Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer | Lifestyle Session | T Family

Read more about the article Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer | Lifestyle Session | T Family
© 2017 Powder Blue Photography. www.powderbluephoto.com

“Little Boy Blue” is a popular nursery rhyme that dates back to the sixteenth century, and the actual lyrics might even be older than that.  But, until the nineteenth century, all infants were photographed in white.  Now, this may surprise you (as it did me):  In 1918, the Ladies Home Journal wrote, “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls.”  What??  Believe it or not, this trend lasted until through the 1920s and 1930s.

Now I realize that not everybody is a fan of the “blue for boys, pink for girls” thing.  As a baby photographer, I certainly don’t cling to such stereotypes.  But, stereotypes aside, babies in blue are pretty cute!

newborn, blue and white, brothers

Need more convincing?  Here’s another adorable shot of my “Little Boys in Blue,” big brother John and Baby William.

newborn, blue and white, neutral interior, baby feet, black and white

This is the T family, who live in Upper St. Clair in a gorgeous historic stone home.  The weather was really beautiful on this August day, so we took advantage and took a lot of shots out in the yard.  Even Mom and Dad are dressed in blue and white!

newborn, blue and white, on location, summer, black and white, dad, mom

This was ostensibly a newborn session, but—as usual—the older-sibling toddler stole the show.  John, age 3, followed me around and kept me company.  I love this because it happens almost every time, and it’s so cute!  (Plus it’s what goes on all day and night at my house!)

blue and white, on location, little boy blue

Baby William was a big, mellow, sweet baby (having weighed nearly 10 pounds at birth), and slept almost the whole time.  We did manage to get him to open those eyes, just a little bit.  By the way, notice how the blue sheet and white cable knit blanket extend the blue-and-white theme, while adding an extra comfy feeling to these newborn shots.

newborn, blue and white, white cable knit, bassinet

Mom Kim and Dad Lee are from the South and both have a  flair for southern styling in their home.  So naturally, we wanted to go inside for some more intimate shots.  The pictures of Mom and her “Little Boys Blue” are particularly beautiful with the home’s neutral interiors, with Mom’s blouse and blue hydrangeas extending this classic color scheme.  Kim chose custom gold frames to create a wall grouping to hang in their family room.  These timeless “Little Boys Blue” photos will only become more classic over time.

blue and white, neutral interior, newborn, toddler, mom and newborn

Thank you, T family, for bringing artistic sensibility, southern hospitality, and family warmth to this photo shoot.  I can’t wait to see what Baby William looks like as he grows!

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Missy Timko is the photographer behind Powder Blue Photography, a boutique photography studio located in Pittsburgh, PA. She specializes in newborns, maternity, families, seniors, and headshots. Missy’s style is simple, natural, and clean, a mix of slightly posed and lifestyle photography with beautiful natural backdrops, and Missy also runs a studio in Pittsburgh.  There are many session options, from full-length custom sessions to little sessions, inside the studio or outside in a beautiful natural or urban location in Pittsburgh.  Contact Missy for rates and availability.

Pittsburgh Lifestyle Newborn Photographer | Baby Adelaide | Woodland Nursery

Read more about the article Pittsburgh Lifestyle Newborn Photographer | Baby Adelaide | Woodland Nursery
© 2017 Powder Blue Photography. www.powderbluephoto.com

Welcome Baby Adelaide!.  She was very calm and sleepy in these images because we shot this session when she was only six days old.

pittsburgh newborn photographer. simple, natural newborn portrait on location. baby girl. no prop. dog. dad. pink swaddling

Fabrics, shadows, unexpected pops of color.  Contrasting textures—the family dog Maeby’s coat against Adelaide’s exquisitely smooth newborn skin.  Vivid against neutral.  Personal family touches. These are the elements that go into a visually stunning–as well as deeply memorable—family portrait.

lifestyle newborn images on a bed using window light and fill flash.  newborn baby girl wearing green headband and a white kimono onesie.

I have learned from experience that there is a clear advantage to shooting a session shortly after newborns come home from the hospital.  Early sessions like this tend to go smoothly since brand new babies are relatively less fussy, sleep a lot, and also tend to have the most wonderful “Wow, this is my family!” expressions when they are awake.  By the time they are 2-3 weeks old, they are less predictable and a little more prone to fussiness—usually without warning!  I have shot numerous sessions at 3 weeks+, and there are advantages to that age as well, but if mom wants sleepy newborn shots, week 1-2 is best!

pittsburgh newborn photographer. simple, natural newborn portrait on location. baby girl. in crib. printed sheets. newborn feet. no props.

One way to add visual interest in textures, shapes and angles is to convert images to black & white.  When my clients purchase image files, I include black & white conversions of all images, which I do individually, converting each image one at a time.  The visual impact becomes completely different from that of a color photograph, since the eye goes to textures and angles instead of straight to the color. Somehow, connections and emotions can be more vivid.

pittsburgh newborn photographer. simple, natural newborn portrait in client home. black and white. nursery. no props.

Take a big stretch, Baby Adelaide, on the beautiful quilt made by one of Mom’s oldest friends, Sam. I could write a whole blog just about this quilt, since it is a great example of how many ways personal touches can be incorporated into a handmade newborn gift.  Sam incorporated a John Muir quote into the quilt because this family loves mountains. (In fact, right this minute, Adelaide’s grandpa is hiking the John Muir trail!)  One of the prints is a grizzly bear print, which came from an artist in the favorite city (Cologne, Germany) of Mom Sara, who is a German teacher.  The patterns on the quilt became the inspiration for the rest of the nursery.  Mom just cannot believe her dear friend was able to make this quilted treasure, especially since she had a baby herself, just two months earlier.

pittsburgh newborn photographer. simple, natural newborn portrait on location in white crib. baby girl. handmade quilt.

The L family lives in a beautiful Victorian-style home.  The nursery is an amazing woodland style, with a shadowy mountain wall mural hand painted by Dad, Tim. You know I love grey, especially in a nursery!

pittsburgh newborn photographer. simple, natural newborn portrait on location. baby girl. woodland nursery. hand painted wall. woodland nursery.

The family goes camping and backpacking almost every summer in the Smokey Mountains or the Sierra Nevadas, and the forest and mountains are sources of happy memories growing up.  The family considers the mountains “their happy place,”  so of course they wanted Adelaide to experience that in her own nursery.  So the nursery becomes a focal point for the family’s deepest passions, with the hope that Baby Adelaide grows up to be a brave little explorer.

Mom Sara advises parents of newborns to heed the recommendations for how to dress your newborn for the shoot:  “I am so happy that she wasn’t in something baggy.  Otherwise, I just trusted Missy to work her magic and we had a great time on top of it!  I’m so so happy I decided to do the newborn photos, as I already love seeing the change with my little one.”

Thank you, L family, for the delightful opportunity to work with you.  I look forward to documenting Adelaide’s first mountain climb!

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Missy Timko is the photographer behind Powder Blue Photography, a boutique photography studio located in Pittsburgh, PA. She specializes in newborns, maternity, families, seniors, and headshots. Missy’s style is simple, natural, and clean, both posed and lifestyle photography with beautiful natural backdrops, and Missy also runs a studio in the Point Breeze neighborhood in Pittsburgh.  There are many session options, from full length custom sessions to quick updates of just the kids, inside the studio or outside in a beautiful natural or urban location in Pittsburgh.  Contact Missy for availability.

Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer | Outdoor Newborn Portraits | Baby Aidan

Read more about the article Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer | Outdoor Newborn Portraits | Baby Aidan
© 2017 Powder Blue Photography. www.powderbluephoto.com

Those of us who live in Pittsburgh need no convincing that Pittsburgh is glorious in May.  The city seems to alive after the always-too-long winter.  We all come out of hibernation in May.   The other thing that happens every May is–babies, babies, babies!  For me, the month of May is always full of requests for outdoor newborn sessions. I love it!

Case in point:  Baby Aidan, big brother Nolan, and Mom and Dad (Kaitlin and Bob).  With a newborn, it’s not really necessary (or even a good idea) to go too far from home to get a great outdoor shot, especially during the nice weather.  I chose the side steps of the family’s new home in Mt. Lebanon as the setting for these beautiful family portraits.

outdoor newborn family portraits on porch.

Then we moved inside for some more cuddly shots, and what could be more cuddly than bed?

Big brother Nolan and I are old friends, even though he’s only 18 months old.  When Nolan was a newborn, Mom and Dad purchased the baby plan for him, and he just had his 12-month photo shoot just a few months ago.  Here’s Big Brother Nolan as a newborn:

Nolan was a quiet baby, but since he has become a Big Brother, he has become the biggest chatterbox! He has a Baby Brother to talk to now! (Nolan calls baby Aidan “A”.)

This is definitely one of my favorite families, and I look forward to taking their photos as they grow!

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Missy Timko is the photographer behind Powder Blue Photography, a boutique photography studio located in Pittsburgh, PA. She specializes in newborns, maternity, families, seniors, and headshots. Missy’s style is simple, natural, and clean, both posed and lifestyle photography with beautiful natural backdrops, and Missy also runs a studio in the West End Village in Pittsburgh.  There are many session options, from full length custom sessions to quick updates of just the kids, inside the studio or outside in a beautiful natural or urban location in Pittsburgh.  Contact Missy for availability.