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 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!  

Meet the Marshall family! To say that new parents Shannon and Mike were excited for the arrival for their baby girl would be an understatement. When I first met them at the Walled Garden in Mellon Park, the excitement and love for the new little baby that they would be welcoming into the world was absolutely palpable! And they were so loving and comfortable with each other, I knew we were going to have a great session. Shannon had warned me before that both she and Mike did not always feel comfortable in front of the camera (to be fair, not many people do!) but I assured them that we would focus on them snuggling with each other and I would try to make it as easy as possible. The lighting for our sunset session was absolutely stunning and provided the best backdrop for their maternity photos. Shannon had requested a location with lots of texture - bricks, stone, gates - and Mellon Park is the best option for the type of the location they wanted. 

Dressed casually in jeans and simple shirts, both Shannon and Mike stayed true to their laid back personalities. Their outfits really allowed the connection between them and the landscape of the park shine through their photos. I offered simple posing guidance and took a step back to let them interact with each other. I have found this is a great way to capture the true emotion and interaction between a couple or family. I always prefer the natural connections versus a posed photo where everyone is looking at the camera, although we do also get those images too. It was so lovely to spent the hour with the Marshall's and it made me even more excited to capture the arrival of their baby girl!

Oh, sweet Maverick - what an amazing family you've just joined! As their fifth child, mom and dad are familiar with the process of welcoming home their newest addition, but with Maverick being born during a world pandemic, it was certainly a very different experience for the Hirschboeck family! 

When we were finally able to schedule our portrait session together, Maverick was already 5 weeks. While newborn sessions are typically done within the first two weeks after birth, we were able to accomplish a range of poses while Maverick slept comfortably. We started with family photos, including mom, dad and their four oldest children, in the family's backyard which was a perfect backdrop for this beautiful group! They were all so welcoming and sweet, with the older children sharing how their online learning and virtual activities have been going during quarantine. They were really adorable with baby Maverick and were doting all over him during their photos! After the family photos outside, we then focused on mom and dad with Maverick in his nursery. He had an adorably decorated nursery with neutral tones and natural accents. 

Mom had shared that she wanted to continue the neutral theme of his nursery for his posed newborn photos. She also  loved the idea of a variety of textures. So, when planning what materials and props I was going to bring with me, I chose a range of textured fabrics, wraps and natural bowls all within neutral tones to fit the family's preferences. Maverick has a beautiful full head of hair, which stood out on the neutral blankets. It was the perfect way to show off his gorgeous locks! 

Evangeline is a one year old!! I first met this sweet girl and her parents for their newborn session so when mom contacted me about booking Evangeline's first birthday session, I was beyond excited! I absolutely love photographing families over the years because it's so fun to see how much the sweet two week old baby has grown into a one year old! 

When we booked her session in early May, we ended up with a chilly spring evening but had an absolutely gorgeous sunset. The trees were starting to bloom and the garden at Hartwood Acres was just beginning to grow. Evangeline was a little cold so I encouraged mom and dad to give her lots of snuggles to keep her warm. This also allowed me to capture some sweet, candid moments between mom, dad and their baby girl.

They brought a small cake for Evangeline so that we could photograph a few cake smash images. She did not want too much to do with the cake, which often happens with babies in their cake smash sessions. Some babies really go for the cake and others are more hesitant. So instead of cake smash images, we just took cake images to celebrate her first birthday! And anytime we can celebrate a birthday with cake is a great birthday!!

Oh sweet JJ - he's just perfect! Upon entering their home, Ashley and Matt were both so welcoming and inviting as we took a look around the house to find the best spot to set up for their lifestyle photo session. They shared that they wanted to capture snuggly, candid images with their new son as well as some sweet individual photos of JJ, particularly of him in his crib. 

We started with the family photos in their living room, cuddling together on the couch with their son swaddled in a soft white wrap. Both Matt and Ashley were both relaxed and casual as they snuggled together. I absolutely love seeing how new parents interact with each other and their new baby! Welcoming a new baby home, especially your first child, is such a special experience and I truly love observing how parents interact with their newborn at home.

The family also has a dachshund, which we have in common as a fellow dachshund owner, and are big fans of dogs. JJ's nursery was even decorated with adorable puppy sheets and a dachshund print over his crib! Capturing photos of him in his nursery was important to the family so I focused on little details in the room as well as photographing JJ all wrapped up in his crib. Babies always look so tiny in their big crib but I love taking photos of baby in their crib because one day they'll be jumping around in (or out) of there and it'll be hard to remember baby being that small!! For some of his individual photos, mom and dad requested that we use a baseball for a small prop. Dad used to play college and minor league baseball, so the sport is very important to him and his family. I loved being able to use a prop in JJ's photos that is so sentimental and special to his family!

It was such a pleasure to photograph the Iannazzo family and their new baby boy James!

I was so excited to learn that the Sabey family would be welcoming a baby boy to their family. I first met them for big brother Luca's newborn session and couldn't wait to take newborn photos of baby Vincent! With an active 2 year old big brother, we focused on lifestyle family photos with lots of playtime for Luca. Toddlers can be tricky to photograph and I find that it's best to embrace their playfulness and offer lots of breaks when taking their photos. So, whenever Luca wanted to run off and play with something else, we shifted our focus to taking pictures of mom and dad with baby brother. And when Luca was ready to sit near mom or dad and play, we captured those candid moments! It is so important to be flexible and patient when photographing children, especially toddlers!

After capturing some family photos, we started to set up for Vincent's posed newborn photos. In their pre-session questionnaire, mom stated that she would like to use dark blues and neutral tones for his photos. Also, she had a custom knit hat made with his name on it, just like one she had made for Luca's photos, and would like to incorporate the hat into his photos. Vincent loved to be wrapped and snuggled for his photos and slept so well during each wrapped set up. He did wake up for a few photos, which gave the perfect opportunity to photograph his beautiful blue eyes and facial expressions. He was also very comfortable being posed on his belly, which allowed for several backdrops and poses. Not all babies like to be posed on their belly and I find that it's incredibly important to follow the baby's lead in which pose works best for them. Sometimes parents have certain poses in mind that they would like to photograph, but their baby may not tolerate a certain position. I will do my best to attempt a pose that the parent requests, but ultimately it's up to baby about what will work best for them. Vincent did really well in various poses, so we were able to capture a variety of images for his family to cherish for years to come! 

Welcome to the world, baby Madalyn Elizabeth! She is the fourth baby for the Peglowski family and it was truly beautiful to see just how much her big sister and brothers love her already! They were calm and attentive to her during the photos of Madalyn with her siblings. It was really sweet to watch!

For her posed photos, mom requested that I use pink tones, neutral colors and simple set ups. She also wanted to try and use a basket for Madalyn to snuggle into for a few photos. When I arrived, I helped mom narrow down the choices of props we would use in the posed photos. I absolutely loved the dusty rose wrap and matching headband we selected to coordinate with the neutral fur blanket. She was just so comfy and snuggly in that soft wrap! Mom also chose a light pink rose lace backdrop with a neutral wrap and dainty bow headband. When I am working with parents on selecting materials for the posed photos, I love to mix textures. Texture adds such a beautiful and interesting element to the photo! It is so much fun to mix a variety of textures and colors while keeping with a coordinated style. But mom also wanted to use simple set ups, which is what we did with a soft cream blanket, cream pillow and pink felt headband. Sweet and simple to bring the focus back onto beautiful baby Madalyn!! 

With the Morgan family, I was able to incorporate so many of my favorite aspects of photography into their sessions - lifestyle images, maternity photos with first time parents, pictures of their dogs and of course posed newborn images of their sweet new son, Hudson!! When they contacted me about photography, they knew that they wanted to book my Belly to Baby photography package which includes both maternity and newborn sessions. In the anticipation of welcoming their first born son to their family, they wanted to be able to capture these important milestones! 

I first met Kim and Andrew at their home for a lifestyle maternity session. It was a cold but sunny January morning and I immediately felt welcomed into their home. We first discussed different areas of the house that they wanted to set up for photos, including the baby's nursery and their living room which had large windows, full of natural light. The nursery was decorated in an adorable woodland animal and nature theme, perfectly cozy for their new little boy to grow up! Kim and Andrew are definite animal lovers and had two beautiful dogs that they wanted to try and include in some of their photos. Kim is also a veterinarian so obviously animals are an important part of her life! 

Once Hudson arrived, Kim contacted me to schedule his newborn session. I could not get over just how adorable he is with his dark hair, button nose and gorgeous smile! We captured lots of snuggly pictures of Hudson with his mama and daddy. He was swaddled and comfy held in their arms! In planning for their session, mom decided that she wanted to use dark blue, green and neutral colors that would coordinate with his woodland nursery theme. Mom had also purchased a rainbow wrap and matching hat for photograph Hudson as he was their rainbow baby and she wanted to celebrate her babies. Hudson slept so well during his session that we were able to move through several prop set ups and poses. I absolutely loved the dark navy blue color coordinated with his skin tone and hair color. He'll definitely be a stunner in blue!! 

Fresh 48 hospital session vs Newborn session? Have you ever wondered the difference between the two? You're not alone! Many people have heard the phrase "Fresh 48" but do not really know what that includes and what is different than a traditional newborn photo session.

First, a Fresh 48 session is a unique experience offered to families within the first 48 hours after baby's birth and are held in the hospital room prior to being sent home with their new little baby. Typically a stay in the hospital lasts around 1-3 days and as anyone who has delivered a baby will understand, those first few days with baby go by so fast, it's really hard to keep up! The Fresh 48 session is meant to freeze time and to capture those little details of baby that you don't want to forget. The super wrinkly fingers and toes, their clamped umbilical cord, even those tiny hospital bracelets! It's also a really great chance to photograph those first milestones including their first bath or the first time they meet big brother or big sister. These sessions truly capture the early moments of the rest of your life together as a family!

A posed newborn session is typically scheduled within 6-14 days after baby's birth and is provided in your home. This is a styled session and I bring a wide range of props, blankets, wraps, headbands/bonnets with me to use while posing baby. The in-home newborn session is more structured and posed than a Fresh 48, but I do offer lifestyle newborn sessions that are unposed and similar to the Fresh 48, without the props and individual newborn poses. With both the Fresh 48 and in-home newborn sessions, the focus is on your new, or growing, family and the immense amount of love you all share in welcoming this new little person to your life! 

So, what should you expect from your Fresh 48 session? I'll ask that either you or your partner contact me soon after delivering baby so that we can schedule a time for your photos. Usually the session will take place between 24-48 hours after delivery and lasts for up to 1 hour. After you book a session with me, I can provide guidance on clothing to wear or suggestions for anything special you would like to include in the photos, like a special wrap or blanket. During the session, I will offer a few prompts to capture those sweet connections, but for the most part, I let you interact together. Overall I want to provide a relaxing and enjoyable experience for the entire family!

Fresh 48 sessions can be booked as their own session or as an add-on to another package, such as the 'Belly to Baby' or 'Watch Me Grow' photo packages. You can check out details about all of the package options on the newborn page and contact me at beccabakerphotography@gmail.com with any questions or to book your own Fresh 48 newborn photo session!