Baby J's the BIG O-N-E! | Children's Photographer Harrisburg, PA

Happy, Happy 1st Birthday to Baby J!!!  You first got to meet J in his Easter Session HERE and I am so honored his Mama asked me to come and spend the day documenting his fantastic celebration!

I hope you enjoy browsing Baby J's party pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!  Thank you so much Kristy for allowing me to be a part of J's very special day! :)

P.S.  Baby J's Mom did ALL of these great decorations!!!  From the extra-large cupcake for Baby J, the picture tree, the banner, and the awesome decorated caterpillar cupcakes!  Great job Kristy!!!

Be Blessed.

Harrisburg Cupcake Cup! | Photographer Harrisburg, PA

I am really excited to share an event that I will be a part of this weekend!!

Harrisburg Cupcake Cup

How awesome is that?  I get to combine three very near and dear things to my heart- photography, helping others, and of course: CUPCAKES!

Check out the link above for more details about this year's Cupcake Cup.

The Cupcake Cup benefits Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.   This is a benefit near to me, with our economy struggling, the reality is: there are families that cannot afford enough food.  This should never be the case and I am SO incredibly honored to be a part of this year's Cupcake Cup to help raise money and food donations for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank!

I will be there, photographing all the confectionery goodness this year's awesome contestants have whipped up!!  Please come out and support the event- all proceeds go to a great cause, you can have some of the best cupcakes in the greater Harrisburg area, and leave with a great feeling that you helped someone that quite possibly can never repay you, and that my friends, is reason enough to show up!

This year's contest hosts more than 50 contestants (professional and amateur combined) and promises to be even bigger and better than last year!!  I hope to see all of our clients, friends, and family out supporting our Harrisburg community, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, and our local pastry community!

Donation:
3 non-perishable food items or $3 will get attendees a coupon good for 1 FREE CUPCAKE from the sample table!  Yes that is right folks, for only $3 or 3 non-perishables, you can savor a delectable treasure created by some of the best confectionery masters in central Pennsylvania!

Location:
Harrisburg East Mall
Broadway Classic Productions
Located in Harrisburg Mall
(lower level, Center Court, between Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works)
3501 Paxton St., Harrisburg, PA 17111Sunday, October 2, 2011
from 2-4pm. 

I hope to see everyone at the Harrisburg Cupcake Cup on Sunday, October 2nd!!
Be Blessed.

Sneak Peek:: Beki + Michael | Wedding Photographer Harrisburg, PA

Here is a little sneak peek, of last weekend's wedding with Beki and Michael, that I am currently working on!!

I almost fainted when I saw the dreamy light reflection of the stain-glass window!!  A photographer's dream, I do believe.  Beki looks so regal and radiant in this shot- I. Love. It.

More to come soon!  Keep checking back.

Be Blessed.

Sneak Peek:: Nixon | Children's Photographer Hershey, PA

Here is a sneak peek of what I have been working on recently!

Enjoy!

Check back soon for more great shots from this sweet little girl's session!!!

Be Blessed.

A New Concept | Lifestyle Photographer Harrisburg, PA

It is so hard to believe Bella Vita Photography has officially been off and running almost a year!  The business began out of my love of photography, and through the undying support of my husband, friends, and family, it has grown in ways I never could have imagined!  Thank you so much to all of my new clients, returning clients, friends and family for making this past year so incredibly fabulous!  You are the reason I do what I do!  :)

I am really excited to share a new concept for Bella Vita Photography!

Desktop photos.

Usually everyone has a picture on their desktop of something- family, friends, beach getaway, mountaintop views, vacations, faraway cities- simply said: memories.

I love getting to be a part of each client's memories, whether it is newborn photography, children's birthday, family session, or weddings.  All of my sessions are so memorable for both myself and my clients.

I wanted to share more of the beauty in every day life with you.  What better way to share the every day beauty than through a picture?  Not just any picture, but pictures of every day life and all the beauty it entails!

Each month I will be posting a couple of images I have taken that would be great desktop backgrounds.  The pictures will be widescreen formatted specifically for your desktop, so no grainy images or stretching needed!  I am going to share the background of the image, as well as the reason it is currently on MY desktop!

You are free to download the image and set it up as your background!  :)  Hooray!

{Downloading instructions}
Right click on the image
Click Save As
Select where you want to save the image
Reset your background to your newly saved image
Enjoy!!

Here is the inaugural image for Bella Vita Desktop Images!  I cannot think of a better location to use as the very first image I share with you.

Brandt Point Lighthouse, Nantucket, MA.
My husband and I regularly visit Cape Cod.  This image is of one of our official, all-time favorite locations: Nantucket.  It is so naturally beach beautiful! I took this image the last time we visited Nantucket- June 2011.  It was the beginning of summer, the flowers were in bloom, the townspeople were bustling as the prepared for the start of the busy season.  The end of summer is upon us, and this image is currently my desktop background because it reminds me of the beginning of summer, the beach, and everything this wonderful season of the year brings!  Just the right touch for the end of summer and before fall emerges!  Enjoy.

Be Blessed.

Happy Birthday Brynnleigh!! | Baby Photographer Harrisburg, PA

Happy Birthday, sweet as sugar, Brynnleigh!

You are such a blessing to photograph!

Be Blessed.

Sneak Peek:: Brynnleigh | Baby Photographer Harrisburg, Pa

Here is a sweet little sneak peek at what I am working on!!

Enjoy.

Be Blessed.

Client Displays | Maternity Photographer Harrisburg, PA

I get all giddy, like a school child, when I see a picture my clients have ordered up in their home!  It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy! :)

Here is the picture Tara and Jeremy picked to display in baby Anissa's nursery!  I just love it.  It is right above her crib, and is the perfect reminder of how much her Momma and Daddy love her (and all the hard work her Momma did to deliver her!).

Enjoy!

Be Blessed.

Flood in Harrisburg: The Aftermath | Photographer Harrisburg, PA

Yesterday I posted some pictures from the day's flooding HERE- anything from preparation to the beginning crest all the way to full-blown flooding.

Today I thought a lot about what someone would remember about the day, then I decided NOT to take pictures of that, instead focusing on things people might forget.  What I found was interesting.  Take a look.

No surprise 322 is still closed.  The problem is multifaceted however.  One, some businesses opened up today; two, it is Friday (traffic is always worse on Friday); three, it is a Penn State home football game weekend.  BIG traffic problem.

For those that aren't from around Harrisburg, 322 is the direct route (and best road) to and from State College, PA.  It is a 4 lane highway, thus carrying a lot of cars.  Well, all of those cars have to travel on a little 2 lane road (the old school way) all the way to State College.  That makes for a LONG ride.

Here are two shots of Interstate 81 southbound at 5:45 pm.

81S at 322

81S at Progress Ave (exit 69)

Normally, the traffic is usually bad on 322 on Fridays because of home games, however this home game is a little different than most.  PSU plays Bama.  (#3 v. #23) Yep, you read it right, an SEC team is coming all the way up here.  I am a true SEC UT Vols fan (bleeding orange) but I will proudly be wearing my blue and white tomorrow! :)  With this being such a big game (sold out- 108K people) that traffic was even worse than normal.

This line of traffic went on for at least 10-15 miles farther north on 81.

I also took some shots similar to yesterday, for comparison.

SouthEast Train Corridor of Harrisburg, near Shipoke

It should also be mentioned that the waters are receding from Shipoke today.  What a blessing.

Shipoke's water is receding. View from 83S bridge.

Thanks for viewing the post!

Be Blessed.

Flooding in Harrisburg | Photographer Harrisburg, PA

So it wasn't too long ago that I was posting THIS post about flooding in Harrisburg, and here we are again, only substantially worse.

Here are a few shots I took today as I quickly ran errands.  I thought long and hard about whether or not to post these and I finally came to this decision:  I am sharing these with you not for shock value, but because I want to reach as many people as possible and urge everyone that views these images to pray for Harrisburg, its residents, and leaders, pray also for the greater Central Pennsylvania area, as it has been hit with 14-16 inches of rain (depending on the town) in the past 3 days.

These images were taken around 4:30-5:00 pm today, flood stage: 24 feet.

The raging waters of the Susquehanna are slated to reach 29.5 feet on Saturday morning (28.5 feet on certain news stations).  This is the worst flooding since 1972- Hurricane Agnes, which was 32 feet.  Many residents of Harrisburg will not have flood insurance (yes, those on Front St. and Shipoke probably do, but it will flood many other areas that will not).

I was unable to post any pictures of the Hershey & Hummelstown areas, but I do not want to leave it unsaid.  These areas were hit VERY hard Wednesday, Wednesday night and Thursday morning, as many of the creeks, such as the Swatara Creek, reached at least 10-15 feet above their flood stage (typically 8-10 feet).  Many of my friends and colleagues have been affected by the massive amount of rain and river water flowing through our area right now.

Please pray that God wraps his arms around the city and protects both the homes, people, as well as infrastructure.  Please also pray that he wraps his around around and comforts those that are suffering, financially or emotionally.

Governor's Mansion doors sandbagged

Market Street Bridge

Flooding on Front St @ Linglestown Rd. 4:30 pm

Train stopped on Rockville Bridge

Please be safe!

The river is deceiving.  This tree slammed into the pedestrian bridge and snapped like a twig.

Same shot of City Island Bathhouse from the March 2011 flood.  Water is much higher this time.

Front St. @ Division St.  low-lying areas cresting first.

Linglestown Rd & 6th St. 4:30 pm  United Water is just off to the left.

SouthEast Harrisburg Train Corridor.  Shipoke is just left of the picture.

Swirling water in the Alex & Louise Grass United Jewish Community Center parking lot is never a good sign!

Front St. Welcome to Susquehanna Township.

Thanks for visiting and viewing my images.

Be Blessed.

Baby J's 1st Birthday Sneak Peek | Children's Photographer Bristol, TN

Here is a quick little look at what I am currently working on!!

Enjoy!

Be Blessed.

Isabella's 13 months | Children Photographer Harrisburg, PA

It is so hard to believe that Isabella is 13 whole months old!  Whew.  Time flies when you are having fun I guess! Here are some pictures from Isabella's session, I will be documenting her growth monthly through at least 24 months- Hooray! :)  For this month, in honor of the starting of school, football season (this weekend!), and everything I love dearly, She is dressed in her UT garb!  Go Big Orange!  :)

I am going to persuade her (I am very persuasive) that UT is the best school ever.  Just you wait and see. :)

Enjoy!

Be Blessed.