Steve Groves Photo

Sometimes the best photographs come from places that already hold meaning.

For Zack and Candice, that meant spending time in a theater and a record store, two settings that reflect pieces of who they are and what they enjoy together. Rather than focusing on poses alone, these sessions were about capturing connection, personality, and the story they're writing before their October wedding.

The result is a collection of images that feels uniquely theirs, filled with laughter, quiet moments, and the shared interests that helped bring them together.

Read the full story on the blog:
https://www.stevegrovesmediaworks.com/blog/zack-and-candice-theater-vinyl-and-the-road-to-october

On April 30, I had the opportunity to photograph “A Taste of Etna,” a community event organized through Etna Heart & Soul focused on the future of the borough.

What made the evening especially interesting wasn’t just the event itself, but the conversations happening between the tables. Residents reflected on longtime businesses, familiar places, and what they hope Etna continues to become moving forward.

The night blended documentary-style event coverage, environmental storytelling, and portraits created for a larger community memory book project connected to the event.

Full story now live on the blog:
https://www.stevegrovesmediaworks.com/blog/conversations-between-the-tables-photographing-etna-heart-amp-soul

Not every project starts with a plan.

Some just start because they need to.

Between work, family, music, and everything else, this one almost didn’t get written. But it turns out that showing up without a clear idea is sometimes exactly where the good stuff lives.

New blog is up: https://www.stevegrovesmediaworks.com/blog/somewhere-in-the-middle-of-everything

Four bands. One stage. One afternoon.

The Three Rivers Community Band Festival brought together ensembles from across the Pittsburgh area, each with its own voice—but all speaking the same language.

This one felt different… and somehow exactly the same.

Full blog: https://www.stevegrovesmediaworks.com/blog/not-as-different-as-youd-think-its-all-the-same-language

A barbershop.
A stage in the back.
Live bands dialing it up to 11 and then some...

This shouldn’t work.
But somehow…it absolutely does.

From opera halls to theater stages to a rock show tucked inside a room full of guitars and posters, this shoot became something bigger than just another event. It turned into a study in contrast. Space vs sound. Control vs chaos. Clean lines vs color everywhere.

And right in the middle of it…that’s where the images happen.

Full story and gallery:
https://www.stevegrovesmediaworks.com/blog/barbershop-opera-theater-rock-sure-why-not

Ten floors up, in Pittsburgh's Union Trust Building, symmetry and texture emerge in a kind of architecture that feels like it still has something to say.

This one isn’t about the outside. It’s about stepping inside and seeing Pittsburgh from a different angle.

Full post:
https://www.stevegrovesmediaworks.com/blog/ten-floors-down-a-view-inside-pittsburghs-union-trust-building

One of my favorite moments from this year’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

There is so much happening on that stage at once, and somehow it all comes together in a way that just works.

I pulled together a few more from the show here:
https://www.stevegrovesmediaworks.com/blog/photos-in-technicolor-laurel-highlands-joseph-and-the-amazing-technicolor-dreamcoat

This was one of those “I didn’t know I needed this until I saw it” moments.

At Valentine’s on Ice, I stumbled across Becca Bakes Cookies, LLC and her unique photo booth, The Sweet Snap, and I immediately understood why their line never stopped. It is a photo booth that prints your image...directly onto a cookie. Yeah, you read that right.

You step in front of the camera, strike a pose, and they hand you an edible version of your own face. Right there. In real time.

Naturally, I could not resist. I airdropped a photo of my wife and kids and had a couple made, because if you are going to eat a cookie, it might as well be one with your favorite people on it. It is playful, memorable, and just the right amount of AWESOME.

If you want the full story from the event, including how this fits into the bigger picture of what goes into photographing a City of Pittsburgh production like this, head to the blog.

🔗 Read it here:
https://www.stevegrovesmediaworks.com/blog/valentines

I thought I was just going to “update” my last blog post about photographing Valentine’s on Ice. That did not happen.

Between melting ice in direct sun, a family-focused afternoon session, an adults-only evening under lights, intricate balloon sculptures (including a full Stitch build), edible photo cookies, rescue puppies, and a couple who got married that morning and showed up to skate in a “Just Married” sash…there was no way to squeeze it into a few extra paragraphs.

This was another City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events event I was asked to photograph, and it turned into a perfect example of what you are actually paying for when you hire an event photographer and so much more.

Part 2 is live at https://www.stevegrovesmediaworks.com/blog/valentines

event I was asked to photograph, and it turned into a perfect example of what you are actually paying for when you hire an event photographer, and so much more.

I’m heading into another event with the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events this Valentine's Day, and it got me thinking about something people ask all the time: what’s actually included in event photography pricing?

The short answer is "a lot more than just showing up with a camera."

Link: https://www.stevegrovesphoto.com/blog/bp/seeing-the-picture-before-you-take-it

From scouting unfamiliar venues and making sure no Snowmageddon is on the horizon, to juggling fast turnarounds, sponsors, and once-in-a-lifetime moments, this post pulls back the curtain on what really goes into photographing public events in Pittsburgh.

I’ll be updating the post after Valentine’s on Ice with images from the rink once the skates are off and the hot chocolate is flowing.