Alexis B: Franklin Regional Senior High School Photos at Hartwood Acres

Meet Alexis! She is a part of the class of 2023 - she's a tap dancer, cookie dough ice cream lover, and was a joy to photograph on a beautiful early fall night at Hartwood Acres Mansion!

On the way to her session, it started raining - and I could hardly believe it, as I had checked the weather forecast just that afternoon and had seen no chance of rain! When we arrived to the mansion, it was pouring and looked like it was going to rain all the way until sunset - but we decided to wait 20 minutes to see if the weather would lighten up. And thankfully... it DID! AND we were able to shoot for her full 90 minute timeframe, which was such a blessing. It always amazes me how fast Pittsburgh weather can change! A huge thanks to Alexis and her parents for being willing to give it a shot… you never know what might happen!

For her session, Alexis brought a few bouquets of fresh flowers to incorporate into her photos… which I LOVED! Fresh flowers add some vibrancy and life to images, so I always love when seniors bring them. They’re such an easy prop to incorporate!

Congratulations, Alexis, on your senior year!

Maeley C: Butler Area Senior High School Photos at Mellon Park

Say hello to Maeley, who's a part of the Butler High School class of 2023!

First, I have to say that I am SO EXCITED to photograph all of the fall outfits - layered looks and punchy colors are always my favorite! And Mae chose the most adorable, fall-ish outfits for her session.

We had the prettiest evening at Mellon Park for her photos! And as you can tell... she is a total pro! It was such a joy to celebrate her and to get to take these photos!

She also brought along a bouquet of flowers to incorporate into her session - and they complimented her dress perfectly! I love when seniors bring fresh flowers with them - it adds a simple and easy yet versatile pop of color!

Congrats on your senior year, Maeley!!!

Aiden H: Pine Richland High School Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres

Aiden is graduating with the Pine Richland class of 2023! He's a football player who loves football, skiing, and golfing, and hopes to study engineering post high school!

Congratulations on your senior year, Aiden, and thanks for the honor of taking your photos!

Armando V: Mars High School Senior Photos in the Strip District

Meet Armando! He is a senior at Mars High School this year graduating with the class of 2023! He hopes to study mechanical engineering post high school and chose one of my favorite city locations for his senior photos... The Strip District! We had so much fun channeling all the city vibes during his senior photos!

Reasons why I love the Strip District for photos: there are a lot of different urban backdrops within a short walking distance! Some are a bit more grungy, some are a bit more polished, but all of them have those city vibes for those looking for that in their photos!

AND there is an amazing view of the city at a nearby parking garage… probably my favorite view of the city for photos!

Congrats on your senior year Armando!

Sreyashi M: Pine Richland High School Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres

August 2022 was a month FULL of senior sessions (which just so happen to be my favorite!). And out of all of the sessions I photographed, about 75% of them took place at one of my favorite locations… Hartwood Acres Mansion! Which, you probably know by now, is one of my favorite spots!

And one of the lovely seniors graduating with the class of 2023 who I had the privilege of photographing there was the sweet Sreyashi! She came SO prepared with three gorgeous outfits and so much joy!

Sreyashi is a Pine Richland senior who is involved in many extracurricular activities - including dance (note the pointe shoes we incorporated into some of her photos!) and speech & debate!

One of my favorite conversations I had with Sreyashi during her session was about her involvement in her school’s speech and debate. I am not a huge fan of public speaking, so I was curious if she had sought out an opportunity to be a part of the program because she enjoyed speaking in front of people. When I asked her about this, she told me that while she didn’t like it at first, after being involved on her speech and debate team for a little while, she learned to love it. And that is a simple, yet profound lesson that spoke right to my heart!

Sreyashi, congratulations on your senior year, and thank you so much for the honor of taking these photos for you & your sweet family!

Alexis H: Seneca Valley High School Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres

It was such a joy to get to photograph Alexis around Hartwood in August! We had a lovely garden full of butterflies (that let us get oh-so close!!), beautiful light, and some fun & personal props to incorporate into her photos during our time together!

One of my favorite props Alexis brought was a sash representing the meshing of her Filipino and American cultures. It was such a sweet personal sentiment! She also brought a cute “Class of 2023) sign from Etsy, as well as a beautiful color guard flag!

After high school, Alexis plans on going into the medical field. She is in color guard and loves being a part of her school's musicals! And is just all around so sweet!

Congratulations on your senior year, Alexis!

Kyra H: Mars Area High School Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres

Kyra is a Mars high school senior who chose the lovely location of Hartwood Acres Mansion for her senior photos!

Kyra is also a dancer, a Chinese/Japanese food lover, and was such a joy to spend the evening with. I had the honor of photographing her brother Luke’s senior photos a few years ago (click here to see his session!), and it was such a joy to get to work with this family again!

Congratulations on your senior year, Kyra!

Katie S: Colorful Floral Hartwood Acres Senior Photos

Meet Katie! She's a North Allegheny senior who loves flowers (her favorites are sunflowers 🌻). Her and her mom requested that her session be filled to the brim with flowers and color - and I think we made it happen - mostly due to the amazingly detailed planning of her mom, Linda, who worked tirelessly to coordinate all of the beautiful outfits and extra props we used during Katie's session! It was all an absolute DREAM to photograph!!

Besides having beautiful details and colorful outfits, we also chose our location - Hartwood Acres Mansion - in large part due to their colorful garden, which really is at its prime in the month of August (when Katie’s session took place). There really is no other location like it in the area!

Besides the beautiful garden, Hartwood has lots of gorgeous architecture that provides a wide variety of backdrops within a short walking distance. The only catch - you have to make sure you call in advance to make sure there are no events happening on the mansion grounds for the night of your shoot! With its growing popularity, Hartwood has started to close down the mansion area for private events more and more frequently. It used to only close primarily on Saturdays, and sometimes on Friday evenings, with an occasional Thursday thrown in. It’s definitely worth it to call and ask so you don’t show up ready for a photo shoot, only to be asked to leave! (If I’m your photographer, I’ll take care of all of the calling for you ;) ).

If you’ve been following the blog for the last few years, Katie’s session might seem familiar with its color, vibrancy, and additional props and outfits. I photographed Katie’s sister Annie two years ago, where we had a similar feel with a different set up! (Feel free to check it out here!) Both ladies were so much fun to photograph!

Congratulations on your senior year, Katie, and thank you so much for the honor of taking your senior photos!

Adri D: Seneca Valley High School Senior Photos in Historic Harmony

We had the BEST time photographing Adri on Saturday around Historic Harmony! She brought the most beautiful, bright & colorful outfits that made her photos POP!

Historic Harmony is a great location for senior photos if you live near the Cranberry Township area, especially for Seneca Valley High School seniors (it’s literally right down the road from the high school!). Or, if you live a bit further… it’s still worth the drive! The colorful buildings and historic architecture provide SO MANY beautiful backdrops within a very short walking distance. You can also make a night of it and go to dinner afterwards at The Harmony Inn (German inspired brewery) or grab a sweet treat at Neff Haus (German ice cream!).

Adri is a soccer playing senior who plans on going into the medical field post high school! She grew up near Harmony, so it made her location a little extra special.

I've known Adri through her mom, Ada, for quite a few years - who is such an excellent photographer! So of course, when she asked me to take Adri's senior photos, I was completely honored.

Adri, a huge congratulations to you on your senior year! I am so excited for you!!!

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! ❤️