Tracey and Chris – engagement session (part 2!)

What a busy week- looking forward to an exciting shoot tomorrow at the Carnegie Museum, for Meg and Al’s wedding, and then an engagement session on Sunday with Brittany and John! I will be blogging about both of those shoots later this upcoming week, so stay tuned for a sneak peek.

I was also excited to hear that one of my brides was selected as one of the 10 finalists for Modern Bride of the year. Take a moment to vote for Jessica here! Yes, she is currently living in Philadelphia but their wedding will take place here in Pittsburgh next fall. It’ll be great to see a Steelers fan representin’.

And now it’s on to the pictures…Since Tracey and Chris’s engagement session this Spring ended on a rainy note before we could hit their second location, we decided to do a quick shoot this week. The Bistro To Go in Pittsburgh’s North Side is a casual restaurant that they frequent, and its cozy alley seating area was an adorable little setting for a few photos (and by the way, the food is outstanding!). As before, we had a great time goofing around and letting these guys show off their affection for each other. Here are a couple of my favorites from the session- enjoy!

Gallery Wraps ~ an artistic alternative to traditional prints!

Looking for something a little different in how you display your wedding prints in your home? Consider a canvas gallery wrap! Popular in art galleries, the canvas gallery wrap is becoming the chic new way to display your favorite portraits.

So how does it work? Your selected image will be printed directly onto fine art canvas, and then professionally wrapped around a wooden frame. Since it is wrapped around the edges ALL the way to the back, nothing is visible but your image- even on the sides. So you have a sharp modern 3-dimensional effect to your portrait! You can see this effect clearly in the image below.

The sample canvas wrap pictured was coated with a semi-gloss laminate; also available are high gloss and matte. All gallery wraps have UV light protection, which along with the laminate helps keep away scuffs, scratches, fading, and cracking. You can see just how finished and impressive the wrapped edges are.

I love the rich texture of the fine art canvas! It truly transforms your portrait into a work of art.

One of the best parts of a canvas gallery wrap is that it arrives finished and ready to hang on your wall. That means no need for a professional matte and frame! It comes complete with black framing paper and metal hangers.

There are even bumpers applied to the bottom of the wrap, so that it lies flat and snug against the wall!

For more information on scheduling your next portrait session or ordering your canvas gallery wrap, please visit my website http://www.pamelamarie.net/.

Melissa and Mark

I had such a tough time picking a handful of photos for this blog post about Melissa and Mark’s engagement session! We decided to spend Sunday morning at the zoo, wandering around and patiently waiting for the animals to turn around. Okay, well maybe we weren’t so patient… but we sure got a lot of pictures of animal rears.

Melissa and Mark are a fun-lovin’ couple who were excited to get creative! I’d say that we definitely accomplished our goal. Here are a few of my personal favorite pics from the session.

Love the bamboo and composition in the next shot!

We snatched this next shot in a split moment when all the zoo visitors crowded up toward the adjacent penguin area. Apparently we were in a high traffic area, because getting this image was a serious exercise in patience!

Just one example of the animal rears we were treated to all day!

For this next photo, I had the privilege of crawling into a slimy hole while stingrays swam over and above me. The first time one passed over, it scared me silly! Anything for the shot, huh?

I am so in love with this last shark shot… What a moment!

Mark and Melissa, I’m looking forward to shooting your wedding day! Even without the animals.

Friends and family of the bride and groom can access all of the images from our session here.

Abbie and Whit

I was excited to work with Abbie and Whit last weekend in their wedding celebration at Longue Vue Country Club in Verona, PA (a Pittsburgh suburb). A bubbly, energetic bride, Abbie was incredibly prepared with timeline spreadsheets and worksheets (perhaps it’s the teacher in her!), and since she places the same value on photography as I do, we had several hours for pictures before the ceremony (Yay!). It really helped the flow of the day to get all of the photography done ahead of time, and allowed for Abbie and Whit to spend even more time with their family and guests during their cocktail hour. Which was exactly what the bride and groom were looking for!

Congratulations to Abbie and Whit on their marriage! I am excited to share a small selection of photos from the wedding day here…

Abbie’s dress was beautifully beaded, and set an elegant backdrop for a photo of her engagement ring.

The ladies dressed in the club’s locker room. I spent almost a half hour with them before heading out to shoot the groomsmen (as in, with a camera, of course).

(What a beautiful bride!)

I love grabbing unique shots of the details. And check out this next ‘locker shot’ of Abbie. It seemed so appropriate, since Abbie is a teacher!

After Abbie and Whit’s ‘first look,’ we headed out on the club grounds to create some beautiful, romantic images of the two of them.

I love using the sun to create glare in photos- it’s so fresh and optimistically romantic! For this next photo, you can see two different ways of processing. The first one is the basic processing that I do, and then the second one has just a little more warmth and brightness. I generally process a handful of photos with these additional artistic treatments, and then if my clients want me to apply these treatments to their favorite photos, I will do so at their request!

Love the glare in this next one, along with the selective focus and composition. Great emotion there!

Out on the golf course, I found this little tree on an expansive green lawn. With the blue sky, clouds, and the wild winds on the clearing, what great images we produced! Here’s one of my favorites. Look at that dress go! It looks gorgeous when blown up large.

Of course I’ll include a shot of the bridesmaids and another of the groomsmen. The guys’ photoshoot was actually out on the club’s shooting range. How appropriate, no?

Loved this shot taken during the couple’s ceremony. The bride’s nephew was chillin’ there reflectively with a little tree branch in his mouth! Sooo cute!!

I decided to set up some off-camera lighting for the bride and groom’s first dance. I love the result, how romantic…

Congrats again to you both! Enjoy the Caymans, and of course, your long and happy marriage!

Friends and family of the bride and groom can access all of the photos from Abbie and Whit’s big day here. The photos will be released once the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, after Tuesday June 30.

Back in Pittsburgh…

I returned Friday from a mini road-trip down south, just in time to witness Abbie and Whit’s beautiful wedding ceremony at Longue Vue Country Club on Saturday! I’m excited to share some photos from their big day, once they are completely processed. They’re turning out great!

Until then, here is a shot I grabbed of Mark, while on a trail ride down in South Carolina this past week. We had such a great time!

Kylie and Matt

This past weekend I had the honor of watching Matt and Kylie become husband and wife. What a sweet couple! These guys warned me that they weren’t especially comfortable being the center of attention, but I was impressed with the way they handled it. Kylie even gave us a good 45 minutes for a bridal shoot before the ceremony! We got quite a variety of beautiful images, but in the spirit of being concise, I am posting a minimal few of my favorites here. Friends and family of the bride and groom can access ALL of the images from the shoot here. 

My talented second shooter Erica and I started off with the bridal party at the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh… 

This next series cracks me up every time I look at it!! Kylie is blessed in that she doesn’t have to wear makeup. Of course for her wedding day she decided to let her sister apply some… which wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do!

I loved the burst of color that Kylie brought in with her shoes…

The hotel is positively gorgeous, and I knew when entering that I had to use that grand lobby for a few shots…

While waiting for the elevators, I noticed some great framing in the stylish ceiling lights…

And despite the fact that Friday traffic was everywhere, we did manage to grab a couple of candid shots in the building’s exterior. I just loved the way that Kylie held her dress while walking.

Matt and Kylie found a gorgeous old church on the North Side, St. Peter’s, where they married in a heartwarming Catholic ceremony. The location was perfect for their planned reception at the Carnegie Science Center just down the street. 

I loved Kylie’s expression in this next one!

And of course while waiting for the ceremony to start…

Father did a wonderful job with the ceremony, keeping it intimate and personal and meaningful. I loved the way he had the aisles come together and hold hands for the Lord’s Prayer. 

And here are the newlyweds!

While the guests headed off to the Carnegie Science Center for the reception, we snuck in some pictures of the happy couple in front of the church and in the north side park adjacent. 

And then it was off to the reception… This family sure knows how to have a good time! Here is only one of many favorites from the evening’s dance floor…

Kylie and Matt, Congratulations to you both!! I can’t wait to show you your photos once you return from your honeymoon.

Erica, thanks again for all your help; you did a fabulous job!!

Molly and Frank’s engagement session

Molly and Frank were so excited for their engagement session last Wednesday- it was so disappointing when we showed up at North Park only to finding it raining! So we pushed it back a few days, and ended up with a gorgeous Monday. (Yay!) I hope you enjoy a variety of the shots that we captured that afternoon…

I just love Molly’s expression in this next one…

Frank was so excited to chase the geese… Check out the look on his face in this next shot!

Molly and Frank, I had a great time! I hope you did, too, despite the bit of allergies…

Friends and family of the bride and groom can access all of the images from the session here. 

Megan and Kevin – an engagement session!

Megan and Kevin met me in Oakland for their engagement session earlier this week. What a sweet couple! We had a great time frolicking around the Cathedral of Learning before heading over to the Mellon Institute. I’m really looking forward to shooting your wedding this fall!

Per the bride and groom’s request, many of the images are in sepia or black and white. I love it when a client shows a preference for this toning, since I’m a huge black and white fan myself! I think it really wipes out distractions and brings the focus in to the couple. And to the lighting, of course.

Anyway, I picked a couple of my favorites to share with you. I really liked most of these shots because of the emotion that they show between these two…

Megan, Kevin, and their friends / family can access all of the images here.

Stacy and Joe

Saturday morning was bright and beautiful, and with my first glimpse I breathed a sigh of relief. It was Stacy and Joe’s wedding day, and my fingers were crossed that they would be able to marry outside as planned! I had been starting to feel like a bad luck charm, since every time I met with these two, I seemed to bring the rain with me. Including on their ill-fated engagement session in the pouring rain!

But Saturday was a gorgeous day in Pittsburgh, a perfect day for a wedding outside of Soldier’s and Sailors, followed by an indoor reception in the ballroom. It was no more than this sweet couple could hope for. Enjoy some of my favorite shots from the day!

We started at Capristo Salon in Shadyside, where the girls had their hair and makeup done…

…and then off to Soldier’s and Sailors to finish getting ready! We were stationed in the Board Room on the 3rd floor.

The toughest part is always getting the dress on.

I love those lace-up dresses!

Since we had a few minutes, we decided to do a mini bridal shoot right there. With just a little furniture rearranging, the corner of the room made for a nice little ’studio’!

What fun! That last shot I think might be one of my favorites from the session, although I’m having trouble deciding.

I love the sultry look in the next one!

I think this next image captures the essence of the ceremony beautifully.

And then it was time for formals! After a few group shots, Stacy and Joe joined me across the street in the lawn adjacent to the Cathedral of Learning.

We had a great time relaxing and showing a little affection! (Okay, they showed all the affection. I just hung out and took pictures. Here are only a handful of many!)

I caught this last shot as we were heading back to the reception. I saw them stepping out into the sun as prime opportunity!

The reception decor was simple and elegant, with floating candles and floral arrangements. I loved the touch of ribbon on the cake!

Of course a fun dancing shot!

And just before wrapping up, we headed out front for a night shot in front of the lit-up building. Beautiful!

Joe and Stacy: Congratulations to you both and I wish you the best in your future together!

Friends and family of Stacy and Joe can access all of the images from the big day, here.

Congrats to Stacy and Joe!

What a beautiful day for a wedding! I’m getting ready to head out for Stacy and Joe’s, and I’m feeling pretty good about life and love. I thought I’d share one of my favorite quotes with you…

Love is a friendship set to music.

E. Joseph Cossman

Last night my boyfriend and loyal assistant Mark surprised me with tickets to a broadway musical at Heinz Hall, Spring Awakening. What beautiful music! Refreshing to see a bit of pop influence out there, in the style of Hair and Rent. Loved it!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!