PA Holiday Portrait Session: The Powder Mill Village

This sweet family is back on the blog and I could not be happier about it. They recently welcomed a baby girl and I was so excited to get a glimpse at their new addition!

For the third year in a row, I had the opportunity to shoot their session right in their backyard. These guys live in a cozy little corner of the Powder Mill Village area and I just love shooting  at this location. Each year, they surprise me with a different backdrop and each year, it just gets more beautiful. I can totally see why they chose to set up camp in the mountains!

Their eldest baby girl has grown so much and watching her grow over the years is one of the best parts of my job. Somehow, she gets more adorable year after year. This time, I got to see her in a brand new role, big sister! She was definitely a fan of her mini-me!

In the past, we have shot at night time and ended up with some amazingly moody winter shots (check out that session here) but this time, we chose to shoot in the morning and we got a completely different look and feel for their session. It was vibrant and bright and simply gorgeous out!

Their first request of the day blew me away. Their neighbor, a close friend, had recently passed away and they wanted to get photos taken on his front porch with a teddy bear that was made from one of his flannel shirts. I could have cried it was so sweet. And the house was the absolute perfect place to start our shoot. It was a small, white cottage tucked away in a quaint corner of the village.

We spent the better part of the morning walking around their property before taking off for the Powder Mill Village Nature Reserve. As usual, this sweet family blew me away with their appreciation for Mother Nature! I am thinking play dates for their sweet girls and our little Lucy ASAP!

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Laurel Highlands Portrait Session: The Shipley Family

Look who’s back on the Blog!! Andrew Shipley graced the pages of the blog just a little over six months ago when his Mama wanted to capture his 2nd Birthday Portraits! At 9 months pregnant with their second child, Mama, Emily, helped me chase her little guy all over Linn Run State Park in Rector, PA. Little did we know, all that running would push her into labor. Not 2 days later, Olivia made her world debut and turned this crew into a Family of Four!

Though I was sad that I missed the opportunity to see their newest addition make their way into the world, I was elated to find out that this Mama Bear wanted to have new portraits taken of the kiddos during our Spring Mini Sessions in the Laurel Highlands! This little lady was well worth the wait. Just LOOK AT HER!! Isn’t she the sweetest little thing?

 Andrew was acting his usual self, wild and a little bit crazy.  He was climbing trees and running around the reserve. Speaking of, the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve at Saint Vincent College was so perfect for this little man. He was definitely in his element when we let him just run and explore this kid-friendly and interactive property!

Though he wasn’t necessarily her biggest fan at first, Andrew has come to love his baby sister. He was all about giving her hugs and tickling her belly. She, on the other hand, wasn’t feeling it. We didn’t manage to get many of them together though I kind of love that we got this display of real life brotherly-sisterly love! Sometimes you just don’t want to be hugged!

His Mama used to tell me that she could not get him to sit still for a photo to save her life. I am now under the impression that he may be saving all those great smiles for my camera and I am totally fine with it. Andrew is my favorite kind of kid. He is busy and keeps me on my toes throughout the entirety of the session!

We made our way to a swing near the entrance to the property and thanks to a little help from Grandma, we managed to get a bunch of images of these guys just enjoying the May sunshine! Props to Grandma by the way! She was a trooper throughout the shoot and we couldn’t have wrangled the both of them without her!

Grandma took Andrew for a short walk and I made sure to get a few of this sweet Mama and her baby girl enjoying some one on one time together. Emily had mentioned that her little lady hadn’t been feeling well lately so I made it a point to take a minute to stop and let these girls enjoy the breeze in the shade so Mom could love on her sweet baby girl.

And then, out of nowhere, came Andrew again! He came running up to me and gave me the biggest smile, as if to say, “Someone mentioned Dairy Queen for Good Behavior.”

It was getting hot outside and I wanted to wrap this up before we ended up with 2 cranky babies on our hands. We put a small pink blanket on the ground and Olivia put on a show. Her little curl was sticking straight up and I kinda love it. Add in that adorable yawn as if to say “It’s a Wrap” and we were finished.

I was so glad to meet this little lady finally, to see her wild big brother and I look forward to documenting these kiddos as they grow and prosper! Thanks for another wonderful day at the park Shipley Family!!

To book your unique portrait session, email therustienailhead@gmail.com to discuss your vision and Pricing and Packaging options!