Mark Ort Photography

Brittany Senior Photo Shoot

2011-08-18T21:35:00.000-04:00

Great time shooting this senior session with Brittany! The rain held off even as the sky was threatening, but the overcast sky provided us with some fantastic lighting at Hartwood Acres. Brittany was very comfortable in front of the camera and knew exactly what to do. She made my job very easy! Congratulations, Brittany on finishing your senior year and best wishes for a successful college career!

Val's Christmas Gathering

2011-01-24T21:18:00.001-05:00

The Christmas holiday season is a fantastic time to get family group photos! On Christmas Eve, about thirty of Val's family members from all over the country converged on one snowy homestead and we were able to get some great shots in the cold crisp outdoors. The new fallen snow against the background of pine and ivy made for a beautiful wintery contrast with the bright holiday colors from the flannel shirts and warm sweaters. It was my pleasure to photograph this great looking family!

Jasmine's Senior Photo Shoot

2010-10-22T16:42:00.001-04:00

Hartwood Acres is just a fantastic place to take photographs. The architecture of the mansion and the surrounding grounds provide for endless possibilities for classy pictures. I spent a few hours there on a Saturday afternoon with Jasmine and her parents. These photos are the results of a very fun afternoon.

Best wishes to Jasmine as she finishes her senior year!

Kathryn and Bill

2010-10-18T09:22:00.000-04:00

Kathryn and Bill were a pleasure to work with! The wedding day air was filled with exciting anticipation of the ceremony and the reception celebration. God provided us all a beautiful sunny day with temperatures that weren't too hot for a late summer wedding. I don't think it could have been any more perfect!

One of my favorite things as a photographer is to get to know some of the wedding guests as I eat dinner... and this wedding was no exception! The guests that I was able to meet were great and we had some fun conversation. Very nice wedding day! Congrats to Kathryn and Bill! I hope you enjoy your photos!

Christy and Daniel Wedding Photos

2010-09-05T15:03:00.000-04:00

We had a fantastic time at this wedding celebration! Christy and Daniel were an extremely fun-loving couple and such a pleasure to work with. The day started off with a mini photo session at the bride's parents where the girls were getting their hair and make-up done. Then after a short lunch break it was off to the ceremony at Holy Sepulcher church. We were able to get a few outside shots at a nearby rock and flower landscaped area nearby. Then we concluded the day with the reception at the banquet hall at Days Inn which was very elegantly decorated in blue and white. It was time to party... and these people knew how to celebrate! Everyone had a great time. Best wishes to Christy and Daniel on a long, happy and prosperous marriage!

Jaime's Senior Session

2010-08-25T18:17:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I met Jaime and her father at the Butler High School football field. It was a really hot August afternoon, but it turned out to be a super fun time! Jaime seemed to be a natural in front of the camera and I think we ended up with great shots. Have a great senior year, Jaime!

Jessica and Cory

2010-08-21T21:46:00.000-04:00

Other than our pre-wedding practice sessions and the wedding day itself, I hadn't previously known Jessica and Cory... but they were very personable and friendly. I felt like we had been friends for a long time. They were so easy to work with and we had alot of fun! A wedding day couldn't be any more perfect! The ceremony took place outside at The Mansion in Butler. The character of the building with its traditional style architecture and the beauty of the grounds with its gardens and courtyards provided endless possibilities for photographs. Here are a few from the day. Congratulations to Jessica and Cory!

Christy and Daniel

2010-07-04T14:05:00.002-04:00

I met Christy and Daniel for this photo shoot in Saxonburg on a warm and beautiful day. I always loved Saxonburg. In fact, I lived there for three years so I am well acquainted with its charm and history. We spent some time at Roebling Park that is home to a large gazebo, a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge and a museum. Later we stopped for a few pictures along Main Street. Christy and Daniel were such a pleasure to work with and I look forward to photographing their wedding in August!

Liz and Ryan

2010-07-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

Liz and Ryan tied the knot a couple weeks ago in a quaint church in Chicora. It was another hot and humid Saturday afternoon, but the heat certainly didn't affect the happy mood of the day. The rain held off perfectly as we were able to get some outside photos in a nearby park. The bride and groom never ran out of smiles and all the wedding guests were such a pleasure to be around. Everyone made my job so easy! Thanks for a great day. Many congratulations and best wishes for a long, happy and prosperous marriage. Hope you enjoy your photos!

Diane and Steve

2010-06-27T17:15:00.002-04:00

It was a hot and sunny summer afternoon, but a great day for a wedding. Congratulations to Diane and Steve on a wedding that seemed to go off without a hitch. You know how to throw a fantastic reception! I had a great time talking to a few of your wedding guests at our dinner table at the reception - they were great fun! Thanks to Christa, who gave me a hand on your special day. She did a wonderful job catching many of the details with her artistic eye. Here are a few shots from the day.

Jenna's Senior Photo Shoot

2010-05-13T18:20:00.002-04:00

I spent a fantastic Saturday afternoon shooting some fun pictures of Jenna in beautiful downtown Pittsburgh. What a great city with unlimited opportunities for amazing photos. Jenna, her mom, her two sisters and I walked the city blocks where it didn't take long to find the right places. In front of the famed Primanti Brothers in PPG Plaza... the cultural/theater district... Roberto Clemente bridge... brick walls... graffiti... it was all there! After a couple of hours we had tons of photos. All the girls had blast ~ and it goes without saying that the photographer did too. Wish I could post all the shots, but here is a small taste of what we did that day...

Liz and Ryan

2010-05-10T15:55:00.001-04:00

Here are some pics from our 'get-to-know' session with Ryan and Liz. We were looking for more of the 'industrial' look with a little edge, and we found some good places. Graffiti and old brick walls never fail for that. It was a drizzly day in downtown Butler, but I thought our short, rain-abbreviated day was still rather fruitful. Congrats to Ryan and Liz on their upcoming wedding in June!

Caroline's Photo Session

2009-12-14T20:57:00.005-05:00

It was a cold, windy, blustery day a couple weeks ago when we did this session. It was one of my favorites though, because I had an opportunity to photograph my own cousin while we were on Thanksgiving vacation. So it was great fun for me and very special. Caroline, as you will see, is stunning in these photos!

Diane and Steve - Hartwood Acres

2009-11-16T21:16:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, I spent part of a beautiful Sunday afternoon with Diane and Steve at Hartwood Acres. The only time I had ever seen Hartwood Acres was at night during the Christmas season at the Festival of Lights, but on that particular Sunday I was able to enjoy it on an unseasonably mild and bright sunny afternoon. The place is great! This photo session was part of Diane and Steve's wedding package. Doing an engagement session or a practice session is something I like to do because it helps the bride and groom get to know me a little bit more, just to experience how I work. And it's very helpful for me so I get to know them as well. As they look through the pictures from this session, they may see color filters, camera angles or poses they especially like and we'll take note of that and use those things in the wedding. If there is a certain thing that needs to be corrected, we'll do that too. So the 'practice' sessions are very important in preparation for wedding day! Here are a couple from last week's session:

Church Doors

2009-10-31T21:02:00.002-04:00

Architecture has always intrigued me. A couple weeks ago, I walked through Butler with my camera and the doorway design of several churches caught my inquisitive architectural eye. As a wedding photographer, I couldn't help but wonder how many happy brides and grooms exited those doors on their way to their reception celebration and honeymoon. And I wondered how many countless people arrived and departed each Sunday morning in their pursuit of God and His Son Jesus Christ. These are not just ornate wooden doors... I think they represent much more than that.

Matt's Senior Photos

2009-10-22T21:08:00.003-04:00

Matt was a great guy and a good sport. Senior pictures are probably the last thing a guy wants to do, but he hung in there and made my job extremely easy. We both shared a common interest in our love for hockey. When you live in Western Pennsylvania, you HAVE to be a hockey fan... you know, the 2009 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins?! Matt, good luck on your senior year and all your future endeavors!

Sarah's Senior Session

2009-10-21T17:44:00.004-04:00

Sarah is the drum major in her high school's band. I could tell she has a bright future ahead of her. We took two different days to get her pictures taken. Both days were not the best as far as weather was concerned, but we had a good time anyway (she said that our photo sessions weren't as bad as she had thought they'd be... I was glad I was able to make her feel comfortable with this!). The photos turned out great despite the cold, damp and rainy days. Whenever there are things out of your control, such as the rain, you just improvise and work with what you have! And so we got creative and made it work, and I was real happy with the results.

Emma and Leo

2009-10-14T21:43:00.003-04:00

These two kids were so much fun! Emma was just the little model. I think she loved every minute of getting her picture taken... and Leo was hilarious... he had me laughing the whole time. What a character he was. We spent about an hour at Alameda Park on an early autumn afternoon. They both had a good time with this photo session, and so did I! Check these out!

Senior Photo Session with Alexis

2009-09-11T20:04:00.024-04:00

Last week I spent some time with Alexis and her mom to get some fun shots. We found a couple places that worked great as backdrops. The football field was fantastic... and the graffiti wall was super cool. Graffiti can be an interesting thing... its on bridges, buildings, railroad cars... there are even websites and blogs about graffiti. It is quite an expression of art in some cases. In our case, someone else's expressions of 'art' helped to make our 'art' a little better. Best wishes for your senior year, Alexis. Hope you like your photos...

Christina and Matt

2009-08-19T21:40:00.011-04:00

Congratulations to Christina and Matt! I shot this wedding with my photography buddy Ken in Baltimore. The church was beautiful cut stone architecture with the traditional stained glass windows. The reception was held at the historic Belvedere Hotel in downtown Baltimore. So one thing I have in common with John F. Kennedy, Clark Gable and Douglas MacArthur: we all spent time at the Belvedere! Both the church and the reception made for a very elegant affair.

Kristin and Mark

2009-07-19T21:16:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of photographing Kristin and Mark. This couple was very easy going and a pleasure to work with. My job is so much easier when the bride and groom know how to have a good time. On wedding day and during the couple of meetings prior to the big day, I could sense that this couple had a deep sense of love and happiness toward one another - you could tell in their countenances! We took a few shots of the grooms family on the evening before the wedding, which was helpful for everyone, since many people had come from all over the country (I hope all the out-of-towners liked Western Pennsylvania and felt welcomed here!). The wedding ceremony was held in a church where natural lighting was very good and it helped me immensely. Also, the reception hall was beautiful, with lots of character. (The food, by the way, was delicious). Thanks for choosing me to capture the memories. Congratulations, Kristin and Mark... I hope you like these and all the other shots we took on your special day!

Butler Photo Walk

2009-07-18T21:42:00.005-04:00

Recently, I participated with a number of other local photographers in the Worldwide Photo Walk. I interpreted the objective of the event as walking the streets of the community looking for photo ops of every day life around us and absorbing it into the camera and making art out of it. For me, it was much more than that though... it was a great opportunity to meet some new people. It was great to see what other photographers were seeing. But it was also cool to meet our 'subjects'. I love architecture, so I snapped a few pics of some buildings, but I focused my attention and my camera mostly on the people that I encountered along the two mile path we walked.

We all love to reminisce of days gone by. Walking into this barber shop was like walking back into the 50's. This barber was great. It's hard to tell how many people's heads were shaved clean in the days that this guy took ahold of the scissors, but he loved his work. He talked of the blue collar guys from the mill that frequented his shop... guys from more than 25 years ago, so he'd been here a while. Nice to talk with this man... I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this image was the winning photograph for the Butler Photo Walk.

I love Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2. I like to play around with the preset buttons and get some special effects that fit the mood of the situation I am photographing. These new friends of mine were from Kittanning, Pennsylvania who stopped by the local motorcycle shop in town for a few parts to add to their Harley Davidsons.

Carol's Senior Photo Session

2009-07-08T21:14:00.003-04:00

I love doing senior photo sessions. High school graduates have alot of energy and are ready to take the world by storm. Carol made this session really fun for me, because she just knew what to do... she had 'the look'. I really didn't have to coach her as to what to do. I invited her younger sister along since she has an interest in photography and I think she saw how fun my job can be... Congratulations Carol!

Maria and Andrew

2009-07-05T21:21:00.003-04:00

This wedding was great fun! These are the kind of people you want to hang with. And not just the bride and groom, but everyone at this wedding were just fantastic. We did some 'pre-wedding' photos at the bride's house, which made for a beautiful setting with the lake in the back yard. The wedding ceremony was very worshipful... and a most elegant reception (with great food!). I took alot more pictures than I expected because these two were just really good at being on the other side of the camera. Congratulations Maria and Andrew and best wishes for a long and happy marriage.

Ashley and Wally

2009-07-01T19:06:00.001-04:00

The month of May is a beautiful time of year to photograph a wedding. This particular wedding marked the beginning of my summer wedding season for 2009. This was a Friday afternoon wedding. No one was sure if the weather was going to cooperate, but by the time the bride came down the aisle the sun broke through and the afternoon and evening turned out to be gorgeous. Since I have known Ashley and her family for years, it was my special privilege to participate in the wedding day. Many blessings and congratulations, Ashley and Wally!

About Mark Ort Photography

2009-05-01T21:46:00.006-04:00

My high school years marked the beginning of my love for photography. I used the hard-earned money from my job at the local fast food restaurant to buy myself a Canon AE-1. That camera provided me with many years of enjoyment... it captured stunning pictures of landscapes, flowers, buildings and even a few people. But with the advent of the digital camera, my AE-1 found its way to the back of the closet along with the unused canisters of film.

Although it was an artistic culture shift for me, I soon fell in love with digital photography. I became more comfortable shooting more photos of ‘people’, and eventually I started recording the events that define their lives.

I love photographing weddings. Weddings are like fingerprints or snowflakes - no two are alike. And so there is an element of the unexpected that makes it exciting for me. Everyone at a wedding is happy... there are lots of smiles and laughs to go around. Who doesn’t love to be at a wedding?

Senior photography is equally as enjoyable to me. Senior photo sessions are full of energy. Young people who are ready to take the world by storm and have bright futures make my job really easy because these are just fun people! I don’t like traditional portraits with the phony backgrounds (and to be honest, most 17-year-olds don't like that either)... so I don’t do studio work. It's too boring and it's not my style. Parks, schools, football fields... all make for great backdrops for a senior photo session.

I do senior and wedding photography in the Butler Pennsylvania area. That would include sessions in nearby areas such as Cranberry Township, Kittanning, New Castle, Grove City and Slippery Rock.

I don’t have 10 or 20 different packages for you to choose from. That’s too complicated. My approach is simple: one price for the event or session.

For a wedding, you get an engagement session, full coverage for the wedding day and 300-350 digital images on a DVD. For senior photos, you get 1-2 hours on location and around 40 images on a DVD.
I provide a release form for the DVD images, transferring ownership rights of the images to you... so you can reproduce as many of the images you want without me charging you extra for them.

For pricing or other questions, feel free to contact me:
email: markortphotography@consolidated.net
phone: 724-352-0329