Today I'm bringing you a few snapshots from Jackie and Andy's engagment session last week at Lingrow Farm.  Originally hoping for snow for their session, we made the best we could of the chilly february landscape.

Looking forward to their fall wedding this October! 

Why postcards are cool:

More engagement photos!  These couples all were married in 2011 :)

Jana and Tyler - they chose to do their engagement session near Rock Furnace Trail in Apollo.  It's one of their favorite places to go to walk their dogs.  Jana grew up not far from there, in fact we went to the same elementary school ! 

Noel and Ben chose to do their engagement session at The Waterfront shopping center.  They first met and spent a lot of time at the Starbucks there while they were dating.  I even got to meet their hairless cat, Grizzy !

Leslie and Brian's engagement session turned into a real adventure for all of us!  We had planned to meet at Hartwood Acres for some photos, but when we arrived the gates were locked and no one was allowed in.  After a few moments, a car came out and unlocked the gate - we took that opportunity to sneak in - and quite accidentally found ourselves in the midde of a movie set.  With daylight fading and since Leslie and Brian had taken time off work for their session, we decided to press on.  It turns out we had stumbled into the fiming of a wedding scene for a made for TV movie starring Jane Seymour called "Elixir".  (Apparently it will be on tv in the spring!)  Although we did not see Jane Seymour, I believe that she may have been in the car that was driven out and left the gate unlocked...

We had a great photo session and bonded over committing our "crime" together!

I had a great time getting to know each couple through their engagement sessions! 

I can't wait to share their wedding photos!

Time to look ahead to the shape of things to come with couples who will tie the knot in 2012!

Meet Madelyn and J.R. whose wedding is less than four short months away.  This past summer they drove in from New Jersey and we met up in Pittsburgh early one mornng to shoot their engagement session.  We started in Oakland with the Pitt campus and the museums, then the South Side to the hot metal bridge, and finally up to Mt. Washington.

I can tell already that their wedding is going to be fun ;-)

Did I mention they have some killer dance moves and don't mind showing them off in the middle of a public street?  I love it!

I can't wait for their wedding this May at the Penn Scenic View !

If you'd like to see another wedding from the Penn Scenic View, click here to view Aimee and Scot's Wedding from 2010 !

Just a quick shot while I'm editing of Gaelyn & Gif's awesome engagement session at Ohiopyle State Park.  Proof that an adventurous spirit is always rewarded (at least with great photos ;)  These two were happy to visit the falls, scale wet logs over rushing water, stand in the freezing creek, and even do a little rock climbing. 

Their session pretty much rocked :-)

There's nothing like October in the city :-)  Actually, there's really nothing like October anywhere - everywhere you go in PA, its great!  Jenn and Jordan were married this November in the Carribbean !  Alas - I could not go !    :-(

Before they headed for the tropical beaches, they asked me to come in to the city and shoot some engagement portraits for them at the park near their home.  It was a GREAT location !

I had all of the ingredients of a fantastic session: an enthusiastic and adventurous couple, greenspace, architecture, and warm buttery evening sunlight.  (Also I can't leave out the stone walls, wrought iron, and train tracks - all photo faves. )

I love both shots here, on the left looking fierce and on the right still more gorgeous.

There was a great bridge over the tracks we took advantage of dodging the traffic between shots.

Jenn's two-tone Simon G engagement ring was HAWT !

Mmmmm  warm buttery sunlight.... if Paula Deen took pictures - they would all look like this.  Seriously, Jenn and Jordan have such great chemistry they were a breeze to photograph!

In the ginko trees.

Going for the patented Sandy Yetter 'almost kiss' - Jordan was a total pro.  After the first ten minutes I just shut up and let him freestyle the session cause he was a natural !

One last favorite shot from their session.  I can't believe you've been married almost a month already!

Congratulations and take care - you guys are awesome!

I'm so excited to share this session with everyone!  On this blog we talk a lot about Anna, my photo partner in crime, but you never get SEE her !  Lucky for me she is getting married this September and I got to do an engagement session for her and James.  It's always interesting to take someone who spends all their time behind the camera and thrust them in front of it.  (I know I don't particularly care for it when it happens to me ;-)  But I do think it's a good experience and it really helps you work better with people in front of the camera when you've been out there yourself and understand how they feel. 

Who knows?  After I get married and wear the big white dress, I might be able to relate to brides on a whole new level !

(Ok, that could be scary....   ;-)

Also - as photographers we suffer from not taking enough personal pictures and not doing enough to document our own lives and love.  Kind of a "the cobblers children have no shoes" kind of syndrome.  I am on a mission to change that.

Having worked on so many photo sessions and being a wedding blog stalker (I'm also guilty there) - Anna knew exactly what she and James were going for and put a ton of thought into their session with great outfits and lots of cool props.  I love it when couples bring props!  We started the evening with sort of a vintage picnic scene.

They brought along some antique books, an old picnic basket, a quilt I borrowed from Sean's mom, and James' pipe.

If you knew Anna and James personally, you would get the extra humor in the bottom left photo here :-)

When we were done with our picnic, we switched outfits and headed to the nearest willow tree. 

But this is what I was really waiting for.  I love this field, I took Shaylyn and Sam here for their engagement photos last summer.  A whole bunch of ideas kind of clashed together in my head, the fact that Anna used to live in Oklahoma, the gold waving grasses, the red dress she brought along that was James' favorite, and of course - Oklahoma!  the musical which was my favorite in high school.  There was some bad singing during this section of the session ;-)

They also get major bravery points for trekking so far out into this field with grass that was almost taller than Anna in some places.  It was the golden equation at work again:  time for photos + trust in your photographer = amazing images.  I wore shorts because it was hot out and it was definitely worth the poison ivy I got to get these images.

Anna brought along some of her vintage camera collection, which I loved.  The sky was just perfect for a summer sunset.

One of my favorites.

This might be my favorite out of the whole session.

They make such a great couple always laughing - I spied on Anna from a distance and caught her happy and relaxed.

As the light was fading, we were waiting around for just the right level of darkness so that I could try out a new idea I wanted to experiment with.  Prepare yourselves - this will be just as cool or even cooler than The Water/Flower shot.

TA DA  !!   I give you:   Secret Flame !

This is like blue steel and magnum... and believe it or not we didn't get burned or set anything on fire which surprised me.  I was like, "guys - I have this idea but I don't know if you'll burn your hands.  If it starts to hurt just drop everything on the ground and run."  I love the way it turned out. 

Mmmmmm......Secret Flame !

Thanks guys for a great session ! 

Catching up!  Last week Anna and I went to meet Emily and Brian at the park.  When I asked Emily how they had met, she said they met at the park playing frisbee and then talked for the rest of the night at a bonfire making smores.

So we decided for engagement pictures - that all sounded like fun.  And we should just do that.

So we did :-)

I loved their fun bright orange outfits!  They brought along a brightly colored beach blanket from Brian's mom and we hung out on the grass.  They love to laugh and crack each other up constantly.

Taking a break from giggles we tried for a romantic moment - I thought they did well :-D  Then promptly cracked up all over again.  Anna and I were in stitches, thank goodness the park was mostly empty.

Emily and I decided the cute little sundress was beautiful, but cramping her style.  I understood - I'm a jeans girl myself ;-)  And then we hiked through the park and found a field of daisies.  Definitely not skirt territory anyways.

Love the sunsets in June..

They brought along a frisbee that had their wedding logo painted on it, a heart made from two hands.  I told them we could not possibly pose frisbee pictures and therefore we would have to have action shots!  We also discovered that Anna's athletic talents are not frisbee oriented.  (She did gymnastics as a kid ;-) 

Emily even let Brian almost catch the frisbee once in a while!

Two hands, one heart.

Then it was a short drive to Brian's parents' house for SMORES. 

HOW COOL IS THAT FOR A PHOTO SESSION.  LIKE WHOA.  Fire?  check.  Food?  check.  Fun activity?  double check.

But we had to wait till it got dark.

I love this one - Anna was standing by with the stick "making sparks".  Emily said they looked like a little LL Bean catalog. 

I agree.

I can't believe we have to wait all the way till NEXT JUNE for the wedding !

Thanks for a great time :-D

Continuing the week long engagement session extravaganza - are Derek and Kaley whose engagement photos we shot last month at Twin Lakes Park.  They got major bonus points for bringing props!!  They had a whole bag with them including 3 outfits, bubbles, sparklers, and wooden letters that we used to spell out their names on the boardwalk.  And of course - some fabulous bling worthy of being shown off :-)

We started off in their most dressy outfit because that's usually the most challenging (I have a habit of asking folks to "sit on the ground, stand in the lake, ok now climb this tree!").  All things which can be challenging in a skirt and heels.  In the shot on the right, Anna is completely hidden behind the big tree providing a little extra fill light :-)

Possibly my favorite of the day if I didn't have so many other favorites.  They are such a beautiful couple - I wish their wedding was sooner!

After a quick outfit and location change, we busted out the bubbles and they got silly.  I love it when couples loosen up, relax, and hang out - after all photos are fun!  (Seriously.  I know there are a lot of you out there reading this thinking "my guy does not like photos.  I do not like how I look in photos.  I will not enjoy this experience."  Not true!  Just trust me - we will have a good time and at the end of it you'll leave with a smile and possibly a craving for ice cream.)

Derek and Kaley were psyched from the get go and we had so much fun!

If you haven't figured it out by now from the photos, these guys laugh a lot - and it's one of my favorites things about them.

And now!  The bling -  ** WARNING you made need protective eyewear to view the following photo **

*gasp!*  I know.    8-O

And now for some FIRE !  They brought some small sparklers along and we needed a dark place to light them for some shots.  Since it was still daylight out, we went into a thick grove of pine trees where it was very dim and fired up the sparks!  We got 8 shots in before they burned out and then did the mexican hat dance all over the forest floor which was covered in dry dead leaves!  ** disclaimer - no park was injured in the making of these photos.

And now that you see how much fun they are - you have to wait all the way till October of NEXT YEAR to see them again!  They will be married in Holiday Park and party at Alcoma Country Club.  Have a great year of planning!

I've decided that everyday from now until the weekend I'm going to post a different engagement session ! 

I've got so many good ones that I've been keeping under wraps and now it's time to show them off !  Wedding season is in full swing and all of these couples are looking forward to their happy day!

Without further yammering - meet Kari & Andy :-)  I went to high school with Kari's older sister, Laurel, and we had a ton of great times together.  There were bonfires and barn parties, talks about boys, the summer I had a crush on her cousin from Florida, one trip to Toronto, and a trip to New York City.  There's still a photo of us somewhere waiting for the Ellis island ferry smiling into the camera with the World Trade Center in the background.  And now her "baby sis" is all growed up and getting married.  I can't believe it's been so long.

Kari & Andy make a great couple - we met at Kari's parent's home last fall for their engagement photos at the barn and in the field behind the house. 

Fun story - we took this photo actually a few feet from Kari's first deer stand.

Love this one in the field.

We dug through the house and found some sidewalk chalk to get this shot for their save-the-dates on the little backroad in front of the house.  Stole the pumpkins off the porch, and the sunset made a great sky.

I can't wait to see everyone this fall and be there when you guys tie the knot !  Only 3 more months!

Today was such a rainy rainy day - it reminded me of last year when I drove to Latrobe to shoot Rebecca & Chan's engagement photos.  I hoped that the clouds would part and the sun would shine through - but no such luck.  The one bit of good fortune that saved the day was that we were meeting at Rebecca's mom's house and they have a HUGE porch.  (I love big porches (and sweet tea!!)  I may secretly be a southern belle :-) 

Eventhough it was pouring like crazy, there was enough space on the porch to hide out from the weather !  Rebecca and Chan are such a fun couple, they are so relaxed together they didn't let a little downpour dampen their spirits.

Chan has such a great smile, but when I asked him to try a serious face - he really turned it on!  Yowza :-D

Stuck in one location because of the inclement weather, we got creative and called Rebecca's mom who was on her way home from the store to stop and grab some sidewalk chalk.  We engineered our own unique save the date images!  (Confession - I tried to draw the heart and it was so lopsided we couldn't erase it and had to move to a different section of cement.  Rebecca took over and drew a perfect heart - and it made more sense because then I could take pictures of her drawing it.)  Can't you tell their wedding is going to be fun??

I love this shot :-)

Their wedding is less than a month away at the Latrobe Country Club !  I can't wait !!

A few weeks ago Sean and I travelled downtown to Schenley park to meet up with Christa and Zach for an engagement session.  The weather was beautiful and Sean didn't even complain very much about sitting in traffic.  ( He is the worst sitting in traffic backseat driver. ) 

We met at the Schenley visitors center and walked all around that corner of the park. 

Christa and Zach make a GREAT couple!  They chose this image for their save-the-dates.

Since the arched bridge was undergoing some repairs, we ventured down the old stone steps to the smaller bridge.  This was shot under that bridge, I thought it looked like a sea cave.  I have no idea what kind of rock that is, but I'm not sure I'd have built a bridge out of it.  Like random rock chunks cemented together...hmm pittsburgh...?  Christa said the texture reminded her of their trip to Hawaii. 

We had a lot of fun - I can't wait for their wedding this October!

Only six more months!

On another snowy february afternoon, we made our second attempt to get out and get some engagement photos of Derek and Kim.  Sean and Derek were friends in high school and now he's getting married!  (I guess we are too..!)  Our first attempt was saturday February sixth A-K-A  Snowmageddon Day 1.  Kim was stranded in Freeport, and Derek was stuck in Vandergrift and Sean and I were trapped in the driveway.  We decided to reschedule.

The second time around went much better!  We met them near Kim's parent's home and they led the way to a train bridge over the river.  An active train bridge.... hopefully posting these photos will not lead to criminal charges.  We discussed the possibility of a train coming but felt it was unlikely.  And the structure was just so cool.

We weren't on the bridge FIVE MINUTES and the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I got that funny feeling.  Then I realized the wind sounded different.  I turned around to see Sean behind me kneeling down with his hand on the rail.  Sure enough - there was a train coming.  We made a run for it and got safely off the side of the tracks into the woods.

Seriously, what are the odds?

"The closer you are to danger, the farther you are from harm."  I remember that from a movie... it might have been from the gene wilder Willy Wonka.  Or space balls....   ?  Since a train just went passed we felt safe that another one wouldn't be along for at least half an hour and went right back to shooting. 

I like Derek's smile in this one :-)  I just got done yelling at him here to stop looking at the camera - especially when he's kissing Kim!  "Ok cool if you two want to kiss, go for it - good good DEREK STOP LOOKING AT THE CAMERA!  LOOK ANYWHERE ELSE - LOOK DOWN - SHUT YOUR EYES - ANYWHERE!"

Definitely one of my favorites.

Back in town and at a safe distance from trains, we hung out in front of the old storefronts. 

One street in town is lined with cherry trees, these are last year's fruit.  In about 4 weeks these will be covered pink flowers.   Come on spring.  :-)

It was great spending the afternoon with you guys!  I can't wait for the wedding!

August 7th - Armstrong Farms - stay tuned!

Greetings!  Here's Megan & Jon's E-session from way back in July!  I figured I had to dig these out of the archives and share since there is snow in the forecast this weekend!  Megan & Jon will be tying the knot this January in the Seven Springs area and they are praying for snow to make things a winter wonderland!!

They brought along their dog and little buddy Ty :-)  He kept an eye out and patrolled all around us.

Found a great spot in the cattails down by the lake - Megan's ring is blingalicious!

It won't be long now guys!  Just a few more months :-)  See you soon!

I am definitely an animal lover :-)  Just last night Sean and I were at the county fair wandering around petting all the cows and horses and rubbing noses with the huge tent of rabbits.  (There are few things cuter than a baby cow :-)  But most of all I love dogs - especially mine.  The bigger and furrier and more rambunctious the better.  So when Meghan and Billy asked me to come to their house to shoot their engagement photos with their two dogs, I was thrilled!

Meet Meghan, Billy, Dexter and Yogi.

We had a great time running all over the yard - Yogi wanted to give me kisses and Dexter thought about eating my lens cap :-D  We laughed hysterically trying over and over again to get two big puppies to sit down and smile pretty for the camera.

Dexter is a golden doodle.  ( golden retriever + poodle = big soft ball of blonde fur)   is just a baby - still a puppy! 

Yogi is the big dog of the house, and very sweet.

After wrestling with the dogs all over the yard it was time to put the 'kids' in the house and have some time for one-on-one.

Meghan and Billy are such a gorgeous and easy going couple - they've known each other since high school.

So cute :-)

Instead of traditional favors, Meghan and Billy have decided to make a donation to help animals in need and will be using some of the images of their furry friends on the favor cards at the wedding!  Keep yours open for their wedding photos coming October 2009!  Thanks guys - I can't wait!!

Ok so I wasn't there for the actual proposal - but I thought it would get your attention as a catchy title ;-)

Actually Jessica and Jaison asked me to return with them to the scene of the proposal for their e-session before their wedding this november.  I couldn't help but ask about the story.  Apparently, (and I'm paraphrasing here on my bad memory) Jaison lured her to the stone mansion at Hartwood Acres last year to attend a 'wine tasting'.  Well as they turned in the drive and approached the parking lot, Jess noticed the place was deserted - no other cars - and signs saying that the wine tasting had been cancelled/rescheduled etc.  Since they were all dressed up with no place to go they decided to go check out the mansion anyway - maybe there was a tour or something they could catch?

Jaison leads her to the stone patio that overlooks the grounds, gets down on one knee, tells her how he feels, and asks her to marry him.  She accepts!  And then realizes that there are friends/relatives hiding in the bushes with cameras and the whole thing was planned from the beginning!!  As if that wasn't sweet enough, he leads her to the back drive of the mansion where a car and driver are waiting with champagne in flutes engraved with the date and he takes her to dinner at their favorite restaurant.  Afterwards they go to another favorite spot (a sports bar I think to catch the game....not sure my facts are right here) and a big group of friends and relatives are waiting for them when they walk in the door cheering them on!

I definitely made Jaison re-enact the whole thing for me.  It was great to be there with them to relive such an amazing memory.  As far as proposals go that was above and beyond compared to what most guys plan these days and it was nice to see at least one man keeping the romance alive :-)

After hearing the story we roamed around the grounds for some photos. 

I loved this tree - it had huge branches that spread out like arms (like the tree in The Lion King) and having changed into more casual clothes Jess & Jaison were happy to climb up in it.

It's so hard to pick which photos to post - I wanted to take a few shots of her ring (which is GORGEOUS) but it was hard to find a flower or a stem strong enough to hold it up (yes it's that gorgeous) so you'll just have to wait in suspense till November. 

Also - if there are any guys out there planning a proposal - I would love to hide in the bushes and the capture that moment on film for you!  I have telephoto equipment and camoflauge -  maybe even a ghillie suit - really this could be cool - CALL ME!  Or I could just dress like a tourist and pretend to be bird watching :-D

Congratulations Jess & Jaison - see you in November!