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Stuff in the ‘Pennsylvania’ Category
An Engagement Session in the Cold Weather
— 01/26/2016 by Monika Wertman —It is cold out and while we warm the house with fires and just came out of the most festive season of the year, many young couples also got engaged. I recently worked with such a couple, though he had popped the question before the typical season during which many guys do so and we were able to get the engagement photos done while Christmas décor was still up.
We went outside for several of our shots, for 10 minutes at a time because it was too cold to stay out longer than that. This is a very sweet couple and very cute together. The lovely bride has been a client of mine for a while and I was thrilled to share this fabulous change in her life with her.
We started our session at 4 in the afternoon as they life by an open field with a mountain range in the background and fabulous sunsets in the evening. As with all sessions, it is all about planning it out. For our engagement sessions we allow about 2 hours for shooting, changing clothes and moving about between different locations. We include a consultation during which we decide how to style the session to our couples’ tastes, how to offset the imagery we capture during the engagement session with what we will capture the day of the wedding, and discuss wardrobe, what colors photograph the best and what story we want to tell.
We have fun planning and the day of the session goes smoothly because we planned. Even if a detail goes astray, we adjust and the end result is great imagery our couples are proud to hang on their walls.
What is important to keep in mind when you select Wertman Photography for your wedding and engagement photographer, is that we shoot to create artwork for your walls. We capture sweet moments you may want in an album or book, plenty of images we can create safe-the-dates from or a guestbook, but you will have several images to choose from to decorate your walls with. These will be meant to be at least 16×24 inches and you will have the option to get them printed on canvas, metal or in framed fine art prints.
Please explore our wedding/engagement gallery to see more samples, like us on facebook, twitter and instagram. All the links are on our site. We would love to add you to our favorite clients.
Maternity Photos with the Growing Family
— 01/13/2016 by Monika Wertman —I know that this is wedding and engagement season, but at our studio, it is also baby bump and newborn season. We have three families who are expecting an addition to their fold within the next month or two and one family who already welcomed their newborn just before Christmas. We have the privilege to photograph that little sweetheart tomorrow.
Some of our families prefer to keep their photos private and we always respect their wishes, while others have agreed to share. While some of our expectant parents will be new to parenthood, others have done it before and all of them are equally excited to welcome this new member of their family into the fold.
This post will be about a growing family who cannot wait to see the little one in person. This mom, while having done the motherhood thing before, had not done maternity shots with her girls and was excited to have the experience this time around.
We incorporated the entire family into the session, got some shots of mom and the girls, some of dad and the girls, some of all of them, some of the girls playing with baby clothes, some shots of mom by herself and of the couple by themselves.
One of my favorite images from this session is the feature image of both mom and dad, lost in the moment, just focused on themselves. There was a lot of laughter during the session, a lot of cutting up and being silly, but in this moment there is quietness and contentment. It is sweet and special.
This was phase one of two and I cannot wait to capture this sweet family after the little one arrives. I am sure that it will be a fun filled session with lots of energy, producing some great shots of not only the newborn addition but of all of them.
Please feel free to browse all of our galleries for ideas and don’t hesitate to call us or contact us via email if you have a special request. Chances are we have done it, even if it is not on this site, as mentioned above, some expectant moms prefer to keep their session private. If you are inclined to show more skin during your maternity session, feel free to browse the boudoir gallery for ideas, and again, ask us, as the same rules apply for that gallery as well.
Maternity session pricing starts with the same rate as a family session, but if you want more, we can accommodate for an additional fee. Ask us for details. 301-693-3021, or go to our contact page to send us an email.
The importance of the right Wedding Photographer
— 12/31/2015 by Monika Wertman —Congratulations! You just got engaged! Now that the initial excitement has settled it hits you that you have a wedding to plan. Like most women, you have likely been planning this event in your head since you were a little girl, but reality is just a wee bit more overwhelming than a little girl’s dreams.
For your wedding day, three things are of the utmost importance. The groom, you have found him, your dress, that could still be a hurdle to overcome, and your wedding photographer. These three are on the top of the list for obvious reasons. The venue, the ceremony space, food and entertainment rank high as well, but let’s face it, everyone is going to remember what you looked like in your dress and if you and your fiancé looked happy. For the two of you, the ceremony, the venue and the party will be memories that will seem fleeting and a bit vague and that is why your photographer needs to rank right after your dress.
Your photographer is in charge of preserving those special moments your wedding day is made up of.
She is the one you will turn to to capture another moment you thought may not happen and as long as you hire the right person, she will have already captured that shot. A good wedding photographer will be everywhere the day of the wedding. We always hear: “Wow, I don’t even remember that we did this”, or ” Wow, we never made it over to that area, thanks so much for preserving this moment.”
Here at Wertman Photography we pride ourselves in becoming your best friend over the year in between you signing with us and your wedding day. We help you plan your day, create a time line for you, go over who is going to be in pictures both at the ceremony and at the reception and best of all, you can trust that we will create artwork for your walls that will stand the test of time.
All of our wedding collections include an engagement session. We help you plan that session, from wardrobe, to location, season and styling. We will create artwork for your walls that will compliment your wedding day wall art and we give you many options from an engagement guestbook to safe the dates that will further aid in planning your wedding day.
All of our collections also include a beautiful leather album, sizes depend on your collection, but each album is crafted with care from the design to the finished product. We help you choose the images that will tell your wedding day story perfectly.
With Wertman Photography you will not only get all day coverage from two photographers, but a guiding hand in planning your big day. We believe that your photography needs to be in the best hands and that you should not have to worry about it, but trust that your story will be told and preserved for years to come.
For information on all of the options included in the different wedding collections, please contact us at 301-693-3021 or email us at info@wertmanphotography.net. Consultations are always free and non-binding and we love to share what a great studio can do for you.
A Fun Baby Bump Session
— 12/14/2015 by Monika Wertman —A Fun Baby Bump Session
A few weeks ago I drove up to Pennsylvania to create the first of three sessions that have to do with baby bumps and newborns for one of my favorite couples. We photographed their wedding about 2.5 years ago and are now privileged to be part of the process of them waiting for their first child.
We discussed where to go to best show the transition Brooke and Justin are undergoing right now and since Brooke works at The Morguen Toole Company in Meyersdale, PA, the same town the two of them live in as well, we decided that it would be a good spot to do our first session.
Morguen Toole is in the middle of renovating their third floor, transforming the space into loft apartments making it a perfect fit for a reveal session that was a bit more artistic. We shot a few images in the bed and breakfast portion of the venue and will return there for the other two sessions, but the reveal portion of our session was done in the unfinished, rustic upper floor.
We had bare floors, exposed beams and brick walls at our disposal and took advantage of it. We got great images and had a lot of fun getting them. One of the things that I love about Justin and Brooke is that their love for each other is so very clear and readily seen. They adore each other and love having fun, which leads to great take-outs and genuine images every time we get together to create memories.
The last part of our session was done outdoors, at a little park nearby. Brooke wanted to do some things with glitter, to celebrate the newly discovered gender of the little one. Amongst lots of laughter I was able to capture the fun loving side that keeps this sweet couple going.
Our next session will be in February where we will focus more on a much bigger belly and once the little one arrives we will meet up again to get newborn photos in the same location as we planned out a few shots now to use later in diptych or triptych arrangements.
If you are not sure what those are, you will just need to stay tuned for more to come.
I have added a few shots that are purely maternity into the maternity gallery on our site, so please browse it to see what we are prepping to add baby to later.
Below are the gender reveal announcements I designed for Brooke and Justin. They were mailed out a few days ago and have arrived at their destinations.
In the meantime, I would like for you to vote on your favorite image within this post, leave a comment below and you will be entered to win a family session for up to 5 people, a $150 value. I am also curious to see if you guess the baby’s gender correctly. This should be easy.
Fun with Flour
— 08/28/2015 by Monika Wertman —
Seniors are so much fun, I love working with them and love to discover what each of them loves to do.
Creating images to share their passion is very special and great fun.
Two weeks ago I worked with a senior girl who is not only beautiful on the outside but has a great spirit and was looking to do something different with her senior pictures. She is enrolled in the culinary program at one of the local high schools, loves her dog and baking. She is looking to go forward with her culinary passion and decided that that passion needed to be captured in her pictures.
I roll with what my clients want, and the prospect of having fun with baking items, tools of the trade and some flour, invited some great ideas. Haylee was open to playing and trying something that was a bit outside of the box.
We started the day with images of her and her puppy, moved on to the yearbook pose and finally arrived at the culinary aspect. We started with some poses and then decided to get messy. Throwing flour into the air in front of a black backdrop with high speed lighting was fun, took a bit of tweaking and produced some great images.
The first time I asked her to throw up flour, Haylee grabbed a handful and I thought, after looking at the back of the camera, that we had overdone it, quite sure that I would toss that first try. We proceeded to tone it down and arrived where I thought we should be.
While editing, I discovered that the first try created one or two that were very fun and would stay as one of her choices. She loves it! It is shown below.
One of the images with less flour tossed into the air also remained as a favorite and both really show her love of baking. She is happy, is having fun and in her element.
After cleaning up we headed out to get some more formal images in her prom dress, which also rendered some great photos as you can tell in the sample below.
Here at Wertman Photography we capture what our client wants, we go all out if needed and have a wonderful time doing so. I invite you to vote for your favorite of the two flour pictures, and for doing so you will be entered in a drawing for a free one hour session for up to 5 people, a $150 value.
Please browse our galleries and if you are not a client yet, give us a call today to schedule your session.
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