Mohnton, Pennsylvania Fall Wedding | Mary Beth and Jesse | Berks County Photographer

Mary Beth is a very talented Berks County photographer herself, and when we met last year and she asked me to photograph her upcoming wedding to Jesse, I admit I was a little intimidated at first.  I always feel an extra layer of self-induced anxiety when I'm creating art for another photographer.  But I was also honored that another artist would want me to capture their wedding memories for them, so I excitedly agreed!

One of the best parts of photographing another photographer's wedding is that they always allow lots of time for portraits throughout their wedding day.  Mary Beth and Jesse have an amazing property, which was also the site of their wedding ceremony and reception, and we took full advantage of the time we had!  I was so surprised to show up and see that the soybean field where their ceremony took place was still nice and green so late in the season!!  (All of the other fields I had seen in Berks County that week were already brown and/or cleared out!)  Oh, and their incredible home (you can see a little bit of it in the photos below) was built by the two of them!!  That's yet another reason why their backyard was the perfect place for them to start the rest of their lives together!

I'm so grateful that they asked me to be their photographer, and I'm glad that I agreed!  Their wedding day was perfect in every way.  It was super laid back and casual, and the DIY elements Mary Beth and Jesse included were gorgeous and fun!  Mary Beth and Jesse even retrofitted their old truck into a beer tap!  Cult Status, a local band made up of Governor Mifflin Senior High School students, played during the reception and did a fantastic job!  The reception was catered by Crow Wagon, a local food truck, and the food was delicious.  The bride and groom looked incredible (and so in love), and their little boys (Coleman and Caleb) were so handsome!!  

I hope you enjoy this selection of photos from their wedding day.  Congratulations again, Nocera Family!!

Videography:  Cory Slifka

Cake Artist:  Roxanne Shupp

Band:  Cult Status

Hair Artist & Make-Up Artist:  Jayda Hampton

Officiant:  MaryBeth's father!

Catering:  Crow Wagon

Kayla, Exeter Class of 2017 | Berks County High School Senior Photographer

I recently met up with Kayla for her senior portrait session, and had a BLAST!  Our families have been close for years, and it has been a real pleasure watching her grow up over the years.  I was so excited when I was asked to capture this special time for Kayla and her family!  I knew she was going to rock her photo session.  Kayla is so independent, creative, and breathtakingly gorgeous!  I know that she is going to accomplish some pretty incredible things during her lifetime.

We began our photoshoot in West Lawn, off of Penn Avenue. Then we moved over to Wyomissing and shot at a few locations near The Works.  I love every location, every outfit, and every single picture.  I hope you enjoy these photos from our time together.  Enjoy the rest of your senior year, Kayla!!  Best of luck to all of the members of the Class of 2017!

Make-up:  Danica at United Artists Salon + Spa

Hair:  Kayla!

Wyomissing Park Engagement Session | Kailey and Kyle | Berks County Wedding Photographer

Last weekend, I met up with Kailey and Kyle for their engagement session.  We were planning on doing it Sunday evening, right before sunset... but the weather forecast was looking pretty ominous.  At the last minute, we decided to move the photoshoot to bright and early Sunday morning instead.  And I am so glad we did!!  Clouds, wind, and strong thunderstorms moved in to the area right at our original start time!

There was almost another last minute glitch in our photoshoot plans, because when we arrived at the Wyomissing Park, we realized that a 5K was set up smack in the middle of our planned location.  We were determined to leave the park with some amazing pictures, though!  So we focused, hit a few great spots in the park, and made it out right before the race began and right as a police officer was blocking off the parking lot we were in!  (I was literally standing at the edge of the parking lot taking a photo of Kailey's engagement ring as the officer was closing the barricade...)

We most definitely accomplished our goal - the pictures turned out great!  Kailey and Kyle are so easygoing, so in love, and so freaking photogenic!  (Even with millions of gnats swarming their heads!)  Check out this collection of photos from our session and I think you will agree that they are incredible!  I'm really looking forward to their wedding next year!

(Big thanks to one of my other favorite couples, Courtney and Brandon, for the referral!!)

Wyebrook Farm Engagement Session | Steph and Al | Chester County Photographer

I recently met up with Steph and Al for their engagement photoshoot, and had a blast!!  Our first stop was the Twin Valley High School baseball field - a place near and dear to their hearts.  Then, we headed to Wyebrook Farm, just in time to befriend a few cattle and catch some amazing late afternoon light as the sun started to set.  The wind was a bit of a challenge that day, but Steph and Al rocked their session and I love how the photos turned out!  I am so looking forward to their wedding next August!

I hope you enjoy this selection of photos from our time together!

Glen Onoko Falls Engagement Session | Becca and Joe | Jim Thorpe Wedding Photographer

Fall in Jim Thorpe is amazing, and I was so lucky to have experienced it recently with Becca and Joe!  We met at Glen Onoko Falls for their engagement photoshoot a few weeks ago.  It was the perfect location since that's where they went on their first hike together when they began dating!  We started out by hiking up a bit to one of the waterfalls, then turned around and stopped at a few of their other favorite spots just in time for sunset.  To be completely honest, I was a little winded at a few of the steeper sections on the trail (I'll blame my heavy backpack and not the obvious reason that I'm a little bit out of shape) - but Becca and Joe were champs!  Becca even hiked it in dress boots, and was putting me to shame!  The hike was beautiful and was absolutely worth it.  I love how their photos turned out, and I'm so excited to shoot their wedding next October!

Here are a few of my favorites from our session!  (Be sure to check out Becca's stunning engagement ring that she made HERSELF!)

Wyomissing Park High School Senior Photographer | Rachel

A few weeks ago, I met up with Rachel and her mom to photograph Rachel's senior portraits.  Rachel will be graduating from Wilson High School in 2017, and I'm honored that I was asked to capture these moments for her family!  As a cross country runner, Rachel has spent countless hours running through Wyomissing Park, so she thought this would be the perfect location for her senior portraits.  I couldn't agree more, and I love how these turned out!  (You would never guess that there were 25+ mph wind gusts happening throughout our entire session!!)

Best of luck to Rachel and the rest of the Class of 2017!  I hope you enjoy this collection of photos from our afternoon together.  I know I loved creating them with Rachel and her mom!

A Berks County Halloween | A Personal Session

With our oldest daughter graduating from high school in June, this could potentially be the last Halloween that we have all three of our kids at home at the same time.  Since all three of them had costumes this year, I couldn't miss this opportunity to snap a few photos of them together.

This isn't my typical style of editing, but sometimes I will do it for fun.  (Although I always have fun when I make photographs, so that might not be the best choice of words...)  I like to keep learning and stepping out of my comfort zone, and I love how these turned out.

Here are a few photos of my own personal Waldo, Chucky, and The Mystery Machine.  They all made their costumes themselves!!  Enjoy!

Berks County High School Senior Photographer | Mackana, Wilson HS Class of 2017

I recently met up with Mackana to photograph her high school senior portraits.  She is a member of Wilson High School's Class of 2017!  We chose the Albright College campus as our backdrop because of all of the different background options there.  The weather was perfect, and the light was incredible.  We were even photobombed by an adorable and very friendly little dog while we were there!  I had such a fantastic time creating these images for Mackana and her mom!  I hope you enjoy this selection of some of my favorites.

Daniel Boone Homestead Family Session | Berks County Photographer

I recently had the honor of photographing this incredible family.  They drove all the way from Philadelphia to spend some time in front of my camera at the Daniel Boone Homestead!  They are some of the most thoughtful, kind, and positive people that I know, and I'm so honored that they chose me as their family photographer.  Here are a few favorites from our time together.

Reed and Maddie | A Berks County 'Couples' High School Senior Session

I recently had the honor of photographing Reed and Maddie's senior portraits.  Reed is a senior at Berks Catholic High School, and Maddie is a senior at Cocalico High School.  They have been dating for a while, and they wanted to capture a few photos together to celebrate both their relationship and this important time in their lives.

Reed, Maddie, their moms, and I adventured all around Reed's property looking for great places to use as backdrops.  The property is amazing, and I'm so glad that we chose to use that location for the photoshoot.  Not only does it have lots of photo-worthy areas to choose from, but it has special meaning to both Reed and Maddie.  (I was lucky enough to photograph Reed's sister's senior photos there, too!)

Thank you for allowing me to capture this milestone in your lives!  Congratulations to the Class of 2017!!

(Big thanks to Reed's dad for maneuvering the tractor into position for us!)