2022 Summer Engagement Session Series

Cape May, New Jersey

After a little break in the action, we’re back and adding to our 2022 Summer Engagement Session Series! This time we took the trip down to Cape May to capture Engagement Photos. So, we’re doing a little beach bloggin’. Well, blogging about engagement photos on the beach, not blogging from the beach. Although, we might be on to something with that idea. Just like Alyssa and Bill were on to something with the idea of a Destination Engagement Session for their Engagement Photos.

After some not-so-cooperating weather got in the way of the original Washington D.C. plans, Steve and Nick hopped in the car to meet Alyssa and Bill on their vacation in Cape May, New Jersey to capture their engagement photos. They made it down at the perfect time for an evening walk around the town of Cape May, ice cream, and a quick stop at Congress Hall before catching the sunset on the beach.

We were honored enough to have the opportunity to capture photos and video at Kiki and Dave’s Wedding at Congress Hall in Cape May, NJ, last spring. So, we know all the possibilities and stunning backdrops the town and beach have to offer, and it was great to use that experience to create something special for Alyssa and Bill. Because to us, that’s what it is all about. Capturing great memories and creating great art for great people.

We’ll be celebrating with these two at Stroudsmoor in the Poconos in what is already just a few short weeks from now! So there will be much more to share!

2022 Summer Engagement Session Series

Mary Stegmaier Mansion, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Summer is here and we are out and about doing what we love like it’s our job! (Wait a minute…) One of the best parts about our job is meeting with future KJAD Couples, getting to know them, and being given the opportunity to create for them during their engagement session. So, while we spend the weekends capturing the weddings of our 2022 Couples; during the week, we’re in full portrait session mode, including spending time photographing engagement photos!

Earlier this year, we wrote a blog on the “How To’s” when it comes to Winter Engagement Sessions (psst..click here if you’re planning ahead), and now that the sun is out and the warm weather is here to stay, its time to give spring and summer sessions the same love! Only this time…it’s a series. Starting with Kendra + Matt at the Mary Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Here is how Matt proposed in Kendra’s words:

“Matt and I met during our time together on Luzerne County Council. One day, he told me we were going to the courthouse to support his dad for an award he was receiving..there was no award, but Matt proposed in the place where it all started! Our families were waiting close by to celebrate!” 

And that all led to us meeting at the Mary Stegmaier Mansion in May to capture these early summertime engagement photos. We are so, so excited to celebrate with them in 2023!

2022 Summer Engagement Session Series

Huntsville Golf Club, Dallas, PA

It’s the second installment of our Summer Engagement Session Series! Now, this was technically a Spring session just as the trees were coming back into bloom, but with the beautiful blue skies, sunshine, and lush greens of the Huntsville Golf Club, how could we not include Marlee & Tim’s photos!?!

This session with Marlee & Tim kicked off our Spring/Summer engagement photo season, and what better way to take in the sun than with these two on a golf course? When the days are getting warmer, the sun is shining, and the greens are greenin’, golf courses/clubs are a great place for engagement photos during mid-spring to early summer. So, if you and/or your partner are members of Huntsville Golf Club, Fox Hill Country Club, Glen Oak Country Club, Glenmaura National Gold Course, or one of the other local clubs, these are beautiful locations to keep in mind for really any portrait photography session. 

As for Marlee & Tim, we can’t wait to celebrate with them in 2023 !! 

The How-To’s & Where To’s

Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey

Looking back on a winter that brought more frigid, chilly temperatures than whiteout snowy days, we thought it might be good to offer advice and ideas on how to turn unpredictable Pennsylvania weather into long lasting memories.

Pick A Few Possible Dates… Pencil in 2-3 dates to anticipate schedule changes. Of course we will do our best to make the primary date work, but set aside another day or two backup days in case of heavy snow or blistering temperatures.

Dress Warm… We know, we know, it sounds like an obvious one, but hear us out. You won’t want your entire photo gallery to feature winter coats, and if we’re outdoors the shivers can hit quick. So, sweaters, flannels, long sleeves are all good for when we ditch the jackets. Don’t worry though, we’ll get everything set and ready to go, then bring you into the frame so you’re not bearing the cold for too long. We do our thing, but also do what we can to keep you as comfortable as we can.

Location, Location, Location… City strolls, nature walks, holiday lights, or warm and comfy in-home sessions are things to consider! Think of what best fits you as a couple and choose from there. You can see a few examples of places we photographed some awesome couples this past winter. =]

City Lights with Ashley + Dan in Scranton, PA

At Home with Johanna & Justin in Warren County, New Jersey

On The Trail with Sarah & Gerry in Nescopeck State Park, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Here we are again!! Back at it, finally. Blogging like it’s our job. We kick off the 2020 season by blogging a little about our great friends Lindsay and CJ. Little backstory for you – I (steve) have known Lindsay and her family for quite some time now and I was just beyond thrilled when I received the text that she was engaged and that KNOT JUST ANY DAY was going to be a part of the wedding. Now knowing CJ for the little time that I have, I really couldn’t be any happier for the two of them. It’s always so great when the right people find each other. So congrats to you two!! Yay!

Lindsay and CJ asked if KJAD would come to their new home in Philadelphia for their session, and as you know, we absolutely prefer going places that our couples love over someplace that’s picked out of a hat. We buzzed around in their house for a bit, changed outfits, and then made our way over to Washington Square Park. Turns out it was one of the colder, windier days we had this late winter season. We braved the weather, took our photos quickly, and ran around to keep warm.

*Special shout out to my helper Caroline (Lindsay’s sister and friend of mine) for being on Lindsay and CJ’s coat duty at the park with me.

It’s always so wonderful to see our friends go through the process of getting engaged, planning a wedding, and saying “I do”. It’s especially sweet to see it all happen from our vantage point. We have the best seat in the house on their wedding day – being that close with all of their friends and family is such an honor and such an exciting place to be.

Enjoy their photos and we can’t wait for their upcoming wedding at St. David’s Golf Club in Wayne, PA. Till then!

Here’s a behind the scenes pic that Caroline snapped of us during our time at Washington Square Park. (thanks!!)

Warm, early spring days with refreshingly cool breezes always make for great engagement sessions; especially when we get to travel to new places with new faces! This time we met up with Natalie and Aash at the Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 1. We absolutely love the bare brick wall that Steve, Natalie, and Aash came upon during their shoot. While setting up one of the brick shots, Steve asked Aash to tell Natalie a joke. It turns out that Aash likes telling jokes with really, really long punch lines which made for some of our favorite reactions! We fully support jokes with long punch lines, by the way.. If you have any, send them our way!! We can’t wait for this fun couple’s big wedding day in Perkasie this summer!!

Congrats again, Natalie and Aash!!

Planning your own engagement session? Click here for some tips from The Knot!

Hi all! Thanks so much for taking the time to find more of my favorite moments/photos/events of 2018. This past year was one of our busiest seasons to date. Although we are only featuring a few examples of our favs, the year was packed with gorgeous weddings, awesome couples, and exciting moments. I could go on and on about each, but we have to limit it somewhere, haha. The KJAD crew is letting me have 15 instead of just 10… so consider the extra 5 a little bonus. So, here are a few of my favorites out of the 120,000 plus photos we captured this year. Enjoy!

1.) NICHOLETTE AND JUSTIN – MARIAH AND RYAN

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I began and ended my year celebrating New Year’s Eve with hundreds of wonderfully happy people. New Years has always been the way to commemorate a new beginning, some place to start anew. Weddings in general are that, too. So, what better way to celebrate your wedding than to countdown to your new beginning with your closest friends and family? We can’t think of anything better.


“This is the start of something good, don’t you agree?”

Click here to see more from Nicholette and Justin’s wedding,

and here for Mariah and Ryan’s big day.

2.) ELLEN AND DONNIE

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So yeah… they had a SECOND LINE BAND AT THE END OF THEIR WEDDING THAT DANCED THEM OUT OF THE SCRANTON CULTURAL CENTER, DOWN THE CLOSED STREETS OF DOWNTOWN SCRANTON, AND RIGHT INTO THE AFTER PARTY HELD AT THE BACKYARD ALEHOUSE!!! That was me yelling… ’cause it was that cool. Everyone needs one. They won’t mind if you all copy their idea.

Click here to see more shots from this wedding!

3.) ELISA AND ALEXANDER

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Their first look was one that I’ll remember forever. I won’t get into the emotional side of it (I’m sure someone else will hit on that incredible experience), but my favorite part was Elisa’s long walk down the steps and across the flagstone walkway of the timeless, historic Skytop Lodge. To me it felt like she was in slow motion – maybe because of her epic dress or the gorgeous setting. Or, maybe because I was just as nervous/excited as they were. I’m not quite sure how to describe this unforgettable moment, but our videographer, Stephen, captured it exactly the way I remember it. Check it out here.

Want to see more from this wedding? Click here!

4.) ALLYSON, MATT, AND STELLA – RYANN, COULTER, AND EVELYN

I just love it when we get to see our past brides and grooms, especially when we get to do it from behind the camera… oh, and especially when we get to meet their newest additions to their family. We spend so much time getting to know our clients before their wedding day – during meetings, phone calls, and engagement shoots – that when we get to their wedding, they already feel like they are family. Then, once we spend the bulk of one of the most important days with them, we are definitely much much closer. It’s important to all of us at KJAD that no matter who we are taking photos or video of, they are comfortable with us being there… they may not like their photo being taken, but we tread lightly and carry big cameras. We absolutely want your experience to be whatever you hope it will be (but have it include us… and our cameras). So, to get to the reason why these photos were on my top 10 of 2018, it’s just because it was so nice getting to see everyone again… so thank you.

5.) KIM AND JOE.. AND LIAM, TOO

This one really gets me. Nothing compares to being a parent. I now realize what my parents meant all this time. Kim and Joe’s wedding was filled with beautiful details, (Kim’s shoes, dress, invitations, jewelry, and killer rings) wonderful people (especially my bubble blowing gentlemen), and even better (dare I say the word) moments. If you know me, you’ll know that I feel the word “moments” is totally overused in this industry. It mostly gets under my skin when it’s used to describe a forced or preconceived event. In this case, though, I feel it’s the only word I can use to show the weight and importance of a stand-out moment of sincere love and happiness. Before I tell you more about Liam, check out some photos from their wedding.

Cue Liam, Joe’s son. He completely changed how I look at weddings. Liam, also one of Joe’s best men, was right there in all of the important-best-man-spots throughout the day. He helped with the rings, spoke at the reception, posed properly for all of his best man photos, had a few laughs with dad, gave Kim the biggest hugs, and helped make the day full of wonderful little Liam moments. Everything we do at weddings is about family. It always has been and now, after this little fella, always will be.

For more from this wedding, click here!

6.) JACKI AND KEVIN

I’m one of the few people who loves to take photos of my friends’ weddings. As a photographer, I have a front row seat and get to see the entire day play out through my camera. I’ve known Jacki and Kevin for quite some time now, so it was absolutely the best when they asked KJAD to be a part of their wedding. For their engagement session, we ran around our hometown of Wilkes-Barre, and for their wedding we got the opportunity to shoot at the 900 Rutter Ave building – an eclectic, mural-covered warehouse filled with great local businesses. Each location allowed us to try some new things with our cameras – low light detail photos (that ring though!!), lifestyle engagement pics, epic pans and even tilt-shift portraits. I can’t pick just one of my favorite backdrops… so here are a few! P.S. don’t tell anyone, but KEVIN IS A SUPERHERO… just sayin’.

Want to see more? Click here!!

7.) ALLIE AND ANTHONY

Rice was one of the determining factors of Allie’s venue decision. No one ever gets to throw rice, no one ever rides off into the sunset after the wedding ceremony like they do in the movies with tin cans clanging around from the back of their vehicle. Well, Allie and Anthony actually had both at the historic Omni Springs Bedford!  Another great moment from Allie and Anthony’s wedding was their amazing ring ceremony. Their rings were threaded on a continuous string and passed around to every guest so they could pray, bless, and send best wishes to the couple while holding the wedding bands. I couldn’t get over how great this idea was, so I needed to find a way to leave my mark on the rings. I found the two guests where the string crossed the aisle and asked them to hold it taught for me so I could capture this meaningful shot for the couple.

See more by clicking here!

8.) MARY KATE AND JOHN

Getting to do a lake-front engagement session is amazing, especially during sunset at a meaningful place that holds years of laughter and fun memories for the couple. During this session, I wanted to showcase both the gorgeous sunset and their family’s boathouse. Mary Kate and John bounced all over inside and out with me to find that perfect balance. Two shots really stand out to me. One was taken from the opposite side of the home, through glass, and involved me hanging off the edge of the dock to frame them in silhouette against the evening sky. The other was taken when we made our way inside and incorporated the interior of the house with the night sky (made possible by some off-camera flash kung fu – thanks Miranda!).

9.) CAILA AND ROBERT

So, I’m not one to edit photos in a trendy way (don’t get me started on this subject – it’s a long, heated conversation that usually goes well with a beer or two). Anyway, I love that KJAD’s photos are true to life, colorful, crisp, clean, and timeless. In many ways, this photo of Caila and Robert is the exception. A HUGE trend in photography over the past few years has been to “fade” the blacks and whites. Lowering the white point and raising the black point in the tone curve creates a dusty, low contrast image. It’s super-noticeable in black and white photos. I chose to use this technique to blend the white sky into the glass and interior of Tavern on the Green, making a more cohesive image with less visual distraction. So, does it fit a photography trend? Yes. Does it serve the photo? Absolutely. In fact, we were thrilled when Tavern on the Green shared this photo on their social media network a few weeks ago. Special thanks to Caila and Robert for suggesting such a great location in Central Park.

10.) AMANDA AND SHAUN

Longwood Gardens’ majestic fountain display was one of the backdrops from Amanda and Shaun’s engagement session. We chose to do an evening shoot so we could end the session with the lit up fountain show. At one point during fountain portion of the shoot, I stopped to glance behind me to see if I was in anyone’s way. Turns out, I was standing in front of hundreds of people… not that I’m that tall, but I imagine I was a bit of a distraction to say the least. I mentally apologized, quickly got over it, and went back to capturing some of our favorite photos from this session.

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11.) ALYSSA AND ALEX

I just love these two. No one has more fun than Alyssa and Alex. I feel like I could put any photo of these two in this blog and it would have a great story to match. Thanks for an amazing beach engagement session and for a touching, heartfelt, laughter-filled, and joyous wedding day! Cheers you two!

Click here to see more from this day!

12.) GERALYN AND LEE

We love getting the chance to capture stunning evening photos. In Geralyn and Lee’s case, we tried something a little different. I could go on about the technical side of it, but I think it’s just better to say that the shot of Geralyn and Lee with the full sky behind them may be my favorite photo of 2018. Yay! But seriously, I can’t think of any part of the day that didn’t produce something amazing. We recently updated our studio walls and portfolio, so look out for quite a few photos from their day. They had such a beautiful wedding, and were such a wonderful couple to spend the day with.

Check out more from their day by clicking here!

13.) ELLEN AND DONNIE

I love bride prep. It might be my favorite part of the day. I always love getting to capture a beautiful portrait of the bride before hair and make-up are complete. Ellen’s before and after prep photos are a perfect example of just that. Can you guess which one is which? I can barely notice, and I was there!

14.) JULIANNA AND CODY

Look who caught me taking this candid of Julianna. Her pup was dressed to impress and ready to roll.

See more of this day by clicking here!

15.) RING, RING, RING

I love my ring shots.. just sayin’. I also love my Canon 100mm macro 2.8 lens of goodness. Here are few of my favorites.
“ring-a-ding-ding-ding-dong … keep their heads ringin'”

The KJAD Crew ventured to Shannon and Greg’s neck of the woods for the couple’s engagement session. We fell in love with all of the bricks and architecture in Downtown Lancaster. Shannon and Greg are such a fun-loving, adorable couple. We cannot wait for their wedding!