Ashton T: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Finals were the week of her session, prom was the next week, and graduation is at the end of the month (May 2019), but we took an hour a few weeks ago to document this beautiful season that Ashton is in before it blows right by! ✨

Ashton is a senior, graduating THIS year, who is heading to WVU post-graduation and hopes to become a Physical Therapist! After blowing out her knee while playing soccer in 9th grade, she saw the difference physical therapy can make in people's lives and decided that she wants to help other people experience the recovery and life change that she did. Talk about taking a not-so-great situation and using it for good!

Ashton’s boyfriend tagged along for her session, so naturally we had to incorporate him into a few photos near the end! They make such an incredibly sweet pair!

Congratulations on your senior year, Ashton! 💛Thank you so much for the honor of taking these photos for you!

Megan G: Oakland Senior Photos

When I heard that Megan was a Disney fan, I knew we were going to get along just fine 💛 But for real. Photographing another Disney lover always results in WAY too much geeky side-talk about favorite rides and meals in specific parks. And I can never get enough of it!!

Besides being a Disney-lover, Megan is graduating THIS MONTH (May 2019, if you’re reading this in the future!), and is planning on studying Psychology at Chatham University! She hasn’t cut her hair since 8th grade (hence the gorgeous long locks!), her favorite Disney ride is Haunted Mansion (you knew we’d circle back around to Disney!), and her favorite place to eat is Chick-fil-A. And during the session, she told me that she mostly wears black, which might seem like a random detail, but it’s one that I can totally relate to because I do the same! I’m pretty sure 90% of my wardrobe is black, so one I meet someone else with the same tendency… I love it!

Megan, you are beautiful inside and out and I know you’re going to do amazing things! Congratulations on your last month of school!!!

Ashley R: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

It’s spring, and you know what that means… Pittsburgh is in bloom! 🌸 And it just so happens that Ashley’s senior session took place during April when a few of the most gorgeous Magnolia trees were in full bloom at Hartwood Acres Mansion! Which I was SO thankful for, considering that we had originally planned for Ashley’s senior photos not once, but twice in the fall, with one session date getting rained out, and the other snowed out. And if you’re more of a spring girl… you definitely do not want snow in your senior photos! So instead of pushing through the snow, we moved her session to the spring and it totally paid off!

Ashley is a senior at Eden Christian Academy who is graduating this year in just a few short weeks! After her high school graduation, she’s planning on heading to Cedarville to study nursing (go girl!). Ashley, it was such an honor to take these portraits of you! You are an incredible lady, and I know you are going to do amazing things!

Bryce M: North Shore Senior Photos

Unlike last year’s incredibly rainy Pittsburgh spring, this year we have had some amazing weather in April! 🎉 Cue the angels!!! And the day of Bryce’s senior session, the weather was perfect. Sun shining, birds chirping, not too hot, not too cold. You can’t ask for much more here in the ‘burgh!

I’ve known Bryce’s family for a few years now (they are awesome!), but hadn’t had the opportunity to meet Bryce until our session - he was so much fun to work with! Bryce is graduating this spring, and is planning on going to the same college both of his parents went to to study accounting. Thank God for the accountants of the world - I don’t think I could ever do what they do, and am so thankful there are so many people that are that passionate about numbers!!

Bryce also brought his dog, Gracie, along, who makes an appearance for a couple of shots! Congratulations on your senior year, Bryce!

Grant B: Winter North Shore Senior Photos

Grant’s senior session was originally supposed to take place on a Saturday afternoon, but due to a snow storm, we bumped his session to the following morning - which ended up being a huge blessing in disguise! The North Shore is almost completely empty on Sunday mornings, except for the occasional runner and police officer. And even more exciting? Parking is free!

But what made Sunday morning so awesome wasn’t the free parking or the empty locations - it was getting to work with Grant! A senior at North Catholic, Grant is looking to start his post-high school education in the medical field. Grant broke his back (yes, you read that correctly!) not too long ago, and what helped him solidify his decision to head into this particular field was all of the time he was able to spend talking to and with the medical professionals who worked with him. Pretty amazing story!

Grant, it was an honor to take your senior photos. You are going to do great things!

Best of Senior Photos 2018

Senior sessions are always one of my FAVORITE parts of my entire year! With all of my seniors, I have two goals: to capture them authentically, and for them to feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera. I love seeing seniors who might not feel comfortable in front of the camera initially walk away feeling encouraged and loved - and like they are totally capable of doing whatever they set their hearts and minds to!

I had so many sessions at lots of beautiful locations this year, but when I went back through my records, I could hardly believe that just about 50% of all of my senior sessions this year happened at Hartwood Acres Mansion. And for good reason! It is such a beautiful location with so many different spots that lend themselves to amazing backdrops!

My seniors had their sessions through freezing temps (in the single digits!!), rain, snow, thunderstorms, humidity - and all of them handled their shoots like pros. To all of my seniors: I am so incredibly grateful for you! You are going to do amazing things - I hope you believe it! 💛

Natasha K: Fall McConnell's Mill Senior Photos

Natasha’s senior session took place on a crisp October morning, just when the leaves began changing at McConnell’s Mill. One of the BEST things about scheduling a session in the morning is the fact that there are so few people (usually!), which helped us SO much at such a popular location like McConnell’s Mill - we basically had the park to ourselves!

Natasha is graduating in 2019 from Montour High School and has such a fun and carefree personality! She brought a hat to her senior session, which really helped pull her fall look together (even though she rarely wears hats!). It goes to show that sometimes going a little outside of your normal comfort zone in terms of style can be a great idea! If you’re looking for some more ideas on how to up your senior outfit game, (or really, any photo shoot outfit game!) feel free to check out this article I wrote a little while back!

Natasha, thank you for the honor of taking these photos - you are going to do incredible things! 💛

Mahika S: Hartwood Acres Senior Photos

It’s hard to believe that senior season is starting to slow down! I can hardly believe that November is already here - which means just about one month left of senior photos! But truly, fall is my favorite time of year for photos - I love the crisp air, the warm and earthy clothing color palettes, and the beautiful fall colors!

I have to say, though - Mahika might’ve had one of my favorite senior outfits of the entire year! Her red, black, and gold authentic Indian dress was the perfect choice against Hartwood’s neutral backdrop, and really gave the feeling of fall! I had her twirling her gorgeous skirt basically the entire time - and it was so worth it!

Mahika is involved in lots of extracurricular activities, including Speech and Debate, Future Business Leaders of America, Global Relations Club, SciGirls (a club she made that promotes science to girls), NHS, volunteer at Youth Seva (her local religious group) and Classical Indian Dancing (Kathak) for 12 years. And she’s totally not busy at all! 😉 But seriously - I admire this young woman for her dedication to excellence. It’s truly amazing!

Mahika, it was such an honor to take your senior photos - you are going to do amazing things! 💛

Brooklyn B: Mellon Park Senior Photos

Mellon Park is one of my favorite locations for photos - the light is always beautiful, and there’s a beautiful balance between architecture and natural scenery. It ended up being the perfect location for Brooklyn, who had the perfect outfits to match, and was a total natural in front of the camera! The only downside: I literally fell into a bush. I squatted down to take a photo - and just keeled over. Good thing Brooklyn was a good sport and laughed with me! ☺️ Thank you so much for the honor of taking your photos, Brooklyn! You are a rockstar, and I know you’re going to do incredible things!

Daniel S: Hartwood Acres Senior Photos

Daniel is a Mercer Area High School senior who loves basketball, baseball, golfing, hunting and fishing! As you can tell - he’s quite a busy guy! I was so honored to take his senior portraits at Hartwood Acres Mansion. Congratulations on your last year of school, Daniel! You are going to do great things!!