Shell Bailey Photography » fall

Pittsburgh Senior Portraits | Emily 2012

Shell — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:15:49 +0000

Emily is graduating! Woohoo!

We took a lovely sunny evening with the last of the fall leaves to take her senior portraits at the park. Emily had a lot of cool outfits & ideas, we definitely had a good time. Of course we get the standard yearbook shots, but I love when seniors bring outfits & ideas that really represent their personalities and interests- it gives us a chance for really unique portraits.

Emily hopes to go to Gettysburg College to major in history. (Yeah, I’m a little jealous.) That’s such a great opportunity. Congrats Emily, and good luck in all of the adventures still ahead of you!

Pittsburgh Engagement Photos | Chrissy and John

Shell — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:42:17 +0000

It’s been a busy but fantastic fall, and the wedding season is winding down. I’ve got one more wedding left for this season- and it’s tomorrow!

Chrissy and John are from Virginia Beach, and I think every time they’ve been up recently it has been wet and miserable. We were lucky enough to sneak about half an hour of glorious sunshine for their engagement session. I’m hoping that they have just as much luck for their wedding- the forecast is calling for snow. Think warm and sunny thoughts for them this weekend, please!

But at any rate, they’re a fantastic couple, and I am really looking forward to tomorrow, no matter what the weather turns out to be. Stay tuned… :)

Armstrong Farms Wedding | Luke & Alisa

Shell — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:59:27 +0000

Alisa and Luke had a really lovely fall wedding. Their ceremony was at St Paul’s Church in Butler, PA. It was my first time inside of that church, and it is simply gorgeous! The arches, the stained glass the lights- it’s not often I get to play with flare inside of the church! Afterwards was an elegant country reception at Armstrong Farm’s Fieldstone Barn, complete with Stella the Goose as the secondary guest of honor.

I have to say, I love the style that ran throughout the day. Alisa wore a birdcage veil and a beautiful dress of lace. The girls dressed in chocolate and classic red, and the guys wore suspenders and brand-new timberlands. They customized Terrible Towels to give away as favors, and used them with abandon as the night went on. Most importantly though, the closeness of their families, the joy of their celebration, and the fun that Alisa & Luke have together. It was a great day.

Breanne & Will’s Vintage Wedding at Armstrong Farms

Shell — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:53:13 +0000

I finally get to put this up- my last wedding of 2010! Breanne and Will – you might remember their awesome engagement portraits with dinosaurs and carousels- got married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Armstrong Farms. It was the middle of November, and the weeks surrounding it had been cold, miserable, and raining, but it was like the skies cleared for their wedding day.

It was my first time working at Armstrong Farms, and I have to say, it was lovely. Breanne and Will rented out the Fieldstone Barn and house, which was so nice because the entire wedding was on-site, from getting ready to the grand exit. Add to that, the grounds are beautiful with plenty of wonderful locations for photography- how could I argue? I look forward to working there again in the future.

As for Breanne and Will… They put so much thought into their wedding, it was impressive. Breanne handcrafted so many little details, from creating the chalkboard menus, to the programs and placecards and centerpieces- she put a ton of work into it! Everything was elegantly orchestrated. But when it came down to it, both Will & Breanne were so happy and relaxed the entire day, and everyone was delighted to watch them so happy together. Those are the best kinds of days.

Jeff + Melsa’s Super Awesome Wedding

Shell — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 03:09:24 +0000

Jeff and Melsa got married on Halloween Day in a beautiful, intimate ceremony in their living room. I was really honored when they asked me to photograph it, knowing that it was going to be a very small affair and only their closest friends and family would be there.

I don’t know how they did it- Melsa just moved in a few weeks prior, hadn’t quite unpacked, and they were expecting friends and family over to celebrate one of the biggest days of their lives? No pressure, right? And yet, I have never seen a couple as happy as these two. Nothing fazed them, even when things went wrong, and they were so focused on each other. The ceremony was beautiful & personal, the party was a lot of fun, and everyone could see how in love they are. Thank you, Jeff & Melsa, for inviting me into your home to capture this.

Lindsey and Andy’s Fall Country Wedding

Shell — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:20:26 +0000

Typically I try to meet my couples before the wedding. Wedding days can be hectic and stressful and you never know exactly what will happen, so it’s usually easiest if we are already comfortable with each other. Sometimes though, that just doesn’t happen, whether by distance or timing or schedules. So it was that Lindsey and I spoke to each other on the phone several times before the wedding, and I drove to their ceremony location thinking, I wonder what they’re like?

Lindsey and I introduced ourselves and started talking about the day. After a moment, she said, “Well, there’s really nowhere nice in here to take pictures of the dress, so you can take it whereever you want. Maybe outside? You can hang it off a tree.”

That’s when I knew we would get along.

Lindsey is beautiful and sweet and carries a certain easy grace about her. Andy’s got a great sense of humor and his reputation seems to precede him- rampant tales of high school shenanigans reminded me an awful lot of our own high school pranks. And their bridal party was equally entertaining. It’s great when you can meet people for the first time and feel like they could easily slip into your circle of friends.

Andy & Lindsey had a traditional Catholic ceremony at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Roman in Indiana, PA, and their reception was at The Event Hall in Shelocta, PA. The ceremony was beautiful and emotional and the party afterwards… Well. I’ll let the photos tell you what kind of party that was. :)

Preview: Lindsey and Andy

Shell — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:23:03 +0000

A quick one from a fantastic wedding this weekend… there are many more to come. :)

Also, just a note- I will be out of the office for a few days, starting this afternoon, and will return Wednesday. I might have intermittant access to the internet, but otherwise, leave an email and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!

First day of fall…

Shell — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:36:13 +0000

Maternity Portraits: Anna & Dan at Saxonburg Park

Shell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:30:40 +0000

You might remember that a few months ago, I posted some maternity photos that I took for my sister-in-law, expecting her first. Those were taken when she was seven months due, and everyone was waiting to see some baby belly! Well, we weren’t done there. We did another quick session in the park with her husband, Dan, when Anna was nine months due. Just a week before the baby was born! I’m obviously still catching up on my posting, but here are some of my favorites.

Aren’t they adorable?