Pittsburgh Nesties
carcrashheart
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Recommend a newborn photog!
preferably affordable (definitely no more than $500). shooting within a studio would be nice since we're not local to the area, but not necessary.
i have joanna fassinger's info.
jenni grace is unavailable (sad face).
ideas?
TIA!
Re: Recommend a newborn photog!
we don't live in pgh anymore, so we don't have the option of shooting within our home and nursery (which is a bummer, but i couldn't find anyone local to us that was available and decent). we're going to risk and travel back since it's only an hour and a half, but without a studio means we'll have to choose someones home to shoot within (which is fine really).
i am dying to have a birth photographer, but finding someone that does it is harder than it seems like it should be. does this photog that you've recommended do birth? it's not only finding someone to do it, but someone willing to travel. i had someone set up, but once i discovered she wanted $1400 for the disc with rights i had to walk away. i asked jenni grace for recommendations of someone in the area that does birth (to see if i could convince them to also travel and pay their travel costs), but she didn't know of anyone. i can assure you DH will not want to be bothered with taking pictures. and while i've had family and friends offer their help, i'm not allowing anyone in the hospital until long after the birth. and aside from that, i'd rather an unbiased individual take the pictures (aka: not someone as emotionally connected with the situation as family and friends are).
i will shoot you an email also! thanks!
i'll get in touch with her then to see if she's willing to travel for the birth and what that might cost. THANK YOU!
yeah, her $1400 charge for the disc alone was ridiculous. she was more focused on her clients paying for prints (which i suspect were also increased in price. instead of providing an online gallery and letting you order prints on your own at the price given by the print resource, she would only let you choose from the print options she offered and the prices she listed. i know there are kickbacks when you order through places like pictage, but i think she was increasing her profit in addition to the kickback) and i had to make the difficult decision to walk away. she was willing to do the birth and the newborn session and cut rates, but it just wasn't enough and she couldn't grasp that $1400 is over 5x the average cost of a disc and print rights in the area. ridiculous!
we're about 30 miles south of morgantown and i'll be delivering a few minutes away from where we live, so if you have any suggestions closer to the area it's something i would definitely look in to. i simply grew tired of googling my heart out. the only photog i found locally that seemed decent is on her own maternity leave through november.
i still owe you an email!
oh my, she wants $500 for her discs of 20-30 images. she does include it with the birth though, so that's something.
i wonder if i can convince DH to spend $400 + travel costs for birth AND a newborn session with someone?
sigh. i have a feeling he's going to make me choose one or the other.
Dana Monticelli - she's fabulous!
www.danamonticelliphotography.com
Her studio is about 25-30 minutes past Uniontown (coming from your direction.)
We've also used Mary Beth Miller for pictures in the past (I think I introduced her to the Nest - LOL), and I loved her - but then she moved far north of us.
Mary Beth isn't listed here (she doesn't advertise bc she has enough business from word of mouth and referrals as I have 2 friends using her for birth and/or newborn after seeing my sessions) but I know I first heard of birth photography by following the blog of the person who created this association (see link below) as I followed her from her nest days. It would be about 2.5 hrs for MB to come as she's out by Beaver but it doesn't hurt to ask. You're welcome to use my house for pix if you want her for newborn. There is a birth photog in Parkersburg which should be closer to you: http://birthphotographers.com/?page_id=13
Another photo to consider south of the city that would be closer to you is Dana Monticelli. She's in Belle Vernon area but I know a few people who have used her and her images look great from the blog posts/FB.
thanks so much for the offer, that's super duper nice of you! my parents actually live out in the beaver county area, so that would probably work if we needed a place. i will see if she's willing to travel though and what the cost might be.
the woman that created the association is actually also due in october, so i've already been to that site. i was surprised to see 4 photogs listed in WV but none in PA. i figured the PA photog's just weren't advertising via that website. the considered the girl in parkersburg, and i suppose it wouldn't hurt to contact her. however, i read what her "ideal" clients are....and that's not at all us (ie, we're not home birthing it or looking for as little intervention as possible....i have no illusions of my inability to endure pain and won't even consider birthing anywhere but a hospital). i remember thinking she would totally hate us since we're not in her definition of "ideal".
Jake - 1.15.08
Liam - 5.17.11
There are photographers listed in PA but most are Philly. You have to pay to be a member of the birth photographers association so I know a few people who do birth pix who just are word of mouth. I do know that many people who have birth photographers tend to have home births and/or midwives or birthing centers but I think many folks doing a hospital birth don't think to ask or don't know about it or have never considered it. I know you aren't allowed in the OR for a C-section (my one friend is having a birth photographer and she is having a c/s but the photographer is doing all of the pix before/after and then they are going to save the weighing and footprints, etc for the recovery room area). At most hospitals, 2 people are allowed in the room for a delivery and for me, one was DH and one was the photographer. I'm the biggest proponent there is of an epidural and think people are bat-*** crazy to have a home birth (believe me, I've seen a home birth go bad from the post-birth aspect of things in the NICU) so I definitely wouldn't be an "ideal" client but at the same time, I also asked the OB and my nurse to make sure they were alright being photographed because to me, not having a birth photographer was not an option. They allow dads to have cameras to take pictures so why not have a professional have a camera.
www.marasphotography.com
she did Adams and will be doing my new nieces as soon as she comes and they can set a date!
ETA:
Newborn Studio Session: $125 This includes 30 beautiful and editted images of your precious bundle in your online proof gallery.
Print packages for all portraits start at $300, or individual prints can be purchased for $20 per sheet. Digital copyright discs and packages are also available for all portraits.
Married, September 23, 2006
she's too out of my price range, as usual with all of her services. i looked at her site a long time ago and it was $700ish just for the session.
funny you say that though-when i was explaining to the photog i was walking away from that her prices were simply too high i told her that her prices made weddings by heather look affordable.
heather is wonderful though. she's my pie in the sky photographer.