Lifestyle Archives - Page 2 of 26 - Missy Timko Photography Blog

Baby Lucy | Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer

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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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 Lucas | Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer

by Missy•0

I had the pleasure of photographing baby boy #2 for the O family in their gorgeous Squirrel Hill neighborhood. I photographed older brother Jackson a couple of years ago, and his photos are some of my favorite newborn portraits! Here is my favorite image from that session (in their previous home):

And now, onto the new shoot with baby Lucas! Mom Sara filled out a questionnaire for me so you can hear all about her birth story and experience bringing her new sweetie home.

Due to COVID (and the fact that they have an AMAZING view in front of their home), we shot this session primarily outdoors in full sun with fill flash. The clouds were so beautiful on this day, so I took full advantage of the natural sky backdrop! Then we did a quick shoot indoors, where I work a KN95 mask to protect the family.

BABY’S NAME AND BIRTH DATE: Lucas Morgan O’Brien born 9/17/2020. (Due date 9/19/2020)

BABY’S PLACE OF BIRTH: Magee Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh

DESCRIBE YOUR BIRTH EXPERIENCE.

After working all day, I starting having contractions around 6 pm. We went to the hospital and Lucas was born at 3:01 am. He came into the world on a happy note as I did not push him out but rather literally laughed him out!

DESCRIBE LIFE WITH A NEWBORN. HOW HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED SINCE GIVING BIRTH?

The transition to two has been easier than I anticipated and we feel like Lucas has been part of our family forever.

DOES BABY HAVE SIBLINGS OR PETS? HOW DID THEY REACT TO BABY COMING HOME?

Lucas’ older brother Jackson is smitten with him. He gets excited to see him and asks for him every time he wakes up. While there are moments of learning to adjust to being a big brother, he is overall doing really well with the change.

WHEN DID YOU BOOK YOUR NEWBORN SESSION? WHY DID YOU PICK MISSY TIMKO PHOTOGRAPHY?

We booked over the summer I believe. Missy did a beautiful job capturing this special time in our life when Jackson was born and we wanted the same experience for Lucas’ newborn photos.

HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR NEWBORN SESSION? ANY TIPS FOR NEW MOMS REGARDING NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY?

Plan for your outfits beforehand. As a newly postpartum mom, it is hard to predict how your body will look and what clothes will make you feel good. I made sure to have a few different sizes and styles that would coordinate with the rest of the family’s outfits so I wasn’t scrambling the morning of the shoot.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE IMAGE(S) FROM THIS SESSION? DESCRIBE THE IMAGE AND WHY YOU LOVE IT.

My favorite is probably the ones of Jackson kissing Lucas. There is one close up that just melts my heart, especially the version in black and white.

Mother’s Day Sessions 2019 at Missy Timko Photography

by Missy•0

We held Mother’s Day minis at the Ace Hotel in April of 2019 to celebrate mothers and capture the unique bond we have with our little ones. I am thrilled with how these sessions turned out and shed a tear while sorting and editing some of these special images! I am such a softie!

I’ve always wanted to shoot at the Ace Hotel in Pittsburgh–the vibe is chic and hip, and the decor is classic American… simple & modern, utilizing dependable materials and a neutral palette. They have a signature Pendleton wool blanket that is designed specifically for each city, and the Pittsburgh blanket has bright red and blue rectangles that give off that vintage-modern look that is distinctly Pittsburgh.

This turned out to be the ideal location for this shoot. The staff at the Ace Hotel was of great assistance in planning my event. We got their largest corner suite, and it could not have been a more ideal location for these cozy lifestyle images.

Something that surprised me was the beautiful portraits I got of the moms. Each one looks relaxed & happy. These individual portraits of mothers almost certainly will be the images most valued by their children as they grow. Here are a few of my favorites: