Leah’s senior session was one of a kind! She’s part of the amazing a unique class of 2026. She wanted her senior portrait experience to bright and sunny and totally EPIC! Leah loves Pittsburgh, but she didn’t want to do it like everyone else. She also envisioned her photos in a bright & sunny flower field and wasn’t sure how she could have both of these things in one session. SO.. we planned her session across two different days. The first day we focused on bright sunlit places golden fields. The second day we went right for the “golden hour” on the Ohio River in her dad’s boat!

Day One: Hartwood, Fern Hollow, and that gorgeous Summertime Glow!

For Leah’s first day, we wanted to make it all about “nature and sunny skies”. We picked a favorite local landmark Hartwood Acres Mansion and Fern Hollow Nature Center in Sewickley. She envisioned a set of portraits that felt natural, bright, and floral. We had the perfect bright mid-summer day! We also decided to have her session earlier in the day rather than waiting for “golden hours”. The harsh contrasting daylight creates a bright “glow” in her photos. It mixes with pretty shaded spots around the mansion and garden at Hartwood. “Blow out the sky, Heidi!” was a direct quote from both Leah and her momma! I went with it as some folks love that ethereal light airy summer bright sky! Her photos for day one are glistening and bathed in midday sunshine and I LOVE THEM! This was not how I normally shoot. However, I did “what the client would love”. I still kept to my crisp, clean & colorful editing! My goal isn’t to have every person everywhere LOVE every photo. My goal is for my client’s to LOVE every image I return to them!

Leah picked beautiful dresses for our “summer days” session. She did her own hair and makeup. She let her natural beauty shine through. Her photos are about her joyous spirit and light fun personality. Bright sunny days- where her light would shine though!!

Day Two: Pittsburgh Bridges FROM a creative angle..

I did some brain storming with Leah of my vision for the “river at sunset”. About a week from her first session, we headed out onto the Ohio River. We went for the second part of Leah’s senior pictures in Pittsburgh, PA. Her father was gracious enough to Captain the families boat. The evening light was totally dreamy. Warm golds reflected off the water- and building all around us. The City’s skyline & the bridges served as the perfect background. Leah was glowing again as the sun set on the river. This unique angle and perspective was a perfect celebration of Pittsburgh in the summer time!

Make your Epic Senior Photo Session your own!

The combination of her first and second sessions was exactly what I had envisioned and she wanted. This epic senior experience showcased bright sunny summer images and the golden light of Pittsburgh’s essence. All of her images together (even including a “pop-in” at a local lake) created one of a kind “Leah Gallery”. It feels like a sunny Pittsburgh summer day! No two gallery’s are the same. No two seniors are the same.

Leah’s session is the perfect reminder that senior photos in Pittsburgh can be super unique. You love light and airy flower fields? You dig the unique Pittsburgh skyline from your families boat? Your senior portraits will reflect as many parts of you as we can fit into an EPIC SENIOR SESSION! Need more than one sunset? I’ve got you! I not only love, but want to build an epic senior experience for you.

Fill out an inquire and let’s start planning today! I have pre-booking lists for the next two graduation classes. Let’s do this!! 📸❤️ Heidi️