Goodbye Summer of ‘08

Early this morning, as I was enjoying my daily cup of coffee, I watched the school bus pass my house to pick up all the neighborhood children. It always feels like summer is officially over once we celebrate the first day of the new school year.

It has been a while since I blogged anything personal. The summer months get very crazy here at our studio. As soon as the 4th of July hits everything is out of control. Our phone rings off the hook with people interested in high school senior portraits. We also get more walk-ins than usual. My dad starts shooting 2 senior sessions a day and also holds 2 senior presentation appointments a day. While he is out of the office, I’m left to be the receptionist and handle customer service. I work on wedding edits, album designs and retouching in between the madness and in the evenings when things calm down. I typically start my workday between 10:00 and 11:00am. I leave at 5:30pm for a quick dinner and return at 6:30pm. Then I work until my eyes give out from staring at the computer all day, which is normally between 10:00pm and 11:00pm.

Saturdays are wedding days. Although they are long days they are fun and enjoyable! When I get tired of the computer work, I remind myself how lucky I am to be hired to photograph such an important day in a couple’s life. I know the wedding photos will become a valued treasure for both the bride and groom and their families.

Sunday morning, I drag my tired body out of bed to pack my equipment away, recharge my batteries, download memory cards and burn DVD backups. Working Sundays gives me a good head start on the work week.

This past Saturday, I photographed my last wedding of the summer. I have been to twelve so far this year. August was my most challenging month with 4 in a row. I worked 4 weeks straight without a day off. It starts to wear on you after a while. I woke up Sunday morning, and realize I have been neglecting my husband Andy this past month. To make up for some of the lost husband time, we decided to take a drive to Greensburg to have lunch and do a little shopping at the Westmoreland Mall.

We ended up at Primanti Brothers, which is a favorite of Pittsbugh natives.

It was a perfect day for the patio!
Here is a close up of Pittsburgh's Most Famous Sandwich. It's very yummy!

The sandwich is stuffed with cheese, your choice of meat, french fries, cole slaw and tomatoes. Part of the fun is trying to fit this huge sandwich into your mouth. Silverware is for babies!

I don't even want to know how many calories. It was well worth it.