Summer Mini Sessions at Moraine State Park

Mini sessions have become some of my favorite sessions ever! Especially my mini session “events,” where I schedule multiple sessions back to back (to back!) at a specific location. I’ve hosted Spring mini sessions (click here to see!), and Christmas Tree Farm mini sessions (click here to see!), but never Summer mini sessions - so I thought, with many people spending more time at home due to the pandemic, this would be the perfect summer to do so!

PLUS, it’s super easy to social distance while having your photo taken. I typically use “longer” length lenses at my “regular” sessions, which means I can stay back 6 to 10 feet anyways!

One of my favorite things about mini session days is getting to see so many people I know (and often have worked with in the past!), and to meet new faces, even if it’s just for a short time! This round of sessions was full of familiar faces, and truly, I can’t thank each family enough for trusting me to document this season of their lives! I am so thankful for you all, and so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with you.

If you are someone who might be interested in a JHP mini session in the future, I’d love to encourage you to sign up for my email list! People on my email list are the first to know about upcoming mini sessions, and when my full session time slots are released, seasonally. Plus, I only send a few emails per year (I promise! 👏). Click here to join the mailing list!

And without further ado - enjoy a few of my favorites from the JHP June Summer Mini Sessions below!

Sam P: North Park Senior Photos

Sam is a North Allegheny senior who plays soccer, loves Burgatory (same 🙌) and is planning to study business post-high school. We had so much fun taking his photos around North Park!

Congratulations on your senior year, Sam!

Nicole & Ed: Historic Harmony Engagement Session

Nicole and Ed are engaged and are celebrating their many years of dating (high school sweethearts!) with a wedding next year! 💕

Their first date back in high school was to Cheeseman's Fright Farm (classic!) when they were set up by their friends to be each other's date to that year's homecoming. And as they say... the rest is history!

Not only are Nicole and Ed incredibly kind and genuine - but it's also SO easy to tell that they have an incredible love, admiration, and respect for each other, just from our short time together.

Harmony was the perfect spot for their engagement photos, considering they met in high school at Seneca Valley, right down the road! We were even able to use the Harmony Inn's gorgeous patio for a couple of shots.

Congratulations to you two! 💕 I couldn't be more excited for your wedding day!

Mimi: Oakland Senior Photos

Mimi is a senior at Penn Hills who I had the honor of photographing last week at all of the best spots in Oakland! She hopes to study Criminology (hence the fun set up in one of the photos below!) and is, as you can see from the photos, absolutely stunning!

Her outfit choices were totally on point, too - we were even able to find some beautiful pink flowers to perfectly match her bright pink top!

Mimi, congratulations on your senior year. You are stunning and will do amazing things! 💛

Katie & Paul: Acme Wedding Photography

Friends, I have to admit, I didn’t think I would be writing a wedding blog post so soon since everything shut down in March due to Covid, and Pennsylvania’s regulations to combat it. But man does it feel good to be sharing this new beginning with you up on the blog!!

Katie and Paul’s wedding day was a complete whirlwind! When Katie first contacted me (less than 2 weeks before her wedding date!), she wasn’t sure where her wedding would be taking place (it was supposed to be out of state, originally), because no one was sure what would be allowed at that point in terms of a wedding ceremony! But everything quickly fell into place the week-of, and Polymath Park in Acme, PA was kind enough to host Katie, Paul, and their friends and family for their beautiful wedding ceremony!

The house where the ceremony took place (built by Frank Wright) ended up being the perfect space - there was an outdoor patio, where the ceremony was held, and an indoor space with lots of natural light in case of rain (which thankfully, stayed away!). The rings had been left behind at home, so the pair used a sharpie to draw rings on each other’s ring finger in lieu of the exchange of rings. It was so sweet (and so creative!). The pair even had matching masks made out of the train from Katie’s wedding dress (SO smart!), so of course, we had to stage a few photos in those!

I am so thankful to have been a part of this wedding day, and I am so happy that these two were able to celebrate their relationship and union on the date that they had originally planned. It may not have looked how they had originally thought, but it was beyond beautiful, nonetheless, and so very personal!

ALSO, they had one of my favorite details I’ve ever seen: a “Pittsburgh cookie table book,” featuring the recipe of each cookie that was going to be at their original wedding! Pittsburgh people - isn’t this an amazing idea?! I just had to share!

Anyways - Katie and Paul, a HUGE congratulations to you on your marriage. Thank you a million times for letting me be a part of it! 💛

Jeremy G: Historic Harmony Senior Photos

Jeremy was my first guy senior post-COVID, and we had the best time walking around Harmony for his senior photos! BUT, we did forget to get a photo of him with his mask on to commemorate a very interesting senior year!

Jeremy is a senior at Seneca Valley who hopes to be an animator, and who loves all things dinosaurs and fossils! He even wore some subtle dinosaur-themed garb for his photos, which ended up being the perfect color & style for all of Harmony’s colorful backdrops!

Jeremy, congratulations on your senior year. You are going to do amazing things! So thankful to have been able to take these photos for you!!

Baby B: Moraine State Park Maternity Photos

There's something so special about getting to see a couple get engaged, get married, and then start their family together! 💛

I am SO thankful to have had the pleasure of being a part of this season with Kayla & Colin as they start growing their family! They are just two of the sweetest people and are going to be the best parents. Congratulations, Kayla & Colin!!!

Baby H: Zelienople Maternity Photos

Emily & Sam are having a baby! 💛 And I had the immense pleasure of photographing them around the cutest town, Zelienople - which also happens to be where I live! Talk about a short commute 😉

A HUGE thanks to The Strand for changing their marquee to welcome the newest member of the Huff family! And a HUGE congratulations to Emily & Sam!!!

Caroline M: Hartwood Acres Senior Photos

Caroline just might win longest awaited senior session. This sweet lady had her senior photo session scheduled for November of 2019 originally, and because of the cold (and rain!), we pushed her session back to the spring. Well, then COVID-19 hit, and we had to push her session back AGAIN! Finally, after we got the “green light” for outdoor photo sessions to begin again, we literally scheduled her session for the very next day!!

Caroline is an absolutely incredible figure skater, and one of the sweetest humans to boot! She recently committed to NYU, and can’t wait to live in the city. She was a trooper in the cold (that ice skating background came in handy!), and made my job so easy! Caroline, you are a gem, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with you 💛

Ya'll to Yinz: Cranberry Township Family Photos

Before you see this family’s adorable photos, you have to hear a small piece of their incredible story.

This family of five just moved up to Pittsburgh (where they knew no one) from South Carolina, and were just a few months out from welcoming their third child into the world. Specifically, they came up here to the North Hills of Pittsburgh to plant a church!

We met them, of all places, through my husband’s job, and through a turn of events and God’s leading, we will be coming alongside this incredible family as they look to plant New Horizons Church here in the North Hills! So of course, we needed to get them a couple of photo with their newest family member that they could use on their new church website!

We were even lucky enough to catch some beautiful spring color. Welcome to Pittsburgh, yinz! 💛We are so thankful to know you!