Its hard to believe that baby Mia is aleady a one year old! I feel like it was just yesterday we were doing her newborn photos. It always surprises me how quickly that time goes - you blink and all of the sudden that little baby is now a toddler! 

Now that the craziness of the fall photography season is winding down, I'm finally able to catch up on blog posts. And I can't wait to introduce the Ballard family! Mom contacted me about a first birthday session for her daughter Lucy and I was also secretly excited about another fall family session (I love fall!) Her session was nearing the end of the fall season but there were still plenty of beautiful trees and colors. Plus, there were areas covered in leaves that had fallen, which was the perfect natural backdrop for Lucy's photos. She is such a smiley, happy baby! I don't think she fussed at all during the entire session and it was so easy to get those absolutely gorgeous smiles! For her cake smash, mom made an adorable cupcake-cake and of course Lucy loved it! Funfetti cake and delicious purple icing can make anyone smile!! 

Mom first contacted me this summer to set up a fun, summer session for her family. But after some rescheduling, we ended up with a fall session. We had a beautiful fall day with just the right amount of chill in the air to make sweaters comfortable and the leaves were the perfect colors. Plus, we met at sunset so the light was gorgeous coming through the trees. And this was one of the most fun families I've ever photographed! The first thing big brother said to me when he met me was 'Yay! I LOVE to take pictures!' and I just thought, okay - game on!  :)   

One of the best parts of being a traveling photographer is that I get to travel all over the city and check out new areas for photo sessions. When mom and I were discussing where to meet up for their family session, she suggested Frick Park as it is close by and they've spent a lot of time there. Believe it or not, but in all of the time I've been doing photo sessions around Pittsburgh, I've never done a session in Frick Park. Mom picked a spot in the park that had great fall leaves and she ended up finding a perfect spot! The fall colors were absolutely gorgeous! We even headed down a trail which had tons of leaves on the ground. Baby Calvin was fascinated by all the leaves and the doggies that walked by!  Mom and Dad also brought one of his favorite books and read to him while he giggled and looked generally mesmerized with the story. But I just love how vibrant and blue his eyes are and they seemed to sparkle in the sunshine. I really enjoyed meeting this sweet family and I'm so happy that mom showed me a new spot to offer for future photo sessions!

Growing up in Texas, we experienced two seasons each year: 'summer' and 'not summer.' So, when we moved to Pittsburgh, I was really excited to actually experience four seasons, particularly fall! Fall is such a magical time of year...football, changing scenery, delicious fall treats and the start to the holiday season! Fall photo sessions are some of my favorite each year because the gorgeous colors and leaves are the perfect backdrop for family portraits. I also love fall mini sessions because its when I usually meet up with previous clients and get to catch up. Plus, I get to meet new families which is always fun! This year, we did minis at Hartwood Acres which is always a favorite location for photos. We were actually rained out for our original date but ended up with the most perfect weather for the day of our sessions! So, we had perfect weather, beautiful families and an awesome location - here's to a successful year of fall mini sessions!

When mom contacted me about scheduling a newborn session, she asked if I would be willing to include their two dogs into their family photos. I'm a huge dog lover and consider pets a large part of my own family, so of course I said yes. I believe that we should include our pets into family photos because its something you can always look back on and cherish for years to come! I was so excited when I met this sweet family and their two dogs - they were both so well-behaved and sweet! And baby Emerson was just absolutely adorable! She has those perfect little features and was super snuggly with mom and dad. My favorite set up was at the end when we placed her into the bucket. Mom had a blanket that was handmade by Emerson's grandmother and it was just absolutely perfect for the bucket pose! I love when client's want to include sentimental touches because it truly adds a unique touch to their session. I even got an email from Grandma after the session saying how much she loved that her blanket was used and she loved the photo! Baby Emerson, her parents and the dogs will also be joining me for holiday minis later this month and I can't wait to see how much she has changed since her newborn session!