A season of rehearsals, lessons, and performances culminated in one unforgettable event as the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras took the stage for its 2025–2026 season finale. The concert showcased the talent, discipline, and passion of Pittsburgh's next generation of musicians.

While photographing the private opening reception for The Frick Pittsburgh’s French Moderns exhibition, I made one photograph that had nothing to do with the assignment. A baby bird at the base of a nearby tree became an unexpected reminder that photography is not only about documenting what was planned. It is also about staying open to the moments hidden in plain sight.

Sometimes a love story is best told through the places that matter most. For Zack and Candice, that meant two venues that reflect who they are as a couple: the quiet intimacy of a theater and the endless possibilities hidden among rows of vinyl records. Their photos sessions became more than a collection of photographs. It became a glimpse into the interests, experiences, and shared moments that have shaped their relationship.

A recent Etna Heart & Soul event brought residents together for an evening centered around conversation, reflection, and community feedback focused on the future of the borough. Rather than feeling like a formal presentation or public meeting, the atmosphere throughout the evening felt far more personal and conversational. At every table, discussions naturally drifted between memory and possibility.

You’d think the hardest part of writing a blog is the actual writing, and well, sometimes it’s just not. Turns out, most of the time, it’s everything that happens before you even open up Microsoft Word.

Last time I wrote, I said the dial was about to turn. Spoiler alert: It did. I mean, come on. I went from a metal show in a barbershop to a community band concert in a high school auditorium. That should be night and day, right?

Well…

Within a matter of weeks, I went from photographing a fully staged musical, to an opera performance ten floors above downtown, to a hard rock show packed into a barbershop in Etna. Same camera. Same me pressing the shutter button. Three completely different environments, and three wildly different musical styles.

Duquesne University Opera Workshop was getting ready to put on their production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and I was on hand at their dress rehearsal to capture photos. So when I arrived at Pittsburgh’s historic Union Trust Building, I was already in that “stage” mindset.

There are certain productions where you can feel the energy before the curtain even goes up. This year’s Laurel Highlands High School musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was one of those shows.

Have you ever gone to the grocery store for just a couple things, but then you leave with a trunk full of stuff that you didn’t even know you needed? Yeah, that’s what this one’s like.

In a few days, I’ll be photographing Valentine’s on Ice at the outdoor rink in Schenley Park. I’ve photographed events for the City of Pittsburgh for several years now, but this will be my first time working at this particular venue. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m walking in blind. It just means I have a little more prep to do.

Alright, this one’s personal. I shoveled snow outside my house four separate times today. FOUR!

By the end of it, our highly scientific and incredibly accurate measurement method—a yardstick taped to a stake in the ground—showed that we’d gotten about 10 inches.

A couple of years ago, Jesse Naus moved his recording and media production business, Red Caiman Studios, from its former home in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood to a much larger space just north of the city. Since then, he hasn’t missed a beat.

Pittsburgh was quiet today. New Year’s Day has a way of doing that. The city slows down, the usual noise fades, and everything feels slightly slower. I went out this afternoon to take some photos just as the light started dropping low enough to stretch across the river, and the streets felt calmer than usual.

Be My Neighbor Day was first, and it wasn’t just another assignment. It was a community event in my own backyard, right here in Etna, and the weather couldn’t have been better.

This wasn’t our first time working together. Far from it. I’ve photographed band promo shoots for his old band Chase and the Barons, their album release parties…hell, I even photographed his wedding (Hi, Liv!). Every time we work together, the same thing happens. The pressure disappears. The expectations fall away. There’s room to try things, miss things, and follow ideas without worrying about where they’re supposed to land.

The Pittsburgh Steeline didn’t stay put. They swept across the entire area surrounding the stadium — Art Rooney Ave, tailgate lots, sidewalks jammed with fans, the stage at Tequila Cowboy — and everywhere they went, the temperature kept dropping but the energy kept rising like somebody was cranking a hidden dial.

Recently, I was at The Frick Pittsburgh to photograph families on the porch of Clayton, the historic Frick family mansion on Penn Ave. Straightforward holiday portraits. Keep the line moving. Make sure nobody blinks. Nothing unusual.

The sky usually is the spectacle on its own, but Wednesday night, even with the promise of the Aurora Borealis making a grand appearance, it stayed quiet and let the city do the glowing instead.

There’s a certain kind of energy that lingers after a concert. It's the kind that hums with everything that just happened on stage. I felt that energy recently, while photographing the Pittsburgh Concert Society’s Major Winners Concert.