Laurel Highlands Portrait Session |Norah Lucia |

Hands down, one of my favorite sessions, to date! Jaime of Lonigro Photography and her sweet husband, Tony, welcomed a baby girl this spring and because Jaime has been one of my biggest cheerleaders, constantly encouraging and influencing me to chase my dreams, I just knew that I had to gift this sweet couple their first family portrait session. In years past, Jaime has collaborated with me on a few shoots and I couldn’t think of a proper way to thank her so pictures with their new little love seemed like a good way to show my appreciation for all her hard work.

Ya’ll Meet Norah Lucia Lonigro! This gorgeous little babe made her way into the world 2 weeks early with a full head of hair and the prettiest blue eyes you ever did see.  Weighing in at 7 lbs 7 oz, this little angel made her way earthside on April 27th and changed the Lonigros’ hearts forever.

Just shy of her 1 month, Tony, Jaime and little Nori met me at Keystone State Park for a quick photo shoot near the beach area. Unlike our fall minis where everything was vibrant with oranges and reds, the spring in southwestern PA had to offer bright greens and pretty posies as a backdrop for this family session. Though it was midday and the humidity was about to spike, this crew made the most of our short time together.

Because Jaime is in the portrait photography business, she knows how to get the most from a session and trusted me when I directed them to a plethora of locations around the property. These guys are outdoorsy to say the least. In fact, I am kind of hoping we all get to vacation sometime together because we dream alike and love the wild outdoors! Plus, I have a feeling that Lucy and Norah would have a blast together!

Norah slept the entire shoot. Not even once did she give me a glimpse of her baby blues but she peacefully dreamt in the warm weather and both new Mom and Dad were thankful for a little quiet time! That newborn life can be rough but these guys seem to have such a graceful grasp on the hustle that comes with having a third wheel! Jaime looked stunning, rocking that new Mama glow, the most perfect color red dress and her hair was beyond on point. In fact, I had a hard time believing that she hadn’t been to a salon that morning because let me tell you, I did not look that good when Lucy was 4 weeks old. Tony is one lucky guy!

We ended the shoot by letting little miss Nori don an adorable gray turban bow and it was insanely cute. I am just so proud and so happy for this little family. I’ve known Tony since he was a kid playing midget football for my dad. He even brought photo evidence along. Seeing these two become parents and following their journey to parenthood has been nothing short of beautiful. I am so happy for the these guys and I wish you all the most congratulations. Soak it all in because it flys by fast! Kiss Norah for me and let her know that I am already dreaming up play dates!

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Laurel Highlands Holiday Portrait Session: The Jackson Family

Where do I even start? The Jackson Family is seriously tots adorbs! I met Mama, Jess, what seems like ages ago now, when we were in high school. By the time college rolled around, I ran into her again at Seton Hill University and we picked up right where we left off. Wildly enough, she met her hubby, Shane, at Seton Hill and the rest is history. In the past five years, they got engaged, married and welcomed a sweet baby girl, Jess’s Mini-Me, Lilly!

When Jess reached out to book her family’s holiday portrait session, I literally did a little happy dance. Not only was I dying to photograph her little munchkin, I was so excited that I was going to have the chance to catch up with Jess! Since I moved to Texas, visits with old friends are few and far between so I was pumped to have a little one on one time with her and her sweet family!

We met at Keystone State Park Beach area and surprisingly enough, it was bright and sunny! Though a little chilly, the beach area definitely had more of a summer vibe than a fall day! In fact, I scrambled a bit at first because it was so bright that I was having a hard time finding a shady area to shoot their portraits. After a short hike around the property, we found a few places to snap away!

Lilly arrived ready to go. She was dressed perfectly and made sure to give me her best smiles throughout the whole shoot. You never know how kids are going to react to having a camera in their face but I should of known that Jess’s little girl would be a total ham! She was all about putting her hand on her hip and batting those eyelashes!

By the time we made it to the beach, it only felt right to give Lilly a little time one on one time with her Daddy! Little did I know, this duo had an awesome trick up their sleeves. Daddy held out his hand and their little acrobat stood straight up on her tippy toes. It was the cutest moment. They both explained in their own Daddy-Daughter lingo that they has been perfecting this move for years!

We ended the Jackson’s photo shoot by writing their family name in the sand and sharing a few quick snuggles on a blanket on the beach! Lilly was just as adorable in person as I had imagined and it was so nice to see Jess and Shane again! I loved seeing the joy of being a family in their eyes and I wish them the happiest holiday season!

Stay tuned because we have a ton more to share from our Holiday Portrait Sessions in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. These are some of my favorite sessions that we offer throughout the year and they sell out fast! If you would like to get on our Mailing List for early access booking, just shoot me an email at therustienailhead@gmail.com!

Laurel Highland Holiday Portrait Sessions: The Dlugos Family

The Dlugos gang is back on the blog! Last time we photographed with these kiddos, we met at Twin Lakes Park in Greensburg, PA for their Spring Portrait Session. Needless to say, they killed it and now they are back for a little fun in the fall foliage!

This time around, we met at Keystone State Park for a stroll through the woods and a little fun on the beach area! All of them have grown quite a bit since their last session but I was most shocked by the fact that little Addie is walking!!! Actually, if I am being honest, she is running!

I just love seeing how much the kids change in such a short amount of time. It is so crazy! I asked each of the kids to bring along one of their favorite toys and It really made my day to see how each of them lit up when they got to show theirs off. Addie had a baby doll, Max & Mason brought hockey sticks and little Jackson brought along  the sweetest stuffed puppy dog!

As usual, the Dlugos Gang were polite and kind and most of all, they listened to their Mama. They were helpful to one another and followed every direction I gave them. I know I shouldn’t be but I am always amazed by this family. I mean, 4 kids, a Wolfpack of kiddos and they all are so well behaved!

This tree stump photo ended up being my favorite out of the bunch. This tree was seriously massive and the kids really enjoyed climbing all over it. I seriously love Addie’s little Mary Janes and I am so glad they snuck their way into a few of the photos!

As for this picture, we just had to recreate it! During their last session, we had all the kids lie on a family heirloom blanket for a similar photo. This time, each kiddo brought their hand made (by Grandma) baby blankets and we laid them down together so they could each lie on their own blanket.

We ended their shoot by laying down their blankets in the sand and letting Mama join in for a few photos! We just missed the fall colors in southwestern PA but this group more than made up for it with their colorful personalities! I love getting to hang with this wild bunch and I cannot wait for our next chance to get together!

Stay tuned for more behind the scenes looks into our Holiday Portrait Sessions in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania! We’ve got lots of cuties on the way!

 

Laurel Highlands Holiday Portraits: The Shipley Family

We’re back!!  I recently took an extended leave from photography to welcome our new baby, a little girl named Lucy, but we are officially back and the holiday portrait season is in full swing! To usher in the end of my maternity leave, I choose to offer a limited number of Mini Sessions during our visit to Pennsylvania and let me tell you, those sessions did not disappoint. To kick off the holiday season, The Shipley Family is back up on the blog.

I was so happy to have this sweet family back in front of my camera mainly because this time, Dad, Jake, got to join in on the fun and the kids were so excited to have both Mama and Daddy there for a fun day of running around at the park!

This session was also a whole lot of fun because little Olivia just turned 1`the week before and Andrew had just celebrated his 3rd birthday! It feels like just yesterday that we were shooting this little man’s 2nd birthday photos!

Last year, we met for Andrew’s 2nd Birthday Photos and all that chasing around put his Mama into labor. The Shipley’s welcomed their sweet baby girl just days after our shoot! I was so sad to have missed it but their sweet Mama made sure I got to meet her little love during our Spring Mini Sessions and little Liv was just as cute as promised.

This time, we met at Keystone State Park in New Derry, Pennsylvania for a quick shoot with the whole gang! Mama, Emily, may have provided a few bribes to keep the little ones spirits up but otherwise, these guys were perfect!

We caught the tail end of the fall foliage in southwestern Pennsylvania and with the change of season brought the chilly weather! Thankfully, this gang came prepared. The Shipleys all wore warm coats and comfy boots to run around in!

We ended our shoot by setting a blanket down in the sand and letting this group just love on each other! As usual, these kiddos were full of personality, just how I like em! To check our their Spring Mini Session, head here. I love seeing how much the kids have changed in just a short 6 months since their last portrait session!

I had a blast with the Shipley Family and I look forward to seeing them again in the future! Stay tuned for more behind the scenes from our Pennsylvania Holiday Portrait Sessions!