i had the privilege of documenting my dear friends' wedding in scranton, pennsylvania last month. joe and shannon used to live down the street from my husband and i when they were iup students. they were always there for us whenever we needed anything in addition to just being fantastically fun people to be around. i was so thrilled to be photographing an october wedding!

bright and early the day began at joe and shannon's beautiful farm-style home in uniondale, a small town about forty minutes from the wedding venue. there were happy and comforting vibes all around from the bride and bridesmaids. it was a great start to the day and i felt confident about the wedding because everyone at the house was so "chill". 

it was really sweet to witness such a close knit family prepare for a wedding. i've only shot a few weddings in the past but this one was exceptionally special while everyone was getting ready. it was emotional even for me as the photographer having the experience of documenting such special moments.

i'll let the ceremony photos speak for themselves...

i wanted to do my best to capture their wedding in the most raw and authentic way possible and i'm so proud of how these photos came out. photographing a wedding is so emotional for the photographer, too! witnessing a love like this is overwhelming and there's nothing more beautiful than documenting feelings and evoking it through a photograph. a memory stopped in time forever. 

they were so fortunate to have a perfect fall day. the weather was just right, not too hot or cold, and a slight overcast! perfect for my style of photography!

adorable details as expected from two adorable people. not to mention, shannon has always been crafty since i've known her so i'm not surprised there were unique details in their reception hall!

joe pulled shannon's mom out to dance during the father daughter dance. it was so sweet. my heart couldn't take it!

the boys put together a "live performance" of brown eyed girl for shannon since it's one of her favorite songs. swoon! it was so dang sweet. 

i am so glad these two came to me with confidence of my photography skills. i had an absolute blast shooting this wedding and i'm grateful to have another wedding day experience under my best! 

after a long day of driving we arrived in sioux falls, south dakota. we snacked, slept, and got up super early for our day at badlands national park! this was our first stop we were extremely looking forward to so it was a really exciting day for us!

it was super hot there, so we couldn't leave the cats in the car. so we brought them with us everywhere we explored. it was hilarious and they were the talk of the badlands. you could hear people talking about them the whole time we were walking around the park. it was great!

this place was pretty much a desert dream. except there was vegetation and flowers instead of cacti. it was just so stunning and the lanscape looked like it went on forever. 

moody shots were obviously a requirement in this incredible park. 

and as always, shooting wildlife in national parks is a breathtaking experience. i never take it for granted. i could see it a million times and never get bored. nature is so beautiful and in pennsylvania it's rare to encounter photographic wildlife experiences like this. i soak it in as much as i can every time. 

yet again, encountered another breathtaking sunset in wyoming. those skies are just so vast and fake looking!

early september, my friend allie and i embarked on the most daring adventure we have ever taken on together - a cross-country roadtrip with her two cats in her fiat 500 pop. photo below for reference. 

our first stop was chicago, and the drive there was a complete breeze. no complications or anything with the kitties. they did so well! we found a super nice hotel in a really nice part of the city, dropped the cats off, and were on our way to explore! allie's friend nathan was kind enough to show us around and uber us around the city! 

my deep dish pizza from pequod 's pizza... carmelized crush. UGH. IT WAS SO GOOD. 

i've been griping so much lately about how much i miss california. it honestly eats at me everyday. the diversity of the lands there are a photographic dream. there's one place in particular that completely swept me away and i was not prepared. yosemite national park.

words really don't come close to the thrill of being in the presence of those incredible cliffsides... the lush color of the meadows. we were so lucky to visit this year due to the incredible rains california received in the spring. the waterfalls were completely full. the incredible heat (over 100) may or may not have caused me to have a headache majority of the time i was there, but the pain i was in was quickly forgotten about once hitting the valley. 

pictured above was a "secret" cave spot my brother-in-law told us to check out before we went on our trip. it was so sketchy to get to, but incredibly worth it. walking through that tunnel on a narrow side surface with shaky cement blocks was exhilarating in a way, but also terrifying. i was definitely whining about it the entire time every time we went to it, but i'm so glad we did. we also snuck some incredibly creepy tunnel pictures in while the coast was clear for cars. (because i live for creepy photo ops, picture of me taken by my super talented husband david!)

you're probably wondering why i fell so hard for this place. well,  i loved it before this particular moment, but this changed it all. deer and wildlife literally walking up to me and POSING. i mean. what a dream. i used to tell david all the time, "all i want is to have the opportunity to take dreamy floaty pictures of deer in a field". and i'm pretty sure my experience takes the cake over all photographic experiences i've ever had in my life. 

i mean, i somehow captured THE INSECTS floating around this beautiful creature's head. i was just speaking to a kind passerby literally a minute before this about how i longed to photograph a dear in this perfect meadow. i was incredibly joyful and moved with tears during this entire experience. it got so close to me that i was able to switch from my 70-200mm lens to my 35mm. i was SO CLOSE to this deer. ugh. i could talk about it for hours. just... unbelievable. 

and finally, every night we were in the valley we enjoyed the stars from this very same meadow. if you've never seen the stars in a dark and secluded place miles and miles from civilization before, i highly recommend it if you want to change your perception of yourself. you are small. but you are significant. the stars reminded me of this. i will surely dream about this place forever until i have the privilege of visiting again. and i hope it will be soon. 

 i'm a shy person. i don't really put myself out there much, and wonder why i don't see my business thrive. i've come to realize in order to prove to others i'm serious about my art i must "try". it's not quite enough to have the craft perfected, but to promote your work in different ways, including collabing with local models. i've been in denial for too long that i must start talking to people and be willing to get social.

erika posted on the pittsburgh photographer's group asking for assistance in building her modeling portfolio, and i was quick to respond. i knew i was going to be nervous and feel unsure of myself at first but i contacted her anyways. i am so glad i did. her username is @eri.anne on instagram! check out her modeling and photography if you have the chance!

i have this thing for dilapidated, old towns that once were thriving and hold a lot of rich history. i chose saltsburg for this shoot. it did not disappoint. and erika was AWESOME to work with. her outfit choices were so on point with the location. 

​i have high hopes that meeting up with her and shooting despite not knowing each other beforehand will spark a new courage in me. social anxiety is a killer. it can really eat you alive and leave you feeling uninspired, useless, and talentless. i don't want to let it control me as an artist anymore. i've really been kept in a box most of my life because of it. it's not that i don't like people... it's quite the opposite actually. i love people so much and feel so much and want everyone to love me. it's time to be CONFIDENT! and trust that i am a good, likeable individual and artist. 

the day before our shoot, i went out to saltsburg to be sure it was a prime location. i always liked it when driving through but never really explored. i found this AWESOME laundry mat. the colors of the floor were insanely cool. i always wanted to shoot in a laundry mat but knew it was a cliche and i've seen fellow photographers complain about the concept but i wanted to try it! i am so glad i did. 

pictured above is one of my favorite shots from the evening.

ended the shoot with some super moody tones on this old storefront. this shoot was so inspiring! i hope to collab with more models in the future. please contact me if you are interested <3


thanks for reading,
​pey.