Pittsburgh Christmas Tree Farm Mini Sessions

The second annual JHP Christmas Tree Farm Mini Session Event took place at Lake Forest Gardens in Fombell, PA - and what a beautiful day we had for the middle of November! I was so thankful to see so many familiar faces - including a few new ones, and a few faces all the way from Texas! ☺️

A HUGE thank you to each and every family and couple who came out for this event. I truly can’t tell you how much it means to photograph each and every one of you!

I hope to continue these mini sessions every single year, Lord willing! So if you are interested in being the first to know about mini session events (including Christmas Tee Farm Mini Sessions!), be sure to sign up for my newsletter by clicking here! This is where all session dates are announced for regular sessions and mini sessions!

I hope to see you there next year! ☺️ If you are interested pricing for full sessions, click here. If you would like to inquire about a full session or mini session, please click here.

Late Fall Hartwood Acres Family Photos

I had the pleasure of photographing this family of four a few years back when they were a family of three! WOW is it fun to see how families grow from behind my lens! 😍 And it’s crazy how much these two sisters look alike, going back and forth between this blog post and their last blog post from their photos at Mellon Park!

Family sessions can be chaotic - this is the norm! And it makes it even more fun when families are willing to lean into that chaos an be silly together. And these four definitely did that! We were able to get a mix of some posed photos, with some more fun ones! Everyone needs a little bit of both ☺️

A HUGE thank you to this sweet family for asking me to document this season of life. I am so thankful for you four!!!

Hartwood Acres Family Photos

What an immense blessing it was to spend an afternoon earlier this month with this absolutely wonderful crew!

Fun fact: Nick and I met these five in North Park years ago (before we were married!) when we had just finished a shoot, and they were taking some of their own family photos! We found out, through conversation, that we attended the same church (at the time) and there was an immediate connection. I’ve had the pleasure of photographing them a number of times since, and we’ve had the pleasure of getting to see their beautiful marriage & family first hand!

Ultimately, are a shining example of a marriage (and family) that points back to Jesus. I am so thankful to know you all!!! What a blessing you are!

Anderson Family: Historic Harmony Family Photos

We had an unseasonably (but wonderfully pleasant!) warm November day for this sweet family’s photos! I had the pleasure of photographing them nearly five years ago (click here to see!), so it was so much fun to see how everyone, including their sweet pup, had grown! Harmony was the perfect backdrop, too - so many locations within such a short walking distance!

Fall Moraine State Park Family Photos

If you’ve been following along on the blog, you may remember this sweet family from their session last year at Moraine State Park (click here to check it out!). Lindsey (mom) was pregnant at the time of their session last year, and had the wonderful idea of recreating their family photos again this year… but with the newest addition to the family out of the womb! ❤️

I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with you all again! Congratulations on your beautiful, sweet, adorable family!!

North Boundary Park Family Photos

I had the immense honor of taking photos for this sweet family to celebrate the announcement of a new little member to their growing family!

You may remember these two from their maternity session just a few short years ago celebrating baby number one (Sam!), who’s over a year old now! What a blessing it was to be able to celebrate with them again during this session.

We had the most beautiful, dreamy, golden light the morning of their session at North Boundary Park in Cranberry Township! We had originally planned for an evening session a few days prior, but a sudden, raging storm (that popped up on the radar just 20 minutes before their session was set to start!) forced us to reschedule. I have to say, though… I think it was for the best after seeing this final product! 😍And thankfully, the early morning runners, bikers, and walkers were kind enough to work around us!

Congratulations on the newest member of your family, Laura and Josh! (And Sam, of course! 😉) We are so excited for you guys!

Extended Family Photos in a Flower Field

Getting 17 people together for a family photo is no easy feat (and neither is getting everyone so perfectly coordinated!).

Besides the “usual” hurtle of getting everyone in the same place at the same time for photos, we were faced with a last minute location change, when we found out that a last minute wedding was scheduled at our original location. So, we quickly switched locations. Then we started looking at the radar… and found that a large rain storm was supposed to hit just before our start time!

Even after we made the call to continue on with the session, I drove to our location in a huge downpour, just praying that it would stop when we got there! And I can hardly believe it… but it did! It was definitely a gamble, but it ended up paying off. Even though the ground was wet and the clouds loomed around us, we were able to continue on with our session as planned!

I want to give a HUGE thanks to this family for giving me the honor of photographing them. I had such a wonderful time getting to hang out with you all!

Check out a few of my favorites from our time together below!

Summer Mini Sessions at Moraine State Park

Mini sessions have become some of my favorite sessions ever! Especially my mini session “events,” where I schedule multiple sessions back to back (to back!) at a specific location. I’ve hosted Spring mini sessions (click here to see!), and Christmas Tree Farm mini sessions (click here to see!), but never Summer mini sessions - so I thought, with many people spending more time at home due to the pandemic, this would be the perfect summer to do so!

PLUS, it’s super easy to social distance while having your photo taken. I typically use “longer” length lenses at my “regular” sessions, which means I can stay back 6 to 10 feet anyways!

One of my favorite things about mini session days is getting to see so many people I know (and often have worked with in the past!), and to meet new faces, even if it’s just for a short time! This round of sessions was full of familiar faces, and truly, I can’t thank each family enough for trusting me to document this season of their lives! I am so thankful for you all, and so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with you.

If you are someone who might be interested in a JHP mini session in the future, I’d love to encourage you to sign up for my email list! People on my email list are the first to know about upcoming mini sessions, and when my full session time slots are released, seasonally. Plus, I only send a few emails per year (I promise! 👏). Click here to join the mailing list!

And without further ado - enjoy a few of my favorites from the JHP June Summer Mini Sessions below!

Baby B: Moraine State Park Maternity Photos

There's something so special about getting to see a couple get engaged, get married, and then start their family together! 💛

I am SO thankful to have had the pleasure of being a part of this season with Kayla & Colin as they start growing their family! They are just two of the sweetest people and are going to be the best parents. Congratulations, Kayla & Colin!!!

Ya'll to Yinz: Cranberry Township Family Photos

Before you see this family’s adorable photos, you have to hear a small piece of their incredible story.

This family of five just moved up to Pittsburgh (where they knew no one) from South Carolina, and were just a few months out from welcoming their third child into the world. Specifically, they came up here to the North Hills of Pittsburgh to plant a church!

We met them, of all places, through my husband’s job, and through a turn of events and God’s leading, we will be coming alongside this incredible family as they look to plant New Horizons Church here in the North Hills! So of course, we needed to get them a couple of photo with their newest family member that they could use on their new church website!

We were even lucky enough to catch some beautiful spring color. Welcome to Pittsburgh, yinz! 💛We are so thankful to know you!