Sunday, September 28, 2008

Saturday, September 27, 2008

It's the simple things

Today was one of those days I refused to spend indoors. Vic took off at 4am to go hunting so Gracie and I took off on a hunting mission of our own....fall decorations. We started our morning with a stop at Farmhouse Coffee for a pumpkin spice latte then ventured to the Simmons Farm stand on Rt. 19 for some fall decorations: indian corn, mums, a fall wreath, and those cute little .85 pumpkins noone can resist buying!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at Peters Lake Park:



"fishing"



is this the best laugh ever?!?!



she sat down for 3 seconds like this before moving on; I'm happy I captured it.


We took a walk along the trail before going home with the sound of thunder in the distance. God is good. Life is great. The simple things sometimes matter the most.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Beautiful day for an outdoor wedding!

I've never been to an outdoor ceremony before so last Saturday was a special treat shooting with David! The ceremony and reception were held at the Chartiers Country Club. The golf course provided a beautiful backdrop to the ceremony and the weather could not have been more perfect.






I love capturing the details::








The girls wanted to do a jump shot and pulled it off perfectly...SO,






David showed the girls what he captured! What a fun bunch.









a sweet moment dancing with her dad

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Erin Vey | Anywhere

Erin Vey-one of my favorite dog photographers-is giving away a free photo session to one lucky winner anywhere in the US.











Taken from her blog:





We are looking for an intriguing story that demonstrates the incredible bond between dogs and their humans - a story about how your dog(s) has touched your life, enriched your family, become your best friend, or even saved a life!



I will not be entering the contest but I will never forget the day we got our dog:

Miao was on the "sale rack" when we got him. He was 4 months old and already 40 pounds; not the little fluffy lab puppy most wanted. We loved his big head and paws so we wrote a check and loaded him into my then Hyundai hatchback. The breeder assured us he wouldn't pee in the back seat. 10 minutes later she was a liar and we were lost asking for directions at a gas station. And so it began...

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Engagement Session | Downtown

Last week I went on an engagement shoot with David Burke. We had beautiful weather and spent the morning walking through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh. We met up with the couple at the Mellon Arena and finished with a ride on the incline!! They were so happy around each other and were extremely photogenic. I love this job ;)




David was shooting from across the street here. The entire wall above them was laced with green ivy. It was a perfect backdrop for a picture. I sneaked one from this angle...




I really loved the B&W images from this set.








inside the incline::

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Canvas Print

A while back I took Gracie out to Mingo Creek to capture some images worthy of a large canvas print. Fast forward 1 month and it's here....it's beautiful...it's so fantastic!!



This is my work-in-progress-workspace:: The canvas is a 24x20 and is the perfect size for this wall.









Images are printed on museum-quality canvas and hand stretched onto a custom-built wooden frame. The best part is it's ready to hang. From box to wall in less than 2 minutes...if you tear into it at the speed I did :)





close-up to show the detail.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Senior Session | Canon McMillan

Sunday night was spent traveling to the Strip District with C for his senior portrait session. I love getting out and shooting in different locations-the variety of backdrops the city streets and alleys provide is fantastic!


C was up for anything which was good because I made him stand in thee smelliest part of the city for a portrait. We're still not sure what the smell was, but it was well worth it in my humble opinion!! My seniors rock!


And what senior session shouldn't end with a trip through the BK drive-thru?!


Here's a little sneak peek::




He almost let us see his teeth :)










Sunday, September 7, 2008

Wall Portraits

I have been on a mission lately to create a large picture wall in our living room. I've come up with several different layouts from the extremely complicated--I mean I'm not the one who will be doing the hanging so who cares right?!--to the simple, sleek and elegant look. Well I stuck with what I know...SIMPLE!
(brownie points for me whoo whoo)


I follow photographer, Tara Whitney, on her blog who started doing OPAM--one project a month. I might start OPEOM--one project every other month...BUT it's a start and that's gooood! I will be sure and share my living room wall project when it is complete in Tara Whitney fashion. (thanks for the inspiration TW)


Anyways, I captured a few of Gracie and Miao today after church::





Our poor baby has Kennel Cough (doggie cold) and sounds horrible. I thought he had something stuck in his throat by the sounds of his "coughing", but it turns out that it's the common sound of KC. He wasn't up for posing, but I got him while he was resting in the yard.

I think 90 of the 95lbs is his head. Ain't he purdy::


Thanks Aunt J for the video!

Tim Ferris, author of the Four Hour Work Week, demonstrates how easy it is to get get a hardboiled egg without peeling it! Hats off to you, Tim. There will now be an abundance of deviled eggs at my next family reunion :)

Thanks to my Aunt J out in the beautiful mountainess state of Colorado for the link. Miss you dearly.



off to make egg-salad. seriously.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Senior Session | Peters Township

Have I mentioned that I love photographing seniors?! They are so much fun to work with. Miss A brought some great outfits, her guitar and a beautiful smile!


We started off taking pictures around Farmhouse Coffee--no brainer if your mom owns it ;). If you haven't visited you really MUST. It's much better than Star...Anyways, back to pictures....we finished up at her aunt's home in Mt. Lebanon who has a gorgeous garden.


Enjoy a little sneak peak:







Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Elizabeth + Brendon | August 30th

I just returned from an extended weekend in Ohio to attend my sister's wedding! It's been 6 years that I've been to a family wedding. How awesome it was to see my little sister walking down the aisle. (just to clarify, she's really my step-sister...just in case you were wondering about the names! lol)


I didn't take as many pictures as I thought I would, but I definetly can't help but share a lot!! Elizabeth doesn't take a bad picture and her happiness clearly shows in all of them.


Elizabeth talking to her future husband...I think she was trying to figure out where he was in the church to make sure they wouldn't see each other!






Laura Leppert was the photographer and had the dress set up in window when I walked in.




My neice, one of the flowergirls, getting her hair and makeup done.



I had to work around the candle holders, but I loved this moment:




my favorite moment of the day. She's soo happy!!




Isn't she gorgeous?!



Gracie wondered if the box had jewelry inside...she was just as happy with pink M&M's :)



I thought about stealing the B, but then thought it would be too obvious :).