At Donna Weckerly Photography, every click of the shutter is a step towards immortalizing the fleeting, beautiful moments of life.
Our blog isn't just a showcase of our work; it's a canvas for inspiration, a source of photography tips, and a window into the soulful journey of life through the lens. We invite you to join us in this journey of visual storytelling. Be it through the serene landscapes of our nature photography or the intimate portraits that speak a thousand words, each post here is a testament to our commitment to excellence and creativity.
A Trip Fit for a Queen
May 15, 2016 1:00pm
On our way home from the airport, our second stop was at a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire. It's just a bunch of rocks. It's always been a bunch of rocks. And I bet it will always be a big bunch of rocks. But we did pay $20 each to walk around this bunch of rocks. What were those guys thinking back in 3100 BC? And obviously the aliens are interfering with the wifi service. And the security guard who was walking through the grass didn't think it was so cool for Di and Jason to be walking in the grass. I was almost evicted from the bunch of rocks because my English friends can't obey the rules. The moral of the story is don't pay $20 to see a bunch of rocks if you want to walk in the grass.
Stonehenge was such an awesome stop on our 13 day vacation in England.
Nails, Metal, and Models
My blessings are many....but on this day I was completely blessed with two awesome models and the perfect art studio!
I had a vision for a styled session. And I had two special models in mind!
And there was this awesome art studio located in Butler that I was familiar with....and then there was magic!
The owner of the studio, Bill Secunda, gave me the two thumbs up to shoot at his sculpture workshop/studio. What a fantastic on-location studio for me to use! The weather was a tad chilly so my models were glad to find a small heated area of the workshop to hide in while I set up for each different set.
Kendra and Levi had never met before the shoot, but it only took seconds for them to bond to create emotional and edgy images!
Be sure to go to Bill's website and Facebook page to view his spectacular art work!!!!! He is an incredible artist and is now famous all over the country.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram #Instagram
Windy With a Chance of Smiles
It was a windy afternoon and mom was prepared: mirror, hair brush, and a make-shift umbrella to help block the wind that was blowing across their backyard. Everywhere we turned seemed to be right in the path of this wind. But somehow, through the wind and tousled hair, these lovely ladies were able to pull off a phenomenal family photography session.
Their backyard was a photographer's PROP dream....a rustic barn, split rail fence, brick silo, pines, open fields, and a wood pile. And, of course, I tried to make use of every one of them (unless the wind gusts were too strong).
The collage below is just a snippet of images from their session. I had a terrific time working with Jennifer, Madison and Laken! 💚
Just Like My Dad
Jaysa and her dad, Jim, pose on the bridge with their fire fighting gear. These two wonderful friends serve on the Rural Valley VFD squad. I am so very proud of them.
A Little Bit of RatRod in Your Life
Meet Kylie!
She is one of my favorite girls. Artsy. Fun. Smart. Adorable. And obviously, she is very photogenic.
So I was super excited to schedule an outdoor portrait session with Kylie. Our schedules finally clicked and we met in our small town of Ford City, PA. I grew up in this town and have always loved the brick streets, industrial vibe, and ethnic townspeople. My goal was to capture a bit of this town's essence in the images and still highlight Kylie's absolute beauty.
We began our session at the fountain area of a small park in the heart of Ford City.
And moved to the brick street nearby.
Now, just take a moment and gaze at these images. Holy cow!!!! Can you saw "nailed it"? The evening sun cast the perfect light. Kylie's best friend, Holly, provided all the glitz and bling as the make-up artist extraordinaire! And Kylie dressed to perfection - every outfit accentuated her curves and style.
Kylie adores her Boxer and asked to have a few shots of them together. What a dog! Isn't that photo adorable?
Now you may ask: "where did that Ratrod come from?" And I would answer: "from out of nowhere!"
This may have been the most bizarre turn of events I have ever experienced while shooting a session. Picture me up on a ladder (see the pic above) and Kylie half way down a brick street wearing a black tight mini dress and heels. Behind Kylie, on the next street over, I spy a really cool vintage truck cruising past and my photographer's mind's eye screams "we gotta use that as a prop". So, in true crazy photographer fashion, I yell to Kylie to stop that truck and ask if we could use it as a prop for just a shot or two. No harm asking, right?
Ironically, the man driving the truck had just leaned over to his wife and said (prior to my idea) "I am going to offer these girls my truck to use in their photos". And there you have it....our very own custom-built RatRod vintage truck. The driver graciously moves the truck in to position for me and takes a spot over on the sidewalk with his wife and Holly to watch. We now have a side street in town completely blocked off from traffic while we play. And, oh, did we play. And thankfully the local police officer who drove past didn't mind us using the street!
I am in awe. Everything is just perfect. But there's just this one minor detail...
Oh yeah, it's this dude sitting on the roof top of a building on the street we are shooting on. From his vantage point, he sees one very smokin' hot lady dressed to the nines parading around on the street below looking like a super model. And he is in awe. And out comes his cell phone and snap, snap, snap goes the shutter. I am betting there are quite a few "bootleg" images of Kylie floating around his circle of friends on social media. Too funny! He enjoyed the rooftop view while we gals below continued our photo shoot.
After a couple hours of posing and smiling on the street, Kylie had just two more photo requests. She had shown me a print she brought home from Ireland: a Guinness beer ad and she really wanted to try to replicate and honor the pose and idea. Guinness should be flattered! So Holly and I did our best to get her face, neck, shoulders, sweater, lips, glass, eyes, hat (whew) all just right! It was a team effort and the result was absolutely perfect!
Kylie actually posted this image on the Guiness Facebook page and garnered a response from them:
Guinness Looks great, Kylie. We’re so impressed, we’d love to send you a goblet glass just like the one in the original photo. Drop us a message.
Swoon....I am just so pleased with the entire session, the images, and the overwhelming positive feedback that both Kylie and I have received from friends, family, and peers. Likely, this session will go down in history as one of my most favorite and original ones of all time! I want to thank both Kylie and Holly for really giving their all to make this session what it was - perfect!
Holly Bowser is an exceptional hair stylist and make up artist. Kylie was in very good hands!
And last but not least, never ever take for granted a friendship that is built on love, trust, and compassion. I think this final image says it all....true friends for life