Twin Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres Mansion

Meet Madalynn & Logan!

These twins will be graduating from Mars High School with the Class of 2025!

It’s always so much fun to photograph twins. I have some seniors that prefer separate sessions, and some that prefer taking their photos together! In this case, Madalynn and Logan opted to take their photos together on the same night, during the same time block.

During the session, we switched back and forth between the two, then took some photos of them together. It’s always fun going back and forth between two different personalities and finding ways to make their photos unique, yet cohesive! Hartwood was a great choice for these two, since there were lots of different backdrops to work with, but all of them “go” together.

Madalynn hopes to study biology post-high school, and Logan hopes to study meteorology. The night of their session, there was a major threat of rain... but we went for it, completely avoided the rain (though there were dark clouds all around us!) and even got some sunshine towards the end of the session!

It was so fun to see the individual personalities of these two come out during their session.

Congratulations on your upcoming senior year, Madalynn & Logan!

Lexi C: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Meet Lexi!

Lexi is an incoming Upper St. Claire senior who plays lacrosse!

Her session was a BLAST, and was a true Pittsburgh Senior Photo session! We hit three iconic locations - Mellon Park, Mellon Institute, and the North Shore! We were blessed with nearby parking at all locations, which made things so much smoother And we stuck to a pretty strict schedule to make it all happen... but it was worth it!

Lexi chose three different outfits for each of her locations, all of which went perfectly with each backdrop!

Lexi, congratulations on your senior year!

Ava P: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Meet Ava!

She's a Seneca Valley High School senior who plays the viola, loves writing, and hopes to go into special elementary education post high school!

Ava brought three beautiful outfits with her, along with her viola, sheet music, and a journal! It was so much fun to incorporate her props - and her fun personality - into her session!

I especially love her red dress choice! I am a huge fan of bright clothing… it always makes the images pop!

Congrats to Ava on her upcoming senior year!

Jacob K: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

I’ve had the honor of photographing both of Jacob's siblings' senior photos (Joshua at Mellon Park & Samantha at the Pennsylvanian), and now his!

Jacob is graduating with the class of 2025 and hopes to study finance after high school. He plays soccer, and brought his dog, Willow, to jump into a few photos with him!

We had a nice cool evening at Hartwood Acres… which was a great break from the heat & humidity we’ve had lately!

Also, I always love a suit at Hartwood Acres Mansion for guys. And Jacob’s casual outfit was a great choice, too! The white shirt and red shorts combo really popped well off of Hartwood’s many backdrops.

Congratulations on your senior year, Jacob!

Kendall K: Pittsburgh Senior Photos, Hartwood Acres Mansion

Meet Kendall!

Kendall is an incoming Pine Richland senior with the class of 2025! She loves reading, science, and true crime documentaries. She brought a book to her senior session as a nod towards her love for reading!

Also, can we get a moment for her shirt with the puff sleeves?! It was such a perfect choice for Hartwood Acres Mansion! And of course, her white dress is adorable too!

Congratulations on your upcoming senior year, Kendall!

Lauren M: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Lauren was a joy to photograph a few weeks ago at Hartwood Mansion! It was toasty & humid, but I'm not sure you would know it from these photos She was such a pro!

Lauren is a life-long dancer - since she was about 3 years old, to be exact! She does lots of different types of dance, and chose to incorporate her pointe shoes into some of her photos! She hopes to go into Psychology and work with children - she loves kids, loves helping people, and loves chit-chatting, making it a perfect fit!

I absolutely LOVE the outfits Lauren chose for her photos! She opted for a short dress, a long dress, and a blouse with white jeans. The variety of her outfits gave us lots of different opportunities for posing and movement!

Congrats Lauren on your senior year!

Sofia L: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Meet Sofia!

Sofia is graduating with the class of 2024 this spring! She plans to study elementary education post high school. She loves sweets (and works at an ice cream shop! ), and believe it or not, she is the third senior in her family I've had the joy of photographing at Hartwood Acres Mansion!

We weren't sure how the weather situation was going to play out the evening of her session... but at the last minute, we decided to go for it! And I'm so glad we did. It turned out to be a gorgeous evening, and we almost had the whole mansion area to ourselves during her session!

If you're wondering where Sofia's gorgeous pink dress is from... it's the "Emma Smocked Tulle Dress" from Baltic Born! Her red dress is from Abercrombie.

Congratulations to Sofia on her senior year!

Zach D: McConnell's Mill Senior Photos

Zach is graduating this spring from Seneca Valley! He plans to study Economics post high school, and is currently learning Russian!

We had the best evening at McConnell's Mill for his photos - not too warm, and the most beautiful light!

I've had the privilege of photographing all three kids from this sweet family during their senior year... (see Garrett here, and Madie here!) and we always have so much fun together! I'm sad that this is the last senior, but so grateful to this family for trusting me with so many memories over the years!

Zach - congratulations on your senior year!

Nina L: Moraine State Park Senior Photos

Meet Nina - a senior graduating from North Allegheny with the class of 2024! 🎉

Nina was a treat to photograph at the end of April at Moraine State Park on one of the most beautiful spring evenings!

When we had chatted before her session, she requested 1) a field, and 2) sunlight in the background of her photos. Sometimes those two things can be tough to find in Pittsburgh in April (especially the sunlight 😉)... but we were able to make both of those requests happen (truly by God's provision!).

Besides a field and sun, we found some lovely pink blossoms. And of course, we had to use the area near the water. We had a gorgeous golden hour that really made those photos pop!

Isn't she just so stunning?! She made my job so easy!

I also want to give a big thank you and shout out to Dani, who was my assistant/reflector holder for this session. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

The Easiest Outfit Choice for Senior Pictures: The Little White Dress!

Deciding what to wear for senior pictures is no easy task, and sometimes it can be even tougher when us photographers recommend all kinds of different tips & tricks - try a pattern, but make sure it’s not too small! Wear a bright color, but make sure it’s not too fluorescent. Wear something you feel comfortable in, but make sure it’s also flattering!

While I do think all of those tips are important, I also think that sometimes it’s important to just have a few solid recommendations that anyone can follow. Enter: the white dress!

The “little white dress” (short white dress with short sleeves) has been trending in senior photos in recent years, and for good reason! There are so many reasons why a little white dress is a great choice for senior pictures.

IT PHOTOGRAPHS SO WELL

A white dress photographs beautifully, and white dresses come in all different styles, making them a flattering choice that helps the subject stand out from the background without being too in your face! The little white dress works with a variety of different backdrops (natural, urban, floral, historic, etc.) making it a great choice regardless of the location or background you choose for your photos!

IT’S CLASSIC & TIMELESS

White dresses are also classic & timeless. They may decrease or increase in popularity, but for the most part, they are a staple in many women’s wardrobes across generations.

…YET ALSO TRENDY

Right now, white dresses are so in for senior photos! So you have the added bonus of choosing a trendy piece for your senior session, while at the same time, having something that is so classic. It’s a win-win!

ALTERNATIVE IDEAS

Though the short white dress is what’s currently in, if you’re unsure if you want to go too trendy, try adding a twist to your white dress choice by:

• Choosing a longer length instead of a shorter one

• Choosing a dress with sleeves over something short sleeve

• Adding a different color shoe (other than neutral or white)

• Adding a different type of accessory

Below are a few of my seniors who have chosen the white dress option in recent years! Many of them purchased their dresses from Altar’d State or Francesca’s.

INTERESTED IN MORE SENIOR PHOTO CONTENT?

Check out the blog posts below!