Tonya and Kelton’s Oakland engagement session

I hope everybody’s having a wonderful holiday season!!!! I know I’m enjoying the cookies, the presents, and the sleeping in. I could get used to this! 😀

In the mean time, I’m excited to share some of my favorites from Tonya and Kelton’s photoshoot. We met up at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Building on a brisk day this winter for their engagement photos… and they brought along their adorable little dog Peanut for some pictures, too.

Enjoy!

We started off at the Mellon Building. It was a bit dirty on one side, so we just avoided that side. 🙂 These guys warmed up pretty quickly!

I love this next shot of Kelton. As you know, I am a huge black and white fan, so I converted this one to b/w also for your pleasure 😀

It was late afternoon so we had some gorgeous sunset light to play with…

…which of course also meant we could create some beautiful silhouettes!

Peanut was so excited to join us, we could barely keep him still for some pics! Still we ended up with some great shots; here’s one of my favorite close-ups.

I love this next one- Peanut peering back at Tonya and Kelton, sneaking in on a private moment. Just like kids! Ha!

Since autumn had passed and with it most of the leaves on the trees, we were pretty excited to find this beautiful red backdrop out near Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning. Love it!

This next shot is one of my favorites from the session- Tonya will be such a gorgeous bride!

Of course we had to use some of the tall weeds scattered around the Cathedral… if only we’d realized that the ground was a bit damp before heading in! 😉

Love the look Tonya’s giving in this next one. Totally playing it up for the camera! Haha!

And of course Kelton had to show off for the camera, too…

Before wrapping up, we hit a pretty church on 5th Avenue for a couple of photos…

Love the personality in this next one!! 😀

Tonya and Kelton, I had a wonderful time with you both. Looking forward to shooting your wedding next Labor Day!!

Until then… friends and family of the bride and groom can access all of the images from the engagement session here. All prints are 50% off for the first week, in this case until next Sunday evening, January 3 2009. (You will see the discounted rates directly in the price list online when you attempt to buy an individual image. After January 3, the rates will automatically return to their normal level.) If you have any questions, just let me know, using the contact form on my website. Enjoy!

Molly and Frank – a Pittsburgh wedding!

Enjoy some of my favorite pics from Molly and Frank‘s wedding in November! These guys had a very touching church ceremony in Molly’s hometown of Ambridge before celebrating with all their family and friends out by the airport. It was a beautiful day!

Much thanks goes out to the talented Christina for her help!

We’ll start off with a couple of getting ready shots… I loved the light in this next one, coming through Molly’s dress…

And how adorable is this next shot of one of the flower girls playing next to the bride!

What a beautiful bride, positively radiant!

Then it was off to the church for the big moment! While the bridal party was lining up in the back, Christina grabbed this great shot of one of the ring bearers, the groom’s nephew. Adorable!

As always, I’ll share one ceremony shot before moving on to the group pics. I particularly liked the detailing on the runner, with their monogram painted on (and look how great of a job the flower girls did!)…

Look at all this awesome light as we left the church!! I had to grab a shot since I knew it would be gone by the time we hit the park!

Molly and Frank requested pictures at a little park in Sewickley, so off we headed. This next shot is one of my favorite of the group pictures, although it’s a bit hard to see the details in this small format.

These two groomsmen graciously climbed up in the tree for the photo, but then had a heck of a time getting back down…

It was pretty funny 😉

Gotta toss in a detail shot of the beautiful dresses and simple clutch floral arrangements…

And how gorgeous are those necklaces?? Molly had them custom made for her bridesmaids. I love the ribbon detailing!!!

My assistant Christina grabbed this great candid moment while I was grabbing group pictures. Love it!

Since light was fading fast, we only had time for a handful of pictures of the bride and groom… They did a great job working quickly! I’m sure their newlywed status helped with the whole showing affection thing. 😉

These last two might be some of my favorites. Since the light was basically gone, we got a little creative with composition and spotlighting. Gorgeous!

Time for the party!! Loved the red curtain framing the cake, very elegant.

And how about the emotion in this mother-son hug at the end of their showcase dance! That off-camera lighting is just lovin’ this moment!!

I always love listening to the toasts at the reception. All three of Molly and Frank’s toasters gave some touching ones…

And of course gotta share a quick shot that Christina took of Chris and Tracey… These guys married just this October in a beautiful ceremony in Munhall. I love seeing my previous couples out at the parties!! Yay!

Congrats guys!!!!!

Here are some of the talented people who brought it all together…

• Reception Site: Pittsburgh Airport Marriott
• Ceremony: Good Samaritan Church (Ambridge) with Father Terry O’Connor
• DJ: Mark Zini
• Bouquets and Church arrangements: Valerie Brooks
• Centerpieces: Parkway Florist (Greentree)
• Makeup:  Tracy Bukoskey
• Hair: The Hair Gallery

Friends and family of the bride and groom can access all of the images from the wedding day here. All prints are 50% off for the first week, in this case until midnight on Saturday, December 12. (You will see the discounted rates directly in the price list online when you attempt to buy an individual image. After December 12, the rates will automatically return to their normal level.) If you have any questions, just let me know, using the contact form on my website. Enjoy!!

Megan and Allyn

Megan and Allyn married on July 11 at the Carnegie Museum in Oakland, then celebrated afterward with their friends and family in the Carnegie Music Hall Ballroom. What a gorgeous couple and a beautiful wedding!! I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves here. 🙂 Megan and Allyn return from St. Lucia on July 23, and the full gallery of their wedding day photos will be released at that time for their friends and family to enjoy. In the mean time, enjoy a sneak peek!

I also want to recognize Christina Montemurro, who acted as my second shooter for the day. She did a wonderful job and I’m looking forward to working with her again!

The big day started off at the Wyndham in Oakland where the whole bridal party dressed…

Al gave Megan a romantic note along with a beautiful infinity necklace packaged in every woman’s favorite robin’s egg blue box. 😉

In this next pic, I loved the hand holding a bobby pin off to the side! 🙂

Meg and Al had their “First Look” in the bridal suite, seeing each other for the first time. It is one of the greatest privileges I have to witness the bride and groom’s first moment together. I love the reverence with which Megan was touching her groom’s lips here.

These guys took the time to savor the moment. A smart decision, considering they’d be surrounded by family and friends nonstop for the rest of the day!

Meg really wanted some pictures on top of Mount Washington, overlooking the city. Since the rain seemed to be holding off, we decided to try it out. Unfortunately we hadn’t anticipated the wind!! After grabbing some pics of the guys, we decided to head for shelter back at the museum and photograph the bridesmaids there.

(Which was A-ok with me, considering the endless possibilities for elegant images in the museum!) 🙂

Unfortunately because of our late start and botched time at Mount Washington, we weren’t left with much time for photographs of Meg and Al. But 10 minutes is 10 minutes, and these guys were troopers, flying through the museum as quickly as possible! We were still able to grab a couple of pics in Meg’s favorite room, the Hall of Sculpture.

Since there was an art exhibit in the room at the moment, we grabbed a quick shot there, as well!

The wall of color is a sharp backdrop for romantic images. We grabbed a few here before the insane heat through the window started to melt us all. 🙂

Luckily a beautiful large yellow painting was in the shade, nice and cool for a couple of quick snaps!

And then it was time to exchange vows! This handsome couple chose to marry in the museum’s Hall of Architecture. It was a gorgeous backdrop for such a romantic moment!

And of course I can’t blog about a wedding without sharing a couple of dancing pics… 😉

Congratulations to you both on your marriage, and on creating such an elegant, romantic affair! I wish you the best with everything.

Friends and family of the bride and groom can access all of the images from the wedding here, after Meg and Al return from their honeymoon on July 23. Keep in mind that all prints will be HALF OFF for the first week (through July 30). You will see the discounted rates directly in the price list online when you attempt to buy an individual image. (So the reduced rates will be immediate- not just applied when you check out.) The promotion will last 1 week, in this case until July 30, at which point the prices will revert to the normal rates.

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.

Jackie and Nate

Jackie and Nate married this Memorial Day weekend at Phipps Conservatory, then dedicated a couple of hours to photography before celebrating in Millvale. (I love it when couples are looking forward to the photoshoot!) It was particularly important for these guys, since they didn’t do an engagement session ahead of time. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, and we had a wonderful time wandering around the North Side grabbing photos! Enjoy a small selection of the resulting images…

We started the day off at the maid of honor’s apartment, where we grabbed some photos of the dress and details. 

(I loved that bookshelf- had to use it!) And of course shots of the bridesmaids getting ready…

…before we headed off to the bridal room at Phipps for the bride to apply makeup and get dressed!

The girls’ bouquets were gorgeous, a bright collection of summer colors that coordinated well with the bridesmaids’ yellow and fuschia dresses. 

Jackie seemed so relaxed before the ceremony. I think it helped that she had a quiet moment with her future husband beforehand. 😉 What a beautiful bride!

The ceremony in the Phipps gardens was brief but filled with emotion. (I’d say the shorter ceremony was probably a good thing- it was incredibly hot outside for a May afternoon! These guys certainly lucked out with the weather!)

After a series of formal portraits, I had a few minutes with the bridal party and the newlyweds before our time at Phipps was up!

I got a request from the guys to do a “jumping” shot. So here you go! I love the expressions that always result from these lol 😉

And the girls shared their own moment, as well…

Then it was off to the North Side. Since my assistant plugged in my laptop at Mullens (across the street from PNC Park) to start backing up photos, and we had some time on our hands, we decided to stop for a quick drink before starting the photoshoot. Of course I had to grab a couple of shots while we were hanging out there. 😉

Then back to work! After sneaking onto the bridge for one of the famous “dipping” shots in front of the skyline, we headed to the Riverwalk for more. 

This might be one of my favorites from the afternoon… Love the ‘voyeurism’ approach 😉

We had fun, too! Nate swung Jackie around…

…and then dipped her gracefully.

Good times! Now on to the reception…

Since Jackie and Nate chose a sunflower theme for their tabletop decor, I had to steal a couple of blooms for a ring shot. 

Great party, you two! 🙂

Congratulations to you both!! I wish you a long happy life together.

Nate and Jackie’s friends and family can access all of the photos from the wedding here.

Jennifer and Jason

Jennifer and Jason married on a warm spring afternoon this weekend, sharing vows at St. James, a beautiful church in Sewickley, before heading out to Gibsonia’s Greystone Fields to celebrate. It was easy to photograph such a fun loving couple!

I was particularly impressed with Jennifer’s design sense, incorporating a consistent modern romantic feel throughout the day, from custom designed invitations through the bridesmaids’ simply elegant clutch bouquets to the creative reception centerpieces and accessory decor. It all made sense when I realized she is trained as an interior designer! So to showcase all her hard work and maybe inspire some other brides out there, I’ll be featuring all the little details in a separate blog post. Which means that below are a few of my (non-detail) favorites from the day.

Enjoy!

 

We started off at Pretty Hair Salon near Northway Mall. These guys did a fabulous job on Jennifer and her bridesmaids’ hair! (Incidentally I loved the fuschia accent walls… how perfect that they fit right into Jennifer’s color scheme for the wedding. 😉 )

Then off to Jennifer’s home, where the girls dolled themselves up and ready to head to the church. Since we were there for a bit of time, I was able to grab quite a few beautiful images of the wedding day details; I will share some of those in the later “details” post!

I’m sure you can tell I love working with mirrors! These moments are so great to find, because they are so natural and unplanned and real. What great emotion!

This next shot might be my favorite from the entire day. I was working on some detail shots in the dining room when I glanced up and noticed Jennifer’s new sister-in-law in the kitchen. What a great find!

And no blog is complete without a “bride putting on makeup” shot. I love those mirrors- and how even more interesting with all the empty space!

As I mentioned earlier, Jason and Jennifer married at St. James Church in Sewickley. The building features some gorgeous stained glass windows! The perfect setting for catching an intimate moment between the ring bearer and his dad. 

What a beautiful moment during the ceremony!

As always, I’ll post a couple of group shots… Since the photo time after the ceremony was pretty crunched, I got images of the groomsmen beforehand. After the ceremony and some formal shots at the altar, the ladies had their turn before it was time to head to the reception site.

But before we left, I grabbed Jennifer and Jason for one quick church shot… had to make use of that stained glass!!

The reception was held at Greystone Fields, a fairly new venue on a farm out in Gibsonia featuring a two-story banquet hall surrounded by walls of windows. My assistant Mark and I got there a few minutes before the limo to set up in back and grab some detail shots. Once the limo arrived and the bridal party started lining up for their announcement, I grabbed the bride and groom for some quick pictures outside. Even though we had less than 5 minutes for photos of the newlyweds, I think we were able to get some beautiful images! (It helps that these guys felt like old pros after their engagement session!) *

I think that last shot was as the wind picked up, just before the rain hit! Perfect timing. 😉

Of course there’s the requisite ring shot. (Love the little bench!)

… and the couple’s first dance! After I caught some close-up images from the dance floor, I headed up to the balcony for a wide shot of the entire venue. I love the result- so romantic! 

To Jennifer and Jason… I had a great time working with you and I wish you both the best in your new life together!

To Jennifer and Jason’s family and friends… you will be able to access all of the images from the big day here, once they are ready. 

 

* To my clients…One of my strengths is my ability to create fine art from a photo session, and most of my clients book me based on this skill. If this is a priority on your own wedding day, then I always recommend setting aside at least 2 solid hours for photos, including the formal family pics, bridal party shots, and romantic images of the bride and groom (and most of my clients allow for more time than that). Whether you do these before the ceremony or after is up to you (although I always recommend beforehand if possible, to ease the flow of the day). I can take photos in shorter time frames, but it tends to cut into the time that we have for couple pictures. And of course the more time we have together, the more comfortable you become and the greater variety of photos you have! Every couple and every wedding is unique, so give me a call and we can talk about your own priorities for your wedding day.