As a Pittsburgh wedding photographer, I aim to offer my brides and grooms with a variety of albums to choose from. So I’m adding a some new options into the mix and this one is the crème de la crème. I’m pleased to present handcrafted fine art albums by Cypress. These albums are made with Hahnemühle fine art paper and bound in your choice of luxurious brocades and silks. I have to say that when you hold one of these albums in your hands, the touch is a major part of the experience, because the albums are made with some of the finest materials available.
Here’s my sample album from Rebecca & Patrick’s wedding. This is how the album is packaged when it is shipped. It’s wrapped in velum and tied with a bow with a foil-stamped tag.
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-03-12 15:03:012013-11-18 15:39:00Presenting Handcrafted Fine Art Albums
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of joining Alex Jones to assist and photograph a portrait session at SteelGate Studio with Flashes of Hope. Flashes of Hope is a nonprofit organization that provides portrait sessions to children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses with the purpose of changing they way they see themselves with the gift of photography. The organization also raises money for pediatric cancer research.
Here’s a mother and her 3-month old daughter who joined us that day.
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-02-25 16:58:482013-11-18 16:13:33Pittsburgh Portrait Photographers with Flashes of Hope
I recently had the pleasure of joining Alex Jones to photograph a bar mitzvah at Rodef Shalom and the reception and party that followed. This was a nice change of pace for me as a second shooter and I think it really benefits my wedding photography business to get out there and change things up a bit. Never having been to a bar mitzvah before, I was surprised at how much fun I had. And it was easy to see that the kids were having a blast. What a great year for them! They get to celebrate their own bar mitzvah and then share in the celebration for all of their friends’ bar and bat mitzvahs. Judging by this experience, Jack’s bar mitzvah would be a tough act to follow.
Like I mentioned earlier, we started at Rodef Shalom in Oakland where Jack had some time to practice conducting the service and reading the Torah. Here he is with the Torah during practice.
https://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.png00kmillerhttps://www.captivatingimagery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Web-Use.pngkmiller2011-02-16 16:28:092013-11-18 15:45:17Pittsburgh Bar Mitzvah Photographers at Rodef Shalom and Fox Chapel Racquet Club
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.
Any time I can find a few hours to experiment with new concepts for wedding photography, I take it! So I called up a friend of mine while it was still warm at the end of summer and we headed to the West End Overlook in Pittsburgh to try out some ideas I’ve been kicking around. This is a great way to keep things fresh and also to work out what is actually realistic on a wedding day. Amanda is a great sport and a lovely lady so she didn’t mind if I shared her photos before and after retouching.
There are a couple of factors in this first image. I love walking shots of brides and grooms, but this shady walk has splotchy patches of light passing through the leaves. I used off-camera light at a low level because I didn’t want to blast her with light and loose the pretty light pattern from the trees, but I wanted some even light on her face. My first job is to make Amanda pop out of the scene but in a natural way. Sure it helps to have an off-camera light, but there’s only so much you can do when the subject is walking and the light is stationary. On the wedding day, this problem is resolved with a second shooter who can assist with lighting in tricky settings. So here’s the before:
Presenting Handcrafted Fine Art Albums
/by kmillerAs a Pittsburgh wedding photographer, I aim to offer my brides and grooms with a variety of albums to choose from. So I’m adding a some new options into the mix and this one is the crème de la crème. I’m pleased to present handcrafted fine art albums by Cypress. These albums are made with Hahnemühle fine art paper and bound in your choice of luxurious brocades and silks. I have to say that when you hold one of these albums in your hands, the touch is a major part of the experience, because the albums are made with some of the finest materials available.
Here’s my sample album from Rebecca & Patrick’s wedding. This is how the album is packaged when it is shipped. It’s wrapped in velum and tied with a bow with a foil-stamped tag.
Read more
Pittsburgh Portrait Photographers with Flashes of Hope
/by kmillerLast Saturday, I had the privilege of joining Alex Jones to assist and photograph a portrait session at SteelGate Studio with Flashes of Hope. Flashes of Hope is a nonprofit organization that provides portrait sessions to children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses with the purpose of changing they way they see themselves with the gift of photography. The organization also raises money for pediatric cancer research.
Here’s a mother and her 3-month old daughter who joined us that day.
Read more
Pittsburgh Bar Mitzvah Photographers at Rodef Shalom and Fox Chapel Racquet Club
/by kmillerI recently had the pleasure of joining Alex Jones to photograph a bar mitzvah at Rodef Shalom and the reception and party that followed. This was a nice change of pace for me as a second shooter and I think it really benefits my wedding photography business to get out there and change things up a bit. Never having been to a bar mitzvah before, I was surprised at how much fun I had. And it was easy to see that the kids were having a blast. What a great year for them! They get to celebrate their own bar mitzvah and then share in the celebration for all of their friends’ bar and bat mitzvahs. Judging by this experience, Jack’s bar mitzvah would be a tough act to follow.
Like I mentioned earlier, we started at Rodef Shalom in Oakland where Jack had some time to practice conducting the service and reading the Torah. Here he is with the Torah during practice.
Read more
Introducing Pittsburgh Senior Portraits by Captivating Imagery
/by kmillerI 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.
Read more
Retouching by Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers
/by kmillerAny time I can find a few hours to experiment with new concepts for wedding photography, I take it! So I called up a friend of mine while it was still warm at the end of summer and we headed to the West End Overlook in Pittsburgh to try out some ideas I’ve been kicking around. This is a great way to keep things fresh and also to work out what is actually realistic on a wedding day. Amanda is a great sport and a lovely lady so she didn’t mind if I shared her photos before and after retouching.
There are a couple of factors in this first image. I love walking shots of brides and grooms, but this shady walk has splotchy patches of light passing through the leaves. I used off-camera light at a low level because I didn’t want to blast her with light and loose the pretty light pattern from the trees, but I wanted some even light on her face. My first job is to make Amanda pop out of the scene but in a natural way. Sure it helps to have an off-camera light, but there’s only so much you can do when the subject is walking and the light is stationary. On the wedding day, this problem is resolved with a second shooter who can assist with lighting in tricky settings. So here’s the before:
Read more