Tag Archive for: photographer

A Mother’s Boutique: Local Business Feature

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I’m pleased to kick off a new series featuring some of my favorite local businesses that cater to new moms. As a newborn photographer and a mom, I love to pass on great finds like this first local business feature: A Mother’s Boutique. It is the byproduct of owner, Judy Masucci’s transition into motherhood, as she saw a unmet need for clothing for breastfeeding moms. While there are lots of chain maternity stores, Judy noticed that nursing tops were very limited and after countless hours of scouring the internet for stylish nursing clothes, she decided to do something about it and launched her business in 2007. Today, she continues her quest for the best products for new mothers including nursing bras, breast pumps, and baby carriers. And she’s become a real expert in bra fitting and even offers virtual bra fitting online for moms who aren’t within driving distance to her Wexford store.

a store for new moms in Wexford

One of the things I really like about Judy and her store is that she only employs moms so when you are there with questions, there’s always someone with helpful insight. And her team of experts includes birth and post-partum doulas and a certified lactation counselor. One of the reasons Judy decided to leave her corporate job and venture into small business was to help other moms with breastfeeding. She had some difficulties getting started with breastfeeding her own son and wanted to offer support to other moms interested in breastfeeding. Each purchase online or in person comes with very helpful and beautifully-designed informational pamphlets about breastfeeding. From the boutique’s blog, to the facebook group, to the mom’s group that meets at the store, A Mother’s Boutique is much more than a retail store. The store also hosts childbirth classes, and a cesarian support group called ICAN.

owner of A Mother's Boutique

Since the start of her business, Judy has developed a niche in nursing bras and offers an extensive selection. Oh, how I wish I knew about this store before. I am definitely looking forward to shopping there for our next baby. I told Judy that I felt like an absolute slob the whole time I was nursing because I just tried to make it work with the clothes I already had and really didn’t know there were so many great products out there that make it so much easier to nurse in public and still look good! Anyway, back to the bras, she offers sizes up through N cups, so everyone can find a cute, well-made and functioning nursing bra.

stylish nursing bras

Her products are made all over the world—from Australia to Singapore, and are mostly offered by other small business. Judy said, “they’re all moms who became a mom, saw a need, and did something to solve it.”

“We try to focus on things that moms need,” she said. “My goal is really to support the mom in what she wants to do. I try to carry products to empower moms to meet their own goals.”

Just this week, A Mother’s Boutiuque was featured on NBC Nightly News in a story called Built for Success about women-owned businesses, which I think is a just one more reason that this store is worth checking out! You can check out a YouTube video of the show here. Congrats Judy!

In-Home Maternity Session: Janelle and Andre

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I mentioned photographing Janelle and Andre’s engagement session in a previous post about Janelle and Andre’s newborn session. I’m a bit out of order with this post because this session took place during the holidays at their home in Point Breeze, just two weeks before baby Lucas was born! I know they had a lot going on amidst the holiday hustle and bustle, but Andre was intent on making this session happen. He loved Janelle’s baby belly and wanted to be sure they’d have images to remember it by. Isn’t that sweet?

husband and wife maternity portrait

Let Your Love Show
In my post about baby Lucas, I recalled loving photographing Janelle and Andre’s engagement session. They’re just so comfortable with each other. So it’s easy to capture that natural emotion because they’re not afraid to be affectionate in front of the camera. Take this next shot as an example.

mom- and dad-to-be

Bedrooms Are a Great Place for Maternity Sessions
We did most of these shots in a bedroom upstairs. And I wanted to show a bit of the gorgeous trees outside their window, so I mixed in some light with the natural light in the room.

proud parents

Gosh, they’re so cute.

husband kissing expecting wife

Belly Shots
Pregnant bellies are beautiful and these images are a great way to show children where they came from and that they were loved even before they were born.

pregnancy photography

dad kissing the baby belly

Getting Ready for the Baby
 When you’re expecting your first, there’s no doubt you’re going to accumulate lots of sweet details for your baby. Here are just a few items that are special to Andre and Janelle. They might not be able to hold onto the items themselves over the years, but a photo is a great way to hold on to these sweet sentiments.

baby shoes with mama and daddy

baby bear hat and booties

It’s easy to see, this baby is loved like crazy.

If you’re looking for a maternity or newborn photographer, let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

Baby Steps

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I’m clearing out some cobwebs after a month or so of blogging since photographing my last wedding. Week after week, I’ve thought, I should probably get back to blogging. But I need to admit I’ve been deliriously distracted—my husband and I welcomed the most wonderful baby boy you ever saw into the world this Fall (right in the midst of the wedding season—thank goodness for a good plan B and some fantastic support from a few good friends). Anyway, we’re starting to settle into a rhythm with our Little B and are mesmerized with all of the fun things he discovers each day.

And as I’m learning to balance my roles as a mommy and photographer, I’m taking my own baby steps to get back into the swing of things. And for my first post of the new year, I had some help from Little B! We ventured out into the snow a few weeks back at a park in my neighborhood. Actually, Little B sat his car seat in the warmth of our car while I hoped out and snapped some inspired landscapes without having to walk more than a few steps from the car.

snowy trees

branch with pinecones

snowy bark

Yay! I did it! Yep, I’m cheering for myself, because I’m learning to celebrate the little things. I’m hoping to share some images of Little B in my next post. I just need to figure out which ones…

Sneak Peek: Charleston, SC – Destination Wedding Photographer

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A big Congrats to Courtney and Matt, dear friends of mine who were just married in Charleston, South Carolina. They planned a gorgeous destination wedding there at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina and I so happy to have been a part of it. This sneak peek was hard to do because I had a hard time narrowing down the photos to share, but I’ll share lots more in the full blog post sometime next week.

getting ready

Courtney looked absolutely stunning. I’m partial of course, but she just beamed. And she had an amazing garland of orchids and ivy to wear in lieu of a bouquet.

bridal floral garland

And Matt and his groomsmen were staying cool as they waited for the ceremony to begin on the pier over the harbor.

groom and groomsmen

The pier made for an awesome aisle for Courtney and her dad to walk down. In my next post, I’ll share an image of the shoes she wore and it just baffles me to think about how she walked down the pier so gracefully in her stilettos.

bride and father walking down aisle

Their ceremony was really sweet with nervous giggles and a fun story from Courtney’s childhood. But, what I loved most was the way they looked into one another’s eyes.

wedding ceremony on Charleston Harbor

The bridal party was a fun group. And they all look so good together!

bridal party

We walked back to the beach for some more photos before heading to the reception.

Charleston SC destination wedding photography

I also wanted to share a photo of Courtney’s bridesmaids and this one kept coming back to me because they are having so much fun in it. One of the bridesmaids felt something slide down her backside, it was a bobby pin and the photos that followed were pretty funny.

laughing bridesmaids

And last, but not least, here’s a portrait of the lovebirds.

bride and groom

Courtney and Matt, congratulations! I am so happy for you two and pray that you will be blessed beyond measure!

Pittsburgh Maternity and Newborn Photography: Babies and Bellies

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Over the last year, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing some fantastic maternity and newborn sessions here in Pittsburgh. These sessions are a real treat as a photographer because it is amazing to work with expecting moms and their little bundles of joy. I love to witness the miracle of pregnancy and babies. So I’m excited to share this slide show with images from some of my favorite sessions. I will soon be updating my portfolio and packages pages with information about maternity and newborn sessions, but I didn’t want to wait until then to share this slide show. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area and interested in a maternity or newborn session, please send me a message!

If you’re interested in a maternity or newborn session, here are a few things to keep in mind. Timing is everything. The best time for a maternity session is in the third trimester, between week 32 and 36. The timing for newborn sessions is even more crucial because it’s better to photograph newborns while they are asleep. And you can only count on them to really sleep soundly during their first two weeks. I know that is a short time-frame, especially considering a mom needs time to recuperate from giving birth and adjusting to life with her baby. But if you can make it work, a newborn session within the first few days of life is so worth it! It’s best to contact me at the beginning of your third trimester so that we can start to talk about scheduling and preparing for your maternity and newborn sessions.

My introductory rate for each session is a $150 sitting fee. A web gallery with a minimum of 25 images will be available within two weeks of the session. There is a required purchase of $350 worth of prints or other products from the web gallery for each session.