Tag Archive for: portraits

Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Keeping Sessions Stress-Free At Home

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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 Maternity and Newborn Photography: Being a Part of Our Child’s Story in Pictures

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Compared to the number of newborn sessions I photograph, I don’t get to capture many maternity sessions. I have no sure way of knowing why that’s the case, other than to remember my own feelings about being photographed when pregnant. Also, let me just say, these are my feelings and in no way, reflect on this radiant couple. I adored photographing their maternity and newborn sessions and am using their images to make a point – this special time in their lives is so fleeting and how wonderful that they can look back on it through these photos!

expecting parents on a walk through the woods

maternity portrait

I suspect it’s two things: the first and most likely is that many women don’t feel particularly beautiful in their last trimester of pregnancy; and secondly, all of their energy is focused on getting ready for their baby. I understand. But it is truly one of the most remarkable times in a woman’s life!

soon-to-be-mom and dad

getting ready for their baby

And I’m not writing to try and sell more maternity sessions, but I want to encourage moms to be photographed with their children all throughout their lives. I feel sad when I get contacted about a newborn session and the mom doesn’t want to be in the photos. What a loss! Of course, it’s wonderful to capture that sweet baby at just a few days or weeks old, but such a big part of that baby’s story is missing if parents aren’t included in the photos.

first family portrait

When I look back at photo albums my mom put together, one of my favorite things is seeing what my mom and dad looked like as I was growing up. And look at this dad – he’s baby-wearing and in front of their greenhouse full of lovely fruits and vegetables! It’s all a part of telling their story.

dad wearing his baby

And when I look back at my son’s newborn sessions, I’m glad that I was a part of the photos too. Because, gosh darn it, I was doing the amazingly incredible hard work of being mama and I’m proud of that!

mama and her baby

I’m so glad when I get the opportunity to photograph this special time in other family’s lives. What a blessing!

baby sleeping in mama's arms

Pittsburgh Children’s Portraits: Embracing the Mood of Your Photo Shoot

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Sometimes kids like this sweet little girl can be very serious when it comes to participating in a photo shoot. She was pleasant and didn’t seem to mind being photographed, but she just wasn’t feeling like smiling that day. It could have been the hot weather that made her sleepy, but despite the efforts of her family and myself, we couldn’t get her to smile. And as these things go, she probably smiled as soon as we left North Park! But I find these images which capture her sweet nature and thoughtfulness, can be just as meaningful—if not more, than a big cheesy grin.

little girl close-up

little girl pointing

This might be my favorite portrait of her from this session. Such a tiny sweetheart!

little girl sitting on a chair

As far as props go, I like using things that are functional and natural like books, chairs and bubbles. We used all three of those in this session!

young family reading a book to their daughter

Ah, the wonder of bubbles!

little girl watching bubbles

And in this last shot, I don’t think she was consciously posing, but I find it so endearing!

is she posing?

I’d love to hear from parents on your thoughts about smiling vs. serious portraits and what they mean to you!

Spring Siblings Session: Timing is Everything

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I had the pleasure of photographing my nieces a few weeks ago while visiting my family in Central PA and these sweet girls and their mama were so ready for this photo shoot! That’s one of the many things that makes photographing little girls so much fun – they enjoy the process. Even the youngest enjoyed her time in front of the camera!

three sisters walking in garden

One of the challenges we faced was that their preferred location for group shots was an enclosed garden with limited access – think banker’s hours. While you can photograph portraits anytime of day outside, there really are just two ideal times of day: within an hour or two after sunrise or an hour or two before sunset. For this first set of photos, we didn’t have that option, but were blessed with overcast skies at 4 p.m.! Hallelujah!

little girls in the tulip garden

walking hand in hand in the garden

under a cherry tree

ring-around-the-rosie

The sun peeked out again toward the end of our time in the garden, so we ducked under this pagoda for softer light.

under a pagoda

After sunrise or before sunset, the light is softer and lower, which is beautiful and means less unflattering squinting and shadows. AND it’s more forgiving for the photographer because while I’m shooting in manual mode, I don’t have to make as many adjustments for the light and can focus on staying with my client and capturing emotion and personality. For their individual portraits, we were able to do just that at a public location closer to sunset.

children's portrait

on-location kids photography

And the following morning, just after sunrise, we did another mini session with this sweetheart who just turned one!

first birthday portrait

so big!

My talented sister is a blessing to her daughters in so many ways, but one way that she completely outshines any other mom I know is the birthday parties she throws. Just look at these handmade flowers for her littlest daughter’s first birthday party! What a fun backdrop for a few portraits in their own home!

birthday girl clapping

all ready for her party

Snow Day! Documenting My Boys At Play

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A few weeks back we had a snow day, one where it wasn’t so cold that my boys could actually play in it for a while. The conditions were gorgeous and my boys were chomping at the bit to get out there and play, and my one condition was that they had to wait for me to run and grab my camera! As a mom photographer, you’d think I document everyday like this, but it’s too easy to shoot more than you have time to edit, so when a gorgeous snow day comes along like this, I can’t resist—even if I have two-years worth of our own family’s photos to print!

playing in the snow

I started with my youngest who is still not certain if he likes playing in the snow.

watching snowflakes fall

I think he is starting to realize that this is more fun for me than it is for him.

close-up

But not so for my oldest, he loves playing in the snow.

walking downhill

playing with his snowman

And when my little asked to go inside, he lingered by the door to watch his big brother at play.

little brother is torn about playing in the snow

snowman games

smiling for mom

He’s thinking, “Ok, enough with the photos already!” Good sport, though and one of my two sweetest, most mischievous, lovable little guys.

being silly for the camera