Captivating Imagery: Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer and Professional Photography Services

It’s just about that time to meet up with family and old friends and celebrate the Christmas season. But before I go, here’s a post from a senior portrait session in October. I met Sam through his brother, whose wedding I photographed in Pittsburgh this past summer. He’s a great guy and we had a fun time during his session with a little help from his friends. First we started with a traditional portrait for the yearbook photo.

This messy look with the hair was expertly achieved by his younger brother Raymond, who stood by making sure it was all in place.

I think this is one of my favorites of Sam. He looks so comfortable and casual leaning against the wall.

Ok, time for another look.

These images of him on the green chair are close contenders for my favorite shot. Love seeing his arms on the back of the chair. Watch out, ladies!

And here, he’s just too cool for school.

We stepped outside the studio to walk along the train tracks and trees that run along the Monongahela River.

What a great guy! Thanks, Sam, for a great session! Many blessings to you in all your future endeavors!

Senior portraits by Captivating Imagery can be done in the studio or on-location. The creative fee is $500 for a 2-hour session with a $350 credit toward prints and other photo products. Contact me at info@captivatingimagery.com if you’d like to talk more about scheduling a session.

Ten years ago, I would have squirmed when someone handed me a newborn. When a baby found its way into my arms, it would cry! I’m just pointing this out because I realized recently that I’m a whole lot more comfortable with babies and I think I have photography to thank for that. While I mainly focus on weddings, I started photographing newborns about two years ago. I have to admit that my first newborn session was pretty nerve-wracking. I could sense the nervous energy from the parents and the baby definitely sensed it from me. Poor thing!

My nerves didn’t have anything to do with what was happening behind the camera, but with everything that takes place in front of it: making the baby and parents comfortable, figuring out how to get the baby to sleep, pose, smile! That’s a lot of pressure when you’re not really used to babies. Add into the mix the feeding routine and the little surprises that come with taking off their diapers and that about sums it up. In the end, the newborn portraits turned out great! And since then, I’ve grown more and more comfortable with newborns and what I can do to make the process fun and worry-free! I’ve really grown to love photographing newborns and hope to have one of my own someday!

This post includes some sweeties from recent sessions that I haven’t had a chance to blog about yet. This set shows some of the neat props I’ve collected along the way and have also found that it’s fun to coordinate with parents and see what we can come up with.

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I’m getting all geared up for the 2011 wedding season here in Pittsburgh and I have an exciting way for brides and grooms to enhance their wedding photography. Captivating Imagery is now offering Studio Bridal Sessions at SteelGate Studio. I’ve developed a new approach to bridal sessions which seem to have gone by the wayside over the last decade or so. When I think of my grandma in her wedding dress, I’m immediately taken back to a beautiful studio portrait of her with her train fanned out. It was fitting for her 1947 wedding and she looks so lovely. I’m glad to know what she looked like in her wedding gown and to have a stunning portrait of her at one of the most important times in her life. There’s a lot to be said for that.

While wedding photography has dramatically changed since then, I think there is still a need for beautiful portraits of the bride. And while I always take time to photograph the bride on her wedding day wherever we are in the time that is afforded, there is no substitute a studio bridal session. I’ll share more about that later in this post, but for now, let’s get to some images of what I’m proposing is a more contemporary approach to studio bridal portraits.

This is from Evette’s session. She’s getting married in June this year and wanted to give her husband-to-be some portraits of her in her wedding gown in a more relaxed setting. It’s very unlikely we’d have much time for this type of portrait on her wedding day, not to mention most brides don’t want to wrinkle their dress or mess their hair. The look is more on the sexy side and it shows of the neckline of her gown. It’s a nice alternative to a boudoir session because a bride can be dressed in her gown and be a total knockout. Plus, if a family member or friend stumbles upon the portrait someday, there’s no need to blush!

The sessions include two looks with many variations, so we take our time and try new angles and poses.

The session also includes a stylist who pampers the bride prior to the session with complete make-up and hair design. Amber Altany did Evette’s hair and make-up for this session. It is a wonderful experience for the bride and invaluable for me as the photographer, because the stylist stays during the shoot and assists with stray hairs, adjusting the dress, and touching up the make-up. That way, I’m free to focus on what I do best.

We made the most of the natural light streaming in from the studio windows. Ok, now on to a fashion-inspired look with studio lighting. This second look aims at showing off the details of her gown in a fun and lighthearted way.

We got out the wind machine and really had fun with it.

Rather than using a muslin or canvas backdrop like the traditional studio bridal portraits, I opted for gray seamless with a nod to fashion photography.

Evette’s dress is to die for. Here’s a full-length view of the back:

And now with a slightly different lighting set-up, Evette really shines in this close-up.

So, in keeping with the times, this approach to studio bridal portraits is a fun and fresh way to create gorgeous images of the bride before her wedding. In my experience, I find that these images are cherished by both brides and grooms and they become more and more valuable as time passes. A wedding is the perfect occasion to commission a portrait session that highlights the bride’s beauty at such an important time in her life. I recommend scheduling studio bridal sessions between 4 and 2 months prior to the wedding. It is a wonderful, stress-free experience that couldn’t come at a better time for most brides. Studio Bridal Sessions are $450 and include a stylist and a disc of high-resolution images with permission to print for personal use. If you’d like to know more, please contact me (Kate) to schedule a consultation.

Here’s a slide show of Evette’s session:

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth yesterday at the Pittsburgh Bridal Show! It was such a great day! I love meeting brides and getting to know about their weddings. If you happened to enter my contest for a free studio bridal portrait, I’m ready to announce the results. And the winner is….(drum roll, please)…Jessica Dishler! Congrats Jessica!

Here’s a glimpse of my booth at the show:

I love photographing high school seniors. There are no two seniors alike and it’s fun to see what happens when the focus is all on them. For some, it takes a little while to ease into the session before they let their personality shine through, and others are seem to soak up every minute of their time in the spotlight. My approach to senior portraits is unique in Pittsburgh. I’m not big on props or maintaining a large selection of backdrops. I like to keep it simple and focus on making the students comfortable so that their portraits really reveal their character. I enjoy getting to know the students over the course of their session and I don’t like tight time constraints. A 30-minute session would never work with my approach. In some cases, it takes that much time to really get comfortable in front of the camera. It’s more about the experience. Senior portraits are an important milestone in a student’s life and it should be an enjoyable experience.

Here’s a slide show of some of the students I’ve had the pleasure of photographing over the past year. They’re all so different and that is a beautiful thing.

Amy comes from a large family and sings on the praise team at church.

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