There’s so much to love about this recent session in Wexford. The colors, the season, and the love for this little guy who just turned one. We visited a local orchard and let this little fella explore. And if he could talk in complete sentences, I think he’d say that life is good!
There once was a boy and girl who shared a love for all things Harry Potter…then they fell in love and when their wedding day came, it was natural that they incorporated tons of Harry Potter details into their wedding. I wish I could share them all, but here are a few select favorites. To start, Emily’s bouquet was made of book pages by her mom.
She even had Hogwarts shoes. A close-up of these beauties to follow. But just look at that dress!
With Etsy, if you can’t make it, you can find someone who can!
This is the first I met Alan. And after warming up with a few photos, this one was the first hint that he would be a fun groom to photograph!
So lovely as her sister helps with the veil.
A bride and a beautiful view equals one breath-taking shot!
Emily and Alan had hoped to marry outside by the beautiful gazebo below Pine Community Center. Unfortunatley, the ground was soggy from the previous day’s rain, so they moved the ceremony inside and didn’t skip a beat.
And it was good that they did move the ceremony inside because moments after they said, “I do” the rainy skies opened up and poured. We were supposed to go to Cranberry Woods for photos with the bridal party after the ceremony and after talking it over, Emily and Alan decided to tough it out with the umbrellas I brought just in case. I’m so glad we did. After a 10-minute drive through a downpour, the rain lightened up and the scenery was stunning. I just love this shot of Emily walking over the bridge.
The trees made a nice canopy of beautiful light and kept us dry!
This image pretty much sums up what it’s like to be around Emily and Alan—delightful!
Here’s the wedding cake complete with a golden snitch.
And a favorite shot from their first dance.
Congrats Emily and Alan! Many blessings to you!
Now that I have a little one of my own, my response to a friend or a loved one who’s having a baby is extra spirited. I can finally relate on a personal level, and I’m thrilled to find out about someone else’s joy and all of the fun things ahead as they expect their little one. So when my friend Annie told me she was pregnant with baby Zayn, I did a happy dance, or two, or three. Sometimes I just can’t contain myself and this was one of those times.
Bright-eyed Baby
Here’s one of my favorite shots from their on-location session at their home in Wexford, Pa. Look at those eyes! I’d just love to know what he’s thinking!
First Family Portraits
The baby’s first family portraits is one of my favorite parts of the session. Because that’s where you get to see the love. Sometimes the portraits are formal with everyone looking at the camera and sometimes they’re informal with a focus on relationships and emotions.
Mixing Natural and Studio Lighting
In my previous post, I mentioned the need for adding lighting to already existing natural light as a family portrait gets larger. Here’s a great example of just that. We started with natural light and I overexposed so that there is adequate light on their faces.
This was a cloudy afternoon in December and the sun was setting fast. So it was time to start mixing in some studio lighting, especially since we added in Annie’s parents and I’d need to increase the depth of field to make sure that everyone is in focus. So here’s a shot with some mixed lighting. I still wanted to keep the feel of this shot light and airy, so I made the most of the light coming in from the window and added some studio light to illuminate their faces. This might be too much info if you’re not interested in photography, but I think it’s worth mentioning because my clients sometimes ask why I use extra light in some shots but not in others.
The Lifestyle Approach: Keeping It Natural
Here are a few more natural light images since I’m partial to lifestyle photography and keeping things natural.
Are you pregnant or adopting and looking for a newborn photographer? If so, please check out this post with an overview of custom newborn photography.
Lauren and Brandon were married two Saturdays ago at Saints John and Paul Catholic Church in Wexford, Pa., with a reception at the Andy Warhol Museum. It’s been a busy few weeks, so without further ado, here’s a recap of all the fabulous details. We started at Lauren’s family home where the ladies were getting ready. Lauren wore a lovely Pronovais gown with veil that was handmade by her mom and grandma for her mom’s wedding. It was truly gorgeous and the perfect compliment to her gown.
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Lauren found these awesome Calvin Klein heels and knew she had to have them!
Lauren and her bridesmaids had lots of fun making the finishing touches.
Lauren’s bridesmaids wore these green shoes with their little, black dresses.
And here’s Brandon, the handsome groom.
We photographed the guys in front of the church. They shared a lot of camaraderie and Brandon’s smile was infectious.
The church had lots of great places where I could duck out of the way and get interesting angles of the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Alex keeps post in the center aisle which is great, especially when it comes to unexpected kisses.
After the ceremony, we headed to downtown Pittsburgh for some on-location portraits. Note the flowers by Reed and Petals —I’m digging the bridesmaids bouquets.
Then we headed to the Warhol and stopped along the North Shore on our way. These next few images are some magical moments caught by Alex.
I’m pretty excited about this next image. I love the Pittsburgh skyline and love to use it as a background for portraits even in the middle of the day!
Ok, on to the Warhol for some fabulous details.
The staff at the Warhol let us go to the silver cloud room for a few portraits.
After their first dance, we had a little bit of time to slip away and catch a few more portraits at twilight. I love this one by Alex.
Lauren and Brandon, thanks for the opportunity to photograph your wedding! It was such a treat! Many blessings to you and your marriage.
