Wedding Photography at Heinz Chapel and the Pittsburgh Renaissance Hotel

Rebecca and Patrick were married this past September in Heinz Chapel. When I came across their wedding, I was struck by what a good day this was. There are days that just seem to come together effortlessly and this was one of them. There was plenty of time for photography, amazing locations and a great of people to work with! What a breeze! There was only one thing that slowed me down: a gigantic group portrait on the grand staircase at the Renaissance. It’s a nice idea to have a photo of all your guests, just tough to execute when there are 200+ people. It takes time to get everyone lined up on the staircase and it’s difficult to make sure everyone can be seen. We did it though! Many thanks to Alex Jones who has a lot more experience with photographing groups of this size. I’m only showing some of my favorites from 2011 weddings, so I won’t be posting that group photo, but it was a big part of the day as a specific request from Rebecca and Patrick.

So we started at the Renaissance with Rebecca and her family. I asked Rebecca to stand by the window while her sister laced her dress. That’s one of the ways I generally interact with a bride when she’s getting ready to make the most of the available light.

Here, we went for an old Hollywood feel with Rebecca lounging on the bed. Alex helped me with some off-camera lighting. It only took a few minutes and I’m happy we had time to go for something a little different.

This is one of Alex’s images of Patrick right before the ceremony outside of Heinz Chapel. I love Patrick’s expression here. He is ready to make it official and kiss his bride.

This is another one by Alex. I just love seeing the rings in the groom’s or best man’s palm.

After the ceremony we did some on-location portraiture in Oakland and downtown Pittsburgh. It’s fun to photograph the bridal party as they walk from one location to the next. It’s a slice of life from their wedding day, no parking signs and all.

Here’s a late-night favorite of Rebecca and Patrick. When couples are willing to leave their reception for a few shots at sunset or after the sun goes down, I get really excited. It’s something I encourage everyone to do if they can fit it in. It’s so much fun!