Tag Archive for: photography

Sneak Peek: Jewish Orthodox Wedding Photography at the Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh

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I had the pleasure of photographing Chayala and Shloime’s wedding at the stunning Omni William Penn this past week.  And I’m excited to share this sneak peek of some of my favorite portraits from the day.  It was a full day of fun with all of the traditions that come with a Jewish Orthodox wedding, and I will have tons of photos to share from their ceremony and reception in my next post.  There are also more great portraits to share once I’m done with the edit on this wedding, but for now here are a few teasers.   The first two portraits are by Alex.

bride portrait on Grant Street

groom portrait at the Omni Willaim Penn in Pittsburgh

We headed over to Mellon Square for a few portraits of the lovely Chayala. We had great weather and Chayala really had fun with it. What a great start to the day!

spinning bride at Mellon Square in Pittsburgh

Then we met up with Shloime for some portraits in the lobby. I really like that they allowed time in their schedule for portraits before the ceremony. It was nice to get to spend some time with them and they both just shined. I couldn’t wait to see them together for the first time as man and wife!

bride before the ceremony

After the ceremony, we did a few more portraits of the two of them together around the hotel and out on Grant Street. This one by Alex, is really magical. They just waited for the walking signal and then Shloime turned Chayala across the cross walk. I love dancing shots and the city lights in the background are another weakness of mine, so this is a new favorite for sure!

bride and groom crossing Grant Street

And here’s one more shot of the two of them in the lobby before we headed up to their reception. Stay tuned for more to come next week!

Bride and Groom inside the Omni William Penn

Pittsburgh Presidential Salute Your Troops Gala

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As a Pittsburgh wedding photographer, I’m not often available to do event photography on weekends during the wedding season. However, I was surprised to find out about a recent gala hosted by the Pittsburgh Social Exchange and Mother, May I: the Pittsburgh Presidential Salute Your Troops Gala on Wednesday, August 17th at Jay Verno Studios. Events at Jay Verno Studios are always neat, so I knew this would be a treat, plus, I’d get to photograph some of our finest men and women in uniform and local and national celebrities in attendance. Did I mention this gala supports a worthy cause? Its mission was to raise awareness of programs that support the men and women who have served our country, chiefly Team River Runner which recently initiated its 16th chapter here in Pittsburgh. This organization supports wounded veterans by encouraging healthy lifestyles through water sports. To find out more, check out their website, but before you do, here are a few photos from the event.

red carpet event photography

For the first half of the event, I was on the red carpet, photographing guests as they arrived. There was excitement in the air as guests left their cars with the valet and walked up to the registration table. A local cheerleading troup performed and the incredibly talented and lovely Jessica Lee serenaded guests as they entered the studio. The buzz on the red carpet really intensified when special guest, Laurett Ellsworth Arenz arrived. She was crowned Miss United States in 1997 and Mrs. America in 2002, and is a motivational speaker and founder of the HEROS program.

Pittsburgh gala photography

Next up, I’ll be blogging about a Jewish Orthodox wedding that I’m really looking forward to photographing this week.

Oh Baby! More Newborn Photography by Captivating Imagery

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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!

baby portrait in a hammock

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.

baby portrait in knit wool hat
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Katie and Dan’s Uniontown Wedding

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Katie and Dan were married just over a week ago in Katie’s hometown of Uniontown, Pa., about an hour outside of Pittsburgh. Alex and I photographed this happy couple’s engagement session in Pittsburgh this past fall. And it was great to catch up with them again when we met a week before their wedding to go over the details and schedule of their day. When it came time for the big day, everything went smoothly and Katie was at ease and, might I mention, simply stunning. Here are some of the details we found while she was getting ready.

getting ready details

The portrait of Katie in her robe (above) is by Alex and she is lit by the window light from her childhood bedroom. It’s not often that we get to photograph brides in the homes where they grew up, so this was a really special moment. And here she is, standing by her front door.

beautiful bride

Katie and Dan were married at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Uniontown. I really like the style of painting at the front of the sanctuary there. It reminded me of something you’d find in an Alphonse Mucha opera poster. Although, it might be hard to tell in this composite—it’s tough to choose what goes in this blog, so I’m covering the ceremony in one fell swoop. Also, I’d like to note that Alex and I work together throughout the day and his work is scattered all throughout my blog. We each go into the day looking to capture certain moments and its always fun to find moments like the one below of Katie just minutes before she walked down the aisle.

wedding ceremony photography
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Evette and Jordan’s Pittsburgh Wedding Photography

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Evette and Jordan were married at Evette’s family home near Raccoon Creek State Park, about a 30-minute drive from Pittsburgh. We were tucked away on top of a wooded hill just outside of the park. It was such an intimate setting that it was easy to forget about the outside world. You might remember Evette from an earlier post on her studio bridal session. It was such a treat to photograph her wedding after spending some time with her at the studio. I’m crazy about her dress and it was a great indicator of the exquisite details to come at the wedding.

pittsburgh wedding photography

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