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