On Location Archives - Page 8 of 32 - Missy Timko Photography Blog

Pittsburgh Senior Photographer | Tasha M. Senior Portraits | Mt. Lebanon, PA

My senior portrait involved a piece of scalloped velvet that was clamped on around my shoulders, and a single unretouched studio portrait–location shooting was not on anybody’s radar back in 1995. Check out my totally 90s senior portrait here.

Thank goodness that has changed (unlike my haircut, which is quite similar), as evidenced by these location shots of the gorgeous Tasha M below. My job in these shots was to capture Tasha’s essence– she’s a beautiful, easygoing, fun, kind and natural young woman–and also capture her confidence and elegant maturity.

Senior portraits are a time to showcase talents and personality! Tasha is passionate about dance, and with very little direction from me, she confidently danced and leapt around the field, creating a series of rhythmic and lyrical shapes for me to photograph, mingled with the light and colors of the summer setting. I always encourage seniors to schedule their session for summer (beautiful sunsets and summer clothes seem to be popular with this age group), so March-April of Junior is the ideal time to book.

While this white dress on Tasha’s beautiful skin was amazing, she also wanted to experiment with having her wear a vivid print. You guessed it–also amazing.

I’ve written on this blog how nice it is to fold family and cultural traditions into family portraits, and this group shot of the women in Tasha’s life is a beautiful example of that. Originally from Africa and world travelers all, Mom, Grandma and older sister–her greatest role models and mentors–graciously agreed to pose for a group photo. (They came along as her cheerleaders, but were not expecting to be photographed that day!)

I wish Tasha the best as she goes on to college with the goal of studying to become an MD.

Here is a video showing more shots of Tasha:

***************

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 head shots. 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.

Post comments:0 Comments
Post category:Families On Location Seniors
Reading time:4 mins read

Pittsburgh Family Photographer | Josie 9 month family session | Mellon Park Pittsburgh

OK, I confess, I adore the name Josie. My favorite niece is named Josie (to be joined any day by a baby sister, name TBD). All Josies are adorable and special, so let’s just agree on that!

Little Josie N. was so cute! She smiled the entire time, and seemed to love being photographed. As an “almost-ready-to-walk” 9-month-old, we grown-ups had to hustle just to keep her out of the leaves and rocks. (She wanted to eat them!), but this kind of fun and upbeat session is a joy for everybody.

And here’s something else I wanted to point out: Look at Josie’s adorable Chinese children’s outfit, which reflects Mom’s heritage. I always love it when families make choices for clothing and locations that showcase their values as a family, their heritage, and traditions that are deeply meaningful to them.

See this chair? Josie was actually pushing it around! (I predict an early walker.) She loved going around and around the chair, babbling the whole time, and making happy little baby sounds. Josie is not only agile and active, but also clearly one smart little girl!

The day of the shoot was a beautiful Fall day, October 5, and Mom and Dad chose to have the photo session near the walled garden in beautiful Mellon Park, the Shadyside home to the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Phipps Garden Center. (Little known fact: After dark, visitors can see the night sky twinkling from the lawn. Even in the daytime, identifying stones are hidden in the grass, bearing the star’s name and a unique inscription. Click here to see the Mellon Park Star Map.)

Many thanks to Mom and Dad–Chanel and Eric–and most of all to Baby Josie for a very fun and beautiful morning in Mellon Park, and for the opportunity to add new photos to Josie’s Baby Plan portfolio.

Josie is on the Powder Blue Photography Baby Plan, so I was able to take pictures of her as a newborn. So beautiful!

Here are some additional shots from Josie’s photo shoot:

Oh–and one last thing–here’s my cute little niece, Josie, photographed in my studio last year. 🙂

******************

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.

Post comments:0 Comments
Post category:Babies Families On Location
Reading time:4 mins read

Pittsburgh Family Photographer | My Alaskan Friends | Point State Park

As many of you know, I grew up in Southern California. I got my bachelor’s degree in Northern California, then went to New York City for my master’s degree. After that, I moved to Portland, Oregon (where I met my husband) and now I’m in Pittsburgh. Whew, that’s a lot of moving around! Almost everybody asks me, “Why would you move from California to Pittsburgh?” Well, the truth is, we love it here. It’s a wonderful place to raise my two children, my husband is happy here (he grew up here), and I have had a pretty fun time growing a business here!

Speaking of moving far away, I was thrilled to recently have been contacted by Rachel and Brandon, whose beautiful family I photographed when they were a family of three in Pittsburgh. Now they’ve moved to Alaska. (Huh? Were they looking for a state with even less sunshine then Pittsburgh has?) I was so happy that, even though they only had one weekend visiting family in Pittsburgh, they wanted me to take updated family photographs. Baby #1 is now Big Brother Sully, and that cute little guy–that’s Baby Hudson.

So it’s not unusual for families to move a few times as they find their footing. I still have family and friends on the West Coast. And here’s the good part…having started my business in Portland, Oregon, I still go to Portland once or twice a year to take updated family photographs for my earliest clients there. Win-win-win! Contact me for details about my next Portland sessions.

You might recognize this location as Point State Park, one of my favorite sites in Pittsburgh for family sessions. It has gorgeous views of the city as well as woodsy climbing spots for small and medium-sized little ones. Plus the morning light is perfect. Little faces absolutely light up, making my job easier! (Tip: Morning is usually best for small children anyway, in terms of their little circadian rhythms.)

But my very favorite aspect of this session? The familiar fountain and iconic bridges allows the family take a little bit of Pittsburgh back to Alaska with them.

Thank you so much, Rachel and Brandon. So great to see you, Sully and Hudson! Next time, maybe we will use the Northern Lights as a background.

**********

Missy Timko is the Pittsburgh family 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.

Post comments:4 Comments
Post category:Babies Families Kids On Location
Reading time:3 mins read