Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer | Christina Montemurro » Engagement

Alexandra and Ryan’s engagement session

Christina — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:10:00 +0000

You can’t go wrong with a session at Frick Park in fall. What a great time of the year for photos! We had a perfect evening for Alexandra and Ryan’s engagement session this past weekend, with plenty of colorful trees and comfortable temperatures.

There are lots and lots of wonderful spots at Frick. Alexandra and Ryan wisely chose the Point Breeze side, by the bowling green. I’ll never forget the first time I encountered the bowling green. We won’t say how many years ago this was, but it was long enough ago that a friend and I were riding mountain bikes all through the park. I was new to Pittsburgh and a bit disoriented when we emerged from the woods and suddenly saw the surreal scene of a crowd of people dressed entirely in green and white. It felt like another world. Nobody was on the green this time, though. We were joined for a bit by Greta, Alexandra and Ryan’s lively Labrador. Thanks for a fun evening! Can’t wait for your wedding at Phipps next summer!

MacKenzie and David – Station Square/Mount Washington Engagement Photos

Christina — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:28:26 +0000

This past Sunday was a wild and unpredictable weeather day. While it was pouring and thundering at my house around 5pm, thankfully an hour later the skies cleared and we had a perfect evening for MacKenzie and David’s engagement session. We met at Station Square, then took the Duquesne Incline up to Mount Washington and enjoyed the view. Here are a few of my favorites.

A special thanks to Susan Montemurro, who I like to call “mom” for coming along on this session to help with lighting. Small world alert: while riding the incline back down, for no apparent reason I said something to my mom in Spanish. This makes little sense because my Spanish isn’t very good, and she speaks Italian. So she answered me in Italian, and the couple next to us overheard, saying, oh you speak Italian? So do we. A little bit more conversation and it turns out that this couple lives in the same Philadelphia suburb as my mom. Crazy!

Niyathi & Vivan’s engagement session on the Carnegie Mellon University campus

Christina — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:00:24 +0000

Niyathi and Vivan met their senior year at Carnegie Mellon. It’s a little tricky to say where, exactly, as the first time they saw each other, they weren’t officially introduced and didn’t talk to each other – and Niyathi actually doesn’t remember seeing Vivan, although he most definitely remembered her. Vivan is currently living in New York City, but was visiting Niyathi here in Pittsburgh, and so we met for their engagement pictures on the Carnegie Mellon campus.

We started the session in the Mudge Hall courtyard, a little hidden gem. For those looking for a great place for photos – this certainly fits the bill – but only if you have CMU connections, as the building and garden are not open to the public. Also, this building is waaaaay nicer than the cookie cutter dorms at my alma mater, Penn State.

There were lots and lots of large oak leaf hydrangeas in the courtyard. These are great shrubs, as after they bloom and the flower petals start to dry out, they turn a light pink color and still look very pretty. There was beautiful natural light everywhere we went. No flash was used during this session! We were delighted to find this swing next to the CFA building. First Niyathi had a turn. And then it was Vivan’s turn. He tried to give Niyathi a kiss each time he swung her way. We’re not sure why, but there were sculptures like this giant ampersand all over campus. Just behind me here on the grass, some students were playing cricket. We stayed out of harm’s way. Best of luck to you, Niyathi and Vivan! I very much enjoyed our evening together and wish you the best with your fabulous wedding celebration in India!

Lisa and Bill’s engagement session on Pittsburgh’s North Shore

Christina — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:07:54 +0000

Monday night was an absolutely perfect night for a photo shoot on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Not too hot, a little breeze, and some beautiful sunlight.

We started on the little pier that’s right by the Del Monte Building.

And we then gradually made our way along the North Shore, heading in the direction of PNC Park. Perfect time of day for beautiful backlight!

I love this city!Crazy to think that not that long ago, the river was so high that this bench was under water.

Lisa and Bill, thanks for a fun evening -I’m looking forward to your September wedding! Thanks also to Jason Waltenbaugh for coming to help me manage my gear.