Children Archives - Laura Mares Photography | Award winning Pittsburgh Family + Newborn Photographer

Family Session Interview – Pittsburgh Lifestyle Photographer

Post author:Laura
Post published:October 2, 2020
Post category:Lifestyle Photography

Today's blog features a recent Lifestyle family session. I loved photographing this wonderfully unique family for a myriad of reasons. The dad is Irish so his go-to technique for getting giggles was to do an Irish jig! The mom fostered a loving home environment for the family. How fun! I loved visiting their beautiful home and hearing their many travel stories. I enjoy being a lifestyle photographer because it allows me to meet families like this and capture raw, authentic moments from their daily life. An added bonus during this family's session, was that I got to hear the family speak a little Gaelic! How did you and your spouse meet? We met in Green Harbor, MA, outside of Boston. I was living there at the time and Micheal was visiting friends. Describe your family. Micheal is from the West Coast of Ireland and I'm from all over the East Coast…

Pittsburgh Portrait Locations – Frick Park in Point Breeze

Post author:Laura
Post published:July 20, 2020
Post category:Family Session Tips

Pittsburgh Portrait Locations - Frick Park in Point Breeze Today I'm excited to write about Frick Park, it is another beautiful outdoor location for portraits in Pittsburgh. Isn't truly an iconic Pittsburgh location? Situated in the heart of the Point Breeze, Frick Park is Pittsburgh’s largest historical regional park. Frick Park is a wonderful place to photograph seniors, families and children. The park is large and offers plenty of space for seniors/families to move around. I love the beautiful lines in the architecture and as well as the landscaping. Frick Park offers many highlights for a portrait location: It is conveniently located, easily accessible and presents a large variety of background for your portraits. For this particular session we parked near The Frick Museum and walked to the picturesque stone arch at the park entrance. After capturing a few family portraits near the entrance, we continued to walk toward the open…

7 Tips to Prepare Your Children for Your Family Photo Session

Post author:Laura
Post published:March 17, 2020
Post category:Session Tips

7 Tips to Prepare Your Children for an Awesome Photo Session As a Pittsburgh family photographer, I have run across a theme far too often: a grumpy child who has just received a stern talking-to in the car before the start of the session. This will likely yield to more tension, stressed parents, and a few forced smiles from the children. But my goal is to create a fun family experience that results in genuine smiles. So, today on the blog I’ve decided to share seven tips for a successful photo shoot that is enjoyable for all involved. Please remember, children want to understand what is expected of them and what a “family photo shoot” even entails. By being straight forward and explaining that the upcoming photo shoot will be a fun experience that they should look forward to! That soon they will have the chance to meet a new friend…

1st Birthday Spotlight – Pittsburgh Baby Photographer

Post author:Laura
Post published:February 21, 2020
Post category:Baby

How did you and your spouse meet? We both attended Wheeling Jesuit University and met when we had the same undergraduate class. What do you enjoy about living in the Pittsburgh area? We love the opportunities that this city has to offer; from employment opportunities to fun weekend activities, Pittsburgh has so many opportunities with wonderful memories to be created. In your opinion, what baby items do you think are essential? Ubbi diaper trash can, Zen swaddle and sleep sack, white noise machine (in room and portable for the car) What are your baby's favorite book(s)? His favorite book is "Where's Santa Claus?" What are your baby's favorite food(s)? Our baby's favorite food are blueberries. What are your baby's favorite toys? Our baby loves to play with cars. How did you celebrate your child's birthday? Location, number of guests, theme, food, cake, highlights We celebrated a winter one-derland at the Cabin…

Family Spotlight – Pittsburgh Family Photographer

Post author:Laura
Post published:December 26, 2019
Post category:Family

To be honest, some families are easier to photograph than others. Although toddlers are adorable, they aren't always agreeable! Even though I'm almost always up for a challenge, it was a treat to photograph this family with two "big" girls who really enjoyed having their photos taken and even came up with different ideas for unique photographs! The icing on the cake was realizing these loving parents were also up for any of my off the wall suggestions! I hope you enjoy reading this interview and viewing highlights from their urban family portrait session. How did you and your spouse meet? We met our senior year of college while attending The Ohio State University. What do you enjoy about living in the Pittsburgh area? Ketih and I were both born and raised in Ohio. We moved to Pittsburgh 10 years ago for Keith's job. We were newly married and thought it…

1st Birthday Spotlight – Pittsburgh Family Photographer

Post author:Laura
Post published:December 12, 2019
Post category:Baby

The biggest compliment I ever receive is when a family contacts me to book another photo session. It's an honor to work with repeat customers and I treasure when clients become friends. I'm excited to introduce you to another amazing Pittsburgh family! How did you and your spouse meet? We were neighbors in Morgantown, WV. Let's go Mountaineers! What do you enjoy about living in the Pittsburgh area? We both grew up in WV and prefer a rural setting more often than not but enjoy that Pittsburgh offers easy access to pro sports teams, great restaurants, shopping, etc. What are your baby's favorite books? Currently she is obsessed with Little Blue Truck so we read it every day, sometimes more than once. She also loves any touch and feel or lift the flap books. What are your baby's favorite foods? She loves food in general but her favorites are probably fruits.…

Family Spotlight – Pittsburgh Family Photographer

Post author:Laura
Post published:November 8, 2019
Post category:Family

This welcoming family decided to have a family photoshoot on their beautiful horse farm. We began our shoot near the horse field and ventured on to other areas of their property. The three generation family got together to celebrate this special grandma's birthday with a portrait session. It was quite an enjoyable evening exploring the rolling acres and interacting with the friendly family members! I asked Grace if I could feature her family on the blog. How did you and your husband meet? Matt and I met through a mutual friend in college. I went to DePaul in Chicago and he was playing hockey at Western Michigan at the time. We had a long distance relationship for a few years. What do you enjoy about living in the Pittsburgh area? We enjoy how easily you can access the city and the rural areas around Pittsburgh. I love that our kids can grow up seeing…

Family Spotlight – Pittsburgh Family Photographer

Post author:Laura
Post published:August 17, 2019
Post category:Family

Today, I'm excited to share highlights from a recent family portrait session in Mellon Park. I had a blast spending time with this photogenic family! Sadly, when I get behind the camera I get so focused on creating portraits that I occasionally forget names or use the wrong ones. I can't actually claim to be good with names in the first place, but when my interest is capturing portraits, it only goes downhill. (I'm curious if other photographers have the same trouble.) So today, I'm going to introduce you Mike and his family... But only I call him that, the rest of the world knows him as Brain! How did you and your spouse meet? Brian and I met Senior year at Penn State. I showed up at a bar on campus with one of my girlfriends, and Brian was sitting at the bar with his buddy Mike, who was also…

1st Birthday Spotlight – Pittsburgh Baby Photographer

Post author:Laura
Post published:July 15, 2019
Post category:Baby

1st Birthday Spotlight - Pittsburgh Baby Photographer Mellon Park is my favorite location to take portraits in Pittsburgh. I've been going there for years, but every time I go I see new angles for taking portraits. Kennedy is an easy going sweetheart and we all had a wonderful session celebrating her first birthday in Mellon Park. We laughed and got creative our entire time together. Check out how beautiful her smash cake is below!! How did you two meet? We met at work! We are both recruiters. I asked him for help working on a position and once we filled it we celebrated with drinks. After that first date we both knew! What do you enjoy about living in the Pittsburgh area? The city environment but small time atmosphere. You get the best of both worlds here! In your opinion, what baby items do you think are essential? A sound Machine is…

8 Tips for a Meltdown-free Family Portrait Session

Post author:Laura
Post published:July 10, 2019
Post category:Family Session Tips

I know that for many of us dread the thought of a family session. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we all want beautiful family photos, but just don’t see our own family as able to pull through. We’ve all heard the horror stories from friends and family. But I am here to reassure you that I have 8 tried-and-true tips on how to make your family shoot flawless! Hope these are helpful! -Laura