I am so excited to welcome baby Mia and the Pappacena family to the blog! When mom contacted me to book a session for their family, she had originally booked the Belly to Baby package which includes maternity and newborn photos. But then a world health pandemic struck which changed our plans for their photos. We were unable to capture their maternity photos due to the shutdown and I was not able to meet the family for their newborn photos until Mia was already 3 1/2 weeks. But one thing I have learned during this pandemic and subsequent shutdown of my photography business is that I need to be flexible and quickly adaptable. So while I typically plan for newborn sessions within the first 2 weeks of life, I have learned with all of my newborn clients born during the shutdown, that older newborn sessions are doable and so much fun! 

Mom and Dad completed the newborn session questionnaire and shared that they had decorated her nursery in a beautiful floral theme with pint and mint colors. So, mom asked that I bring various shades of pink, mint and neutrals with fur textured blankets and floral accents. These would be the perfect way to coordinate with their nursery decor and style. We started with their family photos and posed in Mia's beautiful nursery. Mom and Dad were both so snuggly with Mia that we were able to capture such cuddly, lifestyle images of the new family of three. 

After we finished their family photos and individual photos of both parents with Mia, we then started on her posed newborn photos. She was very comfortable being swaddled in the soft wraps that I brought, so we kept her wrapped and snuggly for her first posed set on the pink fur blanket. Mom had specifically requested a pose with Mia on a fur blanket, and the beautiful pink color balanced out her gorgeous dark hair. We then moved on to different sets incorporating mint tones. A soft mint blanket with floral wrap and then a mint wooden bowl with a pink and mint floral headband were a great way to combine the pink and mint tones that mom had requested for her posed photos. Mia slept so well that we were able to work through several set ups and poses which provided a wide range of looks for the Pappacena's final gallery. 

When I first met the Collard family, their son Easton was just a baby for their holiday mini session. So when mom Jessica contacted me about scheduling a maternity session for their growing family, I was excited to see them again! I absolutely love seeing how much a child grows between our sessions and it was so much fun to see Easton as an active, smiley toddler with such a full personality! This session was also special as the family would soon be moving from Pittsburgh and they wanted to capture updated family photos and celebrate this time of the upcoming birth of their baby before they moved. 

We settled on Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve for the family's session. This is a beautiful park that offers a variety of backdrops for photos and it's always a gorgeous location regardless of season! Spring is full of blooming, green trees and early wildflowers and we took full advantage of the landscape throughout the park. This is also a great park for children to walk around and explore the various trails, rocks, and fields. Easton had so much fun exploring the grounds with his family which gave me the opportunity to photograph some really adorable candid interactions! 

Along with their family photos, we focused on Jessica for some maternity photos as well. She looked stunning in her blue and white striped dress which completely complimented the blue tones in Dan and Easton's outfits. I love when pregnant mamas wear flowy dresses in their maternity photos as it provides movement to the photograph and is flattering in showing off her baby bump. Comfortable and flattering clothes are key when planning your outfits for a photo session and Jessica totally nailed it with her beautiful off-the-shoulder maternity dress!

The Collard family was so much fun to work with and I am so excited to have had the opportunity to capture this important moment in their lives as they prepare for baby number two as well as a big move from the town where they started their family! 

Introducing beautiful Avery Ann! Born in early March, right before everything shutdown, Avery was already 12 weeks by the time I was able to come into their home and photograph her newborn session. Mom was not sure how much of a traditional posed newborn session we would be able to capture, but was excited to photograph her new baby girl and her new family of five! 

We started with family photos in their gorgeous new home and included their two older children as well as their family dog. Especially when there are older siblings, I always start with family photos during a newborn session because I want  to focus my attention on the siblings while they are still excited to take photos. And once we're finished, they can relax, change their clothes and go play or take a break. It's important to be fast, flexible and fun when photographing young children which is what we did with their lifestyle family photos. Mom and Dad were also a great big help making big brother Jack and big sister Emery smile and laugh when taking photos with their new baby sister. They were all so silly and fun but loved giving kisses and snuggles to little Avery!!

Once we finished up their family photos, Dad took Jack and Emery out to play and run errands while Mom and I started making final selections for Avery's props and set ups. Mom wanted to focus on more of a 'spring' look to the set ups including pinks and light tones as well as flowers. I had the perfect light pink floral lace backdrop that I brought with me and I was so excited when Mom chose it for one of her sets! Avery slept so well and was such a relaxed and easy baby to pose. We were able to work through several floral backdrops and were able to pose her in a wooden crate with the perfect little floral headband and dusty rose wrap to compliment her final gallery. Mom was excited to include a photo of Avery in a bucket so we made sure to include a set of this gorgeous girl posed in a prop. 

​I am so happy that I was able to capture posed newborn photos of Avery for the Tosadori family. Being in quarantine and the uncertainty that went along with that has been stressful for everyone, so I am happy that we were able to capture these special images for their family and document newborn details of little Avery!

Introducing baby Lainey!! The first born and most recent addition to the Ascah family! When Lainey was born, mom sent me a photo of her in the hospital which gave me a sneak peek of her beautiful features, including her gorgeous hair! So when I was finally able to meet her at 4 weeks, I was so excited to photograph this sweet baby girl!

Due to the state shutdown, we were not able to photograph Lainey's newborn photos right away, but this gave us plenty of time to plan and prepare for her session. Mom shared details of her nursery decor as well as their family's personal style. This was helpful in deciding on which props, backdrops and headbands I brought with me for Lainey's posed newborn photos. Mom also shared that they preferred more lifestyle images of the family so we focused on this style with their family photos. We started with family photos in the nursery and made sure to incorporate their two adorable pups as they lounged in the room with us. 

Once it was time to start Lainey's posed newborn photos, mom helped me settle on the final set ups including colors that would compliment her pink and mint nursery. We selected a variety of variety of texture blankets, wraps, and various shades of pink and mint that worked well with their styles and preferences. The tiny bow headbands looked so delicate and beautiful against her dark hair. I am so happy that we were able to capture these newborn photos of Lainey. The newborn phase passes so quickly and we were able to photograph all those sweet little details that we love in the newborn stage. Moments documented that will hopefully be cherished for a lifetime!