I first met the Elder family at last year's Mama & Me mini sessions. So when Mom emailed me that she was expecting another baby and wanted me to photograph her son's newborn photos, I was really excited to catch up them! It really is so much fun for me to photograph families repeatedly and over time. It's amazing to watch a family change and grow as they grow their own family. When I first met them, they were a young family with an adorable toddler and now they had a new baby brother! Big brother Max is just as adorable as when I first met him!! He was so excited to love on his baby brother Leo and hold him for some hugs. Photographing young children with their new baby siblings can sometimes be tricky, but he was happy to hold Leo for a few quick photos before he was ready to run and play again. As a family and newborn photographer, I've learned how to focus on those quick moments, however fleeting, to capture the memory that the family can cherish for a lifetime!

After taking a few family photos of Leo with his parents and big brother, I started to set up for the posed newborn photos. When walking into a client's home, I first look for the best lighting. I look for lighting and the best room to set up for family photos but also a great big window with natural light for the posed newborn shots. Since I only shoot with natural light, finding the right light in their home is crucial. Sometimes that means I'm crammed into a doorway, kitchen or playroom. For Leo's session, I found a great spot in the corner of their living room, right in the middle of Max's toys. But he was understanding and let me move his toys around so I could set up my big bean bag pillow, which he of course wanted to jump on! I always let siblings check out my bean bag when I put it out....it's so tempting to play on! Mom decided she wanted to use gray, black, white and mint as those were the colors used in Leo's nursery. I brought lots of color options for mom to choose from and we also decided to use some different shades of blue in some of the set ups. Mom also had a few special quilts that were made for the family by her grandmother. I really love it when families want to include a personal item in their photos - it really makes their images extra special and unique!

When I met baby Connor, it was one of those sunny, beautiful March mornings in Pittsburgh. My family had just returned from a trip late the night before, but I loaded up on coffee and headed over to the Jordan family's home to photograph their new baby boy. We started with their family photos and had to include their sweet dog, Samson, in the photos. Although I do not think Samson would have allowed us to take too many photos without him in them somewhere! He was super cute, very curious about baby Connor and was eager to check him out in the crib! We captured some lifestyle images of the new family together in Connor's nursery and made sure to include Samson. Connor's grandparents had gifted the new parents a beautiful painting of The Velveteen Rabbit, one of mom's favorite books as a child, that was hung over his crib. They wanted to try and capture some images together in front of the painting as it was so special to their family.

Once we finished the family portraits in the nursery and their living room, I started setting up for the posed newborn photos. Mom decided that she wanted to incorporate neutral colors and various shades of blue in his posed photos. I brought a variety of options and we selected some fabrics, textures and colors that she would like me to use. He was already swaddled in this beautifully textured neutral wrap from the family portraits, so I went ahead and started with the bucket prop set up and went with neutral and brown colors. I also used different textures, like fur, burlap, and wood which added an interesting in the set up. Connor was sleeping so well, I was able to move through a variety of fabric backdrop set ups and poses which gave the family several options in their gallery. He was a dream baby to photograph and I loved capturing his little details and features, including the best baby belly rolls!

When mom, Deepa, contacted me about booking the Belly to Baby photography package, she knew she wanted to capture their maternity session in the snow. I was really excited because even though we live in Pennsylvania, I do not often get families who want to take photos in the snow. So this was a great opportunity to take advantage of this gorgeous backdrop we only get for a few months during the year! We settled on a location that had a large, beautiful field with tall trees and tall grass that would hold onto the snow really beautifully. This park in Adams Township is one of my favorite locations to offer sessions because it has a variety of looks to keep the photos interesting!

Booking a maternity and newborn package together is such a great way to capture these important moments, while also building a relationship between photographer and client. I knew I would be able to get to know the couple together first during the maternity session before baby arrived and everything in their life changed! Especially as first time parents, I really enjoy getting to know the couple as individuals and together during such an exciting time in their life. The anticipation of welcoming the newest member of their family is so strong during a maternity session!

Once their sweet baby boy arrived, we scheduled the newborn session and finalized the style choices for his posed newborn photos. Both parents had ideas of where they wanted to do their lifestyle family photos and they really wanted to incorporate details from their room and some of the sentimental items that their family and friends had created for their son. For his posed newborn photos, we focused on neutral, gray and blue set ups. His skin tone is so gorgeous, I really loved using the neutral wraps and light colors which really brought out his dark hair and golden skin tone. And his hair! So full, dark and gorgeous!! 

This was such a fun family to get to know during the sessions and I really loved observing them grow from a strong, loving couple into a family, caring for their sweet baby son!

I am so exited to share images from the Abel Family's session and introduce baby Maggie! I first met this family during my Christmas Tree Farm minis last year, but mom had already booked a newborn session for baby Maggie. So it was a great opportunity to meet the family and get to know the girls before I came to photograph their newborn session. Maggie would be the third girl in their family and in planning her newborn session, mom shared details of Maggie's floral designed nursery and the outfits that the family would be wearing that day. We settled on light, feminine and floral props for Maggie's posed newborn photos and mom had an adorable light pink gown and bow hat she wanted Maggie to wear in the family photos. 

We started with some family photos in the parent's bedroom. I love getting super snuggly photos of the family together, loving on the newest little addition to their family. Next, we moved over to baby Maggie's nursery which was absolutely beautiful! The floral accent wall, light colored furnishings and adorable floating bookshelves provided a well-coordinated and gorgeous little room that Maggie will be able to grow into as she gets older. I absolutely love capturing images of baby in their crib. They are so tiny and often appear even smaller when placed in the center of their large crib. But it will be a fun reminder in the years to come when she learns to pull herself to stand in the crib or even tries to climb out of it one day. I also loved that Maggie's big sisters wanted to crawl in the crib with her and they did not need any prompts to snuggle their new baby sister once they lay down next to her. 

After finishing up the family portraits, it was time to focus on sweet baby Maggie's posed newborn photos. One of the hardest things about being a traveling newborn photographer, who only uses natural light, is that I never really know what sort of situation I will be faced with once I arrive at my client's home. Luckily, we found a great spot in their dining room with a large window that was perfect for natural light and enough space to work around my props. The family also had some extended family in town visiting so it was a full house with lots of other children running around and having a ball while we shot Maggie's photos. At one point I looked up and saw three toddler and preschool girls, sitting in chairs all in a row, eating snacks and quietly watching me work. It was such a cute moment! Maggie was such a great little sleeper that I was able to push through and incorporate a variety of set ups, poses and props for her portraits. She was the best little model and I am super excited to share these images with the Abel family!

Fresh 48 sessions are quickly becoming some of my favorite sessions to photograph and I was so excited to start officially offering these sessions this year! I put out a model call for a family who would be open to me taking their photos in the hospital and include them in my portfolio. That's how I got to meet Baby Zara and her sweet family! I wanted to be able to add photos in my portfolio for Fresh 48 sessions including older siblings. These sessions are so much fun for so many reasons, but my favorite is because it's a chance I have to capture real, raw, lifestyle images at a time that is so fresh for a growing family. For any parent, we know how it feels be to be handed this fresh little baby and feel that overwhelming emotion and immediate love for this new member of your family. We go through so many emotions and experiences after giving birth, which become a blur as time goes on. That is why I wanted to be able to start offering these Fresh 48 sessions. They're meant to be taken between 24-48 hours after giving birth, before the family is discharged from the hospital. These are also minimally posed, lifestyle photos....siblings meeting baby for the first time, first bath, snuggling together on the hospital bed, and capturing those little details of a fresh new baby! 

When I met Zara's family, big sister was a little shy at first but once she warmed up to the camera, she became the most expressive little girl! She loved looking at her baby sister in the bassinet and interacted with baby from the comfort of her parent's arms. It was so wonderful to photograph the Steven's family as they welcomed their newest daughter into their family and I am very grateful for the chance to include them in my Fresh 48 portfolio!

Seeing as how today is Valentine's Day, I thought I would share a bit about me, who I love and what I love doing! I've been sitting on this blog post for a few months, trying to decide when and how to share my personal story and introduction with you all. As a photographer, it can be pretty daunting to be in front of the camera. I've been working as a photographer for 6 years now but have always been the one behind the camera. Looking through photo albums from teen years through college, I'm usually the one taking the photo. But I know now, as a mom, just how important it is to be in front of the camera. Not only to take photos of my daughter but to be in the photo WITH my daughter. What a great gift to pass on to her and something to look back on with her!!

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved photography. I used to look through photography coffee table books and even would receive them as gifts. I would obsess over each image - looking at the composition, lighting and the storytelling before I even knew what these words meant. I started taking my own photos with a simple point and shoot camera when I was a pre-teen and entered my first contest - the local county fair. I won the Tri-Color ribbon, Best Overall, for photography when I was a young teenager. That's me holding up my sunset photo! 

I graduated high school and went on to college to study child development. I completed my bachelor's degree and went on to graduate school to follow my path in becoming a Child Life Specialist. All the years I had been working with children in various settings led me to a career in child life and I was in love!!

My husband and I started traveling after we got married and I have had the opportunity to take photos in some pretty amazing locations: Germany, Amsterdam, Hawaii, Alaska, Spain and locally in Texas and Pennsylvania. I had been so focused on finishing graduate school and starting my career as a Child Life Specialist, photography went on the back burner. But traveling really helped spark my love of photography again and I bought my first DSLR. I took a few classes at the local community college in order to learn how to use my camera properly and understand the mechanics of a digital camera. Then my friends started having babies and I thought about how amazing it would be to combine my love of photography and my passion of working with children, so I officially started my photography business in 2013. 

We had our daughter in 2014 and my love for documenting childhood and families grew exponentially. Because of my education in child development and years of experience in working with children of all ages, I completely understood just how quickly children grow and develop, especially the early years. I could always appreciate the importance of documenting those first few years of life, but it wasn't until we had our daughter that I could really grasp just how important that time is and how crucial it is to capture those moments. My daughter is now 4 years old and I look back on those early images and, through the fog of early parenthood, I cannot even remember the moment but I'm so glad we have the images to document that time with her!

So, last year I decided to hire a local photographer that offers business branding photography. In planning our session together, she really helped me decide on how I want to brand my photography services and how to best capture what I love about photography and the services that I can offer. I came to the conclusion that my biggest focus in on family. Our daughter is the center of our world and I wanted that to come through, not only in how I photograph families, but also in what I share with my clients and future clients. Family means everything to me and I wanted that concept to be my 'brand.' So we decided to not only take some business headshots of myself, but to also take family photos here in my home, with my daughter, husband and our dachshund. I am an on-location, traveling photographer, meaning that I meet my client's where they are: their home, backyard, favorite park or even the hospital where they just gave birth. And because of this, I do not have an outside studio or office. I work from home and edit right where my daughter is playing. Oftentimes, we're playing together while I'm answering emails or editing sessions. She especially loves to play 'beauty shop' and brush my hair or put in bows while I'm working on my laptop. This is my crazy life and I wanted to make sure we captured 'behind-the-scenes' of what it's like to work from home and run my photography business. 

So, this is my family, my life, love and passion. They are the driving force to better myself as a person and as a photographer and I love passing this passion on to the families I photograph each year. I am so grateful for the many families who have given me the opportunity to photograph their sweet new babies, growing toddlers and families. And I look forward to the chance to photograph previous clients and new families in the years to come!! 

There were so many beautiful images from this lifestyle first birthday session, I had a hard time deciding which ones to share! I first met baby Emilia and her parents for their newborn session and I immediately fell in love with this sweet family! Mom and Dad are so kind and made me feel so welcome in their home. I also really loved Emilia's nursery and the adorable watercolor design they chose for her decorations. When I came back for Emilia's first birthday session, I again felt so welcome and comfortable - and it was so great to see how much Emilia had grown over her first year! We focused on some lifestyle images of Emilia in her nursery.... playing in her crib, reading books with Mom and Dad, and playing with some ONE balloons that Mom had hung up to celebrate her first birthday. Emilia was so engaging and fun - we captured the best smiles and interactions between her and her parents! 

After some playtime in her nursery, we headed downstairs for the cake smash. They had an adorable little cake made with lots of sprinkles. Every birthday deserves a cake with lots of sprinkles! Emilia was not too sure about the cake at first, but once she got a taste of the cake, she dove right in! Some of my favorite shots in a cake smash session include all of the little details. The lips pursed while covered in frosting, fingers shoved inside of a cake, a fist squishing the cake between her fingers, little feet and toes with crumbs of cake and icing all around. Babies grow into toddlers so quickly, I really love capturing all of those tiny details because they won't be so tiny much longer!! 

One of the big changes I have made so far this year is that I am now offering Fresh 48 photo sessions. I started by taking some photos for a few friends after they had their babies and I really fell in love with these sessions! There is something really sweet and raw about photographing a baby and their family just hours after delivery. Fresh 48 sessions are great for documenting these first moments of getting to know baby on the first day of their life. What a special and life-changing moment to capture images! I especially love photographing all the little details of the fresh, new baby...the wrinkly toes, their hospital name band and family card, even baby swaddled up in the classic hospital blanket!

I was really excited when I was contacted by mom, Melissa. She and I used to work together in the Emergency Department at Children's Hospital and I could not wait to meet the new little love they brought into their family! And I was especially excited that the family booked my Luxe newborn package, which includes the Fresh 48 session and a traditional in-home newborn posed session. I would get two chances to snuggle with sweet baby Rylee! 

Being January, it was a pretty cold, dreary and snowy day when I went to do their Fresh 48 session, but we opened up the windows to get as much natural light into the room. Mom bought this super cute, stretchy wrap and headband she wanted to use, so I swaddled her in the beautiful floral wrap and captured some snuggly images of Rylee with her mom and dad. I love how sweet and cuddly they both were with her and they just doted on her throughout the entire session! 

A few days later, I drove back out to Ohio for their posed newborn session. Mom and Dad created an adorable purple and gray nursery for baby Rylee, so Mom decided she wanted to use purple, gray and neutral colors in the backdrops, props, wraps and headbands that we used for Rylee's posed photos. We also used a navy blue and pink set up because who can resist a little girl in blue? I really loved that we were able to use so many different shades of purple to really give her gallery a cohesive style! She was such a gorgeous little peanut and loved being swaddled and wrapped for her photos. She was the perfect little model! 

My first session of 2019 was to celebrate sweet baby Luca! I was lucky enough to photograph Luca for his newborn, 6 month and 1st birthday photos so it was really exciting to watch him grow over his first year! That's what I really love about families booking the 'Watch Me Grow' package, because I feel like I get to celebrate their baby's milestones right alongside them! Another really great perk to photographing a child over their first year, is I also get to witness their parents grow and change over the first year. We go through so much, especially as new parents, so it's always really fun to see how a family changes from their first session with baby as a newborn and then once they have crossed the line from baby to toddler. Parents become more confident and comfortable in their new role and I see the first birthday as not just a celebration of baby, but also a huge milestone for the parents!

Because it's January in Pittsburgh, we decided that it was entirely too cold to attempt an outdoor photo session, so mom and dad opted for a lifestyle session in their home. The family is pretty casual so this was a great option for them to have some candid moments captured with their little boy. We first started with some photos of Luca playing with some of his favorite toys. He was making the funniest faces while playing with his little piano and blocks! I then asked mom and dad to get on the floor with him and play. Just getting the parents to play and interact with their child, we can get some of the best candid moments!

For the cake smash photos, I brought a vintage wooden highchair and we set up in their dining room. Mom had ordered a super adorable polka dot cake from a local bakery to go along with his monster themed diaper cover and suspenders. Such a cute cake smash outfit! Luca's first birthday party is monster theme so when he gave me his best 'monster face,' I could not stop laughing! He took a few minutes to get into playing with the cake, as some babies do, but he eventually got into it and even tasted a few bites. You never know how a baby is going to do with their cake smash but it's always fun to watch them for the first time!

Meet sweet baby Camden and his super adorable parents!! This was the last session I photographed for the year and I was so excited to end my year with such a great family! They live in my neighborhood and I had the chance to follow the progress of their pregnancy, through social media posts or seeing them in passing through the neighborhood, which was a fun, new experience to prepare for their session! Plus, the super short commute was a great added bonus!! 

In planning for their session, mom wanted to stick with blue and gray tones, which coordinated perfectly with their nursery. Before baby arrives, I always check in with mom and dad to discuss their color preferences or colors they would like to avoid using in the session. I have a wide range of colors for backdrops, wraps, headbands and props that I can bring with me, but it's helpful to know their family style and home decor choices so we can decide what will work best with their home and baby's nursery. Ideally the family will print their photos and display them in their home, so it's best if we can coordinate the photos to work with their style and decor. I try to also include some neutral set ups that work within styles that may change over time. For baby Camden, his parents put a lot of work into designing the nursery. Particularly dad, Tyler, who built the accent wall behind the crib. They did such a wonderful job with the nursery, I knew we had to get some photographs of Camden and his parents in his room. Camden was also born just a few weeks before Christmas, so we utilized their Christmas decorations for a few family photos as well as a special 'Baby's 1st Christmas' set up underneath the Christmas tree!

For Camden's posed photos, we learned that he definitely preferred to be wrapped and snuggled! We attempted a few unwrapped poses, but he did not quite settle in to being unwrapped, so I decided to keep him swaddled and comfortable for each set up. I even captured a few smiles from him, so I knew we were on the right track! I was able to sneak in one naked baby pose with a few images before draping him with a navy blue wrap for a different look. Finally, we worked on the set up for the prop shot. Mom and I settled on various shades of blue and a gorgeous wooden bowl. He was sleeping so well, I was able to wrap him in a way that showcased all those little details we love about newborns....curling him into a little ball to see his tiny toes and fingers! 

It was been such a wonderful year and I feel like I have really grown as a photographer over the past few years. I am truly excited for what 2019 has to bring and I cannot wait to photograph so many amazing families and babies this year!