I’m clearing out some cobwebs after a month or so of blogging since photographing my last wedding. Week after week, I’ve thought, I should probably get back to blogging. But I need to admit I’ve been deliriously distracted—my husband and I welcomed the most wonderful baby boy you ever saw into the world this Fall (right in the midst of the wedding season—thank goodness for a good plan B and some fantastic support from a few good friends). Anyway, we’re starting to settle into a rhythm with our Little B and are mesmerized with all of the fun things he discovers each day.
And as I’m learning to balance my roles as a mommy and photographer, I’m taking my own baby steps to get back into the swing of things. And for my first post of the new year, I had some help from Little B! We ventured out into the snow a few weeks back at a park in my neighborhood. Actually, Little B sat his car seat in the warmth of our car while I hoped out and snapped some inspired landscapes without having to walk more than a few steps from the car.
Yay! I did it! Yep, I’m cheering for myself, because I’m learning to celebrate the little things. I’m hoping to share some images of Little B in my next post. I just need to figure out which ones…
A big Congrats to Courtney and Matt, dear friends of mine who were just married in Charleston, South Carolina. They planned a gorgeous destination wedding there at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina and I so happy to have been a part of it. This sneak peek was hard to do because I had a hard time narrowing down the photos to share, but I’ll share lots more in the full blog post sometime next week.
Courtney looked absolutely stunning. I’m partial of course, but she just beamed. And she had an amazing garland of orchids and ivy to wear in lieu of a bouquet.
And Matt and his groomsmen were staying cool as they waited for the ceremony to begin on the pier over the harbor.
The pier made for an awesome aisle for Courtney and her dad to walk down. In my next post, I’ll share an image of the shoes she wore and it just baffles me to think about how she walked down the pier so gracefully in her stilettos.
Their ceremony was really sweet with nervous giggles and a fun story from Courtney’s childhood. But, what I loved most was the way they looked into one another’s eyes.
The bridal party was a fun group. And they all look so good together!
We walked back to the beach for some more photos before heading to the reception.
I also wanted to share a photo of Courtney’s bridesmaids and this one kept coming back to me because they are having so much fun in it. One of the bridesmaids felt something slide down her backside, it was a bobby pin and the photos that followed were pretty funny.
And last, but not least, here’s a portrait of the lovebirds.
Courtney and Matt, congratulations! I am so happy for you two and pray that you will be blessed beyond measure!
Over the last year, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing some fantastic maternity and newborn sessions here in Pittsburgh. These sessions are a real treat as a photographer because it is amazing to work with expecting moms and their little bundles of joy. I love to witness the miracle of pregnancy and babies. So I’m excited to share this slide show with images from some of my favorite sessions. I will soon be updating my portfolio and packages pages with information about maternity and newborn sessions, but I didn’t want to wait until then to share this slide show. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area and interested in a maternity or newborn session, please send me a message!
If you’re interested in a maternity or newborn session, here are a few things to keep in mind. Timing is everything. The best time for a maternity session is in the third trimester, between week 32 and 36. The timing for newborn sessions is even more crucial because it’s better to photograph newborns while they are asleep. And you can only count on them to really sleep soundly during their first two weeks. I know that is a short time-frame, especially considering a mom needs time to recuperate from giving birth and adjusting to life with her baby. But if you can make it work, a newborn session within the first few days of life is so worth it! It’s best to contact me at the beginning of your third trimester so that we can start to talk about scheduling and preparing for your maternity and newborn sessions.
My introductory rate for each session is a $150 sitting fee. A web gallery with a minimum of 25 images will be available within two weeks of the session. There is a required purchase of $350 worth of prints or other products from the web gallery for each session.
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-01-20 20:16:542013-11-18 16:13:51Pittsburgh Maternity and Newborn Photography: Babies and Bellies
On any given Sunday during football season in Pittsburgh you can go to church and wear your black and gold. At least, it’s that way at my church in Bellevue and I’m assuming that you’ll see the same at other churches in the ‘Burgh. I love that we’re free to worship in this way and I think it really brings our congregation together, so I’m going to go out on a limb and draw some parallels between church culture and Steelers culture.
Last night when the Steelers won, I felt a high. It was a sense of relief and joy, a high not too different form what I felt after leaving church today. The Steelers are still in the playoffs and that means there’s a chance we’re going to the Super Bowl. Although, they really kept us on the edge of our seats yesterday. And I think our pastor made a good point this morning: the halftime speech must have been really motivating because the Steelers came out for the second half like a new team. Don’t we all need a pep talk every now and then?
So there’s the game itself that brings us together, either at Heinz Field or a friend’s living room. And while we all want to win that game, there’s the extra added benefit of the socialization – getting together with your friends, bringing your favorite snacks, wearing your black and gold, talking about the players and strategies—the list goes on. This can be really unifying—especially during a winning game.
So we’re in church this morning, and our worship leader called out something like, “how ’bout them Steelers?” before beginning the worship set. After a rather hearty reaction for the 9 a.m. service, he reminded us that we were there for another reason: to worship the God who created us and who can do all things. I can’t remember his exact words, but it was something along those lines. But it got me thinking—just like we come together to support our team, we need the same solidarity in our worship.
The sermon today was about how God can use us. And the main points were that God can use us if we’re: 1) prepared, 2) obedient, and 3) improbable. That last one is catchy, but the basic gist is that God can use the unexpected to do His work like the poor, possessed, prostitutes, tax collectors, or even a ruler who persecuted Christians. So it was a wake-up call for us to ask God to use us and accept the risk or discomfort that comes with that. It was a great sermon and I’m not doing it justice in this short description, but it was the half-time speech that I needed and I’m just saying that I’ve got my game face on.
Then we sang the song “Our God” by Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman. Here’s a link to a YouTube video with them doing the acoustic version on NewSongCafe:
This video is very low-key, but when you’re singing this song in worship amidst a large group of believers, it feels like a pep rally. And it brings us together as we cheer for God. My favorite lyrics are, “And if our God is for us, than who can ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then who can stand against?” And that can be really encouraging when you feel like there is no hope. I’d like to think song is what pumped up the Steelers last night, but more than that, it encourages me to seek God’s plan for my life and get moving.
A year or two ago when the Steelers went to the Super Bowl, our church was included in an article in the Trib. They sent a photographer too, but the photos only made it to the print edition. Anyway, if you’re in the neighborhood on a Sunday and you want to check it out. Stop by and feel free to wear your black and gold.
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-01-16 20:09:542013-11-18 16:12:17Why Church and the Pittsburgh Steelers Go Together
This past week, I spent time in NYC for the PDN PhotoPlus event. It is the first major photography conference I’ve attended and I came away from it with a lot of inspiration for my Pittsburgh wedding photography business and I’m so grateful for an awesome experience. My family was a little bit leery about me going on this trip alone (because of my child-like tendency to often get lost in the moment), but I survived! And for anyone who is thinking about going to NYC, but is hesitant about reports of bed bugs, I stayed in a hostel and it was bed-bug-free and very tidy, I might add.
Anyway, back to the conference. This is a great conference and it’s easily accessible if you happen to be living in the North East. As a wedding photographer, I have given a lot of thought to which conference I’d try first and I have to say, I have no regrets. I took the Megabus (which is awesome) from Pittsburgh and was within walking distance of everything. On top of that, I made some friends and learned a lot. So for other photographers out there who might be considering a conference next year, I give this one a thumbs up! Here’s the Javits Center where it takes place:
My favorite speaker? Joe McNally. I’ve read his book Hot Shoe Diaries and knew he would give a great seminar. Now I have tons of notes for new things I’d like to try—too bad the wedding season is winding down. I may need to schedule some test shoots if there are any past clients out there who would like to have some fun and let me experiment a little. Just let me know if you’re interested. Read more
http://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttp://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Web-Use.pngkmiller2010-11-02 12:55:282011-01-26 15:02:38Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers at the 2010 PDN PhotoPlus in NYC
