Tag Archive for: in-home

Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Keeping Sessions Stress-Free At Home

This early morning family portrait session didn’t involve getting everyone out of the house on time, getting stuck in traffic, or irritated kiddos. It was peaceful and pleasant as in-home sessions should be. When I got there, the kids were well rested and just finishing up breakfast. Now, I should note that I’m a morning person and I’ve seen how morning sessions can really benefit families who are inclined to be up early anyway, but if that’s not you, an early evening session may be best for your family—because when photographing in natural light outdoors, you really want the best light at the beginning or end of the day. My only caveat to this schedule is photographing newborns indoors which can be done most any time of day. Ok, back to this sweet family!

front porch family portrait

This family just moved in to thier new home and the yard offered lots of variety without the need for going to a park.

mama and baby

Seeing little ones tossed in the air by their daddies never gets old, just look at how she’s smiling!

fun with daddy

I enjoy seeing loved ones cheek to cheek, and when we get cheek to cheek with a loved one, our faces tend to light up and you can just feel the love!

cheek to cheek

Swings are another favorite and natural photo op for littles!

on the swing

Isn’t it cute how this sweetie is admiring her big sister?

sisters

And then she turns to the camera and cuteness overload! What a fun session!

cuteness overload

If you’re interested in having your family photographed, please get in touch here—I’d love to hear from you!

Pittsburgh Newborn Photography: Keep It Simple with an At-Home Session

The first few weeks after bringing baby home come with a huge adjustment—it’s a wonderful, yet sleep-deprived time, marking the beginning of that precious one’s life and the beginning of a family’s story. Being a handful of years beyond that time, I can look back and say that I’m glad I hired a photographer to capture my sons as newborns and that I could be in the photos! We had both photo shoots done at our home and I remember feeling relieved that we didn’t have to go anywhere, because that took so much energy! And since we’ve moved, our photos in our old home are that much more meaningful to us now. Here’s a newborn session from earlier this summer and as I talked with this mama, she mentioned that she hadn’t heard of in-home newborn sessions before and was so glad to be able to schedule one for her baby.

mama and baby on the couch

Their loft had lovely light and this baby was so content.

baby close-up

It’s so nice to see this dad’s feelings for his son.

father and son

We headed to the rooftop terrace in their building for a family portrait with a view!

First family portrait

This baby boy seemed to like the sounds and fresh air and how sweet to see this mom and dad enjoying this moment!

baby snuggles with mom and dad

If you’d like to plan for a newborn session in your home, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me here.

Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Keeping Baby’s Wardrobe Simple

I love photographing babies simply swaddled or dressed in a basic onsie. It’s funny how when a parent is getting ready for their baby to arrive, it’s so much fun to shop for their clothes and get all of the warm, fuzzy feelings that go with anticipating our baby wearing them. So when I suggest dressing a baby simply for my sessions, I know that’s hard to do as a parent. We are so excited for our baby to be photographed and there are so many outfits to choose from, but I think this recent session illustrates how lovely and timeless a simple swaddle or onsie can be.

baby sleeping on a moose

One of the benefits of dressing a baby simply is that you don’t have to do an outfit change, which irritates most babies and by going with a soft onsie or swaddle, the baby is comfortable and more likely happy. This little guy sure way.

sleeping in his mama's arms

Even their dog was super relaxed!

family dog meets baby

They had great window light on the landing of their stairs, so we made a quick stop on our way up to the nursery.

mom and dad admiring their baby boy

so snuggly!

More great window light in the nursery too! Just love these images of mama with her baby.

mama and baby

kisses from mommy

And dad gets a turn too.

daddy kisses too!

When you’re a baby, yawning is adorable.

big yawn, sleepy baby

This might be one of my favorite shots of the session. Just look how this little sweetie is studying his dad!

checking out his daddy

This last one pretty much sums up how meaningful this time can be. Two adoring parents and a brand new baby, what a great start to this family’s story!

sweet family

Pittsburgh Newborn Session: Photo Shoots can be Exhausting for Babies

This recent newborn session was chock-full of cuteness with a sweet baby girl and her siblings. So I’ll just start with my favorite: I can’t get enough of seeing these siblings love on their baby sister.

big brother holds baby sister

What better place for a family portrait than a couch, especially this one with lots of nearby windows and soft natural light!

family portrait on the couch

This baby girl is in for lots of kisses and tickles from her big sibs!

brother and sister checking out baby

kissing baby sister

This session was such a breeze, but this baby girl wasn’t able to fully sleep though all of the passing back and forth and an outfit change or two. So I suspect she was ready for a long nap after I left!

daddy and baby

Isn’t it sweet to see a parent look into their baby’s face? It’s such a sweet expression of love! I love photographing newborns one-on-one with mom and dad for just that reason.

kisses from daddy

smiles from mommy

mommy snuggles

And I hope that mom and dad got some rest too! Life sure looks busy with three little ones!

Pittsburgh Newborn Session: Photos with a Full Belly

This little sweetheart was just two weeks old when I got to photograph him and his is darling parents. And he started out the session a little fussy – his mama had an unplanned guest visit the hour before the session and she didn’t get the time to feed him beforehand like she had planned. And I can really identify with her, not wanting to turn someone away and hoping that everything would work out. Well, this little sweetie just wasn’t having it, so she took a break to feed him and what a turnaround once he had a full belly! He was so content and it was a breeze documenting this angel and his sweet family.

brand new baby

bright eyes

Look at how content this little guy is.

what I like to call a baby sandwich

father and son

mama and baby

This one of my favorite ways to photograph a baby. I love seeing babies in their mother’s arms, they’re happy that way and what a beautiful representation of this special time.

babe in arms

family portrait on the bed

Just look at those bright eyes! And this little guy is so content, he doesn’t even fuss at being in his crib.

newborn portrait in crib

I also love the simplicity of swaddling a baby.

baby swaddled

And then there are these sweet baby feet! My baby fix has been met and I’m excited for all that’s ahead for this sweet family!

baby feet!