Kristin and Mark

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of photographing Kristin and Mark.   This couple was very easy going and a pleasure to work with.  My job is so much easier when the bride and groom know how to have a good time.  On wedding day and during the couple of meetings prior to the big day, I could sense that this couple had a deep sense of love and happiness toward one another - you could tell in their countenances! We took a few shots of the grooms family on the evening before the wedding, which was helpful for everyone, since many people had come from all over the country (I hope all the out-of-towners liked Western Pennsylvania and felt welcomed here!).   The wedding ceremony was held in a church where natural lighting was very good and it helped me immensely.   Also, the reception hall was beautiful, with lots of character.  (The food, by the way, was delicious).   Thanks for choosing me to capture the memories.   Congratulations, Kristin and Mark... I hope you like these and all the other shots we took on your special day!  

Butler Photo Walk

Recently, I participated with a number of other local photographers in the Worldwide Photo Walk.  I interpreted the objective of the event as walking the streets of the community looking for photo ops of every day life around us and absorbing it into the camera and making art out of it.   For me, it was much more than that though... it was a great opportunity to meet some new people.   It was great to see what other photographers were seeing.   But it was also cool to meet our 'subjects'.   I love architecture, so I snapped a few pics of some buildings, but I focused my attention and my camera mostly on the people that I encountered along the two mile path we walked.   

We all love to reminisce of days gone by.  Walking into this barber shop was like walking back into the 50's.  This barber was great.  It's hard to tell how many people's heads were shaved clean in the days that this guy took ahold of the scissors, but he loved his work.  He talked of the blue collar guys from the mill that frequented his shop... guys from more than 25 years ago, so he'd been here a while.  Nice to talk with this man...   I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this image was the winning photograph for the Butler Photo Walk. 

I love Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.  I like to play around with the preset buttons and get some special effects that fit the mood of the situation I am photographing.  These new friends of mine were from Kittanning, Pennsylvania who stopped by the local motorcycle shop in town for a few parts to add to their Harley Davidsons.  

Carol's Senior Photo Session

I love doing senior photo sessions.  High school graduates have alot of energy and are ready to take the world by storm.  Carol made this session really fun for me, because she just knew what to do... she had 'the look'.  I really didn't have to coach her as to what to do.  I invited her younger sister along since she has an interest in photography and I think she saw how fun my job can be...  Congratulations Carol!  

Maria and Andrew

This wedding was great fun!  These are the kind of people you want to hang with.  And not just the bride and groom, but everyone at this wedding were just fantastic.  We did some 'pre-wedding' photos at the bride's house, which made for a beautiful setting with the lake in the back yard.  The wedding ceremony was very worshipful... and a most elegant reception (with great food!).   I took alot more pictures than I expected because these two were just really good at being on the other side of the camera.  Congratulations Maria and Andrew and best wishes for a long and happy marriage. 

Ashley and Wally

The month of May is a beautiful time of year to photograph a wedding.  This particular wedding marked the beginning of my summer wedding season for 2009.  This was a Friday afternoon wedding.  No one was sure if the weather was going to cooperate, but by the time the bride came down the aisle the sun broke through and the afternoon and evening turned out to be gorgeous.   Since I have known Ashley and her family for years, it was my special privilege to participate in the wedding day.  Many blessings and congratulations, Ashley and Wally!