Northern Connection Cover - Wedding Edition - Pittsburgh North

Last summer we had the distinct pleasure of photographing Danica and Nick's wedding which made the cover of Northern Connection's June 2012 Wedding edition and a photo on the inside of the magazine with a summary of the wedding.

The Northern Connection is distributed throughout the north hills of Pittsburgh with a readership of 60,000 and is distributed in many businesses, malls, schools, and other places of interest throughout Pittsburgh,  There are always interesting articles covering a myriad of topics to interest a wide range of readers.  Click here for a link to a PDF of this month's edition.

If you would like the Northern Connection Magazine delivered monthly to your home or business, click here for more information.

Danica and Nick's wedding was very fun and they were an amazing couple to work with and photograph.  Their wedding ceremony was at Memorial Park Church near North Park (North Pittsburgh) and their wedding reception was at the Crowne Plaze in Moon Twp ( Near the Pittsburgh Airport).

Northern Connection Magazine Pittsburgh PA

One of my favorite images from their wedding is inside the magazine accompanying the summary by Danica and the image displays a reflection of their love in many ways.  

Reflections of Love

When we arrived to the hotel, I immediately started to look for some fun picture locations and reflections are always a favorite of mine.  The shine from this black piano immediately caught my attention and the image was processed in my mind.  The challenge was getting it done quickly (to ensure the couple could get back to their guests) and not be in the way of others. I shot two vantage points of this image and included both in their wedding (heirloom) album.

Reflections of a bride and groom

We took these images and added a few others later and this one of them relaxing is one that I am sure they will enjoy for many years.

If you would like to discuss your wedding and/or portrait photography needs, please contact me for a no obligation appointment.  We cover Pittsburgh and surrounding communities including Beaver County, Butler County, and more.

Bible Wedding Rings and heart

Northern Connection Cover - Wedding Edition - Pittsburgh North

Wedding Rings

Bridal Portraits - Using Props - Pittsburgh Wedding Photography

Bridal Portraits Parasol Umbrella

Utilizing Props for your Wedding Portraits

Nearly every bride has some sort of prop with them during their wedding day.  Obviously, one prop is their flowers, another could be a family Bible, or some other sentimental item. To create a unique look to this series of images, I added a parasol umbrella.  


Another option is for all of the ladies in the Bridal party to have a parasol.  Since there are hundreds of variations, the Bride can have one color and the rest of the bridal party another color. The flower girl can have one similar to the other ladies or one unique to her.  These would make nice gifts and will add a very nice look to the portraits. 


The parasol comes in many different colors and designs. I did a quick search and found hundreds of options.  From low cost paper to very creatively designed waterproof umbrellas.  There is no doubt I will search for a few more unique parasols to use during 2012.  The look is so elegant that their use as a prop is limited only by imagination.  A parasol could be used during a family portrait session to a high school senior portrait session.  


Maybe a few flowers on the handle for the bride or something unique added to the flower girl's parasol.  Experiment and have fun.  It is your day to enjoy and cherish forever.  Add something unique to your portraits. 


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The uplighting on the beautiful staircase is made possible by Otto Productions.

The image was taken at The Fez Banquet Center in Hopewell Twp,PA which is the home of an upcoming Bridal Show.

Visit our booth at the upcoming Bridal Show to book your wedding photography. 
________________________________


www.kendralla.com
www.kendrallaphotography.com
Photography by dr Frank 

The Glow - Pittsburgh Wedding Photography - The Fez Banquet Center

The Glow

The Fez Banquet Center - Hopewell Twp, PA

Bringing in the New Year with a portrait displaying one of my favorite portrait techniques.  The glow which accents the bride's beauty. 


The uplighting which helps frame the bride within the beautiful staircase is made possible by Otto Productions.


The image was taken at The Fez Banquet Center in Hopewell Twp,PA which is the home of an upcoming Bridal Show.


Visit our booth at the upcoming Bridal Show to book your wedding photography. 



www.kendralla.com
www.kendrallaphotography.com
Photography by dr Frank

Wedding Guest Albums - Pittsburgh Wedding Photography - Beaver County Wedding Photographer

Wedding Guest Albums


Imagine your guests walking into your wedding reception and noticing a beautiful album with pictures of your engagement photography session sitting on a table next to the seating cards.  Instead of a typical guest book with a few lines, your guests can flip through pages of images from your engagement session.  As they slowly look at your album, they notice blank pages opposite your images with a place for them to write a note to you, draw a picture, or sign their name.  Not only will they see your pictures but they will notice important and fun 'stuff' about you.  They might see your favorite poem or where you met.  Instead of a typical guest book, they might see a close up of your ring or a beautiful sunset shot of the two of you holding hands.  They might read about how he proposed and how she cried.


Each page is designed in a manner to express your love on paper in the best manner possible.  The front and back cover has an image of you on it that you can display on your for others to see.


Below is an image from the entrance of a recent wedding reception near Pittsburgh, PA.

Wedding Guest Book

The guests use a sharpie pen sitting next to the album and sign their name wishing you (the newly married couple) best wishes, love, and happiness.  Many years later you can pull this guest album off the shelf and look at what your guests wrote to you.  Maybe you have children and they want to see your wedding day and read about how you met.  It could be when you are blessed with grandchildren and you have them sitting on your lap and show them your wedding day.  Many different valuable memories are stored on these pages.  


Another tremendous use is for the young couple to write notes for their own keepsake from their wedding day or engagement.  The days of 'boring' plain guest albums are long gone.  Replace them with an album filled with your memories.


When you book dr frank (Kendralla Photography) for your wedding, and select a package with an engagement session, select a personalized guest book for your wedding reception.

Wedding Guest album

High School Senior Portraits and Weddings by dr Frank

Seneca Valley Portraits

Black Hawk School District Portraits

Contact dr Frank to photograph your wedding, portraits, or special event.

Visit dr Frank's portfolio site for more fun, exciting, and colorful photographs of weddings in and around Pittsburgh, PA 

Specializing in Wedding and Portrait Photography

Beaver County, Pittsburgh, and surrounding communities.

Over the tracks - Beaver PA - Pittsburgh Wedding Photography

Beaver Pa

While finishing a portrait session in Beaver, PA near the museum, I noticed the clouds coming together in the far distant right.  The lines of the fence converged with the tree line to meet with the cloud lines all around the railroad bridge as it crossed over the river.

This was late evening and the sun was playing peek a boo with me.  Therefore, I decided to utilize an HDR technique and grab 5 exposures of the scene to create this image.  

A quick post today - As always - get out and enjoy the beauty of life around you.  There are hundreds of places I want to photograph in my neighborhood before winter that present an amazing look.  Take the time and find some in your area and make a great image!


Geeky items - Nikon D300, Tamron 17-50 f/8, 5 exposures, ISO 200

High School Senior Portraits and Weddings by dr Frank

Seneca Valley Portraits

Black Hawk School District Portraits

Contact dr Frank to photograph your wedding, portraits, or special event.

Visit dr Frank's portfolio site for more fun, exciting, and colorful photographs of weddings in and around Pittsburgh, PA 

Specializing in Wedding and Portrait Photography

Beaver County, Pittsburgh, and surrounding communities.

Jennifer and Andrew - Wedding Show - Pittsburgh Wedding Photography - Mayernik

Jennifer and Andrew were married at Victory Family Church in Cranberry Twp, PA. Approximately thirty minutes north of Pittsburgh. Their wedding reception was held at the Mayernik Center in Avonworth.

The audio from the ceremony which included her sister and friends singing was recorded and I used it as throughout the video to ensure the memory of their wedding is heard while they enjoy the images from their beautiful day.



Weddings by dr Frank
A Kendralla Photography Production

High School Senior Portraits and Weddings by dr Frank

Contact dr Frank to photograph your wedding, portraits, or special event.

Visit dr Frank's portfolio site for more fun, exciting, and colorful photographs of weddings in and around Pittsburgh, PA 

Specializing in Wedding and Portrait Photography

Beaver County, Pittsburgh, and surrounding communities.

Engagement Photos - Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers

Pittsburgh Weddings - Engagement photography

These photos were taken in Cannonsburg, PA near Cannonsburg Lake which isn't too far from Pittsburgh.  The sun was bright but the temperatures were falling and the air was cold.  These were taken in late fall when 70 degrees was normal and 50 was 'cold'.  Today, 50 degrees would feel very warm compared to the single digit temperatures that we had recently.


The sun was a beautiful golden color and since it was late fall, it set fast and presented a beautiful glow to everything.  We were able to get many photographs that had an amazing look.  


I am not from Cannonsburg and asked a friend of a good location that had water.  I didn't need much else since the theme in my mind that I wanted to create was a sunset session overlooking water.  I could not have been happier with the look and feel of the area. The critical part that I want to emphasize is that there are many locations in our backyard that present tremendous photo opportunities.  


Not far from where I was standing was a 'boring' parking lot.  By using fill lights, reflectors, and some ingenuity, we created a look that is a very romantic fun look. 

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers - Engagement Pictures

Pittsburgh Wedding Photography - Cannonsburg Lake

Tip: When selecting a location, I look for where the sun is setting (or rising if early enough in the AM), and use it to help create dramatic lighting.  I carry with me two light stands that fold up to less than 36".  These combined with two umbrellas, a 40" five in one reflector, a few clamps, and other items fit easily into a large duffel bag. This set-up enables me to be very mobile and I consider this a studio in a bag.  With the sun behind the couple, I used fill flash (flash was on a light stand - camera left - shot without a diffuser and fired via Nikon's wireless CLS).  I wasn't interested in overpowering the sun with the strobe but was interested in getting enough light on their faces to give some detail but leave the beautiful glow from the sun.  

Beaver County and Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers

Book dr Frank to photograph your wedding in and around Pittsburgh, PA.

www.kendrallaphotography.com
www.kendralla.com

Drew - High School Senior Portrait - Class of 2010

These images were near the Beaver Heritage Museum. A Civil War era home is located at the edge of the property and presents many tremendous photo opportunities. The rustic nature of the building is a tremendous back drop and setting for Drew's High School Senior Portraits. As you can see from the images, Drew has a large frame and a rugged setting was appropriate for his session.




The evening was perfect, overcast skies with enough light to cast some fun shadows.



I used off camera lighting with no difuser or umbrella on a light stand, camera left for most of the images in his shoot. A few of the images, I underexposed the scene by 2+ stops and filled the image with directional light to create a sunset look. This technique is critical to learn, especially living in an area where we go days and maybe weeks without any great sunsets. However, when shooting portraits, I would rather have a dull sky and create my own sunset with either an off camera flash or video light.



I used Nikon’s wireless CLS to fire the remote flash but in bright sunlight it might be a better choice to utilize a radio trigger. (Pocket wizards, Paul Buff’s, radio poppers, or the many varieties on ebay.)



These tricks can be used in many portrait settings and not only outdoors. Experiment with underexposing (use manual exposure on your camera) the scene and filling just the area you want with directional off camera lighting. With this technique you can create many different and interesting looks in your portraits.

Contact Me to photograph your Wedding or High School Senior Portrait in the Pittsburgh area.

As always, get out and enjoy the beauty of life.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The adventure begins

The second image is what visitors see at the entrance of one of the theme parks in Orlando, Florida.

Each day we are given a new day to enjoy life and live it to its fullest.

One of the most amazing things that I find with photography is that with a simple item (camera), we can capture life's memories. Last week I spent time in Orlando, Florida on a business trip and was amazed and awe struck with all the photo possibilities. There is no doubt that I could spend years in this one area and never portray all the beauty and excitement that is contained in and around Universal Studios. The hotels, shops, rides, and most of all, people. People from all walks of life traveled and no doubt spent hundreds and thousands of dollars to take in as much of this excitement as possible.

I wonder how many 'local's realize and truly appreciate the beauty of their surroundings. I am sure many do and live in the area because of the climate and the beautiful landscapes, cityscapes, and people. All of this brings me to my main point; how many of us appreciate and enjoy the area we live in and its surroundings. Many live in or near major cities, but I wonder how many spend time in their city soaking up its beauty and culture. How many of us take the time to photograph the beauty of everything around us. Too often, we wait for the perfect time and miss many almost perfect opportunities. We become more interested in the next camera or lens but forget that it is all about the vision and utilizing our photographic eye to capture life.

Last week continued to confirm in my heart that there is so much beauty in the world and as a photographer; it is my role to capture it and share it with others.

I plan to post more and more fun shots that I capture not only in Pittsburgh but other cities that I visit in my travels. The time is NOW to get out and enjoy the beauty of life!

Photo by Frank Kendralla
Wedding and Portrait photographer
www.kendrallaphotography.com
www.kendralla.com

Check out my smile and do!

Another favorite image from this past weekend. He was full of smiles and loved to look at the camera. Check out the cute dimples and hair do!

Photograph by wedding and portrait photographer

Frank Kendralla

www.kendralla.com

www.kendrallaphotography.com

Nikon D300

Tamron 17-50 f/2.8

Off to school?

I will let the image speak for itself. One of my favorite shots from this past weekend. (I will post the others soon.) This image looks like he could be off to school or his first job interview. All he needs is a brief case.

Lighting was bounced off the wall camera left to create a soft look of natural light coming in from a window.

Photo by wedding and portrait photographer

Frank Kendralla

www.kendrallaphotography.com

www.kendralla.com

Lara Lane - Show

Lara Lane A snapshot in time from Frank Kendralla on Vimeo.

Photo by Frank Kendralla

Wedding and Portrait Photographer

Baby Pictures - A snap shot in time of Lara Lane

www.kendrallaphotography.com

www.kendralla.com

Lara Lane - Baby Pictures

These images where shot with the Nikon D300 and the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8.  Copyright - Wedding and portrait photographer - Frank Kendralla

www.kendralla.com

www.kendrallaphotography.com

Photographed in the child's room, I used bounce flash off the walls combined with multiple reflectors hand held and/or clamped to a small light stand.  To compensate for the multiple colors off the walls and lights in the room, I utilized a color balance card from PhotoVision.  

The image of Lara lying on her dad's arm is one of my favorites from the shoot.  Maybe it is because of the impact of the lines from the tattoos on his arm but I believe it is because of the gentleness that Lara's dad displayed with her.  As a dad of two adult girls and a grandfather, I understand and value the role the dad plays in the life of each child.  The value a dad plays in the life of his daughter can never be understated.  Every dad that I see loving and playing with his little girl brings tears to my eyes.  No doubt in the back of many dad's mind is the day that he will walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day.  Thinking, how will I handle that day as he hands off his little girl to the man that promises to care for and love his daughter.  

Kelly and Toot - congratulations on your first-born child!

Smith and Wollensky Black and White images

Photos by Frank Kendralla
Wedding and Portrait Photographer
Pittsburgh, PA


These are a few more images of the Smith and Wollensky restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. I did these in black and white to accent the lines and beautiful building design.


Images processed in Lightroom 3.x and shot with the Nikon D300 and Tamron 17-50. I used a polarizer to enhance the sky and water.

Bonvie Restaurant

While in Columbus, Ohio photographing an event, I noticed the shapes and colors in this building.  In fact, the entire plaza was a photographers candy store.  I could have shot all day the buildings in the plaza.  The sky was filled with amazing clouds and the temperature was perfect.  


The image was enhanced in Photoshop and Lightroom to match what I saw in my mind. 





Photo by wedding photographer - Frank Kendralla
Shot with the Nikon D300
Tamron 17-50 f/2.8
Please visit:
www.kendrallaphotography.com
www.kendralla.com

Smith and Wollensky

Recently I was in Columbus photographing an event in this restaurant.  Immediately, when I saw this building, I loved the shapes, colors and lines.  The image was modified in Photoshop and Lightroom to match what I saw in my mind.

Image shot by wedding photographer Frank Kendralla using the Nikon D300 and Tamron 17-50 f/2.8


Please Visit:
www.kendrallaphotography.com
www.kendralla.com