We settled on a favorite location of mine, the Northside! It’s beautiful. (Maybe I am biased because my family used to call it home, but it really is a wonderful backdrop, with gorgeous stoop filled streets and a nearby park with little lake/pond.) It’s was a L-O-N-G Winter and on one of the first Spring-ish mornings Pittsbrugh has seen so far this year, a wonderful family and I hung out for a bit. We laughed a lot, talked about what has changed since I last saw them for Pari’s 6 month session at Point State Park. And we got a little emotional reminiscing about when we met, in their first few days at home as a new family of three, for Pari’s in home newborn session. What a peanut she was. And to look at her now… wow. Twelve months and SO MUCH CHANGE. As a parent (and as a photographer, who adores and loves what she gets to do for families), you cannot prepare yourself for the rapid pace at which a child will develop and grow. It’s wonderful and on occasion it will stop you in your tracks.
Pari is such an awesome little girl. Daddy’s girl for sure but she knows how to snuggle into mama for a perfect moment at just the right time. This sweet child is beyond loved. I don’t ever see that changing. The bond between the three of them is incredible and strong. They know precisely how to truly enjoy the little things.
A lot – I mean SO MUCH – goes through my head as I’m photographing a family. It’s the parent in me. Sometimes the thoughts spill out as I’m clicking away and it happened during this session. I stopped for a split second to say, out loud something along the lines of , “can you imagine looking back on this exact moment on her wedding day” as dad was holding and laughing and kissing his daughter. We both kinda-almost teared up. It’s REAL. Those wedding days and big life moments are coming for all of us parents. Hanging on to the times when you could scoop them up in your arms (and they actually fit)… it’s why I love what I do. I hope that they do look back on some of the images I’ve taken for them in Pari’s early years. I hope that it brings back all of the early happiness. I hope that the ladies are wearing waterproof mascara.
S Family… documenting the last year of your life has been such a HUGE honor. You’re one of the great families I feel lucky to know!
