Gina G: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Gina: the picture of the red dress emoji 💃

We had the absolute BEST time taking photos of Gina a few weeks ago at Hartwood Acres Mansion to celebrate her senior year! Gina is a bundle of fun, and hopes to study nursing post high school. She loves Mad Mex (good taste ) and brought her A game to her senior session with some absolutely beautiful outfits!

Gina's mom is an AMAZING wedding photographer, which made getting to take her senior photos even more of an honor. And since Gina grew up with a photographer mom, you know she was a pro in front of the camera

Congratulations on your senior year, Gina!

Sophia A: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Meet Sophie! She's a Mt. Lebanon senior who is graduating with the class of 2024. She wanted tons of flowers in her senior photos, and there was no better spot than Hartwood!

Sophie started off her senior photos in her more casual outfit, then moved on to two beautiful dresses - one pink, and one blue! I love that she chose lighter colors to compliment the mansion space. Both of her dresses worked perfectly with the mansion architecture and in the colorful gardens!

Congrats on your senior year, Sophie! ❤️

Sarah & Brian: Shady Elms Farm Engagement Photos

Do I have some photos to share with you!

Imagine that you book one of the prettiest venues with the most gorgeous golden hour light, and they tell you that you can take your engagement photos on their property... not just your wedding photos

I am SO GLAD that Sarah & Brian took Shady Elms Farm up on their incredible offer, because it was so fun to take some photos around Shady Elms on a non-wedding day... my first time ever! And I am extra pumped that we had the most beautiful weather, considering that we almost had a rain out on our hands The photos still would've been beautiful.. but this golden hour light was to die for!

And even though these are technically engagement photos.. Sarah & Brian have been married for close to a year now! They tied the knot last year in an intimate ceremony, and this year (on their one year wedding anniversary!) they are going to party with their people!

These two are a ton of fun, and we had a blast taking their engagement photos around the farm... and with the cows More to come!

Sarah’s hair by: Baldwin Hair Loft

Bri S: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

I love when seniors bring props that represent who they are - and Bri, an avid reader, brought some of her favorite books for us to incorporate into her session at Hartwood yesterday evening!

My personal favorite book she brought was Persuasion - it complimented the garden/feel of Hartwood so perfectly with the color and style 😍 And of course, it complimented Bri’s skintone perfectly!

Bri is a rising senior at Shaler who plans to go into teaching post high school (she especially loves history).

Congratulations on your senior year, Bri!

Cara & Johnny: Twelve Oaks Mansion Wedding Photos

Congratulations to Cara & Johnny on their wedding day! It was full of the best things - the sweetest love, the cutest DOH (dog of honor, Lilah), and lots of pink! (Not to mention delicious food and the kindest people... and lots of subtle nods to Cara's absolute favorite, Taylor Swift!).

Twelve Oaks Mansion has quickly become one of my favorite venues - I photographed one other wedding here prior to Cara & Johnny’s day, and I was so glad to be back! It is a lovely, modern space that overlooks Mars with lots of beautiful indoor space with natural light!

Cara & Johnny’s wedding ceremony took place in the ballroom, which was flipped during cocktail hour for the reception - while we took some photos outside! It was definitely a hot and humid day, but we were all thankful that it had stopped raining just in time for photos… so we pushed through the heat & humidity for some beautiful photos on the Twelve Oaks property! It was so worth it!

What a dream! And a huge shout out to the incredible vendor team who worked so hard on this event:

Twelve Oaks Mansion, Wanderlust Weddings and Events, LLC (Planner), See Jane Blush - Pittsburgh Makeup Artist, Caviar & Curls (Hair), Bethel Bakery, Just Hitched Wedding Films, Blumengarten (Florist), Joel Lindsey Entertainment, The Dress Bridal Boutique (Bride's dress), APD - Angela Pro Design (Invitation suite), Common Plea Catering, Lux Photobooth, E.F. Lighting, LLC

Skyler A: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Senior season is coming I am so excited to have lots of seniors on my books for the next few months - starting with Skyler! 🌸

Skyler is a rising senior at North Allegheny who loves music and dance. She plays the violin and - fun fact - appeared in a Kennywood ad within the last couple of years! So of course, you know she was a pro in front of the camera!

Skyler brought a plethora of flowers for us to use for a few of her photos (Check out my blog post about 4 ideas for incorporating fresh florals into your senior photos!) as well as her violin. both were a great addition to her session!

Congratulations on your upcoming senior year, Skyler!

Deidre & Paul: Cleland Rock & Moraine State Park Engagement Photos

This was such a fun engagement session! Deidre & Paul were a BLAST to photograph (alongside their pups, Navin & Piper!), and made my job so easy!

Deidre & Paul met while in college and are getting married next year at Irons Mills Farmstead! They had their first date at a bounce house (talk about a great first date!) and love spending their time just being together - them and their pups!

Their engagement session took place during one of the recent weeks where there was a lot of extra haze from the wildfires further North (you’ll especially notice in the photos towards the end when they are in front of the lake).

We started off their session at Cleland Rock, then headed over to Moraine State Park for our last chunk of time. It was truly a joy to photograph these two, and I couldn’t be more excited for their wedding next year!

Congratulations again on your engagement, Deidre & Paul! ☺️

Portraits for The Perfect Piece in Zelienople, PA

The Perfect Piece is a used furniture store located in Zelienople, PA. Ownership for the store recently changed hands, and the new owners (Robin & Melinda) invited me to come and take a few portraits of them in their space (along with a few photos of them with the previous owners!).

This was such a sweet time! Robin is a long time friend of mine (who actually has assisted me with quite a few sessions in the past - so you might recognize her if you’ve had a senior session with me!), and it was such a joy to see this new venture come to fruition for her.

The store has lots of beautiful furniture, so we had a lot to work with in terms of portrait spots! As someone who usually photographs seniors, weddings, and families, this was a fun change of pace.

And a someone who lives in Zelienople, it was so much fun to get to work with a local business in this way.

Congratulations on your new venture, Robin & Melinda! And congratulations to the previous owners (Nancy & Kelly) on their successful hand off!

Kathi & John: St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church Wedding Photos

Kathi & John’s wedding day was a BLAST! I photographed these two in the spring of 2022 for their engagement session (click here to see it!) and have been looking forward to working with them on their wedding day ever since.

Their wedding day took place in Monessen, PA - a town that I had never been to prior to! Apart from the getting ready portion of the day, their wedding festivities took place entirely on St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church’s property. Their ceremony took place in the sanctuary, with their reception taking place at the Hellenic Center, just a staircase below!

Kathi got ready with her bridesmaids at her and John’s home, while John got ready at his childhood home. Both houses were very close to the church, which made traveling on the day of for the couple and the bridal party so convenient!

Kathi & John have a beautiful backyard, which made for a great spot for photos of Kathi & her bridesmaids prior to leaving for the ceremony. There was even a gorgeous purple flowering bush that we used for Kathi’s bridal portraits… which turned out SO beautiful!

John’s parents also had a scenic backyard for photos of the groomsmen, with lots of greenery!

The ceremony was traditional Greek Orthodox - I’ve only photographed one Greek Orthodox ceremony before, so it was a treat to be able to photograph one again! I love the tradition and symbolism incorporated throughout the ceremony.

And thankfully, even thought it was supposed to rain for their entire wedding day - it only rained during the ceremony. That was a HUGE answer to prayer! We were able to take all of their bridal party & couple portraits outside, which we were not expecting… what a blessing!

After portraits came the reception - full of giant cookie tables, delicious food, and tons of Greek dancing! I’m not sure I’ve seen a bride & groom on the dance floor as much - ever! They had a ton of fun and we enjoyed every minute of getting to work with them. Congratulations on your wedding day, Kathi & John!!

Vendors: Just Hitched Wedding Films , Fragile Paradise Florist , Barton's Bake Shop, Galiffa Productions, Wanderlust Beauty Studio, The White Orchid, By George Catering

Erin & Colin: 10 Year Anniversary Photos in Mars, PA

Erin and Colin have been married for 10 years, and they decided to celebrate a decade of marriage with a photo session on their own property in Mars, PA!

These two bought a farm last year where they also run their own business, The Berkley Creek Pet Retreat, where they have daycare and boarding for dogs! They also have a few furry friends of their own, who of course needed to be included in a few family photos!

Congrats to you, Erin & Colin, on 10 years, on your farm, and on your successful business! It was a joy to take these photos for you!