Visiting Paris with Children | Pittsburgh Family Photographer

The Best of Paris

My husband is the planner in our family. He's intense and detail orientated. Just before a trip I enjoy searching google, Pinterest and going to the library. Before our trip I found some great resources, "This is Paris" by Miroslav Sasek, "The Best of Europe" by Rick Steves, "City Walks: Paris" and "Mission Paris: A Scavenger Hunt Adventure" a great book for children of all ages. My husband once said that I'm great at ruining his well thought out plans! With that in mind, I try to keep my last minute ideas minimal! He wisely purchased tickets to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower and parking ahead of time which saved us money and/or time. We stayed at Moulin Vert, which is an affordable hotel, with a typical French breakfast in a quiet neighborhood. We had four days to visit. If we had more time we would have visited Palais Garnier, Orsay Museum, Versailles and taken a boat tour.

Louvre | The Queen of all Museums

We landed in Paris and drove straight to the Louvre. We purchased our tickets to online in Pittsburgh so we were able to head straight in. Adult tickets are15 Euros. Kids under18 are free. 

The Mona Lisa is perfect. It was so much fun to wait in line while discussing the Mona Lisa with my children. We had read about her and now they could discuss the painting. We took our share of selfies here too!

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss is one of my favorite statues. How could marble be transformed into such a romantic, graceful and delicate statue? I can't get my play doh into a believable being, and it's pliable! 

The kids and I spent several hours exploring the Louvre, while my husband and youngest child enjoyed walking along the Seine. While we didn't see all 38,000 pieces of art we tried to see several of the highlights noted on our museum map. Visiting the Louvre was my son's highlight of the entire six week trip to Europe. Some other notable pieces we particularly enjoyed were Venus de Milo and Nike of Samothrace.

Trocadero and Eiffel Tower

My husband's favorite site in Paris is the view from Trocadero. We met friends after dinner at the Trocadero Cafe and enjoyed some French treats together. I had met my friend, Katie, at the Burren College of Art back in the year 2000 and hadn't seen each other since. It was great to catch up and meet her husband. At twilight we crossed the street to see the Eiffel Tower illuminate the sky with it's spectacular twinkling lights. 

Arc de Triomphe and Champ-Elysees

This is Napoleon's tribute to the victories of the French army. Under the arch rests the ashes of the unknown French Soldier commemorated with an eternal flame. Look for the underground passages to take you under the craziest round about in Europe. This may be obvious to most, but on my first trip to the Arc de Triomphe, my friend and I looked at each other, held hands and took a run for it! Wish I had known then what I know now... to get there safely, use the underground passage!

Historic Paris | Ile de la Cite, the heart and earliest cradle of Paris, contains Pont Neuf, Palais de Justice, the revolutionary prison, Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, Marche aux Fleurs and Place Dauphine

Pont Neuf (new bridge) is the oldest bridge in Paris.

The oldest clock is on Palais de Justice. Palais de Justice is a stunning building that looks like a grand palace with remarkable blue accents.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame is one of the greatest masterpieces of Gothic art. Construction began in 1163 and finished 200 years later. If you climb to the top of one of the towers you will see a beautiful view of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower.

Marche aux Fleurs (flower market) is a refreshing open air market. We walked through the market on our way to Notre Dame from Pont Neuf. We stopped to enjoy the market by shopping for souvenirs and taking pictures.

Sainte-Chapelle can be hard to find. I made it a priority to find it on this trip! It is worth the effort. It's nestled inside the medieval Palais de la Cite, a royal french residence in the 1300s. Jesus's crown of thorns is kept here.

Place Dauphine is a quiet square full of cafes and restaurants. Our 3 year old daughter enjoyed playing with the small stones in the center of the square.

Marais Neighborhood and Pompidou Center | Place de Vosges

Victor Hugo lived in this neighborhood, which was the first suburb of Paris. We enjoyed the architecture and fountains while our young children enjoyed the playground and open space.

Jardin du Luxembourg | The Luxembourg Gardens

I loved it here. I can't even say why, maybe because I felt at peace. It was one of my last minute additions to my husband's plans. I read that the kids would "hire" or rent a boat and sail it in the fountain. That sounds like something my french "host sister" would have enjoyed and I could just see her in my imagination telling me how thrilling it was!

Montmartre and Sacre-Cueur Basilica

Secret Heart is a Romanesque-style baslicia on the top of the hill of Montmartre, the highest point of Paris, has an airy, white Byzantine dome with an unmatched view of the city. This is where you will likely meet a French artist or two.

French Food |American children enjoy 

My children loved the food they tried in Paris. We planned the sites we wanted to visit and simply ate at cafe's and restaurants that we passed on the way. One of our favorite experiences with food was when we had a cheese and meat board for dinner. Since the cheese was rather too sharp and dry for kids, they preferred the baguette, jam, meat and salad.

Quiche

Fondue 

Baguettes or Croissants My children are happy with all types of French bread, from soft and flakey to tough and chewy. My kids love the variety and will put a pad of butter on some bread for a snack.

Croque Monsieur The French take on grilled ham and cheese sandwich, variations are available like tomatoes, an egg on top and even smoked salmon.

Steak Frites Steak and fries is a national dish of France and is served with mayonnaise.

Omelet Typically omelets are filled with herbs and tasty cheeses.

Crespéou A more flavorful version of the omelet, comprised of layers of tomatoes, onions, herbs and so on. 

Cassoulet A simple soup made of meat and beans.

Soupe à l’Oignon or “Onion soup” 

Pain au Chocolat Chocolate wrapped in a pastry like a croissant.

French treats

Crepes My children like to eat crepes filled with sweetened Ricotta cheese, fresh fruit, and a dash of confectioner’s sugar on top. Nutella and bananas is also a hit.

Tarte aux Fruits or “fruit tarts.” My kids love fruits like kiwi and strawberries on top of the creamy centers.

Gougères are small, round cheese puffs. These tasty treats can be served hot or cold, sometimes come with meat or vegetables. 

Éclair

Chocolate Mousse

Crème Brulee or “burnt cream” can come in a variety of flavors: raspberry, chocolate, and coffee in addition to the traditional flavor which is vanilla. 

Clafoutis Similar to a flan or custard, usually made with cherries, is popular with my children.

Laura Mares is an experienced photographer specializing in capturing timeless family keepsakes. Laura works on location and in her fully equipped home studio, located in Mt. Lebanon, eight miles south of Pittsburgh, PA. Laura’s style is creative, natural, and timeless. Would you like beautiful portraits of your newborn baby, to update your child and family portraits or to document a milestone in your life such as a wedding, graduation, birthday or reunion? If you are interested in high quality, timeless photographs, book your session today, call (412) 654-3367 or email [email protected]. To view a wide range of gorgeous portraits and to get great tips, advice and beautiful inspiration follow Laura on Instagram and Facebook and Pinterest.

Testing Lightroom Presets for Sleek Lens | Pittsburgh Family Photographer

I was recently contacted to review a set of Lightroom presets and brushes for portraits by Sleek Lens in exchange for a blog review. Since I enjoy collaborating with others in the industry, I jumped at the offer and I'm glad I did! All the photos in this post are edited using only Strike a Pose presets by Sleek Lens, and also worth noting, none were edited in Photoshop. :)

The Strike a Pose preset collection includes 69 presets and 62 brushes. While I enjoyed playing with the different presets, I quickly found my two favorites were the all-in-one crisp dawn preset and all-in-one duo (a black and white) preset. Next, I experimented with the brushes. Some of my favorite brushes are define hair, sharpen face and sunshine light. I'm sure I will use more brushes when editing head shots, but since I chose child portraits to edit, they looked too over done for my taste on children. I am very likely to continue to use the brushes in my newborn baby, child and family portraits. I currently use both Lightroom and Photoshop to edit, with the bulk of my portraiture touch-ups completed in Photoshop. I'm always interested in finding new ways to speed up my editing time without compromising the results. I believe that these brushes could easily help me save time, allowing me more time to spend with my children! 

My family loves hiking and exploring. We recently took the kids for a long weekend of low tech family fun in the Laurel Highlands, PA, about an hour east Pittsburgh. The kids participated in an Easter egg hunt and Kids Fish Day. We could not have had a better time. The big kids mentioned that my husband and I looked out of place, my daughter used the words, "Pastel and shiny, really mom?" Luckily my kids were dressed more comfortably in camo and a hoodie. The experience made me think back to the movie from the early 90s, City Slickers! Anyone remember it? Our treasure was a tackle box and a fishing rod that the kids won in a raffle.

You can read about the strike a pose presets here.

In addition to the Strike a Pose Workflow, Sleek Lens offers a variety of Lightroom Presets, including presets for landscape essentials workflow, grayscale essential workflow, newborn delights workflow, superior interior workflow (prefect for lifestyle images), maple and pinecones autumn workflow (beautiful for fall family portraits) to name a few.

In summary, I have enjoyed testing the Strike a Pose preset collection by Sleek Lens! I found them easy to use, and easy to tweak to suit my style. I was curious how I'd be able to sort through 62 brushes quickly to find the brushes in a timely manner. If you decide to try the Strike a Pose presets, make sure you set aside time to spend experimenting with all presets and brushes. I also enjoyed checking out the Sleek Lens Pinterest page.

Laura Mares is an experienced photographer specializing in capturing timeless family keepsakes. Laura works on location and in her fully equipped home studio, located in Mt. Lebanon, eight miles south of Pittsburgh, PA. Laura’s style is creative, natural, and timeless. Would you like beautiful portraits of your newborn baby, to update your child and family portraits or to document a milestone in your life such as a wedding, graduation, birthday or reunion? If you are interested in high quality, timeless photographs, book your session today, call (412) 654-3367 or email [email protected]. To view a wide range of gorgeous portraits and to get great tips, advice and beautiful inspiration follow Laura on Instagram and Facebook and Pinterest.

Interview with a Pittsburgh Mom | Pittsburgh Baby Photographer

How has your baby changed in his first 9 months of life?

He was so calm and quiet when he was a newborn, he loved to be held. Now he is very curious and does not like sitting still. He also 'talks' a lot now, loves to play with his toys and read books.

How have you changed in your child's first 9 months of life?

Everything seems much more fun now, I would like to think I take myself a lot less seriously.

Is your baby a good sleeper? Or are you sleep deprived?

He does not want to nap or go to sleep, he thinks he is going to miss something. Once he gives up the fight and he's asleep, he usually sleeps pretty well.

What are your favorite activities as a family?

We love to take stroller walks in the South Side and watch Jeopardy together.

What are your child’s favorite foods?

Nixon has loved all foods we have given him - bananas, apples, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots (everything except for blueberries)

What are your child’s favorite toys and activities?

Nixon loves playing with things he is not allowed to have (i.e. remote control, iPad, nail file) but he has a musical lion walker he uses to run across the room and this little musical toy that sings and plays farm animal noises

How would you describe your baby in three adjectives?

He's a joyful, cuddly and curious baby.

What is your favorite portrait from your child's nine month old baby session?

I am tempted to say the one where he was doing his 'skeptical' face in the box but I love the one of him with his hands together beside his easter basket, he looks so sweet and luminous.

With nine months of experience, what advice would you give mother’s of newborns?

Enjoy the time you have when you they aren't mobile yet - you put them down and they can't yet crawl away, and turn on sesame street it always works!

What do you recommend as the essential, must have, newborn baby product?

The best newborn baby product is a video monitor.

What makes your baby laugh?

He is very ticklish!

Would you like to include any other fun facts?

Nixon has a cousin Joey who was born 20 days before him.

If any of your personal items were used during the portrait session, where were they from? Target, Pottery Barn, Etsy, etc.

He wore Janie and jack clothes and shoes and a pottery barn kids Easter basket.

Laura Mares is an experienced photographer specializing in capturing timeless family keepsakes. Laura works on location and in her fully equipped home studio, located in Mt. Lebanon, eight miles south of Pittsburgh, PA. Laura’s style is creative, natural, and timeless. Would you like beautiful portraits of your newborn baby, to update your child and family portraits or to document a milestone in your life such as a wedding, graduation, birthday or reunion? If you are interested in high quality, timeless photographs, book your session today, call (412) 654-3367 or email [email protected]. To view a wide range of gorgeous portraits and to get great tips, advice and beautiful inspiration follow us on Instagram and Facebook.