I was contacted by Parker's dad who wanted to set up a special photo session for Parker and his mommy. As we moms know, its hard to get a photo WITH our children as we're often the one's behind the camera. So, as a Mothers Day gift, Charlie decided to purchase this special session for his wife and son. What a great gift! It was so sweet to see Parker and Angela interact - nothing beats the bond between a mama and her baby!

I feel so lucky that I have clients who keep coming back to me for photos, which allows me to build relationships with them and their children! I first met this sweet family for mom and dad's maternity session over two years ago. And we're now doing their second daughter's 6 month photo session! Time really flies!! In the middle of this session we realized that we did big sister's 6 month photos in the same location - what a fun little coincidence! I just love the fun smiles we got from the girls and it was fun watching them all play together in the garden!

I have had the pleasure of working with this family for the past year and a half, after meeting them for Baby 'P's newborn session. We have done sessions all over Pittsburgh and I was excited to take them to Highland Park. As we were preparing for their session, I learned that they would be moving out of state so this would be our last session together. It has been so wonderful getting to know them and help capture special moments during their time as a young family in Pittsburgh. 'P' is at an age where sitting for posed photos doesn't always work out, so we had to be flexible and focus more on candid moments (which I LOVE!). It was so fun letting him run around and see his joy in exploring the park with his parents!

I met Mirabelle and her family last year for an in-home lifestyle family session. We had a good time just playing around and capturing some sweet moments between family members so I was excited to see them again for Mirabelle's 1st birthday session. After rescheduling 3 times due to weather (4th time's the charm, right??) we finally found a break in the rain to do her photos! We lucked out with some blooms still sticking around so she was able to play around in the garden for some fun shots with flowers. What a perfect spot for a little girl's photos!! And of course big brother had to jump in for some photos too! 

I met this sweet family after their session was purchased by a family member as a gift once their daughter was born. They were interested in doing a lifestyle newborn session which I was really excited about as this is a new option I am offering my clients. Its a great way to capture these early moments as a new family in the current moment, without all of the frills of props and accessories. I find its a great way to showcase connections between the family and I think its a bit more relaxing which is something every new parent needs! It was really great to meet the Liang family and I really loved how we were able to include their dog, Charlie. He was never that far from his parents so we had to include him in the family photos!

Pregnancy and motherhood can be an emotional roller coaster and sometimes we need all the support we can get!  Its wonderful when you have a tribe around you to help but its also helpful to know what resources you have available in your community. Beyond the Bump is an exclusive, boutique baby expo that will be coming to Pittsburgh on June 25th. This event is perfect for new and expecting moms to help you prepare for the transition into motherhood. There will be a wide range of vendors and demonstrators to showcase resources for breastfeeding, doulas, photography, pediatricians, child development, mommy gear and much more! Not to mention, tons of SWAG and raffle prizes!! I will be there to showcase my photography work as well as infant massage techniques.

And as an exhibitor, I have two free event tickets to give away ($50 value) for yourself and a guest!!  Comment on this post about what you're most excited about becoming a mother or what your favorite moment has been since becoming a mother by 11:00p (EST) Wednesday, June 22nd and I will do a random drawing of all entries for the free tickets.

To purchase tickets to this exclusive event, use the link below. And I hope to see you there!

Website: http://beyond-the-bump.com/pittsburgh/
Facebook event page:  ​https://www.facebook.com/events/1121163694561879/

Wow, its amazing how fast that 1st year goes by! I met this adorable little girl for her newborn photos last year and I just can't believe she's already a 1 year old! We did her photo session on her actual birthday which was a fun treat. They have an amazing backyard which worked perfectly for her photos and it was so much fun letting her play around and eat cake on her birthday!

I met these sweet girls last year for their 1st birthday and I was so excited when dad called to set up their 2nd birthday photos this year. These girls have been through a pretty incredible journey and they are the definition of 'miracle babies.' This session was fun to highlight the accomplishments they've made over the past year, including eating cake! Because they weren't eating solid foods at their first birthday, Mom and Dad were really excited about doing a smash cake this year! And they had a blast playing and eating the cake!

I have had the pleasure of getting to know this beautiful family over this past year and its been so wonderful watching their sweet girl grow! It always surprises me how quickly that first year goes by, and I feel so lucky that parents allow me to capture their child during these fleeting moments!  

Besides hanging out with this sweet family and getting some of the best smiles from Lily, I really loved how they brought fruit instead of cake. Not every kid is a fan of cake and I just loved how they embraced it and decided to use strawberries and watermelon for a fruit smash!

These sweet sisters wanted to book a session as a gift to their mom for Mother's Day. Their mom always said she wanted photos of their family together and I was so happy to help! I think its just as important to take family portraits together, even when you're all grown up!