Blog
A Summer Engagement Session at Pinnacle Overlook | Lindsey + Taylor
In a world of instant message and text-like emails, Lindsey’s emails are always a breath of fresh air. I recently had a talk with my oldest son about Lindsey’s emails. It went something like this:
A Golden, Summer Engagement Session at The Barn at Stoneybrooke | Jennifer + Matthew
It used to be only a small percentage of my couples who I didn’t meet in person before their engagement session because they were out of state like Jennifer and Matthew who flew in from Texas for their session. Now, it seems part of this whole “new normal” that everyone is buzzing about.
5 Ways to Level-Up Your Wedding Detail Photos
Your wedding details play a big role in telling the story of your day. You have been planning the details of this day for months if not years. They tell the story of your wedding along with the rest of the events day. And that, in my opinion, should be documented.
A Star Barn Engagement Session | Shannon + Thomas
It’s not every day the groom is the property manager at their venue. It’s not every day you get a backstage pass to The Star Barn and its ENTIRE property. We were able to drive all around the property with all Thomas’s knowledge about great photos spots. Shannon brought 3 outfits (!!!) and we had a blast together.
A Sparkly Havre De Grace, MD Engagement Session | Lauren + Brandon
Driving to Havre De Grace, MD, I had a sketchy memory of the place. I remembered it being a quaint and sweet little town. But honestly couldn’t picture the locations Lauren and Brandon had chosen for their session. My second photographer and I arrived a good hour early knowing we had to scout two separate locations and had no idea where we were going. We only had to call Lauren for assistance once… My initial reaction to our finale location at the Promenade? AMAZING! It was breathtaking, stunning, glorious, gorgeous…all the words. I was SO EXCITED for the session.
Branding Session with Candice Hozza | Lititz, PA
She walked in the door to INU Salon and Spa at the Rebelle Lancaster event to speak and I liked her immediately. Candice was warm and welcoming. She smiled constantly and when I introduced myself as the photographer for the event and that I’m a hugger with arms wide open (this was before COVID-19…and I hate that I have to say that) and she exclaimed, “ME TOO! Oh Good!” And wrapped her arms around me for the best hug I had had in a while.
Selecting the Perfect Location for YOU
You’ve been waiting for this session for months if not years. But, where to hold it?
The Barn at Stoneybrooke Pink and Blue Engagement Session | Caitlin + Steven
We must have considered about 8 different location ideas before landing on the most obvious option staring us right in the face…The Barn at Stoneybrooke, their wedding venue.
A Summer, Wissahickon Valley Park Engagement Session | Maura + Zachary
Normally, I am the one who puts people at ease and makes them feel comfortable at the start of a session but, I have to be honest, it was Zach and Maura who did that for ME this time around.
Hoffer Vacation 2020 | Adventures off the Grid
While the lure of a fancy, Instagram-worthy vacation was strong (especially for a wedding photographer trying to keep up with the Joneses) and we could actually afford a great vacation this year, my heart pulled me in the opposite direction. I felt a yearning to simplify, do LESS and mostly to disconnect from my 24/7 job, screen time and to reconnect with my family and nature.
In my world of having two sets of children, ten years apart, I have the luxury of standing back to see my two older boys interacting while watching the younger ones play right beside them. It gives me flashbacks to when Andrew and Isaac (the older ones, 16 & 14) were the same ages as Finn and Rita (2 & 4) and enables me to have incredible perspective of the “it goes by so fast” epidemic of our too rushed/time wasted culture. I wanted a vacation that forced us to put down our devices. A vacation that released us from the “must happen right now” normalcy of our everyday…to have real conversation and lean into each other and live in the moment. I wanted to be forced to talk about the “behaviors” and “tantrums” and decide on solutions instead of turning on the TV to distract from them for a few more minutes of time to get stuff done or race off to the next activity on an over-packed trip.
All of this was painful.
It was painful to realize how many times a day I mindlessly reach for my phone and tap in the Instagram app even though I try so hard to be mindful and set limits.
It was painful to watch my kids cry and whine to go home because they wanted their favorite
A Colorful Spring Micro-Wedding at Wind in the Willows | Jenna + Aaron
The time ticked closer. Would they have their wedding or postpone? Another day. And, another. Another week. “What’s the plan guys?”
I can’t imagine the stress Jenna and Aaron went through in the months, weeks and days leading up to their wedding day. Along with so many others, they had to make the choice: keep their date and only have a few guests or wait another year….so they decided to…do both! Why not?!
Jenna and Aaron tied the knot on their original date, June 6, 2020 surrounded by only a handful of family and friends (and their ADORABLE new puppy, Leo) at their planned wedding venue, Wind in the Willows in Grantville, PA.
Blue and Blush Spring Woodsy Engagement Session | Morgan + Brandon
For once in my long photography career, there was rain in the forecast and my couple didn’t even mention it. Morgan and Brandon are getting married in August at The Booking House in Manheim, PA. When we had to push their engagement session back with everyone else due to quarantine restrictions, we all kind of held our breath trying not to stress over pictures when there was so much going on in the world. When we were finally given the green light though there was a sigh of relieve on all sides and, game time…we went for it. To top it all off, not only did they survive quarantine, they survived COVID-19 themselves! A little rain was not going to put this fun day off ONE MORE MINUTE.
A Boy Blue Spring Maternity Session | Lacey + Nate
Now, it was her turn to be the one with the huge belly. Watching Lacey and Nate go from their engagement session, to their wedding day to their first pregnancy has been a true privilege. My initial assessment of Lacey’s kind expression and beautiful soul was…
Jamie + Chris’s Private, Corona-Style Wedding Ceremony| Philadelphia, PA
“Guess what.”
The message popped up at me suddenly almost making me lose my balance. I was walking on the treadmill making my morning post as usual to save time. Today, there was a layer of sadness to it. I should have been packing my gear to drive to The Barn at Stoneybrooke for Jamie and Chris’s wedding day. Instead, I was exercising my frustration away while posting pictures from their engagement session as tribute to their original date before COVID-19 swept through the world turning our lives upside down.
Stephanie + Anthony | A Winter Elizabethtown, PA Engagement Session
Declan was born the exact same month as my little Finn so when Stephanie and Anthony asked it if was okay for him to come to the engagement session I, of course, said YES! Whether it’s your fur baby or your actual baby, it is ALWAYS your choice to bring them along to your session. The only thing I ask is that you bring someone along to watch them so that the MAIN focus can be you two and this incredible journey you are embarking on together called marriage.
A Moment, Please, to Interrupt Your Highlight Reel
For most of my life I have wanted to get to a place where I could say “I’ve made it.“ And, shine like a beacon of hope to all other people that have struggled in their lives. I have wanted to stand on some sort of pedestal to show people that “you can do it too.“ I have yearned to give advice from a place of authority and also to show people that didn’t believe in me from the beginning that I DID IT.