Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer | Hidden Valley Engagement Session | Megan and Mike

Middle of January is not the time most people want an engagement session. Then again, Megan and Mike are not most people. Because they both LOVE winter it was only fitting we made a trip to their snowy retreat in Hidden Valley to create some special images. It was indeed a fun and interesting day! Haven't played (or fallen) in the snow like that in years! As much as we enjoyed our day of play, we're really looking forward to their wedding later this year, when it's a bit warmer!

Thanks again and we'll be seeing you soon!

PS. That hot chocolate was fabulous!

Snow angles!!

Ready...

Aim...

Fire!!!

Snowpocalypse | The Great Blizzard of 2010

Depending on where you measure (or stand) here in the North Pittsburgh area we got about 20 inches of snow overnight. Wow. Fourth largest snowfall on record some say.

Yes, it's a mess, a pain and dangerous to drive. So take a walk, look at the world around you like a kid again and have some fun. Go ahead, nobody's looking, toss a few snowballs or better still, drop and make a snow angle : )

Enjoy in life's simple pleasures and the beauty of nature.

Pittsburgh Photographer | Photo Technique | Camera Cleaning Tutorial | Moose Peterson

I'm a very anal Virgo type person. Think "Monk." Almost. But sometimes I slip and it's nice to be reminded.

Moose Peterson is one of the best, no, Moose is THE best nature photographer working today. Hands down, no comparison. He's also a gifted and giving teacher. His site is a treasure trove of inspiration and education. But the video tutorial series I want to highlight is his very interesting method of cleaning his gear.

Cleaning? Yes, cleaning. Back in the day when cameras were cheap and lenses not really all that expensive many photographers would clean their stuff only when the grime got so bad you could no longer move the controls. Well, that might have worked OK when a new camera body was $400 and a new lens was $200, but now with a new body setting you back $4,000 or more, and a professional quality lens coming in at a cool $2K, it behooves you to take care of your gear. In other words, keep it clean, keep it packed safe and don't abuse those little mini-computers so when the moment is right, your camera will work.

You can view his series on proper cleaning techniques HERE.

Pittsburgh Wedding Photography | The Priory | Katie and Brian

Here are a few more of my favorites from Katie and Brian's beautiful wedding on January 23rd. I still can't believe we had sunny skies and 52 degrees! See you guys soon!

Checking the make-up

Deep breath before walking down the aisle

Dad had a few words to say to Brian before he let go

Katie had tear filled eyes as she said her vows

Brian's mom

Katie's mom

I kept waiting for the Priest to mimic the statue of Jesus above him. He did... once.

An attaboy from mom as the couple leaves the alter

I so like bubbles over rice!

The girls wanted to do their version of America's Next Top Model

Of course the guys were not to be outdone...

A grand entrance to The Grand Hall (photo by Toni)

First dance

A quiet moment before dinner

The father / daughter dance was filled with emotion

And so was the mother / son dance

I knew it was trouble when this fellow stepped in front for the garter toss

He got it! And he almost got me, too!

Pittsburgh Wedding Photography | The Priory | Katie and Brian

Yesterday's wedding with Katie and Brian was absolutely SICK! We rocked it out by shooting more than 2,500 unique images. It's gonna be a long, hard editing session to bring this one to a reasonable number!

Can you believe it, 52 degree weather in January in Pittsburgh! That was awesome!!!! It doesn't get any better than that, period! The sky was one giant softbox of light. SWEET.

I would be horribly amiss if I didn't mention their insanely beautiful reception site, The Grand Hall at The Priory. Their winter wonderland theme was breathtaking and Walter and his staff was simply THE BEST!

Can't wait to show a great sneak peek but for now one will have to do.

Katie and Brian, enjoy your time in Mexico and I'll see you when you get back. Thank you for allowing Toni and me to be a part of your day. Love you guys!!

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer | New Year's Eve Wedding | Julie and Jonathan

New Year's Eve was extra special this year as we had the honor of photographing Julie and Jonathan's wedding. What a perfect was to enter into a new year and decade!

The wedding ceremony was held at Assumption Catholic Church in Bellevue and the reception at Bella Sera in Canonsburg. Mark Zini, DJZini, provided entertainment for the evening.

Congratulations again Julie and Jonathan! Toni and I look forward to seeing you when you come back from your honeymoon. In the meantime, here is a sneak peek of some of our favorites from the day...

Julie was almost bursting with joy as she and her dad walked down the aisle.

The first kiss. Photo by Toni

The first dance

The first dance

Jonathan shed a few tears during his father's speech

Julie's grandfather was cutting quite a rug all night!

3... 2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Finally, a quiet place to relax