Captivating Imagery: Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer and Professional Photography Services

I’m a true-blue Pittsburgher, but my roots take me back to the Hershey and Harrisburg area, where fate introduced my mom and dad in the tenth grade. So my sister and I shared a lot of fond memories there, visiting my grandparents and cousins. Anyway, the sweetest little red-headed girl you ever saw is all grown up into a really lovely young woman and she’s getting married! So I was thrilled to spend the day photographing Ashley and Ethan, and I got to hang out with my other darling cousin (and Ashley’s maid of honor), Christina. She took her role as maid of honor seriously and did an awesome job of assisting us throughout the day!

Anyway, we started in the charming town of Anneville, where Ashley spent her college days at Lebanon Valley College. Ashley rented a tandem bike so they could pedal up and down the sidewalks there. She has such a great sense of style and awesome ideas, so we were off to a great start!

This isn’t your typical engagement session because we spent the whole day together and did four short sessions at different locations. Our next venture took us to Founder’s Hall at the Milton Hershey School.

Here’s one shot that I really love from this location. These two are so sweet together!

And last, but not least, this next collage includes shots of them fishing on the Susquehanna River and out on the town at City Island, on the Walnut Street Bridge.

Ashley and Ethan, I am so looking forward to your wedding next June! Thanks for an awesome day!

We met up with Valerie and Tom for their engagement session on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, early on a bright Saturday morning a few weeks ago. Alex joined me for this session as some extra added support as I was just getting over some food poisoning. It’s always nice to have such great support in moments when you don’t know if you’re going to toss your cookies! Thankfully, we made it through the session with no incidents and were feeling warm and bright—because it’s hard not to feel that way when you’re hanging out with Valerie and Tom. They are incredibly cute together and so much fun to photograph!

I love photographing couples on the North Shore. That will never get old for me. There’s just something about being down by the river and the view of the city that’s magic no matter what time of the day.

The sun was unmercifully bright, so it made for a lovely opportunity for back-lit portraits. Plus, Valerie and Tom wouldn’t have to squint with the sun in their eyes.

Then we headed over to West Park on Pittsburgh’s North Side to photograph them in a more casual setting. I love this shot by Alex.

The trees were in bloom and the water sparkled, so while it was a little chilly, there’s no telling in these photos. But I guess that had more to do with the warmth between Valerie and Tom than the park’s surroundings.

Tom’s more flirty and Valerie’s more shy. I love that combination.

Tom is from Texas, so they both had these awesome boots that you’d never be able to find in Pittsburgh.

I think their wedding is going to be lots of fun!

Valerie and Tom, thanks for a great session and we’re looking forward to photographing your big day in June!

Lauren and Dan are getting married next Fall and have been planning their wedding from out of town, so when she emailed me about their trip to Pittsburgh for the last weekend of October, we made sure there was time for their engagement session while they were in town, even if it happened to be on a Sunday afternoon right before a Steelers game. Little did we know what chaos we would face with the pre-game festivities and detours on the North Shore, it definitely made things interesting, but we can all laugh about it now.

We started at Riverview Park for some portraits amidst the fall foliage.

It was so quiet and peaceful there. Lauren loved the fall leaves and Dan was happy to hold her close and keep her warm.

They had no trouble kissing in public. And that’s ok when you’re being followed by a camera! At least, that’s how I see it!

I really like this low angle. It doesn’t always work, but these are some of my favorite photos from the session!

And fast-forward through a 45-minute drive to the North Shore. The detours and traffic were particularly bad that day because of the game. What Lauren and Dan didn’t know is that their engagement session that day came with a tour of Pittsburgh’s North Side! Ha!

There were flocks of Steelers fans on all sides, but they were kind and gave us some space as we made our way along the North Shore, stopping here and there for some photos.

This is one good-looking couple.

And just one more kiss!

So, Lauren and Dan were off to the big game—lucky ducks! Her friend bought them tickets as an engagement gift. I went home and watched it with some friends dressed in our Halloween costumes. All in all, what a great day! Go Steelers!

Here’s a fun engagement session with Colleen and Jeremy who were married in October. This one just slipped away from me a few months ago because I finished these images and delivered them in the midst of the wedding season, so I’m just getting around to blogging about their session now. Colleen and Jeremy wanted to start at Mt. Washington to be photographed with the view of the city that brought them together in the background. The college sweethearts met while studying at Pitt.

You can’t help but smile being around these two.

Then we headed downtown to Market Square and the Cultural District—we really got a lot of exercise that morning! So we stopped at Starbucks for a break. Note that no Starbucks branding can be seen in these photos. I’m half joking here because we were nearly chased away by some defenders of the Starbucks corporate identity. No worries, Starbucks, I still love you!

It was fun walking around downtown because we had time to get to know each other between our stops for photos. I love this flirty photo by Heinz Hall.

And something about this photo of them walking by all of the colorful signs from Pittsburgh’s Cultural District feels fun. Basically they were on a Saturday morning date and I tagged along. Thanks for letting me do that guys!

Then we stopped at the small garden across from Katz Plaza with the fake magnolia tree. I just love that there’s a lot covered in ivy right in the middle of downtown Pittsburgh, so it seemed like a good place for a straight up portrait.

Colleen and Jeremy, it was so much fun spending that morning with you. I hope you’re doing well and loving your newlywed status!

Every now and then, I hear from a bride and groom who are planning an out-of-town wedding, but have come to love Pittsburgh and want to be photographed here for their engagement. It’s always fun to hang out with people from other places and especially so when we’re on the same page about Pittsburgh, because I love this city! Anyway, I met up with Janelle and Andre at Mellon Park, one of my favorite parks in the city, and wrapped up our session on the North Shore as the sun was setting (another favorite!) It was so much fun spending the evening with them and learning about how they met.

They started with a more casual look at the park. Gotta point out Janelle’s heels – love them!

This next one is a favorite with the way the sunlight is just wrapping around them. They’re so happy and in love, that it’s fitting that they’re glowing.

Snuggling on a park bench will never grow old for me.

There’s also something really fun about bringing along a picnic blanket. Great idea, Janelle!

Timing was the tricky thing about this session. And I would be fibbing if I took credit for that. Because it’s tricky when you’re coming up on twilight and there is an outfit change, traffic and parking to consider. But I was thrilled that we got to the North Shore just in time for some shots of Janelle and Andre dressed to the nines. And they had fun with it dancing along the river!

We walked along the shore a bit as the sun was quickly setting and then they danced a little more. And I have to say, they are experts at dipping!

Then to finish off the night, we headed to Rivers Casino to see what we could find. And the large, lit tower made for a perfect silhouette.

Janelle and Andre, thanks so much for a fantastic engagement session. It was so much fun getting to know you and I wish you the very best on your wedding day. Many blessings to you and your marriage!