The Richards Family | McConnellsburg, PA Family Photographer

Instead of doing a "Best of 2012 | Portraits" blog post I'm going to write blog posts on each family, children, maternity, and newborn session.  I was lucky to meet so many amazing (and beautiful!) families this year - they deserve way more than just one or two photos tucked away in a huge post.

This is one of those sessions that I left with a huge smile on my face.  This family is real.  They love real, they laugh real, and they work real.  They live right on their family's farm.  With the help of other family members and farm hands, they milk a lot of cows and maintain a lot of property.  A lot = hundreds.  Not only are they hard working, but they are involved in their community as well.  I come from a family who raised me on hard work, maintaining property, and caring for animals (in our case, horses).  So I get it.  And I appreciate it.  The light during this session was amazing.  When I crossed the mountain (for those who don't know where McConnellsburg is - it's a small town safely tucked between mountains), the clouds parted and the light was gorgeous.  God probably planned such perfect lighting for this amazing family.

Thank you again for allowing me to document your beautiful family!

 I love this photo so much, especially with the cows in the background :)

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Best of 2012 | Weddings

I was chatting with a bride the other day about her wedding photography and what she wanted in a photographer.  She told me she wanted a photographer "to be her eyes on her wedding day".  Wow, I thought, this is a bride who knows what she wants.  Of course she wants beautiful photos of her and her future husband, but there's more to it than that.  There's the emotion, the smiles, the tears, the laughter that often gets lost in the rushed fury of a wedding day.  It's not always about the dress or the shoes, but you and him, your family, and your friends.  In that moment.  On that day.

It is our duty as professional wedding photographers to capture those moments forever.  Wedding photography is NOT easy.  I often cringe when people trust those who aren't professionals, or those who don't specialize in weddings with these precious memories.  Weddings often include extremely fast moments, less than stellar lighting, middle-of-the-day portraits, and wedding parties with the open bar on their mind.

With that being said, my favorite photos aren't necessarily the beautiful portraits that I share on our Facebook page or website.  Okay, I did include a few of those because my brides and grooms are just crazy gorgeous, but the photos that are my favorites are the captured moments.  The moments that the bride didn't see, the tear she didn't realize was on her Dad's cheek because her head was buried in his shoulder, and all the amazing-ness that goes along with it.  We had a blessed year and I am forever grateful for the couples who trusted us with their most-important memories.  I am on the edge of my seat with anticipation for the 2013 wedding season and all those hidden moments we will document for our brides and grooms.

As for the bride who wanted a photographer to be her eyes, we will be doing just that at her August wedding at The Hotel Hershey.

All 115 images were chosen for their beauty, subject matter, beautiful light, and just because I love them.  Enjoy the collection of our hand-picked 2012 favorites!

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