What a beautiful year FILLED with amazing couples it has been! These highlight posts are always some of my personal favorite blog posts from the entire year, because I get to see not only all of the beautiful couples I’ve worked with, but also because I get to see highlights from my full body of work throughout the year – that in itself is so rewarding!
It’s hard to believe that I photographed my first wedding 10 years ago this year… so much has changed since 2012! At the time, I never thought that photography was something I would do full time. In fact, I was pursuing two degrees at the time in Graphic Design & Web Design, and was using any photo gigs I booked as a means to pay for them! I am so grateful that God has allowed my business to grow to the point of being able to support my family as my full time job. It is a blessing to get to serve so many people and explore so many beautiful places – and to get to work for myself!
Today, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite photos from my 2022 weddings and engagements. Some might seem like obvious favorites (because they’re of beautiful people or details, or technically beautiful!), but some are my favorites simply because of the emotion they show, and others because of what I had to overcome technically to make the shot happen. Weddings can be quite unpredictable, and often put photographers in situations where they need to make “magic” happen out of less than ideal lighting and timing situations (among other hurdles!). While that part of the job can often be stressful (especially when someone’s memories of the best day of their life are on the line!), that pressure has also given me the opportunity to produce work that I am proud to share with my clients!
So, without further ado – here are some highlights from 2022!
This image was created using a $1.25 mirror from the Dollar Tree… this was the first time I used this little trick to add a bit of visual interest to a detail shot, and I love how it turned out!
This was our first wedding of the year in January - it was like, 6 degrees outside, but our couple still trekked down to the Hot Metal Bridge for photos!
In March, it can be difficult to find good backdrops for photos - I was so excited that the light and backdrop of this venue (the Camelot) lined up and that we were able to use it for bridal party photos! It was honestly a proud moment for me, since there weren’t a ton of backdrops to work with at this particular venue, and we didn’t have enough time to drive to a different spot!
Such a sweet sister moment ❤️
I love the joy, shock, and excitement that comes during proposals. This Phipp’s Conservatory proposal was such a highlight!
We had the whole Broderie room to ourselves!
I love Disney Pixar’s “Up” - Matt & Maria’s “Up” themed wedding day was so much fun to photograph! I got to get a little creative with their details, too!
Possibly one of my favorite bridal party photos of the whole year!
This couple flew in all the way from Seattle for their engagement photos!
Walking around Kennywood with these two was a huge highlight from this year! They met here, so it made the perfect backdrop for their engagement session!
Jackie & Gerald are literary lovers who incorporated so many books into their wedding day. I decided to borrow a few from their reception area to incorporate into their details photos - and I’m so glad I did! I am so excited about how these detail photos turned out!
This backdrop gave me major Lord of the Rings vibes. Which was perfect… considering the fact that Jackie & Gerald incorporated some subtle LOTR details throughout their day!
If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, you’ll appreciate this little potato sign! 😉
Firework photos have always been a bit tricky for me. I love how these ones turned out! And that “Love” sign?! Adorable!
Love this photo that Nick got of the groomsmen!
This wedding took place at the White Barn… one of my all time favorite wedding venues! Nick and I got married here back in 2015, too!
One of the sweetest mother-son dances.
No window light and in a small room? Create your own light with a speedlight by bouncing it into the corner of the room (so the light falls back onto your subject) to create soft, flattering, directional light!
This foot washing ceremony was so sweet, and so emotional.
Champagne pop at sunset?! It doesn’t get much better than that!
Maybe I shouldn’t have favorites… but this bouquet was one of my favorites of the entire year! I love a good fall textured bouquet. It was SUPER heavy, but super gorgeous in all of the photos!
This was one of those tougher lighting situations! It was a super bright day, and the first look took place right in the middle of the day (when the sun is highest in the sky). It’s notoriously the toughest time for natural light photography! I was thankful that we were able to find a place in this location to place the couple where we were able to control the light a bit more, to make sure it was flattering on our couple’s faces.
Something I LOVE about this walkway is that it has white cement… which acts as a great natural reflector, effectively “popping” soft light back into my couple’s faces, creating a flattering look for their skin. This wasn’t a location we had originally planned on using, but when we were driving by, I had to stop and take a few portraits of them there because I knew the light would be great!
This couple had a beautiful clear roof tent, which let in SO MUCH LIGHT! It was the best of both worlds - tented in case of rain, but also it sort of felt like you were completely outside because there was so much light!
I can’t get over the lights they have in the tent at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. They are so gorgeous!
Let me tell you about these confetti poppers! The confetti streamers that come out stay attached to the poppers themselves - making for super easy clean up! Which was great, considering that we popped them on a church altar!
It ended up being pretty cold on Jen & Brandon’s wedding day… so we did the majority of their portraits inside Heinz Chapel. And it was AWESOME. They left us enough time in their timeline to create some really special portraits for them… all while staying warm! 10/10 would do again!
This may be one of my favorite wedding portraits of the whole year!
Engagement photos in a (somewhat surprise) snow storm! We knew it was going to snow, but I don’t think any of us knew how heavy that snow would be. Thankfully - these two went for it! And thankfully I had a willing husband to hold an umbrella over my head while I was taking photos!