already have your cards, and they make awesome ornaments!) You’ll be emailed an online proofing gallery on November 25th, which will remain active for one month. If you make your image selections for your holiday card by the 26th, we’ll have your cards ready for you by the first week of December! The session fee is $150. Sessions are limited!