Deekota & Navneet's Wedding

Yesterday Sharon and I shot our second wedding of the year - that of Deekota and Navneet. It was an especially fun day for me because I've known Deekota since we were in kindergarten together and we were classmates throughout high school, so it was really cool to be able to photograph her wedding.

The entire day went great. The ceremony was in Friedens and the reception was at The Inn at Georgian Place in Somerset so it was even a local wedding - a rare, but nice occurrence for us. Both Navneet and Deekota were so much fun to work with and we had a great time being part of their big day.

2008 Weddings & stuff...

As I mentioned several months ago, I decided that we were only going to take 20 weddings this year. Last year was great and I met so many amazing, incredible people, but the workload was just more than I want to tackle again.

In the past two weeks, I've booked 6 weddings, with one of those being for '09 and the other 5 for '08. As a result, we're up to 18 bookings for the year which means I only have two slots to fill before considering us fully booked for the year. So, if you're thinking of having me shoot your wedding, please check in to see if your date is still available.

In other "news", I will be out of town from April 11-15. I'll have more details on that shortly but I just wanted to put that out there as I won't have access to email or voicemail during those few days.

A little while ago I mentioned that I had began reading Cormac McCarthy's "The Road". I finished it yesterday. I don't get to read often, only when I'm on the treadmill, so it takes me a while to get through a book. I have to admit the book was a bit disappointing. I don't need tons of action in a book to hold my interest, but it would be nice if something of significance happened before the last 5 pages. The "Pulitzer prize winner" thing sold me. Oh well.

On a totally unrelated note, my "spring fever" hasn't gone away. I desperately want to put my Jeep away until next winter (16 mpg sucks!) and bring out my Mustang. I've missed driving it so much.

Michelle & Brian's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I kicked off Wedding Season 2008 with Michelle and Brian's wedding in
Pittsburgh. It didn't take long for our photography season to begin and what a great start it was. We began the day at Michelle's apartment before heading to the church. It was so nice getting to meet Michelle's family and chat with them. Her dad especially was so fun and friendly. After the ceremony, we did some outside shots but since we had to contend with the darkness and snow (yes, it was snowing a bit) we didn't spend much time outdoors. With that finished, we moved on to the reception which was held at the Twentieth Century Club, a lovely venue that we also shot at last year.

I loved how original Brian and Michelle's wedding was. For instance, instead of having a traditional, huge wedding cake they had individual cakes at each of their guests tables. And their bouquets were amongst the coolest I've ever seen! We had a blast working with this amazing couple and I can't imagine a better way to start the new year. I also have a new favorite photo - a shot Sharon took of Michelle and Brian embracing after the ceremony. I just love the emotion and the tenderness of the photo.

Luke and Laura's Wedding

Surprise, surprise - Blogging for 2008 begins with a wedding.

Yesterday, on New Year's Eve, Sharon and I had a somewhat local wedding - that of Luke and Laura. Their ceremony was here in Somerset and the reception was at the beautiful Ligonier Country Inn. We lucked out and had great weather (cold, but no snow) and the day was pretty much perfect. This was actually the third wedding we've worked with this same group of friends/family (the others were Mike and Danielle in 06 and Sheena and Ben in January of 07) and I always have so much fun with them.

After the ceremony, Luke, Laura, their Best Man and Maid of Honor stopped at the center of town in Ligonier to shoot some photos. It was well past sunset when we arrived, so with Sharon's help, I broke out some off camera lighting to be able to light the subjects and capture the gorgeous scenery that makes up the town square this time of year. It was a great wedding and the perfect way to cap off 2007. We have another wedding on Saturday so "Wedding Season 2008" is only a couple days away.

PS: Laura and Luke had tons of wedding photos from their friends/family on display at the reception hall. Intermixed with all of those was a wedding shot of a fairly famous "Luke and Laura" and I couldn't resist grabbing a photo of it. I love their sense of humor.

And the winners are...

Holy cow! I thought voting would be slow since the Christmas season is almost upon us but I was wrong. I received over 110 votes for each category. My blog readers never fail to amaze me. :)

The next contests will be Best Engagement Portrait and Best Senior Portrait. I'll be putting up the choices for each on Monday (time permitting) and voting will end Dec. 29. Those will be the final contests of the year so be sure to vote.

And now, without further ado, the winners are...

Best Posed Bride/Groom Photo

Brad & Danielle

Best Posed Group Photo

Aimee & Steve

Best Posed Wedding Photos of 2007

Okay people, this is the Crème de la Crème of the "Best of" contests - Best Posed Wedding Photos.

There were too many photos for me to pick just 10, so what I did was split the contest into 2 sections. Best "Bride/Groom" photo and Best "Group" photo. So that means you're voting for two different photos. The Bride/Groom photos are first and the group photos are second (but then again, that was pretty obvious wasn't it?).

I'm going to have voting for these contests end on December 22, as I doubt most people will be spending a lot of time on the web in the days immediately preceding Christmas so be sure to vote and tell your friends to vote too! Just email me with your votes.

Best Posed Bride/Groom Photo

April & Sean


Danielle & Brad


Brooke & Eric


Allison & Nate


Ann & Norm


Melissa & Steve


Nicole & Tim


Denille & Terry


Trina & Chris


Aimee & Steve


Heather & Jason


Lauren & Randy


Pete & Sandy


Michelle & Chuck


Rachel & Ben


Jeremy & Liane


Nicole & Thad

Best Posed Group Photo

Lauren & Randy


Rachel & Ben


Liane & Jeremy


Christina & Brad


Aimee & Steve


Denille & Terry


Jeremy & Melissa


Michelle & Chuck


Nicole & Tim


Allison & Nate

Erica & John

And the winning "Candid" photo is...

Whew, the past few days have been busy! I did formal photos for the Snowball at Shanksville on Saturday and yesterday I shot family photos for some of my favorite people in the world - the Custer's. I'll try to update the blog with all the goings on as soon as possible, but right now I wanted to post the winner of the best candid shot.

The voting was again very busy and the result wasn't quite as close as last time around but it was still pretty darn close. The winning photo is...

Sheena & Ben

This photo of Sheena and Ben has long been one of my favorite shots and I'm happy to see everyone else thinks so too. The photo was taken by Sharon at our first wedding of '07, way back in January. Congrats to Sheena & Ben and thanks to everyone for voting!

Next contest is best posed wedding portrait. I'll try to get the photos up some time this evening. There will likely be more than 10 so be prepared for lots of choices!

Best of 2007 - Best Candid/Non-posed Photo

The next "Best of" contest is for the Best Candid/Non-posed of the year. The candid (or photojournalistic) photos at weddings are some of my favorites and it was so hard to narrow it down to only 10 photos. But, I had to pick 10 and these are the choices. Voting begins now and ends Monday Dec. 17th at non (eastern time).

I've also had a few people ask me what the prizes are for the voters, so I wanted to clarify that. If you're a client of mine, you will receive a Gift Certificate for $50 to use toward the purchase of prints. If you're not a client, then you'll receive a $25 American Express Gift Card.

And now the best part - the photos!

Dan & Abby


Sheena & Ben


Jeremy & Melissa


Trina & Chris


Rachel & Ben


Sharyn & Tim


Nicole & Tim


Erica & John


Karyn & John


Brad & Christina

And the Best Cake Photo winner is...

Wow! I thought the contests would be a fun way to honor the AWESOME couples I've worked with in 2007 but I never expected to see so much voting! We had over 70 votes! Thanks to everyone who voted in the contest and I hope everyone votes in the rest of the contests as well. Remember that 3 random voters will win prizes!

Okay, without further ado, the winner of the Best Cake Photo of 2007 is...

Michelle and Chuck!

The voting was super close, with only four votes separating 1st and 2nd place and just two votes separating 2nd from 3rd.

The next contest is Best Candid Wedding Photo of 2007 so check the blog soon to see the choices!

Best of 2007 - Best Cake Shot!

Okay, folks. The first contest is ready to go and that is the Best Cake Shot of 2007. I have a bunch of blog cake photos from throughout the year posted below. Email me with your pick for the best cake/cake detail shot. And tell all of your friends to check out the photos and email me too. Voting will last from today (12/9) through Thursday (12/13). If your cake isn't listed, PLEASE don't be offended. I'm trying to get at least one or two photos from every wedding of the year so you'll definitely be featured in one of the other contests! :)

And with that, let's see those cake photos!

Michelle & Chuck


Denille & Terry


Nate & Allison


Danielle & Brad


Nicole & Tim


Brooke & Eric


Sean & April


Alison & David


Ann & Norm


Lisa & Yaron

April & Sean's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I were in Pittsburgh for the final time this year to shoot Sean and April's wedding celebration. It was our first Croatian Catholic ceremony and it took place at St. Mary's in Rankin, PA in a church that April's grandfather helped to build. The day was cold and rain began sometime during the ceremony but Sean and April didn't let that put a damper on their day. They were constantly smiling and so in love. The couple was simply a joy to work with, as were their friends and family. I had so much fun working with them and being a part of their day. I also have to say that after 33 weddings this year, April and Sean had the best food we've ever eaten. The reception was catered by Yes, We Cater Inc. and I was beyond impressed with their set up and, of course, the cuisine. It was soooooo good!

What a great way to (almost) end the wedding season. We have one more wedding (New Year's Eve), so the next month will be spent enjoying the holidays and wiping out my backlog! :)

Heather & Jason's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I shot Heather & Jason's wedding in Pittsburgh. Aside from being a bit chilly outside, the weather was great and everything went very smoothly. We began the day at Heather's house were we got some prep shots before heading to St. Paul's Cathedral in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. It's the second time I've shot at St. Paul's this year and I really
like working there. They're very conscious of the photographers and their rules are easy to work within and still get great shot. It's a nice change from some churches we've shot at that imposed rules so restrictive that it made it nearly impossible to shoot.

After the beautiful ceremony, we did some outdoor shots at the Carnegie building, Mount Washington and a park by Heinz Chapel (where I'll be working in a couple weeks). After that we hit the Airport Marriott for the reception. It was such a lovely day and working with Jason and Heather again was a joy!

Brooke & Eric's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I went to Mars to shoot a wedding.

Just kidding, only the reception was in Mars. Mars, PA - that is.

Friday night Brooke called me to tell me that Eric's father was in the hospital awaiting surgery and wouldn't be able to attend the wedding. It wasn't anything too serious, but I felt so bad for everyone. Fortunately, everything on Saturday went very well and we had a lot of fun. After the ceremony, Brooke wanted to have "fun photos" taken of the wedding party so we headed to a local playground. At first, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were a little confused, but Brooke simply said "I want everyone to play!" and play they did. The photos came out so neat and it really captured Brooke and Eric's personalities. Afterwards, we stopped by the hospital and everyone went to visit Eric's dad who was overjoyed that they were able to come and see him. We finished up the day at the Four Points By Sheraton Pittsburgh North and the reception was a blast!

Michelle & Chuck's Wedding

Yesterday Sharon and I were once again in Pittsburgh shooting a wedding. This time it was Chuck and Michelle's big day and we started the day at Chuck's house where he and his groomsmen were waxing his car (a sweet, black Impala!) to get it ready for the ride to the church. After that, they played a couple games of ping pong and before long it was time for us to head to Michelle's dad's house for bride prep photos.

Michelle was so beautiful and she was smiling all day long! The day was filled with emotion from everyone involved and it was a pleasure to be able to capture their memories. Michelle and Chuck, as well as their friends and families were all so friendly. We did some portraits at the waterfall near Campbell's Run and then went to a park to find some fall foliage before heading to the Airport Marriott for the reception. It was a great day and we had so much fun working with everyone involved!

Erica & John's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I were back in Pittsburgh for Erica and John's wedding. The day began at the 20th Century Club where the ladies were getting ready. After about an hour there, we headed to St. Mary's on the Mount, which is right by the beautiful Mount Washington overlook. The ceremony was lovely and afterwards we got some great shots at the aforementioned Mount Washington and at the Carnegie Building downtown before heading back to the Club for the reception. John and Erica were great to work with, so sweet and fun. Their families and friends were a joy and the day went great!

Rachel & Ben's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I were in Pittsburgh shooting Rachel & Ben's wedding. We began the day at the church in Shadyside and then did some outdoor photos at the Carnegie Building. The reception was at the James Centre, where we shot John and Karyn's reception earlier this year and which is always a wonderful venue to work (and they have great cookies!).

Despite the unseasonably hot 90 degree temperatures, we had a great time working with Ben and Rachel. They are so nice and their family and friends were very easy to work with. I especially like the "prep" photos of Rachel getting ready for the ceremony. Sharon took some incredible shots and I had a hard time picking out just a few of the best for the blog.

Nicole & Tim's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I were back in Pittsburgh shooting Tim and Nicole's wedding. It was our first wedding in 4 weeks and those weekends off were much needed as they allowed us to get a bit caught up on our backlog. We're still a few events behind, but at least it's not as bad as it was in August. Next year, by taking only 20 weddings, we won't have to worry about that problem - thankfully!

We began Saturday at the downtown Marriott Hotel where Nicole and her bridesmaids were getting ready in the presidential suite. It was a great way to kick off the day and after a little bit I hit the lobby to get some shots of Tim opening his wedding gift from Nicole. After the prep shots were done, we headed across the street to a gorgeous Catholic church for the ceremony. We did some exterior portraits at Mellon Park and outside the old Pittsburgh jail (which is one of the coolest buildings ever!) before we went back to the Marriott for the reception. I had an awesome time working with Tim and Nicole and their friends & family!

Tiffany & Shane's Post-Wedding Portraits

In September of '06, Sharon and I shot a wedding video for Shane and Tiffany at Blue Knob Ski Resort. Both the bride and groom were super-nice people and we really had a blast making their video. A few months ago, Tiffany contacted me and mentioned seeing some of our wedding photography on the blog. She and Shane weren't completely happy with the work their original photographer did on the wedding day, so she asked me to shoot some portraits for them.

Monday, just a few days shy of their 1 year anniversary, Shane and Tiffany made the drive down to Somerset and I had a great time shooting some wedding portraits for them. They were both decked out in their wedding garb and Tiffany even had her bouquet recreated. It was really cool to have a couple hours to shoot nothing but portraits and not needing to worry about staying on schedule or getting to the reception late. It was quite different from an actual wedding, and I was really happy to be able to give Tiffany and Shane some new wedding photos.

Liane & Jeremy's Wedding

Saturday, Sharon and I spent the day in Johnstown shooting Jeremy & Liane's wedding. Aside from the stifling heat (it was one of the hottest days of the year) the day went great and we had a terrific time working with them. There was a lot of time off between the ceremony and the reception, so we hit several spots for outdoor photos including the University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown Campus, Sunnehanna Country Club (one of Jeremy's groomsmen got us access) and the Inclined Plane. We wrapped up the day with the reception at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center.

Alison & David's Wedding

Yesterday Sharon and I were in Indiana, PA shooting video for David and Alison's wedding. It was such a fun day and the couple was soooooo in love. It was a joy to be a part of their big day. Their's was our last "video only" wedding, although we have a few video and photo weddings coming up. The day went really well until we were ready to head home.

When we got in the car and turned on our TomTom 910 GPS we were surprised to find it not working. We tried repeatedly to get it to work, but the unit was totally dead. Despite having no idea how to get home, we lucked out and found a helpful police officer who gave us directions and we then made the 1 1/2 hour drive home.

That was actually our second TomTom to die on us and I now have some serious doubts about their reliability. Fortunately when I bought the first unit in the spring of '06 at Circuit City, I paid for the extended warranty. When the first unit died in March of this year, they gave us the 910. On the way home last night, we stopped by the store again and they were out of the TomTom's so they gave us a Garmin instead. Hopefully it'll prove to be more reliable than the TomTom's.

Anyway, we played around and shot a few photos at Alison and David's wedding. I don't know why I like the last shot of the light bulb but I do.

Christina & Brad's Wedding

Yesterday Sharon and I were back in the Pittsburgh area shooting Brad and Christina's wedding. We began the day in Monroeville at the Courtyard by Marriott where we shot bridal prep photos. After that, we headed to the church for the ceremony before finishing the day at the Youghiogheny Country Club for the reception. Theirs was actually our second reception of the year at the YCC and as before it's such a beautiful place and we got some great shots on the golf course.

We had a great time working with Christina and Brad! They were really laid back and easy going and we got some fun shots throughout the day. I love Brad decked out in his tux and pimp hat and it was the bridesmaids' idea to hoist him into the air. Those ladies were strong! I think my one of favorite images from the day is the triptych I put together of Brad and his dad goofing off just minutes before the ceremony. There were no last minute jitters with this crowd!

Abby & Dan's Wedding

On Saturday Sharon and I were in the Pittsburgh area shooting photos for Abby & Dan's wedding. The day was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed working with the newlyweds and their families. It was also really neat because Abby's brother, sister and sister-in-law are all extremely accomplished ballet dancers and have performed around the world.

Aside from some "formals" at the church, Abby and Dan wanted entirely photojournalistic coverage for the rest of the day and it was great to get lots of candid shots. The reception at the Georgetown Center was beautiful and a terrific way to wrap up the day.

Ann & Norm's Wedding

Yesterday Sharon and I were back in Pittsburgh to shoot Ann and Norm's wedding. It's always so great to see couple's so much in love and having fun on their big day. Both Ann and Norm were smiling the entire day and they were a joy to work with. After the ceremony, we went to the West End Overlook to shoot some photos with the city of Pittsburgh in the background. The day was gorgeous with bright, blue skies and big, puffy clouds and the photos there turned out great! After the photos, we headed to Bella Sera in Canonsburg for the reception and I was amazed at what a beautiful location it was. What a great way to cap off July! We have next weekend off and I need it catch up on my backlog. :)

As always, some of my favorite shots are below. The first pic with Ann looking out the window is one of my favorite "artsy" photos I've taken in a while. I also love the second shot in which the bride is a little teary-eyed seeing her soon to be hubby for the first time that day.

Denille & Terry's wedding

Yesterday Sharon and I were in Johnstown shooting Terry and Denille's wedding. They designed such a beautiful event, from the programs to the table names at the reception, and of course the dresses and tuxes. It was easy to see that a lot of work went into their big day and we had a great time working with them. And I have to say, they had one of the best garter tosses I've ever seen. Those single guys wanted that garter!

7-7-7 Lauren & Randy's Wedding

I was reading online that there were supposed to be hundreds of thousands of weddings occurring around the world yesterday. July 7, 2007 (07-07-07) was the "hottest" day in decades to get married and Sharon and I were in Johnstown shooting the wedding of Randy and Lauren.

A few months ago, Lauren told me that their wedding party was going to consist of 25 people. The thought of trying to coordinate that many people, let alone come up with cool poses and group shots was pretty daunting and I began the day with a little trepidation. Fortunately, everything went great and the entire wedding party was tons of fun to work with. We headed to the gardens at St. Francis for fun "formals" and the gang really got into it. The guys even wanted to do a "football" shot, and Lauren joined in as the QB.

At the reception, which was held at the Imperial Room in Ebensburg, PA, the party continued. I also have to say, the couple had the most incredible candy table ever! Later on, we got some great dancing shots. Lauren and Randy are so obviously in love and it really showed. I had a blast working with them!

Heather & Ryan's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I were back in the Pittsburgh area shooting video for Heather and Ryan's wedding. We're now down to one "video only" wedding, which is later this summer.

Heather and Ryan were married outdoors at a private residence in Oakmont, PA and their reception was at Futules Harmar House in Cheswick. The day was very nice and the weather was great. We don't shoot many photos when we're doing video, but I did grab a few shots of the details and of the bride and groom during their first dance.

Allison & Nate's Wedding

In a nice change of pace, Friday afternoon Sharon and I had a local wedding. Jennerstown, PA, home of Green Gables, is only 10 miles or so from our studio and it was really nice to have a 15 minute commute instead of 1 1/2 hours. Allison and Nate's wedding was gorgeous and Green Gables is always a beautiful place for a wedding. The bride and groom, along with their friends and families, were a blast to work with. They lucked out and had extremely nice weather and everything went wonderfully.

Yaron & Lisa's Wedding

On Sunday Sharon and I headed back to Pittsburgh to shoot Lisa & Yaron's wedding. Our first stop was the breathtaking Renaissance Hotel which would also serve host to their reception later in the day. Virtually all of Yaron & Lisa's friends and family were in from out of town, so we started shooting there early in the afternoon. After about an hour, we headed to Heinz Hall, home of the Pittsburgh Symphony for a lovely outdoor wedding in front of a waterfall. Before the main ceremony, I shot the pre-ceremony which included the bedecken - the veiling of the bride - by Lisa and Yaron's mothers.

Though the skies were overcast, the rain stayed away aside from a few sprinkles and the day was great. As when I shot their engagement photos, Yaron and Lisa were lots of fun to work with. They had the 4 cutest flower girls/junior bridesmaids and I have to say, Yaron's mother is one of the sweetest women I've ever met.

Pete & Sandy's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I were in Pittsburgh shooting Sandy & Pete's wedding. Their ceremony and reception were held at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in the Oakland area and the day was beautiful. The ceremony took place outdoors and the weather was great. After the ceremony, they headed inside for the reception in the ballroom. I learned during the evening that the ballroom was also the location for the scene where "Hannibal Lector" escaped from custody in The Silence of the Lambs. Pretty cool!

Pete and Sandy were both extremely friendly and outgoing and they were obviously filled with joy on their big day. It was a pleasure to be a part of it!