Making art from memories, for heirloom portraits you can hang on to for life
PITTSBURGH MATERNITY photographer
Making humans is hard. This part should be easy.
We make high end art accessible here, and that means making things easy for you. I’ll help you through every step, from choosing the perfect week for your session, to deciding a wardrobe that makes you feel entirely yourself, to designing heirloom pieces for your nursery walls. Every part of this experience is relaxed and flexible.
We’ll design your session together, so that it really nails your vibe. And we’ll move at your pace. Being pregnant is hard! If you need to sit down and take a break, we have plenty of time for that. I’ll handle the creative direction, you just keep working on that baby.
Because this time all goes so fast (I know everyone tells you that, sorry, it’s actually true) most families want to capture it all from the very beginning. I offer a few packages that combine sessions, so that you can get a bit of a discount for booking them all at once.
Fine art maternity photography that’s approachable, portraits that are soulful and honest, heirloom products for your walls, and an experience that lets you breathe.
All joy, no hassle.
what to expect from your session
A low-stress experience. No stuffy expectations, just a relaxed experience whether you’re coming to our cozy West Brownsville studio, or doing your session at home or another location you love. I take a limited number of portrait sessions each month, so we have time to relax.
Zero-judgement. Bring your tattoos, your alternative style, or just your sheer new parent exhaustion. You don’t have to look a certain way to get heirloom maternity portraits. Bring your whole, real self.
All the help I can give you. New parents have a million questions when it comes to newborn and maternity portraits, and I’m happy to answer all of them for you. You can email me again, it’s fine.
A relaxed portrait experience that feels entirely like you. We’ll design your session together – the colors, the location, the outfits, and plan everything to create portraits that actually feel like they belong in your home. You don’t have to be comfortable in front of a camera, that’s my job.
We are an inclusive studio, and we welcome LGBTQ families and couples. We’re also here for oddballs, introverts, and non-traditional and traditional families alike.
what to expect from your portraits
Simple, clean, minimalist portraits. We do golden hour, we do lovely window light, and we keep the focus on you and your growing family. Honest, emotionally resonant photographs.
Rich, painterly lighting and deep shadows. I’m not a light and airy kind of girl. Vibrant, warm color stories with real moments made into art. Elegant nods to your unique interests.
Portraits as unique as your family, not an assembly line of poses that look like stock photos. You want something more artistic than standard family portraits.
Non-traditional aesthetics that express your family’s personality. I’m absolutely happy to photograph you in a flowy linen gown in a field of flowers, but I’m just as happy to photograph you in a leather jacket on a motorcycle.
Quality over quantity. My goal is not to give you hundreds of photos that you like, but a curated collection of portraits that you’re absolutely in love with.
Five star reviews
meet caroline
photographer, mom, previously pregnant person
Getting beautiful photos of the people you love shouldn’t be a hassle. I’ll not only give you wall-worthy art, I’ll make it easy for you. Hiring an artist with experience who will guide you through it means you’ll have a great day and amazing photos that make you feel something. more about Caroline
Does this lady know what she’s doing?
You can’t get this time back. You deserve someone who shows up prepared, feels reliable, and delivers work that looks just like the photographs that made you reach out in the first place, and that’s exactly what you’ll get from me. With twenty years as a professional photographer – and a Master of Fine Arts degree – I’ve worked with all kinds of people in every kind of light, and not much fazes me.
I’ve spoken at conferences around the world, but my home and studio are in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Here are a few of the places that have published my work and invited me to speak:
Included in every maternity session:
The best maternity portrait experience
I don’t want you to end up with hundreds of photos that you like. I want you to end up a curated collection of portraits that you love. Like truly, take your breath away, this is the image I dreamed of, love. We’ll work together to plan that session, and I’ll help you with every step from choosing a location and wardrobe to posing.
Artistic, hand-crafted edits
All your photos are edited individually by me, 100% human. Everything you purchase will be fully edited, with full printing rights as well as access to my professional lab. You’ll be able to view the images included in your collection via an online gallery, and have the option to schedule an ordering session with me, where I’ll help you decide how you’d like to display your images.
Film-inspired digital photography by Caroline
I like my black and whites soulful with some lo-fi grain, and my color portraits rich, not dark. To get the charm and nostalgia of film without the expense and unpredictability, I use a Fujifilm x100F which mimics a film look, along with top-tier gear and digital edits based on Portra film. Film inspired look, digital workflow. I’m experimenting with adding actual film, let me know if you’re interested.
A bonus for those who have to travel
I appreciate every family who chooses me to photograph their people, more than I could possibly tell you. But I also realize that it’s just a little extra difficult for those of you traveling more than 30 minutes to get here. Hopefully, a $50 print credit will help to ease the pain a little bit.
maternity sessions
A little information before we start! I’m based in Brownsville, which is about an hour south of Pittsburgh. It’s perfect for folks in the South Hills or Washington County, but I do drive all the way to the big city without any added travel fees.
I also offer payment plans – put 25% down, and then we’ll figure out a monthly payment that works for you from there. I also offer matching digital images, which means that anything you purchase as a print (whether that’s a 5×7 for your desk or a 60 inch canvas) you’ll receive that same image as a fully retouched digital file.
Signature Maternity Session
One location, but we’ll get tons of variety. Maternity sessions can happen in my studio, in your home, or at another location you love.
Includes 60ish minutes of relaxed portrait time, and a full gallery of edited portraits..
$ 600
Essential Maternity Session
Not ready to commit to the full gallery? Just want a few of your favorites portraits? This session offers the same experience as the Signature with a smaller gallery.
Includes 60ish minutes of relaxed portrait time, and 10 edited portraits that you choose from your proofing site.
$ 350
Upgrade to the full gallery of edited portraits from there for an additional $250, or purchase individual portraits for $35 each.
The Ordering Appointment
What happens to your photographs after your session?
This is not a high pressure sales event. Billy Mays isn’t going to burst out of my closet shouting “but wait, there’s more!” This is for anyone who is excited about heirloom prints, albums, or wall art. After your session, you’re welcome (but not required) to schedule an ordering appointment.
We’ll look at your photographs together, and figure out what you actually want. Maybe that’s an album. Maybe that’s a piece of art for your wall. Maybe it’s only the digital files included in your collection. I believe that photographs deserve to exist somewhere other than your hard drive. You don’t have to agree with me. I am, again, not the boss of you.
I’m not here to talk you into buying anything. I’m here to help. So I will tell you what I think would look fantastic printed, because I care about this stuff and I want you to have beautiful things. I wouldn’t ask you to come to the studio for this if it wasn’t SO much easier this way. Nobody wants twelve emails nailing down frame styles and album covers. Plus this way, you get snacks.
Session Packages
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Maternity session with full gallery
Signature studio newborn session with full gallery
$1500
($1800 when booked separately)
Maternity session with 10 edited images
Signature studio newborn session with 15 edited images
$950
($1100 when booked separately) -
Maternity session
Signature studio newborn session
Milestone sitter session
Milestone birthday session
all with full galleries
$2400
($3000 when booked separately)
Maternity session with 10 edited images
Signature studio newborn session with 15 edited images
Milestone sitter session with 10 edited images
Milestone birthday session with 10 edited images
$1550
($1750 when booked separately)
That sounds great! How do I book my session?
01
FILL OUT THE INQUIRY FORM BELOW
Then your email lands in my inbox, and I am stoked!
Take me to that form!
02
I’LL SEND YOU A QUESTIONNAIRE
This is where we cover things like what colors you’d like to use, where our session will be, and how you want to display your portraits.
03
WE MAKE IT OFFICIAL
I send you a link to pay your deposit and sign a contract, then you are very officially booked!
Frequently Asked Questions
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You want to hit that sweet spot where your bump is recognizable, but you’re not yet completely over the whole concept of being pregnant. For most people, this is between 28 and 32 weeks, although with multiples it’s on the earlier side.
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Certain months are super popular for portraits, so you’ll want to get in touch about scheduling your session as you’re starting into your second trimester if possible.
For newborns, we generally aim to schedule our portraits in their first month. It’s best to get in touch before baby comes, so that I can hold a space on my calendar for you. -
Absolutely! Partners and big siblings are always welcome for maternity sessions.
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I offer newborn sessions, maternity sessions, sitter sessions, and birthday sessions or cake smashes regularly. Check under “info and pricing” in the main navigation bar for more info on those.
I also do custom sessions for whatever season of your parenthood journey you’re looking to document. If that’s portraits of your breastfeeding journey, or a mom and me session, we can do that. If you’re looking for a specific aesthetic, like a milk bath or a water session, I’m up for that. Get in touch, and we’ll create a session just for you.
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I do! There are a few packages available.
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I certainly do! We can work out what you’d like to put down as a deposit, and you can make monthly payments from there.
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We go for quality over quantity here, and I want to curate the very best images for you. I won’t send you a gallery with 100+ images, and I also won’t send filler just to hit a minimum number.
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For signature sessions with a full gallery, every portrait you receive will be edited. That means the color will be corrected, sometimes backgrounds will need to be extended, I’ll remove any distracting elements like lint, and will do some very light skin edits (usually for things like scratches or blemishes that are temporary). Anything you purchase as a print can be fully retouched if you like, where I can spend more time editing skin and do some smoothing.
For sessions that only include a limited number of digital images, you’ll see all of your portraits as a proofing gallery. They will have some color correction, but will not have been fully edited yet. You’ll select the images that are included and decide if you want to purchase any more, and then I’ll edit only what you’ve purchased. Again, any portraits purchased as a print can be retouched if you like.
I tend to take a light hand with my edits and retouching. I don’t want anyone to look like AI or like they’re made of plastic. If you prefer a very authentic and textured look, you’re absolutely welcome to opt out of retouching for your prints. -
If your baby makes an early appearance and you are interested in and able to do a newborn or milestone session, we can simply apply your deposit toward that.
If something should happen that you are no longer interested in maternity or newborn sessions, I will refund your deposit.
Ready to book your session? Want some more information? Fill out the form and I’ll be in touch ASAP! If you’re getting in touch just for pricing information, you don’t have to! It’s right here.
Want a direct line? Email me at hello@carolinemoorephotography.com, text or call 724-880-0519