Noelle is Two! - Mini Portrait Session

Sometimes I love just doing a sweet and simple portrait session, and letting the little one’s personality be the theme. For this mini session, I incorporated Noelle’s favorite colors - pink and purple - and let her run the show. I focused in on her sweet little face, let her hold her toy car keys, and hug her stuffy, because ultimately…this is two!

My goal for these milestone birthday sessions is always to capture exactly who your child is at that moment in time. So you can look back on these images, and be transported to them at that age. This quick and easy session did just that, and I hope these will be treasured for years to come.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sweet Noelle!

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Braxon is Four! - Birthday Session

I first met Braxon when he was a few months old, and I photographed his family during a beautiful golden hour session. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of documenting his birthdays (with the exception of last year - darn 2020) and watching him grow. When his mom contacted me this year for his birthday session, she told me their family is growing too, so we did a very special 4th birthday session with Braxon, while also featuring the soon-to-be family of 4. For the location, we met up in downtown Zelie where the family has put down their roots, and recreated a few classic shots from our past sessions as well as snapped some new ones.

Happy 4th Birthday, Braxon!

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Veronica is Two! - Birthday Session

Whenever I photograph a toddler, I know that they are the ones running the show, so I try to capture them in their essence. I find it’s best for parents and photographers to go into toddler sessions with the mindset of “ let’s see what happens". Not saying you should have low expectations, just that you should have NO expectations. They usually do not disappoint and serve up the most adorable smiles and sweetness.

When photographing Veronica in her element of her own home and bedroom, I was able to capture her reading in her own little corner (in her own little chair) and document some precious moments for her parents to remember for years to come. Her sweet toddler curls are my favorite!

Annie is Three! - Child Photography

Children like Annie make my job easy! She was an absolute joy to photograph - so effortlessly sweet, and a good listener too! I love her dress which matched her birthday theme of THREE-historic times.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Annie!

Adelyn is One! - First Birthday Photography

Adelyn is One! This girl knows how to celebrate! She prefers to just dive right in to her cake, and savor each bit. A metaphor for life! Sometimes we can learn a lot from babies. :) Happy 1st Birthday, Adelyn! It was a pleasure having you in the studio!

Peyton is One! - First Birthday Photography

Sweet Little Peyton brought the smiles for her First Birthday Session, and my favorite part of it was the one singular tooth poking through her gums. Sooo cute! A moment in time her parents are sure to want to look back on forever. It was a pleasure capturing this sweetie and her sweet-tooth!

Happy 1st Birthday, Peyton!

Harper is Two! - Child Photography

I love Harper’s sweet little “cheese!” smile! Her beautiful blue eyes popped against the blue sky for her rainbow-themed mini session, and that little grin made her almost TWO cute to handle!

Carmen is 3! - Child Birthday Photography Session

This little darling is my niece, and I am her proud aunt/fairy godmother! Carmen has a personality that lights up any room. She is just as beautiful on the inside, as she is on the outside. She is smart, sassy, strong, and caring, and we’re so happy she’s in our family.

Her session was so much fun, as she needed next to no direction. She immediately started posing. This girl knows how to work a camera.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Carm-o!

Aiden is 4! - Family Photography

I loved doing this session with one of my favorite families in one of my favorite locations - Historic Harmony! The Spring flowers were in full-bloom, and the plants their greenest. The evening was warm, and the tiny downtown area was alive with people and live music! It was the perfect night to catch some shots of sweet Aiden, who turned 4 at the beginning of April. I’m so glad we waited until Spring was in full swing to do his pictures. As always, he was the perfect subject.

Braxon is 2! - Family Photography

It was great seeing Braxon and his parents again for their session in Historic Harmony. The last time I saw him, we were doing his first birthday cake smash, and he was just starting to get curls. What an adorable, handsome toddler he has become! Happy Birthday, Braxon!

Emma is Three! - Child Portrait Photography

Miss Emma is Miss Personality! She is so sweet, and her adorable smile is effortless in front of the camera. I’ve enjoyed photographing her over the past year, and was so excited to also capture a few mommy and daughter shots in this session. “Mommy & Me” portraits always turn out beautifully, as there is no love stronger than that of a parent for their child. That joy always seems to radiate through.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Emma!

Braxon is One! - Cranberry Twp. First Birthday Photography

Sweet, little Braxon was so adorable for his First Birthday Session!  I first photographed him last summer when he was a little babe who couldn't yet sit up, now he won't sit still!  It's so great to see these little ones time and time again growing up to be active and healthy.  He was a total cutie for his pictures, and ended the session with a cupcake smash. 

Happy 1st Birthday, Braxon! 

Aiden is Three! - Mars Birthday Photography

I have a soft spot in my heart for little boys (maybe that's why God is blessing me with my second son in June), and this little boy in particular is a very special guy.  He and his mama are dear friends to my son and me.  We met Aiden and his sweet mom last year through our "Mommy and Me" preschool class and instantly clicked with them.  Soon we started having play dates, and one of our favorite spots to visit was the Mars Railroad during the warmer months when they would have their weekly train rides.  So when Aiden needed a location for his 3rd birthday session, this was a no-brainer!

The historic train station offers lots of cool, vintage backdrops to perfectly showcase a little boy being a boy.  Like my son Vinny, Aiden is into all things transportation, so we could show off his love of trains and planes through his pictures.  His neighbor is a pilot, and lent Aiden his hat as a really cool, cute, over-sized prop.  I absolutely love how these pictures turned out!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Aiden!

Gavin is Two! - Cranberry Twp. Birthday Photography

Oh TWO-dles!  Gavin is two, and I can hardly believe it!  He was just a little baby when I did my first session with him, and now he has grown into such a sweet toddler.  He was so well-behaved for his session.  Gavin will be celebrating his birthday at the beginning of April with a joint Minnie/Mickey party with his cousin in NYC!  What a fun way to ring in the magical age of two...TWO much fun!

Emma is Two! - Cranberry Twp. Birthday Photography

I love the color palette Emma's mom requested for her 2nd birthday session.  The neutral whites and gold look really pretty and feminine, while still being clean and simple.  This Valentines birthday girl looked so cute in both her casual and dressy outfits. 

Happy Birthday, Sweet Emma! 

Easton is Two! - Cranberry Twp. Birthday Photography

I love when clients return year after year, and I get to see their little ones grow.  It was so fun to see Easton again (with his 3-week-old little sister)!  He is such a good big brother, as he was super helpful with cleaning up after his photos were done.  What a sweet big boy!  He is so ready to be two! 

Happy 2nd Birthday, Easton!

Vinny is 3! - Mars Birthday Photography

My little guy is 3!  For his birthday session, we went to the Mars Shortline Railroad (but told him we were going to Sodor, where Thomas the Train lives).  It was a beautiful evening, and we enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the Mars Historical Society's train shed, as one of the members happened to see us taking pictures.  Vinny was so excited to play on their train table!  The kind gentleman even let us use one of the authentic railroad lanterns in our pictures.

We are planning to come back to the railroad in a couple weeks to ride the little train that is there on Fridays from 10am-2pm.  There is also a beautiful pavilion with picnic tables perfect for packing a lunch, a train museum, and Thomas train table for the kids.  Such a quaint little gem tucked away at the edge of downtown Mars.  At the end of the visit, Vinny didn't want to leave, so we did what any parents would do and bribed him with ice cream to get in the car. 

We're excited to return with our friends, and encourage anyone with a little guy or girl who loves trains to check out this railroad!

Gavin is One! - Cranberry Twp. First Birthday Photography

I met the adorable Mr. Gavin when he came in for Christmas photos a few months ago, and I was so happy to work with him again for his First Birthday!  Gavin brought along the Paw Patrol to help him celebrate in style.  He was a man on the move crawling and walking all over the place, but he still managed to get some great shots - both candid and posed. 

Happy 1st Birthday, Gavin!

Mila is Two! - Cranberry Twp. Birthday Photography

I have known Mila since she was 6 months old, and it has been so fun watching her grow!  She is always so sweet, gives the best hugs, and has such beautiful eyes.  She will be celebrating her 2nd birthday later this week with a Minnie Party, and I can't wait to see what else her stylish, creative mama will have in store for her.  

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Vinny is Two! - Birthday Session in Cranberry Twp.

"Oh Two-dles!"

I can't believe my baby boy is 2!  I'm filled with mixed mommy emotions.  Part of me is so sad to see the little baby fading away (although, the chubby cheeks haven't gone anywhere), and part of me is excited to finally be able to interact more with him, take him places like amusement parks and museums, and carry on little conversations with the little person I created.  Motherhood truly is such a powerful thing.  Everyone tells you it changes you, but until you experience it yourself, you don't fully understand just how much. 

Vinny's 2nd birthday party was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed, so I wanted his pictures to reflect that.  I also wanted to capture him playing with his three favorite things at the moment; Mickey, trains, and books.  Someday I will look back on his annual birthday pictures and be able to remember exactly what he was into.  I encourage all parents to bring a few items with them for their toddler's birthday pictures, whether it be to make them smile or simply just for them to hold, it'll be a good token to jog your memory when looking through the pictures many years from now. 

In my photography experience so far, I can surely say that 2-year-olds are the most challenging subjects!  When they're younger than two, they're a little easier to pose, when they're older than two, they start to understand and follow directions (to an extent), but when they're wild and crazy two, you just have to keep snappin' away and hope for a smile.  Luckily, being that Vin is my own, I had an idea of what songs and antics make him laugh. 

He's my little buddy, and I'm so happy to have these sweet shots of him.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Vinny!  I love you more than you'll ever know!