Family Portraits at Moraine State Park

Spring is possibly my favorite time of year for planning portraits.  Yes, fall has those colorful leaves but I love how everything is coming alive in spring.  And while there are some beautiful spots in Pittsburgh, Moraine State Park is worth the drive for a pretty spring portrait location.

Where is Moraine State Park?

For those of you new to the area or if you haven’t explored much beyond Allegheny County, Moraine State Park is an almost 17,000-acre park just off of I79 in Portersville, PA.  The main feature of the park is Lake Arthur, which is perfect for swimming and boating.

Moraine is a huge park with beautiful spots to hike, picnic, or enjoy the sunset.  It’s also a lovely spot for family photos.

A Perfect Park for Walking

We started our session on a small walking path called the Sunken Garden Trail.  (Doesn’t that name just seem magical?  I can almost believe that Anne of Green Gables came up with that name).  It was a short trail with lots of budding trees and a small wooden footbridge.

I love to start my family sessions with a little bit of a walk.  This helps me to start getting to know the kids and it helps them to feel more excited about the experience- We’re not just going to sit and smile for these portraits.  These walks are never long, only about 5 minutes and it is one of my best strategies for working with kids.

Then some time to sit

After we finished our little walk, we found a nice shady spot for a few more photos.  This just involved walking to the other side of where we park.  So even though Moraine is a huge park, there is a good bit of variety really close by.  When I work with families with small children, I try to be conscientious about how much walking I’m having them do.  There’s a fine line between having fun and wearing the kids out too much.

And it’s important to note that especially with little ones, I work as an observer.  I never want to stress kids out by pushing for eye contact and smiles.  I’m happy to get those expressions acting goofy but I also love catching those thoughtful moments as they take in their surroundings.

And did you see how beautiful those eyelashes are?!?  Those are some of my favorite photos to take.

Is it time to schedule?

Hopefully, you’re ready to explore Moraine with me for your next portrait session!  Now is a great time to start scheduling spring portraits!  Full Senior and family portrait sessions can be planned for Moraine.  If you’re interested in a mini-session for spring, those will be closer to Pittsburgh and I’ll be announcing those in a few weeks. Check out my website and sign up to be on my email list to be the first to hear about the options!