Sneak Preview: Karaoke Wedding!

I'm currently in the process of editing photos from a wedding that we shot a few weeks ago and just came across this gem.

It was the first karaoke wedding that I've ever been to. What a trip! The couple originally met each other at a karaoke bar in California so it was quite fitting to celebrate together this way--and, believe me, their family & friends were pretty psyched to grab the microphone and join in!

Can't wait to share more from this amazing wedding!

Kara & Kyle are married!

Our good friends Kara & Kyle were married last month at Artesano Ironworks in Manayunk, Philadelphia. The venue itself was beautiful and Kara & Kyle put so much effort into designing the space into a spectacular showpiece. Kara's choice in decor was stunning and Kyle designed & installed lights all over the venue which gave the space an incredible ambience. Christopher & I mainly shot video for the ceremony & for the other main events of the night, but I managed to sneak in a few photos of the details and caught a few nice moments at the reception.

Congratulations to the Mr. & Mrs!

H E L L O . . .

. . . I haven't updated in a while, have I?

More wedding and portrait sessions will be posted soon.

In the meantime, my kitty Sneaker says "meow."

Oh, and please check out my updated website Stacey McDonald Photography

Post-storm sky

This photo was taken a few weeks ago at sunset, directly after a torrential storm. Practically all of Philadelphia took photos of the sky that night. Nearly everyone on our block was outside snapping shots and marveling at how incredible it was. "I've never seen anything like this in my life!" "Are we still on earth?" My Instagram feed exploded with similar photos that evening--all different shades of orange, yellow, pink were captured from every quarter of the city. It was one of those times in which all of humanity (at least everyone we came across) was basking in our humanness, our smallness on this earth, and the reality that something we see everyday can astound us with an unexpected beauty. It stopped us all in our tracks and demanded our attention.

This image was the only one that I took that night. In hindsight, I wish that I would have taken more but, at the time, I just wanted to enjoy it! This image was straight out of camera--not even a touch of editing. 

What a sky it was!

Melissa : Mini-Shoot

A few weeks ago, Melissa and I both took an hour out of our schedules to do a little photo shoot. We both live in the Cedar Park neighborhood of West Philly, so we met up at her house and then headed outside. The whole time we stayed within a two block radius of her house but got such a nice variety of shots even in the limited space.

Melissa's such a sweet spirit. She's just a few months shy of finishing up her grad degree in Pediatric Nursing. If I've ever met anyone well-suited for nursing or for caring for children... it's definitely her. We also have a bond over how much we love our cats. Her cat Orpheus is the sweetest, most playful little guy. Melissa was such a natural in front of the camera and such an adorable person to have the opportunity to shoot. I had a blast walking around the neighborhood with her!

Matt & Veronica's Wedding

A few weeks ago, I had the extreme honor of taking photographs for Matt & Veronica's wedding day. They had such an intimate gathering of family & friends at the 59th Street Beach in Ocean City, NJ--a secluded beach, away from the boardwalk. Thankfully, the weather held out just long enough for the ceremony and for a few portraits on the beach afterwards. It felt amazing to spend so much time with the two of them on such an important day of their lives. I felt like a VIP getting to be right there next to them documenting their day as they prepared, said their vows and then celebrated afterwards.

Here's a few photos from their beautiful day: