Tag Archive for: family

North Park Senior Portrait/Family Photo Shoot: Combining Sessions

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The last senior portrait session I wrote about made me chuckle because it was a high school guy who was obliging his parents. This session was later that same day and this high school senior guy actually requested me for his portraits! That felt awesome—but I should point out that I’ve known him since he was a little boy. His mom and I go way back and it was such a treat to photograph him and his family!

senior guy portraits

We started by the huge pine trees off of Pierce Mill Road. I just love that setting for a high school senior guy! It’s majestic and fitting for this high school senior as I’m certain he’s going to do great things!

high school senior

This might be my favorite so I’m voting for this one as his yearbook photo! Isn’t it great that students are no longer limited to stuffy cookie-cutter portraits for their yearbook these days!?

handsome senior student

There are lots of occasions where families want to combine sessions and I’m happy to do that within the designated time for the photoshoot. We were already at the park on this gorgeous day, so why not capture a couple of shots of the whole family?

family portrait at North Park

We’re so blessed in Western Pennsylvania to have so many gorgeous settings for portraits. And what a treat to photograph this family there!

family portrait in the woods

And because portraits of husbands and wives don’t happen often enough after the wedding day!

cute couple

Cranberry Family Portraits: Cranberry Woods

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One of my favorite nearby places for photos is Cranberry Woods, a business park off of Route 228. It’s usually quiet and has lovely woods with tall grasses and if a family is looking for a location in Cranberry, this is it! But shhh! Don’t tell anyone.

This family just welcomed home a baby girl three months ago so this session is part newborn session, part family portrait, all outdoors at sunset. And we couldn’t have picked a better day, so I’m thankful for the gorgeous weather on days like these!

family portrait in the woods

Where else can a family walk through the woods without tripping on roots or fallen branches? I’m telling you this secret won’t last long.

family walk in the woods

I just love seeing siblings give kisses—is there anything sweeter when they do this without any prompting?

kisses from big brother

It’s a good idea to bring a blanket along for family pictures. I keep this navy picnic blanket with me for family sessions, and some families bring their own to compliment the wardrobe!

family portrait on a blanket

Goodness gracious, there is something that’s just so satisfying seeing a big sibling hold a baby sibling. Everything just feels right in the world.

big brother and little sister

We stopped for some portraits of this little sweetheart. At three months, she was very interested in the world around her and kept looking up at the trees. But then she’d flash a sweet smile my way when the camera got close.

baby in basket

little sis close-up

And we definitely needed to take some time to photograph this cool little dude.

cool dude leaning on a tree

I really like photographing families from above like this, but I like to give families warning that it can get pretty chaotic. And I’m not sure of why, but it does in a fun way!

the family from above

One of the things this mama was looking for in her session were portraits of her and her husband individually with each of their kiddos. And I love taking an opportunity like this to focus on the relationships between parents and their little ones.

mommy and baby

father and son

daddy and baby

mother and son

And just one more family portrait! Never believe me when I say, just one more! My finger just can’t stop at one click!

family portrait at sunset

Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Mellon Park

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About a year ago, I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family when their youngest was about a month old. You can check out that session here. It’s amazing how much little ones can change in just the course of a year and such a blessing to be able to meet up with them a year later for family portraits at Mellon Park in Pittsburgh.

family by the fountain

This big brother was so sweet with his little bro and was a model subject. I think his mama must take lots of photos of him at home!

family seated on a blanket

We started at some of the most popular locations for photos at the park before the crowds filled in for a festival that was being held there.

walking hand in hand through Mellon Park

I love this park, it’s one of my favorites and most of the sessions I’ve done here have been closer to sunset. But coming here in the morning and working with the sun rising on the opposite side from where it sets presented a nice challenge in that I found some new and lovely spots that work well in the morning light, like this gate below.

portrait by the gate of the walled garden

Family portraits with little ones can be a little bit tricky getting everyone to smile and look at the camera at the same time. I love this more candid shot where mama was just tickling her little one. That got him to smile!

mom and dad tickles and giggles from the boys

We wanted to capture some images of the boys together and getting them off of their feet is my go-to approach when they’re little like this, so this park bench in the lower walled garden was just the thing!

boys on the park bench

kisses from big brother

boys looking over their shoulders

Throwing our kiddos up in the air is such a natural thing to do when we’re trying to get them to laugh and have fun. It just happens effortlessly in sessions and I love to capture this. It never gets old.

momma throwing her boy up in the air

Look at these two handsome little guys sitting so nicely on this blanket!

boys seated on the blanket

And we ended this session with lollipops, which are such a great motivator for smiles. But the little bro dropped his and ended up forgetting about it so this lucky guy wound up with two!

daddy let him have two lollipops!

What a great start to the day!

Pittsburgh Family Portrait: Sometimes the Best Location is Right at Home

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I’m a huge fan of backyard portraits especially for families with young children. It’s less pressure on the whole family and it captures a place where the family has spent most of their time together. And in the particular case of this session, when it started to sprinkle, we didn’t need to reschedule and just moved inside until the rain stopped. Plus this bubbly little girl was so proud to show off her bedroom!

lifestyle family portrait

Just love seeing families walking together holding hands.

walking through the backyard

Big smiles coming from this little man on his swing.

riding on his swing

Love how her personality is just beaming here.

big sister close-up

Piggy back and high-fives!

piggy back high fives

What a sweet, unscripted moment.

kisses for daddy

And here’s the whole family sitting so nicely with their dog! And that’s one more reason why portraits sessions at home are awesome because it’s easy to just add in the family pet.

family portrait with their dog

The giggles in this image were provided by their daddy, who would run up and tickle them and then run behind me. Sometimes as a parent of young children, you end up with a workout during a family portrait session.

giggling at daddy

This should be a must-have in all family portrait sessions, because it all starts here.

husband and wife

And this big sister really had her heart set on being photographed on mommy and daddy’s bed. It was a silly and fun way to end a great session!

upstairs on mom and dad's bed

Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Why Scheduling at One-Month Old is Not Too Late

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I got an email from this mama inquiring about a newborn session for her one-month old daughter. And the timing was perfect—I had an opening the next week. While there are a lot of recommendations out there for photographing newborns before they are two weeks old, I think this particular session goes to show the benefits of scheduling beyond those first few weeks.

bright-eyed baby

Just the way she holds her head up and makes eye contact is so amazing! Babies learn and grow so quickly and it’s so neat to see how this baby girl is starting to interact with the world around her.

baby smile

She’s looking into her daddy’s face and really studying him.

looking at her daddy

kisses from daddy

Love the lighting in this nursery.

mom and dad looking at their baby

And how baby girl is looking up at her parents!

baby looking up at mom

One last image before wrapping up this post, this view from the top of their stairs caught my eye as we were going back downstairs, this window light was irresistible so we stopped for a quick portrait.

a new family from above

With a lifestyle approach to this session, there’s no pressure for tedious posing or outfit changes, and it’s ok if the baby is sleeping or awake. So it’s a much less stressful approach for the baby and parents! When I left their home, this dad mentioned that he had fun and was relieved that it went so smoothly. And the mom said she couldn’t imagine trying to pose a baby and was so glad for the lifestyle approach. With a pleasant experience and a natural feel to the photos, I wholeheartedly feel that lifestyle photography is the way to go.