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▣ Amigos :-) | Children's Portraits
A few months ago I got to spend the evening with some of my very favorite smiling faces :-) Jake and Sydney with their cousin Kate (goose) and her new baby brother Aaron ! We met up at grandma's house for the second year in a row. I've been photographing these smiles since BEFORE kindergarten.
Syd - currently all she wants for christmas is her two front teeth :-)
Big brother Jake - they are "pretending to like each other" for these photos. Because everyone knows it is tremendously uncool to be friends with your little sister when you are a five year old boy ;-) (Actually I think he might be six now... they grow up so fast !)
Kate :-) So grown up now and going into first grade this fall. What happened to the pre-school years?
And now the three amigos are four! Aaron is now walking and talking and running all over the yard. Kate's hair is soooo long - everyone is growing up fast.
Jake :-) Now a video game master!
More siblings "pretending to like each other" ;-) Even if they say they don't always like each other (Aaron sometimes takes it personally when Kate tries to help him do things - he likes to do things himself) there is lots of love there.
Little girl secrets :-)
Jake was convinced that tough guys don't smile. So these few shots took some real doing!
Aaron: curious, inquisitive. He ponders a lot :-)
He has a perfect little smirky giggle. He knows he's a charmer!
One of my favorite shots of the summer.
Dear Goose, I hope you are liking school !
1 Comment added to this post ▣ Meghan & Billy | Oct. 2009 Wedding
We're delving back into the archives from last fall for some of our favorite weddings that sadly went un-blogged ! Meghan and Billy were married October 10th of last year on a cool and sunny saturday afternoon. It was the perfect hometown gathering for two high school sweethearts to say I do. I knew at the rehearsal that it would be a great wedding when Billy was fighting back tears as Meghan practiced walking down the aisle.
You might remember Billy & Meghan (and their four legged kids Yogi & Dexter) from their engagement session last summer. Well on the morning of the wedding, Yogi & Dexter met Anna and I at the front door with tails wagging while we waited for the girls to arrive back from the salon. We found Meghan's dress hanging in th spare bedroom behind a big sign on the door that said "No!" to remind Billy not to accidentally open it. :-)
The girls had a great time doing their make up and laughing in front of the big bathroom mirror. Meghan's dress was an outstanding Casablanca creation!
Meanwhile, the guys were getting things set at the church. Billy with his Dad before the ceremony.
Everyone was full of emotion when Meghan walked down the aisle. Each pew was decorated with draping gold florals that Billy's mom created herself.
Top right image by Anna.
I also love this image by Anna. I took some liberties with the post processing to try some different effects. Meghan's veil in the breeze was positively ethereal.
Their reception was held at Ferrante's Lakeview in Greensburg, PA and we spent some time on the grounds getting photos before they were announced.
The bridal party in the big gazebo. Top image by Anna. The girls wore deep lapis (purple) which looked great with greens as well as fall colors.
Duties of a new husband ;-)
The ballroom was decorated with gold and ivory, accented with purple. At each place setting was one of their engagement photos on a printed card. The back of the card let guests know that in lieu of traditional favors and in honor of their deep love for their dogs they had made a donation to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. I love it when couples take the opportunity to do some good in the world :-)
Their first dance was romantic and sweet surrounded by a few hundred of their closest friends and family all smiling :-)
This is Natalie - ! Hi Nat !! :-D If you are a sharp blog reader you will recognize her as she is a frequent PhotosbyAW wedding guest. She's a great dancer, she knows everybody, and is pretty much just plain awesome. In fact, we did her wedding in 2007 - then we did her sister's wedding in 2008 - and we've seen her at almost 4 weddings since then!! I love my job, I get to hang out with the best people :-)
Many bittersweet tears as Meghan danced with her Dad. The father-daughter dance is one that always gets me because I think of my Dad.
Probably the sweetest moment of the evening - they had a great live band providing music for the reception and towards the end of the night Billy (who has a beautiful voice) asked for the mic and sang "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton to his new bride.
Just a little more than a month shy of your one year anniversary - here's to at least 50 more years of happily ever after.
Ceremony: Hebron Lutheran Church, Leechburg, PA Reception: Ferrante's Lakeview Flowers: Leechburg Floral Bride's Attire: Casablanca Bridal from The Exquisite Bride, Murrsyville
0 Comments added to this post ▣ September
Another month gone by - another season poised to change and it's time for the next shot from the calendar. This one was from our family vacation last labor day weekend way way out into the pennsylvania wilds along the northeastern tier. This was actually the view from the edge where the guardrail along the one lane road had washed away and the line between civilization and the wilderness was faded.
September :-) Maybe my favorite month of the year? Not sure.. Every evening there is a golden hour of sunlight just before dusk - and September is like the golden hour of the summer. One last beautiful warm flare to splash in the water and lie in the grass before cool breezes change the leaves send us in search of pumpkins and apple cider.
2 Comments added to this post ▣ Alex | 2010 Senior Portraits
Just a quickie post to get back into the habit of getting things posted on my blog! I've been so busy editing this month, I've hardly posted at all. I've still been able to keep up with my two week turn around time for weddings and portraits so that's a point to the positive.
This is Alex's senior session from June just a week after his graduation. It's never too late for pictures!
We visited Bushy Run Battlefield for some sweet evening sunshine.
Alex is also a volunteer fireman in his hometown and they were kind enough to let us borrow the fire truck for some photos!
I love this spot at the end of an old road long overgrown and bordered by trees.
Good luck to all the 2010 seniors who are starting fall classes this week at college !
2 Comments added to this post ▣ Just one shot - Derek & Kim
While I'm editing, I promised Kim I'd post a teaser photo on the blog tuesday (11:30pm still counts as tuesday, right?). I had no idea it would be SO HARD to pick just one picture to put online as a teaser! They just got back from their honeymoon following their wedding about a week and a half ago. I am loving editing their photos, I'm just as anxious as they are to see every last one of them. The weather was perfect, the setting was amazing - just you wait!
I hope this tides you over for a next couple of days! :-) :-) I can't wait to show you when I'm finished! 3 Comments added to this post ▣ Outtakes . .
I'm not one to share embarassing photos of myself, but this one made me laugh out loud. Dana grabbed this one of me at Lindsey & Chachi's wedding on July 24th. We were shooting at the columns at the Mellon Institute after their wedding at Heinz chapel (if you remember that was the HOT saturday when it was like 98 degrees)! They were such troopers wading through the sweltering heat and Heinz Chapel has no AC.
I wish I could have a contest to come up with the best caption for this photo! I look very concerned - as if I've just discovered a bomb or a deadly hissing King Cobra.
*** scene ***
My hands are saying "everyone stay calm, I've got this under control" but my eyes looking the other way say "heeeeeeeelp!". And then there's Chachi whose body language blatantly says "AHHHH!! A DEADLY HISSING KING COBRA!!" And Lindsey - like "it's my wedding, snake - I'll smite you with my flowers." And the wedding party looks on, worried in the background...
Actually I have no idea what we were all so worried about in this picture, other than it was very very warm out. Their wedding went smoothly, everyone had a fantastic time, and the photos turned out awesome! I'll be finished editing them today and have them online this afternoon!
There are a few other things I've learned from this photo: 1. That is my favorite shirt. And looking at it now, it does nothing for me. 2. My comfortable shoes are so god-awful ugly, I had to crop them out. 3. Extreme humidity is bad, bad, bad for my hair. 4. I don't know if it's my 'action stance' I'm in, but those extra miles I've been jogging just might be paying off! 5. Beware of assistants who steal your camera and snap your picture :-)
Happy Thursday everybody !
3 Comments added to this post ▣ August
August has arrived with all of its sweet summery sunsets!
And just one day late, this is the august calendar photo of the month taken at Hills Creek State Park, Pa on our trip there last year. This was the same trip where Sean was sitting outside the cabin at the campfire with my Dad and what wandered up next to them at the fire? A skunk! They ran for the cabin and no one got sprayed, but it could have been a close call!
I had planned on shooting the sunset reflecting in the lake and set up along this old log, but it turned out the colors were even better after the sun dipped below the horizon for the next half hour of dusk until it was completely dark.
On the book for this month are seven weddings including my cousin's!, a bunch of senior portrait sessions, an engagement session at a winery (I can't wait to shoot that!), and our annual family weekend trip! 1 Comment added to this post ▣ Why we do weddings
After our 13th wedding of 2010 - we were reflecting on WHY we do this and why we are so blessed to be in this line of work. Every weekend we meet amazing couples that host the most spectacular events full of love, laughter, tears, and memories. Just in the past 6 months we've been thrilled to photograph a snowbound ski lodge ceremony, a wedding party under a spring snow shower, a bride and groom among the ocean waves, a first look on top of a mountain, groomsmen in a cow pasture, bridesmaids on a beach, and a newly married couple in a fountain - at night - in the rain. Cool, huh?
Here's a little video from Elysium Productions (a fantastic wedding cinematography company that I discovered online) packed full of wedding moments from their travels - when I watch it, it illustrates perfectly WHY I/we do weddings. Because we love the details of the bride's dress, the look on the groom's face when no one else is around and he's alone for a quiet moment with her, the way the bride's father holds her during their dance. This is a ten minute video, but it's worth it. Make sure you have the sound ON and it might take a minute to load - so go get yourself a cup of coffee while you wait and enjoy your sunday or monday morning :-)
Your life's memories are MY life's work.
There are 18 more weddings on the books so far for the rest of 2010 and we're booking for 2011 and 2012! Hope to see you at a wedding in the future! 5 Comments added to this post ▣ My big fat 101 update | Pittsburgh Zoo
Ok. So the blog-a-thon was a FAIL.
Let's move past that and do a big 101 update post - I really have been trying to balance work and personal time and not lose sight of my goals! This is just a little recap of what I've been up to over the past few months from May till today.
22. Visit the Pittsburgh zoo and new PPG aquarium - completed 5/25/10
This was sooooooooo awesome! I haven't been to the zoo in a couple of years and when I was there it was winter time before and only a few exhibits were open. This time was a once in a lifetime experience, we got the chance to go behind the scenes at the zoo! Sean's mom, Sean's sister Nikki, Aunt Lori, the cousins :-) , and my sister Ashley all went together.
This was the first new friend we made, Louis, the giraffe !
We got to go behind the gates and signs actually into the back of the enclosure and fed Louis carrots. His nose was covered in stiff hairs and his tongue was black - why? Because giraffes use their tongue to pick teeny little leaves and vegetation to eat the same way we would use our fingers. So since giraffes spend a lot of time with their tongue sticking out, their tongue is black so it doesn't get sunburned. Cool adaptation!
Also, Louis has a girlfriend in his enclosure.. well - he has a girl giraffe he would like to be more than friends with but at this point she's concerned that if they take their relationship to the next level, she might lose him as a friend so she's playing it cool for a while and poor Louis is stuck being a guy friend.
Ashley & Nikki - hereafter referred to as "the sisters" hanging out with the penguins and polar bears.
I love seeing the kids at the zoo getting close to nature - the world is so big - check it out!!
One of the cousins enjoying Dip N Dots after she ate all her lunch and giving her new pal Louis the stuffed giraffe a ride in her stroller. I hadn't had DipN Dots for like a decade since before the last time I went to Idlewild or Kennywood, it's so long I can't remember. All I can recall is that there used to be a Dip N Dots stand near the pool and the big raft water slide at Idlewild. We had strawberry banana and mint chocolate chip at the zoo and it tasted just like I remembered.
We got to check out the new addition to the elephant house and see the baby elephants! I tried some different post process techniques here - what's your favorite and why?
(Regular capture color)
(Dramatic black and white)
(Sun baked sepia)
A few more animal friends we met at the zoo: skunks, gators, beavers, and a tiger with a meat popsicle. Besides taking care of the animals, the zoo staff also maintains all of plant life beautifully showcasing many species.
This was my FAVORITE part of the whole day. We got to go inside the bear enclosure area - ! Never in my life would I have imagined I would be nose to nose with a black bear. I've seen them in the wild, hunted them with my camera, photographed them at great distances, and searched for them on long drives. This was one of those breathless WOW moments. We met a bear named Susan who had been hand raised by humans before she came to live at the zoo, and we got to feed her peanuts. Peanuts in the shell to be exact. She would only eat one peanut at the time because she would grasp the peanut with her lips gently shell the peanut with her tongue and then spit out the shells before eating the peanut. Every single time. I really wished Sean could have been there. This was totally wild. To hand feed a black bear.
This is Sean's cousin, 'shiny penny', feeding Susan the bear.
Before we left, Susan the bear had her paw through the bars and was happily munching peanuts. I reached out and touched her paw, feeling the curved claws and bristly fur. (The fur on their head is soft like a dog's face, but the hairs on their body and legs are stiff to protect them as they move through the brush). I know this is going to make me sound like a crazy person, but I don't care. For a minute I held the bear's paw between both of my hands and looked into it's eyes. It was a breathless kind of wow moment.
We had a great time at the zoo, eventually I got past my speechlessness about the bear - I wish my Dad could have been there. He would have loved seeing the bear. It was once in a lifetime.
80. Go to the drive in movie at least 3 times - completed 7/2010
This has been a fun one to cross off. There is a drive in near us that's been there all my life and I feel somehow responsible to go as much as I can so another old hometown landmark doesn't dry up and disappear. I haven't been able to get any decent photos of these trips because it's always last minute, in the middle of the night, and I never remember my camera. But so far we've seen:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MORE TO COME LATER >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
5 Comments added to this post ▣ Rachele + Curt | 9.18.09
Wedding Blog-a-thon Day 2 !
Rachele and Curt's wedding from last September was one of the most beautiful church ceremonies I've witnessed and you'll see why in a minute. The day started at Rachele's mom's house in Delmont with the girls getting their hair and make up on. Rachele's mom put out a fantastic spread of mini sandwiches, fruit, and breakfast stuff for everyone to munch on. It really helped everyone feel relaxed and excited as they sat around the dining room table recalling the good old days.
Rachele was all smiles as they placed her headpiece and veil :-)
I can't leave out of the story that the limo bus that picked everyone up at the house to drive them to the church got everyone to the church on time and safely - BUT - with a terrific clunk it broke down just as they pulled into the church parking lot. During the ceremony, the limo company sent another limo bus and towed the broken bus away and when it was time to leave for the reception - it was like the whole thing never happened! Now that's good service! And definitely a little good luck that it waited all the way till they got the to church to break down in the first place.
The inside of the church was one of those wow moments. The ceiling was inlaid with layers of stained glass that were bathing the sanctuary in rainbows and warmth.
The girls helped Rachel get her dress on in the chapel area and her grandmother laced up the back.
Before long, it was Go time. While I was waiting at the end of the aisle, Anna stood 'backstage' to catch this great shot of Rachele and her father walking down the aisle and into the light.
Rachele and Curt's reactions, seeing eachother for the first time before her father gave her away.
I loved this part of the ceremony where the wedding party joined hands and the guests raised their arms in prayer.
After a traditional Catholic ceremony and the lighting of the unity candle, Rachele and Curt greeted their guests as husband and wife with a receiving line on the front terrace of the church.
Top left and bottom left images by Anna.
This was the view of the back of the church, the last sight guests had as they were leaving. It was incredibly serene - I could have sat there all day watching the light change totally at peace.
After family photos at the altar, we headed outside to do some photos of the wedding party.
Enter - the guuys ! Love the last photo here :-)
Rachele was so beautiful and that smile never left her face all day - she truly had fun at her wedding !
The ladies - we really liked their bridesmaid dresses. A simple black chiffon with a royal purple sash.
Sometimes the best pictures are the ones that happend IN BETWEEN the 'real' photos !
After photos, we traveled to The Chadwick for the reception. I've been there many times and the service is always excellent.
The room was decorated with black and deep purple linens. The Chadwick has a separate room for the wedding party when they arrive with some comfy couches, mirrors, a private restroom, and always a champagne toast and a great selection of appetizers. It gives the bridal party a chance to regroup and hang out before they are announced into the reception.
DJ Mark Tishko got everyone on their feet and the bridal party entrances brought down the house!
Left image by Anna.
The best man and maid of honor gave great toasts.
The father daughter dance was very emotional and sweet.
I turned from the dance floor to see Rachele's mother being comforted by the women of her family.
Later on, it was party time! I loved Rachele's reaction in the bottom left photo to her little brother - who caught the garter - ensuring that they would have SEVERAL years of good luck in their marriage by taking the garter above the knee! Just to be fair, DJ Mark had those two switch and the lovely lady who caught the bouquet put the garter on him !
I know it's only western PA, but I do love a good cookie table :-)
When the evening quieted down, we did a few additional photos of Rachele and Curt around the lobby and outside.
These ones under the lamp were Rachele's favorite!
Congratulations guys on almost the one year mark, and your new house!
Ceremony: St. Sebastian Parish
Reception: The Chadwick
Entertainment: DJ Mark Tishko
2 Comments added to this post |
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