This is my last post at this blog, but there’s no need to be sad.  In fact, I’m really excited about it because my website and my blog will all be at one location!  Out with the O-L-D and in with my brand-spankin’ shiny NEW blogsite: joannebartone.com !

I’ve combined my website and my blog into one location so I can streamline information for you and the time it takes me to get it to you!

I hope you enjoy it.  Visit my new blogsite often and comment on my posts frequently!

Here’s what it looks like:

Nice, yes?!  I think so… 

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

Can you believe that it’s that time of the year again?!  The Holidays are quickly approaching, so it’s time to prepare for baking batches of yummy cookies, gift giving and sending out holiday cards.  I’m here to help, at least with the last two!

Family Portraits make beautiful gifts that last a lifetime for parents, grandparents, and especially for yourselves.  Time passes in the blink of an eye, and children grow so quickly; the snapshots you take throughout the year are wonderful, but there is nothing like taking the time to have a Family Portrait taken by a Professional Photographer.  And the portraits can be used for your Holiday Greeting Cards too, creating two gifts from one session - brilliant!

Image above: Family Portrait Session  | Image below: same image used for a Holiday Greeting Card - one of the designs I’m offering this year!

My Fall Family Mini Outdoor Portrait Sessions are only $95.00 and will be held in October - I am determining the date/time/place, but it will likely be one or two Sundays in October!

Remember, if you were a past wedding client of mine, my annual gift to you includes no sitting fees for the first hour of your Family Portrait Session.  However, sessions are based on availability due to limited dates and times, so don’t hesitate to reserve your space before it is lost.

If you’d prefer a more personalized service, you can choose to invest in a “Home for the Holidays” Family Portrait Session or my Exclusive Legacy of Love Family Experience(TM) when all the family is together for the Holidays.  With the purchase of one of these two Portrait services, you will receive a Credit that can be used towards a Custom 11×14 Enlargement or a Custom-designed Legacy of Love Story Book(TM). Again, dates and times are limited for these services as well, so call today to schedule your session!

The next two images are two more examples of the Holiday Cards I’m offering this year! ENJOY!

Call or email me for more information on what is included in the Fall Family Mini Outdoor Portrait Sessions, the “Home for the Holidays” Family Portrait Session or my Exclusive Legacy of Love Family Experience(TM). These are popular services, so don’t hesitate to reserve your session today!

The special offer for these Family Portrait Photography services will be available by appointment only from today, September 8, 2009 until September 30, 2009.

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

I’m so happy to announce that Pittsburgh DJ Kelli Burns of Kelli Burns DJ Entertainment has a blog ! Please make it a point to visit Kelli’s blog RIGHT NOW to congratulate her on her new endeavor, and visit often to comment on her posts.   Then, stay tuned (pun intended!) for her informative and fun posts on news and entertainment in the music industry and for your event.

Below is an image of Kelli from Beth and Andy’s wedding that we had the pleasure to work together on:

Kelli has 23 years of experience in the greater Pittsburgh area where she has DJ-ed hundreds of wonderful weddings to the delight of her clients and their guests, and has been exclusively procured to DJ for innumerable creme de la creme events around the city. Kelli readily volunteers her entertainment expertise to many important causes and she is well known and highly regarded throughout the Pittsburgh event community.

Besides Kelli’s stellar professional reputation, she’s a great person; both fun and fun-loving, but always a top notch professional when spinning an event. I can attest to her professionalism and abilities first hand after working with her. Kelli’s dedication to “Making that one moment in time even more memorable,” as her tag-line reads, represents a solid commitment to her approach to her work, and she delivers on it!

Kelli is a member of many prestigious professional organizations including Toastmasters, which has served her well when she is in front of your event guests. Kelli’s ability to speak with complete command and elegance while maintaining the balance of not being overbearing or stuffy at events is, well to quote musician Thomas Dolby, “like poetry in motion!”  I am thoroughly impressed by her abilities.  And to quote Bob Sendall of All in Good Taste Productions, he describes Kelli as “The best of the best.”  Agreed Bob!

Kelli and I first met earlier this year and hit it off so spectacularly that we decided to share office space in order to closely collaborate on projects together and promote our businesses.  Our business meetings consist of progress and work, but we have a lot of fun while wearing our business hats!  In fact, we are offering a service to clients seeking photographers and DJs for weddings and other events - contact either of us for more information.  And, we are planning a launch party to celebrate our collaborative efforts to be held at a to be determined date and location this coming October - stay tuned to both of our blogs for information on that!

The following images are clear evidence of our camaraderie and our silliness - Kelli’s the good looking one on the right!  :

So, if you are seeking to hire a DJ for your wedding or private/corporate event, contact Kelli - I highly recommend Kelli Burns of Kelli Burns DJ Entertainment, mostly because she ROCKS!

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

For this post, I’m going to try to do my best to speak “from my heart;” that figurative place where many of us think our feelings of love originate…

I was recently commissioned to photograph a wedding in the Berkshires and found myself so thoroughly moved by the entire experience I know I will not likely forget it or my feelings, ever.  I’ve tried to think hard to put the experience and my feelings into words in an attempt to convey this wonderful occasion, but I’m afraid I’ll probably fall short of doing justice to it all. So, I’m hoping that in the end the images seen in the slide show below will speak loudly and clearly for me.  But, I should try at least, to set the stage…

This past May, only one month before the wedding, I received an inquiry from Texas where the couple wanted me to photograph their destination wedding in Lenox, MA.  Always being honored at the opportunity to work with couples no matter where they may be, I was honored to the brim here mostly because out of all the photographers there are - literally thousands of them between Texas and Massachusetts - I was the photographer they wanted.  Jeffrey said he “looked through hundreds of photographer’s websites” and chose me as the photographer!  Most couples look through maybe 10, 20, 50 sites, but hundreds?  And then they chose me?  I was almost afraid they had someone else in mind, but Jeffrey assured me that it was me they wanted!  What an honor for me!  Little did they know what a gift THEY would become to ME!  It was an intensely magical and transcendental experience, where everything and each of us who participated were exactly where we were supposed to be, and love was the destination.

It was a whirl-wind wedding weekend/two days: my assistant and I photographed a wedding Saturday in Seven Springs, PA, made it back to Pittsburgh by 11:30 PM Saturday night, then immediately left at 5 AM Sunday morning on a flight bound to Albany, NY.  Once we landed in Albany, we rented a car and drove to Lenox, Massachusetts to an exclusive hotel, Wheatleigh, where the ceremony was being held. The Wheatleigh staff were superb; bar none.  All I can say about them is ‘ WOW!’  They anticipated every need and delivered the highest level of service I have ever had the good fortune to witness or receive!  A special thank you goes out to Ana who took great care of us and made sure we had everything to make our work easy and our stay delightful! Here’s an image of this magical place…a hotel so divine I’m going to have to leave explaining the wonderful experience with them for a separate post!

We arrived at 10 AM and just before my assistant and I walked out of our room to begin photographing at 11:30 AM I said, ‘ This is THE most important day in this couple’s lives; everything we do for them today must come from a place of love from within us.’  And so it was.  We had a brief break late in the afternoon then photographed until, oh, I don’t know, 10 or 11:30 PM that night - time truly was irrelevant!  Traveling and putting in many hours photographing two consecutive days was a bit taxing, but the experience was so energizing that I could have continued photographing for hours long after we finished!

There was the couple, Jeffrey + Allen, two top medical professionals from Texas who were so delightful and generous - they shared their champagne, their lunch and their cake with us! The officiant, Mary Coburn from Connecticut, who was simply so special and genuine.  And then there was me and my assistant photographing throughout the day - it felt as if we had all known each other for years despite only meeting at this moment; all of us together on a beautiful terrace setting at Wheatleigh, just as it was meant to be!  With Jeffrey + Allen in supportive spirit on their wedding day were their parents by way of beautiful photographs watching over them as their marriage ceremony was held.  I’m looking forward to meeting them when I travel to Texas for a visit!

Mary Coburn had the perfect demeanor and made the ceremony meaningful and celebratory!  I’ve never witnessed an officiant who had so much grace, sincerity and respect while officiating. Mary’s ability to make the marriage ceremony all about Jeffrey + Allen made capturing their precious moments easy for me!  During their exchange of vows, Mary stepped aside.  During their kiss, Mary stepped aside.  Mary instinctively knew how important those moments were to Jeffrey + Allen, so when I photographed them, it was just about them.  Perfect.  Mary, it was such a delight to meet you - you are a gem!

The setting  at Wheatleigh was magical and idyllic and no one else existed in the world at that place and that time except the five of us.  It was a transformative and breathtaking experience for me and I will not ever forget the feelings I felt throughout.  I find myself becoming overwhelmed while photographing at many weddings, but this time there was a moment when I found it difficult to quiet my sobbing behind my camera.  I was overcome for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because of the love that was present; the love I got to witness and create from. It was a profound experience for me.

The ceremony began, and…well, I’ll just let you see the magic through the images in the slide show I created.  There are hundreds of images we created from the ceremony alone (and thousands from the day!) and although the slide show is a condensed version of the imagery we have, it should give you a flavor of the beauty and specialness of Jeffrey + Allen’s ceremony.  I’ve made one of my favorite images from our portrait session the link to the slide show.  I intend to add much more to this post later by way of another slide show of the remainder of the day, or more single images, or both, so stay tuned!

Jeffrey + Allen, thank you for choosing me.  Thank you for allowing me to participate in your most beautiful marriage ceremony and special day and thank you for our new-found friendship.  CONGRATULATIONS! I couldn’t me more proud to present your love by way of my images here on the blog. ENJOY the love everyone!  And don’t forget to comment!

CLICK ON THE PHOTO to start the show…

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

I have a specialized degree in photography and over twelve years of experience as a professional photographer photographing weddings, corporate and private events, commercial assignments, families, children/lifestyle, etc.  I’ve had the great fortune to have photographed many prominent Pittsburgh families weddings, international celebrities and musicians while performing, world-renowned scientists and politicians, and have had some of the best experiences in my life as a result of my work!  I have been published locally, nationally and abroad as a result of my expertise, and am a national and international award-winning art and wedding photographer.  In my field, that’s a big deal, but if no one knows about this, what good am I to you?!  With me, it’s not about having a big head or a big ego because of these  experiences, and it’s not about the “perception” that I’m a big deal - people often times portray themselves to be something they are not.  For me, it’s about actual and authentic experiences that I can use to positively impart my knowledge and expertise on people to help them enhance their lives and/or their careers!  I LOVE people and I believe strongly in paying my success forward to others.

As a result of all of my photographic wisdom and experience I am happy to announce that I am offering private or group lessons for SLR (35mm Single Lens Reflex) camera owners who are enthusiasts, beginners, or those wishing to enter the field of photography on a professional level.  My years of experience leading and directing groups and formulating lesson plans as a result of my previous career are now being combined with my photographic career to offer you a positive, fun, encouraging and personalized 1:1 experience.  You will learn a solid foundation in photography that will result in your having a better command over your technical skills, which will allow your creative skills to flourish!

Sessions for enthusiasts and beginners will be held in groups of four and in a workshop format, unless 1:1 lessons are requested, and will typically be held one evening during the week for four to six weeks so we can  accommodate everyone’s work schedules.  Group sessions will likely be more affordable than private lessons and will offer individuals an opportunity to connect with others who have similar levels of experience and interests.

Sessions for those seeking to enter the professional field will be intensive over the course of one year, and will involve specific photographic and business assignments where technical and creative evaluations of your work will occur in conjunction with technical training at model and actual wedding shoots.  A significant and consistent commitment and investment of your time will be required by you so I can effectively coach you to reach your professional goals successfully. I am currently in discussions with one of the nation’s top professional photographer’s organization to determine a certification process for those completing my workshops.

If anyone is seriously considering learning more about your SLR camera and about the technical and creative aspects of photography, email me for more information: joanne@joannebartone.com .  I look forward to helping you make your photographic interests and dreams come to life, much as I’ve been fortunate to make mine happen!

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

…team Bartone!

I frequently am asked by new shooters if they can “shadow” me when I photograph a wedding, but as you can see I have at least one photographer with me at my weddings and two photographers with me on occasion, so an additional shooter isn’t feasible.

Enter my two wonderful shooters: Karen (left) and Nicole (right).

This is the second year that Karen has been shooting with me.  Karen has been working with me behind the scenes as my business partner where she has been concentrating on marketing and promotion.  Karen has always loved photography - like so many people who find themselves getting into the field - and has a fabulous old camera collection that museums would be envious of!  Because of Karen’s love of photography she wanted to shoot and learn more of the technical aspects of photography, and so she has been!  Her composition and ability to capture moments and emotion is incredible!  In the past I’ve paid many people who purported to be photographers a lot of money to second shoot with me and on way too many occasions if I have been lucky to get one, or maybe five images from them it was a miracle - this is no exaggeration.  When Karen shoots, I get hundreds of beautiful and fabulous images filled with creativity and emotion.  I couldn’t be happier with her ability and since she’s been shooting with me I find myself wondering how I ever shot alone for so long!

Nicole is one of my brides from 2007!  As what frequently happens with most of my couples, we become friends, and so it was with Nicole and her husband Chris (and now their sweet baby girl Eva!).  Nicole has always had a passion for photography, again, like so many people, and approached me about learning more of the technical aspects of it, so I said ’sure!’  Nicole has just begun to shoot this year and from the images I’ve seen that she’s taken I can say with certainty that she is doing great!  She may not think so, but her ability to soak in information and her passion and desire to continue to improve are the tools that will make a huge difference for her in the future.  Patience and practice to learn the technological aspects is paramount.  Nicole and I have had conversations and are making a plan where one day I hope to have her shooting with me on a permanent basis, one where I can hand over a lot of the photography to her and move forward with other aspects of my photography. It will be a number of years before that happens, but I’m already looking forward to it!

So, if you see Karen and Nicole with me at a wedding, stop and say hello to them!  They are two wonderfully personable people - you have to be in this business! - and they would love to meet you! I am grateful for their presence, enthusiasm and support, as always.

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

It’s no secret; I’m behind in my blog posts…computer issues have left me bewildered and frustrated to the max.  Finally, I’m catching up with image processing and there will be a flurry of updates coming in the next few days.  ‘ll do my best to keep my propensity to be verbose at a minimum so you can enjoy the photos.  Thanks for your patience during my technology issues.

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

I thought this post would tie in really well following the Pittsburgh Penguins win last night!

In addition to my personal philanthropy each year, I make it a point to do something through my photography in order to give back to our community in some small way. Enter the Mario Lemieux Foundation; I’ve been donating my time and talent photographing and providing them with photos for the past seven or eight of the ten years they’ve been doing their important work.

It’s amazing how one person can make a difference if the desire to make a positive change exists. And when two people decide to make a difference together, the impact is even more powerful and even more positive. The Mario Lemieux Foundation came about as a result of the Lemieux’s having personal challenges in their lives that inspired them to help others and make a difference for many, which is exactly what they have done.

Mario Lemieux had been diagnosed, successfully treated for and recovered from Hodgkins disease; the diagnosis happened in 1993 during one of Mario’s greatest seasons playing for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.  Fast-forward a few years later when Mario and his lovely wife Nathalie had a son, Austin, who was born prematurely and spent - don’t quote me on this, but I believe - 81 days in the Neo-natal Intensive Care unit at the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh. Couple those two personal challenges with good people having a desire to make a difference and, VIOLA! the Foundation was born.

The Foundation annual fund-raising vehicles include the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament, which will be held at another establishment I am well connected with, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort June 24-25 this year, and the Playroom Project, an Initiative of the Mario Lemieux Foundation, whose events include the annual Ladies Luncheon at LeMont - Anna and Ed Dunlap are the wonderful hosts of the Ladies Luncheon annually - and the Chicks with Sticks Ladies Golf Tournament, to be held at The Club at Nevillewood again this year.  I photograph the Ladies Luncheon and Chicks with Sticks and really enjoy my time working with the wonderful staff who work so hard to make the Foundation such a huge success: Nancy, Drew, Karen, Melissa, Debbie, et ‘el, and the many volunteers that assist them.

The Foundation and it’s staff are a devoted group who put their hearts and souls into the important work of raising funds for both a cure and research for Cancer. This year during the Stanly Cup playoffs, there is even a Beard-a-Thon to raise money for the Foundation - what a hoot; check it out, grow your playoff beard to help the Pens and the Foundation - yes, ladies, you too can grow a beard - make a donation and help a really wonderful cause!  And the Ladies Luncheon and Chicks with Sticks events helps raise funds for the Playroom Project; an initiative that has built at current totals, twenty of Austin’s Playrooms that help benefit families and improve the quality of a child’s hospital experience, whether as a visitor or patient, by furnishing cheerful playrooms that are safe, calming and comfortable.

This year was the tenth anniversary of the Playroom Project initiative at LeMont. Mario Lemieux personally challenged the Foundation staff to make this year’s Ladies Luncheon really special for Nathalie, so they decided there was no better way to surprise/celebrate an anniversary for such a momentous occasion by making the theme of the luncheon all about cakes!  It was wonderful!  And, if you are a fan of cakes (and who isn’t!), then you are likely a Food Channel Network fan, where you will find the ultimate in cake-bakers, Chef Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes and star of one of the Food Network’s popular shows, Ace of Cakes fame!  Yes, it was a special occasion and nothing was spared.

Chef Duff arrived at about 7:30 AM with two of his trusty Charm City Cakes/Ace of Cakes partners, Mary Alice Fallon Yeskey and Sofia Rodriguez who assisted in whisking in the Charm City Cakes, including the special anniversary cake and multiple smaller cakes that were auction items at the Foundation luncheon.  In addition to the Charm City Cakes, there were multiple Playroom themed cakes created by the Ultimate Pastry Shop in Sewickley!  LeMont smelled like a Parisian sweet shop!  It was a beautiful and wonderful event as always.  A special thank you goes out to Chef Duff, the Charm City Cakes staff, the Ultimate Pastry Shop and LeMont for making the event both wonderful and a great success.

I’ll stop “talking” now, but really want to encourage those of you wondering how you might make a difference to explore the Mario Lemieux Foundation further - click to be transported to their website and find out more about how you can make a donation.

Enjoy the photos below- it was my honor and pleasure to be with you all.  See you in September!

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

Chef Duff beginning to set up.  Here he is carving skate marks in the base/ice of the special 10th Anniversary cake…

Continued set up and details of the Zamboni created by Geof at Charm City Cakes…

Portrait of the Artist, Chef Duff and the masterpiece 10th Anniversary Cake!

Some of the Charm City Cakes that were auctioned at the luncheon…all were extraordinarily creative!

Another two of the Charm City Cakes on auction and an admirer of the art, Elyse Wright of  Wright Chevrolet…yes those are Penguins on top of the cake!  #87, Sidney Crosby and #71, Evgeni Malkin - awesome cake!

A couple of the auction items…who wouldn’t want one of these, especially right now!

Cakes made by the Ultimate Pasty Shop in Sewickley…

…and a couple more of their cakes…

Mario surprising Nathalie with flowers and Nathalie and Austin Lemieux, whose birth event inspired Nathalie to begin the Playroom Project Initiative within the Mario Lemieux foundation…

Nathalie and Mario Lemieux with Chef Duff and the 10th Anniversary Cake!

Nancy Angus, Director of the Mario Lemieux Foundation and Auction Chair, Debbie Nute…

Mario Lemieux with the Charm City Cakes crew: Dave Yeskey, Mary Alice Falon Yeskey, Mario Lemieux, Chef Duff Goldman and Sofia Rodriguez…what a GREAT group  of people, and I mean GREAT!

A little off-the-ice hockey between Mario Lemieux and Chef Duff Goldman.  And, oh, what’s that, checking?!!  NO Penalty!!!  Chef Duff used to play hockey - this match up was a great one!

Geoff’s Zamboni cake, where I took the liberty of a little creative license and added the “Let’s go Pens” sign!  Hope you don’t mind too much Geof! 

LET’S GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had a handful of families turn out for the Military Love Shoot a couple of weeks ago.  I can’t convey enough what a pleasure it was for me to do this for the families and soldiers serving our country.  The families I met were special and wonderful, and very grateful for my service to them - in the big scheme of things, what I did was minuscule, but I hope it will have provided each soldier serving away from their families and homes some small piece of comfort and joy.

Marjorie Henderson of Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum did not hesitate one bit to donate the space for the families to come to be photographed in. If you are not familiar with S+S Hall, it is a beautiful venue in Pittsburgh that holds MANY a beautiful wedding, so if you are looking for a great setting with attentive staff, call or email Marjorie by clicking here. I’m going to donate a photo session for military families for the remaining three quarters of this year so that other families who couldn’t make it to this session can make it to one of the next remaining sessions - dates/times will be announced at a later date/post once Marjorie and I coordinate our schedules!

I thought I’d share some of the images I created for the families, and one of Marjorie.  Thank you, once again, to the families who came out, to their brave family members who are serving in the Military, to all of our Military personnel who so selflessly give so much to and for us every day and to Marjorie and S+S Hall!  I hope you enjoy the BEAUTIFUL faces filled with love below!

BIG love!  Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

I’m a former Social Worker; I worked in the field for seventeen years. I left that field at the height of my career as the Director of an Inpatient Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center to return to school for photography, but you can’t take the social worker out of the photographer!  I’ve never stopped thinking, ‘How can I continue to be of service to people?’

The answer to that question came to me last month when I saw a report on the National News where many soldiers enduring tours in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering with relationship problems, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), morale issues, severe depression and heartbreaking record numbers of suicide.  I can’t even begin to express how that news report affected me…I felt that I needed to reach out to help in some small way.

So, I took my desire to reach out to help and put it into action.  My thought process was, that I personally know and understand he power of a photograph; I’ve witnessed it in my own life and through the eyes of my clients as I make countless couples happy through my wedding photography all through the year, so I knew I had to reach out to our military personnel and their families to try to make a small difference for them.  And, so my idea and desire to help is coming to life!

Whether or not you or I agree with the war, or the policies of our government, all of which are neither here nor there, these brave men and women are the people who have to endure the hardship of their service in a thankless job meant to make a difference for so many at their expense, sacrifice and detriment. Yes, they signed up for the job, but these are not just soldiers, they are human beings; people with feelings and struggles just like you and I and they deserve HOPE.  I say if “hope” is the latest buzz-word in our nation, how about we all “put our money where our mouths are” and make a difference by reaching out to others and by DOING ANYTHING that might make a difference for one person or for many!

Click on the photo to read the story on this little gift I couldn’t resist giving:

Photo: Andrew Russell/Tribune-Review

I would encourage everyone, from all walks of life, to reach out to help those in need no matter who they are, no matter who you are.  Find a situation that speaks to your heart, as I did in this one small instance, and MAKE the time to do something about it. It might be as simple as reaching out to a neighbor in need, or to a cause or a charity; anything will do.  Imagine how much better the world would be if we all could spread a little more love and compassion - after all, we really do get back what we give.

I will post more about my experience and the interesting things I learned about reaching out to soldiers with my gift in my next post after the event!  Look for part 2 next week!

BIG love, Joanne Bartone Photographer | www.joannebartone.com

DETAILS:

What: A free one-day portrait session for military personnel and or loved ones dealing with current military deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.

When: Sunday, March 15, 2009, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, 4141 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15213 – parking available in the garage beneath Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum and on the street. GRACIOUS DONATION OF SPACE for the session donated by Marjorie Henderson, Director of Sales at S+S - Thank you Marjorie!!!

More information: Reservations are recommended, but walk-ups will be taken first-come, first -served. E-mail joanne@joannebartone.com or call 412.418.8075.