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!! 

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!

What an amazing year for Christmas Tree Minis!! We started off with a winter wonderland, although it came with a bit of drama. In our area, we had a major ice and storm storm hit overnight which resulted in down power lines and thousands of homes without electricity for days. On the morning we started tree farm minis, my home had already been without power for over 24 hours and there was a down power line in the driveway leading up to the farm. Several of the families that were booked for sessions also did not have power in their home and were either staying with friends, their family or even at a hotel! So, it was quite the start to an eventful weekend of photo sessions! But luckily everyone got there safely and were ready for their family portraits!

Because of the winter storm we had, it looked a bit like a winter wonderland with snow blanketing the entire tree farm. It was absolutely stunning and a great way to start off our sessions! Luckily, the snow remained for the morning and afternoon sessions on our first day. It was so fun watching the kids play in the snow and capturing some super cute images of each family with the snow covered Christmas trees! 

What an amazing family and photo session! I had previously met this sweet family when big brother, Derek, turned one and we photographed his 1st birthday session. So, I was excited when I heard from earlier in the year when she decided she wanted to book a family portrait session this year. We settled on scheduling for the fall, once their new baby girl was a bit older and they could update their family photo. We ended up with a gorgeous fall evening and beautiful sunset light! Mellon Park is one of my favorite city parks in Pittsburgh because there is so many fun little nooks and crannies to photograph families, so I knew it would be a great option for their portrait session. We started with some candid photos of the family interacting together as I have found this is the best way to allow children to warm up to the situation and get used to me pointing a camera towards them. Plus, I had brought my daughter with me during their session and I had her in a carrier on my back, so she was able to get the kids to laugh and interact with me for some fun, natural smiles. But I primarily focused on getting the family to respond to each other and I was able to capture some really sweet, intimate moments between mom, dad and their sweet kiddos. And Derek was more than willing to give his baby sister some kisses, which was a huge bonus! 

After a few family photos, we took some individual photos of each child. I say this all of the time, but children change so much in such a short period of time and I always love to give each child some one-on-one time in front of the camera to see if I can capture some of their unique personality. It will be so fun to look back on these images and compare them to photos from when they were younger or as they grow up to see just how much they change from year to year. Derek was such a playful little guy and I was lucky to capture some of his fun facial expressions! And the image of Mom with her sweet baby girl was just so precious!! 

One of the best parts about photographing families is that I often am invited back to photograph their family as they grow! Mom, Sarah, is a friend that I used to work with and I had the opportunity to capture the arrival of their first son, Camden. So, when she emailed me with the exciting news that they were expecting their second baby, I was beyond happy for them and excited to capture their newborn session and updated family photos!! We started with some family photos in their bedroom, which had really beautiful light! Camden is a typical active toddler, so he did not want to sit on the bed for long. But that gave us the chance to capture some fun, interactive, lifestyle photos of their family! We grabbed some of Cam's favorite books and toys to play with and put their dog, Sophie, up on the bed to be included in the family portraits! And sweet baby Ada just slept through all of the fun!! 

After taking a few images outside in their front yard, we headed inside to start with Ada's posed newborn photos. Mom wanted to use neutral, gray, pink and blue colors in the set ups, so she helped me go through the blankets and props that I brought with me to decide on our final selections. We started with a super fluffy mint green fur blanket with a perfect pink wrap and headband to tie in a sweet, feminine touch. Ada definitely preferred to be wrapped up and cozy, so I made sure to have wraps prepared for each set up so that we could keep her happy and comfortable. She was sleeping really well so I was able to capture a few shots of her in a sweet side-lying pose that really showcased her tiny toes! From there, I wrapped her up and captured a few close up images to show off those little details. She has a gorgeous head of hair, full lips and long eye lashes. She looks like a perfect little doll!! So I put on my macro lens to capture a few of those tiny details, including her long lashes. Finally, we settled on a bucket pose using some blues and pinks. Mom had ordered a really sweet, beautifully handcrafted crotchet bonnet that she wanted to use in the session, so we incorporated it into the bucket set up, which really helped to tie in the pinks of the vintage quilt I brought with me. It was a really great mix of rustic, vintage and feminine details! 

Baby Ada was such a sweet baby girl and I am super excited that I was able to capture these images for my friend and her family! She is one loved little girl and I cannot wait to see how she grows and the relationship she develops with her parents and big brother Cam! 

I always look forward to photographing this beautiful family each year because they are always so sweet, lovable and natural in front of the camera! I ask them to goof around and love on each other and I always get the best expressions, especially from the kids! 

We met up in a location we've used before for their family photos - a local park with a gorgeous fall backdrop! Fall came a little late this year, so the trees were just started to change color but the sunset was absolutely stunning that evening. We had the most gorgeous sunset light coming through the trees and across the field of tall grass. We started with a few family photos to help the kids ease into the session and warm up to the camera. Because we scheduled our session during the week, I had to bring my daughter with me for the first half of the session. But she was a good helper, playing peek-a-boo with the kids and helping get those smiles and funny expressions! After everyone was warmed up and ready, I posed the three siblings together to re-create an image we took two years ago of the two older kids sitting together on my wooden bucket. But now that baby sister has arrived, we were sure to include her in this super adorable image! 

I also made sure to also capture some individual images of each child at different points during the session. Kids change so much, so quickly and how they interact with their parents and siblings can also change from year to year. So I always try to photograph them separately and within the family pose so parents can look back at this time in their young child's life. Finally, mom, dad and I snuck off to the side to grab a few images of the two of them alone together. This is another shot that I think can get often overlooked during a family portrait session. I believe it's important to photograph the parents together, not just for themselves, but also for their children. For their children to see them together, in love and snuggling with each other. And how fun for everyone to look back on later in life! I am so in love with the Recker family's photo session this year and I cannot wait to photograph them in the future!!

What another amazing year of fall minis and fun families!! Since moving to Pittsburgh almost 10 years ago, I have never regretted my time in the fall leaves. Beautiful fall foliage is never something I saw in Texas so I fully appreciate this gorgeous season each year! This is why I always love offering fall mini sessions each year! This year was an interesting year for foliage. Usually, the leaves change color at peak around the third week in October, so I always schedule my mini sessions for mid to late October. But we had a late year so my first two days of mini sessions had a lot more green leaves than I anticipated, but we still had some orange and red changes. Even thought we didn't have the typical fall foliage, we had some gorgeous sunsets and amazing family portraits! Another reason I love doing fall minis is that this is a time I get to catch up with families each year who book these sessions. Over half of my sessions were repeat clients from previous years and it was so great to catch up and see how much their children and family have grown! 

This year I offered three different dates and locations for fall minis: Schenley Park, Adams Township Community Park and Succop Nature Park. All three locations offer a beautiful backdrop, but very different styles. In Schenley Park we had a gorgeous stone path, iron fencing and the outdoor garden of Phipps Conservatory. Adams Township park offers tall, full trees and an area with an open field and tall grass. This park is quickly becoming one of my favorite locations to photograph families year round! And finally, Succop Nature Park. This is another great location for year round sessions, but they are in the middle of some renovations, so we were limited in the space we could use for backdrops. But nonetheless, it's a great park that offers a variety of backdrop spots including tall trees, trails with tall grass and a couple of different ponds. 

This was another great year of fall minis and I am looking forward to photographing these awesome families again in the future!! 

I've been so lucky to get to know this family over the past few years. Dad, Charlie, works with my husband and their older son, Parker, is the same age as our daughter, so our families became friends through playdates and special events over the years. I was so excited when mom, Angela, asked me to photograph their family and baby Winston's first birthday photos! 

The morning of their session, it was dark, cold and rainy but we powered though! The boys did so well in spite of the chilly, wet weather. We started with some family photos and got some of the best smiles from sweet Parker!! He was so cute with his baby brother and I just loved watching him hug and love all over his baby brother! Mom had two outfits for Winston, one for family photos and one for his first birthday photos. So, I made sure to get some individual images of him in each of his outfits, especially his super adorable ONE tshirt, bowtie and suspenders! He was just so super cute and was so excited to try walking around, holding on to his mama's fingers. He was definitely a mover! 

The big challenge about being a natural light photographer is the ability to be flexible. Especially when planning an outdoor photo session, I feel like I am sometimes a weather meteorologist, keeping track of the forecast, watching the radar and tracking storms. But am always grateful of my families who are flexible and willing to push through to capture a session before or after a storm comes through. And this was definitely the case with baby Winston's birthday session!