On Location: Portland, PA

I know, I know.. Portland?? Yes, Portland. If you've lived nearby Portland, you might think of it for  flooding troubles and a walking bridge to Jersey. But there's so much more!
Somehow, I've ended up shooting probably 80% of my engagement sessions in this little town, which boasts a vintage train station, waterfall and a wooded river front picnic area, to mention a few. Let's take a tour, shall we?
We'll start at the picnic grove next to the river, in any season it looks awesome!

Next we'll walk up to the walking bridge, this crosses from Portland, PA to Columbia, NJ. Columbia is pretty as well but we haven't ventured over there for a shoot yet. Cool things about the bridge:

 

It has an awesome view

 

Great for winter

 

...And rain

Next, the vintage train station. This cute little train station hasn't been in use for quite some time however it really adds character to the town, and some great backdrops for photos.

 

The train station has a great overhang as well in case it starts to rain as in this photo. 

Next, the town itself, which has a charming staircase that goes no where in a park with a tribute to the man who wrote "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth". (I'm not kidding.)

 

There's some beautiful flowers and flowering trees around like this Red Bud.

There's some old-timey backdrops along the side roads like this brick number. 

 

There are a bunch of creeks about and also a gorgeous waterfall. Do I have a picture of that? Of course not. I'll get back to you.

Very near by is also the Delaware Water Gap Trailhead in New Jersey, probably a 10 minute drive and a $1.00 toll. But worth it.

Who is this location good for? 

Engagement, Senior, Children, Weddings, Family, People who want the best of both worlds of town and nature.

Pros:

Easy to get to, off of Route 80

Many options for photo spots in a small area

If you want in-town photos taken without an audience, this town is at times almost deserted

A playground nearby for kids to burn off steam after the session

Works for every season, every season is stunning here, even winter with no snow on the ground

Lots of free parking

A bagel shop in town (for the all important caffeine fix.. oh and a quick bite)

In a great location if you are an out of towner to go site seeing after your session

There are some great options for photos even in the rain

Cons:

This is a big one: Flooding! Portland has been flooding out for as long as I can remember, if there has been heavy rains lately, it's best to pick a better area. At the very least the wooded picnic area becomes one with the river. At worst, they close all of the surrounding roads. 

There are options for bathrooms, possibly for customers only

Food options in case the photo session leaves you famished, in Portland and Columbia

To book a photo shoot at this, or another location send me an email at Sabrinaschantzenphotography@gmail.com

On Location: Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area

Sometimes the hardest part of booking a session is knowing where it should take place. So I've decided to start a new little series on my blog called "On Location". I'll show some pictures of the area (usually taken with my iPhone if I find the spot while I'm out and about) and photos of previous photo shoots if I've shot there in the past. I'll include some pro's and con's, it's location, and what shoots I think will work best there.

We'll start in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania. The Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area is very simple to get to. It's off exit 284 on Interstate 80. I found this one day while looking for a place to eat my lunch after a photo shoot.

 

From the pavilion you can see the beginning of the Creek Trail.  This conifer forest is probably my favorite part.

 There's various little bridges, these are my favorite, the log walkways through the creeks.

 Living up to it's name, the Creek Trail follows the creek, not only great backdrops for pictures but a very peaceful and beautiful walk.

 There's a little abandoned house.. perhaps for a highly stylized Wizard of Oz shoot?

 

Who is this location good for?

Children and Family. Engagement and Bridal. Those looking for a very natural location for photos, but who don't necessarily want to "hike". In fact there's many options without even having to walk into the woods except for a few steps. 

Pros:

Gorgeous Location

Endless options for photo spots

No hiking required, walking trail is well maintained

An awesome place for the family to spend some quality time after the photo shoot

The pine forest

Great options for any season, including winter

A Wawa down the street to pick up lunch to eat at the pavilion (and for your photographer to get her caffeine fix, very important!)

Easy to get to, right off an exit

Cons: 

Location may not be convenient, may be far away

There is no bathroom except for a portojohn

If you are looking for a mix of town and nature locations for your shoot there are no towns very close 

There could be other people enjoying the area and could have spots of a lot of people

Could possibly be buggy in the summer

Possibility for bad weather

You can take a look at the trail map here: 

 http://www.longpondpa.com/austin%20blakeslee%20trail%20map.pdf

To book a photo shoot at this, or another location send me an email at Sabrinaschantzenphotography@gmail.com

Here comes the....Flowers!!

There are a few things that I look forward to seeing at each wedding, I suppose just like any guest. Of course the big thing is the dress. I always wonder what dress the bride picked out, and how they are going to do their hair. I love watching the bride transform on their day. I also love flowers and love taking pictures of flowers. If you follow my IG account... you are very well aware of this. So I thought I'd make a blog post highlighting the beautiful flowers that my brides chose for their big day. I didn't include all of them, they are somewhat at random, and I didn't include some of my most recent weddings. Maybe there will need to be a Part 2.
So in celebration of Spring. I present.. Wedding Bouquets.

 The younger sister was hard at work the before the ceremony designing these beautiful daisy bouquets. Several months later I (also the younger sister) found myself with the same job at my sisters wedding, putting together her rose bouquets. (Slightly more painful)

 After a destination wedding this bride and groom kept the theme going at their reception back here in the States. There were beautiful exotic orchids featured throughout the decor.

 Before this particular wedding, if you had asked me if I liked fake flowers. You would have heard a resounding "no". But then this happened and it changed my outlook on flowers. These centerpieces were made out of sheets of music, since music was a big part of the bride and grooms life. I fell in love with these.

The Ceremony: Part 2

The Ceremony: Part 1

My sister's Ceremony in Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, VA.