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!