Newborn Archives - Missy Timko Photography Blog

Baby Harper | Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer

I really liked the blanket that this family chose to use in their shoot. The zig-zag pattern looked really cool and showed off the hard work of my L-series Canon lenses (can’t beat ’em!).

Life with a newborn is so bananas and amazing. I was thrilled to document this time for baby Harper and her family!

For this shoot, I used my Canon R5 primarily with my 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens. I used off-camera flash for most of the images. I did some generative spot removal on the brick wall, which worked well since the pattern is repeating and it’s not exactly symmetrical.

Below you will find Kristi’s birth story and some details about life with a newborn.

Baby’s Place of Birth: West Penn Hospital; Pittsburgh, PA

Describe life with a newborn. How has your life changed since giving birth? Is it like you expected or totally different?

Being second-time parents feels much easier than with our first child. I’m not sure if that is because Harper was full term (Darcy was 3 weeks early) or we just are more comfortable the second time around. Two kids is no joke, but we are embracing the chaos and craziness and loving every minute of it.

Does baby have siblings or pets? Siblings’ ages? How did they react to baby coming home?

One sister – Darcy Amelia and one dog – Ollie. Darcy loves being a big sister and is so sweet towards Harper (most of the time!). She is always interested in what Harper is doing and likes to help out when she can. Similar to us – Ollie is much more relaxed this time around as well and I think is enjoying having another member in his pack.

When did you book your newborn session? Why did you pick Missy Timko Photography?

I booked my newborn session when I was about 25 weeks pregnant. I choose Missy because I love her style and the images that she captures. I was looking for photos that felt natural and captured the personality of our family. We had worked with Missy before for Darcy’s photos and loved all the pictures that she took. Missy helps make everyone feel relaxed and capture the sweetest moments.

How did you prepare for your newborn session? Any tips for new moms regarding newborn photography?

For the family photos – I knew that I wanted to feel comfortable post-partum so we kind of built the whole look off of what outfit I knew I could fit into post-partum and be comfortable in. Since we didn’t find out the gender in advance, I had a few ideas in mind of what colors I wanted Harper to wear, and ordered the outfit when she was born. I would highly suggest that new moms plan to wear something that they are comfortable in and that they would be able to wear 2 – 3 weeks postpartum.

Do you have a favorite image(s) from this session? Describe the image and why you love it.

I always love all the images, but a few of my favorites are: Ollie on the porch with us all, Darcy and Harper together on the bed, Harper laying on the bed (almost all of them!). The photo of Ollie really captures his essence as a dog, and it was great to be able to get a family portrait with a dog as anxious/high energy as him. For this shoot, I know I really wanted images that would capture the love between siblings and you got the sweetest moments between the girls. All of Harper’s individual shots are great and highlight her budding personality.

Missy Timko Photography a boutique photography studio located in Mt. Lebanon, PA. Missy specializes in children from newborn to senior, families, and adults. Missy’s style is simple, natural, and clean, both posed and lifestyle photography with beautiful natural backdrops, and Missy also has a gorgeous custom studio space in uptown Mt. Lebanon. There are many session options, from full length custom sessions to quick & easy headshots, inside the studio or outside in a beautiful natural or urban location in Pittsburgh. Contact Missy for availability.

Baby James | Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer

by Missy•0

This was a very special shoot with baby James Michael, who was born in the winter of 2020. Mom and dad, Kate and Joe, were as hesitant as I was about shooting an in-home newborn session due to the rising COVID numbers in our area. We decided together that the best course of action was to essentially shoot two newborn sessions – one mini shoot outdoors in December and then a more comprehensive newborn shoot a few months later when we all were vaccinated, which ended up being April. This first set of images were shot in December:

For the outdoor newborn photos, I used my Canon RF 70-200 2.8 lens, so I was able to maintain some distance from the family but also get those beautiful details on baby James. We lucked out with a somewhat warm December day. I was so happy we got those first days because look how much he changed from December to April!

Can you believe that adorable face? This little guy was so engaged and happy! Our shoot went very smoothly, and I was amazed at how much he had changed.

Below you will find Kate’s birth story and some details about life with a newborn.

Baby’s Place of Birth: Magee Women’s Hospital

Describe your birth experience.

I think my birth experience was as positive as it could get. I went into labor on my own the day before my induction day at 40 weeks,5 days. It went from 0 to 60 very quickly…meaning I went from thinking I might be having contractions to timing them two minutes apart within 30 minutes.

I was fortunate that my favorite doctor delivered James (Dr. Anne Shaheen is incredible!). She was so supportive and reassuring throughout my entire labor and delivery. I felt like I was in the best care throughout the process and I have happy memories from it. The moment that James was born was an incredible sensation! I felt him leaving my body and becoming his own person in that moment.

Describe life with a newborn. How has your life changed since giving birth? Is it like you expected or totally different?

Life with a newborn was difficult! At first, it was difficult getting to know James and getting to know ourselves as parents. I felt like we had to start from square one and rebuild our lives. However, since we have settled into this process I think our lives are better than ever before. James helps complete our family!

Does baby have siblings or pets? Siblings’ ages? How did they react to baby coming home?

We are very close to my parents’ 12-year-old German Shepherd mix named Jack. Before we had James, he spent about 50% of his time at our house.

Unfortunately, he was originally afraid of James and uncomfortable with the new situation within the “pack.” Now that James is a bit older, he is very interested in Jack. He pets Jack and constantly is checking him out. Jack is starting to come around to James and licked his foot nine times in a row yesterday. I think he might reciprocate the friendship soon.

When did you book your newborn session? Why did you pick Missy Timko Photography?

I booked my newborn session in May 2020 after I exited the first trimester.

I picked Missy because I like her style of photos. I don’t like photos that are super artsy with props. I loved Missy’s natural ability to capture moments between a family. I also like the fact that we are practically neighbors!

How did you prepare for your newborn session? Any tips for new moms regarding newborn photography?
We did a brief newborn session outside right after James was born where I did my own hair and make up. I do NOT suggest this. I did this because of Covid-19 concerns. Get your hair and make up done and relax!

Do you have a favorite image(s) from this session? Describe the image and why you love it.
In our second newborn session when James was four months old, there is a photo of us on our bed looking down at James. This was just a natural pose that we fell into and Missy captured it. I love seeing the love that Joe and I have for James in that photo.

Baby James is a Baby Planner, so I get to see him again in a few months and then again for his first birthday. Looking forward to watching this little guy grow from a baby to a toddler! Learn more about our Baby Plan here.

Missy Timko Photography is a boutique photography studio located in Mt. Lebanon, PA. Missy specializes in children from newborn to senior, families, and adults. Missy’s style is simple, natural, and clean, both posed and lifestyle photography with beautiful natural backdrops, and Missy also has a gorgeous custom studio space in uptown Mt. Lebanon. There are many session options, from full length custom sessions to quick & easy headshots, inside the studio or outside in a beautiful natural or urban location in Pittsburgh. Contact Missy for availability.

Baby Lucy | Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer

by Missy•0

Your name and your spouse’s name: Krista and Mark H.

Baby’s full name and birth date: (When was baby’s due date?) Lucy Marie born 6/29/20. (She was due on July 1.)

Baby’s Place of Birth: Magee Women’s Hospital

Describe your birth experience.

My Covid baby! I was fortunate that the hospital policy loosened just weeks before to allow my doula to support me as well as my husband! We had some other restrictions that meant changing my ideal birth plan, but in the end, I had a beautiful baby girl!

I had an elective induction that was surprisingly very long for me, 23 hours! My previous inductions were all 8-12 hours long. I saw the midwives at Magee this time and they encouraged me to take this one slow to increase my chances of a natural birth, which was my goal. We finally decided to break my water at 2:30 AM (19.5 hours into the process) to help get things moving. I was stuck at 2 cm after all that time! It went fast and furious from there! Lucy was born at 5:06 AM.

Describe life with a newborn. How has your life changed since giving birth? Is it as you expected or totally different?

Lucy is our fourth baby, but it’s funny how much you forget about having newborns! They eat so often! Lucy has been a great sleeper, so our first few weeks have gone better than expected. One of the benefits of Covid quarantine is that Mark is working from home, so I have so much more support throughout the day.

Does baby have siblings or pets? Siblings’ ages? How did they react to baby coming home?

Lucy is baby sister to Abigail 7, Davin 5, and Clare 2. Abigail and Davin were smitten with her right away. Clare, however, took a week to warm up to the idea of another human in the house and having to share Mom’s time. Now Clare is more doting than the other two; she loves to give kisses and hold her “Ooo-cy.”

When did you book your newborn session? Why did you pick Missy Timko Photography?

I think we booked it pre-Covid. I booked because I’ve been very happy with my previous sessions! My favorite thing about our sessions with Missy is how she captures everyone’s personalities! I don’t want family photos that look like the J Crew catalogue. I want to look at the pictures and say, “Yes, that’s my family in all our quirks!” My husband’s favorite part of shooting with Missy is how efficient and quick she is!

How did you prepare for your newborn session? Any tips for new moms regarding newborn photography?

One piece of advice: Try on your outfit after your milk comes in! The shirtdress I had planned to wear no longer fit in the bust and I had to “punt” the morning of the session!

As for everybody else, I picked a color scheme and outfits that suited the weather and everyone’s personalities and sent them to Missy to make sure they would photograph well together. I did have an outfit change planned for everyone, but because of Covid, we only shot outside and it was blazing hot that day. So I opted to bag the outfit change to not fight wilting and sweating children and dad. So I recommend putting everyone in your first choice outfits first just in case!

Having hair and makeup provided was a huge timesaver! I didn’t have to worry about getting it all done before Missy arrived and I could nurse the baby while the stylists were working!

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