New Home for the Blog

Earlier this week I transferred all of the posts in this blog to my new blogsite at joeappelphotography.com. From now on I'll be posting to that site.

The response to this blog has been really tremendous. I can track the number of visitors, etc. and the growth has surprised me.

For this reason, I felt that the direction to go for my web presence was to combine my website with the galleries, pricing info, and client area with my blog. Since I've committed to keeping the content fresh it seemed natural to move in this direction.

With that, I encourage you, dear reader, to bookmark, subscribe, or just make a habit out of visiting my new WordPress blogsite.

If you're a client and are looking for your gallery, it's still there. By clicking the link to Portfolio and Pricing on the menu bar of the new site you'll be taken to the familiar gallery website where you can click on the Clients button.

Thanks again, please continue to read. I welcome your comments and look forward to sharing my photography with you.

Joe

Article from Seattle Bride Magazine

Here's an interesting article from Seattle Bride Magazine. An amateur photographer shot side-by-side with a pro all day at a wedding and compared results.

Joe

Jamie and Gavin II

Jamie and Gavin have just had their first kiss as husband and wife and are recessing down the aisle to the applause and cheers of their friends and family. Gavin is even wiping a tear from his eye. It was a beautiful moment.

Nothing says "I Love You" quite like a face full of birdseed. I prefer bubbles because they gently pop when they alight upon your skin. Rice and birdseed are more like a blast of rocksalt from Granny Clampett's scattergun!

After the pelting was over and the birdseed removed from hair, clothing, and etc., we went to the center square in Monessen for some photos.

It was a lovely day and I was happy to have been there to photograph it.

Joe

Jamie and Gavin

It's been a fun summer. I've said it before, but I'm blessed to have the privilege to photograph the weddings of some terrific couples.

Last Saturday we journeyed to Belle Vernon, Monongahela, and West Newton to photograph the wedding of Jamie and Gavin.

This is Jamie. She's a fun person to be around. You can tell by looking at the picture, can't you?

These are Jamie's friends. They're fun people, too.

I love doing shots of the bride getting ready. It's always an atmosphere of energy and anticipation. A little food, a little wine, and everybody is happy and ready to head to the church (or wherever the ceremony is to be held) for the wedding. Nice.

This photo was taken in the back yard of Jamie's parent's house in Belle Vernon. Who knew that part of Western Pennsylvania looked like the south of France?

Jamie's dad's grapevines are in the background of the photo above. In fact, he made the wine that was served at the reception. It was a very nice personal touch.

I've got some fun posts planned from this wedding. In them I'll talk about the dangers of birdseed and bouquet toss safety;-)

Joe

Jenn and Craig II

My wife and the kids and I just got back from a short vacation. It was great to get away to see some old friends, enjoy some good food, and swim in the ocean. It was very refreshing, so this morning I was eager to continue editing Jenn and Craig's wedding photos from last weekend. There are plenty of wonderful photos, here are a few:

The reception was at the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South. The staff was organized and attentive and the food was great (thanks!). It was a nice room that anybody in the South Hills who is looking for a venue ought to consider.

Craig is an avid hunter, so he pulled out the head lamp when he went for Jenn's garter. It made a reappearance later in the evening during the dancing.

I loved the cake topper - a capital G in pink rhinestones.

Not only did the baker do a great job with the cake, but the strawberry tuxedoes and wedding dresses were pretty cool, too.

I'm looking forward to Jamie and Gavin's wedding tomorrow. As always, I'll post some favorites from that wedding as I edit.

Joe

One from yesterday

I'm of the opinion that the location is secondary in importance to the attitude and spirit of the couple when it comes to formal photos. I've taken formals at classic locales such as the Mellon Institute, Mt. Washington, and Phipps Conservatory. Those are great places for photos, but I've also been to miniature golf courses, and yesterday's location - a cemetery.

Jenn and Craig were married in Jefferson Hills and had their reception at the Crowne Plaza in Bethel Park. So we stopped at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery for photos on the way to the reception.

It's a great place with scenic vistas, plenty of trees for shade, and a peaceful atmosphere that you'd expect.

I've photographed wedding formals there before, so I was glad when Jenn and Craig said that they wanted to go to Jefferson Memorial Cemetery. All we needed was some decent weather. Yesterday, it looked like we were probably going to get rained out but we got lucky and the sun kept shining!

Check back for some more photos as I continue to edit this wedding and Nicole and Ryan's from last week.

Joe

www.joeappelphotography.com

Heinz Chapel

I have an affinity for Heinz Memorial Chapel. My wife (she's the Pitt grad) and I were married there. Our wedding was on a Friday evening in October - the same weekend as the University of Pittsburgh's homecoming.

The timing couldn't have been better. Just as we were walking down the aisle at the end of the ceremony, a massive fireworks display for homecoming was set off. We all stood on the stairs of the chapel and took in the light show. Of course, I didn't deny it when asked if we planned the fireworks.

Here are a few photos from Nicole and Ryan's wedding at Heinz on Saturday evening:

Nicole in the dressing room downstairs before the ceremony:

Gothic grandeur in the nave of the chapel:

A photo in the archway on the stairs leading up to the choir loft is a Heinz Chapel classic:

The architecture of the place lends itself to black and white photography:

We had a lot of fun with separate photo sessions for the boys and girls before the ceremony. I'll post some photos from those in the coming days, so check back.

Joe