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▣ Announcing!
Greetings! We are very happy to announce for the second year in a row - Family Portrait Day at Lingrow Farm! Here are the details and a few images from last year!
THE FINE PRINT * This event is hosted by Photography by Amanda Wilson and we are grateful that Lingrow Farm is allowing us to use their fantastic facility - HOWEVER if you have questions, need directions, or want to book a session please contact ME :-) There are a lot of friendly, hard working, talented folks out at Lingrow who are happy to share the grounds with us but are very busy making sure every wedding and event scheduled there is perfect, so please contact ME with all of your portrait day inquiries ! * This event is WEATHER PERMITTING - if it's raining we'll have to cancel and reschedule for later in the fall. * What to wear/bring? Almost anything! Wear whatever you like - earth tones and jewel tones look the best outside - just keep in mind that we will be outside so dress for the weather and keep in mind that while we're out we are very likely to sit on the ground, play in the grass, etc. As far as props - I want to see some creativity! (No ice sculptures though...) Fun ideas - picnic blanket, football, flowers, matching accessories, sunglasses, hats, fishing poles (no hooks please). I am currently on the hunt for a small sofa or armchair that is a really bright color to borrow and use for outside portraits. * Rules and Regulations - I LOVE KIDS and CRAZY FUN but I want everyone to be safe. The grounds are extensive and there is a lake so please please keep a close watch on your munchkins.
If you're interested, call for an appointment TODAY!
1 Comment added to this post ▣ Stacey & Tim's E-session
Ahhhhhhh............ Love is in the air. The flowers are blooming, the sun is finally shining, all the birds are chasing each other around the yard. It's the perfect time for engagement sessions. Why? An E-session comes with every full day of wedding coverage booked for 2009 - take advantage! An E-session is a great way to get out, get some great pictures of yourselves goofing off and having fun and being together. (Trust me - they are the kind of pictures we wish our friends would take when we're out having fun but instead we get a bunch of shots with red eye and tan lines.) These days there are so many cool things you can use good photos of yourselves (engagement shots) for at the wedding. Ivitations, favors, place cards, table cards, announcements, save the dates, thank you's, wedding websites - or just simply framed and scattered around your reception site to make it more personalized. And mom's love them. Face it - they want to show you off :-) And it's a chance, especially if you're nervous or shy to get out there and practice having your picture taken. It helps your photographer out too. Every person is different and an E-session helps your photog get to know you a little better so that by the time the wedding day arrives, you're like old friends. We know which is your good side, your best angle, your natural smile. And the anxiety just melts away and what's left behind are images that will make you break into a smile every time you see them.
Meet Stacey and Tim, two weeks ago we got together to shoot some engagement photos around town. They were awesome! They let me set the time and pick the location. Honoring the golden equation that: Lots of time for photos + trust in your photographer = Unbelievable images. They were such a great couple, very comfortable just hanging out and laughing together.
I have been eyeing this spot for photos for months and months now but haven't met the right couple to take it for spin till now :-)
It was so worth it. Fear of hidden cameras will never defeat me !! They were up for anything - "Let's crawl around an abandoned warehouse!" Ok! "Let's sit in the railroad tracks!" Ok! "Let's play in the creek!" Ok! It was awesome.
When I asked Tim where he'd gotten such an amazing ring for Stacey, he paused, broke into a smile, and said: " I went to JARED :-D "
Hang on to the edge of your seats viewers, Stacey and Tim will be tying the knot on August 1st and if their chemistry is any indication - their wedding is going to knock your socks off! 2 Comments added to this post ▣ Jess & Ed Part 2
As promised, here is part 2 of Jess & Ed's photos. Technically, to do this right there should be a part 3, but I think I just like too many photos and so I have to try and get myself under control.
Jess by herself at the church after the ceremony.
After photos at the church we drove to UPG for some outdoor shots by the fountain. Unfortunately, we had wind gust of up to 50 mph and they had shut the fountain off to keep the water from blowing away. We were bummed but decided to take advantage of the greenspace and the big trees. Jess with the girls - such great colors for spring.
Ed with all the guys.
Outtakes: the wind was blowing so hard that it kept catching Jessica's veil and flipping it up over her face. The guys offered to hold it down for her and forgot that it was attached to her head. LOL! Image by Sean.
A rare moment of no wind - Sean is off camera just to the left holding the reflector as a shield against the gusts. After this shot we decided to call it quits before they were gone with the wind and get some more outdoor shots at the reception.
In case you don't remember from their engagement session, Jess & Ed are HUGE hockey fans. To be more specific - PENS FANS. So it was fitting that they hosted their reception during a Pens play off game. The DJ monitered the score and announced every goal to cheers from the crowd.
Their cake topper was a hockey player with skates and a stick.
Fantastic bling!
Jess's neice was the most adorable flower girl :-)
Their reception was held at Di Salvo's Station restaurant in Latrobe. Gusts parked in the lot next to the railroad tracks and entered through a long lighted tunnel under the tracks and into the old station. It was bright and airy with high ceilings and lots of natural light. There was even an old dining car parked inside and tons of old photos and artifacts from the railroad's glory days.
After dinner we decided to brave the wind and head outside for some more photos. Amtrak still operates a stop at the station and there was an old platform next to the tracks.
I have to explain this shot: while I'm enjoying shooting the weathered green wood and the old bricks Sean was keeping an eye out. Technically, you're not supposed to hang out on the train platform. You'll see the signs in this shot warning about trespassing and loitering. (Something about hidden cameras and silent alarms... yadda yadda.) So Sean says to me "You're not going to believe this, but there's a train coming." A TRAIN. The universe sent me A TRAIN to my photo shoot. **snoopy dance** We only had about 30 seconds to make a decision, get into position and frame this shot. If i had more time I would have changed my shutter speed to really blur the train as it was rushing past.
After the train passed Jess and Ed stood on the tracks for me for a couple shots before we went back inside to start the party!
We had a great time! Congratulations and thanks for having us!!
Ceremony: Greensburg Methodist Church Reception: Di Salvo's Station Restaurant Other photo locations : University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Entertainment: TJ's Music Express
2 Comments added to this post ▣ Jess & Ed 05.09.09 part 1
You might remember Jess and Ed from their e-session on Mt. Washington a few months ago. They were a great couple for engagement photos so I knew their wedding would be a ton of fun! I always like to know the back story behind a couple when I shoot their wedding because it makes it so much more fun to photograph when you're in on the inside jokes. We caught up with Jess before the ceremony getting ready with her mom and her girls in the church lounge. Her dress was stunning. The train was soooo long! Wait till you see!
Jess with her mom.
Jess was a little bit nervous before her big walk down the aisle, but had a good laugh when one of her bridesmaids pulled out Frank the Rat. I asked about Frank. Frank the Rat was kind of a mascot for her and her college roommates. (Don't worry - he's a stuffed toy rat.) But it was mandatory that he somehow be included in the festivities.
That's Ed on the left and his father and best man on the right. They are both SO TALL. Ed was rocking the white tux.
Adorable kids :-)
Jess and her father "backstage" for one last breath (and one last laugh) before stepping through the doors.
The ceremony was held at the Methodist Church in greensburg. They are very strict about rules for photographers which was a huge bummer since we weren't allowed to do alot of the cool stuff we normally do, but lucky for us it was bright enough for the telephoto lens :-)
This shot is now in the running for Fairytale Kiss of 2009.
Stay tuned for the rest of the shots - they held their reception at an old train station! 1 Comment added to this post ▣ Lori & Michael 05.08.09
Last Friday we traveled to Ellwood City for Lori & Mike's wedding. I met Lori last year when I did her brother's senior pictures. So I've been looking forward to this wedding for a loooooo-ooong time! And it was amazing :-D We met up with the Lori, her mom, and the girls at Lori's house which was just a few blocks away from the church. Their colors were raspberry and pinks and I knew it was going to look awesome with the green grass when we went outside for pictures.
Lori's Aunt who has passed away held a special place during the festivities. Lori's mom even presented her with her Aunt's wedding rings. The passing of a family heirloom is always an emotional moment.
Lori with their dog, Spike. ;-)
All ready, time to head downstairs. Image by Anna.
This is Mike
These guys were great, even though they busted our chops all day ;-)
I loved the careful attention to detail all day long, especially her rosary tied around her boquet.
Coming down the aisle with her Dad.
After photos at the church, we went to the small small town of Homewood Junction for photos in the little town square.
I love this picture, but I'm not sure exactly why.
See? What did I tell you about the pink with the green grass!? AWESOME.
This might be my all time favorite wedding favor. They glowed with flameless tea lights inside. They made them themselves too!
Caketastic. It smelled sooo good! The two images on the right are courtesy of the talented Anna.
The boquet and the garter toss were so much fun! Lori's brother Derek caught the garter, but the photos that followed were too hot for the Blogosphere!
Lori with her mom.
It was an all around perfect wedding, great planning, great details, great people, and it all went off without a hitch. You guys did it with style. Congratulations!! Welcome back from Vegas!! :-D
Ceremony: Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Ellwood City Reception: Holiday Inn, Beaver Falls Photo Locations of Awesomeness: Homewood Junction
3 Comments added to this post ▣ Crystal & Jason 05.02.09
Feast your eyes friends! The first wedding of the of the summer! I told you the Trifecta of Awesomeness would be descending upon a wedding somewhere! Crystal and Jason were married just over a week ago in Arona, PA. The weather was gorgeous, we were so lucky to have made it through the day with no rain! I loved Crystal's dress - it was perfect for her. Her bridesmaids helped her get ready at the church.
Image by Anna.
Seriously gorgeous bride.
Jason, the handsome groom - both Jason and Crystal's father wore a little dragon with their pocket square because they are Cystal's favorite.
Jason seeing his bride for the first time.
The church was small, bright, and cheery. It made the ceremony extra special to have family and friends gathered close. Image by Sean.
Afterwards, their families surprised the couple with a butterfly release to celebrate their new life together!
Finally, husband and wife.
After photos at the church, Crystal wanted to visit the restaurant where she works to share the big day with some of her co-workers. I fretted about time and schedules - but love this photo of her standing in the busy kitchen with her gown on. The guys took a quick break at the bar to toast the groom.
Back on the schedule, we drove to Twin Lakes for pictures. I am so happy that the leaves are finally coming out!
Crystal and her Dad requested photos with their fishing gear. I LOVED IT.
Crystal's grandmother hand painted on her shawl.
I love willow trees for photos.
After Twin Lakes we arrived at the Days Inn in New Stanton for their blue and yellow reception. I should point out that Crystal is a professional pastry chef AND SHE MADE HER OWN WEDDING CAKE! Not only that, but she made all of the centerpieces for the tables which were small cakes for each table to cut and serve together.
Can you imagine on top of all the stress of normal wedding planning - she also made, decorated, and delivered 30 small cakes and designed THIS !
First dance together.
I think hands might be my new favorite subject.
Bling!
I love these two shots from Anna - Crystal danced with her mother to "Who I Am" by Jessica Andrews while all their female relatives circled around them.
The party really kicked off with a great DJ!
Ceremony: Arona Methodist Church Reception: Days Inn, New Stanton Cake: Wedding Cakes by Crystal Hiles Entertainment: R & R Productions, Mt. Pleasant
4 Comments 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 |
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