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!!!

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!

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! ☺️

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! ❤️

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

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!