Tag Archive for: Mellon Park

walking by the fountainCaptivating Imagery

Family Portraits Through the Tween Years

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Every now and then, I photograph a family when a child is about to graduate high school and learn that they haven’t been photographed as a family since the kids were babies.  And I really feel for them, although I try to keep that to myself to avoid adding to any regret they’re already experiencing.  Sometimes coordinating busy schedules for a photoshoot is that one task that just feels like too much where there are so many other things competing for our attention.  As encouragement to any families out there who haven’t been photographed in a while, I thought I’d share this fun session from a family with two daughters who are in the tween years.

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Pittsburgh Family Portraits: Mellon Park

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About a year ago, I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family when their youngest was about a month old. You can check out that session here. It’s amazing how much little ones can change in just the course of a year and such a blessing to be able to meet up with them a year later for family portraits at Mellon Park in Pittsburgh.

family by the fountain

This big brother was so sweet with his little bro and was a model subject. I think his mama must take lots of photos of him at home!

family seated on a blanket

We started at some of the most popular locations for photos at the park before the crowds filled in for a festival that was being held there.

walking hand in hand through Mellon Park

I love this park, it’s one of my favorites and most of the sessions I’ve done here have been closer to sunset. But coming here in the morning and working with the sun rising on the opposite side from where it sets presented a nice challenge in that I found some new and lovely spots that work well in the morning light, like this gate below.

portrait by the gate of the walled garden

Family portraits with little ones can be a little bit tricky getting everyone to smile and look at the camera at the same time. I love this more candid shot where mama was just tickling her little one. That got him to smile!

mom and dad tickles and giggles from the boys

We wanted to capture some images of the boys together and getting them off of their feet is my go-to approach when they’re little like this, so this park bench in the lower walled garden was just the thing!

boys on the park bench

kisses from big brother

boys looking over their shoulders

Throwing our kiddos up in the air is such a natural thing to do when we’re trying to get them to laugh and have fun. It just happens effortlessly in sessions and I love to capture this. It never gets old.

momma throwing her boy up in the air

Look at these two handsome little guys sitting so nicely on this blanket!

boys seated on the blanket

And we ended this session with lollipops, which are such a great motivator for smiles. But the little bro dropped his and ended up forgetting about it so this lucky guy wound up with two!

daddy let him have two lollipops!

What a great start to the day!

2012 Contemporary Album Featuring Photograph from a Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Wedding

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In my last post, I introduced the 2012 Captivating Imagery Wedding Album Collection and unveiled the Classic Album. Today, I’m excited to share the Contemporary Album featuring images from Katherine and Robert’s lovely July wedding at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Like the Classic Album, the Contemporary Album is a flush mount album in a rectangular 10″ x 7″ format rather than the traditional square. This 20-page album is designed as 10 spreads so that the photos stretch right across the gutter, or the crease in the center for the binding. So you’re seeing what the pages look like side-by-side when you open the album. For now, I’m just showing the design for the pages, but the cover is a dark red alligator leather to compliment Katherine’s color scheme and it looks great!

contemporary wedding album design

Oh and the actual album is not watermarked—that’s just for the website.

Pittsburgh wedding photography

I love Mellon Park—I think I must have shared that a million times already. So sorry for my redundancy! But I was thrilled that Katherine and Robert would be exchanging vows there. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the walled garden was a lovely setting.

wedding ceremony photography

It’s tough to select images to include in the album when you have upwards of 500 to choose from. But this image of them kissing on the right is, by far, my favorite of the day. I love their embrace and the emotion in their family members who officiated the ceremony.

Pittsburgh wedding album design

And here comes my favorite part of the day—this is where image selection really gets tough.

on-locaiton portraits in Pittsburgh

Katherine and Robert are dog lovers and they really wanted a photo with their pugs, so they made arrangements with a friend to bring the pugs to the park for a few shots and then take them back home. These little guys were so great! They nearly stole the show!

creative wedding portraits

This next spread takes some explaining—the Cascade bottle is what brought Katherine and Robert back together after years of being apart since they dated in high school. Katherine ran out of detergent and went to the grocery store to pick some up. They ran into each other at the store and have been together ever since. It was really sweet to see how she incorporated little details like this one into their wedding day.

Pittsburgh wedding reception photography

The food by Tallulah’s Catering was delicious and Joy, the PCA’s director of special events, was fabulous. So this spread is a tribute to their success.

wedding reception details

Katherine and Robert and their guests were really having a great time and really celebrated on the dance floor.

wedding reception photography

This last spread has a lovely image by Alex. Alex’s photos are sprinkled throughout this post, but this one of the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts deserves special recognition. Thanks Alex!

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts photography

Next up, I’ll be sharing the design for the Chic album featuring photos from Callie and Brian’s September wedding.

Janelle and Andre’s Pittsburgh Engagement Session

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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.

engaged couple portrait

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

sweethearts engagement session

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.

couple walking hand in hand photo

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

fiances photography

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

soon-to-be bride and groom photo

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!

dancing along Pittsburgh's North Shore

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!

engagement photo on the North Shore

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.

silhouette by Rivers Casino

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!

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Wedding Photography

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Katherine and Robert were high school sweethearts who went their separate ways after high school and fatefully bumped into each other at a grocery store years later. As her mom put it during a toast, there was something different when they got back together. There was no doubt they were meant to be together. And they made it official last Saturday at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

Katherine had her hair done at Studio Booth, a posh salon in East Liberty, and finished getting ready on site at the venue.

getting ready details

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