Hartwood Acres is a favorite location and a popular one when the garden is in full bloom. It’s not hard to see why, what a lovely setting for a family portrait in July! I’ll start with a favorite shot of these sisters—their mama challenged them to a staring contest and the giggles were just about to bust out!
The mansion at Hartwood Acres offers so many lovely angles and opportunities for standing or seated portraits like this one.
This family brought their own blanket and I love how it naturally brings them close without any posing required.
This is another favorite of the two sisters.
We also did some individual portraits of the girls.
Moments before this portrait, this dad almost caught a butterfly! It keeps photo shoots fun when families can be playful like that!
And one thing all moms and dads should do is be photographed together without the kids, because they were husband and wife before they were parents!
If you or someone you know are interested in updating your family portrait, I’d love to hear from you! Please use this contact form to get in touch.
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-09-07 16:40:212018-09-07 16:40:21Pittsburgh Family Portraits: In Full Bloom at the Garden
This is my second family portrait session with this beautiful family—they are in different phases of foster-to-adopt with their daughters. If you have an interest in fostering or adopting a child, I highly recommend you check out the post from their previous session. I thought about not blogging this session because this post will be limited to images that don’t show the girls’ faces (for their protection), but there’s so much good here (and I’m not talking about the photography!) that I couldn’t skip this opportunity to share a bit about this family’s story.
The love they have for these children is so touching. Of course these darling children are lovable—and they will be loved as if they were biological, but what gets me is the risk families take in opening their hearts and homes to lovingly fill a gap in a child’s life, all without the guarantee of knowing that they’d be able to stay. That’s the thing about love, there’s always a risk. And true love isn’t about what you’ll receive in return, but the bravery and sacrifice that comes from the heart.
This is their oldest and I was blessed to be able to photograph his adoption last year.
If you, or someone you know is fostering to adopt, I’d love to hear from you! I’m planning a day of sessions for families who are opening their hearts and homes and would love to include you!
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-09-03 15:30:322018-08-31 18:06:45Pittsburgh Family Portraits for Foster and Adoptive Families
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!
This family just moved in to thier new home and the yard offered lots of variety without the need for going to a park.
Seeing little ones tossed in the air by their daddies never gets old, just look at how she’s smiling!
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!
Swings are another favorite and natural photo op for littles!
Isn’t it cute how this sweetie is admiring her big sister?
And then she turns to the camera and cuteness overload! What a fun session!
If you’re interested in having your family photographed, please get in touch here—I’d love to hear from you!
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-08-31 17:18:162018-08-31 17:18:16Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Keeping Sessions Stress-Free At Home
The first few weeks after bringing baby home come with a huge adjustment—it’s a wonderful, yet sleep-deprived time, marking the beginning of that precious one’s life and the beginning of a family’s story. Being a handful of years beyond that time, I can look back and say that I’m glad I hired a photographer to capture my sons as newborns and that I could be in the photos! We had both photo shoots done at our home and I remember feeling relieved that we didn’t have to go anywhere, because that took so much energy! And since we’ve moved, our photos in our old home are that much more meaningful to us now. Here’s a newborn session from earlier this summer and as I talked with this mama, she mentioned that she hadn’t heard of in-home newborn sessions before and was so glad to be able to schedule one for her baby.
Their loft had lovely light and this baby was so content.
It’s so nice to see this dad’s feelings for his son.
We headed to the rooftop terrace in their building for a family portrait with a view!
This baby boy seemed to like the sounds and fresh air and how sweet to see this mom and dad enjoying this moment!
If you’d like to plan for a newborn session in your home, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me here.
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-08-24 15:50:452018-08-24 15:50:45Pittsburgh Newborn Photography: Keep It Simple with an At-Home Session
When we first talked about what this mom had in mind for her family portraits, she mentioned almost apologetically, that they’d like to keep their look casual to reflect how they dress on a regular basis. And I said, “of course, please do!” because that is one of the things I love about being a lifestyle photographer—there’s no need to be anything but yourself, no pressure, no pretense.
While this family chose to represent their day-to-day look, they carefully chose their wardrobe with complimenting shades and a fun dress to highlight their daughter who just celebrated her first birthday.
We met at one of my favorite spots by the lake at North Park. It’s a great location for families with little ones, because there’s a decent variety of scenery within a short distance.
No family portrait session with little ones is complete without dad tossing a kiddo in the air!
Lately, I’ve had some wonderful luck with a dog walking behind me at just the right time. This was one of those times!
Yay! This big girl even clapped on que. I think she enjoyed her first birthday photo shoot.
If you would like to schedule a session, please contact me via this form – I’d love to hear from you!
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2018-08-03 13:22:442018-08-03 13:22:44Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Keeping It Authentic with a Casual Look
Pittsburgh Family Portraits: In Full Bloom at the Garden
/by kmillerHartwood Acres is a favorite location and a popular one when the garden is in full bloom. It’s not hard to see why, what a lovely setting for a family portrait in July! I’ll start with a favorite shot of these sisters—their mama challenged them to a staring contest and the giggles were just about to bust out!
The mansion at Hartwood Acres offers so many lovely angles and opportunities for standing or seated portraits like this one.
This family brought their own blanket and I love how it naturally brings them close without any posing required.
This is another favorite of the two sisters.
We also did some individual portraits of the girls.
Moments before this portrait, this dad almost caught a butterfly! It keeps photo shoots fun when families can be playful like that!
And one thing all moms and dads should do is be photographed together without the kids, because they were husband and wife before they were parents!
If you or someone you know are interested in updating your family portrait, I’d love to hear from you! Please use this contact form to get in touch.
Pittsburgh Family Portraits for Foster and Adoptive Families
/by kmillerThis is my second family portrait session with this beautiful family—they are in different phases of foster-to-adopt with their daughters. If you have an interest in fostering or adopting a child, I highly recommend you check out the post from their previous session. I thought about not blogging this session because this post will be limited to images that don’t show the girls’ faces (for their protection), but there’s so much good here (and I’m not talking about the photography!) that I couldn’t skip this opportunity to share a bit about this family’s story.
The love they have for these children is so touching. Of course these darling children are lovable—and they will be loved as if they were biological, but what gets me is the risk families take in opening their hearts and homes to lovingly fill a gap in a child’s life, all without the guarantee of knowing that they’d be able to stay. That’s the thing about love, there’s always a risk. And true love isn’t about what you’ll receive in return, but the bravery and sacrifice that comes from the heart.
This is their oldest and I was blessed to be able to photograph his adoption last year.
If you, or someone you know is fostering to adopt, I’d love to hear from you! I’m planning a day of sessions for families who are opening their hearts and homes and would love to include you!
Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Keeping Sessions Stress-Free At Home
/by kmillerThis 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!
This family just moved in to thier new home and the yard offered lots of variety without the need for going to a park.
Seeing little ones tossed in the air by their daddies never gets old, just look at how she’s smiling!
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!
Swings are another favorite and natural photo op for littles!
Isn’t it cute how this sweetie is admiring her big sister?
And then she turns to the camera and cuteness overload! What a fun session!
If you’re interested in having your family photographed, please get in touch here—I’d love to hear from you!
Pittsburgh Newborn Photography: Keep It Simple with an At-Home Session
/by kmillerThe first few weeks after bringing baby home come with a huge adjustment—it’s a wonderful, yet sleep-deprived time, marking the beginning of that precious one’s life and the beginning of a family’s story. Being a handful of years beyond that time, I can look back and say that I’m glad I hired a photographer to capture my sons as newborns and that I could be in the photos! We had both photo shoots done at our home and I remember feeling relieved that we didn’t have to go anywhere, because that took so much energy! And since we’ve moved, our photos in our old home are that much more meaningful to us now. Here’s a newborn session from earlier this summer and as I talked with this mama, she mentioned that she hadn’t heard of in-home newborn sessions before and was so glad to be able to schedule one for her baby.
Their loft had lovely light and this baby was so content.
It’s so nice to see this dad’s feelings for his son.
We headed to the rooftop terrace in their building for a family portrait with a view!
This baby boy seemed to like the sounds and fresh air and how sweet to see this mom and dad enjoying this moment!
If you’d like to plan for a newborn session in your home, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me here.
Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Keeping It Authentic with a Casual Look
/by kmillerWhen we first talked about what this mom had in mind for her family portraits, she mentioned almost apologetically, that they’d like to keep their look casual to reflect how they dress on a regular basis. And I said, “of course, please do!” because that is one of the things I love about being a lifestyle photographer—there’s no need to be anything but yourself, no pressure, no pretense.
While this family chose to represent their day-to-day look, they carefully chose their wardrobe with complimenting shades and a fun dress to highlight their daughter who just celebrated her first birthday.
We met at one of my favorite spots by the lake at North Park. It’s a great location for families with little ones, because there’s a decent variety of scenery within a short distance.
No family portrait session with little ones is complete without dad tossing a kiddo in the air!
Lately, I’ve had some wonderful luck with a dog walking behind me at just the right time. This was one of those times!
Yay! This big girl even clapped on que. I think she enjoyed her first birthday photo shoot.
If you would like to schedule a session, please contact me via this form – I’d love to hear from you!