Moraine State Park Spring Engagement Photos

Sruthi and Moneish's engagement session at Moraine State Park was absolutely beautiful! We were lucky to have a perfect late-May evening for their photos, with gorgeous light and some of my favorite seasonal blooms in full display.

Moraine State Park is one of my favorite locations for engagement photos near Pittsburgh, especially in the spring. At the end of May, several trees throughout the park bloom with delicate white flowers, creating a romantic backdrop that adds so much natural beauty to photos!

For this session, we explored the South Shore area of Moraine State Park. As a Pittsburgh engagement photographer, I love photographing couples on the South Shore because of the way the evening light filters through the trees and reflects off the water. The scenery offers a perfect mix of lakeside views, wooded trails, and beautiful natural landscapes that photograph beautifully all throughout the year.

Sruthi and Moneish were such a joy to work with, and their love for each other made my job so easy! Congratulations on your engagement!

If you're looking for a Pittsburgh engagement photographer or planning engagement photos at Moraine State Park, I'd love to help! Click here to reach out directly.

Karissa & Dave: McConnell's Mill & Moraine State Park Engagement Photos

Meet Karissa & Dave ❤️

These two started dating during the 2020 pandemic! Because so many indoor locations were closed down at the time, they had their first date at North Park - and it turns out, that was a defining part of their relationship! Years later, they still love hiking and being outdoors together

In addition to having a mutual love of the outdoors, Karissa & Dave also figured out early on in their dating that they have lots of mutual acquaintances in common - it turns out they've been just a few degrees separated almost their whole lives!

I truly loved getting to know this sweet pair, and getting to explore some of my favorite spots at McConnell's Mill and Moraine State Park with them! They are SO easy to talk to and connect with, and I couldn't be more excited for their wedding day this upcoming summer!

Congratulations on your engagement, Karissa & Dave!!!

If you enjoyed Karissa & Dave’s session, you also might enjoy…

Anna & Henry: Summer Cleland Rock & Moraine Engagement Photos

Amanda & Chris: Winter McConnell’s Mill Engagement Photos

Katie & Jake: Summer Cleland Rock & Moraine Engagement Photos

For more blog content, including Pittsburgh seniors, families, couples, and weddings, feel free to check out the posts below! If you are interested in scheduling a photo session with Jenna, feel free to click here to get in touch!

Kathi & John: McConnell's Mill & Moraine State Park Engagement Photos

Kathi & John have been together for 8 years! Interestingly enough, Kathi & John grew up a very short distance from each other, but didn't meet until freshman orientation at St. Vincent College - which is also where John proposed back in February of this year!

Kathi & John's favorite go-to date is ordering a round of milkshakes and just talking - the simple dates are somehow always the best, and the most memorable.

For their engagement session, Kathi & John chose the combo of McConnell's Mill and Moraine State Park... two beautiful spots with so much gorgeous scenery! We had an absolute blast taking their photos and getting to know them.

Congratulations on your engagement, Kathi & John! We cannot wait to celebrate you on your wedding day!!!!

Anna & Henry: Cleland Rock & Moraine State Park Engagement Photos

This engagement session has it all - a dog, flowers, water, fields, and a gorgeous couple who is totally and completely in love!

Anna & Henry have been together for about three and a half years, and are tying the knot next year at one of my favorite venues - the White Barn! They love the beach and have the cutest little pup named Fin, who joined us for some photos!

Congratulations on your engagement, Anna & Henry! I am so excited to photograph your wedding day next year!!

Katie & Jake: McConnell's Mill & Moraine Engagement Photos

Summer engagement sessions are well worth the sweat and humidity 💕 And Katie & Jake were an absolute joy to photograph - as you’ll be able to see from their huge smiles in the photos below!

These two are high school sweethearts who have been together for nearly 8 YEARS - and it shows! They are truly the best of friends, which made photographing them a dream!

They met way back in high school, in Spanish class - but were also in the same homeroom, since their last names are similar! Jake proposed this past winter (right before Covid hit the U.S.!), and they’ve been planning their wedding day to celebrate their nearly decade long relationship ever since!

Katie & Jake - you two are such gems! I am so thankful to be the one who gets to photograph your wedding day. I seriously cannot wait!!!

5 Reasons to Consider a Morning Photo Session

Photographing people on location with natural light is a bit of a science. A session in the middle of the day could lead to harsh light and dark shadows under the eyes of the subject, while a session close to sunrise or sunset creates an opportunity for soft, even light that flatters any subject in front of the camera.

While about 90% of all of my sessions take place in the evening (close to sunset), one of my absolute FAVORITE times to shoot is in the morning. So, why might you want to consider scheduling a morning session timeslot opposed to an evening one? Well, for one…

1.  If you’re a morning person, a morning session might be the perfect fit for you (and possibly more enjoyable!)!

If you’re already a morning person, why not have your photo taken in the morning?! I’m a BIG fan of getting the most important things crossed off my to do list early in the day – and having your photo session done in the morning will let you have the remainder of your day to work or play! Which leads me to my next point…

2.  You’ll be all ready to go for the day – looking gorgeous from the start!

I don’t know why this bothers me so much, but I really dislike “getting ready” near the end of the day (aka doing 20 minutes of hair and makeup – ha!). I love being able to get ready in the morning and then have my hair and makeup last throughout the entirety of the day. The great thing about having your photo session in the morning? You can do just that! After your session, you’ll be looking real nice for the remainder of the day – so (unless you have work or school!) plan something fun to do afterwards so you can get a bit more longevity out of your look!

3.  You could go out to BREAKFAST afterwards!

Something fun you COULD do is go to breakfast afterwards! Going out to breakfast is literally one of my favorite things in the world, which is why I had to mention it. And really, having your photos taken in the morning means you’ll probably need a little fuel for the rest of the day – no better excuse to stop over to First Watch or Bartram House Bakery! (Or wherever your favorite breakfast place might be ;) ).

4.  You might be able to miss just the first hour or so of work or school.

Sometimes, weekday photo sessions mean you might have to miss a little bit of work at the end of the day. But depending on how early you’re willing to have your photos taken, we might be able to get your photo session in before work or school (this depends on the time of year and how early the sun rises). Whatever the case, missing just a little bit of work or school in the morning can be better than missing half a day in the afternoon!

5.  The light is killer.

Morning light might just be my favorite. Something about it is so soft and sweet – even though sunset light is always gorgeous, I’ve created some of my favorite images using morning light!

Kayla + Colin: McConnell's Mill Engagement Photos

Kayla and Colin were so much fun to photograph at McConnell's Mills! Their bubbly personalities and kind demeanor made them so easy to get along with right from the start. We even figured out right before the session began that not only did Colin graduate from the same college as my husband (Geneva College), but that these two also go to the same church as we do (Grace Community Church)! There were so many connections happening, which always makes sessions that much more fun!

Also - Kayla brought the most adorable "love" shaped balloon with her that we were able to incorporate into the photos - so cute! (And just in case you were wondering, it's from Target!)

So without further ado - here are a few of my favorites from their golden light filled session!

When Should We Have Our Engagement Photos Taken?

You’re engaged – congratulations!! For many couples the first few steps in wedding planning might include finding (and booking) a wedding venue, beginning the ever-popular bridal dress search, and booking an engagement session! One of the most frequent questions I receive from recently engaged couples is: “when should I book our engagement photos?”

This is a great question, but really, there is not one-size-fits-all answer. I always recommend couples book their session sooner rather than later, but truthfully, the question of when to book your engagement session comes down to how you plan to use your engagement photos. For example:

• Will you be using your engagement photos for an engagement newspaper announcement? (If so, you might want to schedule them within the first few weeks of being engaged!)
• Will you be using your engagement photos for save the dates? (Save the dates typically get sent out 6 to 8 months before the wedding date, so it would be best to schedule your session 8 to 10 months out from your wedding date.)
• Will you be using your engagement photos for bridal shower décor? (The bridal shower typically occurs 1 to 2 months before a wedding, so 4 to 5 months should give you enough time!)
• Will you be decorating your wedding with your engagement photos? (If you’re really only planning on using your photos to decorate your wedding, you could probably time your engagement session just a couple of months out from your big day!)

Other points to consider that may affect the timing of your engagement photos might be…

…if you have your heart set on getting your photos done during a certain season.

 …if you have your heart set on a certain seasonal location (for example – if you’re from Pittsburgh and you want the fountain at the Point in the background, scheduling during the summer time would be best, as it turns off as the months grow colder!).

…if you would like to have a destination engagement session in a different city (your photographer’s availability might be varied for sessions that require further travel).

Sam + Anthony: Moraine State Park Engagement Photos

I met up with these two on one of the most beautiful days in all of May at Moraine State Park! Anthony is a golfer, Sam is a Disney lover (which of course I love!), and they both have a mutual love for Wendy's (which I think is where they went to eat after our session!). These two laughed through their entire session and were absolute pros in front of the camera (though they kept trying to reassure me they were not!). I love seeing couples have a fun time during their engagement session - and I think you can tell from these photos that these two certainly did!

Congratulations on your engagement, Sam and Anthony! We can't wait for the wedding!