Meet the Bartus Family

A couple weeks ago it could not have been a better day for a photo shoot, and Nicole and her family could not have been more willing subjects.  So, a road trip was scheduled and we met @ McConnells Mill.  I had only seen Gavin in photos and one random office visit & needless to say our relationship had yet to be rooted in any way.  As I approached the picnic table where they were waiting for me, let's just say he did not throw open his arms and run to me...  more like, he sized me up and then decided who was going to take control of this shoot.

Once we exchanged some pleasantries and attempted to woo over Gavin, we were on our way & a small hike down to the covered bridge.  We managed to get down to the bridge and find a few families, a high school sr, and what appeared to be a newly engaged couple.  Everyone wants to be a photographer, and everyone thought this was the place to shoot!  This day may well have been!

We did our best at some quick posed shots on the overlook, and then milled about the mill and found some other locations for simply doing our best at capturing a couple special moments.  Gavin was not as excited about the trip as I (we) was (were), though he may not have smiled during each shot, he certainly did add his personality to each photo.

In the end, I think we got some great moments and had an enjoyable couple of hours just putzing around. I'm still weening myself off the 'auto' settings on the camera - so, this gave me a chance to explore my comfort with using the 'aperture' priority on some.  Nicole later asked if I remembered which ones were which -- I hate Q&A -- and although in my head I think I know which ones were, and which weren't. I'm not 100% sure I can say w/100% accuracy. I do think the compositions are getting a little better as well as some of the framing / background shots.  What do you think?

Oh well - everytime I shoot, I feel a little more confident, and I feel I learn a little more. Any tips in working w/kids - I'm all ears (I will say, dressing as a clown is where I draw the line).

Meet Jonah & Evan

My friend Sarah asked if I'd come out and take some pictures of her son, Jonah, and his cousin, Evan.  This was my first venture taking a series of photographs of children.  So, another opportunity for me to be a little nervous.  I had never met Jonah or Evan, and was not sure how well we'd get along or how interested they'd be in getting their photos taken, let alone working with me.  Since I'm still getting my feet wet, I can't say I had much of a vision, I was really just hoping that we captured a couple of snaps worthy of a mantel frame, not to mention -- my friendship with Sarah was on the line if this didn't go well :)

Sarah lives on a large piece of land outside of Greensburg and the backdrop was perfect.  There were plenty of things for them to crawl around on, in, under - etc... and once we got the ball rolling I think they both warmed up to me and we got some really great photographs.  Sarah has already had some enlarged and given to both her parents and Evan's mom -- all were pleased, and our friendship intact.  Sarah even has a couple on her desk @ work!

I'm still trying to navigate the blog world, and in writing a blog, I'm told I have to use a couple 'key' words -- I'm still struggling with how to incorporate my key words into my blogging -- so, for the sake of at least using them here's a couple:  photography, pittsburgh -- yep, that's me; a photographer taking pictures in and around Pittsburgh.  I've also been told to keep my posts brief -- brevity is not a strength when I type, but I can try ... 

Meet the Mooney's ...

I've known Sophia since Junior High, frankly I don't know who met who first, but regardless we hit it off and have been friends since.  In taking this step into 'Photographer for Hire' I have to give credit where credit is due and will use this blog as my platform for thanking those that encouraged (gently nudged?) me to bring this business to fruition.  That said, there will be more thank you's as I go, but Phia, you get my first "Thanks!"

This year Phia got engaged and married to one Bob Mooney - it was a whirlwind romance that played out for a lot of us over the course of 2009 on FaceBook.  I'll not divulge too much about their courtship here, as that's her story to tell ...  but will skip to the important part of the story -- where I fit in, and why I'm thanking her.  Fast forward to a couple of months before the big day and Phia and Bob are going through the usual wedding planning stuff.  Phia, either through the knot or some other blog she's been screening daily, comes up with an idea for a Photo Guest Book.  For those that have not attended a wedding in a while, the guest book is the book that sits on some podium at the reception that all attendees are to sign as they walk in.  In its simplest form, the guest book is a prettied up version of tablet. Pages with lines. Ho hum. Kind of boring and low brow for our bride-to-be. In short, Phia was not having her guests sign a tablet.


So, Phia and Bob reach out to a photographer friend (not me) to discuss having some engagement photos taken. Sadly (or happily for me?) their schedules did not seem to gel and Phia approaches me with the idea. What's a lifelong friend to say but 'of course, I'd be happy to!'. I'll openly admit now I was a little nervous (yes Phia, I was).  Although not a fan of Bridezilla, a title of some Lifetime show I'm sure exists, I was nervous about taking photos for 1. a friend, 2. a bride, and 3. a book that was going to be displayed for the world (exaggeration here, but there were a lot of people invited to this wedding). I know I take a good snap, but this was kicking it up a notch.

Fast forward to the day of the shoot and I think you'll agree I captured some pretty special photos for Phia & Bob. Bob had the day planned out from start to finish, and although it was one of the hottest days of the year, we all put on our happiest faces, hopped in the car, scooted around Pgh and the North Side, and even managed a wardrobe change or two.  The end result -- a collection of photos any bride-to-be would be happy to use in their Guest Book.  Ultimately, the finished product was a thing of beauty on their special day, I don't think it got more applause than the bride and groom, but I want to say it came in a close 2nd? (perhaps wishful thinking, but that's me).

So, it's that photo shoot and the feedback I got from friends, family, and random wedding guests that added fuel to the fire that had been slowly building to continue to explore Photography as a business.  I've included some of the shoot here, but if you're interested in scrolling through a larger set, click the happy couple below.

05-2010 Sophia & Bob

In closing - Thank you Phia (&Bob)!   Thank you for thinking of me, thank you for asking me, and thank you for trusting me ... All the best to you both.

xo

Sweet 16 ...

So, my niece Audrey turned 16 this yr -- UGH! I'm still kind of in shock myself -- & I was invited to tag along with her friends and my brother & sister-in-law & last, but certainly not least, her younger sister to Station Square.  I was brought along as both guest and photographer (well, I did kind of offer).  All in all it was actually a great day, for multiple reasons.  Not only did we manage to get some great shots around Station Sq and Mt Washington, we also managed to score some serious discounts / extras @ the 'Melting Pot' where we snacked.  Long story short, we were sat incredibly late due to the engagement party being held in our space (we find out much later that it was the GM's fiance) & after we're seated I somehow managed to cut myself and bleed on the menu (whoops) -- oh well, what I won't do for my niece ;)  Here's just a sample of some of the pics we took that day ...

Hello, My Name is Tim Schreiber & I want to be your photographer ...

And so it begins ...

My name is Tim Schreiber and I am finally taking the leap from friend/family member with a camera to semi-professional man with a camera. Couple that with my writing my first blog post -- and a small business is born!

I've been taking pictures for as long as I can remember. Thinking back, I can't even recall the name of my first camera, but I do remember the flash -- it was one of those square cubes with a post on the bottom that you snapped into the top of the camera. Granted, this could be any camera from the 1970's but I still remember putting that cube on and taking the 4 shots allotted and then removing the warm cube. Those pics now sit in a box as a reminder of a childhood growing up with lots of family and friends, but also a reminder of something that I've always enjoyed doing: taking pictures.

Flash-forward, and I graduated from that camera to a Kodak Disc Camera (perhaps my favorite?), and then a variety of Konica's and Canon's -- all point and shoot, all easy enough -- and captured memories from family events to outings with friends. Flash-forward to say the late 90's early 2000's and I purchased a Nikon SLR and subsequently the Nikon DSLR (D50) that I use today. I'm still busy capturing moments with friends and family, but through some encouraging words from friends as well as requests for some 'specific occasion' shoots with friends, I'm throwing my hat in the Photography ring.

I understand that I've got a lot of company in this ring, and I guess the point of this web blog is not only to introduce myself to the world but also to set myself apart from every other Joe & Mary Photographer that comes up on a search engine. Mostly I hope my pictures speak for themselves. The collage above includes some my favorites and are all recently taken. To put simply, I enjoy capturing those moment that look natural. I think my personality and comfort level behind the lens put people at ease and allow them to relax, have fun and trust me to capture a memory. I feel that I capture joy and happiness and ease in people, and bring that out through a combination of humor, sarcasm, directiveness and sense of play. I feel that once we get started, people allow themselves to show their best selves in from of me.

Thank you for checking out my piece of the www & if you think I'm someone you'd enjoy working with, please feel free to contact me -- I look forward to helping you capture those special memories to last a lifetime.

Tim