I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE HERE!

Hi! I’m Kara Abbey.

I am a wedding photographer based in Irwin, PA (just outside of Pittsburgh, PA). I love serving happy & excited brides & grooms to preserve the memories of their engagement, wedding day, and love legacy!

My family is the most important thing to me: I have been married to my best friend and favorite roller coaster junkie for the last 9 years & together, we have a golden-haired princess & a tiny new prince. A spunky black lab rounds out our little family and it’s simply perfect.

I like my coffee iced, my wine sweet, and my chocolate dark. I love reading good books and blogs, I have a minor obsession with all things Disney, and chocolate/peanut butter ice cream is my weakness (I’ll never say no!)

Proposal, Engagement, & Wedding Photographer

FOR HAPPY & EXCITED BRIDES & GROOMS
BASED IN IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA

Wedding in Irwin, PA

“Our family & friends (and us) can not stop saying how impressed with Kara [that] we all are. She is truly a special person and we are so blessed to have had her capture our day. We truly and honestly cannot thank her enough! We are in awe of her! And now we have so many beautiful photos to help remember our wedding day!”
– Rachel & Tyler
September 8, 2018

Wedding in Deep Creek Lake, MD

“No review in the world could do Kara justice!! She was hands down the best photographer, and now friend, that we could ask for. One of Kara’s biggest gifts is her ability to make people feel comfortable and relaxed during the photos, and it clearly shows in our gallery. The photos don’t look forced, they look natural and organic — even the giant family portraits.”
-Phoebe & Matt
May 26, 2018

My Philosophy

I love arriving on a wedding day as an old friend. An old friend, with a big camera & a suitcase full of lenses (that’s how most “old friends” arrive, right?) I love arriving with a big smile on my face, congratulations on my lips, arms outstretched (for a hug, of course!), and legs ready to dance the night away!

By the time your wedding day rolls around, we will have met over coffee (or via FaceTime), hopefully hung out for a few hours for an epic engagement session, worked together to created a detailed timeline of your wedding day, as well as compiled a strategic family formals list. We’ll have sent many emails & texts back-and-forth ironing out details & fine-tuning our plan for the happiest day of your life. After all that time & work, I’m definitely walking into the room you’re getting ready in as an old friend.

And, what better person is there to capture the memories of your wedding day?

I’ve worked for photographers who don’t take the “old friend” approach. They show up on your wedding day stiff, serious, & unprepared for the day. Basically, they don’t seem like they even enjoy what they’re doing.

Maybe it’s because I shadowed a few of those kinds of (old, grumpy) photographers when I was first learning the wedding day ropes, or maybe it’s because I had the privilege to be a photographer at Disney World (the happiest place on earth) – needless to say, I love the “old friend” title so much more than “vendor.” I love what I do, I promise to smile all day long, and I won’t be able to help myself but dance at your reception.

Where are you located?

I have the immense privilege of shooting in TWO locations!

The first is my home – I live in Irwin, PA, right outside of the great city of Pittsburgh! I regularly shoot in Irwin, North Huntingdon, Greensburg, and Monroeville, as well as in downtown Pittsburgh (as well as the hundred tiny little towns in between). This is where I live, so I am available year-round in South Western Pennsylvania.

The second location is my “seasonal” home – in Deep Creek Lake, MD. My family has owned a cabin on Deep Creek Lake for 5 generations and we spend as much time as possible there every summer. My time there is (unfortunately) seasonal, meaning we close up our cabin & do not have access to it thru the winter. However, we open the cabin as soon as we can every spring, so I am typically available, on a limited basis, April through October in Garrett County, Maryland.