Megan & Devon: The Gathering Place Wedding Photos

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of photographing Megan & Devon's travel-inspired wedding at The Gathering Place at Darlington Lake!

Megan started off the day getting ready at her childhood home, and their ceremony took place at St. Killian Parish in Cranberry Township. Their pup, Murphy, met us for a few photos after the ceremony (he also makes a surprise appearance on their cake! ) and after a quick rain shower, the skies parted as we drove to the Gathering Place in time for us to take some photos around their gorgeous property!

Megan & Devon had bagpipers during cocktail hour (Devon also plays the bagpipe!), and lots of travel themed decorations - including table numbers featuring all of the locations they've traveled to together! Devon's grandma baked their wedding cake (which was gorgeous!) and the evening went on with lots of dancing, chatting, and even with a few little spots of sunshine... which we took advantage of for a few photos!

Megan & Devon, thank you so much for having us a part of your wedding day. It was such an honor to get to celebrate alongside you!

Vendors: The Butler Florist, The Exquisite Bride, Ida Torez, AZAZIE, Medure's Catering, 300pxl - Printed & Digital Invitations + Party Supplies

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!

Jessica M: Professional Headshots at Hartwood Acres Mansion

Professional headshots are not something I take on often, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to take Jess’s headshot for her new business venture!

I photographed Jess for the first time over EIGHT years ago for her engagement session... basically, when I was first getting my feet on the ground in the photography world, Jess & her now-husband trusted me with their engagement + wedding day memories, and I could not be more thankful (or more emotional!) when I think about how much that means to me!

And it is always always ALWAYS an honor when people who trusted me then trust me yet again with their photo moments! I had the honor of taking some quick headshots for her before another session to use for her new business venture as a therapist. What a blessing it was to reconnect, even just for a little while!

Jess, you are beautiful! Thank you so much for the honor of taking these! (PS - isn't her outfit amazing?! I love bright colors in photos! )

If you are in need of a few headshots, reach out to me at jhidingerphotography@gmail.com and I would be happy to see what I can do to help!

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!

Haley & John: Summer Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Wedding

Haley & John met in Panera Bread, of all places, while ordering their food! And a few weeks ago, they celebrated their marriage at the beautiful Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, surrounded by a small group of their closest friends & family during a GORGEOUS outdoor ceremony, followed by the sweetest reception!

If you’ve never been to the Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens, you might just be missing out! Not only is it a lovely reception venue, but it has gardens and trails (and a cute little shop/food spot!) where you could easily spend a whole day taking in the beauty of creation.

And when it comes to weddings… PBG knows how to do it! They have the prettiest ceremony backdrop, and lots beautiful backdrops for photos. Haley & John decided on a mid-day wedding featuring a brunch menu (DELISH, thanks to Hazelnut Catering!) and a very laid back atmosphere, which was so much fun and such a nice change of pace! They had the sweetest, most thoughtful details, too - both had lockets they wore on their person in memory of loved ones who had passed. Haley chose her veil (covered with gorgeous pearls!) as a nod to her mom’s wedding dress, which was also covered in pearls! Her something blue was her toenails. They had everyone sign a vintage record as their guest book and had John’s grandfather’s record player displaying it, and they had signature cocktails named after their cats!

Because they opted for a shorter, earlier reception, they opted to use more of their photo coverage towards portraits of the two of them… and THAT was so much fun, too! We were able to hit so many beautiful spots around PBG, including the Japanese Gardens, the fields, a few beautiful pathways, and the cozy inside of the welcome center! They even take you to all the spots on a golf cart… which was a blessing for such a hot day! We were also able to use the last bit of our time to travel to Allegheny Commons Park on the North Side of Pittsburgh for a few extra portraits!

But above all of the meaningful details and the pretty backdrops, what stuck out the most to me on Haley & John’s wedding day was their genuine joy with becoming husband and wife. There were many happy tears shed by loving family & friends (and by the bride & groom themselves), beautiful, heartfelt toasts given, and just an overall atmosphere of love. What a joy to be a part of!

Haley & John, a HUGE congrats to you on your wedding day! Thank you so much for letting us celebrate with you! ❤️

Vendors: Bethel Bakery, See Jane Blush - Pittsburgh Makeup Artist, Bridal Beginning Pittsburgh, Birdy Grey, Hazelnut Catering

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!

Mellon Park Family Photos

Did you know that a mini family session can be added onto any full senior package purchase? If one member of your family is getting photo ready, it can be a great time to bring the rest of the family along for some photos of you all together! And that’s exactly what we did for this sweet family!

Family mini sessions paired with a senior session take place either at the beginning or the end of the senior session. They last 20 minutes, and in that timeframe, we get as many different combinations as we can, along with some more posed photos and some more candid photos.

If you would be interested in adding a mini family session to your senior package, you can do so while booking with me! Or, if you’ve already booked and would like to add one on, feel free to reach out and we can get it added on for you!

Emily & Dave: Italian Inspired Bella Sera Event Villa Wedding Photos

Emily & Dave had the perfect Italian villa inspired summer wedding day at the most gorgeous Bella Sera!

While it may have been one of the hottest days of the year at that point, it surely did not dampen this epic celebration! Emily & Dave really wanted to enjoy cocktail hour with their friends and family, so they decided to opt for a first look, which allowed us to complete the vast majority of their portraits (bride & groom, bridal party, and family formals) prior to the ceremony. It also allowed us to get some candids of cocktail hour, and gave us a solid chunk of time to photograph all of the gorgeous reception details at Bella Sera!

Right after dinner, we snuck back out into a grassy area for a few extra portraits of just Emily & Dave! I always LOVE this part of the day, when (if) couples decide to sneak out during sunset or golden hour for a few photos. Couples are typically so much more relaxed at this point in the day, and it really lets us get some different types of images!

After their golden hour photos, we headed back into the reception for parent dances and for LOTS more dancing. Emily & Dave had a huge dancing crowd, and we got so many fun photos of Emily & Dave with their guests on the dance floor (don’t worry… you’ll see!)

We absolutely LOVED getting to be a part of Emily & Dave’s day and capture the beginning of this next chapter. A HUGE thank you to Emily, Dave, and their friends & family for braving the heat for photos and for just being amazing to work with!

Congratulations, Emily & Dave! ❤️

In addition to having a wonderful couple, bridal party, and family members to work with, we were able to work with an incredible vendor team, too… check them out below!

Vendors: Bella Sera, AConti Media (Videographer), Fragile Paradise Florist, Bethel Bakery (Cake), Kevin H. Redford (DJ), Dana Burns (hair), Bridal Beginning Pittsburgh (Bride's dress), AZAZIE (bridesmaid dresses)

I love when we are able to get a photo with our couples! ❤️ A big thank you to the guest who took on my “fancy camera” for this sweet shot!

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!