Brady’s Senior Session at Lake Woodlands
“They look great!!! Having a hard time deciding. Thank you so much for fitting us into your schedule and getting them done on time. I really appreciate it! ”
~ Sarah B., mother
Austin's Senior Portraits at Rob Fleming Park
In the scorching August of 2023, I embarked on a unique photographic journey with Austin, a talented student at The John Cooper School, to create his high school senior portraits. The chosen backdrop for this session was Austin's favorite spot – the serene Rob Fleming Park in The Woodlands, Texas.
A High School Senior Portrait Session for Finn
“I loved so many (photos) I could not decide!! Just gave you 5 stars ⭐️!! And a good (Google) review.”
~ Emily S., mother
Capturing Elegance and Confidence: Vikram Kansal's High School Senior Portraits
“Thank you for these. Loved working with you and you got even my grumpy son to smile!👏🙌😂”
~ Puja Kansal, mother
Celebrating Aditya Menon's High School Senior Year with Captivating Portraits!
“OMG!! These are absolutely stunning. 😀😀 Thank you so much!!”
- Aditya M.
High School Winter Formal for Alena and Michael
Feeling happy and handsome, Alena and Michael made some awesome memories at the John Cooper School winter formal, held at The Woodlands Resort. The John Cooper School did great job of making the event special for the students and their guests. Alena and Michael make such a beautiful couple. Red suits them both.
Happy Valentine’s day!
City Mini Session for Crela Frye and her family
Mini sessions in the City.
Some shoots look better in black and white. Pittsburgh’s signature yellow bridges are spectacular but sometimes you just want to focus on the emotions, not the surroundings and thus black and white perfect.
Winter Mini Session for Rufa Akhmedli
Winter mini sessions.
Rufa Akhmedli wanted a bunch of portraits to use on her Instagram account. They had to look different enough, as if taken on separate occasions. Rufa brought 3 charges of clothes and I was amazed how quickly she changed into yet another gorgeous outfit within the allocated 30 minutes still keeping her poise.
Winter Mini Session for Victoria Detweiler and her new husband
Winter mini sessions.
Victoria Detweiler booked a session for all her extended family but it was so cold that day that the rest of the siblings chickened out.
I always say that the brave and stoic get it all. Victoria’s session turned into a romantic shoot with her new husband who went along with any idea I came up with on how he could say “I love you” to his young bride in a silent photograph.
I wish all the happiness in the world to this sweet and beautiful couple.
Fall Mini Session for Shannon Brady and her family
Shannon Brady wanted this session to be an 8th birthday present for her elder son. Love how they thought through all the little details of their outfits and how naturally they settled into suggested poses. We got quite a lot of color into the background on that cold November day.
Fall Mini Session for Briana Honrath and her family
It was pure joy photographing Briana’s family: 2.5-year-old daughter Aurora, husband Marc, his mother Pat and two friendly labradoodles Leonardo and Arnold. It was mostly chaotic but also organized, if you know what I mean. They certainly came well-prepared for the shoot and I just love the results of our mutual efforts.
Fall Mini Session for Casey Platt and her family
Casey was looking for family photos with her husband and her two little girls: 2-year-old Ella and baby Olivia. As always with photo sessions involving young children, we went along with the girls’ moods and impulses. Thus having given up on ideal backgrounds or elegant poses, we captured plenty of genuine smiles, hugs and kisses. The images below were Casey’s favorites.
City Break in Washington DC: October 2021
I finally have time to go through our vacation photos! Here are a few from the city break to Washington, DC, back in October 2021. We just wandered around our favorite spots: the French bakery Paul, the National Mall, and a couple of hidden gardens we keep discovering with every visit.
We visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. I think it opened just recently, so we were curious to see what was inside. The Soviet Union/Russian section was really well-represented and we learned something new as we’d hoped. We had a very interesting conversation with one of the volunteers who all but gave us a private tour of the features in the astronaut suit.
And the crown jewel of the Washington, DC, visit was the hockey game at the Capital One Arena. The Washington Capitals played the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Caps lost… at least cameras were allowed and both Dmitry and I clicked away during the pre-game skate and even the game itself.
Christmas at New York City: a portrait session with Shania Shields
Day 5, Part Two of photography workshop with Joe McNally in a New York City studio.
I was looking forward to this part of the workshop most of all as this involved photographing a professional dancer in a studio.
Shania Shields is a 2021 graduate of the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and she is a professional dancer, singer and actress who received her BFA studio training in the drama department at Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic Acting School and Stonestreet Studios. @shania.aprill
Shania’s stage experience was greatly appreciated by everyone in our group and it was mostly up to our skills as photographers to work fast enough to capture every graceful pose and elegant move. Anyone who had ever modeled for a photography session would agree that posing is not an easy matter. You are asked to freeze and keep the pose or repeat a movement over and over, maintain precision in your position and perfection in your moves and while doing all that, your face needs to express ease and happiness at all times. Kudos to Shania for being a perfect model.
Alena’s Studio Portraits in Red
Alena’s portrait series in red.
Studio Portraits for Ella
“Thank you. I love them all! Tough choosing we will have to buy a few…“ - Melissa S., mother
Ella Sanfilippo is a junior at Sewickley Academy. She has taken on a stressful stage management role once again for the War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast play in the fall of 2020, her seventh Senior School production.
Alena and her photobombing dog
Our dog is a notorious photobomber. When he thinks my daughter and I have spent enough time in my studio, he just lies down in front of the camera and won’t budge. This is a rare occasion when I can actually photograph him in a still position, not running, jumping, barking, or chasing a chipmunk.
Actor’s portfolio for Caroline
“Thank you SO much for the beautiful pictures of Caroline. I can honestly say these are the best ones we’ve ever had. You have captured the very essence of her and they are just amazing! “
- Whitney H., mother