Welcome to the world, Baby Connor!! When mom, Meghan, contacted me about booking a newborn session for their first child, the excitement about the impending arrival of their baby was very obvious which made me so excited to meet their family! She decided on a Full Newborn package which includes family photos as well as traditional posed newborn photos. When I arrived to their home for the session, both Meghan and Zac were warm, welcoming and excited to get started with their photos!

We started with family photos in their beautiful living room - it was easy to prompt them to cuddle and love on Connor. They were proud parents and I loved seeing how attentive and loving they were with Connor and each other. We then moved on to some photos in Connor's nursery. They decided to wait to find out the gender of their baby until delivery, so the nursery was beautifully neutral but also included some gorgeous design details. Because the nursery was decorated in neutral tones, they decided on using some colors in the posed newborn photos. They opted for grays, blues and greens for the props. The blue wrap we used in Connor's first set up was absolutely perfect with his gorgeous deep blue eyes! Mom was prepared with some props she had available including a gray and white pant/hat set, some hockey props which hold sentimental value for dad and a gifted green sleeper and hat set. We ended the session with the green sleeper outfit which was absolutely adorable on Connor as he slept comfortably in the gray wooden crate we chose. The little tie sleeper was perfect for photographing Connor's little fingers and toes!! And it was a great pop of color with the neutral fur rug and rustic blanket we selected. Neutral tones provide such a great base for posed photos but I love incorporating color to show off the beautiful details of a baby which worked so well in little Connor's posed newborn session!

This year, I was excited to return to our local Christmas tree farm for the holiday mini sessions. I have had so many families request these sessions that I contacted the farm's owner in the summer to set up dates. I was eager to start planning!! We had such a fun weekend on the farm - gorgeous weather, lots of sunshine, super fun families and beautiful Christmas trees!

Friday evening gave us absolutely amazing sunset light which provided a golden glow over the tree farm fields. Each of the families were previous clients so it was special for me to see them all again! Seeing how much their babies have grown in the months or years since I last saw them makes me so happy! Saturday morning brought some chilly temperatures and frost on the grass and trees, but this gave such a beautiful glisten to field and trees! When it's cold outside, my go-to prompt is for families to snuggle in close together. It's a great way to keep the kids warm and to capture those cuddly photos! For our Saturday evening sessions, it had warmed up just a little bit and we were again blessed with gorgeous golden light. I feel so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to photograph so many beautiful families for this year's Christmas Tree Farm mini sessions. It was such a great weekend to celebrate the upcoming holiday season and capture festive photos for so many families! It truly was a perfect way to get into the holiday spirit! And after such a tough year, for so many families in our area and around the country, I am truly grateful for the clients who have continued to support my photography business and send sweet messages to me throughout this difficult year. I am thankful for each and every one of you and I hope to see you again for future sessions!

For baby Bruno's in-home lifestyle newborn session, I was actually contacted by mom's sister who wanted to book the session as a gift for the new family. I could tell how close the sisters are and just how special their relationship is so this gift was incredibly important to the family! When little Bruno arrived, we set up a day for their session and I was so excited to meet this sweet baby boy! Mom and Dad were both so warm and inviting. And they were so excited for their photography session! It was so obvious just how much in love they both were with their new son and was wonderful to capture this in their images. 

We took photos in various spots around their house including the living room, Bruno's nursery and even the stairwell! Living in an older home in the city, there were some really great architectural details that I wanted to capture and the stairs offered a great backdrop with beautiful lighting! During my lifestyle newborn sessions, I encourage a lot of cuddles and kisses with their new baby. Mom and Dad were both so natural in front of the camera and happily snuggled their baby boy which allowed for some really sweet, intimate and candid images! I loved photographing this adorable family and am so happy to capture these images of their new baby!

​All images by Becca Baker Photography
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania newborn, maternity, child & family photographer
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*Becca Baker Photography specializes in newborn, infant/child, maternity and family photography in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas.*
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I first met the Schaming family for their older daughter's first birthday session and have had the pleasure of photographing their family for the past few years. When mom contacted me to book a newborn session for their second daughter, I was excited to see them again and photograph their growing family! It is always so much fun to build a relationship with a family and capture such special moments in their lives! This session was also fun because grandparents were visiting and were able to participate in the session. Sometimes when I arrive for a session, there is a visiting family member - an aunt, grandparent - to help the family during the early days after delivery. When I see that family is present, I like to encourage them to take a few photos with the baby as this is a special time for them as well! So it was really great that Caroline and Emily's grandparents were there and ready for photos! 

Mom and Dad decided on taking family photos in their bedroom, as well as some lifestyle images in Emily's nursery. I loved the moment of Caroline reaching in to hold Emily's hand while she was lying in her crib. Such a sweet little moment!! After capturing some family photos, we got started with Emily's posed newborn photos. Mom had purchased a wrap and headband set that matched Caroline's dress, so we made sure to incorporate this special wrap into her photos. Mom chose to use neutral tones, pinks and some teal in the posed set ups. We chose several shades of pink and teal as pops of color on the neutral backdrops. I love working with the parents on selecting our final props for their session, but I really love when the older siblings get involved in making choices as well. It's such a fun way to keep the family involved in the process and it always helps to customize their session to their own preferences. I want to ensure the family is happy with the final images and allowing them input in what props are chosen is extremely important! 

I met the Moore family at beautiful Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve for their fall family portrait session. We ended up with a perfect fall evening for their session and the fall foliage was just gorgeous! It's such a beautiful park and great hidden gem for family hikes and nature exploration - I recommend it to so many families!! Mom and Dad had requested not only some posed family photos, but mostly lifestyle and candid shots. She expressed that they really wanted to capture images of their two kids playing in the leaves and the exploring the park. We lucked out with a large tree that just had a ton of gorgeous golden leaves fall to the ground, so the kids were able to sit in, throw and play in the fall leaves.

We took our time walking around the park and trails to find the best spots for their photos. The kids easily warmed up to taking photos, especially as we encouraged them to play and interact with each other and their parents. We got some of THE BEST laughs and smiles from them both!! After walking around the trails and pond, we ended up at the natural playground, equipped with a playhouse, tree stumps, underground tunnel and boulders to climb. It was such a great spot to let the kids run loose, run around, play and have fun. This is always my favorite part of the session - the kids are usually totally goofy, wound up and ready to run which is when I can capture some truly amazing reactions and expressions! They may not always be Christmas card worthy, but they are a great representation of the kids and their personality at this stage in their childhood!

What a beautiful weekend for fall minis! This year I offered three different locations in and around the Pittsburgh area for fall mini sessions and each offered such a gorgeous backdrop for these family portraits! The first evening of mini sessions were held at Succop Nature Park in Butler PA. This park is stunning and offers a wide variety of locations within the park for beautiful photos. We were able to use a field of tall grass including trees with changing colors in the leaves, wooden fencing and a hill of big orange leaves, perfect for throwing in the air! This is one of my favorite parks to use for photo sessions!

For the next morning, we met at the Walled Garden in Mellon Park. This is another favorite location for photos and it works well for sunset photo sessions but also early morning portraits. The fall foliage within the garden and the fallen leaves were picture perfect for these mini sessions. It was so much fun walking around the park with each family, exploring the garden and using the amazing brick walls, stone paths and iron gates as backdrops for each photo!

Finally, the third location we used for fall minis was in Sewickley Heights Boro park. The wide path with tall trees and a field of tall grass is the perfect backdrop for sunset photos! And in the golden light of a fall evening is truly stunning in this gorgeous park. Two of the families also brought their dogs and it was so much fun including these fur babies in the family photos! I absolutely love when families bring their dogs to their session - it's so important to include all members of the family!

What I love about fall family photos is not only capturing those beautiful posed family portraits, perfect for their upcoming holiday cards, but also photographing families and children having fun in the fall landscape! Playing in the leaves, holding pumpkins, exploring trails and grassy fields with that gorgeous golden sunset light - it truly makes me happy to capture these special images for each family! Each of the families who joined me for fall minis this year were previous clients so it was a lot of fun to catch up with them and see how much their kids had grown up! Especially after the wild year we have all been in this year, it was so good to see how well everyone was doing with the recent events of the pandemic, closures, virtual learning and working from home. It was great to hear how well the kids were taking everything in stride and how each family has embraced the extra quality time they have had together over the past seven months. I loved hearing everyone's story and capturing their beautiful fall family photos!

SUCCOP NATURE PARK, BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA

MELLON PARK WALLED GARDEN, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

SEWICKLEY HEIGHTS BORO PARK, SEWICKLY, PENNSYLVANIA

Sweet Nora - I cannot believe you are already a one year old! I had the wonderful pleasure of photographing Nora's newborn session so when Mom emailed me about her first birthday session, I could not believe it was time! Whenever my newborn client families contact me about setting up their first birthday photos, I am always so shocked that it has been a year - that time just flies by so fast and it always surprises me! Having a fall birthday, Mom knew she wanted to choose a location that provided a beautiful fall backdrop, which Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve never disappoints!

With young children, I find that it's best to start with family photos as it gives the baby a chance to warm up to me being around them in the comfort of their parent's care. So we started with family photos, sitting on a vintage quilt, snuggling together and loving on their little baby girl. We then moved down into the park near a large field full of goldenrods, which always photograph beautifully for fall photos. I captured some images of each parent with Nora, playing and cuddling together. Then after some time getting comfortable with me and the camera, we had Nora sit by herself in the field. Mom and Dad stood behind me, getting Nora's attention and helping make her laugh. She had the best smiles and reactions to Mom and Dad's antics! 

Nora was very warmed up and comfortable at this point, so she had a quick outfit change and we moved up to a stone path for some photos with her wooden 1 and balloons for her first birthday themed images. She loved crawling around, playing with the props and giggling at her parents! Next, she had another quick outfit change and we set up for her cake smash. Mom brought along the cake, balloons and a birthday banner which we were able to incorporate into the photos in the field. After Mom helped her get started with the cake, Nora had no problem eating the icing and playing with the cake! The facial expressions she made as she enjoyed each bite was the absolute best! She truly enjoyed her birthday cake and it really came through in her photos! What a fun, outdoor first birthday session!

Oh, the Abel family - how much I love to photograph this gorgeous family! Mom and Dad are so much fun and the girls make me a laugh throughout each session! I last saw the family for baby sister Maggie's newborn session so when Mom contacted me to photograph their family, I was excited to see them again now that Maggie was a young toddler! The family decided on Hartwood Acres Mansion for their photos and we ended up having a stunning sunset evening for their session. We started our session near the mansion, which always provides a gorgeous backdrop for photos. The mansion itself is beautiful, but I also love using the steps and walls around the grounds as they offer a different perspective of the mansion along with beautiful landscaping for interesting texture to the photos. With three young daughters, I encouraged the family to play and interact with the girls in order to get those true smiles, laughs and genuine connection within the family. But when photographing the girls or mom with her daughters, Dad was THE BEST at making silly noises or faces to get amazing reactions from each of his girls! We were able to capture the biggest and best smiles from the girls! After spending some time at the mansion, we went over to a large field nearby for some photos of the family sitting and snuggling together - which immediately resulted in a tickle party! You can almost hear the laughs when looking at their photos!

From here, we moved over into the garden when where I then took some individual photos of the girls among the beautiful flowers. I often encourage older children to participate in how they want their photos to look - by selecting a flower patch or spot they would like to use, how they would like to pose or getting them to interact with me by playing silly games. I find that children are often more engaged and invested in having their photos taken when they are given choices and a change to participate. And we often get some of the best photos during this part of the session! We ended up with one last family photo in the garden, at which point the girls were tired and super silly, but I love how silly and genuine each family looks in these photos. It truly captured each personality as well as their time together as a family!

Oh, sweet baby Violet - you are so incredibly loved!! I was contacted by mom, Kimber, who is a fellow photographer to capture newborn photos of her second daughter Violet. She also wanted to prioritize photos of her oldest daughter, Mila, and the girls together. Mila was a total ham during the session and gave the BEST facial expressions! She was so much fun and didn't stray too far too from her new baby sister so we were able to get some really adorable images of the two girls together. 

Violet was such a great little sleeper during her posed newborn images and we were able to move through a variety of poses and set ups. Mom mentioned that she would like to use neutral tones in the session with touches of teal and purple to go along with her name, Violet. Within my newborn questionnaire, I ask about the colors the family would like to use but also any colors they would like to avoid in the session. Kimber answered that they were not big fans of the color pink, so she knew she did not want to use any pink tones. It is super helpful when families complete this questionnaire and let me know exactly what colors they prefer and not like as well as any ideas they have for their session. Each newborn session is customized based on that individual family and their preferences, so the more information on what they like or do not like, is most helpful in selecting which newborn props I bring with me to the session. Once I arrived with all of my blankets, wraps, headbands and posing bowls, Mom and I worked together to decide which props would be used during the posed photos. Even Mila helped us choose headbands and wraps. This allowed the session to be completely customized for the Lee family! 

Welcome to the world, little Maddie!! She's joining big brother, Mason, to the super sweet Osborne family! I have gotten to know mama, Tess, through our local gym where she is an instructor and fitness trainer. Even throughout her pregnancy, she was running circles around us in her fitness classes, which did not surprise me at all!! I was really excited when she asked that I photograph their newborn session and knew that we would be able to capture some adorable photos of her growing family!

Once I arrived, big brother Mason was super playful and ready to snuggle with his parents. He was not so sure about snuggling with his baby sister just yet, so we focused on letting him play and giggle with his parents to photograph those true interactions as a family. Toddlers are predictably unpredictable, especially when it comes to taking photos, so I always follow their lead and not push too much in trying to get them to 'perform' for the camera. This often leads to more cooperative behavior and fun photos! We also gave him plenty of time to play and take a break, which is super important with young children!

After photographing some family photos and some lifestyle images of each family member with baby Maddie, we moved on to capturing her individual posed newborn photos. Mom had expressed interest in using pinks and neutral tones throughout the session as well as some floral details. We also selected some great texture pieces including lace, faux fur blankets and knit wraps. The color choices and textures we used provided a variety of posing options but a cohesive look to their final gallery. I love using different wraps, headbands and blankets in different ways in different poses because it really helps tie all of the photos together in the end!