In-Home Newborn Portraits: Baby Tyler

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Boy is this little babe a cutie! I am just getting caught up on some blogging from last year when I had the pleasure of photographing baby Tyler and his first family portrait. This on-location session took place in Cranberry, Pa., in the family’s living room. During our pre-session consultation, Tyler’s mom, Lisa, and I discussed the best location for shooting this session, and when I heard about the French doors in their living room, I knew we’d have plenty of natural light in the afternoon.

Thoughtful Details Made by Grandma
It was important to Lisa to incorporate some of the handmade items her mother had knitted for her new grandson. So we laid the blanket on the giant bean bag that I use for posing and dressed Tyler in his matching hat and sweater. I know I’ve mentioned before how I love to incorporate some of the baby’s blankets and accessories, but I can only imagine how Tyler’s grandma loves having this photo with her grandson dressed in the clothes she took so much time to knit for him.

Pittsburgh newborn photo

Getting Newborns to Smile
If I knew how to make newborn babies smile, I’d be a lucky lady. But when it spontaneously happens in front of my camera, you can bet I’ll be clicking away. I think it was Lisa’s voice that made him smile like this. But I consider this a special treat, because a smile by a newborn is a rarity!

baby dressed as an apple

Telling Your Story in Natural Light (When Possible…)
I always come to my sessions equipped with studio strobes and other lighting gear, but when there is gorgeous natural light like this, I go for it because it’s the most beautiful light if you ask me. If this family were any bigger, I’d need to add more light with studio strobes to ensure the right depth of focus so that everyone’s eyes are sharp. So I’d never define myself as a natural light photographer solely, because there are certain situations that really call for additional lighting and I think that’s one of the things that separates professional photographers from amateurs.

baby's first family portrait

Lifestyle Portraits Can Be The Most Meaningful
This image of Tyler with his dad is one of my favorites from the session. I knew it was important to capture as this was one of the images Lisa had mentioned wanting during our pre-session consultation and we went about it in a few different ways as far as posing and lighting goes. But this image is the most natural and I think it really shows the bond of father and son.

father and son newborn photo

If you or someone you know is looking for meaningful newborn photography, here’s another post that gives a great overview of custom newborn photography by Captivating Imagery.

Sweet Newborn Photography: Baby Gabriel

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I’d like to take some time to introduce this precious little baby I had the pleasure of photographing a few weeks ago. Baby Gabriel is the latest in a cluster of little boys to be born among my friends from church here in Pittsburgh. And we’re so excited to add this tiny fellow into the mix!

baby

BYOBB – Bring Your Own Baby Blankets!
His mom brought some wonderful handmade baby blankets and toys which is a great way to personalize your session. And we really loved seeing him snuggle up to this knit bunny.

Pittsburgh newborn photography

The Best Time to Photograph Your Newborn
During the session, Gabriel was just about two weeks old—that’s about as old as I like to photograph newborns because they become more and more alert and there’s just so much more we can do with infants who sleep most of the time during their first two weeks. Anyway Gabriel was so easy going, asleep or awake. He even cooperated for this shot by curling up over his knees while on his tummy.

infant on small bed

Not every baby will do that…including mine! I remember trying to get my son to pose for a similar shot and he was not having it. He hated tummy time from the very start!

First Family Portraits
And one of my favorite parts of newborn sessions are the first family portraits. Carolyn and Joe, you two are naturals!

baby and parents

Don’t you just love little feet? And look at them next to his mom and dad’s hands. I love that.

baby feet

Isn’t it hard to resist kissing your baby? With boys, I figure we should squeeze all of the kisses in while we can!

mama kissing baby

Babies in the Buff
And I know we don’t normally hold our little ones in the buff for practical reasons, but isn’t he precious? That’s why I like to have newborns nude for most of their photos. Their is no need to buy cute little outfits for their newborn photos because nothing is better than seeing your baby (tastefully posed) in his birthday suit!

two weeks old

Below is a slideshow I put together to present the images from Gabriel’s session to his parents. If you’re expecting and would like to schedule a maternity or newborn session, check out this overview of our custom newborn photography.

Baby Lucas – Pittsburgh Newborn Portraits

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I’m so blessed by this latest newborn session. I got to meet Lyndsey and Stev’s little bundle and he was such a good baby! I can’t believe how cooperative he was with our shenanigans. Take the first image as an example, he even made sweet baby faces for us. What a blessing!

baby in a laundry basket

This was just one of those sessions that I couldn’t have imagined going better, but I have to share a funny story. And it will give you a little glimpse into what actually happens behind the scenes of these sweet, naked baby photos. Baby Lucas did #1 and #2 (who doesn’t?). But he did his business during the family portrait, in his daddy’s arms and it got all over his white shirt…meanwhile Lyndsey and I burst into laughter and Stev was just mortified (even though we did talk about this as a possibility beforehand). We’re friends from church, so I feel like I can tease them a bit. So we were laughing hysterically as we ran for the wipes and paper towel and Stev must have thought we were pretty insensitive, until a few minutes later when little Lucas got his mama too. Then he thought it was really funny! But that is just part of newborn shoots. It just comes with the territory and it’s no big deal, and sometimes it can make for a good laugh. And minutes later, we’re once again captivated with what a special time this is in the life of this precious family.

mom, dad, and baby

After a while, little Lucas got very sleepy and even took a nap for us in this suitcase…

baby in suitcase

…and wash tub. And we couldn’t have asked for more!

baby in a wash tub

Congrats to Lyndsey and Stev on the birth of their sweet baby boy! Baby boys are such a blessing and I know he will be blessed to have such wonderful parents! Also, if you’d like to see some images from their maternity session done by my friend and talented fellow photographer, check them out at Third Floor Orchard.

Introducing Little B!

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I’m finally taking some time to introduce the little guy who has been my muse over the past four months. He has many nicknames ranging from Angel Baby to Crab Cake, but his blog name will be Little B. I think it took me so long to post photos of him on my blog because there are always more photos that I want to create. In fact, I just processed and retouched two more photos before sitting down to write this post. I guess you could say he’s my special on-going photo project that will last as long as he lets me. So here are some of my very favorites starting somewhere around two weeks old.

sleeping baby

I know someday he’ll really dislike this photo below, but I hope he’ll eventually get a laugh out of it.

beefcake baby

And here he is for his dedication with his Daddy!

all dressed up

Couldn’t resist a photo with the Miller jersey!

Steelers baby!

I was so excited that he could sit up in this chair—it’s a family heirloom. And I can’t help but brag because he is looking pretty dapper for his Christmas portrait.

Christmas baby portrait

I mentioned that he’s my muse for photos, but he’s also inspired me to get in touch with my crafty side. So in addition to snapping his photo, I’ve been sewing like a mad woman and made him this bomber jacket and aviator hat. He wasn’t too crazy about sitting in the chair so I didn’t push it by waiting for him to smile. Plus, I think I’ll like seeing his melancholy face some day when I’m looking back. I know most people like to see their baby smiling in photos, but I want to remember all of his precious faces.

aviator baby

I love finding things that I can sit him in or use to prop him up. And this suitcase from my mom and throw blanket from my sister were a perfect match.

baby in a suitcase

That’s it for now. I’ll be sure to share more as we go. But for the moment, I think I’d just like to cuddle him.

Cute-As-A-Button Newborn Photos

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I know the title to this post is a bit boastful, but I think I can get away with it as a proud aunt. I got to visit my sweet niece, Kynleigh, just about a month ago and she is an absolute bundle of cuteness. Normally, I like to do newborn portraits in the studio, but with my sister living four hours away, this session was definitely going to be on-location at my sister’s home in Baltimore. After a day or so of cuddling with her, my mom, sister and I unloaded my car full of gear and props and made a crazy mess of my sister’s living room. It took a while for little Kynleigh to adjust to the change of scenery, but once she settled in we had so much fun! Here are a few favorites from our session:

bunny baby

Kynleigh has no shortage of cute accessories and this bunny hat is perfect for a springtime baby. My sister made prints of this image as Easter gifts for our mom and her mother-in-law.

newborn in a white cap

I think this one above is my favorite. I love how she is cuddling her arms close to her face.

baby in a hammock

We, very carefully, placed Kynleigh in this hammock. What you don’t see is my mom laying on the floor beneath her and my sister close at her side. I know that hammock is very secure, but there’s something unnerving about seeing a newborn suspended underneath a small tree branch, so we take every precaution.

close up of a baby

Just some more cuteness. I think she was actually quite comfy hanging there.

apple for the teacher

And last, but not least, we put her in this apple cocoon. This little one could snooze! It was at least a full four hours of changing her accessories, moving her, and posing her, intermixed with the usual needs of a newborn such as feeding and changing. She was pretty tuckered out and was like clay in my hands!