Coney Island

       Due to "summer ending" a little over a week ago I thought I would share my trip to Coney Island that I took earlier this summer!

        I live in one of the most amazing cities in the world, although I sometimes forget this fact. It's true that I take my city for granted a lot! Being a photographer in NYC is like being a kid in a candy store, so I should always have my camera on me right? WrongO! I mean, I guess I have a camera with me at all times. I have my camera phone, but I'm talking about taking pictures that I can edit (not in instagram - user name @colhahnphoto if you would like to follow) and use professionally.

         SO, all that being said I planned a trip to Coney Island and decided to take my camera with me the whole day. Coney Island is like a completely different world! I thought that it would be a good chance for me to practice my street photography and I was right! Between the beach, the rides, and the mix of people it was the perfect photography play land! Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day. 

I couldn't pick just one of these so I had to share them all. 

One Day

      One day. One day I will have Colleen Hahn Photography be my main income! Until then I have a day job. Of course I do right!? I am an artist living in New York City! No, I am not a server (although I was for many years), I have an office job at a Physical Therapy company. I have enjoyed my day job for the most part. I like the people (we take care of a lot of dancers), I like the steady income (no guessing if I was going to make enough money that month), and I like knowing what hours I am going to be working week to week (mostly). But when I have a lot of photography things going on I feel like my day job just gets in the way! Whenever I am at the office I think of the many things that I could be doing at home, at my desk, on my computer, and for the job I REALLY want to be doing.

       Don't get me wrong I am happy and grateful to have my day job. There are so many people without jobs right now, but sometimes I am busy all of the time with balancing everything! The thing is, even though some days I have a list of a million things I need to do, I know that it is all so that one day I will wake up and already BE at work! I will have my own photography business, with my own studio, and doing the job that I love. I don't care how long it takes me, because it will be all worth it. One Day.

     VS.

High School Senior Portraits

    Senior year of high school is an amazingly special time in life! You have so many opportunities ahead of you! College, classes, work, finding your passion in life, making relationships, traveling, and so much more! 

    Plus there is the feeling of being at the top of the school for a whole year! Senior year is the last time I remember feeling this way.  Age loses it’s meaning after high school a little. Senior year in high school you rule the school! There is a feeling of being invincible and no one can take that away from you! 

    These are all the reasons that Senior Portraits are so special and an honor for me to shoot! I was able to photograph two girls this year that just happened to be best friends. We ended up having to do a reshoot a month after the first appointment but that just made our experience even better. I was even able to get a few shots of them together! 

     Friendship at this time in life is so important and I know that when I was a senior I would have loved a photo shoot with my bestie! I hope these girls stay close over the years and are able to look back at these pictures remembering all of the fun times that they had ruling the school (and the choir room) for a year! 

                                      Rachel - majoring in Biology at The University of Pittsburgh 

Christina - majoring in English Education and minoring in Theatre at West Chester University

Christina - majoring in English Lit at WCU 

Time Capsule

     One of the things that I love about photography is the fact that it is a time capsule! It captures moments that snaps you back to a different time in your life in an instant! You get to see time evolve, people change, and children grow! 

     Over a year ago I had the pleasure of photographing a gorgeous little love named Zach! He was about 9 months old and such a big flirt! 

       I have seen Zach a few times since the first shoot we had and I knew that his birthday was coming up. I contacted his mother to see if she wanted to do another photo shoot and she loved the idea!  About week after his 2nd birthday we got together in a few of Zach’s favorite spots to get some 2 year shots! We had a lot of fun! 

     As I was editing the photographs it was really cool to be able to pull up the pictures from our first shoot together to see how big Zach has gotten in just a little over a year! He still has those big blue eyes and smile that melts your heart! Watch out girls! He is going to break a bunch of hearts in his day! 

I hope that my photography allows me watch more children and families grow over time! 

When it Rains it Pours!

       Wow! I. Am. Busy. I know, I know, right now everyone is busy. It's that time of year. We are right in the middle of the Holiday season and there are a million and two things to do. But I mean that I am professionally busy and I could not be happier!

        Tomorrow I am going on my 5th shoot in a month (not counting family shoots over Thanksgiving)! I got to shoot two weddings, some head shots, and two sets of children for their Christmas cards!

          Finding the balance between my "day job", my photography, and the holidays is proving to be though but it is so worth it! There is always something for me to be doing with my business right now! Waking up early to do some editing or to get a shoot in before work is enjoyable! I really feel like by business is growing and that good things are in the future with my craft. I know that I won't always be this busy with my photography, but even if this is the most business I will get at one time at least I can look back with fond memories of being a little bit overwhelmed with MY work!

          Here are a few shots of the two weddings and one of the Christmas card shoots that I have done. More pictures of the rest of what has been keeping me on my toes soon to come!