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Stuff in the ‘Pennsylvania’ Category
Celebrating Love
— 07/15/2016 by Monika Wertman —A few weeks back I had the pleasure of helping a lovely couple celebrate their love for each other during their engagement session in Harrisburg, PA. Sometimes engagement session can be a bit of a challenge as it takes the couple a little while to be comfortable in front of the camera. I do my best to help them forget that I am recording their affection for each other, but the groom in particular often does not loosen up until we are about 20 minutes into the session.
These two were different and it was very easy to work with them, as they seemed to immediately forget I was there recording their every move. I was able to capture sweet little moments as well as lots of laughter. When I did insert some instructions, they were carried out quite naturally and as a result we got some great imagery.
We walked all over Harrisburg, starting at the water front and working our way to the government buildings that are surrounded by a beautiful park.
I love shooting in locations other than the studio’s hometown as it gives me the opportunity to incorporate architectural elements not found in Hagerstown. Harrisburg has wonderful bridges, old buildings and great architecture that create a wonderful backdrop for any photoshoot, but lend themselves especially well to an engagement session.
The weather held out nicely for us as well that day, staying sunny with wonderful clouds in the sky. The forecast that morning called for rain halfway through our scheduled session time, but we were lucky and the rain held off until after we were done.
At Wertman Photography we include engagement sessions in our wedding packages, as it is important to work with the couple before their wedding day and a pleasure to get to know them during the process. During the engagement session we have time to explore what each of them likes, how they act in front of the camera and how we work together as a team to create good imagery. For me, gaining this knowledge before the wedding day, makes it easier to prepare for the big day as the couple and I have gotten to know each other better. It paves the way for great communication in the months leading up to the wedding.
Your wedding day can not be recreated, and this knowledge creates pressure for the couple, sometimes more so for the bride as so many things need to be prepared for and run smoothly. Getting to know each other during the engagement session, laying the ground work for trust during that session, takes the pressure off my couples as they know that they will not need to worry about their photography coverage the day of their wedding.
When you first get engaged, you are on cloud nine, floating happily until your realize that you have a wedding to plan. Let us help you take some of the pressure off and make us your trusted advisor for your photography. Know that we have you covered! Call us today to schedule your free consultation and let us show you why your first choice is Wertman Photography. 301-693-3021.
Team Action Sports Photography
— 07/12/2016 by Monika Wertman —Wertman Photography is now offering team action sports photography. We have been offering athletic photography for a while, creating portraits that show the athlete’s spirit, determination and personality. Now we are taking it one step further and will be offering action shots for teams of all sizes and ages.
It all started when I had a chance to take photos for my daughter’s college swim team. I took care of the individual shots of each swimmer that are now on their website ( Alderson Broaddus University), created some killer team photos and captured action shots of the swimmers who wanted to participate. I created a controlled environment; the coach gave us one lane in which we got to play and have some fun.
Every athlete looks like the latest olympian in their minds and it is this look we are after during our time with them. For swimming, you can not get these shots during a meet. The lighting is not right and too many people crowd the deck. This is true for all sports.
We are offering a controlled environment during a practice night, under guidance of the coach, giving each player a chance to look their strongest and best.
Contact us today if you want your team, club or dance school to book a day with Wertman Photography to create images like you have never seen them before. Images you will be proud to share with family, friends and hang on your wall. Images that will make your son and daughter look like a champion.
Check out our galleries for dance samples and other sports and fitness related images as well as older blog posts related to this topic.
Senior Photos should be a great experience
— 06/10/2016 by Monika Wertman —Now that summer is here and you are thinking about who to hire for your senior photos, let’s look at what you should consider when making your choice:
Whether you are a guy or a girl, you will want to showcase your interests, whether they are sports related, you have a favorite pet, or are into cars or other big toys. Are you into winter sports and would like to get action shots in the snow? Here at Wertman Photography we will be happy to meet you at your favorite location and incorporate that interest into your session.
Now we all know that you want your senior pictures to look different than last year’s school picture, right? How do you accomplish this, you ask? Here are a few tips on what you should do to insure that you will get some one of a kind images from your high school senior picture session:
Spend a couple of months researching the kind of imagery you would like to see. Look through sports magazines and browse the web for ideas and styles. Do you like the edgy, grungy look? Do you want to look like the latest gold medal winner in one of her endorsement commercials, or do you want to look like the girl or boy next door, clean and pristine in your gear?
Once you have determined what look you want, contact us and show us what you are looking for. We will then plan your session and recommend the appropriate length of time we will need to accomplish the look you are after. If you are a football player, chances are you have access to your school’s field, if you are a swimmer, access to a pool may be more difficult. As a skier or snow boarder, we will need to wait for the weather to be cold enough to work in snow. We need to understand exactly what you would like to accomplish in order to give you the session of your dreams.
Understand that special requests require prior planning and that you are asking your photographer for individualized services. She will invest time in your session and you and your family will invest money in return. This tradeoff will ensure a fantastic session for you and great images for your family and you to share and display. After all, your senior session should be an experience you will look back on remembering how much fun it was to create the images you wanted.
Ask about cost only after you have determined whether are the right fit for you. It is important to have report with your photographer to get what you want, when you have fun, the images show it. But do ask, you will want to know how much your family will need to invest in the service and what you will receive in return. Ask about products that are offered and be aware that a boutique studio and a boutique service such as you are looking for and we offer, will offer some great print collections for you to choose from.
Finally, after you book your session and have paid the retainer fee, enter the date in your calendar and arrive 5-10 minutes early at the predetermined meeting point. Your photographer will be there waiting for you and when you are on time all will go smoothly and you will have a wonderful experience which will in turn result in great photos to choose from.
We have worked with some great seniors over the past few years and some great athletes, and are looking forward to adding you to that group. Please feel free to browse our senior and sports gallery for additional images and call us to schedule your session.
A Tailored Newborn Session
— 05/20/2016 by Monika Wertman —Over the last few months, we have had the privilege to capture several maternity sessions and the resulting newborn sessions, tailoring each to what the family wanted. Each had it’s wonderful moments, but the one I am highlighting today holds a special place in my heart as it is the firstborn of a sweet couple who we have been creating memories for since they got engaged. Every time we get together, their love for each other shines stronger than the last and seeing them add a little bundle to this love has been precious. It is these sessions I live for, these moments that hold special meaning and are the reason why I do what I do.
We did a series of three sessions, two of which were maternity, the first one being the gender reveal session, the second being the big belly session and of course, the third one being the newborn session.
This couple is a hoot. We always laugh a lot when we get together and everything is very natural and free flowing. I make suggestions and the two of them interpret them in their own perfect way. For our gender reveal, my mommy-to-be had very specific ideas and working in the upstairs floor of an old building that houses a restaurant and bed and breakfast on the first and second floor and was under construction, gave us a perfect background to not only showcase the changes that were happening with this sweet couple but also the freedom to write on brick walls and contrast roughness and softness.
For our second session, we were still able to go to the floor that was under construction as there are big windows and with the now larger belly, I wanted to create some silhouette images I had not been able to get in the earlier session. We also drove than old family house for outdoor shots.
Each of the three sessions included shots in front of an antique mirror recording progress and change.
For our newborn session we started in the nursery with a very bright-eyed 1 week old baby girl who gave us more than we had imagined. Even at her tender age, her parent’s personalities are showing through and she was ready for action.
For the second half of the session we returned to the old building to add to our collection of mirror shots and add a few images of the little one in her mommy’s wedding gown and images of the three of them as the new family that they are.
Being allowed to take a part in a young family’s happiness is a privilege and honor we do not take lightly here at Wertman Photography. This is a special moment in a couple’s live and amidst the chaos of lost sleep, diaper changes at 3am and bleary-eyed happiness it is important to step back for a couple of hours and just enjoy this bundle of joy and let us record these moments to look back on when everything settles down.
Weddings and Celebrating Love
— 05/02/2016 by Monika Wertman —There is nothing we enjoy more than capturing love in any shape or form and one of our favorite things to shoot are weddings. I wanted to play around with some ideas that had been hopping around in my head for a while and since during a wedding we are dealing with a time line and locations that are chosen by the bride and groom, we don’t always have time to get everything we want and need to be flexible as nature sometimes throws a kink into our wheels. For that reason and because something new should not be tried out on clients, I organized a stylized wedding shoot with several local vendors and 5 fabulous models.
Maryland has fickle spring weather and we had been watching the weather with baited breath, praying that it would be nice the day of the shoot and it was. In the morning we shot at Ava’s Lounge and the Ballroom at Schindel Rohrer in downtown Hagerstown whose owners Gary and Jennie are wonderful to work with. I wanted to capture an uptown/lounge feel for images for a long time and Ava’s is perfect for that. JB Bridals generously provided us with 6 gowns and 6 tux ensembles for the day and the first two gowns were perfect for what I had in mind for the lounge.
Bella Salon and Spa sent us two of their most talented stylist and make-up artists, Lindsey and Bettina and they stayed with us all day, touching up and re-creating hair and make-up. TG designs added floral arrangements to our adventure and let us play with the bouquets all day.
The second half of the day was shot at Cortland Manor, at the time under management of Hempen Hill Barbecue and Josh is a gem to work with. He had his team at the ready all day and even fed everyone lunch. Being prepared by Hempen Hill, you can imagine that we did not lack a thing and that it was delicious.
Carson jewelers let us play with fabulous bling all day as well. You can imagine that I had a blast shopping for the gowns, tuxes and jewelry prior to the day and appreciate everything that everyone contributed to make our day successful.
We had a blast working with everyone and from the feedback I have gotten so far, the feeling was mutual. I think the images speak for themselves and if you see something here that you would like to do at your wedding, please let us know. The vendors mentioned within this post are our preferred vendors to work with for your special day, and since we had this experience, we know for sure that you will be pleased when you choose them for your next event or special day.
Please vote on your favorite image in this post and you will be entered into a drawing for a 1 hour family session for up to 5 people.
Casting Call
— 03/03/2016 by Monika Wertman —Casting Call for Male and Female Models
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I need two female and two male models for a stylized bridal shoot. Shoot will take place at two venues, 4 clothing changes, hair and make-up services provided. All work is for trade and each vendor is participating to receive images and new promotional material. Trade for models will be fully edited portfolio images from the day of shooting.
Female models need to be 5’8″ to 5’9″ and need to bring heels with them, in either white, cream or silver, evening shoes to match the gowns. size 8-10 wedding gowns need to fit, which translates to regular dress sizes of 6-10. I am looking for hour glass models. We want these images to look real, yet fantastic.
Male models should be a size 40 regular with an inseam of 34.
Please contact us no later than March 18th to be considered for the opportunity.
April 5th will be the fitting day at JB bridal in Chambersburg. the shooting will take place in Hagerstown on April 12. Hair and makeup will likely start at 8 am and shooting will start at 10am. Please plan on a full 8 hour day. Only serious, committed models need apply and we will meet in person before the fitting day.
Please contact the studio directly through email if you are interested: info@wertmanphotography.net
Please vote for your favorite image
— 02/02/2016 by Monika Wertman —This weekend I took my almost four year old grand daughter with me to visit her auntie in college and see her compete during two swim meets.
We had a lot of fun, walked a lot, played a lot and finally nap time arrived. Being four, she clonks out when she is exhausted instead of taking a timed nap. She is also loosing that baby look. She looked super peaceful and somewhat baby like in the following images and I want to print one of them out in a large format. I can not decide which is my favorite, so I decided to put it up for a vote.
The image with the most votes will be printed, and to entice you to participate, we will draw one winner for a family session up to five people with a $35 print credit attached out of the image that receives the most votes.
Time is precious and childhood flees, photography preserves special moments, and this was one of them.
Please check out our galleries to see other precious moments preserved in time and call us for your next session.
We also offer gift certificates, so if you are stuck and do not know what to give your special someone for Valentine’s day, why not give the gift of memories? Gift certificates can be purchased now and used in spring or summer. Call us today, 301-693-3021
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