Gosh, I’m so behind in blogging…so in an effort to start to catch up a bit, I give you Morgan + Dave’s wedding day…The day started at Morgan’s parent’s house where she got ready. Love the details of the front of her dress, and her ring…just lovely.

Morgan’s dad was waiting for her prior to the ceremony starting. With the photo on the left, he was looking over toward Morgan in the area where she was waiting until the ceremony was ready to start…he looks like a very proud dad.

Mount Carmel underwent extensive restoration about 5 years ago – they did an amazing job…it’s probably the most beautiful church I’ve seen in Altoona. And it holds extra meaning to Morgan because her parents, aunts, uncles, and one brother have gotten married there.

Later in the evening, Morgan & Dave slipped outside and we got these intimate, romantic images.

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Ceremony: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Altoona, PA
Reception: Ramada Conference Center, Altoona, PA
Reception Entertainment: Steve Kelsey DJ Services, Duncansville, PA
Floral Designer: Barbara Jean Florist, Altoona, PA
Bakery: Anissa DiLeo, Aliquippa, PA
Hair Stylist: ClipArt Salon, Lucy DiLeo, Altoona, PA
Flowers used: calla lillies, astroemeria, and dahlias
Colors: chocolate, burgundy, burnt orange
First Dance: More Than Anyone, Gavin DeGraw
Father/Daughter Dance: You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban
Mother/Son Dance: Forever Young, Rod Stewart

We are currently seeking a few women in the Pittsburgh area who are between 7 and 9 months pregnant to expand our soon-to-be-launched Maternity & Newborn website.

If selected, you will receive a free mini “Awaiting” (maternity) session as well as a generous discount offer on an “Arrived” (newborn) session. You will sign a model release allowing us to use your images for promotional purposes. Our Fresh Faces session will run for about 45 minutes. All sessions are done at your house or at another mutually agreeable location. Shoots are to take place within the Pittsburgh area, however, if you are outside the area, you may still be eligible for a complimentary session by paying a travel fee.

Please read the FAQ and then contact us to set up a session date.

FAQs

How long is this running? Once we fill the openings we wish, we may close the offer without further notice. If you are interested, contact us to set up your shoot right away.

How many pictures will I get to choose from? Sessions vary, but you can usually expect to see at least 15 images.

What’s a model release? When you set up a session we send you a link to the agreement which contains the model release for you to complete. The model release explicitly permits the studio to use the images in promoting our services.

How does this work? After you send your information, we will review it. For those selected, we will initially contact you by phone to talk about setting up the session. After the shoot we will process images and will upload the images to a gallery where you may view all the presented images. The gallery will be “live” for one week. Our online gallery makes it easy for you to view and purchase images. You are under no obligation to purchase anything from us, although we hope that you love what we present and want images of the first chapter of your baby’s life.

How is this different than a regular session? A regular session typically lasts longer and provides you with more images to select from.

Can my significant other/child(ren)/animal be part of the shoot? Yes, but keep in mind that this session is focused on the expecting mom, so additional people will only be photographed with the mom-to-be and may not appear in many images. However, due to time constraints with these mini sessions, we limit the number of subjects to a maximum of 3 people. If you would like photos of the other individuals, we encourage you to book one of our regular sessions for them.

What should I wear? We will discuss particulars if you are selected for the shoot.

What if I need to change our session time or date? Please be courteous and call us in advance. As these are complimentary sessions, we may not be able to reschedule, so we urge you to keep your appointment.

More questions? We’d love to talk with you. Email us through our CONTACT button at the top of the page, directly (info at andreakellyphotography dot com) or call us at 814.937.0397, we will be happy to answer your questions!

Some albums arrived and are getting prepped for shipment! I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see the final product when it comes in – online previews of the layouts just don’t begin to give the true idea of what it’s like to hold these in your hands and go through the pages.

So excited to be getting these out.

A picture from one of the page spreads.  One of the things that I just LOVE about these albums is that we are able to design a spread without worrying about a cut down the center. The crease is extremely discrete – the image where Chris is kissing Maia’s forehead is where the crease is located.

A fun filled spread showing just a few of the highlights of guests dancing and having a great time at the reception.  Love to include one of these pages in an album.

And just a quick image showing the thickness of the pages – the book itself is about 1 1/4″ and the pages are semi rigid, with a matte finish…the paper makes it look just like a museum piece.

Next up is a sweet “Awaiting and Arrived” book for Krista and Craig.  These books are press-printed beauties with a hinged page, allowing the book to open completely without “hoving up” in the center.

Krista and Craig opted for the linen cover on their book.  It’s a slim book filled up with memories that “little Miss C.” will be thrilled to look through when she gets a bit older.

If you have questions about albums, we’re happy to talk with you about the numerous options we have available – just email or call us.

For Erynne & George, we last got together for an engagement session on a cold fall morning at Erynne’s  alma mater, St. Francis College in Loretto, PA.  In spite of us all about freezing, I had a wonderful time with them.  It was wonderful to have the opportunity to see them again on their wedding day.

During her planning, Erynne sent me a fantastic inspiration board which gave me a little peak into what to expect for their wedding day…this was a fantastic thing to get – I love getting a feel for what the couple has in mind for their wedding. 

The day started off with Erynne getting ready at the lovely Cameron Estate in Marietta, PA…truly a beautiful location.  We had to deal with a bit of drizzle throughout the day, but everybody just took it in stride.

Love the image with Erynne having her makeup applied – if you look to the right, you can make out her dress hanging in the background just waiting.  And, I loved her sweet Stuart Weitzman shoes. It seems that many of my brides wear the same shoe size as me…I think it’s so that they can torture me more was I wear my super practical Danskos.

Loved the variety of flowers and berries used in Erynne’s bouquet.  Crystals from Erynne’s grandmother’s necklace were incorporated into her bouquet and with the gardenias, it smelled absolutely amazing. My macro lens is wonderful for getting the close up details of the flowers..they would be fantastic printed up as square canvas to decorate an area.

With the photo on the left, I turned away from everyone and shot through the mirror to create a bit of a frame to draw your eye in – you can just feel the Erynne’s anticipation rising as finishing touches are completed on her dress. When Erynne was facing away from the windows, the room was very dim, so to light her, I believe that my assistant was holding off camera lighting in that photo.

Love big, beautiful churches with balconies.

During ceremonies – small moments are easily forgotten…the soft loving touch on the back, the glances as the officiant is talking…these are things that just take you back to the day immediately and help rekindle all the feelings.

The drizzle continued throughout the day, but we were able to get out for just a few minutes to get a few pictures with the Rolls Royce before it left for the day. The grounds are so beautiful at Cameron Estate – wish that we could have gone out to get some additional photos.

Father and daughter during their dance together…really, words would just take from the moments.

The bakery did a fantastic job in matching the theme of the invitations with the cake decorations.  Lovely!

Ceremony: Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, Columbia, PA
Reception: Cameron Estate, Marietta, PA
Reception Entertainment: Jam on Sound Production
Floral Designer: Floral Designs by Heather Anne, Lititz, PA
Bakery: House of Clarendon, Lancaster, PA
Transportation: 1964 White Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, Classic British Limosine, Spring City, PA
Hair Stylist: Melissa Diaz 
Flowers used: gardenia, white hydrangeas, stephanotis, gerber daisies
Colors: white, green, magenta/fuschia
First Dance: Love is on the Way, Saigon Kick
Father/Daughter Dance: Wind Beneath My Wings
Mother/Son Dance: Simple Man

Please click the play button on the lower left hand side or within the center of the screen to view the slideshow.

If you would like to purchase this slideshow on a DVD to play on your TV or a mini book with all of these images, please contact us via email.

Nicole and Mike’s story begins years ago back when they were 9th grade – first meeting one another in Algebra class that was taught by Mr. Kaylor (in honor of Mr. Kaylor, they have named their dog Kaylor!).  They went on their first date together during their senior year of high school – and went to their prom together – there is an awesome photo of a picture of the two of them from their prom that they put on display along with several other photos of their time together (the photo of the prom photo will be in the slideshow…you’ll love it – how can you NOT love the 90’s!).  Through the years, they went separate ways, but found one another once more in 2005, started dating and have been inseparable ever since.

It has been a few years since I last photographed at the Springwood – it was as lovely as ever for Nicole + Mike’s wedding.  I arrived a bit before Nicole so that I could begin to photographing some of the details and preparations – before I got started with those, I took just a minute or two to get a few photos of some of the flowers and surroundings.  The raindrops on the petunias in the lower left tell the story of the showers that were happening on and off that morning.

Loved the vibrant orange and fuschia that Nicole + Mike used for their wedding colors.  The crocheted butterfly on the lower right was at the bottom of Nicole’s hankerchief she carred that day.

The photo on the left just pulls me – I love this moment with her two sisters preparing to get Nicole’s veil placed on while Nicole’s mom is in the background getting ready to take a photo.  And how gorgeous is Nicole?  We had a moment to get a few quick portrait type photos before heading down to the ceremony site.

Three of the 4 photos here were taken with my macro lens showcasing some of the flowers from in Nicole’s bouquet – the macro shots would make fantastic canvas prints to decorate in a home.

As I mentioned, it had been raining off and on that day, and they had to make a decision about moving forward with the ceremony outside or move it indoors.  While it was still iffy – the hourly weather forecast said that it would be clear – luckily for everyone, no rain!  The couple included several wonderful readings and traditions within their ceremony to make it their own.

Because Nicole + Mike opted to have a receiving line right after the ceremony, the time was cut short, leaving us almost no time to get photos of the two of them between the ceremony and the start of the reception, so after they finished their meal, we stole a few more moments for them to have some private time together to enjoy being with one another while I took a few photos.  For the photo series that includes the image on the far right, I climbed up on a picnic table to get a higher vantage point – while doing it, I banged my leg pretty nicely and wound up with a lovely bruise that still hasn’t gone away…the things an artist does for her craft and her couples!  haha

I think that the first dance is often one of my favorite traditions at a reception – it seems like it’s a time when the couple just allows themself to soak in that they are husband and wife.  You can just FEEL the love that Nicole and Mike have for one another.

Congratulations Nicole and Mike!  Wishing you years and years and years of happiness together!

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Ceremony: Springwood, Pittsburgh, PA
Reception: Springwood, Pittsburgh, PA
Reception Entertainment: Hear to Please, John DeJames
Floral Designer: Joan’s Designs, Joan, Verona, PA
Bakery: CoCo’s Cupakes, Shea, Pittsburgh, PA
Hair Stylist: Venetian Aveda Salon & Spa, Jennifer, Homestead, PA  
Makeup Artist: Venetian Aveda Salon & Spa, Jennifer, Homestead, PA
Flowers used: green hydrangeas, gerber daisies
Colors: magenta/fuschia, orange, white, green

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve got a lot to update everyone on…one of the important updates is that I am accepting more maternity and newborn sessions than before because I find that I really love them.  I’ve always enjoyed the adrenaline rush of documenting weddings – seeing the blending of families as a couple unites together – all the laughter, happiness, nods of old traditions along with new, modern takes.  But, I never imagined how much I would love documenting in a “boutique studio” experience.

Documenting those moments of expectation of a mom-to-be (and sometimes dad-to-be as well) and ultimately meeting and photographing the newborn has been beyond words and I am looking forward to expanding this portion of my photography even further. As I get time, I am working on developing a website to showcase my maternity and newborn work, though I expect it to be a bit down the road until it is fully functional!  However, even without the dedicated website for that, I am happy to photograph in the Pittsburgh and central PA area.  If you are a former wedding client of mine and not in the area, get in touch with me anyway…as most of you know, I’ve traveled a good bit and we might be able to work things out.

Last bits of chat for now, you’ll notice a new logo being used on my blog posts…the logo and my colors are being replaced a bit at a time, so don’t be surprised to see changes to that happening, and I’m happy to hear feedback on those things.

So, all this talk and no photos yet.  I leave you with a few photos of Stephanie from her “Awaiting” session.