Katie S: Colorful Floral Hartwood Acres Senior Photos

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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!

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

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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!!!

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Summer Mellon Park Family Photos

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Summer Mellon Park Family Photos

I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family at Mellon Park on a beautiful summer evening for a family mini session! We were able to get some great photos in our short time together, and I absolutely love the outfits they chose - colorful, coordinating, (but not too matchy-matchy) and the perfect summer palette!

If you are scheduling a senior portrait session, consider scheduling a family “mini session” to tack on some family photos before your senior goes off to college!

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Brady's Run Park Extended Family Photos

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Brady's Run Park Extended Family Photos

I had the pleasure of working with this lovely family to get some extended family photos at Brady’s Run Park in Beaver Falls at the beginning of August! This sweet family was the largest in number I’ve ever photographed - 17 to be exact! And even though there was a major threat of rain (that only appeared as we were driving to the park!), the weather held out and we were able to get lots of different family combinations!

I can’t believe this was my first time photographing anyone at Brady’s Run Park - it is such a nice space, and worked out so well for this big group!

Below, I’m sharing a few highlights from our time together! Thank you all SO much for the honor of taking your photos! ☺️

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

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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! ❤️

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Erin & Ben: Longue Vue Country Club Wedding Photos

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Erin & Ben: Longue Vue Country Club Wedding Photos

You might remember Erin & Ben from their wintery engagement session earlier this year at The Frick! (Click here to check it out!). We went from one weather extreme (super cold!) for their engagement photos, to the other extreme (quite warm!) for their wedding day! But both days were just as delightful ❤️

Erin & Ben met through Ben's sister, who Erin was friends with before Erin & Ben ever started dating! On a beautiful summer weekend back in July, they said "I do" at Sacred Heart Church in Pittsburgh, then celebrated the night away at the beautiful Longue Vue Country Club. This day was a lovely dream from start to finish!

Congratulations on your wedding day, Erin & Ben!

Vendors: Longue Vue Country Club, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, AmbiDream Productions LLC, Jim Ludwig's Blumengarten Florist, Moio's Italian Bakery, mobileMIX ENTERTAINMENT, Beauty Justified by Justine Lynn, Sorelle Bridal Salon, Élysée Bridal

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

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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!

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Megan & Devon: The Gathering Place Wedding Photos

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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

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Leanne A: Seneca Valley Senior High School Photos

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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! ❤️

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

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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!

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