Captivating Imagery: Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer and Professional Photography Services

Congratulations to Kelly McCullough, winner of the drawing for a Studio Bridal Session by Captivating Imagery! Over 200 brides entered the drawing over the last two days at the Cavanaugh Bridal Show at the Wyndham Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh. And Kelly was drawn as the lucky winner. Her Studio Bridal Session includes a 2-hour photo shoot, complete with a stylist, an online proofing gallery and a disc of 10 retouched images of her choice with permission to print for personal use. Whoohoo!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth! It was such a great weekend! I love meeting brides and getting to know about their weddings.

Here’s a glimpse of my booth at the show (please excuse my lackluster cell phone photo):

Over the last few posts, I’ve been sharing new album designs for Captivating Imagery’s 2012 Album Collection. This last design is what I’ll refer to as the Chic Album—my husband calls it the mammoth because of it’s size. It’s a 12×12 flush mount album that comes with a custom album box and pearlized pages. It’s a definite favorite of mine and an alternative to the Handcrafted Fine Art album (included in the Premium and Ultimate Packages) for those who prefer flush mount albums. Plus, the design really sets it apart with lightly distressed neutral wallpaper patterns and accentuated borders.

I’ll be posting photos of these albums after the bridal show this weekend, but for now, here are the spread designs starting with the custom cover.

This album features Callie and Brian’s lovely September wedding at Callie’s family home.

The ceremony site was gorgeous with an arbor made especially for the occasion.

Callie was simply stunning.

The bridal party was completed by an adorable flower girl who ran down the aisle.

We took a few minutes for photos of the bridal party around this gorgeous property.

The details at the reception were sweet. The same shades of pink and white in her bouquet were repeated in the centerpieces with distressed votive holders on top of cream runners. And their favors were dark chocolate bars with caramel and sea salt, wrapped in paper with a blue and white ticking design. Delicious!

The toasts were so heartfelt and warm that it was easy to see how much the best man and maid of honor adore Callie and Brian.

The sun set and the party carried on well into the night between the dance floor in the tent and the lounge in the barn. What a fabulous way to celebrate!

So this post completes the introduction of the 2012 Album Collection. Although there will be more products to come soon!

Over the last few months, I’ve been working hard to prepare new sample albums and products for the Cavanaugh Bridal Show on January 28th and 29th. So I’m pleased to present a sneak peek of sorts on my blog! I have three new sample albums from some awesome weddings I’ve photographed over the past year: Melissa and Gabe’s October wedding at Rolling Acres, Katherine and Robert’s July wedding at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and Callie and Brian’s September wedding at Callie’s family home.

The albums each have their own style and I’ve named them to make it easier when I talk with clients about what style they like during album consultations. So for today, here’s the Classic Album. It is a flush mount album with a premium leather cover in black and this sample features Melissa and Gabe’s wedding. 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.

Of course the actual albums don’t have watermarks on the pages. That’s just for the web site.

Melissa also did a studio bridal session so I was sure to include some of those photos in her album as well.

And Melissa is such a beautiful bride that I couldn’t help including a few more portraits from her wedding day. Those gorgeous flowers are by Joanne’s Occasional Flowers. Joanne always does such a beautiful job!

It was a little chilly that day, so the ceremony was held inside and it made for beautiful, back-lit, black and whites, so I went with that for the next few pages.

The rain slowed and Melissa and Gabe and their bridal party bared the cold for some photos right before sunset.

I love when it’s time to photograph just the bride and groom. It’s hard to choose, but I think that’s my favorite part of the day.

They were announced into a warm and friendly crowd and went right into their first dance.

I like to save the last spread for some nighttime portraits.

This album design was just sent to be printed and bound. Once I receive it, I’ll take some more photos to show the cover and binding. Up next, the Contemporary Album featuring Katherine and Robert’s wedding!

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!

Callie and Brian were married in September and I had the pleasure of second-shooting the wedding with Alex, who is normally my sidekick on weddings by Captivating Imagery. It was a fun opportunity to switch it up. Because of the tight schedule for Callie and Brian’s wedding day, we added a third shooter, Erica, who helped to capture some of the fantastic details at Callie and Brian’s wedding. So naturally, this post is a collaborative effort.

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