The votes are in!!!

Congrats to dog #6, "Ginger" for winning the dog contest! Ginger will be getting a $250 gift certificate to Studio M.... thanks to all who voted too! Interested in getting e-mails from us with upcoming events, news and contests? Email us your e-mail address and we will add you to our e-mailing list! Have a GREAT day! Congrats again Ginger!
Our e-mail address is studiomphoto@verizon.net

VOTE FOR THE CUTEST DOG!!!

Recently we held a Pet Contest and those who came donated bags of food to the humane society... there were MANY dogs and we had to narrow them down... we voted here at the studio and picked these 8 dogs (actually nine but one mom wanted to enter her dog as a unit... PLEASE vote on your favorite dog.... voting will end on December 23, 2008 ... winner gets a $250 gift certificate! You can only vote once so make it count! Send an e-mail to your friends with our website link so they can vote too! May the best pup win.... they were all PAWTASTIC!!!

Vote for the cutest dog...   Dog #1   Dog #2   Dog #3   Dog #4   Dog #5   Dog #6   Dog #7   Dog #8 or View results Created with Vanguard Vista™

#1

Mother & Daughter

I love to see relationships... to study them ... it's something I have always loved. I often find myself starring at people, couples, families where ever I am.... especially restaurants as they relate to one another. You learn a lot about a fanily very quickly if you pay attention.... this little girl and her mom came in yesterday for a session and what an awesome relationship they have. BEAUTIFUL.... they are both beautiful!

Meet Sonja & Jayda.

...the beginning...

Meet Heather, Jason & soon to be Hayden... Heather and Jason came in a few days ago and I had the privaledge to spend a few hours photographing them. It was so much fun to get to know their story and capture the beginning of their family. I CANNOT WAIT to meet Hayden!

30 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME...

Yesterday I got an e-mail and I thought I would share it on the BLOG because I think it's worth talking about.... Help someone who REALLY needs your help! 30 minutes of your time could make a HUGE difference to her and the rest of the world. In October we had a Blood Drive here during our Haloween party, If you donated at that drive you cannot donate on this day, since you are 2 days too early, however, if you did not donate... PLEASE do so!
Merry Chrsitmas!
The Studio M Family

Blood Drive to benefit Rachel Baker
Friday, December 19, 2008
1:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Here is an e-mail I received from Michelle from STRIVE...

Rachel is the daughter of Bruce Baker Strive's Manufacturing Supervisor. We would like your help in doing everything we can to help this family.We have scheduled this blood drive to help the Baker's by replenishing the blood supply and to help find a suitable stem cell donor. Anyone donating blood at this drive may elect to join the National Marrow Donor Registration (free of charge) by completing additional paperwork and submitting a sample mouth swab.Central Blood Bank is the not-for-profit organization that supplies the blood and blood products needed by patients in more than 40 hospitals. Please Honor Rachael by Donating blood and joining the registry.
Sincerely,
Michelle Zinger
Strive

Information on Rachel...
Rachel Baker, 20, was diagnosed in May 2008 with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, also known as ALL, and has been receiving transfusions of red blood cells and platelets as a very important part of her chemotherapy treatment at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh. It has been recently determined that she will need a stem cell transplant and is in search of a compatible donor.A graduate of Brookfield High School, Rachel was an active honor student and the 2006 Homecoming Queen, and is anxious to get back to her classes at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she is majoring in nursing.

Katherine

Meet baby Katherine.... but you have really met her before. Katherine is part of our Bebe Collection and was back for another session.... check out this adorable baby girl!!!

...and it continues...

Here are some recent dogs that came in for the Pet Contest.... We have 2 more coming in today and 4 more tomorrow.... voting will start after Dec 15th... stay tunned!

A GREAT FRIEND

Meet Janet and her husband Jon and their 3 year old Katie. Janet is a GREAT friend of mine. . . the kind of friend that you can call at any moment and know that she will help you, just because…. She’s the kind of person that goes out of her way to make me smile…. She plays pranks on me to get me to laugh and goes as far as being sneaky and doing things behind my back just to make me happy. Her husband Jon, well, he is no different. He is just as wonderful and caring as she is. See Janet and Jon together after 10 years of marriage and you will see just how much they love each other… Katie is a doll baby and is adorable. This is one very lucky and amazing family and I for one am EXTREMELY lucky to be a part of their lives. Maria

It happens every year...

People tell me all the time how lucky I am to be able to do what I do, and how great it is that I can "capture" my children... ha.

Capturing my children is hard. Now, I DO have BEAUTIFUL portraits of them but they came with a LOT of patience on my end and A LOT of complaining and arguments and yes....occasional tears. My daughter loves being photographed... my son ... he tolerates it. BUT photographing them TOGETHER.... it's tough. I laughed so hard when I saw this today... I am going to blow this up HUGE for my house because this one image just says it all. I have beautiful images from today... but this one takes the cake.

Smiles to all....

Maria

Photography Classes

Did you ever wish you knew more about cameras and how to take GREAT images? Well, here is your chance! We are offering two photography classes in February and space is limited! We only take 8 people per class. We have one morning and one evening class to suit everyone's needs! And here is the best part.... sign up before December 5th and get $50 off!!! These classes could also make a great Christmas gift along with that camera under the tree! This is a REAL photography class.... not just how to use your camera! You will leave here after a few weeks taking amazing images! To sign up call us here at Studio M at 724-745-4405

Call now!!!

You can also view information on this class on our main website at http://www.studiom.ms/

BOYS

If only they could stay this little. Love these little guys!

Julie & Shaun

This weekend I had the ultimate privaledge of being a matron of honor in my sisters wedding AND the photographer! It was a tough job but I had the best time ever! To Julie and Shaun, may your lives together be filled with much love and laughter! All my love to you both! Enjoy Cancun!!! All images may be viewed online ... you can check them out on our site in a few weeks!
Maria

Halloween Party

Our Halloween event on Oct 26 was a HUGE hit! I wish I would have had time to BLOG about it sooner but with all our appointments and traveling to Florida for my sisters wedding this weekend, well, time got the best of me! I do however want to thank all the families that came and also those who donated blood! I am so lucky to be surrounded by such a GREAT group of wonderful people. The kids had a GREAT time with pumpkin painting, spider making and all the stuff we had going on. I think everyone enjoyed the goodies and it felt good to create a little awareness for the McGuire Memorial and raise money to support Mitchell’s Project. We were also able to save 81 lives with the 27 final donations we had, although we are still very thankful to those who showed up for their appt but for whatever reason could not donate their blood… it’s the thought that counts! We took lots of family images and saw some AWESOME costumes! Everyone that came also voted on the most “beautiful baby” and the winner was JOCELYN. Jocelyn won the $350 baby gift certificate! Also, all that showed up got a chance to enter and win a $500 gift certificate, those who donated blood got double entry….. and the winner for that was Brad Carpenter! We had just done some amazing images of the Carpenter Family and I could not have been happier for them! The men started getting a little anxious about the steeler game so my husband hooked up the projection screen and they all enjoyed it very much! Here is a little show and some images too! We plan on doing this again next year….so if you didn’t join us this year, please stay tuned and come next year! It was a TON of fun!
Maria



Here is my family including my parents that are up from Brazil visiting...

Here I am photographng two cuties ....

And.... here is their image!

And..... giving the gift of life! My employees did not miss the chance to catch this! A gothic princess donating blood! :-) Here is our baby contest winner... Jocelyn!

Amy & Tim

On Saturday (10/18/2008) Amy and Tim tied the knot! A gorgeous fall day with blue skies.... what a dream wedding! Check out all images of their wedding soon under "View my photographs" on our website at www.studiom.ms! Congrats to Amy & Tim!!!

Baby Contest

Today I photographed three more babies for our baby contest! They are so much fun! We will be voting for the contest winner during the Halloween Party on Oct 26, 2008. The baby contest winner will get a $350 gift certificate and one lucky Halloween Party attendant will also get a $500 gift certificate. Are you giving blood? Those making an appt and giving blood during our event will get double entry!!! We are looking forward to it! In the meantime, check it out! What kind of day do you think I had today? It was a whole lot of fun around here today, as it is everyday :-)
I cannot wait to see who gets the most votes!
We still have a few more babies to photograph... can't wait!
Maria

Happy Face

Yesterday my staff and I had the pleasure of working with all the adorable kids from Happy Face! Check them out!

Be brave.. give the gift of LIFE!!!

Here at STUDIO M we are ALL really excited about our upcoming Halloween event...... WHAT??? You haven't heard about it??? Well, it's FUN. It's on Oct 26 from 1 - 5pm... It's a Haloween Party for the whole family with FREE family portraits with Hay and Pumpkins and Candy and friends.... we are trying to create some awareness for the McGuire Memorial and we are out for BLOOD!!!! The CENTRAL bLOOD bANK WILL BE THERE... Come have a spooky great time!!! Want to know more? Visit this link and you will! CALL US at 724-745-4405 and schedule an appt to save somebody's life... yes... we are out for blood! ALL that attend will have the oportunity to win a $500 gift certificate to be drawn at 5pm AND don't forget that voting for the Baby Contest is that day too!!! Come for an amazing and fun time!!! See you there!!!

Maria

Chloe

Meet Chloe... This 2009 senior came in for her senior pictures yesterday! Looking forward to seeing you again Chloe!!!

Sarah & Jeremiah

Congratulations to Sarah and Jeremiah for tying the knot on Oct 4, 2008! Check out a preview of their images! To see ALL the images, visit the "see our photographs" section of our site in a few weeks! They will all be there! Congrats again!

Austin and Kaiden

Yesterday these two little brothers came in for a session.... and they were just PERFECT. What beautiful sweet children.... It was an honor to be the one to get to capture this. Looking forward to seeing you guys soon!

Kristen and Jon

Congratulations to Kristen and Jon for tying the knot on Sep 29, 2008! Check out a preview of their images! To see ALL the images, visit the "see our photographs" section of our site in a few weeks! They will all be there! Congrats again!

Macy's Girls night out

Last night was Macy's girls night out where woman shop along side their mom's for some fun. We went and set up a little studio and did some on location portraits.... lots of fun! Check it out!

Mary Beth

Meet Mary Beth! This Canon Mac High School senior was awesome to photograph! Looking forward to seeing you soon!!!

BRIDGET

Meet Bridget...this 2009 HS Senior was amazing to photograph! Very very camera friendly! Looking forward to seeing you soon Bridget!!!

What's happening around here...

Well, the summer has whizzed by us as usual... and schools about to start! My kids are excited, comparing notes with their friends on their teachers and classrooms... they cannot wait! I am excited for the fall season here too with all the families we have booked for outdoor portraits and all the new sets we have designed ... here is one of our new sets which we are using for Halloween.... it is just adorable! I cannot wait to see all the kids in their costumes this year! We will be advertsing with a new newsletter soon with all our new sets and what we are doing...

In the meantime, check out GRANT... this adorable 4 year old is a builder for Halloween. Working with children is such a blessing... they say the funniest things and they keep me very very young!

Hoping everyone is having a GREAT week! :-)

Nicole

Meet Nicole. This USC senior came in last week for her senior session and we had a great time! Looking forward to seeing you soon Nicole!

TRASH THE DRESS!!!!

So what are you going to do with your wedding gown after your wedding day? Times and styles change... choose to get an awesome bridal session after your wedding with your wedding gown! So maybe you think getting your gown wet will ruin it? Not so! Let it drip dry and send it to the cleaners.... it will look great! Meet Morgan... this was her trash the dress session! We had a fantastic time running around the city and got some amazing stuff.....

Braedon Ondos

Meet Braedon Ondos. Braedon is a 7 year old adorable little boy from Peters Township who lives with a very rare genetic disorder called Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. PCD is characterized by chronic infections due to inherited defects in tiny hair like structures in the lungs, sinuses and ears called cilia, which can clean the accumulation of mucus and bacteria from organs. This rare disease affects less than 25 thousand people nationwide. Most cases are extremely difficult to diagnose and traet because they are so poorly understood.

Today, I invited Braedon to my studio because I wanted to take a great portrait of him for the upcoming fundraising event that will take place in Peters Township on August 16th. He wasn’t crazy about having his picture taken but he did a GREAT job! Check out his show! PLEASE help us by coming and enjoying this event with your family and help us raise money for the PCD foundation! I will be there with my camera and my children hoping to help the PCD foundation and the Ondos Family in any way that I can. Braedon is a cutie and about to enter the 1st grade at PV elementary with my daughter Christina ... please come and have some fun with us!

Join us on:
August 16th, 2008
Donaldson’s Croosroads’
Giant Eagle Parking Lot
9am to 3pm

You can get more information on this genetic disorder by visiting www.pcdfoundation.org

Katrina and Shawn

Katrina and Shawn came up this week for an engagement session.... this adorable couple will be getting married on July 11, 2009! Congrats guys! Can't wait to photograph your wedding! Enjoy!

Gabi

Meet Baby Gabi. This adorable 2 month old came to us yesterday...she is gorgeous! Thank you Christy and Joe for sharing Gabi with me.... she is a doll! Enjoy!

Paula - PTHS 2009 Senior

Check out Paula, this 2009 PTHS senior was a lot of fun to photograph! Looking forwar d to seeing you soon Paula!

Baby Johanna

Meet Baby Johanna.... but you may have seen her before! This little cutie was in here a few days ago for another appointment and she is getting oh so big! Time goes so fast! If only they could stay this little!

Trash the Dress

Here is a pre-view of our recent Trash the Dress session... it was awesome.... more to come!

Kristen & Jude.... and baby Peyton

On July 2nd, Kristen and her husband Jude came up to have their maternity session photographed. It was a beautiful and emotional event, one of which I thouroughly enjoyed being a part of. I love maternity images, and really enjoy working with couples. Kristen was awesome too... it's great when someone tells you to do what you want as an artist. I love to create, and it's amazing when people give me the opportunity to do just that. Maternity images mark the end of new, exciting and emotional journey that brings a little maricle into your arms and then the world is never the same....... Nothing can prepare you for that. AND... if you didn't believe in love at first sight before.... you will be sure to believe in it then!
.... and just the next morning after this session.... 2 weeks early.... Kristen went into labor....and here comes Peyton! What a blessing! Perfect tiny fingers, amazing little toes, a cute and tiny button nose.... just perfect. Peyton was born on the fourth of July. Very cool.
To Kristen, Jude and Peyton, May God bless the three of you!
With all the love from my family to yours.....
Maria

I had tears welling up when I took this image. Kristen, you and Peyton are beautiful together. Cherish every moment with her!!!

Ava

Meet Ava. This 2 year old little beauty made a stop at Studio M to visit us not long ago, bringing everthing about being two with her. What an awesome age.... something about this age intrigues me... you have to work really hard with them to get their undivided attention but it is SO WORTH it in the end.... take a look! Thanks Melissa for bringing up Ava, I really enjoyed her! Looking forward to seeing you!

Maria

Brian

Meet Brian... Brian is a 2009 PTHS high school senior that has many talents. Not only does he create some awesome artwork but Brian is also a skater. I love shooting seniors because they always bring new fun and fresh ideas to the table. When I saw his skateboard, I KNEW I was in for a treat. My favorite part was catching him is action ... but the entire session rocked. Thanks Brian.... looking forward to seeing you again.

Happy 4th!

Things have been so busy at the studio that finding the time to blog is tough at times... I wish we could blog every senior, wedding, baby and such that walk through the door.... I love to share.... and definately try to do as much as I can! Things at the studio this week were crazy and totally fun.... it's awesome to meet new people all the time and have a good time doing what I love and do best. My kids however were getting a little tiered of my crazy schedule and long hours.... so since I had a wedding celebration to photograph in Altoona, PA... we left a few days early to visit with close friends and family taht live in this area. We spent the day yesterday with our family and had an awesome time. Then at night we went out to see fireworks... lots of fun. Got some cool images too... My niece Bailie was posing for me too.... so here she is, wet hair and all ... right out of the pool...

Meghan and Joe tie the knot!!!

On Saturday, June 28th, 2008 Meghan and Joe tied the knot! It was a beautiful wedding that took place at Saint Benedict the Abbot Catholic Church (http://www.stbenedicttheabbot.com/) and the reception was at the Hilton Garden Inn (http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=PITSPGI) - Everything was beautiful! Check it out! Look for all images on our site in about 3- 4 weeks. (Images will be posted under "See my photographs"...

Look at this beautriful Bible.... It was one of the first things I noticed when I walked in the room the bride was to be dressed in. Gorgeous.... and from what I understand it is a family heirloom too!!!

Something blue.... LOVE LOVE LOVE the shoes! Way to go Meghan!

I LOVE this image of Meghan and her mom. It touches me in so many ways. I makes me want to get on a plane and fly to Brazil, just so I can hug my mom. Moms are so special ... NO ONE can replace them and how they make you feel. They are our angels on earth...

Still LOVE that "something blue!"

It stopped raining just long enough for us to get sme images outdoors! They turned out awesome and I had a GREAT time!..... Check out Vinny!

Congrats Meghan and Joe! Give me a call when you get back from your honeymoon! Can't wait to show all of these to you both!!!

Maria