I got an email from this mama inquiring about a newborn session for her one-month old daughter. And the timing was perfect—I had an opening the next week. While there are a lot of recommendations out there for photographing newborns before they are two weeks old, I think this particular session goes to show the benefits of scheduling beyond those first few weeks.
Just the way she holds her head up and makes eye contact is so amazing! Babies learn and grow so quickly and it’s so neat to see how this baby girl is starting to interact with the world around her.
She’s looking into her daddy’s face and really studying him.
Love the lighting in this nursery.
And how baby girl is looking up at her parents!
One last image before wrapping up this post, this view from the top of their stairs caught my eye as we were going back downstairs, this window light was irresistible so we stopped for a quick portrait.
With a lifestyle approach to this session, there’s no pressure for tedious posing or outfit changes, and it’s ok if the baby is sleeping or awake. So it’s a much less stressful approach for the baby and parents! When I left their home, this dad mentioned that he had fun and was relieved that it went so smoothly. And the mom said she couldn’t imagine trying to pose a baby and was so glad for the lifestyle approach. With a pleasant experience and a natural feel to the photos, I wholeheartedly feel that lifestyle photography is the way to go.
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-09-05 10:38:302017-08-22 15:41:59Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Why Scheduling at One-Month Old is Not Too Late
I tend to walk a lot when photographing people at a park and for this maternity session at Moraine State Park, we had the extra benefit of cool sand for this mama’s sore feet. Some of the best shots took place at or near the water. But before getting our feet wet, we walked along the bike trail and for some of the beautiful natural surroundings by Lake Arthur.
The bike trail at this park provides a great way to get into the woods while wearing sandals and a dress. This mama looked amazing, but she certainly did not come dressed for a hike, so the paved bike trail was a blessing!
Love close-ups of the bump, especially through the leaves!
Here they talked sweetly to the baby, they are so ready for this!
And as the sun began to set, we headed to the beach.
I’m singing “kissing on the dock of the lake, waisting time” followed by a whistle interlude…
It was a gorgeous evening spent with these soon-to-be parents. Congrats and blessings to you both!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-24 13:16:372017-08-17 13:47:29Moraine State Park Maternity Session: Sharing the Love by the Lake
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!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-22 12:38:002017-08-17 13:11:12Pittsburgh Newborn Session: Baby Snuggles and Sibling Troubles
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!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-07-11 13:53:492017-07-11 13:53:49Cranberry Newborn Portraits: Scheduling the Best Time for Your Baby
There are two ideal times of day for outdoor portraits when it comes to finding the best light: early morning and early evening. And depending on the time of year, your family’s makeup and routines, one of those times will be much better than the other. In the summer, I might suggest as early as 7 or 7:30 a.m. and I know that sounds like madness at first, but for some families with young children it makes a lot of sense because kids can wake up well before then. Plus, it’s still cool and the kids are still well rested. As a mom myself, I can say hands down, that my children are at their best in the morning. I’m sure that’s not the case for all little ones, but I think it generally applies to most children. And with my children, they’re less consistent in mood and behavior closer to dinner time, so for now, we are best photographed in the morning. And from a photography standpoint, the shadows are more spacious and open shade is where I like to spend most of my time photographing families because the light is even and soft. You really want to have the light coming from a low angle, behind or from the side, just not from above like it would at noon, causing squinting or shadows in the eyes. And for a warm, sunny look, it’s nice to use the sun as a back light in the early morning or at sunset.
But for the most part, I look for open shade, because kids like to move around a lot and I can focus on capturing the moment rather than having the distraction of continually adjusting my exposure in the changing lighting. On overcast days, lighting is a breeze just about anywhere and we have a lot of days like that in Pittsburgh, but you can’t count on it, so it’s best to plan for closer to when the sun is rising or setting. And if your family is not made up of morning-people, then early evening is your best bet. It is really the better of the two best times of day, because shooting into sunset, the light gets prettier and prettier, where as shooting after sunrise, the light gets increasingly harsh as the sun continues to rise. But that’s not to say that you can’t capture great portraits in the morning.
Another trick I like to use for little ones on the move is to bring chairs. Not for their form, but all for function. When you have the right sized chair, kids will sit for a bit, and this was the perfect way to keep these darling two-year old twins off of the wet grass and stationary enough to get them looking at the camera at the same time. Plus, their mama’s trick of singing Happy Birthday with some fun variations got them giggling and we all started cheering for them and what a good job they were doing and it was like magic!
We walked around their neighborhood in Mars, Pa., and stopped at the community playground for some candid shots on the playground. This is such a natural opportunity for lifestyle photography. Love the smiles when kids are at play.
It’s unscripted, pure joy at this age!
And we walked back to their home for some portraits in front of their front door, which happened to be in open shade.
After getting some great shots of the family, we brought in their dog for a few. What a sweet family!
And if you’re not sure what time of day, suits your family, give me a call. Sunset and sunrise changes throughout the year, so there’s a wide range of times depending on the season. I’d be happy to help you figure out your best bet!
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-06-28 06:36:362017-06-28 06:37:13Mars Family Portraits: Scheduling for Your Best Time of Day
