Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

May 15, 2020 by Lexi Shapiro in session

I have had the immense privilege of working with Sienna and her family several times, now, and it has been so much fun keeping things fresh and photographing each session with its own, unique vibe. I can’t believe just how quickly this pint-sized powerhouse is growing up in front of my eyes, and we’ll keep evolving together as she grows and changes. With how well she takes direction and poses now, I can’t wait to photograph a 7 or 8-year old Sienna. She’ll be beyond unstoppable.

For this session in particular, we wanted to go very heavy on the styling and include a lot more accessories than we had in the past, making it extra editorial. I had to highlight her gorgeous new custom suit from David Alan Clothing, but decided to give it an easy, relaxed feel by pairing it with slides and sunnies. Next, we styled two 90’s-tastic looks (my faaaavorite). For the first look, we went for “Sienna from the Block.” Haha. Her tiny Fila sneakers absolutely kill me and have inspired me to potentially reinvest in a pair for myself after 25 years. I wanted to give the second 90’s look more of a pop-punk meets Spice Girls vibe, so I mixed patterns and bright colors. Space buns + Doc Martens were both nonnegotiable. The last set of images was styled to match a monochromatic idea that I’ve wanted to execute for years, and Sienna did it such justice, effortlessly giving me fierce hair tosses and perfect expressions. I suppose you could say that I’ve entered my “blue period.” ;)

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Tori's 2018 Comp Card // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

POSE PGH

June 07, 2018 by Lexi Shapiro in session

When your little one is represented by an agency, they'll need to have their comp card/portfolio updated about every 6 months. Kids grow and change SO quickly (too quickly, I know)! Tori, now 7 years old, was due for a refresh, and I was super excited to have her in the studio again.

All children are different. With some, I'll carefully choose their poses and carefully tweak each little finger until it's in the right spot, and that makes them feel more comfortable and confident. Some kiddos are more free-spirited and I just let them do their own thing and am along for the ride, snapping away. And then there are some, like Tori, where it's a true collaboration: half of the time spent doing "Miss Lexi's poses" and the other half spent letting the kiddo make their own magic with them somehow nailing the most genius, adorable, I-never-would-have-thought-of-that poses. So, I won't say that I love photographing Tori (though, I most certainly do). I will say that I love COLLABORATING with Tori.

Now that she's a bit older, I knew that we could do some more dramatic, controlled lighting and aim for a more "fashion-y," mature vibe. Since we were creating a new comp card, I wanted to ensure that we had a good variety in wardrobe and mood. (Some casual, some dressy, some fierce, some pretty, etc.) When styling the session, Mom wanted to incorporate the gorgeous red dress that Tori had worn to a father-daughter dance earlier in the year and I was living for it. I also have to give Mom huge props for always trusting the zany wheels that turn in my head, even when I'm saying things like, "This coat, but backwards!" and "Yes, the oversized, fuzzy blue onesie!"

This is one of my favorite sessions that I've photographed to date. While I really do love photographing sessions that are light and fun, I have to admit that I'm more and more drawn to this moody aesthetic and hope to create more of it moving forward. There is just something so beautiful in the juxtaposition of the angelic innocence of children and a more mature, editorial perspective/style.

Hair and makeup by Tori Bivins.

This is how Tori's finished comp cards look. Again, we aimed to strike that important balance: a warm, smiley head shot, a moody image, a softer, pretty image, a casual streetwear image, and a luxe, elegant gown.

Mom ended up having some wall art created from the session, as well, and the prints were super gorgeous. We did these ones as two 12x24" triptychs on luster paper. Tori claimed pretty much every print for her bedroom, so maybe with some negotiation, Mom can hang one of these elsewhere in her home. Haha. Looking forward to seeing them framed!

Tori is Signed! // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

March 24, 2017 by Lexi Shapiro in session, signed

Few things make me happier than seeing the kiddos I work with grow and succeed, and I'm always ready to do whatever I can to help get them there. So, imagine my delight when I heard that the past year's photographic endeavors had paid off and that Miss Tori has been officially signed by Docherty Agency! I am over the moon and so proud of this girl!

Now that Tori had been signed, she needed a portfolio of more recent images for the agency to use, and I couldn't have been more excited to photograph it! (I SO love working with this little lady and her family!) Tori is the best of both worlds: she takes direction like a champ, but can also intuitively pose herself like a pro. I think that the two of us make a great team, together.

I enlisted the fabulous Deanna Machi to style Tori's hair throughout the session. We continually changed her hair and styling to add as much variety as possible, photographing images that ranged from more editorial to more commercial. I am so pleased with how all of the looks and images turned out!

(Having a strong portfolio/comp card is so important, but having an advisor throughout the process is even better. If you've been thinking about trying to get your kiddo involved with modeling, I'd love to be that advisor and help set them up for success, too!)