4th of July

             …..and how I see it.

             We spent a few days  at my parents camp up north. During the drive, I told myself I was going to try to capture as many photos that had red, white and blue in them or  screamed the Good’Ol Days-sort of like a photo mission. Photo missions make any drive go faster. :) Greg and I took our time and stopped here and there to gather the photos and I think it is a very good representation of how I “see” things. I tend to be drawn to things that are old and have a story to tell. I’ve said it before, I’m young at heart but I feel like I have an old soul. They are in no particular order….there’s a little of this and a little of that….but I hope it takes you back to the Good’Ol Days!

              Enjoy! I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July

Somewhere…..

              ………….over the rainbow……

             I’m a little behind in my postings lately-please forgive me! If you follow me on Facebook you have probably already seen these two shots because I had posted them the day I took them, but I also wanted to share them on my blog. 

            This week in South Western Pennsylvania has been kinda poopy! Definitely NOT June/July weather-but I’ll take it-at least over the snow. I had to drive to Walmart the other day to get a few last minute items when it began to pour down rain…and I mean POUR down rain. I was standing in line at the checkout and in the distance I could see the sun peaking through so I just knew that there was a rainbow out there somewhere. I feel bad now that I think about it because I totally rushed the girl at the checkout so that I could get outside to my car where my trusty’ol camera was. Low and behold THERE was the rainbow-I didn’t even have to chase it.  It lasted about 6 minutes before it slowly faded away. Call it good timing mixed with a little bit of luck-but here ya have it….The Blairs-burg Rainbow

            Enjoy!

Boudoir Photography…

                So several weeks ago I put out a message on Facebook asking for interested ladies who would be willing to do a Boudoir shoot for the purpose of  being able to use on my website. I’ve been doing Boudoir shoots for quite some time know, but it’s always difficult to find ladies who are willing to let me use the photos as promotional pieces to show other potential clients what they may expect when booking a Boudoir Session. Ironically, two of the girls that were chosen were both named Jen (It had nothing to do with the name-I promise) and both were your average, everyday girl next door, kinda gals.

                    The theme is obvious…we were going for a “Down Home Country Girl” kinda thing and the barn where she grew up was the perfect location. So as you can see-it’s really about using your imagination, having fun and looking Fabulous! If your interested in more information on the boudoir shoots or you want to see some more examples of the “other Jen”-click the “Boudoir” page at the top of this blog….or click here http://jenmckenphoto.wordpress.com/boudoir-portraits/

                      These are just a few from today……… I’ll have more to post at a later date

 

Miss Ally C…

            Ally, I’m sorry I have been such a bad example-breaking into private property, no trespassing, going down one way streets (the wrong way)…tee he he!  Sometimes, you just have to do WHATEVER it takes to “get the shot”! She was sooo much fun to work with-I THINK she totally got my personality (Yes, I’m a little out there!), she put up with my cheesy ideas (see below) and it’s easy to see where she got her good looks……her mom is gorgeous!

         Sooo…..Ally, here is your “sneak peek”-I hope you don’t think I’m too weird!! LOL

 

          Our version of the American Gothic photo, minus the man! I love that she has a sense of humor!!

……….the Mom……….

…………ok ok….one to the “real” ones of Ally…………

…..one of my favorites…..

                 I hope you have fun at Slipper Rock….

My Summer Get-a-Way!

           So it’s not a secret-we’ve been doing A LOT of renovations lately. Besides the kitchen renovation, the most recent has been “The Pool”. I use quotation marks because that is what it has become, literally “The Pool”.  It’s been quit the project. Initially when we decided to purchase the house-our plans were to fill it in. It was this massive piece of crap in the back yard that hadn’t been taken care of for YEARS-over grown, the liner was torn into a MILLION pieces and you name it-it was at the bottom of filled with murky/muddy/mosquito infested water. I’m sure the neighbors were just thrilled that they had to look over and see “The Pool” for many years in the condition it was in. So after much debate and a little push from my uncle-who use to install inground pools-we decided, what the heck, let’s go for it and try to get this puppy up and running. I have to say, I regret even THINKING about filling it in because it has become our little Get-a-Way for the summer.

         During the pool remodel, we found out some very interesting facts about the pool. While making a visit to Weaver’s Pool and Spa in Indiana, they pulled the records and found that they had infact installed the pool back in 1973-yes that’s right, the pool is 33 years old! Also, back then, it only cost $3,233.00 for a 20 ft x 40 ft pool……today it would be 10 times that! We chatted for a while about it and it turns out that it was one of the first pools they (his father and he) had installed when starting up the family business-kinda cool!

           So anyway, we’re enjoying the fruits of someone else’s labor from 33 years ago….and loving every minute of it. Sure, we still have a few minor things to do to spruce the last bit of life back into it-like painting the rest of the pool house, power washing the concrete….but for the most part-she’s a beaut! Besides, I love that the building doesn’t look brand spankin new-it has many stories to tell-if only walls could talk!

………… a bit cluttered…but it’s “Home”!

…..yeah my child is weird!

……….. so give me a buzz and you can stop on by for a margarita-or two-or three……..

No Hand Shelves!!

                  One of the first things John said was “No Hand Shelves”…..I had to ask what he meant…he was referring to those cheesy Sears/Walmart photos where they make you rest your chin on your hand! LOL I had to laugh because I’d like to think that my style of photographing people is soo opposite of that (and it was the first time I’ve ever heard someone call it that). But just for giggles…..I told them to pose in the most awkward pose they could think of and THIS is what they came up with. LOVE IT!! LOL I promise they aren’t all like this. But I think this illustrates the “cheesiness” of posed photos.

                    Anyway, John and Brit, I had blast with the two of you today. I loved watching you guys interact and it’s undeniable that the camera loved you. Brit, you’re going to make a gorgeous bride. Enjoy your sneak peek!

 

……………….ok onto the “real” photos!!

          

                 

Mr. & Mrs. Kern

                This “Incredibly Awesome” couple had an incredibly awesome wedding! Besides the fact that the church was beautiful, their wine theme topped it off. The name holders were tucked into corks, the center pieces were wine bottles with candles, they gave each guest a charm for their wine glasses….but their most generous gift was to the American Cancer Society (ACS) in honor of their guests. This was inspired to honor the family and friends who have battled the disease.

                Michelle was a stunning bride, so elegant and calm throughout the entire evening. The wedding party was also incredibly awesome, especially since one of them was the sister of the bride and a good friend of mine (Hi Gina!). Even though I technically met Michelle and Aaron for first time today, I feel like I’ve known them forever! AND who ever helped with the cookie table—GOOD LORD there were alot of cookies!

               Enjoy your sneak peek. I’ll give you a buzz when the rest of them are finished.

           

Petting Zoo Fun….

               I’m finally getting around to posting these, but a few days ago we ventured up to Donegal to the petting zoo/Living Treasures Park with my mom, my little brother and sister….the kids had a blast hanging out with all of the animals. Trust me, I’m not a girly girl….but for some reason when you feel a llama’s tongue in your hair because he’s trying to get your attention-it can give you the heeby jeebies!! When we first entered the park, ducks, peacocks, and every other land bird ever created came bum rushing over because they knew we came bearing food. How convenient that the gift shop  sold food to hand feed the animals….these little guys were use to the drill.

              It rained a little while we were there-no big deal and the kids made some new friends- both human and baby goats….so all in all we had a great day. I fell in love with one of the bulls. He was like the outcast of the crew with his over bite and horns…..I secretly named him “Joe-Bob”!! Joe-Bob and I bonded over a few pieces of cereal before moving on to the other (as Mallory says it) AM-INALS! It was nice to get out from behind the computer for a while

              Anyway, enjoy!

It’s JOE-BOB!!!

 

            PS: Thank GOD for hand sanitizer.

Mr. & Mrs. Pletz

               Ok, I’m sorry for the photo overload-but I’m really in love with a lot of the photos and I couldn’t decide which ones to show-I mean, I still have hundreds more to go through but I picked these 40 photos for now. Let me start off by saying that Amy and Michael were soooo incredibly easy to work for-laid back, go with the flow and I don’t think Amy went one moment throughout the night without a smile on her face. 

                Almost 5 years ago when we brought Mallory home from the hospital after she spent almost 3 months in the NICU, Amy was the visiting home nurse that came to care for her the first day she came home, it was one of the best days of my life -being able to bring my daughter home from the hospital HEALTHY!!!-who would have thought all these years later I would be photographing one of the best days of HER life!

              If you follow me on FaceBook (and if you don’t-what’s wrong with you??!!) you would know that their wedding took place on the Gateway Clipper in Pittsburgh. I’ve been so excited to photograph this wedding because it’s a bit different than shooting in a church-which is soo common-this one was going to be “on-location”.  So as I wait for Amy to show up in front of the boat I discover from a family member that their limo company had a scheduling error and had them booked for NEXT weekend-WHAT? I was thinking, “OH NO!, she’s going to be upset and frustrated and things may not start off soo great.” Well, it just goes to show how laid back she was, she showed up with the biggest smile on her face! It was the day she was going to marry the man of her dreams and nothing was going to put her in a bad mood. (Booo on the Limo company)

         Why the Gateway Clipper? Well it wasn’t far from there were they both shared their first date and their first kiss-the boat was actually facing the exact spot during the ceremoney! That wasn’t the only thing that made their wedding extra special: Amy wore her mother’s wedding ring and Mike wore his dads, they used Amy’s parent’s cake topper from 34 years ago, and they gave each guest a purple bracelet in memory of Mike’s dad to spread awareness on pancreatic cancer awareness-take a moment to visit the website if you get a chance www.michaelpletzsr.com. Throughout the summer Amy and Mike will be working diligently to raise money for the Pan-Can Association. They will be having a rummage sale and are also participating in a walk in August, so please checkout the site for updates.

          As you look through the photos-no you are not seeing double. She has the cutest-most animated-twin boys………….and today they became a family!

          Enjoy your sneak peak!! 

Mr. & Mrs. Delimpo

                    I know this is a bit out of order….but this first photo is EXACTLY why I love shooting weddings. THIS is the look of a very happy groom watching his bride walk down the isle. I love how their eyes light up with delight and a smile is smeared across their face…when his world stands still for a few moments……I LOVE MY JOB! 

                   Family traveled from 4 or 5 different states to witness today. The family was extremely gracious with what appeared to be no effort, making an evening that none of the guests will forget. I can only hope that the photographs show some of this weddings elegance……because everything was perfect!!!

                   Enjoy your sneak peak

 

 

                David & Carol-Thank You for choosing me to photograph your day! 

                PS: Guests: feel free to leave comments