Pittsburgh Engagement Photography Session with a stop at Mt. Washington

Back in May, I tagged along with Alex Jones, commercial photographer extraordinaire, for a Pittsburgh engagement session with Jonnie and Jim. We started out at SteelGate Studio for a few traditional portraits and then headed to Mt. Washington to catch the sunset and the downtown night sky. While Mt. Washington is one of those common hot spots for portraits of brides and grooms, it takes on a totally different feel at night. And I love it! But first, let’s take a look at some engagement photos in the studio. Not long ago, studio portraits were a standard for engaged couples—think newspaper announcements. Now, the trend is on-location photography, and while I’m a big fan of going on location, I can really appreciate the ability to create beautiful lighting in the studio. So here are a few studio portraits to start things off.

These poses are all about showing off the engagement ring.

Jonnie and Jim are a very sweet couple and I think their sweet demeanor really shows through on this one.

I love it when the wind cooperates. Just a little lift to Jonnie’s hair and dress add a little fun.

They’re all smiles. I think a passer by just shouted something funny in our general direction. This type of thing happens all the time and I’ve found it’s best to just laugh and keep moving.

Ok, this is a fresh take on the photo from a top Mt. Washington. To me, it’s not so much about recognizing the Pittsburgh skyline and more about evoking the nightlife. What engaged couple wouldn’t love having a portrait like this?

Jonnie and Jim, it was tons of fun getting to spend some time with you. Congratulations on your engagement!