Marley Is Fresh as a Daisy // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

The annual #POSE4PICKET contest that I hold with The Picket Fence always brings such wonderful people into my studio and into my life. Every year, we give away an incredible prize package: an Editorial Session, three images, and a Tea Collection outfit. This year’s winner, Marley, stole my heart from the moment I saw her entry photo, and even more so once I met her.

Marley is silly and spunky and full of personality. She has the most beautiful natural hair and makes the best sassy, little faces. Keeping in mind the three words that Mom picked, I wanted to capture all of the personality and highlight her beauty and the gorgeous, warm tone of her skin. So, I opted to photograph the session on a light pink background, but to tone the images to look a bit vintage and add a bunch of warmth. We chose a 70s theme and even got to include her baby sister, Kamara, in a few of the images. They had great wardrobe in their closet to echo that vintage vibe and I LOVE the Tea Collection outfit that The Picket Fence contributed to the session. It was incredible and SO fitting for the theme. The striped pants are everything and looked so comfy that I was jealous they weren’t available in my size. Going into the session, I had a vision of the final image you’ll see in this blog. It happens like that for me sometimes, where I see the finished image as a flash in my brain, and it’s just a matter of making it a reality. With kiddos, that can sometimes be a roll of the dice, but Marley executed it so perfectly - look at all that attitude!

Some fun facts about the session:
1) The caftan that Marley is wearing in the final image is 70s vintage, a fabulous hand-me-down gift from her grandmother. I melted when Mom pulled it out of the closet and showed it to me.
2) The overalls that Kamara is wearing are also vintage Osh Kosh and used to belong to Mom. I love including cherished, hand-me-down garments in sessions and these were two of my favorites that I’ve photographed.
3) The records came from my dad’s collection. He has a massive record collection and great taste in music.
4) I poked my finger with a sewing needle so many times making those daisy curtains that it went numb for a bit, but, WORTH IT.

Three words to describe the session: Natural, Retro/Mod, Sweet

(All of my portrait clients choose three words from a list of how they'd like to describe their finished images. You can click on any of the three words at the bottom of this post by the little tag icon to see past sessions that chose the same word. You can also see how different combinations of words leads to the creation of different images.)

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Marco's Like a Rainbow // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

Working with Baby Marco and his mama was such a wonderful, special experience. Mama has a chic bohemian style and a great artistic sensibility, and is a self-described “big fan of the rainbow.” Marco loves bold colors and is fascinated by the movement of light and shadows. I wanted to combine all of these things in a way that would honor both of them, while also creating unique wall art for their (perfectly) eclectic home decor. I always deeply appreciate when my clients trust my vision, particularly when I am doing something more outside of the box. For most of the session, I used colored lighting to create a lovely rainbow of shadows that kept Marco engaged and photographed beautifully. I toned the images to appear a bit on the warmer/vintage side in keeping with a more bohemian feel. Marco was a joy to photograph - pleasant and smiling the entire time and popping into these tiny poses that looked as if he was actually modeling, posing, and aware that these images will be around for posterity in the future, so he had better ham it up. (His reclined pose in the second to last image in this blog absolutely kills me.) Can’t wait to watch this tiny one grow and work with this family again in the future!

Three words to describe the session: Artistic, Colorful, Natural

(All of my portrait clients choose three words from a list of how they'd like to describe their finished images. You can click on any of the three words at the bottom of this post by the little tag icon to see past sessions that chose the same word. You can also see how different combinations of words leads to the creation of different images.)

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Annie Belongs Among the Wildflowers // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

I was lucky enough to meet 3 1/2-year old Annie’s mama almost a year ago and have been hoping to photograph this gorgeous little one ever since. Courtesy of Annie placing in this past year’s #POSE4PICKET contest, I finally got my opportunity to do so!

Annie is such a multidimensional child. She is sweet and shy and can be more of a “quiet observer,” as mama described her. But, when she warms up and becomes comfortable - watch out! This high-spirited babe lights up and becomes a playful, vivacious chatterbox who wants to tell you all about her doggie, Hank, and her favorite episodes of PJ Masks. I really wanted to capture this duality in her portraits. Children like Annie are exactly why I love to do in-home consultations prior to portrait sessions and meet the children ahead of time. That way, by the time I’m actually photographing them in the studio, they know me and are more comfortable with me and we can create images that are more authentic and relaxed.

Mama has a great bohemian, eclectic style, especially in her home decor and there are gorgeous pops of fuchsia all around. For this reason, I decided that Annie’s session would have a vibrant fuchsia background to tie into the existing color schemes and pop beautifully as wall art in her home. I styled the wardrobe in neutrals, mustard, and light denim. I loved that the patterning on the mustard dress was leafy and so organic. And, y’all… when I saw that amazing layered frilly top, I audibly gasped in excitement.

Annie loves the song “Wildflowers” by Tom Petty, and I hope that she eternally stays so sweet and free-spirited and forever belongs among the wildflowers.

Three words to describe the session: Natural, Artistic, Fun

(All of my portrait clients choose three words from a list of how they'd like to describe their finished images. You can click on any of the three words at the bottom of this post by the little tag icon to see past sessions that chose the same word. You can also see how different combinations of words leads to the creation of different images.)

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Orange You Glad? // Pittsburgh Family Photographer

I looove donating portrait packages to various charitable auctions around the city! Not only does it help raise money for a myriad of amazing causes, but it enables me to meet and photograph wonderful families that I might not otherwise have had the opportunity to meet. This family came to me courtesy of my donation to The Imani Gala, an annual fundraiser held on behalf of Imani Christian Academy. You can read more about it here.

The main goal of our portrait session was to capture a few adorable images for baby Abigail’s first birthday. We decided to also create some images of the whole family together, as well as some of just the kiddos, including Sebastian, 4 1/2-years old, and Marcella, 2 1/2-years old. Dad also really wanted to capture a solo image with the babe, and it ended up being one of my favorites from the day. Right before taking a “smiley” image, Dad kissed her on the cheek as I hurriedly snapped away. It was such a beautiful little unplanned moment, and went hand-in-hand with Mom wanting a more natural feel to the session.

The decor in their home is mostly earth-toned with some gorgeous pops of color here and there. To match this, I opted to photograph the session on an off-white backdrop, but I still wanted to have some pops of color, as well. Mom delivered me my dream “color pop” when she showed me Abigail’s birthday dress for her party: a beautiful, vibrant orange number with lovely detailing. When choosing the rest of the family’s wardrobe for the session, we pulled colors from that detailing to tie everything together. Mom knew that she had a stunning green dress to coordinate with the green accents, and we outfitted the rest of the crew in tones of navy and white. I think that Sebastian’s green shoelaces were my favorite subtle detail.

I’m SO pleased with how these images turned out, and loved every minute spent with this family.

Three words to describe the session: Colorful, Natural, Sweet

(All of my portrait clients choose three words from a list of how they'd like to describe their finished images. You can click on any of the three words at the bottom of this post by the little tag icon to see past sessions that chose the same word. You can also see how different combinations of words leads to the creation of different images.)

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Georgia on My Mind // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

While we have tons of fun during every session, I will say that this one, in particular, was such a blast! Georgia, 1 1/2 years old, is this tiny bundle of joy and exuberance, with beyond infectious laughter, adorably chubby cheeks, and dazzling blue eyes. She's a real character and she had us all cracking up for almost the full hour that we spent together.

Georgia's mama loves crossfit and takes Georgia with her. As a result, Georgia loves to work out just like Mommy, often alongside her, mimicking the different exercises. She has her own miniaturized workout equipment and can do squats and planks like a pro!

I decided to photograph the session on a white backdrop, use more contrasty lighting, and style Georgia in super vibrant clothing to emphasize the bright colors and let her personality shine. Once I saw the mini-workout equipment in their home, I knew that we HAD TO use that, and styled her a "workout outfit" with poppy neons to match. One of the outfits that I pulled had some intentional 90s flair to it. (I really can't help myself, guys. There's usually at least one every session.) When she was on set, it was as if she knew, and she popped into this corresponding pose that just screams "Whasssssup, boyyyeeeee?!"

We had the images printed on metallic photographic paper, including one that was used in an acrylic block portrait, and it was STUNNING. If your session is on the more vibrant side, metallic + acrylic is definitely the way to go!

I love every one of these images so dearly, and I can't wait to watch this little one grow!

Three words to describe the session: Cute, Fun, Natural

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Little + Big Things with Meera + Arjun // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

One of my favorite parts about what I do is really getting to know the families and the kiddos that I work with. I think that it's essential in creating custom portraiture that's expressive of someone's true self (even if that someone is only two years old). Each little one's personality is so different, and when given the opportunity to shine through in their images, you can really create some magic.

This was my second time having the privilege of working with this family. The first time, we photographed a modeling Comp Card/mini-portfolio for 6-year old Arjun (more on that later in this blog!). This time, though, it was his 2-year old little sister Meera's turn. And turn, and turn, and turn she did! Meera just could not stop her tiny, happy feet during her session. You can see her adorably dizzying dance on the second slide of the Instagram post below.

A post shared by Children's Portrait Studio (@posepgh) on Jul 18, 2017 at 8:57am PDT

For Meera's session, we decided to keep things pretty consistent with the session we had recently photographed for her brother - same background color and lighting. This gave their family the opportunity to display all of the images together in their home. We also had Arjun join near the end so that we could photograph some lovely portraits of them together. While Meera is an all-around joy of a kiddo to be around, my favorite thing about her was the mischievous, little twinkle that she got in her eye before she was ready to really ramp up the spinning and dancing, again. So happy that I managed to capture a few images with that sparkle!

Meera also just had a birthday a few days ago, and is now the big THREE.
Everyone be sure to wish her the happiest of years ahead!

Three words to describe the session: Artistic, Fun, Natural

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Now that I've talked about some adorable, little things, I'm SO excited to share the great, big things that have been happening, as well! Arjun has had some excellent opportunities since our session together and I'm super excited for this fella. In the same month, he was featured in Fashion Kids' Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful Issue AND chosen by Child Model Magazine as their FACE of the Day. Holy cow, Arjun! This merits many, many snaps.

**SNAPS FOR ARJUN!**

It's all about FACE! Winner receives $500 and invitation to shoot for our magazine, for feature in an upcoming issue! Enter your photo at childmodelmagazine.com​ FACE of the Day Arjun Arya Photography | Lexi Shapiro . . . #childmodelmagazine #childmodel #kidmodel #modelstatus #faceoftheday #photocontest #winner

A post shared by Child Model Magazine (@childmodelmagofficial) on Jul 19, 2017 at 1:12pm PDT

Arjun on That Beat // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

I love meeting kiddos like Arjun. He's 6-years old and full of all that being six entails (abundant energy, sweetness, and innocence), yet incredibly intelligent, focused, and one of the BEST little listeners that I've had the pleasure to work with. Arjun LOVES to get his groove on, particularly playing Just Dance. All that he needs is a good beat and it's game time! ("Beat It" and "Juju on That Beat" are particular favorites.) Arjun is also learning Tae Kwon Do, so for some of our more "fun" images, he got to show off his impressive high-kicks.

In addition to generally wanting beautiful images of their little one, Arjun's family came to me to photograph a Comp Card Session to get Arjun's modeling portfolio started. He did such a spectacular job during our session together, and I know that his future is incredibly bright, whether that means modeling or med school. ;)

I definitely wanted to highlight Arjun's lovely warm skin tone and shiny black hair, and decided to photograph the session on gray to accomplish both. During our Styling and Planning Consultation, I saw this stunning white kurta and knew that it would photograph like a dream and be the perfect way to celebrate Arjun's heritage in his images. My personal favorites, though, are the images where he is dressed in his fancy-pants-iest suit and tie. He told us that he was a businessman and that he'd be going to the office. (Don't be in too much of a hurry for that, Arjun!)

Three words to describe the session: Artistic, Fun, Natural

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2017 Ambassador Preview: Lucy // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

There is a an old Latin phrase that I love: "multum in parvo," meaning, "much in little" or "much in a little space." Lucy most definitely personifies "multum in parvo." There is SO MUCH character, imagination, and intelligence stuffed into this teeny-tiny, little package. You see, Lucy isn't your average newly-3-year old. (What other 3-year old do you know that knows EVERY word to Elton John's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and makes you imaginary sushi rolls when she's playing make-believe with her kitchen set?)

Lucy has already been to 22 different countries, some many times! I knew that I wanted to give her Editorial Session a travel theme to celebrate her miniature wandering spirit. 

You can follow her adventures on Instagram.
(Her feed is seriously adorable!)
I'm so happy to have Lucy and her lovely family representing POSE PGH as 2017 Ambassadors!

Three words to describe the session: Artistic, Innovative, Natural

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