Merry Christmas from the Millers: Lifestyle Photography for Holiday Traditions

December 22, 2017/by kmiller

Christmas time is special for families because there are lots of wonderful traditions to be passed down. And I love these traditions and enjoy documenting them so that I can look back on them with with happy tears when my sons are grown. Each year I think to myself, “it’d be great to create a whole album of photos telling the story of our Christmas traditions.” And then I remember that I have two-years worth of photos to print (that’s my New Years resolution). So maybe next year I can get around to making a Christmas album? But for now, I’d like to share some of the traditions we’ve documented this year.

Our traditions start right after Thanksgiving with the search for the perfect tree, which in our family, is one that’s not too wide or tall. Something like this:

This is the first year we cut our own tree and I’m so glad my husband suggested it, because my boys loved watching their daddy “chop down the tree.”

It is so sweet to see my boys want to help their dad.

Then comes the family portrait. You might think this is a breeze for me being a photographer, but I have to be honest—self portraits with my family generally make me grumble under my breath. I set the camera on a tripod and use a remote shutter. The running back and forth to check my settings and forced smiles alternated by frantically coaxing our children to look at the camera, should be enough for me to plan ahead and hire a photographer next year before the busy season kicks in. After all of my grunting and fussing, I’m glad to have this shot. And I’m totally fine with the smirk on my youngest. His day was not going the way he wanted it.

Now that my oldest is learning to write, I will definitely be taking annual photos of letters to Santa. I’m so proud of his new skills and someday I will love looking back on what he was requesting.

We are very blessed to have Santa visit our new neighborhood and I prefer this image over a photo with Santa at the mall any day. What a sweet moment!

And when you’re the mom and photographer, sometimes your camera gets messy. With our cookie baking tradition, my camera had a light dusting with flour…

I love this shot of me with my son. I handed my husband the camera and he captured this sweet moment and I don’t mind if its a little out of focus.

These cookies still aren’t iced as I type this post, but that’s ok, we’ll get to it tomorrow.

Wishing those who celebrate a very merry Christmas!

Pittsburgh Weddings: Five Fillies Farm and Westminster College

November 8, 2017/by kmiller

This is charming couple featured on my homepage, at least until I update my portfolio this winter. But I have been really looking forward to photographing their wedding! We met in Pittsburgh for their engagement session and their wedding took place much farther north from there on the lovely Five Fillies Farm. They picked this venue so they could bring along their four-legged fur baby, Zeus. And it was a picturesque setting to boot!

We headed to nearby Westminster College for their portraits after the ceremony. It was a five-minute drive and had lovely old buildings and lots of greenery. And some of my favorite shots were the ones that came most naturally. I should explain—but first, here’s one disclaimer: if I was getting married tomorrow, I’d probably have a Pinterst board. So I’m not going to hate on Pinterest. But I will say, it slows down the process when you’re trying to recreate an image in lighting and composition with two different people in a different location. So when I have wedding Pinterest board, I plan ahead and choose a few shots that are achievable in the given time and location and start with them first. Then once we’ve accomplished the couple’s requests, I move on to some light posing that seems to come more naturally, like suggesting the couple walks hand-in-hand, or sits next to one-another looking into each other’s eyes. Without a photo for reference, couples move more naturally and are more confident when following simple directions.

Their reception was lots of fun and full of dancing, but my personal favorite was the mobile wood fired pizza vendor, Earth Wheel and Fire. It was delicious and such a fun addition to their menu. And at sunset, they were willing to step out for a photo in the brilliant purple and pink sky as the sun set on the farm. And then back to the barn for more dancing! Congratulations to this happy couple!

Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

September 12, 2017/by kmiller

A very good place to start! This session took place when this wee one was just 7 days old. And she was awake for almost the whole hour and was so content! We started in this family’s gorgeous foyer. It had ample window light and lots of room so that I could back up and use my favorite lens.

It’s so sweet to see parents swoon with delight when their baby yawns.

This might be my favorite shot of the session. I love seeing their faces so close together—the loving kiss of a mother and her baby so contented in her arms.

We moved out to their front porch on this unusually cool day in August. Just look at that sweet pouty face.

I love how the light highlights her features while she rests in her daddy’s hands.

And this lovely nursery is going to be home to some wonderful memories!

At just seven days old, it’s hard to stay awake long. So this sweet slumber is a perfect conclusion to our session.

Congratulations and blessings to this sweet family!

Pittsburgh Newborn Session: Baby Snuggles and Sibling Troubles

August 22, 2017/by kmiller

I know full-well the struggles families face when welcoming a new baby home. I am a first born and have been told how much it rocked my world when my little sister came along and I’ve been able to witness it all over again with my oldest son as well. It’s really tough for some kids and when it’s tough for a kiddo, mom and dad are feeling it too. We have this crazy mix of emotions wanting to love on the new baby and protect our big kids from feeling left out. I’m sharing all of this personal experience because this darling family had a big sister who had mixed emotions about her baby brother’s arrival like so many of the older siblings I’ve photographed during newborn sessions. I guess you could say, a photo shoot has a way of bringing it all out and I’m sensitive to that.

I have a few things I like to do to help older kids feel special. First, I like to say hello and build a little rapport. And if they’re willing, I take a moment to photograph big sibs all by themselves or with a parent so that they don’t feel like it’s only about the baby. Then I ask them to kiss the baby and give them a lot of praise for being a good sibling.

And on this particular session, the big sister wanted to wear mommy’s lip gloss and her mama approved, so we captured this sweet and funny moment. Luckily, mama had make-up wipes on hand!

Now that we could check off this very important family portrait, I could shift my focus to this sweet baby boy.

Really love the sweet simplicity of this bright-eyed boy on his mom and dad’s bed. Congrats to this precious family!

Cranberry Newborn Portraits: Scheduling the Best Time for Your Baby

July 11, 2017/by kmiller

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!

Tag Archive for: photography

Merry Christmas from the Millers: Lifestyle Photography for Holiday Traditions

Pittsburgh Weddings: Five Fillies Farm and Westminster College

Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

Pittsburgh Newborn Session: Baby Snuggles and Sibling Troubles

Cranberry Newborn Portraits: Scheduling the Best Time for Your Baby

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