Newborn & Milestone Photography: An Interview with Moments & Co.
Interview with Award Winning Pittsburgh Area Newborn and Milestone Photographer, Amy Pazur of Moments & Co.
Amy Pazur is the owner and photographer at Moments & Co in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Her main goal is taking care of others, and she now does so through photography. She has over 8 years of experience in newborn & milestone photography as well as maternity photography, wedding photography, and photography for other special moments.
Amy’s goal is to provide art for your home, not a snapshot that rots on your USB, never to be seen again. Her mission is to provide you with an experience to remember and images that last a lifetime. We are excited to be able to interview Amy about her studio, Moments & Co. and all that she offers to new and expecting parents.
When did you decide to be a photographer and why?
This is a hard question for me because I feel like you could start the story in so many places. My mom did all the photos for my yearbooks when I was growing up. In fact, everyone called her “the picture lady”. Once I hit middle school, I ended up doing the same thing but dropped it until my final year of college. At that time, I found out I could take a black and white film class, and I loved it (even though I went to school for Physics). I ended up getting a part time job at a portrait studio.
After getting a full time job in an engineering field, I was sitting in a meeting feeling very unhappy. My cousin had just started a completely different business, and I thought, if she could do it, so could I. So I found a camera on Facebook, and started photographing people for free while I started up the paperwork. I found what made me happy again!
Why did you choose to work with expecting and new parents as well as families and weddings?
When I started I photographed everything! Then I realized that what I really loved was newborns and weddings. It sounds silly to say “I love Love”, but its true! All my life, the MAIN thing I wanted to be was a mom! Fall in love, have babies, and be a mama! Fast forward to now and I have 2 beautiful children at home, one in Heaven, and my wonderful husband. My dream came true, but we missed a few steps. We had a relatively bad experience with our wedding photos, and I didn’t want that to happen to anyone else, but I also just wanted to be a part of creating something special for others.
You recently changed the name of your studio from Blessed Moments Blissful Hearts to Moments & Co. What was your inspiration for that change and what benefits does that change hold for your existing and new/potential clients?
The name change, if I’m honest, started not long after I started my business. The first time I told the name of my company, then Blessed Moments Blissful Hearts, to a friend, his first reaction was “wow, that’s a long name”, and it stuck with me ever since. The name was perfect when I came up with it, like God told me this is it, but that reaction haunted me. Ironically, when I started to warn others that they would see a name change is when they’d tell me how much they liked the name, and some clients even chose me because of it. But I wanted to convey the changes that were taking place in my business. I have learned and grown so much over the 8 years that I’ve been in business, and I have changed the way I take care of my clients. Now, there is more planning and preparation for a session. I want my clients to feel like I’ve walked them through each step and they know what to expect, have fun doing it, and come out with beautiful products that we’ve created together, from choosing their wardrobe to showing them exactly what the frame and image will look like, to scale, on their walls!
Can you describe your process for taking photos of babies/infants?
Well, the process starts from that first phone call. My client and I get to know each other and make sure we are a good fit for one another. Then, I walk them through the process: the planning, the session itself, and the ordering process. The planning process involves discussing wardrobe, location of the session, the colors of their home, what we will incorporate into their images, as well as how they’d like to see these images in 5-10 years. For the session, I prepare Mom to keep the baby awake, advise her to watch what she eats (spicy foods can upset a newborn’s stomach and make them uncomfortable during the session), and to be prepared to feed the baby right before the session starts. I have a studio with all the amenities her or her baby might need, but I also photograph on-location, in their home, if desired.
I want my clients to feel like I’ve walked them through each step and they know what to expect, have fun doing it, and come out with beautiful products that we’ve created together, from choosing their wardrobe to showing them exactly what the frame and image will look like, to scale, on their walls!
The session is baby-led, so if the newborn needs to eat, or needs comforted by Mom, I stop photographing and attend to the baby. I also make sure to work with the rest of the family. Oftentimes, toddlers are being photographed with their new baby brother or sister, and we always start with their images first so they don’t get restless and they can play quickly after arriving for their session. Once the session is complete, I retouch everything so my clients see their images the way they will look on their wall or in an album. We then we meet in-person, or over Zoom to view all the images together. This way, I can help them decide on the images they want most, where to hang them, and what size, and which images are best in an album. Deciding over an online gallery can be very stressful. Doing everything together helps my clients not feel overwhelmed.
Why should expecting moms get pregnancy photos?
This question hits home for me, and is very important to me. We lost our first baby girl when I was 30 weeks pregnant. About a week before our own maternity photos. We lost out on the opportunity to have beautiful photos of the only time we were able to spend with her. It isn’t something we like to think about, but even putting the fears aside, this is a very short time in your life.
You will never be as close to your baby as you are when you are pregnant. You are the only one that can hold your child and your body will change in so many ways. It is a wonderful way to look back on this moment and remember the amazing changes you went through while pregnant. Remember how it felt the first time they kicked you, hearing their heartbeat on an ultrasound. And I know how to pose you to make you feel and look beautiful too.
How often should one consider getting updated family photos?
Honestly, I think it depends on how your family is changing! If you are past the first few years of your child’s life, I’d say at least once a year. It is amazing to me how different my kids look when I look back on the images we had done only 6 months ago! But when your baby is small, they change even faster. They are learning new things every day. That’s why I have a Baby Plan so my clients can get images done at least twice in the first year, and again the year following and capture each milestone as their child grows. From sitting up, to standing, to running, those are such important moments in your child’s life you just don’t want to miss.
Why should one choose your photography services? What are the benefits of choosing Moments & Co. as a photographer?
I think the big one is I care! I’m here to take care of you, from start to finish and then some! Choosing a photographer is hard. There are so many of us and such talent, especially in our area! But I offer you the choice of in studio, or on location. I walk you through each decision and help to create art for your walls, not a quick shot that rots on your USB. How many of your photos have gone unprinted, and how long have you been meaning to make that photo album from 3 years ago?
We are all so busy, choose me to do the work for you! Your images deserve to be printed! They deserve to be seen and enjoyed when you walk past them everyday. My children love to see images of themselves, and flip through albums and hear the stories behind the photos. So let me take the worry and overwhelm out of getting family photos and choose me — to be taken care of and, hopefully, make a new friend too!
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