Maria & Steve

Maria and Steve were married at Heinz Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh Campus and held their reception at the Renaissance Hotel.

When you arrive and see a bride like this... what is there to say?? Maria was absolutely stunning.

Her veil was longer than her train and I was in heaven.


And here is just one of many reasons why Maria and I get along so well... we are both crazy about organization!


There are so many great places to shoot at the Renaissance, here are the guys just before leaving for the ceremony.

This is me, image by Craig.





I have the best couples in the world, they are so relaxed and happy, which makes my job easy!

After taking some outdoor photographs, we went over to the Cathedral of Learning.

Whoa, I'm not sure what was going on in this dark stairwell, but I am glad that I was there to capture it!


In addition to Craig, I brought along another assistant to Maria and Steve's wedding. Pam was a participant in the Element of Love workshop and was interested in attending a wedding to learn more and watch me in action. Anyway, she was great to have along, and she captured this gem just before dinner.

Love this ring shot, Pam actually suggested the "pose." LOL We used the video light from underneath to light the rings.


My good friend Eric the DJ was rockin' the party.


A huge thanks to Craig and Pam for working so hard for me. Not only do they carry all of my gear, they also shoot and keep me on track!

Check out Maria and Steve's website: www.mariaandsteven.com

Make-up Artist: Jennifer Palermo
Florist: Patti Kuhn
Bakery: Prantl
Entertainment: Eric the DJ

Weddings by Heather - Heinz Chapel Wedding Photographer

Becky & Aaron - Slideshow

Becky & Aaron

Becky and Aaron were married at Old Saint Luke's Church in Carnegie and held their reception at Valley Brook Country Club in McMurray. You may remember Becky and Aaron from their engagement session back in October.

The ring pillow was made from Mom's wedding dress.

I LOVED Old St. Luke's Church, the light was amazing... I didn't even need a flash for the processional!

Saying their vows.

Again, I cannot say enough about the lighting in this church, it is the type of thing I dream about.




Becky was breathtaking. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was an absolute pleasure to document.


I love this shot that Craig grabbed of Aaron, just having fun!


This is another amazing shot from Craig, probably my favorite from the entire day.

Ok, who am I kidding? I had a ton of favorite shots... this is another one.




This is the fabulous Katie, I shot her wedding in 2005 and was thrilled to see her.

I caught Becky and Aaron outside visiting with some guests and asked them to climb onto the column. Aaron kept asking me... are you crazy??? (In fact, he asked me that several times throughout the day). And my answer was YES!!! Like a fox!


Party time!!



I had a phenomenal day with Becky and Aaron and I cannot thank them enough for their hospitality. I must have worked hard because every inch of my body is sore... and it's so worth it!!

Florist: Storybook Florist
Bakery: Valley Brook Country Club
Entertainment: DJ Willie
Videographer: Kevin Pieto

Weddings by Heather - Carnegie Wedding Photographer

Life Sessions

Yesterday I had the privilege of documenting a day in the life of Luca. When I arrived, he was still taking a nap, so I made some new friends with the family pets.

Luca is the son of Gina and Jeff, I photographed Jeff's sisters wedding last June. Click here to see Erin's wedding images. Anyway, Gina and I quietly entered Luca's room while he was still asleep and this is what we found. Look at that cute little hand!!


I think it's safe to say that Luca and I hit it off right from the the start.


Not only is Gina fabulous to spend time with, but she also quite possibly one of the most gorgeous people I ever seen. Seriously, she could be a super model. I'm trying to convince her to put her wedding gown on so that we can have some fun.



Look at those eyes, I love it!!




This is funny... Luca was trying to get my camera and because I never stop shooting I got this image.

As a result, I let him explore my camera and he got this image. Not bad except he cut off my head!! I think he was just trying to be artsy. LOL

By the end of the day we were all pretty tired.

I accept a very limited number of documentary lifestyle sessions because it's important to me that people "get" my concept. I want children to run around, have fun, play with toys and just be natural so that I can capture their personality. Asking a child to sit still and smile for a studio portrait feels very unnatural to me. I've received several inquiries in the last few months regarding these sessions, but as soon as the parent indicates that they would like a nice posed photograph of their child in their best clothes, I suggest that they call Picture People.

To learn more about these sessions, please contact me at heather@lifebyheather.com or view my lifestyle website at www.lifebyheather.com

Heather Lahtinen - Children's Lifestyle Portraiture

Katie & Errol

My first wedding of the season, YEAH!!! Katie and Errol were married at Faith United Methodist Church in Fairmont, WV and held their reception at The Shaw Mansion. You may remember them from this post, they are both currently serving in Kuwait and are home on two week leave. They will be returning to Kuwait this week.

Katie tells me that she hasn't taken a good picture since 1999... HELLO???... doesn't she look fabulous?


LOVE the shoes!



I love the warm feel of the image below, and she was so natural... she thought I was fumbling with my camera, I'm sneaky that way!! LOL



Can't really tell from this image, but it was snowing like crazy and it was cold!



Florist: Kime Floral
Bakery: Cakes with a Personal Touch

Weddings by Heather - Fairmont Wedding Photographer

Element of Love!!!

Joanne Bartone and I held our Element of Love seminar yesterday at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and it was AMAZING!!! We had the most fabulous time meeting and sharing with other photographers that we can't wait until the fall when we will host another one!

Below are a few images from our shoot with Maria (she was married in 2006 and her wedding was shot by Joanne). She was absolutely delightful to work with, thank you Maria!! Check out Bridget Burke's blog to see more images.



In the shot below I was demonstrating how I use video light to make dramatic images in less than optimal locations. This was taken on the stairs leading to the basement at the Center for the Arts.








Joanne and I would like to thank everyone who attended, we are overwhelmed by your enthusiasm and support. The one comment that we keep receiving is that one day isn't enough... maybe we need a 3 day workshop to provide more depth!!

Don't forget to visit our website!!
www.elementoflove.com

Heather Lahtinen - Wedding photography seminars