The N Family - Family Portrait Session

October 9, 2025 Courtney Cassat

I was so excited to see The N Family again to commemorate their new home in Zelienople! Their move also coincides with Nico turning 18 months, so a double milestone was being celebrated.

We were sure to hit all the landmarks of Main Street Zelie; The Kaufman Tavern, The butterfly outside Curio, and of course The Strand - Zelie’s famous theater featuring both stage performances and movies. Being a Seneca Valley grad myself, I’ve always loved Zelie. It’s a perfect mix of nostalgia, hometown pride, and in more recent years, modern shops and restaurants. The sweet Main Street honors the history of the past while welcoming the future.

We had to end the night with a sweet treat from Ice Box Creamery to celebrate Nico’s half birthday. Nico was so cute with his ice cream cheers! Congrats to The N Family on their new home!

The F Family - Family Portrait Session

October 17, 2024 Courtney Cassat

It was great to see The F Family again for some updated family portraits. It had been a few years, and was great to see how the kids have grown - including Wally! For our location, we wandered the alley ways of downtown Zelie to find just the right backgrounds. Here are just a few of my favorites.

The H Family - Family Mini Session

July 2, 2022 Courtney Cassat

I love the beauty of nature, but I also love a good “urban” session. For this one, I met up with the H Family in downtown Zelienople, one of my favorite Main Streets. We got a variety of backgrounds in a quick 30 minute mini session. Annie was too cute, and showcased her personality and beautiful dress (can you believe her mom made it!?).

Braxon is Four! - Birthday Session

May 28, 2021 Courtney Cassat

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!

Annie is Three! - Child Photography

March 13, 2020 Courtney Cassat

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!

Peyton is One! - First Birthday Photography

February 29, 2020 Courtney Cassat

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

February 26, 2020 Courtney Cassat

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!

Connor is One! - First Birthday Photography

February 23, 2020 Courtney Cassat

First Birthday sessions are some of my favorite sessions! One-year-olds are always filled with so much personality, and it’s always fun to see where that will take the session. Connor’s bright blue eyes are so dreamy to capture in photographs! Happy 1st Birthday, Little Guy! I hope to see more of you in the next year too!

Maximus Cain - Newborn Photography Session

January 5, 2020 Courtney Cassat

Baby Max was my last session of 2019! He arrived a few weeks earlier than planned, and is so loved! It was evident that his mommy and older siblings, especially his sisters, are absolutely smitten with him.

Welcome to the world, Max!

Grayson is One! - First Birthday Photography

December 30, 2019 Courtney Cassat

Before Christmas, and in the midst of Holiday Session madness, this little guy turned one! I got to spend some time with him in the studio for his fun little cake smash. He was on the move, crawling all over the place, but the cake caught his interest, and he very calmly examined the icing. Grayson had a First Year Special package with me, so I was able to photograph him as a newborn, 6-month-old, and 1-year-old! It’s been a pleasure watching him grow!

Happy 1st Birthday, Grayson!

Luca John & Laken Nicole - Newborn Photography

November 5, 2019 Courtney Cassat

Twenty tiny fingers and twenty tiny toes…Twins! Laken and Luca were a dream to photograph! They arrived with full tummies and slept so well the whole time. They’re so, so sweet, and filled the studio with the most delicious newborn smell! I can’t wait to photograph them again in six months!

Madeline is One! - First Birthday Photography

October 20, 2019 Courtney Cassat

It’s almost Monday, so I figured what better time to share Miss Madeline’s First Birthday Session, which is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of anyone who views it. Madeline’s session was a blast to photograph. Her parents wanted three distinct looks for her pictures; candid playtime, posed cake smash, and outdoors with family. They were kind enough to let me know what they were looking for, but also let me be creative, which I so appreciate! Her birthday theme is “Some-Bunny is One!” which I absolutely love! Her mom brought the cutest props and outfits for Baby Maddie, including a bunny ear headband, and a perfect bunny ear cake topper! I just love the attention to detail. Plus they brought along the most important thing…Grandma! Grandparents always seem to get the biggest smiles from the babies! Grandma certainly did her job, and I was able to get some adorable smiles from this sweetheart!

These photos are only some of the amazing shots we were able to get from Miss Maddie. She was a complete joy to photograph, and I hope to work with her again! Happy 1st Birthday, Maddie!

Clare Jean - Newborn Photography

October 19, 2019 Courtney Cassat

Sweet Clare was an angel for her session. She slept peacefully as I chatted with her mommy and grandma, and learned about the unique story behind her name. Clare was named for County Clare in Ireland, a place her parents had visited together. Clare, of course, donned a green swaddle to pay homage to her Irish roots, and also brought along some other props with a story. The stuffed dog, in particular, was a sentimental prop for her family, as they lost their dog Rooney shortly before Clare was born. He looked a lot like the stuffed animal. Clare also wore a Phillies headband and baby booties for her dad who is originally from Philadelphia. But as Clare’s mom made clear, that is the only Philly team Clare will cheer on.

Welcome to the world, Clare! You were a dream to photograph!

Avelyn Rose - Newborn/Family Photography

October 12, 2019 Courtney Cassat

The C Family looked perfect for their session with newborn daughter Avelyn. Big sister Graciela was also turning two just a few days after Avelyn was born, so their session was celebrating that special milestone as well. I absolutely LOVED the color scheme and coordinating sister outfits they chose. Miss Avelyn was such a good baby, and slept sweetly the entire time, even when her big sister was playing with pumpkins all around her! Happy Birthday to both girls!

Justin & Lauren - First Communion Portrait Photography

October 12, 2019 Courtney Cassat

I’m always happy to take photographs for my family. Two years ago I took portraits for my cousin Lauren’s First Communion, and this year, I was happy to do so for her brother, my cousin Justin. We started out at the studio with a few standard indoor portraits, and then moved to the North Catholic Prayer Garden and grotto for a few more. Justin looked handsome as can be with those blue eyes and “Capra dimples.” It was fun to spend the afternoon with them!

Cameron John - Newborn Photography

October 7, 2019 Courtney Cassat

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and it is my privilege to be able to feature this amazing family on my blog. I first met Erin and Dan when I worked at March of Dimes. They were some of our best volunteers, and Dan, who works for the Pittsburgh Pirates, championed our cause with the team and organization. Sadly, their volunteerism was prompted by their own story of loss. In 2007, their twin boys Ethan and Casey passed away. In Erin’s words, life without these little boys, for whom they had such big plans, was empty and soul-crushing.

Through volunteering and helping others, they began to heal, and happily have now welcomed three rainbow babies into their family. Their older daughters, Kaelin and Kelsey, and now their sweet little guy Cameron, who just joined them last month.

For those who aren’t familiar, the term “rainbow baby” refers to a baby born to a family after they have experienced a loss. Even after the darkest storms, a rainbow can appear.

I am so happy for the Hart family, and feel honored that they asked me to photograph the little man who was destined to be theirs; Cameron John.

Laura - Senior Portrait Photography

September 24, 2019 Courtney Cassat

There is something exciting, creative, and fun about photographing a high school senior. Usually my subjects are babies or small children, so I snap away, do my best, and hope for some nice shots. Shooting with little ones is challenging, but so rewarding when you get that shot! However, it is a nice reprieve from my usual work when my subject can understand direction, and collaborate with me on what they’re looking for in a photo.

These photos symbolize an amazing time in Laura’s life. She is on the brink of becoming a young adult. She has an array of opportunities in front of her, and because of her hard work throughout high school, she gets to now choose her own adventure.

For Laura’s session, I suggested starting in my favorite location of historic Harmony. I love shooting there because of the variety of backgrounds you can achieve simply by walking throughout the little downtown area. After some time there, we headed over to the studio for an outfit change, and a few more shots in the nearby natural area as the sun was setting.

It was a perfect session, and Laura looked amazing!

Best of luck to her this year, and in her future!

Ponchito - Newborn Photography

September 15, 2019 Courtney Cassat

Gerardo Alfonso (aka Ponchito) is named for his grandfather. Ponchito or Ponchi is the nickname for Alfonso in the Spanish language. The cute little name is so fitting for this sweet baby brother to big sister Lupita. Both of their names are shortened versions of family names - which I love!

The family wanted to highlight their love of Disney’s The Lion King in their pictures, so I again had the privilege of photographing a sweet little lion cub costume. And of course, we had to do that iconic Lion King pose.

Welcome to the ‘circle of life,’ Ponchito!

Grayson is Six Months! - Baby Photography

July 1, 2019 Courtney Cassat

Last time I saw Grayson, he was all cozy under a Christmas tree, just a few days new. Now he’s super smiley, and rolling all around. It was so fun to capture him laying on his back playing with his toes, sitting supported on the couch, and interacting with his big bro. I can’t wait to see him again when he’s turning one!

Adrian Ryan - Newborn Photography

June 27, 2019 Courtney Cassat

This session produced so many dreamy images. Little Adrian was so sweet and sleepy for most of it, which made my job easy. I so enjoyed meeting him and his parents, who brought along the most perfect bear props to compliment his woodland nursery at home. The blue bear was extra special, as it was his daddy’s when he was a baby.