Erin and Zack | Pittsburgh Engagement Pictures

After some rain delays last week, I was finally able to meet up with Erin and Zack at Hartwood Acres on Friday for their engagement photos. This is a wonderful location for engagement photos in the Pittsburgh area…and I’m always amazed at how each session I do here has its own unique look.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my favorite things about engagement sessions is the chance to get to know my clients a bit better. I loved hearing about how Erin and Zack met–at the lovely Penn State campus–and seeing how much they are completely in love with each other. I’m definitely looking forward to their wedding next June.


Mmm…check out the cute bows on Erin’s shoes.

I love the way Zach makes Erin laugh…

I’m totally jealous of Erin’s skirt. Such a flattering style!

Erin has the most gorgeous eyes…

Yay for an old barn!

I’ll see you two in June!

Westin Hotel Pittsburgh Wedding Photography | Erin and Zack » Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer | Birchtree Photography Blog | One of Pittsburgh's Best Wedding Photographers - […] Saturday Jay and I spent a wonderful day with Erin and Zack and their family and friends at their beautiful Westin Hotel wedding in downtown Pittsburgh. And […]

Life with Kaishon - Oh my gosh! I LOVE these pictures! Any couple that meets at Penn State has a GREAT chance : ) of making a happy marriage! What lovely pictures you captured. They are SO perfect!

Milla - Dude! Love Hartwood acres… the sitting in the grass photos are beautiful! And I love the one with the big tree… they're so cute!

I ♥ Faces Contest Entry | Blue

I ♥ Faces” is a cool blog devoted to showcasing faces…and they hold weekly contests and challenges. Although I’ve lurked around the blog for a while, this is my first time to enter one of the contests.

This week’s heme is “blue,” I thought this photo fit the theme well…



Becca - This shot really is just perfect for the theme — congrats on winning 🙂 well deserved!

Life with Kaishon - What a lovely image! Way to go entering for the first time and being a winner : ) I can't imagine how exciting that must be!

Julia Spencer - Beautiful Shot… I love how pensive this is. Congratulations!!!!

Angie - The Arthur Clan - I'm so glad you entered this shot…it was wonderful for the theme this week! Hope to see more of your beautiful photos in future challenges too. 🙂

~Angie
co-founder of I ♥ Faces

Kate - k8tography - Congratulations on your Top Ten win! And your first time of entering too – so well done. This shot is great – I can't stop looking at her eyes!!!

Hayley - Congrats on second place, absolutely lovely photograph!!

Alison - This is a great shot! Love those eyes! Great job.

Jamie - Nice!

Amanda - Awesome! our faces are entered into a contest! I hope you win! hah

Ambar - Wow! Love this. Her eyes are just amazing! Great capture for sure!

Annette - Beautiful. Love the emotion you were able to capture.

B - Glad you decided to join the fun! This is a great shot!!!

Amanda - Her eyes, his suit – just beautiful!

way outnumbered - Wow! Love that…fabulous use of the theme ~ and stunning eyes!

Pittsburgh Trash the Dress Session | Workshop Recap

I have to start this post by saying that Amanda and Tim are awesome! They were wonderful models last night for the workshop at Frick Park (and oh so very brave!). And, I discovered how much I LOVE Frick Park…it would be an awesome spot for engagement photos…hint, hint.

Despite a bit of a rain scare to begin with, I think everyone had a blast getting to practice shooting in manual mode and taking control of their settings. It was a mix of Canon and Nikon users, and I have to give a big thanks to the more seasoned Nikon shooter who was in attendance–Nick. He definitely helped figure out how to change camera settings for the newer Nikon shooters.

Throughout it all, I felt like jumping up and down because it was so much fun getting to do a Trash the Dress session. I would love to do more of these–so, any past brides up for the challenge?? It is a TON of fun, trust me! If you don’t mind getting your dress dirty (when are you going to where it again, anyway?), you should definitely consider it.

Now I did make one goof–I completely forgot to take a picture of the group! Duh! I guess I was in “follow the white dress” mode and totally focused my lens on Amanda and Tim (who were awesome–did I mention that?). Ah well, we’ll have to do it again sometime!


Things started off easy enough in a fun field.

Ah, there’s some shooters…

Then things got more interesting…

I just LOVE Tim’s suit…so cool.

And then things got really interesting…yes they did! They went in the creek!

LOVE this.

Aw yeah!

See? I wasn’t the only out there. I’d love to see her shot, too…

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Amanda and Tim for being such great sports!

Strip District Trash the Dress Photos | Kristen and Brett » Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer | Birchtree Photography Blog - […] you’re interested in having a fun post-wedding session, let me know. You don’t have to immerse your wedding dress (though you can) to have a fun session. Just take a look at Kristen and Brett…(now that […]

Spring Workshop Dates Announced » Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer | Birchtree Photography Blog - […] of you may remember last fall’s trash the dress workshop, which was a lot of fun. I really love being able to help others advance their photography skills, […]

One Camera, or Two? » Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers | Birchtree Photography Blog - […] examples…these photos were taken by one of the attendees at the trash the dress workshop I held last […]

Just An Idea… » Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers | Birchtree Photography Blog - […] with snow today and tomorrow. But all I can think about is how much fun it’d be to do a Trash the Dress session in the […]

Heather - I love these photos. What a brave couple!

Chris MacAskill - Wow, I really love the shots of them in bare feet, dress in water, sleeves rolled up for the groom. They'll talk about those shots forever.

Milla - Wow! I totally love photo #5 and the ones of them sitting on the rocks with her dress in the water. Just amazing! Okay, now I am determined to schedule a session like this! Wonderful wonderful…

Reminder: A Little Workshop is Tonight!

Don’t let the G-20 madness fool you, A Little Workshop is still on for tonight. We’ll be avoiding the dignitaries at Phipps by tromping around Frick Park. And if it rains? Hey, it’s a trash the dress session, so it’ll still work. Should be fun, and I can’t wait to see you there!

All the details (and there’s some spots left!):

If you’ve ever wondered how to use your fancy schmancy digital SLR camera in a mode other than “auto” but can’t get beyond reading the manual, then I’ve got some good news for you.

I’ve decided to host a small workshop to share some of the tips and tricks I use in my work and to help folks really get the best use of their SLR cameras. That means (shudder), turning the dial to “manual mode” and learning how to get the correct exposure in camera.

Personally, I’m a hands-on type of learner, so this workshop will primarily be that: hands-on. It will consist of several components. The first will be some basic learning of what determines exposure and how to work with available light. Next we’ll be doing a “trash the dress” type of shoot with a couple whose wedding I shot this summer. Lastly, I’ll briefly explain some post-processing that I do and answer any questions you may have. It should be a ton of fun and hopefully very helpful to you!

So, the 411:
When: 5pm on September 24, 2009 (that’s next Thursday)
Where: Frick Park on the eastside of Pittsburgh. We’ll be meeting on the side closest to Braddock Avenue here:
View Larger Map

If you turn onto Lancaster from W. Hutchinson, you’ll follow a small road into the park. There’s a parking lot at the bottom, and I’ll be in standing in or near the parking lot.

Who: Anyone who has a digital SLR camera interested in learning how to use it better. Limited to the first 10 people who sign up.
What to Bring: Your camera, any lenses that you own, memory cards, and your questions!
How much does it cost? $25 You can pay through paypal here:





Once 10 people have signed up, no more will be accepted.

I hope to see you there, and let me know if you have any questions!