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hartwood acres wedding photos
Hello gorgeous!!! We had the most beautiful fall-esque senior session at the beginning of November with Lydia at Hartwood Acres 😍
Lydia is a senior at Portersville Christian School who plays volleyball, and hopes to study dermatology! She's sweet, kind, and was a total pro in front of the camera. Congratulations on your last year of high school, Lydia! 💛
We met Lis and Naz nearly four years ago at a Pittsburgh wedding networking event - four years later, and they have become some of our dearest friends! Constantly encouraging, ever authentic, and always asking the tough questions that spur growth - these two are a pair to be reckoned with! ✨
Not only are they amazing people individually and an amazing couple collectively, but they are also absolutely INCREDIBLE wedding videographers (if you don’t believe me, just click here!). We teamed up during this session for a couple of mutually beneficial purposes and we were SO excited when the day finally came! We pushed through heavy downpours and a surprise country concert to create these images, and it was so totally worth it! 💛
I could type paragraph upon paragraph depicting all of the characteristics and traits we love about these two, but what it really comes down to is this: we just truly love them! Happy belated anniversary, Lis and Naz!!
2018 has been one heck of a year from start to finish! There are SO many people who have helped make this year’s weddings and shoots possible; without them, things would most certainly would not have been the same!
The “Behind the Scenes” yearly blog post has become one of my favorites because you get to see some of the faces who help make things possible throughout the year! I have been blessed to work with some amazing second shooters and assistants this year (whose faces you will see in the photos below!). A HUGE thank you to: Nick (my husband!), Alisha, Sara, Taylor, Ashley, Kim, and Jess, all of whom have been a huge help in one way or another! And to all of my friends, family, acquaintances, and clients who have encouraged and supported me throughout this year: I could not be more thankful for you! And most importantly, thank you God for the blessing of being a part of so many incredible moments and memories!
For my entire life, I’ve dreamed of working from home. I envisioned working from bed in my PJ’s, powering through my work with no interruptions, and feeling oh-so fulfilled by my lack of daily human interaction.
How wrong I was.
Even with my more introverted tendencies, I learned quickly after my first few weeks of working from home full time that there are certain things that need to be added, avoided, and pursued in order to maintain a proper work-life balance. Within the first couple of months, I found myself irritable, angry, annoyed, and isolated – all because I hadn’t set up boundaries or any sort of schedule for myself when it came to work. I slowly learned that there are certain things I need to be intentional about when it comes to working from home.
1. I need to be intentional with my relationships.
Definitely one of my toughest challenges – because I’m such a home body! I love being at home, but working from home by myself means much less human interaction than when I worked in an office with other people – it’s actually much lonelier than I anticipated. I find that I have to work a little bit harder to build relationships because I’m not constantly around people. Setting up lunch dates, coffee breaks, and working with other freelancers or self-employed folks has helped me find ways to build relationships and leads me to my next point…
2. I need to be intentional about getting out of the house.
Being a homebody and an introvert can be a deadly combo. During a period of time last summer when I was working from home and had a break from photo sessions and weddings, I didn’t leave my house for a straight 56 hours. And by not leaving my house – I mean not even setting a foot outside of it. I was going insane by the end of those 56 hours and FINALLY decided that I needed to be intentional about actually leaving my house. Working from my favorite local coffee shop (Wunderbar Café), working with friends, and watching my parents dogs on the occasion have all given me good reasons to get out of the house!
3. I need to be intentional about setting specific work hours.
This is a tough one when you work from home. The wonderful thing about leaving an office is that you close the door and go home – so it’s easier for your brain to say hey, you’re done working for the day! (I know from experience that that’s not always as easy as it sounds, though!). But there’s something about working from home that, instead, makes your brain say hmmmm… I should be doing something right now. I answer emails on this couch during the day, maybe I should do it while I’m hanging out with my husband… And there goes the work-life balance, flying out the window. When I decided to set specific hours for when I work each day of the week, I had a much easier time shutting down my laptop (and my brain) and breaking that association of home equaling work (at least, breaking that constant connection of needing to work all the time!)
4. I need to be intentional about where I work in my home.
I used to work from my couch every SINGLE day. No desk. No chair. (I had both of those, though). I was just so much more comfortable on the couch than I was in my little office! But something strange started happening – when I was sitting on my couch and I wasn’t editing or answering emails, I felt panicked. It took every ounce of self control inside of me to NOT open my laptop at 11PM at night to get some extra work done – even though I knew in my brain that it wasn’t healthy. And to be honest, I failed a LOT at that.
With the help of some friends, I realized that my brain had made an association: sitting on the couch = work time. Not rest time. So every time I would try to simply sit on my couch and rest, all I could think about was work. Soon after realizing this, I knew I needed to be intentional about working in my office as often as I possibly could, and oh my goodness, has it made the biggest difference!
Do you have dreams of working from home? Or are you someone who works from home full time, too? If so, I'd love to connect! Drop a comment below or use the contact tab (above) to get in touch!
Photographing people on location with natural light is a bit of a science. A session in the middle of the day could lead to harsh light and dark shadows under the eyes of the subject, while a session close to sunrise or sunset creates an opportunity for soft, even light that flatters any subject in front of the camera.
While about 90% of all of my sessions take place in the evening (close to sunset), one of my absolute FAVORITE times to shoot is in the morning. So, why might you want to consider scheduling a morning session timeslot opposed to an evening one? Well, for one…
1. If you’re a morning person, a morning session might be the perfect fit for you (and possibly more enjoyable!)!
If you’re already a morning person, why not have your photo taken in the morning?! I’m a BIG fan of getting the most important things crossed off my to do list early in the day – and having your photo session done in the morning will let you have the remainder of your day to work or play! Which leads me to my next point…
2. You’ll be all ready to go for the day – looking gorgeous from the start!
I don’t know why this bothers me so much, but I really dislike “getting ready” near the end of the day (aka doing 20 minutes of hair and makeup – ha!). I love being able to get ready in the morning and then have my hair and makeup last throughout the entirety of the day. The great thing about having your photo session in the morning? You can do just that! After your session, you’ll be looking real nice for the remainder of the day – so (unless you have work or school!) plan something fun to do afterwards so you can get a bit more longevity out of your look!
3. You could go out to BREAKFAST afterwards!
Something fun you COULD do is go to breakfast afterwards! Going out to breakfast is literally one of my favorite things in the world, which is why I had to mention it. And really, having your photos taken in the morning means you’ll probably need a little fuel for the rest of the day – no better excuse to stop over to First Watch or Bartram House Bakery! (Or wherever your favorite breakfast place might be ;) ).
4. You might be able to miss just the first hour or so of work or school.
Sometimes, weekday photo sessions mean you might have to miss a little bit of work at the end of the day. But depending on how early you’re willing to have your photos taken, we might be able to get your photo session in before work or school (this depends on the time of year and how early the sun rises). Whatever the case, missing just a little bit of work or school in the morning can be better than missing half a day in the afternoon!
5. The light is killer.
Morning light might just be my favorite. Something about it is so soft and sweet – even though sunset light is always gorgeous, I’ve created some of my favorite images using morning light!
There are few things I love more than a couple that are best friends - and these two most certainly are! Koreen and Kurt laughed their way throughout their entire engagement session, which made my job SO dang easy!! And really, we couldn't have hit up Hartwood at a better time. The trees were in all of their pink, spring glory - which perfectly complimented Koreen's gorgeous dress from Altar'd State!
And now, for a little back story from Koreen and Kurt!
How did you two meet?
We went to high school together. We met a few years later at a party, and the rest is history!
What do you and your fiance like to do for fun?
"We really enjoy getting to go for a walk together in the evenings. It's a great way for us to find out what is happening in our day to day lives. It's better than sitting on the couch kind of talking and staring at our phones. [Can I get an amen there?! - Jenna] We also enjoy going out to eat and watching movies."
How did he pop the question?!
"He took me out to my favorite restaurant (A Taste of India). Slid the ring in a box across the table and said 'that's for you' I thought that it was maybe another charm for the Pandora bracelet he has been filing up for the past few years. Once I opened the box and saw it was a ring I was shocked! I had every emotion happening all at once. He said 'well what do you think?' I said 'Yes! I can't believe this is happening right now!' When we got home he got down on one knee and asked me."
And now, without further ado - a few of my favorites from Koreen and Kurt's engagement session! Thank you two for trusting me with these precious memories - I cannot wait for the wedding!!
Nalinee and Josh are having a baby and I was so honored when they asked me to take maternity photos for them at one of my favorite spots - Hartwood Acres! Their session took place on the perfect fall day, and Nalinee wore the most beautiful, flowing, blush dress, complete with a flower crown, while Josh wore a tux. I love the thought these two put into their outfits - they perfectly match Hartwood's classic elegance! Congratulations on your growing family, Nalinee and Josh!
Vendors:
Makeup & Hair: Kaylin Simonic
It was SO hot and humid the morning we photographed Sarah and Mike's engagement session. I've only ever had my camera and lenses fog up from cold weather (read about our coldest shoot ever, in 5 degree weather here!), never from hot humid weather - but that day, the moment I pulled my equipment out to shoot - my gear immediately fogged up! We fought the humidity the entire session, and Sarah and Mike were such incredible troopers! They had no problem getting close (even in the heat) and were total pros in front of the camera. I love when couples aren't afraid to get close and even improvise - and these two did both things so well!
Check out a few favorites from their Hartwood Acres engagement session below!
