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▣ 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 ▣ Open Season for Seniors
Just a few last minute seniors from June who actually waited until AFTER graduation to get their photos done! I've got more of these to show off, but I'm on my may out the door for Scot and Aimee's wedding today!
This is Cole and his dog, Bella :-)
I feel like Bella is always laughing a little in photos - she offsets Cole who is the strong silent type.
Then there was Grant, he perfected the "happy serious but not smiling" look.
He graduated this past June and will be entering the military later this year. Good wishes to you Grant for safe travels!
Just a reminder - it's open season on senior portraits! Schedule your appointment today for July through October!
Check out our calendar by clicking on the Availability tab at the top of this page!
Have a great weekend everybody :-) 2 Comments added to this post ▣ Julia | 2010 | thoughts about scenery
Sharing with you some senior pictures tonight. This was Julia's senior session in May along the river in Kittanning. Tonight was a beautiful evening. I had a really fun session with some of my favorite kids (the three amigos) plus their baby brother/cousin. Finished early and had an hour before dark - took a long drive home. It was a beautiful evening. I am always awed by the way the sun sets in the summer like everything has melted butter on it. I love my little town and the way the light falls on the cornfields and lines of oats and the backs of black and white cows moseying through their pastures. There were so many deer out tonight with velvet still on their antlers. I came home and popped the Ken Burns - Lewis and Clark documentary in the dvd player. Here's the introduction to the film - make sure you have your sound on. It's a breathtaking look at a pivotal moment in American history when everything was young and new and anything was possible.
Julia along the docks on the river.
I couldn't resist venturing into town for some shots with some 'tude .
Julia is such a beautiful girl, her smile makes people want to smile too.
I loved this little series in the grass - (I should point out that Julia had her older sister along with her whose senior pictures I did a few years back to help out, and I had my sister Ashley with me to hold my reflector and always provide comic relief.) These three shots in the grass kind of represent all sides of Julia.
Very Lewis and Clark along the Allegheny River on a late spring evening. Julia climbed out on the rocks in her bare feet and my sister stood on the dock downstream measuring and adjusting the light with the reflector. I stood in the shallows contemplating how much I am blessed to have the opportunity to combine great people with beautiful scenery and freeze little scenes in time.
Congratulations Julia on your graduation - your future is as bright as your smile !
1 Comment added to this post ▣ Khyrsten
This post has two parts put together in one -the first is Khyrsten's senior pictures which we shot late last summer near Harrison City. We met her along with her mom and grandma at the park and then traveled around town for some variety!
She has the most unbelievable eyes!
Khyrsten really put a lot of time into planning her session and choosing her outfits. She had several wardrobe changes and even brought along her pet bunny, her CD collection, and her Dad's El Camino! It was great having her mom and grandma right there to help out too!
Cool car!!
We finished out the evening with her guitar collection at an abandoned set of tracks in Export. I did a little grunge vintage post processing work here.
************* Fast forward - BLOOP BLOOP BLOOP ******************* to last friday when I met up with Khyrsten again just before her senior prom!
You may notice something different about her dress - it is made entirely out of pop tabs! That's right, she designed it herself and it is constructed out of (i think this was the number) over seven thousand pop tabs!!
Some dress details :-) She also made her own jewelry.
What an achievement! I hope it was comfortable to dance in... hope you and your date had a great time at prom!
2 Comments added to this post ▣ Spring Seniors
The weather is sunny and the leaves are coming out, that means it's time for senior portraits again! We waited all winter and it's finally here - SPRING. I've been lucky to be out and about the for the past few weeks shooting lots of engagement and senior sessions! Here are a few favs :-)
This is Alex from Serra Catholic High - he brought his saxophone, clarinet, and bagpipes to the Duquesne campus where he will be at student in the fall for some great portraits in the early evening light.
Flash from the past - this is John and his shots from last fall - I know I'm late in posting them but I wanted to share because John said he didn't want photos that looked like everyone elses, he wanted to think outside the box and break all the rules. I planned ahead when I took this shot and then did some fancy post processing through photo shop.
We were all over Butler - in a parking garage, at the museum, in front of the court house, etc. I think that right photo looks like Sting.
And now the segway - john is good friends with Curt who I photographed last week in Saxonburg. He liked John's photos outside the box so we visited some really out of the way spots including an abandoned house and a tire dump in the middle of the woods. Curt brought his guitar - it was like shooting an album cover. Don't you just love these sunsets lately?
So many favorites from this session - I wish I could post them all!
I tried out some different post processing techniques on these last two shots, what do you think?
Leave me some comments!! 3 Comments added to this post ▣ Late Summer Seniors
I thought maybe you would like to see some flowers and greenery before we go back to winter. A nice visual break :-)
Just a few more seniors from late summer before the leaves started to change.
Megan - Burrell High School- we wandered around the park for her session.
Celia - Kiski Area- toured the historic district for her photos and even played in the river!
Lindsey - Kittaning High School - hung out at the park playground for a totally silly fun session :-)
Graduation is just around the corner - start planning and order announcements early!
1 Comment added to this post ▣ End of Senior Season
In the words of the king of pop - THIS IS IT. With freezing temperatures and daylight savings time, the 2009 official senior portrait season has come to a close. Now that's not to say we're not still taking 2009 graduating seniors - we are!! :-) Just not till after christmas. The sun is down at 5pm these days which eliminates weekday appointments afterschool and we currently have no more available weekend days for seniors. After the holidays we will start back up again for snow sessions and around town stuff. If you missed the deadline and didn't get your photos yet - don't despair! There's still time when the leaves pop in early May to get your photos shot, proofed, and delivered just in time for graduation!
Don't worry, there's still a ton of seniors to blog so there will be lots of ideas and stories to last us through the winter!
This is Becky- Kiski High School 2009.
For her photos we visited some of her favorite hang outs from when she was a kid and ended the day on the bridge over the river through her hometown.
Then there was Tyler - Freeport 2009. He has one of the best "serious faces" I've ever seen!
We thought he looked a little like Elvis. By the end of the day we were at his house, the park, under a bridge, on the railroad tracks and he even climbed a light pole like Singin in the Rain.
Last for today , but certainly not least is Jillian - New Ken 2009.
We visited the park near her house when the flowers in bloom!
3 Comments added to this post ▣ Class of 2010
Just a few of the tons of seniors we've been shooting over the past few months. I decided to go through and just pick out my favorite shot from each session in the interest of forging ahead! If you still need to get your senior portraits done and would like to schedule a session - remember the good weather is running out! After thanksgiving it's usually too cold and rainy with the onset of christmas rush. Don't wait!
(Unless you like to snowboard - then call me when it's snowing!! :-)
This is Jacob - Deer Lakes - we hopped around Tarentum to some cool old buildings, crossed the train tracks, and finished the day out at Deer Lakes Park.
Julie on the left from Kittanning High School spent at evening at the park with us and her friend Lindsey, and Cody on the right from Blairsville-Saltsburg wandered with me around his own backyard and into historic Saltsburg.
Last for this post, but certianly not least is Sarah from Kiski (GO Lady Cavs!!) who is a not-to-be-messed-with goalie for the girls varsity soccer team. She averages almost 20 saves per game - I know cause I've photographed her doing it!
2 Comments added to this post ▣ Bud's senior pictures
Bud and I go way back - I'm definitely showing my age here - Bud's older sister Leah graduated high school with my little sister. Also - we shot Leah & Josh's wedding last year and Bud was a groomsmen. He's a lot of fun to hang out with - but is definitely a tough guy.
Goofing off at the mill.
Very handsome.
Bud's girlfriend came along to help out and held the reflector for me and kept Bud laughing the whole time! They make a great couple. Jen is leaving for the Navy this fall and we wish her success and safety in all her endeavors :-)
I had a blast you guys! Thanks for a great afternoon!
2 Comments added to this post ▣ Nolan 2010
I love senior sessions - mostly because you're not on such a tight schedule and we can stop along the way and do all kinds of cool stuff there's never time for with a wedding. For Nolan's senior session we were all over the place! Downtown greensburg, the train station, Seton Hill. It was great! And he was such a good sport about my "Ok how about one more - like this - no like this.. ok let's try that again - two more" "Now smiling this time, ok serious, smile - ok halfway in between the two, like little smile - but ok a little happier...." He was a lot of fun :-)
I think he looks just a tiny little bit like a young sylvester stallone.
I liked this outfit too - we weren't sure about clashing the tie with the jeans but I was thinking "pro athlete at the press conference after the game". Nolan is also a serious football player for Hempfield High.
I think we walked miles for this session, but it was worth it! Congratulations Nolan - have a great senior year! 2 Comments added to this post ▣ Zack v.2010
This is Zack - about four years ago I first photographed his sister for her senior pictures and Zack tagged along and held my reflector (talking constantly!) and was a big help. Now, four years later he is no longer a little boy - but a young man.
After walking around town for an hour or so we went to the school where he practices martial arts and MauyTai - ( I may not have spelled that right - I doubt it is spelled like the drink).
Good luck with your senior year :-)
0 Comments added to this post ▣ Olivia 2010Here it is - the official kick off to 2010 seniors. Now i have to explain something about the way computers and colors work. You may have noticed that the photos posted here look different, maybe not as bright or tinted in some way. Unlike your public service announcement, you may need to adjust your set. Why? I've switched from PC to Mac to improve my workflow and output production. And I'm loving it. The only side effect is that the two generally don't speak the same language. Digital photos are recorded and stamped with a color profile - think of it like a dialect of a language. So that when any display or printer opens it - they read the color profile code and that tells them what colors to show in the image. Now that's all well and good if we could universally decide on what language we were going to speak, but we all know that's a big dream. I can assure that all of images are still glowing with intensity and warm colors in reality - and every product is printed to highest quality. But things here on the blog are going to look a little different to you PC users. If you have access to one - check the same photos out on a Mac and you'll see what I mean. It's like translating a beautiful love song full of emotion and inuendo that was written in english into chinese. You still get the basic idea - but some things get lost in translation. So without further explanation - here's Olivia :-)
I loved her sundress - American Eagle ! She was also very brave and trusting to wander out into the high grass,but I knew it would be worth it!
Livi is such a beautiful girl and a fantastic soccer player - and I think she looks like Jasmine Star for those of you who know who that is (she's a photographer). Best of luck, enjoy senior year, and I'll see you on the soccer field!
0 Comments added to this post ▣ Chris 2 0 0 9
Graduation! Oh we're not through yet! Just when we make it through all of the '09 seniors - it will be time to start for 2010. In fact, it's time to start now! Be an early bird - get your senior photos done through the summer and have one less thing to think about when it's time to fill out the FAFSA and plan your graduation party next year!
This is Chris with his first car. Happy Summer :-) 0 Comments added to this post ▣ Stephanie '09
**UPDATE** 2 sessions still available for Sunday the 7th at Lingrow Farm - 10 am and 3 pm. And the weather looks GREAT! :-) Call today!
With most high schools graduating this weekend, it's down to the wire to get senior photos done for 2009 graduates. We are also taking appointments for 2010 seniors! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of seniors trying to check the last high school activity off of their list before stepping out into the future and beyond. This is Stephanie - we met up a few weeks back for photos at her home and some outdoor shots at Fox Chapel Golf Club.
Participating in Orchestra at school, she is very talented and played the piano and the violin for me.
After hanging out at her house, we headed over to the gorgeous grounds at the Fox Chapel Golf Club and took a golf cart for a spin around the green. We were searching for a willow tree which we never did find, but we made do with what we saw along the way. It was very cold though - one of those windy blustery afternoons. Steph was a trooper and SO beautiful! I cannot even tell you how much photoshop prowess I had to use to get all of her stray hairs that were flying everywhere under control in this image. We literally could have flown a kite and lifted off like Mary Poppins.
Here we were workin in with the wind !
Congratulations Steph! Have a great time at Notre Dame in the fall !
1 Comment added to this post ▣ Alex 2 0 0 9
You're shocked, I know. You came back and checked just to see if anyone had commented on the previous post - and LO - there are more pictures. I know, I'm shocked too. This counts as tomorrow, right? I thought since I won't even get to see my computer for three days let alone post something, that I would keep going while the getting was good. Last weekend the wedding season started with Crystal and Jason and we had a great time - pictures coming soon! Tomorrow we travel to Ellwood City (almost 2 hours!) to document Lori and Mike's big day and then on Saturday it's Jessica and Edward's turn! I've got my fingers crossed that weather.com is going to tell me good news in the morning. I only need a 2 hour window of not rainingness. I'll even be thrilled for cloudy - I'd rather have cloudy than sunny actually. It's more predictable. (Such a pittsburgh girl.) Usually the hourly forecast from weather.com is almost spot on accurate.
Speaking of weather in the tri-state area - the first time we tried to shoot Alex's senior pictures it RAINED it's been raining here a lot. So we rescheduled - and on the day we were to meet for photos - it was RAINING. Steadily raining which was more than the drizzle the TV said - although weather.com correctly forecasted showers. I don't like to reschedule things, but I don't like to have my gear out in the rain either. Not to mention frizzy hair, wet pantlegs, and the possibility of catching a cold. Alex was special though - his graduation party is in 3 weeks. THREE WEEKS. It's crunch time.
We had to abandon our previous locale and find someplace out of the rain... but where...?
Under a bridge! Which actually turned out to be really cool! ahh... the weather works in mysterious ways. There was a lot of bad comedic impersonations - " IN A VAN - DOWN BY THE RIVER!"
He's doing Pop-Art invitations for his grad party so we decided kind of a more urban vibe was his thing.
WARNING: some graffitti had to be digitally modified in the making of this photo
(There's a lot of crazy stuff under a bridge. Although surprisingly people who choose to write in 4 foot tall permanent spray paint letters cannot spell. At all. I wonder what their checkbook registers look like...
I told Alex he could totally wear this outfit with black jeans to the prom. He could model for GQ.
Thanks for putting up with the rain, the weather is the one thing I have no control over! Happy Graduation :-) 1 Comment added to this post ▣ Jared '09
An idle blog is the sign of good things in the making. Sorry I haven't updated recently, I've been really busy out there shooting! Just when I was about to throw my hands up and say GET ON WITH IT, SPRING. It did. And now there are lots of graduating seniors that need to be photographed and wedding season has kicked off in a BIG way. If you happen to see me out in the world, camera bag on my back, water bottle swinging from my belt, jogging past you with my car keys in my teeth - (possibly trailing a wedding party of 27 behind me) - just know that I would have stopped to say hello if I could remember where I was going. LOL! With 7 weddings this month, 8 senior sessions, 3 engagement sessions, 1 family reunion, and a bunch of other small projects. I'm burning through about 5,000 images a week. My hard drive smells like burnt toast. Or maybe like one of those bug zapper lights.
Anyway - this is Jared! He came out to Saltsburg last week for some rad (yeah i'm that old) senior photos with his guitar. I told him he was very lucky to have a mom that was cool with him letting do his own thing and have his session his way. The sunglasses were AWESOME. If you look closely in the mirrors you might catch a glimpse of Anna - my new assistant and a fantastic addition making us a Dynamic Trio. Keep your eyes peeled for our trifecta of awesomeness coming to a wedding reception near you. (We'll be the ones singing YMCA louder than Uncle Frank.)
The shades are so cool.
I now have a pair of sunglasses just like this.
P.S. Jared plays in a band so I couldn't help but get some rocking out shots.
2 Comments added to this post ▣ Emily's Senior Pictures
We met Emily at Northmoreland Park for senior pictures - there was no snow but it was plenty cold! Sean held the reflector not just to balance the light, but also to block the wind. Brr! We started at the boathouse and worked our way around the lake. She has such a great smile!
We found the grungey garage door and thought it made good contrast to such a beautiful girl. We'd take "coat breaks" so she could put her winter coat back on or warm up in the car. She was so brave for wearing open toed shoes on such a frigid and windy day! It was worth it though - her photos were awesome!
1 Comment added to this post ▣ Pros and Cons of Photos in the Snow
This winter I've been getting a lot of calls and emails from folks who are interested in photos in the snow. They've been inspired by our particularly beautiful winter season of deeper snows and longer icicles this year. I agree - the morning of a fresh snow or an afternoon of dancing snowflakes is gorgeous - especially from my window with my giant mug of hot tea. There are some serious challenges that come with shooting photos in the snow. CONS
(By the way - this is Sam. We did her senior photos just before christmas. We met at a lake near Sarver and froze our butts off! She was already sick and I felt awful for making her stand and smile in a sweater while I had on my heavy coat and 2 pairs of pants.) PROS
Keep the Pros and Cons in mind when you schedule your session - if snow is your thing we'll be right there with you! Just make sure you dress warm and prepare to play in the snow for a short session!
1 Comment added to this post ▣ Best Friends, Sisters, and Senior Year
I always encourage seniors to bring along props to their session. And by props I mean anything from your trombone to your dog to your 5 best friends. Some of my favorite props ever seen at a session were #1 a kayak, #2 a garage band, and #3 a giant golden retriever! Last fall I met with Sabrina and Maria (best friends) at Sabrina's house for senior photos individually and together! Sabrina's sister also came along to hang out and get some fun shots.
Sabrina with her sister.
We had great color with the leaves just past their peak!
Best friends together!
Ths is Maria
We crawled through the barb wire fence to get into the overgrown field across the street from Sabrina's house.
0 Comments added to this post ▣ Senior sessions
In the interest of digging out of the "To Blog" folder, here are three senior sessions combined into one post. First is Lauren, when we tried to the shoot her the first time the weather was beautiful for about ten minutes and then the sky opened up into rain. She was such a trooper though and we hid in the car and tried to stick it out, but it kept right on raining so we had to reschedule. I think it was for the best! The second time we tried the weather was warmer and the sunlight was almost as beautiful as she was!
Definitely one of those perfect indian summer evenings. We had so much fun!
This is Nick, a very handsome guy who came with his whole family! His younger sister was a fantastic help to me holding my reflector when my assistant couldn't make it. I think she has a future in photography :-)
The leaves were beautfiul in October. It's almost hard to remember after 3 months of snow!
Nick with his siblings :-)
Jessica - the night we did her session was SO COLD! She was happy to wear her coat and hat - I felt like such an ogre asking her to sit in the grass in her soccer uniform. It was almost november out!
She has a great smile :-)
.
And a serious side!
Thanks to all the 2009 seniors! I wish you all the best of luck!
1 Comment added to this post ▣ Christine '09
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This blog is so neglected lately it's going to need therapy. In short- I've given up on catching up. It'll happen when it happens. I've been spending my entire life either in front of the computer or behind the camera. We've been blessed to have at least one shooting gig everyday for the past 21 days and are booked every day for the next week including saturdays and sundays. I love the leaves, and I love my job but like incredibly dark chocolate (75% cacao!) too much of a good thing will give you a heart attack. Ok I'm not sure that there's scientific evidence to support death-by-chocolate but I once ate an entire cacao reserve dark chocolate mint bar and experienced mania and palpatations. MMMmmm. :-) I've been kickin in with some pretty awesome folks! Lastnight I spent the evening with the kiski area girls soccer team at their annual banquet celebrating another fantastic season of action shots. It's been five years since I started photographing them and the girls that I saw start as freshmen are now graduating seniors. Yikes. Oldness alert. As far as senior pictures we've met the Hartmans and their kids, braved the rain with Lauren, fought the wind with Marie, felt the onset of fall chilliness with Jess and Taryn, and had great weather for Christine! Christine is an AMAZING defender for the soccer team. We met up in Saltsburg last week for her senior session.
Besides being a student, and an athlete, Christine also participates in competitive archery (targets not bambi) and kicks major butt at it. If any of you saw the 1991 Kevin Costner rendition of Robin Hood, you know exactly what I was thinking going for this shot. And it shows how much I trust her!
I promise I will get back to blogging weddings ASAP, I've been letting the blog slip in favor of spending more time on getting people's proofs to them! I can't wait to tell you all about Kara & Tom, Sami & Josh, Bethany & Chad - and I can't leave out Jaclyn & Dennis's engagement session in which Jaclyn astounded me. She was practically rock climbing in high heels. She could be a charlies angel or a hollywood stunt woman. I was thoroughly impressed. I know the posts have been short lately, but I miss the comments! Say hello! 1 Comment added to this post ▣ Kayla '09
Now that the soccer season is over, all of the fantastic lady athletes are getting their senior pictures done around here! This is Kayla, I think she looks like Carrie Underwood. But that's just me. Through the work I've done with the girls soccer team, I've shot Kayla every fall for the past four years. (But normally she's wearing cleats and tackling people.) She plays defense - trust me - you would not want to meet her near a soccer goal.
I love her smile!
1 Comment added to this post ▣ Audrey '09
Just wanted to share this one from Audrey's senior session a few weeks ago with her dog Morgan. We had a great location near Butler with rolling fields, a barn, a pond, and a pumpkin patch!
0 Comments added to this post ▣ Britta 2009
Britta and her mom met us in Saltsburg a few weeks back (still pre-vacation here) for senior pictures - just wow look at her eyes! We marched all over town on a beautiful evening laughing and carrying on and taking pictures. This was the last shot right before it was too dark to shoot and I love it - the ones near the end are always the best because that's when everyone is most relaxed.
I love it when people bring props! When Lee brought his kayak - I almost jumped for joy. Britta brought along her childhood stuffed bunny. We all have a little buddy like this from when we were kids, mine is a stuffed dog named wrinkles. He has no stuffing in his neck from me carrying him around. Years ago I put them all away in a safe place so I can show my children one day. Britta's bunny was special to her because he has been to the hospital with her, through surgeries, even to Mexico! I like her prop choice because it makes her photos unique to her - and it's a good contrast between the cute little girl she used to be and the beautiful young woman she has become.
Great idea, Britta! 0 Comments added to this post ▣ Brittany '09
Still catching up - the last week of september I met Brittany at the Rose Garden at Renzie Park in McKeesport for senior pictures. And I know I say awesome alot - but she was awesome! We started out just standing around the gazebo and by the end of the night she was sitting in a fountain wearing an evening gown! (Please do not tell the Renzie people about the fountain - it is against the rules but sooooooo photogenic.) She brought along her mom and stylish stylist best friend with fabulous shoes - and we had a blast!
I loved this dress! This was brittany's prom dress (don't worry I didn't put this one in the fountain) and she looked absolutely gorgeous with the sun flaring behind her. I don't think the photo does her justice to be honest with you.
Best of luck with your senior year!! 2 Comments added to this post ▣ Emily 2 0 0 9
Well we are back from our short trip away and working to get caught up! The break was heavenly - but the rotten thing about vacations is that you eventually have to come home to 48 emails, 16 phone messages, and 9 events piled up on your desk to be edited. And that doesn't even take into account all of the unpacking and putting away, and laundry that goes along with coming home. We had an awesome time though - the leaves are amazing in the northern elevations! I promise there will be photos just as soon as I can get my feet back under me as far as work goes. In the meantime - two weeks ago we photographed Emily for her senior year at my favorite location in the burg. A few years back her older sister, Elyse was one of my very first senior photo shoots! We've come a long way since then. It means a lot to me to see friends become clients and clients become friends, and all of them come back again to share the biggest moments in their lives with us. I am very lucky to have met so many genuine and sincere friends.
Congratulations Emily! I hope your senior year is a fantastic memory!
1 Comment added to this post ▣ Lee '09
When we shoot senior pictures we always hope that you'll bring props, instruments, pets, sunglasses, friends, etc. When Lee called and asked if he could bring his kayak - that was right up our alley. In keeping with our outdoor theme lately (seriously the weather has been awesome in the evenings) we had Lee meet us in Saltsburg at the boat launch last week. Unfortunately I had the only camera so there was no one else to take the picture of this photographer standing in the river up to the bottom of her shorts holding $2,000 worth of camera gear hoping not to slip and fall in. Honestly, these are the kind of sessions I LOVE.
Lee, a true rennaissance man, rugged yet refined.
Have a GREAT senior year!
0 Comments added to this post ▣ Emily '09
I loved this senior session. The weather was perfect, the lighting was fantastic, and Emily wasn't afraid to live on the edge a little. Before we were all said and done I was shooting her as she was standing barefoot in the river in a sundress holding an umbrella - using my assistant as a human tripod! It just doesn't get any better than that for a photographer. I only wish we'd come up with the idea 15 minutes sooner before the sun set. It was a little dim to be handholding things, and I just didn't like the way the flash was changing the reflections in the water - so Ashley literally stepped in (to the river mud where I was standing) to act as my support. I'm still fiddling with the image to get it just the way I want it, so it's not posted here but Emily was a joy to photograph.
I love this shot - almost as much as I loved her shoes.
When Emily is not in school studying for senior year, working, being athletic at sports, or competing in the Miss Teen Pennsylvania contest later this year - she leads guided tours of the Kiski River. Talk about multi-talented. Check out her family's business CLICK HERE
0 Comments added to this post ▣ Christa
**Deep breath** Our friends the Meighan's introduced us to the Hoscheid's who introduced us to the Moore's and their daughter Christa. (I love it when clients become friends and send their friends to us who become clients and those clients become more friends!) We traveled to Sarver last week to see Christa and to shoot her senior pictures in their fantastic backyard!
Besides their children, the Moore's also have two very feisty weiner dog puppies! Copper and Rusty couldn't decide for the first hour if they liked me or not.
Protecting his territory!!
0 Comments added to this post ▣ Frank 2.0.0.9
Almost caught up now!! And I even know what day it is - this is Frank. Frank was the one that graciously took a raincheck from us on account of the RAIN. Let me tell you how much I love his hat. We always tell seniors to come to their session with as many outfits as they like and any props they want. Good ideas are things like sunglasses, hats, instruments, sports equipment, or your labrador. These photos aren't meant to be stiff, posed, "perfect" shots. We want to get your personality in there too! If you feel uncomfortable, you'll look uncomfortable - and that's where all those terrible photos of ourselves come from. Bring your favorite things, be brave, be yourself, and we'll do the rest.
Back to the celebrity look-a-like trend. We decided that Frank looks like Paul Walker.
Photo courtesy of a random google search. I have never met or photographed paul walker.
This is just an example of some of the cool effects that you can achieve with digital photography in the post processing. Thanks Frank for being such a good sport as we hiked from wall to wall to the river walk and then back to the church and then back to the river! We had a great time!
0 Comments added to this post ▣ sweet melissa
Ok ok! So this might give you an idea of the controlled hysteria of owning your own business: remember yesterday when I wrote about this?
" . . . traveled to Saltsburg to meet Justin the second time around. The first time around we had that crazy phantom rain and we got cold feet and cancelled. You know the rain I mean - when the weather man says to bring an umbrella but nothing happens. All the ingredients to make rain are there so the national weather service figures it had better call for rain and issue a storm warning just to cover their butts in case someone is having a picnic. Then they only make it a 30% chance so that if it does rain they predicted it, and if it doesn't well they said only 30%. That's less than fifty. You folks didn't honestly think it would rain, did you? muwhahaha.. So long story short, we resheduled his session in the face of dark scary clouds and high winds. And it huffed and it puffed, and it was just like that moment when you're about to sneeze and then realize you forgot to put the flag up on the mailbox. It huffed and it puffed and then went totally silent, the clouds parted and the sun came out for a beautiful evening. Hmmpff. Thank goodness our back up day also turned out to be a beautiful evening. We did the walking tour of the town!"
Well last night around 10:30 I started thinking...and realized - it wasn't Justin's session that got bunged up because of rain. His went off without a hitch on a thursday - it was Frank's senior session that got moved for rain! And I haven't even blogged about Frank yet! That just gives you an idea of how you can get all confused. I spent 18 hours on the computer yesterday editing, retouching, and uploading/downloading/archiving hundreds of photos. By the time I felt like I had accomplished enough work and could now "start my day" - it was 10:56 p.m. The only time I saw the outside world was to get the mail at noon. And after all that work, I am now offiically caught up in editing to last friday.
Two fridays ago we met Melissa for her senior pictures (tis the season) along the river. She is such a beautiful girl!
I love the community garden out back of the museum - the Herb Society ladies do such a fantasitc job and volunteer countless hours to keep the garden beautiful. Thanks Melissa! Good luck for your senior year!!
3 Comments added to this post ▣ justin '09
I think if I blog every day this week that I might catch up. Maybe.
More shots from two weeks ago - we traveled to Saltsburg to meet Justin the second time around. The first time around we had that crazy phantom rain and we got cold feet and cancelled. You know the rain I mean - when the weather man says to bring an umbrella but nothing happens. All the ingredients to make rain are there so the national weather service figures it had better call for rain and issue a storm warning just to cover their butts in case someone is having a picnic. Then they only make it a 30% chance so that if it does rain they predicted it, and if it doesn't well they said only 30%. That's less than fifty. You folks didn't honestly think it would rain, did you? muwhahaha.. So long story short, we resheduled his session in the face of dark scary clouds and high winds. And it huffed and it puffed, and it was just like that moment when you're about to sneeze and then realize you forgot to put the flag up on the mailbox. It huffed and it puffed and then went totally silent, the clouds parted and the sun came out for a beautiful evening. Hmmpff. Thank goodness our back up day also turned out to be a beautiful evening. We did the walking tour of the town!
Have you ever wondered if somwhere out there in the world there is someone who looks just like you? Lately I've been getting a lot of very handsome senior guys who could pass for celebrities. I never forget a face, but names are not so easy for me. I knew that Justin looked like someone I had seen on TV before, but couldn't remember who it was. I asked the guru (my sister) what she thought and she hit the nail on the head!
Justin looks an awful lot like Ian Ziering from Beverly Hills 90210 !! Which I thought was a stunning observation since I'm pretty certain my 20 year old sister was only about 9 or 10 years old when 90210 was on TV!
Just to be clear, I did not take this photo. I have never met Ian Ziering and I grabbed this photo off of google.
Justin was a great sport about following us all over town looking for just the right color bricks. I swear I don't know how some of these seniors put up with me! Thank you Justin!
2 Comments added to this post ▣ brian's senior pictures
I am so excited to find out that people are actually reading this blog!! Very few people comment - but I hear from a lot of folks when I see them out in the community that they do check it out to see what we've been up to lately! And you're right - when there's a lot of time in between posts it's not because we haven't done anything. It's because we are SO BUSY that there's just not time to talk about it. Two weeks ago we traveled down the road to Beaver Run Resovoir for Brian's senior pictures. Currently he is a student at Greater Latrobe Senior High, but grew up in this area and wanted to come back for his session. We found some great spots around the yard for photos and then headed down to the water for the sunset. The weeds were up to my chest and I was a little worried about snakes, but it was worth the walk. (Although I did scrub down with dish soap when I got home to get the poison ivy off and ended up still getting it all over my ankles.)
Brian was a great guy to work with and we called all the shots we did in the deep grass his "Steve Irwin" shots.
Before we left we couldn't resist getting some photos of Mckenzie their 4 month old chocolate lab. What a ham!
Thanks Brian! Hope your senior year is fantastic!
0 Comments added to this post ▣ kendallyn 2.0.0.9
Last week we traveled to Freeport for Kendallyn's senior pictures! Her Mom found us through the Meighan family - thank you :-) ! What an awesome young lady, she was up for anything. Even braving sticking her toes in the pond at the risk of falling in, getting stuck in the mud, or seeing a snapping turtle. Then there were the "snakes" in the flowers. Nature sure is great. Here are a few of her shots!
Kendallyn was helping me demonstrate the old "whatever is closest to the camera looks the biggest" rule. Angles are so important in photography. A lot of times people see a bad photo of themselves taken at a party and think OH MY GOD I have to hit the gym immediately when in reality the person holding the camera may have just been angling the frame towards your butt or away from your face making 'objects appear larger'. Good tip: when you hold the camera out there for the self-portrait, hold it just a little bit above your faces pointing down. You'll see the difference right away.
Luckily I brought along the telephoto lens this time and did not have to repeat the "stuck in the mud" moment from family portrait day at lingrow.
Gap Creek was such a beautiful place! A private family farm with a barn, a pond, different buildings, beautiful trees and tons and tons of flowers. We were overwhelmed with all of the great little spots for photos! Thanks to Penny and her family for welcoming us to their home!
We had a great time Kendallyn! See you soon!
12 Comments added to this post ▣ derek's senior pictures
We are back from the long weekend and catching up on blog posting. Last week we traveled to Squaw Valley Park on Fox Chapel Road to meet Derek and his family. What a great group! Michelle, Lori, and Holly the bishon :-) Derek is quiet, but a real cool guy. He brought along his guitar for some awesome shots against the wall. Here's a sneak peak from his shoot:
2 Comments added to this post ▣ sam's senior pictures
This week we traveled to Bushy Run Battlefield for Sam's senior pictures. She was absolutely beautiful and up for anything! We almost had a catastrophe with the weather. While she was laying in the grass for these shots, the thunder was getting louder and louder and the black clouds were rolling in over head. I broke out my umbrella in the high winds and did my best Mary Poppins impression. After about 5 minutes the rain clouds passed right over us and we kept right on shooting. Here's a sneak peak of her photos:
Thanks Sam!
3 Comments added to this post |
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