First birthdays are one of my favorite milestones to photograph. At one year old, little ones are so full of surprises and parents are brimming with excitement to celebrate their baby’s first birthday. It’s such a sweet occasion and it’s hard not to smile when I’m editing the images.
I love the curiosity that this sweet girl has for this book and how mom and dad are so enjoying sharing it with her.
Getting this cutie pie to smile was effortless with her mommy and daddy at her side.
So loved!
We started this session at 7:30 a.m., what a great start to the day!
I love moments like these that aren’t real contenders for being framed and hung on the wall, but they show the sweet interaction that happened even when this family wasn’t looking at the camera.
And to conclude this post of non-stop sweetness, here’s a piggyback chase!
Happy birthday, sweet one!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-31 14:36:382017-08-22 14:38:18Cranberry Family Portraits: Celebrating a First Birthday
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
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
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
