Shell Bailey Photography » portraits

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers | Here’s to 2013

Shell — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:15:55 +0000

Happy New Year! And many, many congratulations to everyone newly engaged over the holidays!

I’ve been wrapping up the last bits of business from 2012 and just feeling really blessed. Last year had so many amazing weddings and unexpected good moments, and I woke up today to several emails to new opportunities. You know, this is probably silly, but even after several years of business, I still get really excited anytime when people get in touch with me about photography. Really excited. Every single time. I can’t say this any more simply- it’s what I love to do. Taking pictures of people in love just never gets old. So I would just send a huge, heartfelt thank-you to all of the couples who helped make 2012 so fantastic. You’re the best. :D

2013 is going to rock. So is 2014. I’m so excited to work with the wonderful couples I’ve already met and can’t wait to meet the ones I haven’t. :D I do still have dates available for 2013, & am just starting to book into 2014- please contact me if you’re planning your wedding for this year! I’d love to hear from you.

White Oak Engagement | Virginia & Chris

Shell — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 13:27:20 +0000

I’ve been waiting for this one for a while. I may not know a whole lot about cars, but I very much appreciate them, and when Virginia & Chris told me what their plans were for the engagement session, I couldn’t wait.

Virginia & Chris met because of these cars, & were so excited to include them. Two classics- a Challenger and a Cuda- rumbling through the park, drowning out the graduation parties. We would park and pose and you could watch the fathers kind of sneak away from the parties to come stare at the cars until we drove away. :) Despite the occasional audience, it wasn’t hard to get good shots. Virginia & Chris are just so happy together it’s adorable.

And tomorrow’s their wedding day…!

Newborn Photography | Adelaide

Shell — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 19:56:51 +0000

A beautiful little girl… we’re wishing her all the best in the world.

Pittsburgh Newborn Photography | Grace

Shell — Wed, 30 May 2012 22:00:32 +0000

I’m happy to present a much-expected arrival. She’s a beautiful addition to Steph and Zak‘s family: little Grace! I honestly haven’t had much opportunity to work with newborns in the past, so I was thrilled when they asked me to take her one-week portraits. We took a couple hours just to document this crazy, exciting time for them & to admire this sweet little girl.

Pittsburgh Maternity Photographer | Danielle and Stephanie

Shell — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:31:59 +0000

Two best friends, due just two months apart, surrounded by their families on a gorgeous spring day, and I was thrilled to be with them to capture this exciting time. We’re counting down to a matter of days- Stephanie is due any time now and Danielle is a little later this summer. I’m definitely looking forward to meeting their little ones! You will be seeing more of them later… :)

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographers | Year in Review

Shell — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:06:47 +0000

I know things have been quiet here lately! I have been designing albums and spending too much time on Pinterest and generally enjoying hibernating through the winter. I’ve enjoyed the quiet while it has lasted, but now I’m ready to kick back into gear.

This is an exciting time of the year, when I get to talk to so many couples who are just beginning their wedding planning, and who have so many things to look forward to. I love meeting new couples and hearing their stories. I do still have 2012 dates available and am booking for 2013, so if you’re newly engaged and planning your wedding, please get in touch!

But before I started posting new work, I wanted to share some of my favorite photos from the past year, both from my personal work and from my weddings and portraits. :) 2011 was pretty fantastic and I am so looking forward to what this year has in store.

Pittsburgh Senior Portraits | Isaiah 2012

Shell — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:35:17 +0000

Isaiah came with one outfit and knowing exactly what he wanted his yearbook picture to look like… love that. Especially when the one outfit is a James Bond-esque suit and the idea involves the best fall landscape we could find. I’m not one to argue with style.

I love shooting senior portraits in the fall, especially if it means hiking through the woods in order to best take advantage of the leaves… and climbing on top of bridges… and over waterfalls… well. We wanted to make sure we got interesting shots, and I think we lived up to that!

Congrats Isaiah, best of luck for the rest of your year!

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!

Downtown Pittsburgh Engagement | Emily + Scott

Shell — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:34:28 +0000

Emily and Scott live in Kentucky, but they are originally from Pittsburgh. So when they came back in town for wedding planning and the fourth of July, they wanted their engagement portraits to have an iconic Pittsburgh feel. We bounced around a couple of ideas, including Downtown, the Strip District, and the North Shore, but we eventually decided to take a walk along the river and feature some of the famous bridges. I don’t think you could ask for a more perfect setting for a summer engagement sessions- a great cityscape, the sun setting over the three rivers, and the cutest couple ever. Seriously. I couldn’t put them anywhere for two minutes before they’d start laughing at something, and forget about posing, because we were having far too much fun for that. (Give me someone who can work the lyrics of the Safety Dance into conversation, and we’re bound to hit it off!)

Emily & Scott are getting married this September in the Cranberry area, and if the couple of hours I spent with them are anything to go by, it’s going to be a fantastic time. Many thanks to them for fitting me into their busy return home & I am definitely looking forward to September.

Engagement Portraits at Frick Park | Heather and Dave

Shell — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:57:55 +0000

Heather and Dave booked me forever ago- a year and a half ago, I think? And their wedding is coming up in a hurry! It’s only two weeks away. We finally got a chance to meet for the first time a few weeks ago, and we had a good time running around Frick Park. I was a little nervous when I got there- it was near sunset and the lighting was fading fast, especially under the cover of the trees; it had rained recently and all the trails were mud; and there were huge mosquitos absolutely everywhere. But luckily Heather and Dave are super sweet and up for anything. So whenever I suggested blazing through the knee-high underbrush in their nice shoes or sitting on muddy steps in order to catch the elusive rays of light- instead of looking at me like I was crazy, they followed right along. I think we got some great shots because of it. Thanks, Heather & Dave, for being such good sports!

These next two weeks are going to go by fast, so look for wedding photos soon!