A. Love Photography

Colson Family Portrait

2010-07-09T22:52:00.010-04:00

Annabelle

Grace

Lee

Libby

Leah

I met Mary many, many years ago through a mutual friend, my best friend actually. Allie and Mary went to elementary school together and became, and have stayed, best friends ever since. Over the years I have gotten to know Mary from countless stories and days spent together with Allie. Since college Mary has started an amazing florist business, Garden Party Sisters, with her sister Dawn. In such a short time their business has become one of the most sought after floral companies in South Jersey.

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from Mary asking if I could take her family portrait while they were all vacationing at the Jersey shore. I, of course, was so excited to do this for them. So last week I drove down to Strathmere to see Mary, Sara, Dawn and their 5 unbelievably adorable kids. When I walked into the house I was greeted by 5 tiny toe-headed children all dressed and ready for their photo shoot. It was hard to take a bad picture of these children, even if they weren't always so keen on having their photo taken. I am madly in love with every single one of these images.

If you need an incredible florist for a wedding or event, or even a simple bouquet make sure you contact these sisters, they are seriously talented.

Colson Family: Sneak Peek

2010-07-08T10:29:00.004-04:00

I haven't done one of these in a while but I thought I would tease all of you with this cuteness from a family portrait I did with The Garden Party Sisters and their family on the beach in Strathmere, more to come very soon . . .

Cebula Wedding

2010-05-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago I got to second shoot with a good friend of mine from college, Alexandra Passage. We went through the whole photography program together and have had countless dinners talking about business since we graduated, but this was the first time we ever shot an event together. The day of their wedding we had some freakishly strong winds and the ceremony and all events planned outside had to be moved inside. The bride and groom are so laid back that they just went with the flow and didn't let it bother them. The day was gorgeous and the reception, with a bride more animated than anyone I've ever met, was so much fun they decided to extend it an hour.

Thank you so much Alix for having me along to shoot with you, it was a blast! Please check out her work on her website and blog. Alix also just started a new business venture, Gallery 13, a new venue where photographers and artists can display their work. If you are an artist please submit your work and if you are an admirer visit their site and find when their next show is!

Spring

2010-04-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

This winter was way too brutal, record breaking-ly brutal actually. I love spring when people start working outside and the world gets a little more colorful!

A Mother's Love

2010-04-02T07:30:00.000-04:00

As I was editing through the images from my friend's bridal shower last weekend I fell in love with this series. She is just bursting with pride and happiness for her daughter :)

End of Winter

2010-03-19T19:00:00.001-04:00

My view on the way home from work :)

Haze | Puppy Love

2010-03-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

When I was younger all my sister and I were allowed to have, pet wise, were fish or hermit crabs. They were cute for a whole 5 minutes then we completely lost our interest in them. This past weekend we got to dog sit for one of my sister's friends and we are completely in love. We are hatching a plan to convince him to go on vacation for a few weeks just so we can have Haze to ourselves for longer than the weekend. And, yes, that is a neon pick sorority tee that my sister put on Haze!

Grey Day

2010-03-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

At least it's not snow!

The Mundays

2010-03-01T15:00:00.001-05:00

Mondays can be a drag . . . hope this cheers you up :)

Taking the plunge

2010-02-27T22:21:00.004-05:00

I finally did it. I decided it was about time that I start checking off some of the items on my ever-growing photo equipment list. I was lucky enough to find a great company, borrowlenses, to rent all of the equipment I needed for my past shoots. However, I had to wait for them to be delivered and then rush to send them back in time. I am taking this one step at a time, getting the basics and as time goes on I'll continue to make my 'wish list' shorter.

Also, recently a few people have let me know that my comment section had some sort of glitch, but I was finally able to fix it. As always, feel free to leave a comment so I know just who is checking in.

Roulstone Family Portraits | Phoenixville Photographer

2010-02-10T09:46:00.002-05:00

We are having yet another blizzard here in the northeast. So far we have had 3 that have dumped over 2 feet of snow, breaking the records for total winter snow amounts in Philadelphia's history. While I am snowed inside once again I thought I would blog one of my favorite family portraits taken right after our first blizzard.

You might remember Susan and Dave from their wedding last year (click here and here for their wedding images). Since then we have stayed in touch and just a few weeks ago I got an e-mail from Susan with the great news that she and Dave were expecting again. Susan was due in a matter of weeks so we had to schedule the shoot asap! Once again, the day we had scheduled for the shoot a blizzard hit. Luckily I was able to make it to their house just the next day and got some great family shots in the snow. Here is the Roulstone family before baby #2 arrived.

At first Flynn was not very excited to do a photo shoot in the cold

His parents finally started to warm him up to the idea of getting his picture taken

I just love this family

Since the cold was starting to get to the rest of us to so we went back inside for some portraits around the tree. Flynn was a little overly excited so we tried a few toys to calm him down-first we used my car keys.

Luckily the second time was the charm and he fell in love with his Elmo

Elmo definitely did the trick, look at that smile!

A little one on one time with Dad

This kid absolutely loved 'flying,' he just kept laughing

Then, of course, some time with Mom

Since Susan was due in a matter of days we had to have a maternity session

One brief uninterrupted moment to themselves

Even though it didn't last too long we couldn't be mad, he is just too cute!

On New Year's Eve baby Samantha was born and I hope to have some portraits of her soon. Congrats you guys, I just adore your family!

If you would like to have portraits done of your family please send me an e-mail at alovephotography@gmail.com. As always please leave a comment below and let me know what images you like!

Philadelphia Portrait Photographer: Christina Hernandez Headshot

2010-01-25T00:23:00.011-05:00

I met Tina my freshman year in high school and we became fast friends. During our senior year we shared the title of Editor-in-Chief for our yearbook. We were a perfect team, if I may say so myself. She was great with the taking charge of the copy for the yearbook and I helped with the photos and the layout. Since then not much has changed.

After high school we went our respective ways to different colleges. Tina followed her dream to be a writer and headed to Columbia University to get her masters in journalism. She worked for Newsday in Manhattan for two years covering all the important stories of with world and living the fabulous NYC life. However, this September she moved back home to take a huge step in her career and become a freelance writer. I could not be more excited for her, in part because I'm selfish and now we are able to see each other more often, but mostly because I know she is going to be so crazy successful.

We had scheduled her shoot a few weeks out, but then the winter storm of 2009 came and dumped 23" of snow all over our plans. Luckily, I was able to 4-wheel through the winter wonderland the next day and, I have to say, I loved what the snow did for her portraits. Tina, thank you so much for letting me shoot your headshots and for going along with all of my crazy suggestions.

Keep an eye out for her extraordinary work on smartplanet, her newest gig at CBS and the main reason for doing this shoot. Tina also has an amazing blog Spaghetti & Meatballs where she shares all of her knowledge and family secrets about Italian food, yuummm! If you need anything written for you or you need a freelance writer be sure to contact her at christinamh@gmail.com and follow her on twitter. Tina can write about almost anything but her specialities are health and science, communities of color, education, travel, religion, the arts, lifestyles, and general news. She is seriously talented make sure you follow all she does and contact her for anything you need.

Not only is Tina a writer but her boyfriend is an English teacher so their apartment is just filled with magazines and books

The beautiful view from their apartment on a snowy day

Like I said, they love books! After living in New York for three years they have the complete NYC travel book collection.

Her official headshot

She was nice enough to let me come up with crazy ways to incorporate her love for journalism

Her boyfriend, Andrew, brought out this antique typewriter during the session and I couldn't have been happier

And of course I had to incorporate it into a few shots with Tina

The letter left in the typewriter

I couldn't leave without using the New York Times

I am so glad she decided to do a few wardrobe changes and bring in a little color

Then we braved the cold and headed out into the snow

I think this is my favorite shot from the whole session

The snow kept falling from the trees and hit Tina right in the head-but it totally made for a cute shot

These shots make me fall so in love with winter in the north east

Thanks again Tina for helping me creating the ideas for this shoot, I had an absolute blast!

If anyone needs any kind of portraiture or a photographer for anything go to my site or send me an e-mail at alovephotography@gmail.com. I also just joined twitter and you can follow me here. Make sure to leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the images, thanks!

a.love photography | the site

2010-01-16T18:34:00.000-05:00

Finally, it's here!!!

I have been working on all the components of making this site for so long now and it's finally all together for you to see. Though the site is relatively self explanatory I still thought I would give you a few tips about the details. The 'gallery' section is a compilation of some of my favorite images in slideshow format so there is no work for you, just sit back and watch the show. I thought I should include a little bio so you could get to know me, click on the 'a.love' section for that. However, the best way to get to know me would be under the 'contact' link. Fill in just a little bit of info about yourself, include a message and click submit-we can set up a place to meet or even just a time to talk on the phone. I am so excited to hear about your wedding or what kind of shoot you want to set up. The last 2 links are for client proofing and a link right back to this blog.

So take a look around and make sure you send me a message to set something up or to just tell me what you think of the site. As I work on more projects and shoots with my clients I will update the site to let you see my most recent work. Check back often so you don't miss a thing! One more thing, since I am also obsessed with music I have included some of my favorite music to the site, so make sure your volume is on. Let me know what you think of the site by leaving a comment below. Thanks and I can't wait to hear from you!

Click here or the image below to access the site.

Natalie & Tom

2009-11-21T18:06:00.008-05:00

I have known this family for many years. In high school the bride's sister was my best friend. There were many days when we would talk through class all day then go home to continue the conversation into the night. We had holiday parties together, spent summers at each other’s beach houses, and spent countless weekends hanging out.

Needless to say I know this family well, so I was more than excited to shoot Natalie and Tom's wedding. The preparations for the day were at the family home with all the immediate family there to celebrate. Their ceremony and reception were held at the same location so they were with their friends and family all day. We were even able to find a tree-lined street in the middle of Philadelphia to use for portraits. I loved spending this wonderful day with them!

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the photos. I have a portrait shoot from this summer coming and an exciting new addition to a.love photography so stay tuned!

Susan & Dave: Wedding Album

2009-08-25T10:20:00.007-04:00

In March I attended and photographed Susan and Dave's wedding in Wayne, PA. Since then Susan and I have communicated back and forth numerous times trying to make decisions on all of the details for her wedding album. From the selection of pictures to the final layout it was quite a long process! A few weeks ago the last of the decisions were made the pictures were mailed out so her album could start being created.

She decided on the Iris Album by Cypress Albums. This company makes exqusite albums and I am so excited Susan chose the all flush album, they are my absolute favorite. The album is still being created but until it is shipped I thought I would share the pages from their album. When the final book is delivered I will post the images of them. So here is Susan and Dave's 24 page Wedding Album.

Tom and Natalie: sneak peek

2009-07-08T14:50:00.006-04:00

I know, I know I have been quite a bad blogger lately. Not to worry, I just shot another wedding and I have a family portrait session coming up in August. For now here are a couple of my favorites from Tom and Natalie's wedding that was at the end of June. Stay tuned for their entire wedding post coming soon. Enjoy...

Cheerleaders

2009-04-23T12:21:00.005-04:00

As I begin the crazy adventure of starting my own business I find myself teetering back and forth between sheer excitement and complete and utter nervousness. When I was young and imagined what I would be 'when I grew up' starting my own business was never a thought in my mind. However, as I continue down this road I realize more and more this is exactly what I want to do.

My friends and family have been incredibly supportive but in the beginning stages the DePetris family have really outdone themselves. Jen referred me to my first couple and has since booked me for a family photo shoot at the end of the summer. The whole family are like my own personal cheerleaders, her parents and all of her sisters have sent me wonderful complements and encouragements. Since this is Jen's birthday week (yes, she celebrates the entire week) I thought I should say thanks to her and the whole family. You guys are the best!!!

here is Jen, her Mom, and her sister Jill at Susan & Dave's wedding at the end of March

this is how I always picture their family-talking and laughing

and I can't forget the two honorary DePetris family members-Jen's college roommate, Shannon, and Jen's boyfriend, Jack.

I can't wait for the DePetris family photo this summer, with that many DePetris' in one place it's sure to be a good time!

Treats from down under

2009-04-20T10:25:00.005-04:00

I was so lucky to have had Susan and Dave as my first clients. Not only was their wedding beautiful and fun, but they are also incredibly sweet people. As I said in their wedding post they got ready together. It was such a unique twist to the day that made it so relaxed. Since I wasn't running around to different locations to get pictures of them we were able to hang out and talk while they were preparing for their day.

As I was getting some candids of them I noticed a box of Tim Tams in their kitchen. These cookies are very popular in Australia and when I was studying there my roommates and I became obsessed with them. I could not believe they had them. I asked where they got them, hoping I could get my hands on a pack. Unfortunately, Target was only selling them for a few weeks on a trial basis and I had missed my chance. Oh well, I guess I will just have to go back to Australia to get some-poor me. However, when I went back to their apartment to give them their photos they had a little gift for me. That's right, a gift bag filled with Tim Tams! Like I said, incredibly sweet people! Thanks guys it was a perfectly thoughtful and fitting gift.

Make sure you pick up a pack if you see them on sale anywhere, they are soooo good!

LBI Photo Safari

2009-04-17T13:05:00.009-04:00

For as long as I can remember at the end of the summer my family and I would take a weeks vacation to Long Beach Island to see my grandmother. In the past few years my sister and I have been able to spend whole summers at this same beach house. Though the vacations themselves have changed our route to the island never has. To avoid summer traffic my Dad had figured out a way to get there by taking 'the scenic' route.

The trip is through the middle of no where but so beautiful. In fact my sister and I do not even know the street names or the route numbers. We only know the landmarks that we have seen for years as references to turn left or right. On these trips I have always wanted to stop and take pictures of my favorite landmarks. So, I finally decided to start doing just that. On my way back home from the island a couple of weeks ago the sun was setting and I figured it was the perfect time to stop and document my trip. There are so many spots I could not get to all of them before the sun set so here are the first few images of my LBI Road Trip Project . . .

'Poor Man's Parkway' this road runs right alongside the parkway letting you skip paying tolls

one of a large collection of signs we follow to get the LBI

as you know I love details and I found so many while walking along the banks of a river

I love the colors and texture in this one

as I was shooting 2 bikers came flying by-reminded me of 'Easy Rider'

my favorite of the set

more great details and shapes

Jessica Claire, a photographer I love, collects photos of locks, I now see why

I think I have driven over this bridge a few thousand times

couldn't have said it better myself

one last shot of the Jeep in that beautiful sunset :)

This is an on-going project so stay tuned for more

Susan & Dave: part 2

2009-04-10T11:15:00.024-04:00

Susan and Dave chose to have their reception at The Willows Estate in Wayne, PA. It was an absolutely perfect place for portraits, drinking, and dancing. The grounds around the mansion had so many great aspects for shooting, and they completely lucked out with the weather at the end of March; 60 degrees and sunny. The mansion itself was quite unique; the dining room was split into three separate rooms for an intimate dinner, and the dance floor had its own room that was surrounded by windows with views of the lake and gardens. Here is the last group of my favorites . . .

the stairs, the light and a beautiful couple-I can't ask for much more

traditional couple portrait

i love the way the breeze picked up her dress

my favorite shot

I gave them very specific directions for what I wanted for this shot and they both agreed to do it, however, Susan's face in the first one certainly looks like she isn't very excited about doing it-I think the rest in the series make up for any doubt she had . . .

I love little candid moments between a couple

this is another one of my favorite details of the day

my favorite types of shots are the intimate moments people don't usually notice

i love everything about this shot - the light, her hair in the wind, her smile, and his stare

another great portrait

a different kind of pose that I really like

Susan asked me if I could take some portraits of her on the staircase, I didn't want to just do the traditional poses and the mirror at the top helped change the POV

As I have said before I am obsessed with details. Susan's DIY ideas we so beautiful and not-so-traditional (just what I like)! She even hand wrote every table card in calligraphy.

there is just something about this one of them walking into the reception that I love

those surrounding windows were perfect for pictures

both of their speeches were so touching

both of their parent dances were so much fun, their moms were spinning all around the dance floor

my friends are so funny :)

then it was time to dance

All three of the Howard siblings. Dana and Brian, the couple to the left, are getting married in a few months-congratulations you two!

too much fun!!!

Susan and Dave thank you so much for letting me shoot your wedding, you are both such sweet wonderful people and made me feel so welcome. And, of course, thanks to the DePetris clan for referring me to Susan and Dave and helping me book my first wedding.

Susan & Dave: part 1

2009-04-09T10:44:00.029-04:00

About a month ago I got a call from my friend Jen asking me if I could shoot her friend's wedding. I had no plans for that day so I agreed to do it, and was so excited. With the wedding day less then two weeks away we had to start planning quickly. Susan and Dave are so easy going so the planning was no problem and everything came together perfectly.

Susan and I met back in college when she had come to visit Jen. That night we discovered that we both had studied abroad in Australia and talked about all things 'aussie'; the culture, traveling, the bars, and of course the men. When the latter topic came up she told me about her boyfriend Dave. Like most parents do before their children leave for another country, Susan's Mom warned her not to meet an Aussie boy and fall in love. She obviously didn't listen. Dave and Susan went to the same university and one night early in the semester they met at a bar and hit it off immediately. When the time finally came for Susan to come back to the states Dave decided to move with her.

They had an intimate wedding with close family and friends in 2008. On their one year anniversary they planned a larger event in their home town to have a celebration with all of their loved ones. So on a perfect spring day we all gathered in St. Davids, PA to attend the wedding of Susan & Dave . . .

Their wedding had a lot of great DIY elements to it. Since Susan is very artistic her details came out beautifully . . . like the invitations

Kate Spade shoes make the wedding style so fabulous

as does a dress by Priscilla of Boston

they got ready together, making it much easier for me to get details of both of them

their baby boy Flynn was adorable, though at first he didn't know what to make of me or my camera . . . watching dad get ready

LOVE those big, beautiful eyes

I caught Susan beaming as her Mom helped her get dressed

she wasn't sure if she wanted to put the rose in her hair, I'm soooo happy she decided to use it, it's one of my favorite bridal details

there were so many great details Susan wore that day, Kate Spade heels, a flower in the hair, a necklace draped down her back-perfection

I love the feel of this candid from the ceremony

The details are one of my favorite aspects of a wedding. Susan and Dave not only included their own amazing details but they also picked a church filled with them . . .

the church was built in the shape of a cross and had tons of great elements, like the stained glass windows that gave beautiful light and added so much color to the room

hands down my favorite ceremony picture I have ever taken, she is so happy!

the last few moments before they are announced together, with those great windows behind them

one more ceremony detail

Susan and her sister picked such wonderful, simple colors and arrangements for their bouquets

I love small bridal parties willing to do what I tell them :)

the combination of her dress, the light, and the grounds at the reception gave a old, Spanish style to these portraits of Susan

my favorite portrait of the bride

perfect relaxed groom portrait

There were so many images I loved from their wedding that I have to break it up into 2 posts. More on the reception site, the couple, and some fun reception ones tomorrow.

Susan & Dave-sneak peak

2009-04-07T15:36:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I shot Susan and Dave's wedding in Wayne, PA. It was not only my first time shooting a wedding on my own, but was also booked at the last minute-but more on those details in a few days. I wanted to share a couple photos before the real wedding blog post so here are a couple 'self portraits' and one of the beautiful couple . . .

Jill, Shan, and I pre-reception

Shan, Depet and I-a mini Monmouth reunion :)

Susan and Dave at the Willows, it was a perfect day to get married!

I'll be posting my favs from their wedding in a few days so keep an eye out for them.

Jenn & Marc Engaged

2009-03-25T16:37:00.018-04:00

I have been working for a wedding photographer for over 3 years now, and somehow I have seemed to start my own business. It is that time in my life when so many of my friends are getting married, so many of them are asking me to document their engagements and weddings. I wanted to be able to share their stories as well as their images and a blog seems to be the best way to do that.

I met Jenn the first day of sophomore year in college. It was raining, as it did every year we moved in, and she was lugging in boxes as we moved into our new dorm. That same day I met Marc, following right behind Jenn carrying twice as many boxes, helping her move in. Over the next three years Marc became an honorary roommate as we all got the know them both. Jenn and I became close as we sat in the stands through all types of weather watching our roommates on the lacrosse field. And, well, Marc and I became friends through Jenn of course, but also by being the one guy that was constantly around to handle all the things us girls couldn't do. It has been 6 years since I met them and this past February all of my friends and I got together to celebrate their engagement . . .

as we walked into their house they had a display of all the wonderful cards they had gotten for their engagement

Jenn's friend from high school is a hair dresser who came by to style Jenn for the party

Jenn and Marc had just gotten 2 puppies a couple weeks before the party, they are both soooo adorable and completely fit their personalities. Here is Marc with his rottweiler puppy Storm.

Marc's turn to get ready

that tie caused more difficulty then we could have ever imagined

isn't Jenn so beautiful

this picture completely personifies their relationship; Jenn trying to tell Marc something while he pays attention to something else - this time it was me :)

perfect little portrait

the bling

i decided to give some attention to Chloe and Storm

Storm makes a great model doesn't she

Laura, the hairdresser, chatting it up with Jenn

K-Ray, Jenn's college roommate, and her bf Chris, oh K you are just so funny

cutting the cake, Jenn got those palm trees in everywhere she could

this is my fav, smooch :)

K-Ray and Depet, more roomies

just to show you nothing has changed, the restaurant ran out of beer so Depet and K went out to get some for our table, love it!

our group ending the night together

It was a great night celebrating Jenn and Marc, and having a reunion - we need to do this more often guys!!!