Tag Archive for: kids

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!

North Park Family Portraits: Staying Positive When Kiddos Won’t Smile

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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!

family portrait warm-up

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.

little girl taking a fun break with dad

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.

big brother by the lake

So charming!

handsome close-up of this little boy

And here are some favorite shots of this little lady enjoying having her photo taken.

perfect little lady

I love how she’s posing here. No one would know she didn’t feel like having her photo taken earlier.

little girl sitting pretty on a chair

To keep the fun going, mom brought a wagon and dad pulled them around.

riding in a wagon

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!

family portrait with kids in a wagon

This mama also brought a picnic blanket and it’s a good thing because the ground was really dewy that morning.

family portrait on a blanket

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!

family on a wooden bridge

These kiddos were so good and did such a great job, so we ended this session with some fun on the playground.

fun on the swings

I just love seeing the joy on her face. Oh to be two again!

a joyful way to end this session

Pittsburgh Family Portrait

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Here’s a fun backyard session from a few weeks back. And by backyard, what I should really say is gorgeous nature walk through the woods. And it actually is the backyard of this awesome nature-loving family!

But let me start with the kids, they are real charmers, even asking if I wanted to be in one of the photos. How sweet!?!

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And here’s the whole family. Doesn’t it look like they were having fun? We kept the shoot light and low on the fuss factor. And for families with younger children, I think that’s really important. As soon as an adult on the shoot (photographer included) gets fussy and frets about stray hairs or posing, the kids disconnect and it becomes challenging for everyone. With that being said, props to this mom who had everyone ready to go, so the moments leading up to the shoot were low-stress and the kids were in a great mood.

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They spend a lot of time down by the creek and we shifted into more of a lifestyle photography approach.

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I really love lifestyle photography because it combines portraiture with everyday life – carefully planned to highlight our memories in the best possible light. As a photographer and a mom, that’s what I feel will be most precious to my family in years to come.

Olivia, Katie and Lily: a little lady and two beautiful babies

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Children’s portraits have always fascinated me. Not being a mother myself, I can really appreciate how mothers can encourage the tiniest of babies to smile and no less, soothe their crying. This is all the more important in the studio when the photographer has the perfect shot lined up, it’s truly magic when it all comes together. Here are a few sweet portraits of some of the cutest little ladies in my neighborhood.

Olivia

Pensive Olivia

Katie

Lily