Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

March 11, 2021 by Lexi Shapiro in session

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

POSE PGH

January 13, 2020 by Lexi Shapiro in session

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

Some Day Sienna's Prince Will Come // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

POSE PGH

January 07, 2020 by Lexi Shapiro in session

It has been so amazing getting to know Sienna’s family over the past year or so. Every time that Sienna has been in the studio with me, I’ve seen subtle (and not-so-subtle) changes as she grows up and becomes more and more of a pint-sized professional. With how hard she and her family all work and the incredibly supportive network they have in their corner courtesy of being such wonderful people, it should come as no surprise that she was the WINNER of this year’s annual #POSE4PICKET contest that I run in conjunction with The Picket Fence. She won a complimentary Editorial Session, three 8x10 prints, and a gorgeous Tea Collection outfit to wear during her session. (If you missed this year's contest - be sure to enter next year!)

It had honestly been too long since I had gotten to photograph an Editorial Session, so I was itching to really go all-out on this one. (An Editorial Session is a 2-hour long stylized session that I photograph as if it’s a themed magazine editorial spread. This could include multiple backdrops, fun props, unique set pieces, and so much more!) Sienna’s online moniker has always been “Princess Sienna,” so it seemed only fitting to create the ultimate princess-themed extravaganza. Being that she’s a pageant winner many times over, I knew that she’d have some incredible gowns and accessories for wardrobe - the bigger and sparklier, the better. For the rest of the session, I decided to incorporate some classic princess story elements in my own modern way, like Cinderella losing her shoe and a princess kissing a frog prince. And, what would a princess be without her crown? How about a GIANT CROWN? This incredible giant princess crown was made entirely of balloons courtesy of my friends at Airheads Balloon Art. (They never fail to amaze me. I just go to them and say, “I need an enormous XXX made of balloons,” and they make it happen beautifully.)

While I love creating imagery in general, my ultimate goal and thought process is always about creating stunning statement wall art pieces. I knew that a dark teal backdrop would make Sienna’s gorgeous, warm skin glow and that with some dramatic lighting, we could make some magic in the interplay, especially if these were printed as large metallic wall art. I chose wardrobe pieces with bright color pops of pink and purple for further contrast (including that luxe pink and mustard Tea Collection ensemble, courtesy of The picket Fence), and also pulled a breathtaking sequined gown from Itty Bitty Toes that looks insanely realistic and almost 3-dimensional on the metallic paper. From this session, I designed a glamorous metallic collage for Sienna’s bedroom wall, with the second image below as an arresting 20x30 focal point in the center. I’ll definitely share photos of the display when I can!

Landri Has a Heart of Gold // Pittsburgh Children's Photographer

December 12, 2016 by Lexi Shapiro in session

There is so much that I could say about Landri. This adorable 4-year old is one of the sweetest kiddos that I've had the pleasure of working with. She is friendly, yet feisty. Spirited, yet dear. Affectionate, yet independent. I see such a strength of character in this little, little girl, and I can't wait to see her grow up into a strong, beautiful woman.

Landri was this year's winner of the annual #POSE4PICKET contest that I run in conjunction with The Picket Fence. She won a complimentary Editorial Session, three 8x10 prints, and a gorgeous Tea Collection outfit to wear during her session. (If you missed this year's contest - be sure to enter next year! It's SO MUCH fun!) I am so grateful that this contest enabled me to meet both her and her mother, as it was such a joy getting to know the both of them.

When planning Landri's session, I knew that I wanted to photograph it on black to emphasize her gorgeous blonde hair and porcelain skin. When I inquired as to Landri's favorite colors, I was told that they were "pink, purple, and golden." What a perfect color palette! I decided to select primarily pink and purple wardrobe and utilize different golden accents during the session (including a crown for the images in her Tea Collection outfit - she needed to be "crowned" the winner, after all!) There were also two other very important objects in Landri's world that I knew we could incorporate perfectly: her lovey/BFF "Baby" the elephant, and her preferred method of getting around on such tiny legs: her hot pink scooter.

Honestly, I could have photographed this little girl all day...