Documentary Family Photo Session | Pittsburgh

In the Spring I photographed this Pittsburgh family during an ordinary Sunday morning at their home in Allison Park.  I first met them when I photographed the birth of their 2nd baby and I also photographed the birth of their 3rd baby!   Both births were peaceful water births right in the comfort of their own home.  And both babies came pretty fast!  After photographing two births for a family they are no longer just clients, they reach friend status.

Their family just recently moved into a new home and I thought it would be a great opportunity to do a documentary photo session for them.  During a documentary photo session I encourage families to just go about their usual morning or afternoon routines and I’ll just casually be there to capture the [extra]ordinary moments.

You may think that your family is too boring or you may even think that it would be awkward to have a photographer in your home while you are doing your usual thing, but I promise you it will not be awkward.  If you do not already know me, you should know that I am very down to earth and easy to talk to.  I’m not going to awkwardly linger in a corner and blend in with the wallpaper.   I am going to chat and interact with you and your family so everyone is comfortable with my presence.   We’ll end up chatting over coffee like old friends (even if we have just met) and I’ll end up playing with your kids and everyone will have a relaxing time….but I will also create some amazing photos and videos of your not boring and beautiful family while you are comfortably at home (and yes, you can even all stay in your PJ’s!)

When I arrived Mom was making hot cross buns with her oldest son while little brother and baby sister hung out in the kitchen.

mother and son baking in pittsburgh kitchenboy mixing dough in bowlboy kneading dough mom doing dishes allison park kitchenmother and son kneading dough mom doing dishes allison park kitchenboy kneading dough mom doing dishes allison park kitchenboy cutting dough mom doing dishes allison park kitchenboy kneading dough mom doing dishes allison park kitchendaughter tugging at moms pant leg allison park kitchen

When I photograph your family I love to capture moments like this.  I promise you Mama, that you will miss when they stop almost pulling your pants down while you’re busy in the kitchen. I promise that although you’ll feel a bit relieved that they do not need you so much, that you’ll miss this. As a mama of older boys, I want to capture moments like this for other Moms. I know first hand that there are every day little things that your children do that will stop before you know it. You may even forget some of these things and you will not even realize that there was a last time that they tugged at your pant legs…

daughter tugging at moms pant leg allison park kitchenboys playing minecraft in allison park home

I promise you that your family is not boring.  Sometimes this is the kind of photo that I’ll take during one of my at home photo sessions. Sometimes (or at my home it’s more than sometimes) this is just what a majority of kids do and I’ll find creative ways to document it. I understand that not all families are doing something exciting all of the time and that’s totally ok! I still like to photograph these ordinary moments and I want parents to remember these quiet moments. I’ll be quite honest, sometimes the only time my boys are totally quiet is when they’re sleeping or looking at a screen. I’m pretty sure us parents also benefit from screen time daughter boy blowing up balloon glove in pittsburgh park homeblack dog in pittsburgh park homebaby girl petting dog in pittsburgh park homeboy petting dog in pittsburgh park homebrothers and sister rough housing in pittsburgh homegirl on brothers shoulders in pittsburgh homelittle girl in hallway in pittsburgh homeboy playing piano in allison park homebrother and baby sister playing piano in allison park homebrother and baby sister playing piano in allison park homebrother and baby sister playing piano in pittsburgh homebrother and baby sister playing in kitchen of allison home

little boy playing legos in pittsbugh home

baby girl drinking in kitchenlittle boy with vintage smurfs mug in kitchenbaby girl in cabinets of allison park home

I also created a video for this family!   If you would like to see it click over here to see this and more of my family videos!

  This wonderful family owns and runs a cloth diaper and boutique baby store located just outside of the city of Pittsburgh in the town of Bellevue.  “Happy Baby Company is Pittsburgh’s only source for thoughtful, natural parenting products.”  They also sell everything online so go check out their website for a huge collection of things for babies, Moms and kids!  They also own and operate “Pittsburgh’s premiere organic cloth diaper delivery service!” Check out Green Cheeks Diaper Service!  This makes a great gift for new parents.  My in-laws gifted this to us when we had our first baby!   It most definitely made life much easier while having a newborn.  Let me tell you how convenient it is to leave a bag of dirty diapers outside your door to have it magically replaced with a bag of fresh laundered diapers!
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If you think you might be interested in a documentary photo session for you family, then get in touch and we will discuss all of the details!

~All images by Mary Beth Miller Photography ~

Mary Beth Miller Photography specializes in lifestyle and documentary family, newborn and Fresh 48 photography in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and many of the surrounding areas. Mary Beth has over nine years experience photographing families, newborns and babies in the North Hills, McCandless, Ingomar, Franklin Park, Pine Township, Hampton Township, Allison Park, Wexford, Sewickley and Gibsonia.  Her style is very relaxed and natural and your family session will feel like a stress free Sunday afternoon with your family!  

7 comments
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  • Lelia

    What a lovely peek into their everyday life!ReplyCancel

  • These are just wonderful. It’s all the little moments of everyday life that I am afraid I will forget. Love these! ReplyCancel

  • Mel

    What an honest capture of real life, love how much this captures!ReplyCancel

  • stephanie

    this is such great raw footage of a real family I love it… and the video tooReplyCancel

  • Jen

    These are so sweet.  What amazing moments you’ve captured for this family!ReplyCancel

  • Mary

    Adorable kiddos!  I love the casual way you captured them.ReplyCancel

  • LOve that these are real, everyday life….that we all want to remember years from now!ReplyCancel

Mary Beth Miller Photography

724.371.6575
marybeth@marybethmillerphotography.com

Established in 2009
Family & Newborn Photographer serving the greater Pittsburgh area; Wexford, Mars, Cranberry Twp., and also serving Boardman, Poland, and Canfield, Ohio.

Mary Beth Miller Photography

best newborn photographers in Pittsburgh Expertise logo award

Established in 2009
Family & Newborn Photographer serving the greater Pittsburgh area; Wexford, Mars, Cranberry Twp., and also serving Boardman, Poland, and Canfield, Ohio.