Fall McConnell's Mill Family Photos

Every year, it feels like a bit of a guessing game to figure out when the best fall color will hit Western Pennsylvania. For this family's session a few weeks ago, we truly had some of the prettiest fall color I've photographed yet this year! (or maybe any year!)

We spent the prettiest fall evening exploring McConnell's Mill together - and this family even climbed out onto some gorgeous rocks just to get the most beautiful backdrop! (And they brought their dog with them out there - major props!)

Thank you again to this sweet family for letting me take your photo... again! (Click here to see their last family session at Hartwood Acres!)

Jonah P: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Meet Jonah! He's an online North Allegheny senior who's graduating with the class of 2023 - he loves tacos, video gaming, and really was a natural in front of the camera! His black suit stood out so well against the lighter neutral colored architecture of Hartwood Acres Mansion. It was such a fun session!

Congrats on your senior year, Jonah, and thanks for spending the evening with us!

How to Edit Senior Photos in Lightroom and Photoshop

As a senior, family, and wedding photographer, I showcase many photos on my website and blog - all of which are completely edited, color corrected, and retouched. I love sharing the final product of the work that I produce for my clients! However, today I wanted to share a behind the scenes peek at just how those photos go from their unedited state to what you see in all of my blog posts.

Showing an unedited image sort of feels like one of those dreams where you get up to give a speech and realize that you’re in your underwear 😂 But alas, I do think it’s helpful for clients to see how much time and energy goes into making sure their images are beautiful!

Ultimately, this blog post might be of interest to you if you are a photographer (I love seeing how others edit their images) - but even if you’re not, it might surprise you how much time and effort goes into the details of each image you may see on my website or blog posts - or on any photographer’s website! Some may edit more, some less, but all photographers do retouch their images to some degree. I hope this give an understanding for the love and effort that goes into each image!

Also, if you’re interested in seeing a highlight blog post from this stunning senior’s photo session, feel free to click here!

And for anyone who may be interested, in this editing tutorial, I use two editing programs: Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop, both on my desktop computer. Enjoy!

Before & After

And for anyone who might be interested in seeing the before and after without watching the entire tutorial… I’ve included the images below just for you! 😉

Before Editing (Raw image format, straight out of camera)

After Editing (JPEG image format - after color correction, spot removal, skin softening, eye enhance, fly away removal, and glowy corner addition)

Interested in seeing more content like this? Feel free to let me know below! Or, if you’re interested in seeing some additional editing tutorials, feel free to check out my Youtube channel by clicking the link below.

For more resources for photographers, seniors, and engaged couples, click any of the photos below!

Mykaela S: Seneca Valley High School Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres

Mykaela is a part of the Seneca Valley High School class of 2023, and was a joy to photograph on the most beautiful of fall evenings! She's in chorus, loves Sheetz (same), and has the prettiest ice blue eyes - which her first outfit helped pop SO well!

To me, one of the best things about being a Pittsburgh senior photographer is getting to photograph people in the fall! It’s always for clients (and for me!) to not work up a sweat while taking photos, and there’s just something so pretty about that fall light… not to mention the beautiful, vibrant foliage on the trees. It’s the perfect combination!

Congratulations on your senior year, Mykaela! Thank you so much for the honor of taking these photos for you!

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!!!

Anna & Henry: White Barn in Prospect, PA Wedding Photos

Anna & Henry had the most beautiful September day for their White Barn wedding (& of course, the most beautiful venue! But I know I'm biased since this was where I got married back in 2015!!!)

Anna & Henry’s wedding day was full of special details to the couple, and so much fun! In the photos below, you’ll easily be able to see how much these two adore each other and how much fun they love to have!

One of my favorite things about working at the White Barn is that everything takes place there. The ladies can get ready there, the ceremony, photos, and reception can all happen there - which makes the day much more relaxing for the family & bridal party (and it’s not too bad from a vendor perspective, either ;) ).

After the ladies were finished getting ready, Anna shared a first look with her then future mother-in-law, then with her bridesmaids, and then with her dad. After taking some photos of Anna with her bridesmaids and Henry with his groomsmen, we were all set for the ceremony to begin!

Post ceremony, we dove right into family formals, then bridal party portraits, and finally photos of the bride & groom. The White Barn has so many great backdrops on their property, and we were able to use so many of them during the time we had allotted for photos! And Anna & Henry were such naturals in front of the camera! (Click here to see their engagement photos from last year!)

Their reception began with confetti guns and a champagne tower, and the party went on all night long!

Congratulations on your wedding day, Anna & Henry!!! Thank you so much for letting us be a part of it!

Vendors: Oakmont Bakery (cake), Alexis Vince Makeup, Bridal Beginning Pittsburgh (bride's dress & bridesmaid dresses), Loyalty Entertainment LTD (DJ), Lightning Hair Lounge, Truly Engaging by Magnet Street (invitation), Medure's Catering

Karissa & Dave: McConnell's Mill & Moraine State Park Engagement Photos

Meet Karissa & Dave ❤️

These two started dating during the 2020 pandemic! Because so many indoor locations were closed down at the time, they had their first date at North Park - and it turns out, that was a defining part of their relationship! Years later, they still love hiking and being outdoors together

In addition to having a mutual love of the outdoors, Karissa & Dave also figured out early on in their dating that they have lots of mutual acquaintances in common - it turns out they've been just a few degrees separated almost their whole lives!

I truly loved getting to know this sweet pair, and getting to explore some of my favorite spots at McConnell's Mill and Moraine State Park with them! They are SO easy to talk to and connect with, and I couldn't be more excited for their wedding day this upcoming summer!

Congratulations on your engagement, Karissa & Dave!!!

If you enjoyed Karissa & Dave’s session, you also might enjoy…

Anna & Henry: Summer Cleland Rock & Moraine Engagement Photos

Amanda & Chris: Winter McConnell’s Mill Engagement Photos

Katie & Jake: Summer Cleland Rock & Moraine Engagement Photos

For more blog content, including Pittsburgh seniors, families, couples, and weddings, feel free to check out the posts below! If you are interested in scheduling a photo session with Jenna, feel free to click here to get in touch!

Chelsea & Anthony: Kennywood Park & Rose Garden at Renziehausen Engagement Photos

Meet Chelsea & Anthony ❤️ I had the pleasure of taking their engagement photos at Kennywood Park and the Rose Garden at Renziehausen just a few weeks ago!

I have always wanted to take engagement photos at a theme park… so this was a session that I have been looking forward to for quite some time!

If you're from Pittsburgh, you're probably familiar with Kennywood! Chelsea & Anthony met while working as ride operators at Kennywood park a few years ago, so of course for their engagement session, we had to go back to where it all began!

Because the park is closed on Thursdays, we had the whole place to ourselves the evening of their session! It was so much fun to get to revisit all of the places they had frequented early in their relationship, and such a unique experience to get to take photos there!

We also stopped at the Rose Garden at Renziehausen for a few more photos in the glowy evening sunlight. I had never heard of this location before, but it certainly had some beautiful spots for us to work with! I think it worked really well that we paired it with another location, since it’s a bit on the smaller side!

Chelsea & Anthony, I am so excited to photograph your wedding day next year! A huge congratulations to you both on your engagement!!!

Monroeville Community Park Family Photos

Extended family photos are always such a blessing to photograph, knowing how special they will be years down the road! I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family at the Monroeville Community Park on a beautiful day in September.

One of these families I’ve had the privilege of photographing for a few years now, dating all the way back to 2017! Click here to see one of our most recent individual family sessions together at Hartwood Acres Mansion (and click here to see a super cute Mellon Park session from 2017!)

During our time together, we managed to get a group photo with everyone together (only one head swap required, for other photographers out there who might be wondering ;) ) and we were also able to get some photos of each family and couple together, as well as some other combinations. Below is only a small sampling of what we were able to capture!

Some of my favorite photos happened during the more candid part of our session, when the kids were all running around! I’ve learned with family photos that sometimes the best images are the most candid ones, where the kids can just be themselves. ☺️

Thank you again to this family for letting me create these photos for you!