I’m a huge fan of backyard portraits especially for families with young children. It’s less pressure on the whole family and it captures a place where the family has spent most of their time together. And in the particular case of this session, when it started to sprinkle, we didn’t need to reschedule and just moved inside until the rain stopped. Plus this bubbly little girl was so proud to show off her bedroom!
Just love seeing families walking together holding hands.
Big smiles coming from this little man on his swing.
Love how her personality is just beaming here.
Piggy back and high-fives!
What a sweet, unscripted moment.
And here’s the whole family sitting so nicely with their dog! And that’s one more reason why portraits sessions at home are awesome because it’s easy to just add in the family pet.
The giggles in this image were provided by their daddy, who would run up and tickle them and then run behind me. Sometimes as a parent of young children, you end up with a workout during a family portrait session.
This should be a must-have in all family portrait sessions, because it all starts here.
And this big sister really had her heart set on being photographed on mommy and daddy’s bed. It was a silly and fun way to end a great session!
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-09-07 10:42:052017-08-22 16:03:57Pittsburgh Family Portrait: Sometimes the Best Location is Right at Home
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.
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/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
First birthdays are one of my favorite milestones to photograph. At one year old, little ones are so full of surprises and parents are brimming with excitement to celebrate their baby’s first birthday. It’s such a sweet occasion and it’s hard not to smile when I’m editing the images.
I love the curiosity that this sweet girl has for this book and how mom and dad are so enjoying sharing it with her.
Getting this cutie pie to smile was effortless with her mommy and daddy at her side.
So loved!
We started this session at 7:30 a.m., what a great start to the day!
I love moments like these that aren’t real contenders for being framed and hung on the wall, but they show the sweet interaction that happened even when this family wasn’t looking at the camera.
And to conclude this post of non-stop sweetness, here’s a piggyback chase!
Happy birthday, sweet one!
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-31 14:36:382017-08-22 14:38:18Cranberry Family Portraits: Celebrating a First Birthday
I am a big fan of backyard family portraits. I think I mentioned that a time or two. So when I got an email for a multi-generational family portrait here in Cranberry, I was thrilled! It was coordinated by a daughter as a gift for her parents during the family’s get-together at the grandparent’s home. Sweet! And she also mentioned that their family has exploded in the last few years with four kids ages 2 and under. Can I just be honest and share that’s a bit intimidating? It is, but I like a challenge.
First I’ll share the whole family as that’s where I like to begin when everyone is fresh and ready to go. I find that the best shot of the whole group is one of the first few images I shoot, so it’s important to have everything ready to go on my end, so that the first few shots are not a loss.
Then we break off into smaller groupings like this one of the grandparents and their grandchildren. For this one, I ask one or two parents to get behind me and do a little pep rally to get their kiddos looking in my direction. I’d say, they did great!
And then we go through and do a bunch of different combinations based on the family’s requests.
And when the kids start getting restless and we’ve covered the list of must-have groupings, it’s time to photograph kids being kids, my favorite part!
The dads suggested the boys race and I think this is one of my favorite shots!
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-29 10:47:342017-08-17 14:33:09Cranberry Family Portraits: Multiple Generations
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!
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2017-08-24 13:16:372017-08-17 13:47:29Moraine State Park Maternity Session: Sharing the Love by the Lake
Pittsburgh Family Portrait: Sometimes the Best Location is Right at Home
/by kmillerI’m a huge fan of backyard portraits especially for families with young children. It’s less pressure on the whole family and it captures a place where the family has spent most of their time together. And in the particular case of this session, when it started to sprinkle, we didn’t need to reschedule and just moved inside until the rain stopped. Plus this bubbly little girl was so proud to show off her bedroom!
Just love seeing families walking together holding hands.
Big smiles coming from this little man on his swing.
Love how her personality is just beaming here.
Piggy back and high-fives!
What a sweet, unscripted moment.
And here’s the whole family sitting so nicely with their dog! And that’s one more reason why portraits sessions at home are awesome because it’s easy to just add in the family pet.
The giggles in this image were provided by their daddy, who would run up and tickle them and then run behind me. Sometimes as a parent of young children, you end up with a workout during a family portrait session.
This should be a must-have in all family portrait sessions, because it all starts here.
And this big sister really had her heart set on being photographed on mommy and daddy’s bed. It was a silly and fun way to end a great session!
Pittsburgh Newborn Sessions: Why Scheduling at One-Month Old is Not Too Late
/by kmillerI 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.
Cranberry Family Portraits: Celebrating a First Birthday
/by kmillerFirst birthdays are one of my favorite milestones to photograph. At one year old, little ones are so full of surprises and parents are brimming with excitement to celebrate their baby’s first birthday. It’s such a sweet occasion and it’s hard not to smile when I’m editing the images.
I love the curiosity that this sweet girl has for this book and how mom and dad are so enjoying sharing it with her.
Getting this cutie pie to smile was effortless with her mommy and daddy at her side.
So loved!
We started this session at 7:30 a.m., what a great start to the day!
I love moments like these that aren’t real contenders for being framed and hung on the wall, but they show the sweet interaction that happened even when this family wasn’t looking at the camera.
And to conclude this post of non-stop sweetness, here’s a piggyback chase!
Happy birthday, sweet one!
Cranberry Family Portraits: Multiple Generations
/by kmillerI am a big fan of backyard family portraits. I think I mentioned that a time or two. So when I got an email for a multi-generational family portrait here in Cranberry, I was thrilled! It was coordinated by a daughter as a gift for her parents during the family’s get-together at the grandparent’s home. Sweet! And she also mentioned that their family has exploded in the last few years with four kids ages 2 and under. Can I just be honest and share that’s a bit intimidating? It is, but I like a challenge.
First I’ll share the whole family as that’s where I like to begin when everyone is fresh and ready to go. I find that the best shot of the whole group is one of the first few images I shoot, so it’s important to have everything ready to go on my end, so that the first few shots are not a loss.
Then we break off into smaller groupings like this one of the grandparents and their grandchildren. For this one, I ask one or two parents to get behind me and do a little pep rally to get their kiddos looking in my direction. I’d say, they did great!
And then we go through and do a bunch of different combinations based on the family’s requests.
And when the kids start getting restless and we’ve covered the list of must-have groupings, it’s time to photograph kids being kids, my favorite part!
The dads suggested the boys race and I think this is one of my favorite shots!
Moraine State Park Maternity Session: Sharing the Love by the Lake
/by kmillerI 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!