Shannon + Matthew | Longwood Gardens Winter Elopement | Pennsylvania Wedding Photographer
Longwood Gardens Fall Maternity Session | Kennett Square Pennyslvania | Philadelphia Portrait Photographer
Mackenzi - Class of 2022 | Longwood Gardens High School Senior Photoshoot | Pennsylvania Portrait Photographer
With graduation season being in full swing, I thought it would be a fantastic time to highlight some of the fabulous seniors I have photographed over the past year. I’m honored to introduce you to Mackenzi, a proud member of Tulpehocken High School’s Class of 2022! I was absolutely thrilled when her mom asked if we could shoot Mackenzi’s high school senior portraits at Longwood Gardens… and I immediately replied with an excited “Yes!”. If you follow my work, you probably noticed that I shoot at Longwood Gardens pretty often. It is beautiful there any time of year, and the displays are always changing, so no two portrait sessions ever turn out alike. Plus, I have a membership that allows me to bring in a bunch of additional guests - at no cost to them!! (Hint, hint…)
Congratulations, Mackenzi! Wishing you lots of love, luck, and success in your future adventures!
Without any further delay, I present to you Mackenzi. I hope you love these images, her smile, and her personality as much as I do.
Serenity + Tony | Longwood Gardens Engagement Session | Philadelphia Pennsylvania Wedding Photographer
Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square, is one of my absolute favorite places to visit. It is stunning at any time of year, and no experience is ever quite the same. Whenever I am there, my troubles melt away and I find myself at peace, my stressors temporarily forgotten. I have had a personal membership for years, and would often visit alone to photograph my favorite orchids, waterlilies, seasonal flowers, fountains, and resident cats. Last year, I decided to upgrade my membership so that I could share that joy with my clients. I started offering sessions at Longwood Gardens, and boy did people respond! I had so many incredible photoshoots there during 2020 and already in 2021 (I lost count at 30).
One of my favorites was with this fun couple, Serenity and Tony. Their May wedding will be here before we know it! I had such a great time getting to know them better at this session. Mother Nature was a bit fickle that day, and surprised us with a misty, foggy morning. Honestly, I think the photos came out even better because of it.
Without any further hesitation, I present the incredibly fun and in-love Serenity and Tony. (Serenity’s hat is pretty awesome, too.)
Alyssa + Tony | Kennett Square Engagement Session | Pennsylvania Wedding Photographer
Alyssa and Tony are starring on this episode of ”sessions that I slacked on blogging”! Their engagement photoshoot took place at two incredible privately owned properties in Kennett Square - and it happened way back when there was still snow on the ground. I knew I was going to love this session, even before the huskies and Camaro joined us. Their pups had me smiling and laughing, and I love the outtakes that we got out of them! I am really looking forward to their wedding this August at the Barn at Silverstone - and I promise not to take so long to blog that one…
Longwood Gardens Engagement Photoshoot | Jess + Sean | Berks County Wedding Photographer
Last Sunday, I met up with Jess and Sean for their engagement session. They picked Longwood Gardens for the backdrop because it's one of their favorite places to visit together... and I was really excited, because it's one of my favorite places, too! They booked me as their wedding photographer a few weeks ago, and this session was the first time we actually met in person. I was so excited to meet them, and I had a very strong feeling that they were going to be really fun in person. Oh, was I right!! We were chatting and laughing during their entire session, and my face hurt when I left from smiling so much! For every serious pose I got out of them, there were about 15 more silly poses - which I think is awesome! My favorite pictures are always the ones where I capture my clients being themselves!
I hope you enjoy this collection of photos from their engagement session. I'm looking forward to their Florida destination wedding next fall!!
Longwood Gardens Senior Session | Abby, Wilson HS Class of 2017
A few weeks ago, I met up with Abby and her mom at Longwood Gardens. Abby is a senior at Wilson High School. They wanted a colorful backdrop for Abby's senior photos, and Longwood was the perfect place!
Thank you for driving all the way to Longwood for our session! Have a great senior year, Abby, and best of luck to all of the members of the Class of 2017!
A "Me" Day at Longwood Gardens | Water, Flowers, and a Whole Bunch of Frogs
A few days ago, I saw a post on Facebook from a photographer who had registered for a photography class at Longwood Gardens but then couldn't attend. She was looking for someone to take her spot. I read about the class and loved everything in the description! (I later found out it is one of the most popular photography classes at Longwood - and has been sold out for months!) I looked at my calendar, and besides my seemingly-never-ending PhD work that I was supposed to get around to working on that day, I only had a photoshoot scheduled for the late afternoon. The calendar Gods were smiling upon me that day, and I decided it was a sign! The PhD work could wait! (And, my photoshoot clients decided to change their location to Longwood Gardens once they found out I was going to be there anyway! It worked out perfectly!!)
I bought the ticket from the other photographer and woke up at 5am to be at Longwood Gardens by 7am. I am not a morning person (putting it very mildly), but I can do it when I absolutely have to. It ended up being more than worth the early wake up and drive! I was able to watch the sunrise while I drove to Longwood, and wished I was a little bit more of a morning person. Once I arrived at Longwood, I realized we had the entire property to ourselves for a few hours before it opened to the general public. It was awesome, to say the least.
Our class started with a little bit of instruction and shooting tips, then we were broken into three groups. Each group was going to be allowed access in the world famous waterlily ponds for an hour at a time - and we got to go in twice! And, I'm not talking just any access - we were given waders and actually allowed to get INTO the ponds and take photos from a "frog's eye view". It was so amazing being able to get that close to the flowers I have stared at in wonder for years. I also got up close and personal with a few critters - including frogs, damsel flies, dragonflies, tiny fish, bees, and lots of other insects that were flying and hopping around. When we were not in the ponds taking pictures, we spent time wandering around the gardens taking photos (and making some new friends). If you look at my photos closely, you'll even see that we were visited by a stunning Blue Heron!
Here are a few of my favorites from the day! I took HUNDREDS of pictures, so this is just a small sampling of them. (I wouldn't have time to get anything else done this weekend if I didn't force myself to stop going through them!!) I hope you enjoy my photos - and if you haven't ever been to Longwood Gardens, or if it's been a while since your last visit, you really should go. :)
Thank you for the opportunity, Krista! Thank you for lending me your filter for a few shots, Andrea! Thanks to Jon (the light ninja) for a great class and a lot of laughs!
