Family Photography Pittsburgh | Sam + Nick
Family Portraits have come a long way since the department store studios with the cheesy backgrounds - you can have gorgeous family photos at pretty much any location that is special to you! I’ve known Sam and Nick for years, and one of the best things about them is that they are totally trusting of my creative process and willing to go and do anything I suggest.
When Sam asked me about doing some family photos, our original plan was going to be creating something epic on a joint-family vacation to Boston, but like so many other times this year, COVID had other plans. Like most of my friends, we are all foodies at heart and the city has a special place in our lives - so naturally some of the happiest places that come to my mind are found in Pittsburgh. Still wanting something unique and urban, we decided Pittsburgh would hit the spot, and then treated ourselves to some incredible arepas for dinner at The Columbian Spot.
The beautiful thing about shooting at Phipps is that they don’t require a permit or special permission to shoot on their outdoor property. With creative angles, you can have a range of backgrounds from the incredible spires of the greenhouse that look like something in Morocco, to lavender fields and weathered benches, to gothic architecture with lush greenery, to vibrant flower fields! It doesn’t take a big spot to make a big impact in your photos.
Creatively, however, my favorite part of this session was the total vibe-change as we ended the session at the top of a parking garage in Market Square. We were incredibly lucky to have the entire roof-top floor to ourselves, free of cars. I threw all convention out of the window and shot exclusively with off-camera flash (to capture those amazingly textured skies!) and a brand-new super-wide lens to give us a funky creative vibe with distortion and the ability to capture ALLLL of that amazing Pittsburgh skyline. Fun fact, I also shot 90% of them sitting on the ground because I had to pee so bad! I was determined not to have an accident in front of my friends, especially because we all carpooled an hour from Indiana, hahahaha!
Hope you enjoy one of my favorite family sessions to date, and I hope it inspires you to think outside of the box (and your zip code!) when planning your next photo session location!
