Ava S: Sunrise Mellon Park Senior Photos

Meet Ava!

Ava is a senior at Avonworth who is hoping to study engineering post high school. She's in lots of different clubs at school and loves fall! We had the most beautiful morning at Mellon Park for her senior photos, and she brought some gorgeous outfits that complimented the changing fall scenery so well!

Congrats on your senior year, Ava!

Location Ideas for Spring Senior Photos in Pittsburgh

Lots of seniors choose to have their senior photos taken the Spring of their senior year so that they’re able to get those gorgeous fresh blooms in their photos! And when it comes to locations in and around the Pittsburgh area that have beautiful blooms in the Spring, there are two to me that stand out above the rest over my 10 years of photographing seniors: Hartwood Acres Mansion and Mellon Park!

I have found that both of these locations tend to have trees that bloom late April to early May, depending on how soon it starts getting warm. All of the sample images below were taken mid-April through the first week of May, but I typically suggest those who want Spring blooms boom within the last week and a half of April through the first few days of May!

As a side note, you’re familiar with Hartwood Acres Mansion, they also have a beautiful garden area, but it usually doesn’t start really blooming until June. So if you would rather wait until the summer for senior photos, fear not - you can still get some gorgeous florals in your photos June, July, August, and September at Hartwood! AND if you weren’t aware, Phipp’s Conservatory allows room rentals of their Broderie Room for 1 hour, which is filled with beautiful florals year round. That’s another great way to get some gorgeous blooms! Click here to see a session from there!

But today, I’m here to show off the beauty of Spring at both of these iconic locations in the photos below. Enjoy!

1. HARTWOOD ACRES MANSION

2. MELLON PARK

Interested in a spring senior session in the Pittsburgh area? Feel free to click here for more information about Pittsburgh Senior Photos! Use the “Contact” tab to inquire or email me directly at jhidingerphotography@gmail.com as well to say hello and start the conversation!

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Reese D: Mars Area High School Senior Photos at Mellon Park

Congratulations to Reese on her senior year!

Reese is a soccer playing soon-to-be Mars senior who is going to St. John's to play soccer! We had the most beautiful night for her photos at Mellon Park for her senior session... and I LOVED her bright red pop of color for her second outfit. It stood out so well against the more neutral Mellon Park architecture!

If you’re unsure whether to go more bright & vibrant or neutral with outfits for photos, if you’re a senior who’s session is with me… try one of each, like Reese! She had the best of both worlds in terms of color (vibrant/neutral) and style (casual/more dressed up). It’s a great way to get lots of variety within your session!

Thanks so much for the honor of taking your photos, Reese! ❤️

Logan D: Franklin Regional High School Senior Photos at Mellon Park

Meet Logan, who is graduating with the class of 2023! He plays football and loves Chipotle. I photographed his brother just a few months ago (who graduated with the class of 2022!) - it is always so much fun to work with the same families again!

And speaking of families, Logan's came along for some updated family photos before his session began! And they stayed with us for the rest of his session, which made the evening all the more fun. Stay tuned for some photos of the family coming soon!

Congratulations on your senior year, Logan!

Riley W: North Catholic High School Senior Photos at Mellon Park

Riley is a senior at North Catholic High School who plans on attending Penn State in the fall! She is an amazing volleyball player and loves Japanese food, and was so much fun to photograph on a beautiful spring day at Mellon Park! It’s hard to believe that, three years ago, I photographed her brother at McConnell’s Mill (check it out here!)

I loved that we were able to find some blue florals to compliment Riley’s blue dress - and that her white dress went with everything else! She also brought a few of her volleyball medals, her cap and gown, and a Penn State baseball hat to incorporate into some of her photos. It’s always so fun to incorporate some personal memorabilia into senior shoots!

Congratulations on your senior year, Riley! And thanks so much for the honor of taking these photos for you!

Payton A: Seneca Valley High School Senior Photos at Mellon Park

As you might be able to tell from just the header image, we had THE most beautiful day for Payton’s senior photos at Mellon Park!

Payton is a sweet, bubbly senior who is graduating from Seneca Valley High School as a part of the Class of 2022! She is heading to the University of Tennessee in the fall (hence the orange baseball hat we incorporated into some of her photos!). She wanted lots of florals and some architecture in here photos, so Mellon Park was a lovely choice!

We started off our time together by hitting alllll of the pink blooming trees - which perfectly complimented her first dress (which I absolutely adored!) For her second outfit, she chose a white eyelet dress, which had the perfect amount of texture to add some visual interest to her photos.

Congratulations on your senior year, Payton! ❤️ Thank you for the honor of taking these images for you to celebrate!

As a note: for those looking to have beautiful spring blooms in their photos, the last few days of April and the first week of May is the ideal time to book (of course, this can vary slightly year to year depending on early Spring weather)!

Sophia E: North Allegheny High School Senior Photos at Mellon Park

Sophia is a North Allegheny senior who is graduating this spring! She plans to attend Temple University, her snack of choice is kettle cooked jalapeno chips, and she was an absolute delight to photograph during an early April evening at Mellon Park!

Mellon Park has really started to bloom - not only with daffodils on the ground, but also with a beautiful pink tree! Of course, we had to take advantage of that tree during our time together… and I’m so glad that we did! Those are some of my favorite photos from Sophia’s entire session!

Congratulations on your senior year, Sophia!

If you're interested in learning more about a senior photo session, feel free to click here!

Brooke K: Mellon Park Senior Photos

Brooke is a senior at Sewickley Academy who hopes to pursue a career as a lawyer post-high school! Besides being a talented dancer, she also loves graphic design, and is one of the chief creative forces behind her school's yearbook!

We had the prettiest morning for her senior photos at Mellon Park, with a few bursts of gorgeous sunshine!

Congratulations on your senior year, Brooke!

Anna & Ellie: Mellon Park Twin Senior Photos

How gorgeous are these ladies?! Twins are always so much fun to photograph, and these two were no exception! We had the most gorgeous evening for Anna & Ellie's session at Mellon Park... one of my favorite locations!

These two are seniors at Eden Christian Academy, which happens to be my high school alma mater… so much fun! Congratulations on your senior year, Anna & Ellie! ❤️

Cece H: Seneca Valley Senior Photos at Mellon Park

Cece had the most perfect evening for her photos at Mellon Park! The air was slightly crisp, and there was barely any humidity... and the LIGHT! It was unbelievable.

Cece is a rising senior at Seneca Valley who is involved in cheer & track! She's also a former gymnast, whose favorite food is sushi

Congratulations on your senior year, Cece!