Laughter+Jokes+Oh So Serious=MAURA!

Maura is my friend Lisa's niece, and we recently went to Preston Park in Butler Township to do photos as Christmas gifts for her Mommy and Daddy! This girl is SPUNKY to say the least....I am pretty sure she gets it from her auntie Lisa. All little girls get their awesomeness from their aunties right?

She was a perfect model the entire shoot. She hated all of my jokes, I must say they were really awful, and she made some jokes of her own, which I also must say were pretty good! 

Maura's laughter is so contagious. My face hurt after this shoot was over from smiling so much. 

I also am not the biggest fan of posting outtakes, BUT I have to make an exception for the next two photos. Maura's Grandma and Aunt Lisa went above and beyond and became lumberjacks during Maura's shoot. It was beyond funny!

I love making memories and shoots fun for everyone involved. Being natural in photos and looking comfortable is more flattering to everyone no matter what age you are. 

Cakes by Pennie

All teacher's get ornaments for Christmas each year, and they are all the same SO this year we decided to get my Son's Kindergarten teacher, the school secretary, security guard, principal, and teacher's aide something sweet! So of course I went straight to Cakes By Pennie ! :)

I asked if she could make a variety for each of them, and oh my goodness, she did just that! Everyone LOVED them and were so pleased to get cupcakes rather then the normal gifts! Pennie is as sweet as her cakes and I know I will be placing orders in the future.

The Roddy's, at Armstrong Farms

This past weekend I toughened up, bundled up, and coffee'd up for an amazing session with The Roddy's at Armstrong Farms. This family is full of positive energy, happiness, and love. 

I love it when families are so open and themselves during shoots and this family was a dream. Before the shoot I met them at their home where I was told all about pirates, Christmas ornaments, sporting injuries, and the Elf on the Shelf. I guess if one little guy doesn't eat his dinner Santa will not be stopping at their house! After chatting for a bit, we left for Armstrong Farms.

The Roddy children were so polite and were a joy to photograph. I know they have such proud parents also. I say it all the time, I am blessed to have had such amazing clients. 

The Graff Family

As a photographer, I am truly blessed with amazing families who open up their lives and let me be a part of it for short moment. The Graff Family have been one of my favorite families to shoot (that sounds awful) errr.....capture! Bridgett, Steven and Emily were so much fun to be around...and of course I can't leave out the baby on the way. Not only are they all so clearly photogenic but they were so funny and open to let me do what I do, take pictures.

Emily was adorable and those blue eyes were just gorgeous! She was a wild thing to say the least. It made the day exciting. I loved how she was just full of smiles and even played Peek-A-Boo with me from behind the trees. Little did she know....I am a professional peek-a-boo player and I got the most adorable shot of her!

Bridgett is on her way to being the Mommy of 2 beautiful children. She is due in January, I am super excited to meet the little nugget. Did I mention she is one of the most beautiful pregnant women I have ever seen?  Babies are blessing from God.

The Strip District- Pittsburgh

Recently I took a day and went on adventure in The Strip District in Pittsburgh just to have fun taking photos of the people. I met so many friendly strangers...yes Mom...I talked to strangers. I also was treated so kindly by the employees and owners of many of the fun stores and shops in The Strip. I must say my favorite store was Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop. The owner allowed me to take photos of anything my little sweet toothed heart desired. They have a Candy Buffet that sent my heart fluttering! Sometimes I hear the saying "I felt like a kid in a candy store" but....I REALLY felt like a kid in a candy store and I am 28 years old.

I could go on and on about how much I love wax lips, pixie sticks, and every other old school candy in the world but I won't. After I was done at Grandpa Joe's I ventured outside to take photos of the gorgeous and creative people of the Strip and I had so many people buy me flowers because I guess I am "a sweet little thing" which was so nice but I really did not have enough hands or pockets or bags for them all. One guy who I just fell in love with was the parking lot attendant. He was just a sweet adorable old man who loved to talk to everyone!

L: a parking lot with a colorful mural- R: The sweet parking lot attendant

Jimmy Sunseri

I also stopped in Jimmy Sunseri & Nino co. and Jimmy Sunseri was gracious enough to pose for a photo for me. He was so much fun. Since I stopped in during lunch time I really didn't expect him to take so much time out of his day to let me take pictures. He held an entire conversation with me and his cigar didn't leave his mouth once! I was extremely impressed. Their fresh baked bread is delish also!

Everyone should take a day and venture down to The Strip District to stop in some of the local businesses and enjoy what they have to offer. Take a minute to people watch also :) I had a blast doing it.

The Beginning

“ You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper. – William Albert Allard

Now that I finally feel like I am at a skill level to publish a blog I'm doing it! I have want to for awhile now but was either A)too chicken or B) too caught up with life. So here goes nothing....I am now going to inform you on why I posted the quote ^^^up there. 

I believe that we all look for excuses to not take good photos, BUT we all have the capability to take good photos. My son (who is the good looking child in the photo above....he gets it from his Momma) takes amazing photos and he is 8 years old! Bresson didn't use the latest in technology for his photos....he used 1 lens and a film camera, no flash and he is a photography god! I'm not saying you are the next Bresson, those are some giant shoes to try to fill and you have a slim chance of doing so, BUT it just goes to show you don't need thousands of dollars in equipment to be brilliant you need vision. 
We are all surrounded by things everyday that other people in the world aren't and everything we experience we experience differently in our mind and eyes then the person next to us. That is why you should take photos of everything. Even if you think they are awful and look like out of focus junk......there might be something in that photo that your not seeing and someone else does. 
How often do you see photos that are just missing that small something that could change everything in the way you see it? Often when I look at photos I think about how I could have taken the shot differently. I know men and women often see things totally differently....I like to think women see things in a better light (hehe just kidding boys). You should never be afraid to do what is different or random or crazy....doing what is expected can get boring. Live on the edge with photography and don't be worried is people think you are slightly off your rocker. How else do you expect to capture what others aren't?

for some crazy reason if you don't know who Bresson is go here: HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON IMAGE GALLERY