Engagement | Shell Bailey Photography

Apr

Pittsburgh Strip District Engagement | Brigid & Adam

engagement / lifestyle portraits / 2 Comments / April 11, 2014

I talk about this during consultations a lot, but one of the reasons that I love shooting engagement sessions is that it’s such a great way to get to know each other before the wedding. Especially in the case of Brigid & Adam, where we went somewhere that has deep personal meaning for them. We went to the Altar Bar, where they were first introduced by a mutual friend. We stopped at places where they had many first dates and still enjoy going to today, like the Allegheny Coffee Co. (I just love the smell of walking into that store) and tried their favorite truffles at the chocolaterie. Shooting portraits at the strip can be interesting- working with that many people around is certainly a challenge, and not for the shy- but totally worth it, for the architecture and the colours and the ambiance and, now, the personal meaning that they will have in their photos as well.

Also, Brigid may be one of the few people that I have found that smiles as much as I do. (If you’ve met me… you know I smile a LOT.) I loved her giggle and Adam’s humor and their daring to try things even in the midst of being in front of the camera for the first time. I think they did wonderfully. :)

Apr

Pittsburgh Engagement Photographers | Jen & Dan

engagement / 0 Comments / April 3, 2014

A lovely engagement session at Pittsburgh’s South Park with Jen and Dan- who are so lovely themselves, and adorably in love.

Feb

Oakmont Engagement | Tara & Tom

engagement / lifestyle portraits / 0 Comments / February 14, 2014

I love shooting portraits at locations meaningful to my clients, especially if it’s where they live. There’s just something special about documenting the place that you have made your home, even more so if friends & family are out of town and don’t get to see what it’s like every day. That’s the case with Tara & Tom, who live in Oakmont, and I loved exploring their neighborhood. We walked a good bit of the town and stopped at the overlook where Tom proposed, meandered through the areas that they walk their dog, found gorgeous shady spots and beautiful rusted garages. They’re both practical & good-natured & funny and it made for such a good afternoon (and I got to meet their giant fluffy dog too! so much love.) They’ll be getting married at St. Iranaeus and the Heinz History Center later this year, and we can’t wait to celebrate with them.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you! Go be kind to someone today. :)

Jan

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers | 2013 Year in Review Engagements

engagement / lifestyle portraits / 0 Comments / January 1, 2014

Happy New Year!

2014 has so many exciting things planned, and I can hardly wait to get to them. But in the meantime, here’s a little recap: some of the images that stuck with me from my engagement portraits of 2013. There are a number of sessions that I haven’t posted yet- and the same will be true when it comes to the wedding recap post- so you can consider this a preview of some of the lovely things I plan to share with you this winter. :)

Also, I’ve said it before, but I am so hugely thankful to be able to spend my time creating art, to actually make a living doing so, and for the wonderful people who make it possible. To all of my clients: thank you, thank you, thank you. You make my work a joy.

This has been a crazy, busy, beautiful year. Can’t wait for what’s to come.

Nov

Pittsburgh Library Engagement Session | Amanda & Lee

engagement / lifestyle portraits / 0 Comments / November 11, 2013

I’ve been shooting a lot of portraits in Oakland this year! It’s always a popular location for couples who attended college or grad school in the area. In this case, it was a natural choice for Amanda and Lee, who are Pitt alumni. Amanda even gave campus tours during her time there, so of course they know a lot of the pretty corners of Oakland.

My favorite spot, though? Was when they suggested the Carnegie Library. I’ve been going to that library since I was a child and, as a bookworm, it was naturally a place of magic for me. Pausing in the stairwells, creeping through the stacks, all these places that have have been a dream for me to shoot in- and Amanda & Lee were just as excited as I was. Literary engagement sessions! I can’t tell you how excited I get about things like that. :)

My personal geekiness aside- I don’t think it’s possible to take a bad picture of Amanda & Lee. Their smiles are bright and easy and they are every bit as kind as they seem. They’re getting married next month at Heinz Chapel and the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, I’m so looking forward to heir lovely fall wedding.

Sep

Pittsburgh Strip District Engagement | Ashley and Nathan

engagement / lifestyle portraits / 0 Comments / September 30, 2013

Ashley & Nathan chose to do their engagement sessions in the Pittsburgh Strip district for a more urban feel. I honestly love shooting in the city, with the fantastic old buildings and yellow bridges, it’s a whole different feel than it is in the suburbs. And points to Ashley for choosing a fantastic outfit to go with that- bright yellows and oranges pretty much always look amazing against the brick and architecture. The strip ended up being even busier than anticipated, so we worked around the cars and found cool doorways and loading docks and the underneath of bridges. And these two are just adorable together, so fun day of shooting overall. :)

Ashley & Nathan are getting married north of Pittsburgh in just a few short weeks! An October wedding with little touches of Halloween (so of course we had to shoot outside of the costume shop, as well.)

Sep

North Shore Engagement | Breanna & Adam

engagement / lifestyle portraits / 0 Comments / September 20, 2013

Another summery engagement session! We shot down on the North Shore to combine Adam’s love of baseball at PNC Park and Breanna’s family ties with the Duquesne Incline. While we were shooting, Breanna told me about their wedding next year- including having all of the guests make their way from the Heinz Chapel ceremony to the reception at the LeMont by riding the incline. I just love little details like that. :) On top of that, Adam has a wonderfully goofy sense of humor, and Breanna has an amazing sense of style and an adorable style. Totally looking forward to working with them more next year.

Sep

Schenley Park Engagement Session | Megan & Jay

engagement / 0 Comments / September 11, 2013

It’s hard to know where to even start to tell you about Megan & Jay. I just finished their wedding and it was FANTASTIC, but I still need to show you their engagement photos. :) Anyways, I love these two to pieces. The first time I met Megan she offered to buy me a beer, and then we bonded over our slightly more practical views on weddings. She told me about how they met- while stationed in Afghanistan, where they were both working as Air Force Civil Engineers— how’s that for an engagement story? It was great finally getting to meet Jay at the engagement session & watching how utterly right they are together. We explored Schenley Park with their lovely St. Bernard, who is adorable.

(Side note to couples: Yes, you definitely can bring your dog to the engagement session! I get asked this all of the time and I am more than happy to work with pets. Andy and I are both totally dog people, too, and will happily make friends with your puppy while we shoot. Just let me know ahead of time & I do also recommend having an extra pair of hands to watch them while we get some solo portraits.)

Their wedding was at St Paul’s and Soldiers & Sailors, those photos coming soon. :)

Aug

Pittsburgh Engagement Session | Nina & Corey

engagement / 0 Comments / August 9, 2013

I’m not sure what we exactly we talked about that day. About our dogs, probably, and weird wedding traditions, about how Corey likes to pick Nina up just because he can, and math jokes may have featured in there somewhere. What I do know is that we laughed throughout the entire session. These two are just so much fun I can’t even explain, and we have a goofy sense of humor in common. There was lots of Corey picking Nina up & then everyone climbed on things & then Corey picked Nina up some more. Um. They’re kind of adorable. Also, Corey took me to some secret spots on the CMU campus that I’ve never been to before- including rooftop succulent gardens. :) They’re getting married this fall at the Wintergarden at PPG Place.

Also, as a side note- I first met Nina way-back-when, at a wedding I photographed several years ago. Can just I tell you, I love working with referrals from brides? We try to stay in touch, but in this business, I really only get to work with a client once (twice if you count the engagement sessions), unless I do additional portraits later. Which is sad, because my clients? Are so much fun. It’s the best thing in the world when I get to work with friends or family of a couple I’ve already shot for. It’s like reading an epilogue about your favorite characters, or running into old friends from college. So yes, lots of love to Scott & Emily for sending Nina and Corey to me, and to all the other couples that have done the same. <3 Friends of friends are the best thing ever.

Jul

Phipps Engagement | Rachel & John

engagement / lifestyle portraits / 0 Comments / July 15, 2013

Absolutely loved shooting these engagement portraits of Rachel & John at Phipps Conservatory and Schenley Park in Oakland. It may look serene, but they gracefully waded through the crowds, the crazy heat, the children’s festival, and at least one dance recital (what can I say- taking photographs in Pittsburgh is never boring.) & through all that, they kept smiling and teasing each other and looked amazing. There may have even been pushing each other off of benches (but I won’t say who won that battle.) Love their sweetness & humor and I’m so looking forward to their fall wedding.