Brandrew Have A Baby

Pennsylvania’s very own Brandrew is back on the blog! Well, Ohio’s very own I guess. Brandrew (Brandy and Andrew, respectively, although I’ve given up trying to call either one of them by their correct names because for whatever reason my brain has decided to run the two permanently together) used to live in Pennsylvania, but have since moved to Ohio for Andrew’s job. During the session at Andrew’s parents’ house in Pennsylvania, we had a conversation that went like this (Brandy and I went to high school together):

Me: Brandy, I miss youuuu!
Brandy: I knowww, I miss you too! I wish you still lived here.
Me: But Brandy, you don’t even live here.
Brandy: … (really sad face)… I know. :(

:) I don’t normally do maternity sessions, but Geoff and I shot Brandrew’s engagement and their wedding, and instead of a traditional maternity shoot, they really just wanted pictures of the two of them and their pup Cody while Brandy just happened to be pregnant. Cody likes to growl at anyone who comes near Brandy now, but I quickly won him over by talking to him about squirrels and chipmunks, and then we were best friends. Brandy and Andrew are having a baby girl, named Eliza, in March. I’ll then have to think of another name combination. Maybe Brandriza. Or Ebrandrew. I’ll think about it.

Jen+Matt’s Couple Session in Pittsburgh Because They Like Each Other

This was a really fun session for me to shoot. Very close to my hometown and on the riverfront, two adorable dogs, two adorable people, an awesome sunset, and a boat. Not sure it can get much better than that. :)

Jen and Matt are my first ever… rowers. Well, kinda. Matt’s a rower and Jen is a coxswain (It’s the official title of the person who steers the boat and yells the commands and stroke rate to the rowers). They both are members of the Steel City Rowing Club in Verona where they met (all the teams practice at the same dock). Then they went to the same rowing camp in South Carolina where they became really close and have been dating ever since Matt threw Jen in the river (about 2 years – Jen gave him this portrait session as a gift for their anniversary). Matt’s a junior at Oklahoma City University (they have a really good rowing team), and Jen is starting her first year at the University of Pittsburgh as an art history major in the fall. They have two dogs, Matt’s dog Shadow (black) and Jen’s dog Emma (white), who accompanied us for some of the pictures. :)

What’s kind of hilarious for me to see is the way people interact with each other on shoots. 99.9% percent of the time, people tell me that they’re going to be awkward. Or they’re afraid they’ll be awkward. Or they’re worried their significant other will be awkward. Then after that it breaks into two categories: those who are actually awkward, and those who aren’t awkward at all. Jen and Matt, slightly concerned about being unnatural, were some of the most natural people I had ever photographed. It was one of those things where they’d start talking and goofing around and I’d literally have to be like, “Hey. Hey. Hey. Uh, guys? Hey. Ummm?” if I wanted them to move somewhere else or do something. It was awesome. Seriously – ignoring that I’m standing there with a giant camera in your face can’t be easy, but some people manage to do it, and I’m really impressed that these guys did… given that it was their first photoshoot and there were dogs and a shaky dock that was practically in the water and they got completely wet. I like these two and their ridiculously adorable pups a lot. :)

Pittsburgh Portrait Photographer: Sarah+Nate

Horray for western Pennsylvania!!

Geoff and I traveled to a wedding in West Virginia this past weekend, but I flew home about a week before it to do a few photoshoots in our hometown of Pittsburgh. :) And it was awesome! The weather was about 75 degrees with low humidity, and I could actually sleep with the windows open. Unheard of! We do a lot of engagement sessions and weddings in Pittsburgh because a lot of our family and friends still reside there and I just love it.

But anyway, I was SOoo so so excited when one of my very good friends from college contacted me a while back to see if I could do a shoot with her and her new husband, Nate. Sarah and Nate were married but did not have a wedding, so they were looking to get photographs taken of them happily married and all that jazz. And I was stoked!! Sarah and I go back to 2004 when we both attended the University of Pittsburgh in Johnstown, PA. I was there for a semester before I realized I couldn’t handle the one Walmart and field full of cows and opted to transfer to Point Park which was in downtown Pittsburgh. But while I was in Johnstown, Sarah and I were super close and had a ton of really ridiculous times together. A couple semesters later, she too transferred to Point Park from the field of cows and graduated with a degree in Journalism. I made fun of her a lot for living in Pittsburgh but being from Philly, and she took it like a champ. ;)

Years later, we’re not dressing like zombies anymore** (see below) and are all married and grown up and stuff, and here I am taking pictures of her and her wonderful husband Nate whom I had the absolute pleasure of meeting for the first time… along with their adorable son/dog Bennett. SO freaking cute. We had the best time. These were taken at Northmoreland Park near New Kensington, PA (about 45 minutes outside of the ‘Burgh). I used to go fishing there with my dad when I was little. :) So neat to be shooting back there as an adult.

**…not all the time, anyway.

Okay, everyone! Time to breathe a collective, “AWWWWWWWWWWW” over Bennett, world’s most ridiculously cute dog.

Hey hey, western PA vistas! You’re not too bad yourself.

Sarah’s always had the greatest ice blue eyes and has been rocking the Zoolander “Blue Steel” since I’ve known her.

How cute are they? :) So cute. It’s such a lovely idea to do married pictures. Everyone stops taking pictures between the wedding and their kids… but I find it incredibly endearing to take some pictures of yourselves once in a while. You’ll love them later (and now!).

Now for a good walk down memory lane. The latest pictures with Sarah in the purple and myself in the yellow are photo credit of Nate (you rock, Nate!). The zombie picture is credit of… possibly Laurie Bolewitz, but I don’t remember at this point. There were a lot of zombies there that night. Photo credit in bottom left hand corner was totally copyright of Sarah’s mom while we were visiting in Philly. Clearly, our style of dress has matured (love that I had that studded belt… and also, who dresses like a prom zombie anymore? Regular zombie sure. But 80s prom zombie? That was so 2005ish). But we’re still able to rock the karate moves. Love you, Miss Sarah!! Please bring yourself and your lovely man down to visit us in the south sometime!