Brielle & Stephen: McConnell's Mill Engagement Photos

I love all of my couples and engagement sessions, but this session in particular was one I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time!

Brielle is the daughter of one of my dad's best friends, and I took both Brielle and Stephen's senior photos in 2013 and 2014 when I was first starting my business. I couldn't be more thankful that they trusted me as I was just starting this journey, and I'm so excited to be the one documenting this new adventure of becoming husband and wife!

For their engagement session, we hit some of my favorite outdoor locations, including McConnell’s Mill, Cleland Rock, and Moraine State Park - and we had the most BEAUTIFUL day with gorgeous, sunny weather, which is always a gamble in Pittsburgh!

Brielle and Stephen, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate your marriage next year! 🎉 Congratulations again on your engagement! We love you guys!

5 Reasons to Consider a Morning Photo Session

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!

Kayla + Colin: McConnell's Mill Engagement Photos

Kayla and Colin were so much fun to photograph at McConnell's Mills! Their bubbly personalities and kind demeanor made them so easy to get along with right from the start. We even figured out right before the session began that not only did Colin graduate from the same college as my husband (Geneva College), but that these two also go to the same church as we do (Grace Community Church)! There were so many connections happening, which always makes sessions that much more fun!

Also - Kayla brought the most adorable "love" shaped balloon with her that we were able to incorporate into the photos - so cute! (And just in case you were wondering, it's from Target!)

So without further ado - here are a few of my favorites from their golden light filled session!

Goodman Family: McConnell's Mill Family Photos

What do you do when your son lives across the country?! Schedule family photos for when he's back in town and the whole family is together! The cold weather didn't deter this family in the least from having a couple of family photos taken at McConnell's Mill a few weeks ago - the snow covered roads and large icicles made for some unique scenery for this sweet family's session, and I am so thankful to have been the one to capture these for them!

Sam M: McConnell's Mill Senior Photos

I have to give MAJOR props to Sam - she spent her last morning before her senior year with me... at McConnell's Mill... at the crack of dawn. And she had a smile on her face the entire time! We were able to hit up some BEAUTIFUL morning light, and Sam jumped right into posing with ease - I couldn't believe she had never had her photos taken professionally before! Sam is an avid reader, and reads more books in a month than I read in a year. She's just an all around awesome person to be around! Congratulations on your last year of school, Sam!

Lauren + Bill: McConnell's Mill Anniversary Photos

Anniversary sessions are quickly becoming a favorite of mine, and Lauren and Bill's anniversary session is no exception! Lauren and Bill came ready to have an amazing time at their session, and we had the BEST time hanging out around McConnell's Mill with them!

As you might be able tell from just the first photo on this blog post, Lauren and Bill are a married couple who genuinely love one another and work amazingly well together as a team! They laughed their way through their entire session, and gave me some solid marriage advice along the way. One of my favorite parts of any anniversary session is asking for the couple's best marriage advice - and Lauren and Bill's was some of my favorite, ever: "Keep God at the center. He's the only thing that can keep you together!" And man, do I believe that, because marriage can be so tough sometimes! But knowing that my spouse isn't the enemy and that God brought us into each others lives for a reason is what gets me through.

So without further ado, here are a few of my favorites from Lauren and Bill's anniversary session! :)