Great Gifts for Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is right around the corner! If you haven’t figured out a plan for your mom this year, here are some ideas for all ages!

For Young Children:

Give the kids some construction paper and crayons. If you’re feeling fancy, maybe add some pieces of colored tissue paper, glitter, and glue. If you’re willing to get a little messy, try out some crayola paint to incorporate the child’s hand print. To top it off, take a photo of each child and tape it to their card for mom!
Plan a special breakfast to make with the kids’ and surprise their mom on Sunday morning. Get young children involved by having them wash fruit or pluck grapes off of their stems for a fruit bowl. Get older children involved by cracking/scrambling eggs, buttering toast, or pouring a glass of orange juice for mom! If you have any fresh flowers near your home, pick one and place it in a small glass. Put it all on a tray and deliver to mom with hugs and kisses!
Print off one of these adorable questionnaires to fill out with your child: https://lilluna.com/free-mothers-day-questionnaire/
Consider jewelry! (ok maybe this one is more from dad, but…) https://www.etsy.com/listing/202963354/two-names-ring-children-name-rings-for
Buy mom a gift certificate for a family photo session. Present it in a card with a note or picture drawn by each child. Kids grow up fast - show mom you care about capturing those memories.

For Any Age:

Buy one of these awesome little books to fill out: https://www.amazon.com/Knock-What-Love-About-Journal/dp/1601064934/ It’ll take a little time, but your mom will LOVE it!
Or try one of these blank books and start from scratch: https://www.amazon.com/Studio-Blank-Peter-Pauper-Press/dp/1441317368/ Fill it with family pictures and little notes about why you’re thankful for your mom! If you’re feeling a little stuck, dig through old photos for inspiration. For example: a picture of your parents dropping you off at college paired with a note about how thankful you were for the cookies mom mailed to your dorm that first week!
Print a photo onto a card, magnet, mug, or canvas using Shutterfly or Snapfish! In a hurry? Check out what photo gifts CVS or Walgreens can print in store same-day!
Pick out a shirt or pair of earrings you think she’ll love! Always pair it with a heart-felt card and a picture of the two of you.
Buy a gift certificate for a family photo session. I know, I know…I already mentioned this one. But it’s just such a great gift for mom! 9 out of 10 times, moms book photo sessions. Oftentimes, kids (and dads!) take some convincing to get on board. Show mom that you care by setting aside some time for photos.

And now…a picture of my beautiful mother <3

My beautiful mom wearing a necklace I bought her for Mother’s Day a couple years ago. My brother had passed away the year prior, and I wanted to do something special for her. I asked my dad to find cards my brother had given my mom and send me pictu… — My beautiful mom wearing a necklace I bought her for Mother’s Day a couple years ago. My brother had passed away the year prior, and I wanted to do something special for her. I asked my dad to find cards my brother had given my mom and send me pictures of the insides of the cards. I bought a personalized necklace from Centime Gifts with my brother’s writing engraved on it. One side says “love ya!!” and the other side says “Mark”. <3

Kelsey Cunningham 4/17/19 Kelsey Cunningham 4/17/19

City Session with the M Family

The magnolia trees are blooming all over Pittsburgh, and I am falling in love with spring! The weather is a bit fickle, but a warm breeze feels especially sweet when you’ve gotten so used to brisk temperatures. The M Family booked a session at the end of March, and we really lucked out with a beautiful 70 degree day! Sure, it was 30 degrees the following day, but that’s Pittsburgh for you!

The M Family is my favorite kind of family in that they were up for an adventure! I had found the sweetest ivy wall a few blocks from the park we were at, and they agreed to go on a little walk with me. I love the urban feel of their family photo session! Scroll down to see a few of my favorite photos.

Baby boy sits on his father’s shoulders as this Pittsburgh family snuggles up close for a family photo in front of a wall of ivy.

Mother looks at her son lovingly, as a family stands in front of a historic brick wall in the Mexican war Streets of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Baby boy smiles at the camera as his parents kiss his forehead, standing below a tree in Pittsburgh, PA.

Son sits on his father’s shoulders in an urban city outdoor environment in Pittsburgh

Family laughs during their urban city family photo shoot in the Mexican War Streets of Pittsburgh, PA.

Mom sweetly kisses her son’s cheek as the baby boy smiles at the camera

Parents hold their son’s hands, an image of just the boy and his parents’ feet. They stand on an old brick sidewalk in front of a wall of ivy in Pittsburgh, PA.

Mom and dad smile at each other as their 6 month old son smiles at the camera. They are in an urban city location outside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Baby boy smiles big, light in his eyes, as his mommy and daddy hold his hands.

Kelsey Cunningham 4/4/19 Kelsey Cunningham 4/4/19

What is Golden Hour?

Golden hour is a very magical time for photography, and many photographers won’t book sessions outside of it (yeah…it’s that good)! Golden hour describes the period right after sunrise and right before sunset when the sun is very low in the sky, making the light quite soft and often warm in its hue. Photographers love it because it’s very flattering and lovely in photos.

Just think about this: The sun in the middle of the day is pretty equal to your 2 year old right before bedtime on a day when he missed his nap. The sun at golden hour is that same 2 year old right when he wakes up from a really wonderful nap and is jovial and a friend to all. The sun can be so wonderful and sweet. But at the wrong time of day the sun is an absolute beast (for photos at least!).

So why is the mid-day sun so awful for photos? Squinting in photos is obviously not ideal. Additionally, the harsh sunlight overhead will cast shadows under your eyes (and who needs that?!). Overall, it just doesn’t give you the most flattering photos. And I want you to have flattering photos!

If you book an outdoor photo shoot with me, I’ll check sunrise and sunset times on the day you’re scheduling and give you recommended start times for our session. Due to the longer summer days, I typically recommend later photo session start times in the summer than in the spring or fall. Keep in mind that golden hour happens both at sunset and at sunrise! If your little one gets cranky in the evening, consider booking a morning session!

But even when scheduling a golden hour session, you never quite know what you’ll get. On a clear and sunny day, you can typically expect some of those golden rays right before sunset. Some days the sky really lights up, and other days it doesn’t. On an overcast day, that warm hue may never come at all. That being said, overcast days are beautiful for photos! The results are just different. And you never quite know what the sun will do until it does it.

Scroll down to see some examples of golden hour sessions that are all really different from one another!

David & Katie’s maternity photo session took place on a warm and sunny summer day. Here you can see that golden hue from the sun right before it set.

Unlike David & Katie (previous photo), Justin & Abbey had the golden sun behind them in this photo.

Due to Layla’s cheery disposition in the morning, the H Family opted for an early morning session. It was an overcast day which turned out so beautifully!

The P Family enjoyed some lovely overcast weather the day of their photo session. The lighting was beautiful and soft come sunset.

Dan & Stella fought off a few sprinkles on the day of their photo session, but despite some rain clouds earlier in the evening, the sky turned bright pink and purple as we were heading to our cars. We stopped for just a few more photos with this… — Dan & Stella fought off a few sprinkles on the day of their photo session, but despite some rain clouds earlier in the evening, the sky turned bright pink and purple as we were heading to our cars. We stopped for just a few more photos with this cotton candy sky.