Behind The Scenes – Photographing in 2023

Happy 11th “behind the scenes” blog post.
At this point, my brain has quit computing the number of years I’ve been at this. When people ask how long I’ve been a photographer and I tell them that I shot my first solo-wedding in 2009 (I was second-shooting and learning the ropes in 2008) and that this year marks TEN years of being a full time wedding photographer – my brain turns into the “exploding emoji”. Because, how can that even be possible?!

Somehow, mathematics and logic and the law of time says it must be true though, so here we are at my 11th annual “behind the scenes” blog post – showing a tiny peek into what it looks like to be a wedding photographer!

2023 was such a fun wedding year. I finally got to visit a few venues that have been on my bucket list forever, I had the privilege of meeting and working with some absolutely incredible fellow wedding vendors, and my brides and grooms remain 100% top notch.

I refuse to take my job for granted. Being invited into someone’s celebration of love is one of the most marvelous and humbling experiences ever. Sure, it’s a lot of work (I run a lot of steps on wedding days), but the end result is always so worth it. I’m so proud of how I continue to grow and mature as a photographer – there is still so much more to learn, but I love witnessing myself hone in my art more and more every year through these behind the scenes and “favorites” blog posts (those are coming right around the corner!)

If you can’t get enough behind-the-scenes, I invite you to check out year’s past!
2022’s version
2021’s version
2020’s version
2019’s version
2018’s version
2017’s version
2016’s version
2015’s version
2014’s version
and 2013’s version!

Before we begin: I just have to give a HUGE shout-out to the three amazing photographers who came along with me as second-shooters in 2023!!
— Derrick came along with me to one wedding.
— Millicent came along with me to one wedding – we had such a great day, I can’t wait to work together again!
— Darcie was my go-to girl for second-shooting this year! She helped me out on SO many wedding days – it was amazing! She’s the best and I love her dearly!
Almost all of the photos in this post of me (unless they are mirror-selfies) were taken by one of these 3 amazing photographers!!

So, here we go! A tiny peek into what 2023 looked like as a wedding photographer!

My 2023 wedding season kicked off in the spring at Oak Lodge in Stahlstown, PA. Matt (the venue coordinator) was outstanding and so helpful – this venue is on my “dying to get back to” list for sure!

I’ll just say: I got rained on more in 2023 than any other year. I believe I only had ONE wedding day where the forecast was 100% dry – we battled and dodged raindrops at every other wedding. My umbrellas got quite the workout (and, after using them for 10 years, I actually lost an umbrella – RIP).

How about a little game of “Where’s Waldo- err, Kara”?

This is one of my favorite “behind-the-scenes” photos EVER. Thanks Darcie for always smashing it out of the park for me and my brides and grooms!

“Hi puppy! Do you want to come home with me?”

I got to shoot two weddings, two weekends in a row, at Twelve Oaks Mansion in Mars, PA! It was so fun to be at the same place back-to-back (and again, this venue landed at the top of my “I must get back again” list!)

As amazing as my second shooters are, I still shot a handful of weddings solo (smaller, more intimate affairs that didn’t require two photographers). On those days, I just took a lot of “mirror selfies” for proof that I was there.

Am I kneeling up on a table? YEP.

Bri and Michael.. and a random, strange, creepy HAND.

I’ll never forget asking Bri to put her bouquet up around Michael’s neck, and it completely overtaking his entire head. We laughed SO HARD.
In other news: Soldiers and Sailors in Pittsburgh, PA has been on my “wedding venue bucket list” forever and I was so excited to finally shoot a gorgeous wedding there. It was so amazing, again – a “must get back to” place!

Special thanks to Derrick for coming along with me to help me with a wedding:

Shout-out to Millicent for coming along with me as well!

But a special, HUGE, shout-out to Darcie for being my main-man-second-shooter this year!

(This photo of Darcie man-handling this garbage can out of the corner will forever be one of my favorites!)

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But wait, there’s more!

Yes, I am a full-time wedding photographer, but I’m also a roller coaster photographer!! You all know that Derrick runs a growing YouTube channel centered around roller coasters – and well, I’ve been taking roller coaster photos for him since we met in 2008.
When we travel and go to parks, he shoots video, and I take photos. It’s a winning combination if I do say so myself. (I’ll further add that Derrick hit the JACKPOT when he married me – I’ll just leave it at that!)

In 2021, I began to really help Derrick more and more with the behind-the-scenes workings of his brand. Not to brag, but I’ve become an integral member of the XscreamThrills team (which consists of the two of us).

So, here are a few photos of us looking completely different than we do on wedding days – shooting completely different subjects – ones we don’t have to pose or direct, but ones we are constantly striving for a “different” “more creative” photo of.

We kicked off our roller coaster riding season with attending a media event at Kennywood Park. We were both interviewed for the news that day – it was so much fun!

We did a TON of driving this year – so I did A LOT of editing in the car.
(And hey, look! Derrick’s Mom caught me vlogging!)

And last, but not least: Derrick and I have continued on with “ERT with Derrick and Kara” a “show” we created for his YouTube channel. We took a break over the summer, but in the fall got back to it with “Season 2“! We’ve really stepped up our game this year, if I do say so myself! We’ve upped the production quality, been much more consistent, had better topics, and overall put together better episodes than last year. I guess practice really does make perfect! Even though we’re both pretty good at talking to camera – it’s been a learning experience to do a show together – I’m really proud of how far we’ve come and am excited to see things continue to evolve and grow!

Thank you all so much for your support & love for me & my little business!! I am living the dream and it’s because of you all! Cheers to an amazing 2024!

And if you can’t get enough behind-the-scenes, check out:
2022’s version \ 2021’s version \ 2020’s version \ 2019’s version \ 2018’s version \ 2017’s version \ 2016’s version \ 2015’s version \ 2014’s version \ 2013’s version