Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Keeping Baby’s Wardrobe Simple

I love photographing babies simply swaddled or dressed in a basic onsie. It’s funny how when a parent is getting ready for their baby to arrive, it’s so much fun to shop for their clothes and get all of the warm, fuzzy feelings that go with anticipating our baby wearing them. So when I suggest dressing a baby simply for my sessions, I know that’s hard to do as a parent. We are so excited for our baby to be photographed and there are so many outfits to choose from, but I think this recent session illustrates how lovely and timeless a simple swaddle or onsie can be.

baby sleeping on a moose

One of the benefits of dressing a baby simply is that you don’t have to do an outfit change, which irritates most babies and by going with a soft onsie or swaddle, the baby is comfortable and more likely happy. This little guy sure way.

sleeping in his mama's arms

Even their dog was super relaxed!

family dog meets baby

They had great window light on the landing of their stairs, so we made a quick stop on our way up to the nursery.

mom and dad admiring their baby boy

so snuggly!

More great window light in the nursery too! Just love these images of mama with her baby.

mama and baby

kisses from mommy

And dad gets a turn too.

daddy kisses too!

When you’re a baby, yawning is adorable.

big yawn, sleepy baby

This might be one of my favorite shots of the session. Just look how this little sweetie is studying his dad!

checking out his daddy

This last one pretty much sums up how meaningful this time can be. Two adoring parents and a brand new baby, what a great start to this family’s story!

sweet family

Lifestyle Sessions: A Great Choice for Young Families

I’ve been blessed to photograph this two-year old sweetheart since he was 4-months old and it has been a treat to photograph his family over the last two years. I love their desire to document their little guy’s development and that they’re not coming to the session with an expectation that he’ll want to sit and pose. Because when you’re two, you’re always on the move, unless your napping that is. I’ve learned with my own sons that it’s best to try and capture the moment rather than try to force a vision and I’m seeing more families opt for less stress and go for a lifestyle approach. I think you’ll see, it’s more authentic and so rewarding to get shots that show our child’s personality.

boy swinging at Avonworth Community Park

We met at Avonworth Community Park off of Camp Horne Road. It has a great playground for little ones to explore.

on the playground

This little cutie loved the swings, so we spent a good bit of our time capturing him swinging with his parents taking turns pushing.

on the swings

mommy pushing son on swings

And then he wanted his friend Mickey to swing too!

letting kids play during portrait sessions

He also liked this tree which had perfectly low branches for climbing.

climbing on trees with dad

While lifestyle photography aims at capturing moments, getting a family portrait is definitely on my mental checklist. It may not be posed and depending on the situation, I might have a stuffed Mickey Mouse on my head! It worked.

lifestyle family portrait

sweet in-between moments

close up of mom, dad and son

What a great way to start the morning!

Pittsburgh Newborn Session: Knowing When to Reschedule

I have been waiting to photograph this session since before my friend was pregnant—I just knew she’d be a good mom and was so excited when she shared her news with me! Well, the session was just as delightful as I had anticipated. Actually better, thanks to this mama trusting her gut instinct!

mom singing to baby

This little sweetheart has been having tummy issues and just wasn’t feeling good, so her mommy new it would be best to reschedule. And thankfully with the prayers and support of her friends and the wisdom of her doctor, this sweet baby is feeling so much better! Her mom said she was uncomfortable most of the time, so for her baby to go from being mostly unhappy to only crying when she needed something was a huge blessing!

kisses for baby

I just love the personality of this sweet girl at just over two months!

baby looking at mommy and daddy

She even smiles for her first family portrait! Disclaimer: this is not the norm for any newborn, but being slightly older helps!

Pittsburgh-newborn-portraits-003

After a few portraits by the light of the front door and some of them on the couch, we moved to mom and dad’s bedroom which had lots of lovely natural light. Isn’t this a sweet scene? Watching your baby sleep is such a joy!

watching baby sleep

And I like this image too because while it could seem like it should be an out-take, my friend is looking at her husband to see his reaction. It was a moment where I feel like she was thinking, “should I pinch myself? Is this real?” I should ask her if that was what she was thinking, but I think that’s part of a natural response to becoming a parent.

mom looking at dad's reaction

We moved this little sweetie three times during her nap and she would rouse each time, but her mama had all of the soothing tricks down and could easily help her baby fall back asleep.

working her mommy magic to help her baby fall asleep

When they were pregnant, they chose not to find out the baby’s gender and decorated the nursery with an outer space theme. What a beautiful and creative idea to inspire their little girl as she explores her world!

mom and baby in nursery

My friend has many talents and this planetary mobile is one of her many inspiring creations!

outer space themed nursery

It’s Nearly Springtime, That Means Wedding Season is Soon Here!

I’m just a tad bit exited for the 2018 wedding season! After a few years of working for another great company photographing weddings while my children were little and needed more of my time, I am excited to begin offering wedding photography again through Captivating Imagery! And to kick things off, I’ll be at the Cavanaugh Bride Show in Cranberry today to say hello again to fellow vendors and meet new brides and their trusty sidekicks!

And just to reassure that this comeback to photographing weddings for Captivating Imagery isn’t a coming out of hiatus, here’s a smattering of some of the weddings I’ve photographed for the unmentioned, yet awesome, company I worked with for the last few seasons.

a grand entrance to their wedding reception

d-10

wedding vows

kissing at West Park

bride and groom walking through Sewickley

bride and groom at Avonworth Park

pittsburgh-wedding-10-01-2016-050

Molly&Vivek-255

bride and groom on the field at PNC

TwelveOaksMansionWedding-003

Maria&Doug-1945491-183

embrace after the ceremony

ceremony

bride getting ready

beautiful bride

dancing at the wedding reception

Pittsburgh Newborn Session: Photo Shoots can be Exhausting for Babies

This recent newborn session was chock-full of cuteness with a sweet baby girl and her siblings. So I’ll just start with my favorite: I can’t get enough of seeing these siblings love on their baby sister.

big brother holds baby sister

What better place for a family portrait than a couch, especially this one with lots of nearby windows and soft natural light!

family portrait on the couch

This baby girl is in for lots of kisses and tickles from her big sibs!

brother and sister checking out baby

kissing baby sister

This session was such a breeze, but this baby girl wasn’t able to fully sleep though all of the passing back and forth and an outfit change or two. So I suspect she was ready for a long nap after I left!

daddy and baby

Isn’t it sweet to see a parent look into their baby’s face? It’s such a sweet expression of love! I love photographing newborns one-on-one with mom and dad for just that reason.

kisses from daddy

smiles from mommy

mommy snuggles

And I hope that mom and dad got some rest too! Life sure looks busy with three little ones!