Christmas at Home: What Better Place for Your Christmas Portraits?

December 20, 2017/by kmiller

As the holidays near, families are looking for that Christmas card-worthy photo. And what better place to do that than in your own home? This year’s photos are a fun mix of families and kids and babies with the excitement and cheer that only Christmas can bring. My favorite shot of the season is with this family in their Christmas jammies. This mama has a ton of Christmas spirit and her family is in for a treat over the holidays.

And Christmas time is so much fun for babies too. This baby’s mama mentioned that she pre-cleaned this strand of lights before their session. So cute!

I’m sentimental, so it means a lot to me to photograph my sons in front of their own Christmas tree. I think the mama of these cuties pies feels the same way.

And this little sweetie even had a reindeer ready for her photos! I love seeing all of the fun families have with getting their kids excited about Christmas!

Baby Portraits: Six Months Old and Celebrating!

November 22, 2017/by kmiller

This session is very close to my heart — my niece just turned six months old and we got to celebrate with a photo session. And while I may be pretty biased, this is one gorgeous baby girl!

And here’s my sister, an awesome mom to her three little girls.

I love this photo because baby girl is so proud as she looks over at her sisters while standing!

It’s so much fun to photograph a new skill, like sitting up.

When she’s not gazing into daddy’s face, she’s looking over his shoulder at mommy.

My sister’s home has a lovely entry with lots of natural light, and the girls liked sitting perched up high on the stairs.

sisters

This little lady is getting ready to crawl!

The big sisters were ready for their turn—and they know how to pose!

I love her sweet and sassy ways!

This last one might be a favorite. As a mom, I just love seeing my boys together in photos. And I love seeing my nieces all together too! So much love in one split second!

Oakland Family Portraits: Walking Between Locations Gives Kids a Break

November 15, 2017/by kmiller

When I used to think of photographing in Oakland, engagement sessions or weddings come to mind. But after this recent family session there, I really love this area by the Cathedral of Learning for families. This family didn’t have any ties to the University of Pittsburgh, but recently moved here from another big city and appreciate a more urban setting. We started at steps of the Carnegie Library.

The beauty of the architecture and landscaping offered lovely lines and bright splashes of color for this portrait of these sweet little sisters.

And then they wanted to switch positions and this little sister planted a kiss on her sister’s cheek.

This whole session took place on the corner below the Cathedral, so we could just walk from location to location. These little girls did so well too!
Their mama was wise to choose this location knowing that moving around would keep them happy.

We are blessed to have such beautiful scenery in Pittsburgh. I think this is my favorite shot of the family.

And we planned to stop at the PNC Carousel in Schenley Oval to complete our session. It was a great reward for the girls too!

I love photographing clients on this carousel, but the best shots are really right before and right after the ride, because with the up and down and spinning movement, getting a shot where everyone is visible can be tricky.

Family Portraits and Overcast Skies—These are a few of my favorite things!

November 1, 2017/by kmiller

I love shooting in overcast skies, especially family portraits, oh and I love The Sound of Music too. I keep finding myself using lyrics from that show in blog posts. But overcast skies are where it’s at—even lighting on everyone which is super helpful in keeping up with little ones on the move, because I don’t have to put much thought into adjusting for changing light. Because of this, I don’t think I could ever move away from Pittsburgh’s overcast climate! While we have a lot of cloudy days here, you can’t count on the weather. So whenever those cloudy days coincide with my sessions, I count it as a blessing!

The sun had started setting and the skies started to clear, so it was the perfect timing for a portrait backlit by sunset.

I love seeing kids be kids and breaking up the posed shots with fun action shots can be so good for keeping kids interested!

We were on a mission to get some more fall foliage in before the sun set completely. I love how this little one is pulling her family along as a fearless leader!

We made it in time to capture a few shots before the sun went down.

I really like this one of the four of them on the blanket. What a handsome family they are!

Cranberry Family Portraits: On-Location with Little Ones

October 25, 2017/by kmiller

I know this sweet family from church and was blessed to be able to make some portraits of them this fall. It’s great to get outside for family portraits, especially with little ones because they aren’t confined to the limits of a studio (i.e. – sitting still so that the light is right and the tripod doesn’t need to be adjusted…as a mom of two young boys, I am a firm believer in the least restrictive environment!). Although I will say, it’s a workout for parents to keep their little ones close and engaged. But the results are so worth it!