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Tara and Chris

Wedding season is finally back in full swing!!! (Basically that just means that I will be updating the blog more often) It got kicked off, so to speak, on April 22nd with Tara and Chris. This was a cool wedding to get busy with - as in, it was a lot on fun to be there. The reception was at the Sheraton Station Square and Scott Alexander of Three Rivers Entertianment was on hand to keep everyone on the dance floor. Here are a few pics from a fantastic day and evening... A Rock-Star welcome to the Reception...

Laura and Steven

Had the chance to finally meet this couple the other dya and shoot threir engagement photos. They are living in the UK and so up to this point everything was done over the phone and through email. Man - I can't tell you how much a appriciate the chance to meet my clients before their wedding day. It gives me time to get to know them a little better and really get a feel for their personalities. Anyway, we had an enjoyable time taking a little stroll through Schenly Park in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. It was an usually warm day for the end of March. I will be looking forward to seeing Laura and Steve when they return to this side of the pond to be married later this summer.

Kathy and Andy

Andy and Kathy were married this weekend at the Heyehold restaurant in Moon Township this past Saturday. This wedding was special to me because these guys are in the process of getting their wedding photography business rockin and rollin and I have had the absolute pleasure of helping them along the way. Andy has also been kind enough to tag along with me to second shoot for me from time to time. I have been fortunate to get to know both of them pretty well over the past few months, and I am proud to call them friends. (OK enough of the mushy stuff) This was also somewhat of a challenging wedding for me as well. As I was pulling into the location, my wife called me to let me know that my 4 month old son was being admitted to the hospital for RSV and Bronciolitis. (BTW - he is felling much better and is playing in his Jumperoo as I am working on this post.) So I took a few minutes and collected my thoughts and just went into the "zone". I hope they are happy with the results... The Location The Bride The Bride and Groom The Cake The First Dance "You know you make me wanna Shout!!"

Wendy and Jim

Had the pleasure of getting together with this Wendy and Jim this past weekend to shoot a quick "n-gagement" session. They are from out of town and wanted to get together with me and their videographer (Bob from All-Pro Video) at the same time. The videographer requested that we use a park near his house out in Monroeville. Here are a few shots from the afternoon shoot. Can't wait to see these two tie the knot this coming September.

My new toy

Those of you that know me, know that I am a geek when it comes to technology. You also know that I usually have both my cell phone and my PDA (Palm Tungsten E) with me at all times. I got to thinking and figured I should "get with the times" and combine the two devices into one. Besides the obvious benefit of having my phone and PDA together and only having to carry one thing instead of two - I also wanted to have a way to receive and respond to my e-mail while on the go. So I set out on my search for the ultimate smart phone. I am a Cingular customer and have always been happy with their service/coverage so my choices were as follows - the Treo 650, a Pocket PC smartphone, or a Blackberry. The pocket PC lost the battle quick as I used to own a PPC PDA and hated it. I was rather interested in the Treo 650 just because I loved my Palm and with the Treo I could still use all of my Palm apps I had become accustomed to. The problem was the fact of how many people I know or have heard of that have had problems with their Treos suddenly shutting off during phone calls or just randomly locking up and needing rebooted. When it comes to things like this, I have a very short temper, so it didn't take long to talk me out of a treo. Well, through the process of elimination I went with a Blackberry 7100g. Well let me say that I fell in love with the Blackberry OS and their e-mail service rather quickly. What I didn't care for was the keyboard on the 7100. It wasn't a full QWERTY keyboard and I couldn't get used to it. So after a couple of days a took it back to Cingular and met my new favorite toy. It is the Blackberry 8700c. What a smartphone. I have had it now a couple of weeks and am now wondering what took me so long to get one, or why I even considered anything else. I also have figured out why they are nicknamed "Crackberrys". I love the fact that I have my phone and calander on my hip at all times. I also like the fact that I can receive and respond to email when I am not at my desk. I can even surf the web when I am out and have a few minutes to kill. As a matter of fact, I am typing this entry to the n-Blog from my Blackberry. It is also nice to know that if I am going to be away from home for a few days, I don't need to take my laptop with me anymore (unless I am going to need to work on photos). But for keeping up with the growing amount of e-mail and doing some other minor things, it will be easier just to take off sans laptop. Anyway, I just thought I would post this just in case anyone who reads this is either just a "geek" like me or is looking to combine a couple of their portable devices like I was. Take care and check back tomorrow for some pics from a pretty fun "n-gagement" session I got to do over the weekend.

Billy Mays

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of shooting a cover shot for one of the local magazines here in Pittsburgh that I do some work for. The subject was none other the the one and only "Oxi-Clean" guy - Billy Mays. Little did I know that Billy was a Pittsburgh native, growing up in McKees Rocks.

Funny story. He was staying at one of the local hotels downtown where I met him. We were walking back in the lobby of the hotel together and this kid who was about 8 or 9 comes running up to him and says, "Hey!! You're that Oxicontin guy!!" Billy and just looked at each other and started laughing. He signed an autograph for the kid and and let him know the it was Oxi-Clean.

Anyway, just though that Billy was one if the most down to earth guys I've met and figured I'd share the experience.

The Beach

I promised in my last post to show some images from the beach...well here they are. Unfortunately - these will be the last beach pictures until August when we come back down for a couple of weeks. Well I'm off to diner at the Blue Point Marina...here are the beach pics... Ty's first view of the ocean. A bird that flew by. Payton found a new friend to play with. Libby just kept on running. This was a weird sight. This vehicle just kept comming onto the shore and turning around to go back into the water. Neat looking thing though. Paton and her new friend again, It was nice to be out in the sun..

Southport, NC

Hello from down south. We are nearing the end of our extended weekend. Had a chance to play a little golf, relax, see some sunshine, and even wear summer clothes!! As I am typing thin we are getting ready to head over to Oak Island to spend the afternoon at the beach. Here are a couple pics from our time at the pool yesterday. This was Ty's first time in the water...he did not know if he liked it or not. I will try to add a few more from the beach later on this evening. BTW - if you need to get ahold of me the next couple of days, your best bet is probably email. I have my phone # forwarded to my cell phone but reception is a little spotty down here. I will get and can respond to your email from my Blackberry, so all is good!! Me and Ty Chillin' Ty and Grandma

Payton and Libby readt to go back to the "Beach House"

Payton and Ty hangin' out before bed time.

Julie and Wade Engagement

This post is coming to you from Southport, NC - but more on that tomorrow... Before I came down here, I had the opportunity to shoot an engagement session for Julie and Wade (who incidentally live a couple hours away here in Greensboro, NC). Here are a couple of the pics we took. It was a little wet, cold and breezy this day but they were great sports about it and I really enjoyed hanging out with them for the small amout of time we had together. Here are a couple of pics from the day...

Dana and Dave

Dana and Dave tied the knot about a week ago at the Robert Morris University. This is a great little chapel to get married in. The natural light that comes into this place is beautiful. As it turns out Dave and I went to the same high school. (He was a year ahead of me.) Thier reception was at the airport Marriot in Findlay Twp. Once again a great couple to work with and I wish nothing but the best for their future together. On to the pics...

Samantha

Good friends of mine, DJ and Nicole, had a beatiful little girl a week ago and I took some images of her last night that I thought I would share. She is so tiny compared to what I am used too but as the new parents will find out, she will be running around before you know it. Anyway, Congrats to DJ and Nicole - She is Precious!!

Happy Valentines Day

Just wanted to take a moment to wish all of you love birds out there a Happy Valentines Day!! For many of you who read the n-Blog, this will be the last V-day as a single person so be sure to make it one to remember. Also, if you know anybody getting married, spread the love by either giving them my name or sending them to www.n-focus.net or www.n-blog.net so that they can have the chance to learn what my wedding photography experience is all about!!

GO STEELERS!!

Yes we are all in a Super Bowl XL frexy here in Pittsburgh. Payton came off the bus today with this helmet she made is school. I just thought I would share a little of her Steeler pride..

Jana and Darren

OK...Time for a break from all of the Steeler/NFL related posts. I had the pleasure of doing an engagement session on Sunday for this couple. The pictures were taken at Phipps Conservitory in the Oakland Section of Pittsburgh. They will be getting married in June down in Virginia. We had a great time and and I wish them nothing but the best for their wedding day!! Here are a few of their pics from Sunday Morning.

In The Headlines

A wave of animal cruelty has the World Wildlife Federation up in arms. On the first day of this new year a lion was found viciously mauled. A week later, a bengaled tiger was discovered horribly beaten. While the lion only had fresh wounds, the tiger appears to have been suffering regular beatings for years. Just seven days after that, a colt was found battered. People at the scene said it kept muttering something about not getting enough protection. Hours ago, Denver authorities found another horse, this time a bronco, wandering the streets. The horse was not physically injured, but quite dazed and confused. When asked about the incident, the hapless horse said "I was at home and everything was fine. I was about to feed my pet snake when he started choking and screaming about some sort of terrible towel following it around." Rumor has it that the next target will be some sort of bird, a seahawk. All of the victims report trying to peek behind a giant steel curtain shortly before their incidents. As a result, the following warning has been issued to all animals: Peek behind a steel curtain, get hit by THE BUS.

STEELERS WIN!!!!!

I spent the day yesterday watching the AFC Championship Game with my family. I had my wife, kids, and my wife's Mom and Dad here. We had a great time watching a great game. Here are a few pics from before and during the game. Me and Payton getting ready for the game. Ty making sure the refs call the game fairly. Let's all gather in for a halftime family picture Ty and Libs just taking it all in What a game!!!! The Pittsburgh area is going nuts with Super Bowl fever. I really think this is the year we finally get one for the thumb.

My kids

My wife finally got me to take some more pics of my kids today. Yes the baby is only about 2 months old. He really shouldn't be this big yet, but I guess being a future NFL linebacker has gotten him motivated to add a couple extra pounds. (BTW he was already 16 lb 2 oz at his 2 month appt.) And as you can see he has got his two big sisters wrapped around his little fingers.

An image to share

I am sitting today looking at wedding photos from the last year so that I can update and add to the website. I came across this image. I tend to like images for different reasons than others and a lot of the time my favorites are not what my clients like. This was an image that was not ordered or put into an album. As a matter of fact, I really cannot remember taking the picture. Don't get me wrong...I can remember shooting the wedding, I know the couple in the picture, and I can remember a lot about the day - I just do not remember this exact moment. I think that is what I like about it. Even though I do not remember taking the picture, it still speaks to me. I can feel the emotion coming off of Sarah and Scot. There a couple hundred of their closest friends on the balcony with us and they are there, just the two of them in the moment as though they were all by themselves. Anyway, I just thought I would share this particular image with you. hope that you enjoy it as mush as I do.

Revenge of the Sith

Ok - so I finally sat down to watch the final installment of the Star Wars movies. I was a huge Star wars fan as a kid. As a matter of fact, my sister used to get me nothing but Star Wars toys for my birthday and Christmas - even up until just a few years ago. I have just been too busy to be able to take the time to enjoy the flic. That is exactly what I did. Episodes I and II were OK but no comparison to the original trilogy. Episode III, however, I think may have become my favorite of the entire series. It really brings together what the whole story is about. Darth Vadar. If you have not seen it yet, and like these sorts of films, I highly reccomend it!!

I've got bit of a fever today

Steelers fever that is. What a game it was this past weekend. I do not ever remember watching a game that was such an emotional roller-coaster as this one. It is good to see that Joey Porter is not going to be fined for his post-game comments. The referees deserved the criticism they received in the post-game aftermath. On to this week's contest in the mile high city of Denver. I am not going to make a prediction to this game other than these two teams are almost twins. They both rely heavily on the running game and have very opportunistic defenses. This could in the end be a good thing. It is hard to "Out-Steeler" the Steelers. And yes you have guessed it, I will be taking the time at 3:00 Sunday to do nothing but sit my butt and watch the Steelers take that last hurdle towards the Super Bowl against the Broncos

June 3rd, 2006 is now available

I just wanted to let you know that a previously booked date has now become available. An absolutly wonderful couple, whose wedding I was really looking forward to, had to change their wedding plans a little. So if you, or someone you know, is getting married 6-3-06 give me a call.

Valerie and Dustin

Another cold Saturday and another beautiful Wedding. Val and Justin tied the knot at the First Presbyterian Church in Greenville, PA with the reception following at Station 1. The weather just one day before was close to 70 and they had snow for their wedding. You just gotta love this crazy winter weather in western Pennsylvania. What was going on outside didn't matter though. These guys are very much so a part of each other and I hope they have a long, happy life together. On to the pics...

Lexi and Tim

Lexi and Tim got married this past Saturday at the Holiday Inn Greentree. What a wonderful day. They are going to have a great life together. Nobody told me that it was going to be a celebrity wedding, but as you will se in the pics, Marge and Homer Simpson made an appearance. Thanks again for letting me be a part of your wedding. On to the pics…

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to take a moment and wish all of you who have help make this year as great as it was a most Joyous Holiday Season!! Thank you to all of the couples who let me be a part of their lives on one of their most precious days. It is definitely not something that I take lightly. I have what I consider to be the greatest job in the world!!! I also have the greatest clients in the world. You guys let me live out my creative vision for your day. Of all the photographers in the world, you chose me. What a humbleing experience it was each and every time one of you hired me for your wedding. So once again, many thanks...Have fun...be safe...and most importantly enjoy each other!! Merry Christmas!! Bob

Jessica and Jeremy

What a way to finish out the year...Jessica and Jeremy tied the knot at the Holiday Inn on McKnight Rd in the North Hills. They are such a fabulous laid back couple and I wish them nothing but the absolute best future together. Thanks for everything guys. I am looking forward to seeing you both after the New Year. Have a great Honeymoon..."Irie 'mon"...(you'll understand once your down there) On to the pics...

Wintertime Fun

Well I finally found something that takes the girls minds off of babys and Christmas....SNOW. We got a little bit of snow here in Pittsburgh the other day and they got me to go outside for a snowball fight..which to them means hitting Daddy with as many snowballs as they can!! Then over the weekend they got to build a couple of snowmen at grandmas after their sled riding adventure. Didn't have my camera with me so I can't share those but here is a pic outside our house that my wife came outside to take and then went right back inside before I could get her with a ball of snow. I guess there is always next time.

It's been a while

Sorry to not have posted in a while. I have been a little busy with a newborn in the house. He definitly is growing though. He just had his 1 month Dr. appointment today and is weighing in at a whopping 12lb 11 oz. Here is the little on hanging out with one of his Big Sisters this afternoon.

Angela and Chris

OK... Ty is 10 days old now, I guess I had better get back to work!!! I met up with Angela and Chris a couple weeks ago and did an engagement shoot with them. ONce again had a great time with a fantastic couple. I can't express enough how much I LOVE my job and it is all of you that make it that way. Here are a couple pics from their session.. Hope you like them!!

A couple more pics...

For those of you that like baby pics...here are a couple more of my favorite 4 day old.

It's a Boy!!!

It is amazing to me what a little baby can do to you the moment it is born. In an instant, I forgot about everything in the world except for that moment. It is definitely a surreal moment that I have now had three times. Ty Robert Carroll came into the world after much anticipation on 11-11-05 at 7:39 AM. Mom and baby are absolutely perfect in every way. Words cannot account for how blessed I am to have such an amazing family. Thanks for listening...Bob

Emily and Bobby

This couple had been on an emotional roller coaster for the last year or so that is probably second to none. I was so happy for them when they got married on 10-29-05 so they could "start fresh" on their life together. Emily and Bobby got married at St. Vincents College in Latrobe, PA with their reception following at DeNunzio's at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. As you can see in the pics they had a great day, and I am sure they will have many more to come. Thanks again you guys for letting me a part of your day!!

Jennifer and Chris

This past Sunday I had an engagement shoot with one of my out of town couples, Jennifer and Chris. These guys love the camera and the camera loves them. It was hard to do the edit on their shoot. Yes---They are that photogenic. It was actually hard to get them to not smile for a few of the shots. I cannot wait for their wedding over Memorial Day weekend. It should be a BLAST!!

Amanda and Jason

WOW!! I am way late in getting this posted. For that I apologize. The saving grace is that this couple is well worth the wait!! Amanda and Jason went way out of their way to make me feel like a guest at the wedding, for that I do have to say... THANK YOU!! Anyway, Amanda and Jason got married way back on October 22nd and boy did it rain. The great thing about this couple is that they didn't even care....they were just happy to be at the beginning of the rest of their lives together. Anyway...on to the pics...

Christine and Larry

I met Christine and Larry at Hartwood Acres for their engagment shoot. I had met Christine when we had out initial consultation but this was my first opportunity to finally meet Larry. Once again, I have another great couple as clients. Here are a couple of pics from their shoot. Oh...I almost forgot. While we were doing this shoot there was a prodution company using a lot of the area to film some movie. I have never heard "can you please be quite" so many times. I did not think we were being that loud.

Tara and Chris

I guess you could say I had a busy weekend. A wedding and three, yes three, engagement shoots. This latest installment comes to you from Tara and Chris. We did this shoot in Jefferson Memorial cemetery (I know.....kinda Morbid). This is a great location for outdoor shoots as I found out a couple of weeks ago when I shot some wedding formals here. Tara and Chris are a lot of fun to hang out with. Their wedding should be smokin' as well. They even were able to manage a couple of smiles after that debacle of a football game the Steelers put together earlier in the day. Here are a couple of images from their shoot....

Andrea and Dave

I had the pleasure yesterday morning of doing an engagement shoot for this couple. We did this shoot at various locations on the University of Pittsburgh campus. We had this shoot scheduled a couple times and the weather just would not cooperate until yesterday. Andrea and Dave are a great couple and I cannot wait to shoot their wedding on May 13th of next year. Here are a couple pics from the day...

Rebecca and Chuck

Rebecca and Chuck searched for a long time to find the person they would spend the rest of their lives with. On a ski trip not too long ago they finally found each other. They exchanges their wedding vows this past Saturday at the Mountain View Inn in Greensburg, PA. They had a beautiful day and I can tell by the way they look at each other they will live a long happy life together. Congrats guys!!! I have included a few pics from they day....

Soccer

This is my last post today - I promise. I did not have a wedding to shoot this past weekend so I FINALLY got to go see one of Payton's soccer games. In my totally biased opinion - she's pretty good. As much as I don't really care for the sport (long story for another time) - it was an absolute blast watch her play. She played her heart out. I can't wait until next week when I get to see her play again for the second and last time because after that I am booked for the rest of her soccor season.

PS - It was also fun going back to my sports photography days and getting some good "action" shots of her.

The "Melting Pot"

Kim and my anniversary was this past Friday (Sept. 30th). We have been married for 11 years now. How she has put up with me for that long I will never know. We started the evening at in Station Square at The Melting Pot. For those that are not familiar this is a fondue style restaurant. It was pretty damn cool. All of your food/fondue is cooked on your table in a pewter pot. (the pic above is our table). This place is great for special occasions as the tables are very private. For your main course you cook you own food at your table. I really cannot say enough about it other that we will definitly be going back there again soon. This is just a quick shot of Station Square:

After Station Square we headed of to the Waterfront for Lowes Theater. We ended up seeing "The 40-year old Virgin". My favorite part of the movie is the ending. It really if one of the best endings for a comedy that I have seen in a LONG time. Overall, this movie had its moments but it definitly was not as funny as "Wedding Crashers".

Then - being the "boring" married with kids couple that we are, (actually being a little more than 8 months pregnant has a lot to do with it too) we came home.

It was nice to get to spend the evening wth my best friend, something we definitly need to try to do more often.....

Me

Well, after the last post, someone emailed me and let me know that there were pictures of everyone in my family except for me. There is a reason. I rarly get my picture taken - I am usually the pne holding the camera. I did manage to find this one from my birthday this past August in North Carolina. I think the girls were getting ready to help me blow out the candles.

My girls

For those of you that do not know, my wife, Kim, and I are expecting our third child in about a month. I was going through and backing up some pics today and when I came across this one it hit me, we are having a boy. I've known this since the ultrasound but it never really sunk in until right now. I have always called my family my "girls" because I had my wife and two daughters. Come November I won't be able to say that anymore. To me that is WEIRD. Anyway the pic included in this post was shot about a month ago. her you can see my three girls. This will probably be the last one like this. Next time there will be my girls and my boy. Anyway, thanks for listening.

Shannon and Kurt

Well, Well, Well. This past Saturday when I got up I though it was going to be a wet, mucky day for Shannon and Kurt. This is just a lesson for all of you bride-to-be’s that you never know what Mother Nature has in store for you. It turn out to be one of the nicest days of the year. The day started at Olde Saint Luke’s church in Carnegie. This is actually the oldest Episcopal church in Allegheny County. It is a great setting for ceremony. Shannon let me know the week before the ceremony that she wanted to go to a Cemetary in the South Hills for post-ceremony pictures. At fist glance I was like, “A cemetery?...Uh OK, whatever you want.” I was actually think it was kinda morbid until we pulled behind her limo and I noticed at least three other limos in the same place. What a great location!!!..I think the name of it is Jefferson Memorial Cemetery. We finished up the day in Library at the Fire Dept. this is not your typical VFD either. They have a full fledged banquet hall. Lastly, I would like to thank my assistant for the day, Kristan. You did a great job and I’ll see ya again on the 22nd. On to the Pics….

Michelle and Glenn

WOW!! What a wedding… First of all Michelle and Glenn are an absolutely fun couple. They obviously are in love and will have MANY happy years together. I never had a couple go race go-carts right after the ceremony was over. When Michelle first asked me about this, I thought that she was joking. But then this week, as we were going over some final details, she let me know that they were still on for the Go-Carts and even had decorations for it. Needless to say the evening never had a dull moment. I can’t wait to see them again after they return from their Alaskan cruise. The Ceremony and Reception were held at The Garden Room inSouth Park. If your looking for a reception hall, I recommend it. It is beautiful inside. Anyway, On to the pics…. The Bride… The Groom...

Racing to the Reception...

The Proud Father... The newlyweds...

Libby's First Day of Pre-School

Talk about a double whammy!!! A couple of weeks ago, Payton went off to kindergarten. Well today my ‘lil Libster is off to Preschool. She could hardly go to sleep last night. First thing she wanted to do this morning is put her Backpack on. She was a little upset that she didn’t get to go on the bus with her sister but she did not care once mommy got her to school and she could play with all of her new friends. A couple pics before she left…

Brigit and Jaret

What a beautiful day for a wedding. Couldn’t have been a better day for this beautiful couple. Brigit was absolutly stunning and Jaret had a great time. Once again, it was an honor to be able to bea part of their wedding day. Here are a couple pics from the day…

Amanda and BJ

I had the pleasure of shooting a wedding yesterday for Amanda King and BJ Blevins. Thw wedding was a blast I had a fantastic time and so did the bride and groom as you can see in the pic below. (BJ let me know the cake smelled good..lol) It was also my first time working with Jim Novosel of Novosel Productions (Jim’s Website). If you are looking for a great video guy, call Jim. I have seen one of his demos and it is the most entertaining wedding video I have yet to see.

My Little Girl's First Day of School

Today was my daughter Payton’s first day of school. The moment was bittersweet. She was absolutly excited and never even looked back as she was getting on the bus. I guess she is growing up, but I will always miss that little gilr falling asleep on my chest at night…. Here are a couple pics from the Bus Stop.

Welcome to the n-Blog. This is the place where family, friends, and clients can keep up to date as to what is happening in my life and business. I hope to be able to keep this up to date and interesting enough for people to care about checking in from time to time. With the business taking off as it has in the last year or so, I have less and less time to spend with family and friends, so for them I am hoping for this to be just one more avenue for us to keep in touch. For clients, I hope that they can use this as a way to get to know me on a more personal level. Basically to see the person behind the camera. Till then…. Bob