Glasbern Inn, Fogelsville PA Wedding | 2nd Shooting

When I'm not shooting my own weddings and portraits, I often second shoot weddings for other talented wedding photographers.  I love getting out there and meeting new people, celebrating love, and being creative without always having to be in charge. ;)  A few weeks ago, I second shot this wedding for Jodi Chandler.  It was an honor working alongside Jodi to capture Emilee and Elliott's Day #1.  They were such a fun couple, and their day was filled with so much love and support.  The Glasbern Inn was the perfect backdrop for their wedding day!  Thank you again for asking me to be your sidekick, Jodi!  Here are a few of my photos from their day...

Jackson, Wyoming - Part 2 | Kaiya, Class of 2017 | Destination High School Senior Portrait Photographer

While Kaiya and I were in Wyoming in November, we decided to add a few photos to her ever-growing high school senior portrait portfolio!  Here are a few of our favorites from Grand Teton National Park, Mormon Row, and downtown Jackson Hole.

Here's a fun fact about the incredible antler arch that you will see in the photos...  Jackson is home to a National Elk Refuge, and the roughly 8,000 antlers that make up the four matching arches in downtown Jackson Hole all come from the elk's annual antler shedding.  No animals were harmed to obtain the antlers to create these enormous and iconic arches.

Jackson, Wyoming - Part 1 | Elk, Coyote, Moose, Bighorn Sheep, Waterfowl | Wildlife Photographer

A few weeks ago, my oldest daughter was supposed to have a snowboard race in Jackson, Wyoming.  The race was cancelled due to lack of snow, but our plane tickets and hotel were nonrefundable, so we decided to go on our trip anyway.  Neither of us had ever been to Wyoming, so I thought it would be a great experience for both of us.  We packed up our laptops, camera gear, and sense of adventure, and headed west.

On our first day in Wyoming, we went out in search of a grocery store and Starbucks... and found much, much more! My daughter noticed something moving in the tall brush on the side of the road, so I pulled over to check it out.  What we stumbled upon was a migrating herd of elk.  I grabbed my camera, hopped out of the car, and ran alongside the herd snapping as many photos as I could.  It was absolutely incredible and breathtaking to witness.  On a separate trip, we encountered bighorn sheep, moose, a coyote, and various waterfowl!  (We eventually did find the grocery store and the Starbucks.)

Here are some of my wildlife photos from our trip.  I definitely plan to go back again when I have more time to explore... and next time I'm planning on bringing some bigger lenses!

Kaiya's Nor-Am Races at Buck Hill, MN | Pennsylvania Snowboard Photographer

This year, I made a few big changes in my life.  One was resigning from teaching after 16 years and supplementing my photography business with educational consulting.  That big career change has allowed me to pursue both my photography and education passions simultaneously, and has given me increased flexibility in my schedule to support my family as they pursue their own passions... and it has given me more time to snowboard. ;)

Our entire family snowboards.  This shared passion is part of the glue that keeps our family so close.  All three of my daughters are alpine snowboard racers, and my oldest daughter, Kaiya, is now competing at the international level.  I was able to accompany her recently as she raced in her first North American (Nor-Am) Cup events of the year at Buck Hill Resort in Burnsville, Minnesota.

There were four events scheduled over the span of three days (three "big" Nor-Am parallel slalom races, and one "junior" Nor-Am parallel slalom race).  The temperatures ranged from a high of 20 degrees on Friday, to a low of -40 degrees on Sunday (including the wind chill).  It was so cold on Sunday morning that the races had to be delayed until the temperatures rose above -20 degrees so that the lifts could operate.

Kaiya finished 14th on Friday evening (her first ever evening event under the lights!), 2nd on Saturday morning (only missing first place by .02 seconds!!), 6th on Saturday afternoon (after a heartbreaking DQ), and 7th on Sunday.  I'm so proud of her performance in all of her races that weekend, especially considering that she wasn't able to train on gates prior to the races because of the lack of snow here on the east coast!  The last time she practiced in gates was last June at Mt. Bachelor, Oregon!  It's hard to describe the range of feelings I experience on race days.  Leading up to and during any given race, there's an exhilarating (and exhausting) combination of anxiety, excitement, joy, heartbreak, happiness, suspense, and pride.  Lots and lots of pride.  Looking through my camera and focusing on taking pictures during her races helps keep my anxiety (somewhat) under control.

Kaiya's 2nd place finish was her best Nor-Am finish to date, and resulted in her first time earning a spot on the medal podium (and the first time she won prize money)!  Kaiya's next Nor-Am race will take place at Steamboat Springs, CO in two weeks.  Her younger sisters have a race coming up at Camelback Mountain in the Pennsylvania Poconos next weekend.  I'm looking forward to an amazing season for all three "SnowSurfGirls"!

If you happened to be at Buck Hill and saw me waving and pointing like a crazy woman every so often, it's because I was signaling to family and friends who were watching the race via Buck Hill's webcam.  They asked me to wave whenever Kaiya was coming up next, and to signal which lane she would be racing in. ;)

Here are a few photos of Kaiya from her races at Buck Hill.  I wish you all could have been there in person!

Ren turned one! | A Star Wars themed cake smash session | Berks County Child Photographer

Ren turned one last week, and we celebrated this fabulous milestone with a Star Wars themed cake smash!  He is so freaking adorable - and I'm not just saying that because he's my nephew. ;)  Big thanks to Kim Nakonecznyj for creating this amazing R2-D2 cake for us!  Here are a few of my favorite photos (from the hundreds I took during our photoshoot).  Happy birthday, Ren!!

Everything Happens for a Reason | A Personal Session in Park City, Utah

A few years ago, I "met" @lindseasnow on Instagram.  She commented on a few of my snowboard-related posts, and we soon realized that she used to snowboard at my "home" mountain.  We quickly determined that we seemed to have a lot in common and joked that we were practically the same person - just separated by 10+ years in age. ;)  I hoped I would meet her in person one day, but that possibility seemed a bit far-fetched once she packed up and moved from Baltimore, MD to Utah.

Fast forward to this fall...  

If you know me personally, you know that snowboarding is kind of a big deal in my family. ;)  My oldest daughter is competing in the Nor-Am Cup for alpine snowboard racing, and had a last minute race added to the calendar for November.  The race was supposed to take place in Jackson, Wyoming.  The cheapest airfare we could find required that we fly in to Salt Lake City, Utah and then drive 4 1/2 hours to Wyoming.  I made our travel reservations, and then remembered that my Instagram friend, Lindsay, lived in Utah!  I reached out to her to see if she lived anywhere near the SLC airport, and as luck would have it, she was very close!  I told her that we would be in town and we decided to meet up for lunch while I was in Utah!

I also found out that Lindsay had recently undergone a prophylactic double mastectomy and reconstruction, and I wanted to use my photography passion to help celebrate her strength, positivity, and kick-ass zest for life!  So, I offered to donate a photoshoot while I was there.  I'm so glad that she immediately took me up on my offer!

The week before the race was supposed to take place, it was cancelled due to lack of snow.  And when I say lack of snow, there was literally no snow to be found in Jackson, Wyoming.  Winter got off to a very late start in Wyoming this year, so there was no way the race could go off as scheduled.  They got a few inches of snowfall right before the race was supposed to happen, but it was too little too late.  Our airfare and hotel were prepaid in order to get the best rates at such short notice, and were nonrefundable.  So, my daughter and I decided to make the best of a crummy situation and take our trip anyway.  And, I'm so glad we did!  Not only did we manage to see some incredible wildlife while in Wyoming (one day I'll post those pictures when I find the time), but we also managed to meet up with Lindsay for lunch, incredible conversation, and an amazing photoshoot.  We even managed to squeeze in one more dinner (and dessert!) with her on our last night in Utah before we flew back home!

Here are some of Lindsay's blog posts that discuss our online friendship and our in-person meeting, since she's way better with words than I am:

https://lindseasnow.com/2016/11/09/woman-crush-wednesday-the-amazing-women-ive-met-via-blogging/

https://lindseasnow.com/2016/12/13/using-social-media-to-actually-socialize/

If you browse around her page a bit, you'll learn more about her story and her incredible outlook on life.  I highly recommend that you pour yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea and check it out!

Since I'm much better with photos than with words, I'll leave you with a few of my favorite images from our brief time together.  (Her photoshoot took place at Jordanelle Park and Jordanelle Reservoir, some of her favorite spots in Park City.)  Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Lindsay!  I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and I know that our meeting was meant to be.  I have a feeling our Instagram meeting years ago was just the beginning of what is to become a long friendship.

Thievery Corporation + The Reminders | The Fillmore, Philadelphia

Photographing a Thievery Corporation concert has been on my Bucket List for a while now... and this year I was finally able to cross it off - not once, not twice, but three times (and in three different states)!  This was an amazing year to cross this off, too, because it is was their 20th anniversary tour!  I can't believe I have been a fan of their music for 20 years already.  It seems like just yesterday that I listened to them for the first time when I rented minidiscs containing their songs while living in Japan.

Back in May, I photographed them at Red Rocks, my all time favorite concert venue.  In August, I photographed them in Maryland at the Hot August Music Festival.  And, this December, I photographed them at the Fillmore in Philadelphia.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from their December show.  I also photographed their opening band, The Reminders.  The Reminders were incredible - they were so full of energy and positivity!  I'm definitely a new fan, and highly recommend that you check them out!  And, if you haven't heard of Thievery Corporation yet, you definitely need to check out their work as well.  They put on one of the best live shows I have ever seen - every show is a different experience and is performed with unmatched passion, energy, and style.

Thank you for the opportunities, Thievery!  And, thank you for providing many of the songs to the soundtrack of my life over the past 20 years.  I'm looking forward to many more shows to come. :)

Naples, Florida Family Session | The Vishio Family | Destination Photographer

A few weeks ago, I returned from a trip to the mountains of Wyoming and Utah and less than 24 hours later hopped onto a flight to sunny (and HOT) Florida!  The Vishio Family flew me to Naples to photograph their family in time for the holidays.  It was my first trip to Naples, and after an amazing weekend, I hope that it won't be my last!  Even though I'm a snow lover, I admit that I fell in love with the sunshine, scenery, amazing food, and generous people I met while I was there.

I snapped photos for them at the beach, at their home in front of their Christmas tree, and at the Naples Ritz Carlton.  On my last day there, I went on a short adventure in search of wildlife and snapped a few personal photos for my own collection. 

Here are a few of my photos from my quick trip.  Thanks again, Vishio Family!

Gring's Mill Couple Session | Lexie + Connor | Berks County Photographer

Connor, a 2016 Wilson HS graduate, has spent the last few months in California participating in Basic Training for the U.S. Air Force Academy.  His high school sweetheart, Lexie, was at the top of the list of people who were eagerly awaiting his visit over the Christmas and New Year holiday.  Lexie's mom wanted to surprise them with a photoshoot during his quick visit home over the holidays, so that they would have some photos to help make future separations a little bit easier on them both.

As soon as they received their gift certificate for their photoshoot, Lexie reached out and we set it up for the next day.  They wanted it to take place at Gring's Mill, since that is where they went on their first date together.  Lexie and Connor, I had such a great time making these photos with you.  I hope you have a fantastic visit together!  Connor, best of luck on your remaining months of training.

Pine Barn Inn, Danville PA Wedding | 2nd Shooting

On weekends when I'm not busy shooting my own weddings or portrait sessions, I can often be found assisting other photographers.  I really enjoy the freedom (and lower stress level) that comes along with second shooting!  A few weeks ago, I second shot a wedding for Alisha Taylor of A Mack Photography.

My day started in Elysburg with sunny skies and temps in the 70s... and ended at the Pine Barn Inn in Danville with sub-freezing temps and snow!  Mother Nature was up to some shenanigans that day, but it made for incredibly diverse photos!  Nate and Alaina were so kind, so in love, and so much fun to hang out with all day!  I hope you enjoy this selection of photos from their wedding day.