Jenny Karlsson Photography | Pets | Family | Weddings

Sewickley Unleashed 2013

Jenny — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:11:07 +0000

What could be better than a gorgeous day, lots of adorable pets in costume, and a parade in support of the animals at the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society? This is the 2013 edition of Sewickley Unleashed. Thank you so much for making it such a great day and for stopping by my tent. To purchase a print from the event head on over the Sewickley Unleashed gallery.

Luke & Leia

Jenny — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:37:28 +0000

Let’s say you have the opportunity to photograph a puppy. It is heaven. Well, when you have the chance to photograph two puppies at the same time with the best names ever?!? Mind blown. Luke on the right is so darn cute with his fluffy fur. Leia is just as happy as can be, loved modeling for the camera, and was showing off her mad stick collecting skills. Thank you Jamie and Jake for bringing your fur babies to Frick Park for a portrait session in the evening sun.

Maya’s Bat Mitzvah

Jenny — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:12:33 +0000

Venue: Gateway Clipper

Temple: Temple Sinai

Second Photographer: Dmitriy Babichenko

Entertainment: First Class Entertainment

Vancouver

Jenny — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:20:30 +0000

Everyone who visits Vancouver probably utters the words “I want to move here”. As soon as you land at YVR you just fall in love with the city, the water, the mountains, the amazing food, and the incredibly clean and refreshing air. When I recently went to Vancouver for the Canada Photo Convention, to learn from some of the best wedding photographers in the world, Bradley joined me for a couple of days before the convention started. Since we had not had time to research the city beforehand, we relied completely on our concierge. Raymond, a fellow foodie, got us reservations to some fresh and delicious sushi at ShuRaku, and a kick-ass meal at Hawksworth Restaurant which recently won Restaurant of the Year in Vancouver for the second year in a row. Yum! When we weren’t in a total food coma, we walked the streets of Vancouver, rode the Trolley, and visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge which was just a mere 15 min bus ride from the Convention Center downtown. Walking among some of the biggest trees I’ve ever seen in my life was just incredible. I am so grateful for these few days together, and I appreciate that Bradley convinced me to bring the film camera even though I only had black and white film at home. These memories are priceless to me and the black and white adds a bit of nostalgia.

Pet Parents Day

Jenny — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:40:13 +0000

On Pet Parents Day, Karen Litzinger, publisher of Heal Your Heart – Coping with the Loss of a Pet, and I teamed up with Color Me Mine in Squirrel Hill to support the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. Several pet parents brought their dogs and one brave cat while painting water bowls, treat jars etc for their fur kids. Some dogs got their paws (and snout) painted and it was adorable to watch. Smokey Joe and Maggie, two super-sweet adoptable dogs from WPHS visited the store. Smokey Joe was mostly found with his head buried in the prop bin looking for my tennis ball, and loved trying stuff on.

Sneak Peek: Jack

Jenny — Mon, 06 May 2013 00:49:45 +0000

I’ve always loved Jack. I met him the first time at Petagogy’s Anniversary Event last year and he was wearing a collar and bow tie. In December he came to get his photo with Santa and of course he had an awesome little Santa hat and his big smile. I was so excited to spend time with him on Saturday morning for a portrait session in Mellon Park. His choice of outfit did not disappoint.

Among the lilacs

Jenny — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:21:25 +0000

A common occurrence in our household these days is that I come home from work, give my husband a kiss, hug Alice, run upstairs for my camera, and ask Bradley if he can come outside for just a minute before it gets too dark (no isn’t really an option ). Despite it being in the middle of an intense playoff hockey game he comes along. He is a sweetheart.

This time I told him to just stand still in front of our lilac bush, look at me, and ignore the people that were walking by. He is a trooper for sure. In the meantime I was taking nine images that were later stitched together into one. Next time I’ll definitely take more images of the background so that the resulting image is even larger (as if 250MB isn’t enough for my cranky old computer). However, since this portrait was just taken for the sake of playing I am quite satisfied with how cool it looks with the resulting shallow depth of field, and will continue to have fun with it. For the other nerds out there, the panoramic stitching method is also referred to as the Brenizer Method.

“Whether success or failure, I want the satisfaction of knowing my results are my own.” – Pat Flynn

Of course my husband always votes for the color version. While I like color, I am also a sucker for black and white. It just has a bit of nostalgia that I love.

Couldn’t resist taking a picture of the lilac bush while I was at it.

Blaine | Biggies Bullies

Jenny — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:33:32 +0000

Biggies Bullies is a 100% volunteer run, foster-based non-profit organization in Pittsburgh, devoted to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing pit bulls. Allison, originally from Rochester, NY, moved to Pittsburgh in 2007, and am the founder of Biggies Bullies. The name was inspired by her first rescue Biggie, a 7 week old puppy that was used as a bait puppy. Since that day she has devoted her life to rescuing bully breeds.

Earlier this week I met up with Allison, Blaine and his foster mom Amanda in Frick Park. Blaine is a super-sweet 10 month old handsome guy with a big smile. He loves to play with other dogs, chew sticks, get belly rubs and give kisses.

Follow the links to find out more about how to adopt Blaine or donate to Biggies Bullies.

Spring in Mellon Park

Jenny — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:21:27 +0000

In the north part of Sweden where I grew up, spring doesn’t really exist. We usually have snow until the end of April (with an occasional snowfall in May just to mess with you) and once it gets warm the birch trees go BOOM and the leaves are out. In Pittsburgh I really enjoy how spring comes in stages, and unless the magnolias freeze just as the blooms open, you get to enjoy them before the tulips and the dogwoods bloom. These film scans of the early signs of spring in Mellon Park just came back from Richard Photo Lab. I love the fact that no tweaking was necessary (in contrary to the typical workflow for digital photography). I think that personal work is really important for the soul and for creating an artistic vision. That’s why it is so fun to just pick up the film camera and play every once in a while. Of course Alice comes along on these little adventures as well.

When my subject was a chicken

Jenny — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 02:45:28 +0000

My friend Melody, who is also a photographer, recently invited me over to see her chickens. We decided to try to get a few shots of them, and let me tell you…. photographing chickens is not easy. These images just crack me up because regardless of how I positioned the camera into their cardboard-box home I mostly got closeup shots of their feet. When I tried to pick one up she made a startling sound as if I had just tickled her like crazy. I wish I could have recorded it. Soon they’ll leave their little home to go and explore the backyard. The world must feel enormous when they take their first few steps through the door.