Mia B: Seneca Valley Senior High School Photos at Hartwood Acres

Meet Mia, who is a rising senior graduating with the class of 2023!

Mia has such a sweet heart, I truly loved getting to know her during our time together! She is a Seneca Valley senior who plays lacrosse, and whose dream job is to be a special needs teacher, and she plans on going to school for speech pathology in Kentucky!

We spent ALL day the day of her session watching the forecast, trying to decide what to do about the rain. Mia decided that she wanted to go try to for it, and what a great call - the rain held off for the ENTIRE session! We even had a little bit of sunlight!

And Hartwood is looking absolutely LOVELy right now. I'm so excited that they haven't mowed down those gorgeous wheat fields!

Congratulations on your senior year, Mia!

Leanne A: Seneca Valley Senior High School Photos

What a special session this was! I’ve known Leanne for quite a few years. Her mom and I have gotten to know each other especially well over the last few years, and she has graciously helped be my assistant/reflector holder on a number of senior photo occasions!

So of course, this was a special one! We actually photographed Leanne’s sister Megan’s senior photos back in February when we had the most beautiful snow storm (click here to see it!), which is so crazy.

Leanne is a Seneca Valley High School senior who plays the trombone and is involved in musical theater! She loves to write, and hopes to be a novelist or screen play writer, which is what she plans to go to school for!

For Leanne’s session, we hit two of my favorite locations - Historic Harmony & Hartwood Acres! In Harmony, we took some photos around Leanne’s favorite little shops, as well as in front of the music studio building where she takes trombone lessons (and including the trombone was a must!).

After Harmony, we drove to Hartwood, and shortly upon our arrival, it began raining (you never know what will happen with the weather when you’re shooting in Pittsburgh!). Even so, we got some beautiful and unique shots in the rain before things cleared up and the sun came out for a few minutes!

Congratulations on your senior year, Leanne! And thank you so much for letting me be a part of this sweet season! ❤️

Bethany G: Pine Richland High School Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres

Meet Bethany! She's a Pine Richland Class of 2023 senior who loves musical theatre, choir, and salty snacks! I had the honor of taking her senior photos at the beautiful (and as of the time of this blog post, recently renovated ) Hartwood Acres Mansion. Oh, how I've missed you Hartwood!

Bethany wore two lovely outfits - the first was a pale blue dress with a floral pattern, which complimented the architecture and garden of Hartwood absolutely perfectly! The second was a bright blue floral skirt with a white shirt, which popped beautifully against the neutral mansion colors.

Hartwood continues to be one of my favorite locations for senior photos because of its diversity - there are so many options to work with within such a short walking distance! The mansion, the garden, the woods - the spots are endless!

Congratulations on your senior year, Bethany!

Erica M: College Graduate Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres

Meet the absolutely gorgeous Erica! I had the pleasure of photographing Erica at Hartwood Acres Mansion to celebrate her graduation from the Community College of Allegheny County. Who says only high school seniors can get senior photos?!

Erica had a vision in mind when she contacted me for her photos! This special session included a photo AND a video portion (video portion by the fantastic Dorosh Documentaries!) to announce her graduation! She brought her biggest cheerleader and supporter along - her mom - for her session, too, which was the sweetest!

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!

Max G: Butler High School Senior Photos at Succop Nature Park

We had a great summer night for senior photos at Succop Nature Park for Max’s senior photos!

Max is a Butler senior graduating with the class of 2023. He plays football, volleyball, and basketball, and his favorite type of food is breakfast food!

Succop Nature Park is a great senior photo location for those looking for a location North of Pittsburgh. There is lots of variety - tall grass, trees, a fence, a barn, a willow tree, a pond, and a small old greenhouse (and more!)! There’s also a large house on the property that we didn’t use for this particular session, but it still a great spot!

Congratulations on your senior year, Max!

Gavin S: North Catholic High School Senior Photos at McConnell's Mill

Meet Gavin, who's graduating this Spring with the class of 2022 from North Catholic!

Gavin is heading south for college, and plans to be a part of the medical field - his choice was inspired by his own personal experience and diagnosis.

Gavin also plays hockey and has a car that he's proud of - so of course, we had to incorporate it into some photos! We had the perfect night for photos at McConnell's Mill, and were able to get lots of variety and unique shots during our time together!

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

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!

6 Ways to Make Senior Photos Less Awkward & Uncomfortable

When I talk to people my age about their senior photo experience, they will often say things like….

“It was SO awkward.”

“I felt so uncomfortable the entire time.”

“I couldn’t wait for it to be over.”

“What am I supposed to do with my hands?!”

Let’s face it - senior photos can sometimes have a bad rep for being uncomfortable, awkward, and simply an experience that you have to “get through” in order to get what you really want in the end - the images.

Well, let it not be so for my clients! I strive to create an environment that is laid back, relaxed, and comfortable - like you have a friend taking your photos!

But I know that those pre-session nerves can sometimes still get the best of anyone. So today, I’m sharing some of my TOP tips and recommendations for ways to make your senior photos less awkward and uncomfortable! First up…

1 - Consider doing them alongside a friend!

These twins opted to have their photos taken together, simultaneously! We had such a blast!

Have a friend who needs their senior photos taken, too? Consider having your senior photos taken simultaneously! I’ve done a few “best friend” senior photo sessions, where two separate seniors have booked me together - and because they are doing their senior photos together, they can encourage each other, share outfits, and even have some photos taken together! Plus, that session will be a fun experience and memory for the two of you to have together!

2 - Bring a friend or trusted family member with you.

The person you bring to your session doesn’t necessarily have to be having their photo taken, too. Bringing a friend or trusted family member to your session is a great way to feel a bit more comfortable, rather than having your photos taken on your own.

3 - Have your senior photos taken at a familiar location.

This senior opted to have her photos taken at a camp she had attended and counseled at for years!

We all feel more comfortable in places we’re familiar with, right? The same is true for a photo session! If you want to keep things comfortable, consider locations for your session that are meaningful to you in some way. Maybe there’s a park that you visit often with your friends. Maybe you grew up visiting the Strip District with your family and feel comfortable there. Maybe your parents, grandparents, or a family friend have a picturesque property that you’ve visited many times - that could be a great spot, too! Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box!

4 - Consider a morning senior session vs. an evening senior session.

As a more natural-light style photographer (meaning that I don’t generally use off camera/artificial lights to light my senior subjects), I take senior photo sessions within two hours of sunset, and two hours of sunrise when the natural light is at its best. There are a few advantages to morning senior sessions that might help a senior feel more comfortable!

First, you can get your session done. Instead of waiting around all day for it, you can wake up, getting ready, and get it finished before lunch time! That way, you don’t have to spend the day thinking about it.

Second, there are generally less people in public spaces in the morning. Lots of popular photo locations have WAY less people early in the morning, rather than later in the day (especially on a nice evening, when we’re bound to run into lots of other photo sessions taking place!). If you want more privacy for your senior session, I would recommend a morning time slot!

5 - Look at your photographer’s work in advance.

All photographers have different ways they pose and direct images. To be more familiar with the poses your photographer might pose or direct you into during your session, be sure to look through some of their photo sessions in advance! That way, when they ask you to do something, you might be able to recall how it looks on camera based on what you’ve seen of their work - whether in their portfolio or on their blog.

Personally, I love sharing blog posts from my senior sessions with my favorite 10-25 images! I love giving upcoming seniors a feel of how they can expect to be posed/directed through the work that I share, in advance, so they can feel more comfortable and confident going into it!

6 - Talk with your photographer beforehand.

Whether it’s over the phone, by email, or by text, having a conversation with your photographer prior to your session might alleviate some of your pre-session jitters! They can reassure you, provide outfit advice, give tips for what to expect, and even quell some of your specific fears that you’re willing to share.

I always love to prep my seniors as much as possible before a session! Every senior who books with me gets digital access to a “Senior Style & Experience Guide,” which is meant to walk seniors through the process of what a shoot with me will be like, introduce who I am, and give tips for what to wear, what not to wear, and how to get the most out of their session.

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I truly hope this blog posts helps you feel more comfortable and confident heading into your senior session! Can having your photo taken be awkward and uncomfortable? Of COURSE, because it’s something we’re not always used to doing in a professional setting! But by implementing one, two, or all of these steps, you’re sure to have a great session and feel more confident going into it!

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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)!