On a beautiful, warm, sunny evening back in May, I met with the Cassat family for their sunset maternity photo session. I first met Courtney, who is another local photographer, when we both had a booth at a new and expecting mom's community event. So, when she emailed me about photographing their maternity shoot, I was really excited and honored to photograph another photographer! They were expecting baby number two, another boy, and we settled on a gorgeous local park with tall grass and open fields. When we first got there, big brother Vinny was running around, picking up flowers and sticks and enjoying his time at the park. Being an almost four year old, we gave Vinny plenty of breaks to explore the park and play in between shots of him with his mama or family poses. I've learned in my many years of working with children, and especially as a photographer, it is important to be flexible with young children, giving them plenty of time to warm up and have fun in the process! And because we gave him these opportunities to explore, he would come back to his parents, happy and ready to take some photos! 

This also gave mama Courtney and I a chance to sneak off and take some of her maternity photos. She knew she wanted to use an open field with tall golden grass and luckily there's a location that meets this requirement not too far from each of us! The sun was setting just over the trees and we had absolutely gorgeous sunlight coming through the trees and over the top of the grass. Courtney was so natural in front of the camera, that I did not need to give much direction and we captured some beautiful images of her and her growing baby belly! 

It was such a pleasure to work with this family and congratulations on the birth of their new baby boy, Dominic!!

I am super excited to start offering a new type of lifestyle photography session.... Fresh 48 hospital sessions! I had done a few for friends after the birth of their babies and just fell in love with these photos! When Baby Frankie's mom contacted me, they decided to book a newborn package that included a complimentary Fresh 48 session. This was their third baby (3 under 3 years!) and their first boy. So what a special opportunity to capture these images for their growing family! I met them in their hospital room which had big beautiful windows, letting in the gorgeous morning light. And the hospital bassinets are perfect because they have wheels that allow me to move them around the room to find the best light. Mom and Dad actually chose to wait to have Baby Frankie's big sisters meet him when they were discharged home, so this gave me a chance to focus on Frankie and his parents. We captured lots of snuggly photos of Mom and Dad with the baby and saved the photos with his big sisters for when we did his posed newborn session at their home the next week.

For the newborn session, we captured fun shots of the family and big sisters. We even included their family dog in some of the family portraits! The girls were so sweet with Frankie and absolutely loved to kiss him and softly touch him. Plus, they got to show off their twirling skills in their adorable little dresses! Mom chose to use various shades of blue in each of Frankie's set ups. And in the bucket photos, Mom wanted to use a white knit blanket that belonged to Dad when he was a baby. Such a sweet, sentimental piece to be included in their photos! I am so happy that I had the opportunity to photograph this kind and fun family. Baby Frankie is already so loved by his parents and big sisters...he's one lucky little guy!

First time parents are so fun to photograph! When mom booked their Belly to Baby photography package, I loved the opportunity to capture a time in the couple's life when they are just a couple on the cusp of a life-changing event to just after baby has arrived and their adjustment to parenthood. It's such a significant transition and I feel to honored to photograph this important moment in a family's life!

For their maternity session, we actually met earlier in the month for an outdoor maternity session, but it was one of those rare super sunny winter days and we were just too early for a sunset session. So, we decided to find an indoor location and casually photograph the couple's maternity session at the beautiful conservatory. They were so much fun to work with and we laughed and joked the entire time. It was such a gorgeous location and perfect for their maternity session!

Once baby Sadie arrived, we set up the date for her newborn session. Mom and Dad had several personal pieces that they wanted to incorporate in the posed newborn photos, including a rosary and bracelets that were given to her from grandparents and family. Mom even had some beautiful flowers left from the decorations at her baby shower that we were able to place around a bucket and create a floral wreath for Sadie's bucket prop photo. It's so sweet when parents want to use personal, sentimental items in their photos. I believe it makes their photos that much more special and unique to their family! 

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of photographing many milestones and important moments for the Day family and I have loved every one of them! For this session, we were celebrating the twin's 1st birthday. Wow, I can't believe they're already a year old! When mom booked the boy's birthday session, she knew she wanted to do a Mickey Mouse theme with their outfits. They had just gone on vacation to Disney World and she found the cutest ears and Mickey suits for the kids. So when I got there, we went straight up to the playroom where she had set up some of the boy's favorite toys as well as some pieces from their family's vintage toy collection. It was so much fun to capture the boys playing and enjoying their playroom. It was the perfect way to photograph active twin boys! 

We next moved on to some lifestyle photos of the family together reading a Mickey Mouse book. It was so cute watching the babies and big sister interact with each other, and they really loved reading their book! After we finished up some family photos, it was time for the cake! Mom and Dad quickly changed the boys and got the cake ready. They boys had already had their birthday party by the time we did their session, so they had become familiar with eating a smash cake. They dove right in and loved their delicious cake!! We let the boys enjoy their cake for a few minutes and we couldn't hold big sister Roma off anymore...she was ready to eat some cake too! So she joined in and then Mom and Dad grabbed a fork for a few bites of celebratory birthday cake! I always feel that celebrating a first birthday isn't just for the baby but for the entire family....it's time to celebrate your first year together as a family, as a big sister and the accomplishment that you made it through the first year! Happy Birthday boys!

This couple was so amazing to work with...I think we laughed throughout the entire maternity and newborn sessions! Mom contacted me about photographing her maternity and newborn sessions, wanting to book the Belly to Baby photography package. This was their first baby and they wanted to capture this special time in their growing family's life! The couple moved here to Pittsburgh from out of state a few years ago and wanted to celebrate their time in the 'City of Bridges' with a maternity session downtown. So we met on the North Shore, walked through the Cultural District and back across the Roberto Clemente bridge for sunset photos with the downtown Pittsburgh skyline! It was one of those warm April evenings and perfect weather for a sunset maternity session! I loved that we were able to showcase the beauty of Pittsburgh for their session - a moment they would be able to cherish for years to come, whether they are still in Pittsburgh or if they move to another area of the country!

​When it was time for Baby K's newborn photos, Mom and Dad decided on a rich, deep color palette for his photos and props. So, I brought a variety of props that they were able to choose from that coordinated well with this nursery, their decor and his skin tone. Baby K was definitely more comfortable being wrapped and snuggled up tight, so I made sure to keep him wrapped and cozy for each setup. I really loved the dark, beautiful colors that we used for his photos, especially the gorgeous green, gray and blue vintage quilt for his bucket shot! 

I absolutely love working with families and repeat clients. I feel so honored to have had the chance to photograph their family for such important milestones. And I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Baby K and his family!

I first met this super sweet family for baby Tyler's newborn session. He was the cutest little newborn and when I got an email from mom about scheduling his sitter session, I was super excited to see how much he had grown! I just love when families choose the Watch Me Grow photo package because I love having the opportunity to capture their growing baby over the first year. They change so much...developmentally, physically, emotionally and it's so much fun to document their growth!

Mom chose to do their session at Phipps Conservatory. They are members and will often go explore the gardens. She said that Tyler loves to look at the various plants and is always really engaged in the exhibits. So it was the perfect location for their family photos and his 6 month sitter session. We went on the first day of the spring flower show so there were lots of amazing displays to explore, which were all fresh and new for Tyler. Plus, there were lots of people, especially grandmas, who fawned all over him and helped us get awesome smiles!

There is nothing sweeter than a couple who have welcomed a new little addition to their family! The anticipation and excitement is palpable and I love seeing the mixture of exhaustion and pure love for their new little baby. It's such a special time in their lives!! When mom contacted me at the end of last year to book their newborn session, I could tell how excited she was about the upcoming birth of their little baby girl!

Because all of my newborn photography sessions are offered in the client's home, I often do not know what type of lighting, set up or space I'll have to use until I arrive. It can be both exciting and challenging! But when I arrived to meet baby Emilia, I fell in love with their home - it was such a beautiful space to photograph! The living space was bright and airy, there was a really great big window space to set up for Emilia's posed photos and her nursery was absolutely stunning! They did such a wonderful job decorating her nursery and it was fun to capture all of the sweet details in her room.

When we finished up the family photos and lifestyle images in Emilia's nursery, I set up for her posed photos. Mom had a really fun time going through all of my props and headbands, making the final selections for Emilia's photos. And Emilia slept so well during her session that we were able to get through several set ups! Oftentimes, parents will have personal items that they would like to try and incorporate in the session, if possible. Mom had some really awesome items that we were able to use, including a blanket from her Aunt and some adorable pink paper flowers that were used at the baby shower! I think it adds a really unique and sentimental touch to the photos and I'm always happy to try and use them in their session!

One of the really fun aspects of being a photographer is that I am able to be creative and make each session personalized to each family. When Baby Mabel's mom contacted me about a newborn session, she said that wanted to primarily focus on lifestyle images of her new family and baby girl. But she also wanted a few posed photos. Each family is so different and they each have their own preferences. So it's really important to fully understand what the parents have in mind for their photos so I can provide a custom session, just for them! 

When I arrived to their home, I was greeted by their super friends pup who they wanted to include in a few of their photos. We started with some family photos downstairs and included their dog, who eagerly joined in on the family fun! Afterwards, we headed upstairs to get some photos in the nursery and their bedroom, which had really beautiful light! And Mabel's nursery was decorated so cute, I was excited to use the space as a backdrop! We made sure to capture some really snuggly images and I love how proud and beaming both Mom and Dad looked while staring into the beautiful face of their new daughter. I was even able to snap a few photos of their fur baby checking in on Mabel in her crib! 

For Mabel's posed photos, we focused on simple, light and airy setups. Mom helped narrow down the choices for her colors and headbands, which ended up looking beautiful on Mabel's skin tone and jet-black hair color! She was so snuggly and easily slept through her session which gave me the chance to photograph her in a few different poses. She was the perfect little model for her first photo session!