Families Archives - Missy Timko Photography Blog

Baby Harper | Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer

I really liked the blanket that this family chose to use in their shoot. The zig-zag pattern looked really cool and showed off the hard work of my L-series Canon lenses (can’t beat ’em!).

Life with a newborn is so bananas and amazing. I was thrilled to document this time for baby Harper and her family!

For this shoot, I used my Canon R5 primarily with my 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens. I used off-camera flash for most of the images. I did some generative spot removal on the brick wall, which worked well since the pattern is repeating and it’s not exactly symmetrical.

Below you will find Kristi’s birth story and some details about life with a newborn.

Baby’s Place of Birth: West Penn Hospital; Pittsburgh, PA

Describe life with a newborn. How has your life changed since giving birth? Is it like you expected or totally different?

Being second-time parents feels much easier than with our first child. I’m not sure if that is because Harper was full term (Darcy was 3 weeks early) or we just are more comfortable the second time around. Two kids is no joke, but we are embracing the chaos and craziness and loving every minute of it.

Does baby have siblings or pets? Siblings’ ages? How did they react to baby coming home?

One sister – Darcy Amelia and one dog – Ollie. Darcy loves being a big sister and is so sweet towards Harper (most of the time!). She is always interested in what Harper is doing and likes to help out when she can. Similar to us – Ollie is much more relaxed this time around as well and I think is enjoying having another member in his pack.

When did you book your newborn session? Why did you pick Missy Timko Photography?

I booked my newborn session when I was about 25 weeks pregnant. I choose Missy because I love her style and the images that she captures. I was looking for photos that felt natural and captured the personality of our family. We had worked with Missy before for Darcy’s photos and loved all the pictures that she took. Missy helps make everyone feel relaxed and capture the sweetest moments.

How did you prepare for your newborn session? Any tips for new moms regarding newborn photography?

For the family photos – I knew that I wanted to feel comfortable post-partum so we kind of built the whole look off of what outfit I knew I could fit into post-partum and be comfortable in. Since we didn’t find out the gender in advance, I had a few ideas in mind of what colors I wanted Harper to wear, and ordered the outfit when she was born. I would highly suggest that new moms plan to wear something that they are comfortable in and that they would be able to wear 2 – 3 weeks postpartum.

Do you have a favorite image(s) from this session? Describe the image and why you love it.

I always love all the images, but a few of my favorites are: Ollie on the porch with us all, Darcy and Harper together on the bed, Harper laying on the bed (almost all of them!). The photo of Ollie really captures his essence as a dog, and it was great to be able to get a family portrait with a dog as anxious/high energy as him. For this shoot, I know I really wanted images that would capture the love between siblings and you got the sweetest moments between the girls. All of Harper’s individual shots are great and highlight her budding personality.

Missy Timko Photography 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 James | Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer

by Missy•0

This was a very special shoot with baby James Michael, who was born in the winter of 2020. Mom and dad, Kate and Joe, were as hesitant as I was about shooting an in-home newborn session due to the rising COVID numbers in our area. We decided together that the best course of action was to essentially shoot two newborn sessions – one mini shoot outdoors in December and then a more comprehensive newborn shoot a few months later when we all were vaccinated, which ended up being April. This first set of images were shot in December:

For the outdoor newborn photos, I used my Canon RF 70-200 2.8 lens, so I was able to maintain some distance from the family but also get those beautiful details on baby James. We lucked out with a somewhat warm December day. I was so happy we got those first days because look how much he changed from December to April!

Can you believe that adorable face? This little guy was so engaged and happy! Our shoot went very smoothly, and I was amazed at how much he had changed.

Below you will find Kate’s birth story and some details about life with a newborn.

Baby’s Place of Birth: Magee Women’s Hospital

Describe your birth experience.

I think my birth experience was as positive as it could get. I went into labor on my own the day before my induction day at 40 weeks,5 days. It went from 0 to 60 very quickly…meaning I went from thinking I might be having contractions to timing them two minutes apart within 30 minutes.

I was fortunate that my favorite doctor delivered James (Dr. Anne Shaheen is incredible!). She was so supportive and reassuring throughout my entire labor and delivery. I felt like I was in the best care throughout the process and I have happy memories from it. The moment that James was born was an incredible sensation! I felt him leaving my body and becoming his own person in that moment.

Describe life with a newborn. How has your life changed since giving birth? Is it like you expected or totally different?

Life with a newborn was difficult! At first, it was difficult getting to know James and getting to know ourselves as parents. I felt like we had to start from square one and rebuild our lives. However, since we have settled into this process I think our lives are better than ever before. James helps complete our family!

Does baby have siblings or pets? Siblings’ ages? How did they react to baby coming home?

We are very close to my parents’ 12-year-old German Shepherd mix named Jack. Before we had James, he spent about 50% of his time at our house.

Unfortunately, he was originally afraid of James and uncomfortable with the new situation within the “pack.” Now that James is a bit older, he is very interested in Jack. He pets Jack and constantly is checking him out. Jack is starting to come around to James and licked his foot nine times in a row yesterday. I think he might reciprocate the friendship soon.

When did you book your newborn session? Why did you pick Missy Timko Photography?

I booked my newborn session in May 2020 after I exited the first trimester.

I picked Missy because I like her style of photos. I don’t like photos that are super artsy with props. I loved Missy’s natural ability to capture moments between a family. I also like the fact that we are practically neighbors!

How did you prepare for your newborn session? Any tips for new moms regarding newborn photography?
We did a brief newborn session outside right after James was born where I did my own hair and make up. I do NOT suggest this. I did this because of Covid-19 concerns. Get your hair and make up done and relax!

Do you have a favorite image(s) from this session? Describe the image and why you love it.
In our second newborn session when James was four months old, there is a photo of us on our bed looking down at James. This was just a natural pose that we fell into and Missy captured it. I love seeing the love that Joe and I have for James in that photo.

Baby James is a Baby Planner, so I get to see him again in a few months and then again for his first birthday. Looking forward to watching this little guy grow from a baby to a toddler! Learn more about our Baby Plan here.

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.

New Blog Series: Our Most Loyal Families

by Missy•0

I am working on a new series dedicated to my most loyal repeat clients! I have quite a few families that have done portraits with me 4, 5, 6, even 7 years! When I moved here in 2012, Mimi was born just three months later, so my first PA families were in 2013. I started my business as Powder Blue Photography in 2010 in Portland, OR, and we have now celebrated 10 years in business! 🎉

I am overjoyed when a familiar client (friend!) gets in touch to schedule a shoot. I am even more excited when someone texts me with baby news! These are families whose kids I’ve known since they were teeny tiny, some of them newborns, and their moms and dads are devoted to documenting their childhoods through newborn, family, and senior portraits. Many of the moms and dads have done their headshots with me as well, some of them multiple times throughout the years. These are also clients that are responsible for many of my referrals, so I owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

There is nothing I enjoy more about my job than forming relationships with the kids and babies I photograph. I was able to form meaningful relationships when I was a public high school teacher (art, photography, AP Art) on the West Coast from 2000-2012, and my favorite part of teaching was my relationship with the kids as well. I didn’t realize when I opened my photography studio in 2010 that I would enjoy this benefit as a photographer as well. Some of the kids I photograph have said “I love you Missy!” and their parents have told me that they look forward to seeing me, or they talk about me often… the kiddos consider me a friend, and that means the world to me!

Many of these clients have walls of portraits in their homes and shelves full of albums that I have crafted for them. I work with them every year to update their gallery walls or add a new grouping. I have lately been making suggestions on how to handle it when you have run out of wall space! (Move oldest portraits to the family room or an upstairs hallway, or create a grouping for each kiddo in their room using their individual portraits from every year.) These wall displays tell their kids, “You are loved and valued in this home, and family is important!”

So my goal this winter is to honor each of the families that have worked with me for multiple years with downloadable slideshows of their children and families as they have grown each year. I am honored by their love and trust!

I never delete photos that have been purchased by my clients. I delete the RAW files, plus any images that have not been selected for purchase, pretty much right after the ordering appointment since they take up a LOT of drive space. I don’t guarantee image archival after very much time has passed, and that is only because I cannot guarantee that my backups won’t fail. That said, I have a comprehensive system that consists of multiple external drives as well as multiple cloud-based storage systems containing every image I’ve delivered to clients. It is extremely unlikely that I would ever lose any of my work. In 2021, I plan to start including free multi-year galleries with the purchase of image files! Currently, image galleries and download links are active for one month, but I am thinking that should change!

Throughout this post, you are seeing a peek at just some of the families I may feature. Let me know if you would like to be one of the featured families by liking and commenting on my Facebook post. Ask your friends and family to comment as well if you want to get my attention! 🥰 Featured clients will receive a link to download their slideshow(s) as well as a special gift in the mail!

Thanks so much for 10 years of Missy Timko Photography! I can’t wait to share these wonderful memories with you!

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