Tag Archive for: portrait

Cranberry Family Portraits: Multiple Generations

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I am a big fan of backyard family portraits. I think I mentioned that a time or two. So when I got an email for a multi-generational family portrait here in Cranberry, I was thrilled! It was coordinated by a daughter as a gift for her parents during the family’s get-together at the grandparent’s home. Sweet! And she also mentioned that their family has exploded in the last few years with four kids ages 2 and under. Can I just be honest and share that’s a bit intimidating? It is, but I like a challenge.

First I’ll share the whole family as that’s where I like to begin when everyone is fresh and ready to go. I find that the best shot of the whole group is one of the first few images I shoot, so it’s important to have everything ready to go on my end, so that the first few shots are not a loss.

multi-generational family portrait

Then we break off into smaller groupings like this one of the grandparents and their grandchildren. For this one, I ask one or two parents to get behind me and do a little pep rally to get their kiddos looking in my direction. I’d say, they did great!

grandparents and grandkids

And then we go through and do a bunch of different combinations based on the family’s requests.

family portrait

three generations

And when the kids start getting restless and we’ve covered the list of must-have groupings, it’s time to photograph kids being kids, my favorite part!

learning to walk

eating blueberries

The dads suggested the boys race and I think this is one of my favorite shots!

race you to the sidewalk!

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

first family portrait

Pittsburgh Newborn: When to Schedule Your Session

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Cranberry Baby and Family Portraits

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One of my favorite portraits during a newborn session is a close-up with baby’s eyes wide-open and gazing into the camera. And this sweet girl was ready for her close-up!

newborn close-up

I met this family at their home in Cranberry and one natural spot for a family portrait is on the couch where families tend to gravitate when spending time together. And this precious little one was wide-awake as she studied her adoring family.

newborn and family

I love seeing kisses from big brother or sisters. And this little guy seemed to genuinely want to give his little sister kisses.

kisses from big brother

All smiles here, minus baby girl, who just drifted off into sleep.

the whole family

I’m also a fan of portraits of mamas with their babies. When my littles were newborns, I remember wanting to take selfies with my babies all of the time! I think it must be the excitement of finally getting to hold our babies in our arms after anticipating their arrival for 9 months.

mama and baby

And here’s a full-length capture of this little sweetheart. And I just want to point out that her skin isn’t retouched. When I made the shift to capture my clients more naturally, I made a conscious decision to stop retouching skin. After looking at some of my first son’s newborn portraits and regretting how I smoothed over the sweet imperfections in his skin, I was careful not to make the same mistake with my second son. And since then, I’ve shifted my business goals for creating flawless portraits to capturing genuine images with good lighting and an emphasis on natural beauty.

baby girl full-length portrait

Cranberry Family Portraits

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Family portraits can be tricky especially when multiple families are involved, but this family made it easy and I got to photograph them in their beautiful wooded backyard again so this session was a walk in the park, or more literally, the woods. Ha!

We started with the largest group so I could make sure we achieved their main goal, which was the whole family in one portrait, as part of the family lives overseas so that doesn’t happen very often.

extended family portrait

Then we did smaller groupings of the individual families.

family portrait in woods

With all of the foliage, I brought along some lighting gear, especially to accommodate the extra depth of focus needed for larger groups in low-light. And I love how the light blends with the natural light of the sun, bringing some dimension to the trees in the background and highlighting them from behind.

young family portrait

Here’s a shot with all of the grandchildren.

grandchildren portrait

And this brother and sister were really having fun while their grandma was making them laugh from behind my camera.

siblings portrait

I’m a sister, and my close cousins are both sisters, so sisters portraits are so sweet to me. We have lots of portraits like this one throughout our family.

sisters portrait

And while we were at it, we couldn’t leave out the couples. It’s always nice to remember who we were before becoming parents and take a little stroll down memory lane.

husband and wife portrait

married couple portrait

grandparents portrait

With a little time left in our session after crossing off all of the groupings they wanted for their portraits, we headed down the path to this beautiful lake. It’s so vivid with the setting sun, that I feel like I have to note that it’s not a backdrop or manipulated in Photoshop. This is the real deal, and it is gorgeous!

large family portrait