Melissa and Dave married at one of the most beautiful properties I've had the pleasure of working at, and it was their friend's back yard! The path was cleared through the forest and guests were taken on horse drawn carriages to the ceremony site. Yes, horse drawn carriages! To say this was a fairytale wedding is an understatement.

There's my arm! haha

These shots in front of the marquee were the most important and HELLO! I live for a low light moment. NYE in Northern Pennsylvania means that almost this entire wedding was shot in the dark!
The venue: A gorgeous old movie theater!  In case you thought I was kidding about the feather men..

It's fitting that this moment is in front of a theater, because it was something straight from a movie. It was dry all day until we walked outside and then the snow started falling right on cue.

I have to admit I was nervous and excited to shoot their wedding in New York City. I was not familiar with Staten Island, but when I learned that the wedding and reception would be in the same location I took it without hesitation. Mostly what I was nervous about was navigating New York in between events with my equipment, but with that out of the equation I was more than confident I could handle it.

Brides by Sette and Beauty by Samantha Carly were kind of the dream team as far as hair and makeup goes. They were so fun and they, along with Janilly’s sweet family, made the getting ready part of the day fun and totally no stress. Not to mention the girls looked gorgeous for the big day.

Logan and Janilly opted for a first look, which I always think is so special. It’s such an honor to be a part of coordination the first time a couple sees each other on their wedding day. First looks are a personal decision, but I always recommend them. It’s a great opportunity to really soak each other in before the guests arrive and the day get too crazy. It also means you can get family portraits out the the way before the ceremony. That means you can get to the party faster afterwards! When my couples opt for a first look and family photos before the ceremony, I still love to get a few portraits of just the two of them after the ceremony. It’s just a different and special vibe. It was COLD that day.. SO cold. SO windy. But Logan, Janilly, and the wedding party were all champions. The venue had such beautiful grounds I couldn’t help but ask them to take a walk around for some portraits. The cold is just an excuse to cuddle a little closer.

This crowd could dance! I don’t know if I’ve shot a wedding reception with this many excellent dancers. The energy all night was ridiculously fun!

Makeup: Katie Caserta of Beauty Counter

Venue: Touchstone Center for Crafts

Caterer: Meryl Elliott

Dress(es): BHLDN

Tuxes: Custom suit from Men's Warehouse

Flowers: Miller's Greenhouse

Planner: The bride!

DJ or Band: Pandora Playlist

Cake/Desserts: Maywood Grill

There are few things that make me prouder than working with previous couples' siblings. A few summers, ago I shot Kristen's sister's wedding in their backyard Lakewood, New York. Kristen's wedding wasn't in an actual backyard, but it had that same fun laid-back atmosphere! They got married at Touchstone Center for Crafts near Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Almost to the West Virginia border! (I have a thing for West Virginia. I can't even describe it but I love that state.) Even more than I love West Virginia, I love when couples throw out the rules on how a wedding should look. Kristen and Travis opted to skip the traditional ceremony and have their guests give speeches if they so chose. They also played rock paper scissors to see who said their vows first!

In keeping with the casual theme of the day, Kristen didn't wait until she walked down the aisle to see Travis. We met him for a beer before the ceremony!

I told you there was a game of rock paper scissors!

These women held Kristen's bachelorette weekend in Asheville! (Another one of my very favorite towns!) They all got these moon tattoos on their trip. 

Leo told me that this tattoo was a little bit crooked, and the doctor who performed their top surgery straightened it out and subsequently restored my faith in humanity.

The photo in the front is the first photo Elle and Leo ever took together. It now serves as a reminder of the past and lives in the salon they built together.

We ended our session with some branding photos! I LOVE getting an opportunity to shoot something a little different. 
 

"Nature is so powerful, so strong. Capturing its essence is not easy - your work becomes a dance with light and the weather. It takes you to a place within yourself."  Annie Leibovitz

More dancing in old air strips at Seven Springs Resorts, Please. I have the best job in the world, so I just wanted to write a quick blog post out of appreciation. 

 

My husband, our dog, and I drove from Pennsylvania to Marquette Michigan in February for this one. When I say I love to drive I really mean it! Erin is from Marquette and made some recommendations on the wedding website and Cody and I followed it like it was an instruction guide. Hello, Baby Cakes and Jean Kay's Pasties! 

I hope you love the photos as much as Erin and Sarah love each other.

Look how cute my husband and I are in gnome form!

This session was scheduled last minute, when Kayla saw the weather forecast she reached out to me and asked if we could do some photos in the snow. My answer: Hell yes. 

Kayla and Matt were dream clients. Sometimes when I'm giving direction, I tell people to do things that I KNOW make me sound crazy, but I'm hoping for a genuine reaction. These two are as genuine as they come and had full trust in me to make images. This is huge. This was a bigger deal with this session than most because I really had to trust myself. I had to trust that the images were coming out clearly and as I wanted because I absolutely could not see. The camera was too snowy to see the screen and the snow was falling too hard as I was looking into the lens. So if you're reading this for photography tips, here's a big one. Understand your settings so you know what you're getting is technically correct, but trust your eyes over your lens. Look out from behind the camera and see what's in front of you with your own eyes. Trust yourself. 

Let's talk about light for a second. This day was dark to begin with, and it was almost sundown so it was even darker. I do not consider myself a natural light photographer because I will use a flash or light if I need to, but for this image I did not want to light the whole scene with a flash and I did not want to highlight those snowflakes. Enter the streetlight. This was just enough light to light up their faces without lighting the background behind them. (Light falls off to the square of it's power. Physics!)

On a side note, I did not enhance that blue, but I did bring down the saturation of the oranges so the color on the faces matched the background a little better. I'm not an over-processor, but I will do what is needed for a good image. 

Stats:

ISO: 800

F/Stop: 3.5 - I could have opened this up all the way, but I wanted to underexpose a bit to show the snow in that light. 

Shutter Speed: 1/100 - This is fast enough to freeze the motion of the couple but left a little blur in the snowflakes. 

This image was shot at 27mm using an L-Series Canon 24-70 f2.8 on a Canon 5D Mark III. 

Flowers Off the Farm knocked it out of the park! Nicole is as sweet as she is talented.

Secret Mickey Mouse hidden on the cake!

Venue: Holimont, Ellicottville New York

Makeup : Chantelle Nicole Artistry, Buffalo New Yorkhttps://www.holimont.com/

Catering: Dina's, Ellicottville New York 

Flowers and Decor: Flowers Off the Farm, Ellicottville New York

Band: Big City Horns

Dress: Pnina Tornai from Kleinfeld, New York City

Hair: New You in Roulette

Venue: Family Property

Caterer: The Hotel Crittenden - food, Potter County Beverage - beverages

Dress(es): Bridal Gown - Diamonds & Lace in State College, Bridesmaid's Dresses - David’s

Flowers: The Scarlett Lily, Portville, NY

Planner: Kim Bowser

The first image I'd likes to start with is this one. I love this shot! 

Wedding photography is about joy above everything else. Being a photographer, I am looking for a lot of things at once. Without the presence of emotion, composition and light don't mean much at all. (To me..Other photographers would probably have heart attacks if they heard me say that.) 

Now for the technical stuff...I chose this spot because of the reflection, but also because of the lines and the light. I could have just as easily achieved a similar shot from the other side of the water, but I chose this spot for a reason. The sun is behind them. This makes it easier for me to control the light entering my camera and creates a nice even look to the whole photo. The second reason is the lines. Notice that each major line is either pointing to or framing the couple. The edges of the water lead your eye right to the couple and that tree branch frames them like a diamond. Swoon. 

Camera Settings - There are really only two things a camera cares about; how much light is let into the lens and for how long. 

ISO: 640 - ISO (or ASA on older film cameras) controls the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to light. It's the same thing that used to be on rolls of film. "Outdoor Film" is generally ISO 200 and "Indoor Film" is generally ISO 800 or higher. That's because the higher the ISO, the more sensitive the film or sensor is to light. When you get into high ISO's digital cameras tend to make up for what they can't process, creative "noise." Noise is the digital equivalent to film grain.  This particular image was shot outdoors with plenty of light, so I was able to keep the ISO relatively low at 640. (This could easily be a whole blog post, and maybe it will be someday, but right now I'll leave it at this.) 

Shutter Speed: 1/125 - This is where I tend to leave my shutter alone. When people are in motion, this is a fast enough speed to freeze the motion without a flash. 

F Stop: 3.5 - With the shutter speed set 1/125 or faster, I tend to make adjustments between the ISO and the F/Stop. For this shot, I was using a 24-70mm 2.8 lens. That 2.8 means that is the widest the lens will go, meaning that when I was shooting at 3.5, I was shooting pretty wide open for the ability of this lens. The lower the f/stop, the wider open the shutter is when taking the photo, therefore letting in more light. Shooting at low f-stops will blur out the background. This is because the camera does not have time to focus on the background. (Think bokeh.) 

There you have it! I know this got a little techy; in the future I think I'll break down some of this stuff a lot more. This is the first time I've done this, so please send me a message though the website if you found this helpful or would like to see anything else on the blog! I'm totally open to suggestions. For my next few posts, I think I'm going to really break down camera settings. I could talk all day about ISO, F/Stop, and Shutter Speeds. 

Megan and Wills were one of those dream couples. Relaxed, friendly, and planning a unique artful wedding... They made my job incredibly fun. 

Hair: Studio Raw

Makeup: Sugar Spa and Beauty Bar

Venue: Mattress Factory Museum

Caterer: All in Good Taste Productions

Dress(es): Exquisite Bride

Tuxes: Groom is wearing a Nordstrom Custom suit. Groomsmen are renting suits from Men's Wearhouse.

Flowers: All in Good Taste Productions

Planner: All in Good Taste Productions

Rentals: Party Savvy and Lendable Linens

DJ: 2nd II None Productions Cake/Desserts: All in Good Taste Productions

Quartet - Names listed below.

Patrick Forsyth, violin; 

Tobias Chisnall, violin; 

Stephen Weiss, viola; 

Robert Kaufman, cello

One of my favorite things about Pittsburgh is that there are a million little spots to take photos around every corner. A totally in love couple and a photogenic city...what more could I even ask for? An adorable Pit Bull named Winnie?  Mr. Rogers? Icing on the cake. 

Look at this backyard! Jess took DIY to a whole new level by growing her own flowers. My heart. 

See what I'm saying about the love between family and friends? 

Hair: Panache Salon of Jamestown
Caterer: Studio D Catering
Rentals: Jamestown Awning and Party Tents
Cake/Desserts: Eklof's Bakery for cupcakes
 

Hair & Makeup: Kristine Skinner, L’mage Salon, Allegany, NY and Megan Kaziska
Venue & Caterer: The Pennhills Club, 146 Pennhills Drive, Bradford, PA 16701
Planner: Mother-of-the-bride: Kim Bowser
DJ & Photo Booth:
DJ AVM Music Services
1077 Smithson Avenue
Erie, PA 16511
(814) 440-5789
THEDJAVM@gmail.com
Cake: Julie’s Cake Creations, Julie Barrett, Bradford

Did I mention that they took me to an old airplane runway at sunset just because Sabrina thought I would be excited about it? I've received very few gifts in my life that have been better than that. 
This was the first face I saw upon walking into the cabin at Seven Springs. Love. 

Kari and Alex, thank you so much for allowing me to photograph this moment in your lives! 

This is Kari's parents' property. Isn't it amazing! And that fog in the background...

St. Mary's Pennsylvania Wedding Photography

Wedding Location: Shilo Presbyterian Church, St. Mary's PA

Reception Location: Gunner's, St. Mary's PA

To top it all all off, Pam and Jason were so much fun to work with! I could have hiked around that park with them all day.

Y'all this was the first photo I took all day. Let's talk about a good start! 

Sometimes I'm low-key obsessed with a photo from the second it's captured. This is one of those photos.

Pam and Jason, I'm so looking forward to your wedding!

What best describes your photography style?

My style is a combination of photojournalism and classic portraiture. For a good part of the day, I love to be a fly on the wall and watch for the little moments that make a wedding day special. My portrait style is slightly more formal, but I still like couples to be relaxed and comfortable. Often I’ll tell a bride and groom to stand how they feel comfortable and adjust from there. I want to capture the day as it happens, not as it’s posed. 

Will the photos be retouched and color balanced? 

Yes! Every last one of your photos will be adjusted and color balanced. If you’re interested in the technical stuff, I white balance my camera several times throughout the event and make adjustments in Adobe Lightroom if necessary. When I do creative edits, such as black and white images, I’ll always give my clients the color copy as well. 

What's your favorite part of a wedding day to photograph?  

My very favorite part of the wedding day is when I get to spend a few minutes with the bride and groom alone to photograph them. This is usually right after the family and bridal party photos. Often times, this is as close to alone time as the couple will get throughout the whole day. It’s a great moment for me to express my creativity and for the couple to take a breath between the wedding and the reception. 

Do you shoot both digital and film?

Digital. I carry at least three professional camera bodies to every wedding. Depending on the situation, I carry one or two on me and keep the other as a backup. 

What is the deposit?

I charge a 15% deposit due when the initial contract is returned. This is what ensures your wedding date on my calendar! I have to be strict with this one as I’ve unfortunately been burned in the past. 

Will you be my actual photographer?

I will always be the main photographer. Second photographers are available by request but I will be there and I am the one who does all the editing after, so all the photos have uniform look.

Do you have backup photographers who will shoot the wedding if you're sick?

Yes. First of all, I would have to be damn near dead to miss an event. In the case that I break both my arms and legs or my fingers simultaneously fall off, I have a list of photographers that I know and trust that can step in to cover your wedding. If this happens, I will still edit all the photos myself. 

How long after the wedding do we get to see the photos?

I always tell people 90 days. If you need them sooner, please let me know and I’ll do my best to get them to you as quickly as possible. I try my best to get some teasers on Facebook as quickly as possible as well!

How many weddings do you do a weekend?

Generally one. On a rare occasion I will do a Friday night wedding then turn around and shoot a Saturday wedding. However, if there’s travel involved I’ll only do one per weekend. I’ll never ever schedule two weddings in the same day! 

What will you wear?

I keep it professional. The day is 100% not about me and I don't want to be noticed, so I go with head to toe black. I’m running around all day, so I do rock a pair of clean black sneakers. 

The rain. Of course it's not something anyone wants on their wedding day, but with the right outlook the rain can create some beautiful opportunities for photos. Jeff and Amy were champs! I don't think I heard either one of them stress about the weather all day!