Weddings
Engagements
Portraits
Posted on July 29, 2009
Last Saturday, July 25, I had the honor of second shooting (and navigating) for the talented Pamela Marie as she photographed Kelly & Phil’s wedding. Pamela is so talented and has such a keen eye – and is lots of fun, too!
I also want to to give a shout-out to Sumer Schmitt of Simply Perfect Weddings. Sumer worked very closely with Kelly to help her plan this spectacular celebration.
The day began at the Sheraton at Station Square, where Kelly & Phil were getting ready.
The bouquets were so rich full of intense color.
Kelly was so relaxed, calm, and happy! I saw her smiling like this all day.
I feel so lucky to be able to capture the quiet, private moment when a bride and groom see each other before the ceremony!
Next stop: a few moments on the North Shore for photos.
Phil & his groomsmen by the Roberto Clemente bridge.
Phil & Kelly’s ceremony took place at St. Mary of the Mount, a beautiful church right on Grandview Avenue on Mount Washington.
After the ceremony, the bridal party crossed the street for a little champagne. And, of course, the beautiful view of downtown Pittsburgh!
Kelly & Phil’s reception was held at the Pennsylvanian, an absolutely stunning venue. The cocktail hour took place in the large rotunda area.
The inside space is just as amazing. Originally a train station, it still featured wooden railroad benches around the perimeter, 40-foot high ceilings, and marble floors.
The centerpieces were so striking and unique.
Kelly & Phil were great dancers!
If you’re interested in holding your wedding at The Pennsylvanian, please see my spotlight on the Pennsylvanian. This is a fantastic Pittsburgh wedding venue!
Congratulations to you, Kelly & Phil! It was an honor to be there to help document your day.
The Pennsylvanian
1100 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Office: 412.391.6730
E-mail: info at thepennsylvanian dot com
Posted on July 28, 2009
Recently, my brother-in-law, Zak, has taken up playing the piano, and has quickly mastered standards like Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer.” Last week, Zak was over for dinner (my birthday!) and asked to look through some of my old music books. After paging through my torn-up Beatles anthology, he was disappointed to find that “Hey Bulldog” wasn’t in there. (Either that… or those pages were missing. Those books have been through some hard times.)
No worries, I said… I’m sure I can figure that part out for you. I quickly replayed the song in my head, went over to the piano, and tapped out the opening notes perfectly.
Zak was impressed. Honestly, I was impressed, too. I always had a pretty good ear, but rarely do I try to play a song and get it right away like that. Zak asked how I did it. I explained, “when you’ve been playing for a long time, and you listen to music, you just hear notes and know what they are. Not all the time – but there are a lot of songs I hear and instantly know – hey, that’s in the key of E. Or I hear that a song is a standard I – IV – V progression.”
Zak responded, “but you don’t really play that much anymore, do you?” This is true. I still love to play as much as I did when I played in a band back in college, or with the choir in high school, but months have gone by where I haven’t played at all. Technically, I’m rusty and sloppy when I play now. But what I haven’t lost is the ear. I still listen to music with the same intensity, and find myself thinking about which chords are in a song, what key it’s in, noting the use of a major 7th in a chord, or a key change toward the end of a song to add some energy.
Similarly, just as my musical background has influenced how I listen to music, being a photographer has changed the way I see. It doesn’t matter where I am, whether I have a camera with me or not, I find myself studying the light around me. I look at where it’s coming from, what kind of shadows there are, what color the light is. I see patterns and lines everywhere, whether in a broken pillar, bridge or a miniature building. I see doors, arches, railings, mirrors, even waterfalls, and think about how I could frame a photograph through them or around them.
I’ve found that seeing the world this way is not something that I can turn off or on. It’s become part of who I am – and I love it. I love seeing and appreciating beauty not just in a beautiful bride and groom at their wedding, but in something as simple as an abandoned building, a quiet dock, or a single flower. I feel certain that even if I never took another picture, or even held a camera, I will never stop seeing my surroundings as if through a viewfinder.
It’s this vision that I bring to my clients, whether I’m photographing children, an engaged couple or a bride and groom.
Posted on July 28, 2009
It was a beautiful summer night. As Matt had gone golfing somewhere far away, Leo, Jonas and I decided to have an adventure of our own, and drove over to the South Side Works. We walked over to the Hot Metal Street bridge for a beautiful view of downtown Pittsburgh and the Monongahela River.
I so very much wanted a photo of Leo sitting on the bridge, with the long line of the railing leading up to him. Bribery was successful at getting him into position.
“Okay, Leo – could you make more of a regular face and don’t look so unhappy?”
“Ummmm… not quite, can you just relax?”
“But look at me… and not quite so miserable?”
“Ok, Leo, just relax, PLEASE and we’ll be done.”
Yep. We were done.
Sigh.
Posted on July 26, 2009
Back in June, we crossed Pennsylvania to spend a few days with my family at a rented house in the Poconos. While we originally planned to spend three nights, we cut the trip short and returned to Pittsburgh one day early.
We spent our first morning at the pool. Poor Jonas fell off a slide on the playground and had a nasty bloody nose before we even entered the pool area. He still had a good time at the pool.
The afternoon brought a little rain, but we still managed to spend a little time on my dad’s little Sunfish sailboat. At first it seemed like Leo would join Pop Tony on the boat… but fear won over and, draped with a Sakura Bloom ring sling, he watched instead.
It was very quiet and peaceful by the dock.
Jonas and Emma had lots of fun playing in the sand.
Jonas and Emma had lots of fun playing in the sand.
And when Pop Tony finished sailing, Jonas took him for a walk around the lake.
The cousins’ favorite part may have been when we went to dinner and they watched Animal Planet at the bar.
