Actor’s Portfolio: Milla Dobrovolska-Ivanova
Milla Dobrovolska-Ivanova as Hope Cladwell in Sewickley Academy’s Senior School Musical “Urinetown” running on March 3rd-5th 2022.
Milla is a senior and this is her first high school production. She performed with the Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh in 2019 and Beauty and the Beast and Les Misérables outside of SA.
She will be attending the University of Chicago in the fall to study Biology and Global Studies. Congratulations, Milla!
Alena’s Studio Headshots in Pink
We were creating headshots for Sewickley Academy’s senior school musical and Alena asked me to keep these portraits as well. I’m in the process of creating a wall art showroom in the studio and these portraits will be a great addition.
Keep an eye for the musical action shots in early March. I’ve just been backstage and the decorations promise to be stunning!
High School Senior Portraits for Brooke Menzock
“The photos are gorgeous. Brooke really likes your attention to detail."
~ Stephanie Menzock, Brooke’s mother
City Break in Savannah, Georgia: October 2021
I’ve always wanted to visit Savannah, in fact since childhood when I read about it in a few books, but when we moved to America, there have always been more famous sights to see: New York City, Grand Canyon, the Niagara Falls, California, Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes and so on - a very long list of all the beautiful national parks and cities in the US
City Break in Washington DC: October 2021
I finally have time to go through our vacation photos! Here are a few from the city break to Washington, DC, back in October 2021. We just wandered around our favorite spots: the French bakery Paul, the National Mall, and a couple of hidden gardens we keep discovering with every visit.
We visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. I think it opened just recently, so we were curious to see what was inside. The Soviet Union/Russian section was really well-represented and we learned something new as we’d hoped. We had a very interesting conversation with one of the volunteers who all but gave us a private tour of the features in the astronaut suit.
And the crown jewel of the Washington, DC, visit was the hockey game at the Capital One Arena. The Washington Capitals played the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Caps lost… at least cameras were allowed and both Dmitry and I clicked away during the pre-game skate and even the game itself.
Family Studio Portraits
“We really liked the pictures, very nice. Thank you.” ~ K.M.
Christmas at New York City: a portrait session with Shania Shields
Day 5, Part Two of photography workshop with Joe McNally in a New York City studio.
I was looking forward to this part of the workshop most of all as this involved photographing a professional dancer in a studio.
Shania Shields is a 2021 graduate of the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and she is a professional dancer, singer and actress who received her BFA studio training in the drama department at Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic Acting School and Stonestreet Studios. @shania.aprill
Shania’s stage experience was greatly appreciated by everyone in our group and it was mostly up to our skills as photographers to work fast enough to capture every graceful pose and elegant move. Anyone who had ever modeled for a photography session would agree that posing is not an easy matter. You are asked to freeze and keep the pose or repeat a movement over and over, maintain precision in your position and perfection in your moves and while doing all that, your face needs to express ease and happiness at all times. Kudos to Shania for being a perfect model.
Alena plays the violin
We really enjoyed the end-of-term Christmas concert organized by Leah Givelber of Center of Young Musicians at Edgeworth Club in Sewickley.
Hearing Alena perform her beautiful and complex musical pieces she’s preparing for an ABRSM diploma exam got us thinking that it’s probably time to upgrade her violin.
So we paid a visit to Phillip Injeian, a master violin maker, one of the many hidden jewels of Pittsburgh. He helped Alena navigate through a variety of instruments and choose the right fit for her and he even performed a short piece for us saying that “you shouldn’t trust a mechanic who doesn't drive a car himself”!
Thank you, Phillip, for this memorable experience.
Fitness instructor, Heather Taylor-Martin - Headshots for a Fitness Instructor
“Thank you so much! It was awesome getting to work with you.”
~ Heather Taylor-Martin
Alena’s Studio Portraits in Colorful Light
Here’s another set of portraits we created together with Alena. This time she wanted to experiment with the gelled lights and different colors. I love the mysterious and thoughtful mood of these photographs, it reflects Alena’s inner world. Which one would you select for the larger wall art?
Family Studio Portraits for Ryan, Mason and Keira Scott
“Thank you for the beautiful pictures! I am enjoying them all!! I would love to schedule again outside!” ~ Elise Scott, mother
“Thank you so much for the pictures. They look stunning!” ~ Ryan Scott
Alena’s Studio Portraits in Red
Alena’s portrait series in red.
Album for Josephine Reiter - High School Senior Portraits at Phipps Conservatory
“I think the pictures are just beautiful, thank you! I’m so glad we have them to mark this particular moment in time. I’ll look forward to receiving the album.“
~ Leah Givelber, mother
Album for Heavyn Kerr - High School Senior Portraits with a Horse
“I fell in love with so many of the photos” ~ Heavyn Kerr
“Absolutely beautiful.” ~ Mary Ann Kerr, mother
Homecoming Dance 2021 at Valley Brook Country Club
“Thanks so much for your time and talents! 😊” ~ Stacy Hurt, Griffin’s mother
“Thank you so much!” ~ Heidi Colombo, mother of Jonathan
“Looks beautiful! So excited!” ~ Hazel Bigdeli-Golestan, Nikki’s mother
“Thank you!” ~ April Cordle, Alexandra’s mother
Album for Erina Fortune - High School Senior Portraits at Mellon Park
Senior portraits for beautiful Erina from Pine-Richland High School who recently learnt that she got into the LECOM Early Acceptance program! Now she is ready to enjoy her college life without worrying about taking MCAT, sending application to medical schools or even interviews. Congratulations! What an achievement!
Nikki’s Homecoming Dance Portraits
“Looks beautiful!”
~ Hazel G., Nikki’s mother
Ailaura Donahoe - Headshots for Medical Residency Applications
After the session: “Karina, thank you so much for everything today! I loved how the photos turned out and will definitely recommend you!”
About the prints: “Wonderful!! Thank you so much!! I’m so excited for them, gonna give them as gifts to my parents. Thanks again!”
~ Ailaura Donahoe
Caroline Sanfilippo in Sewickley Academy’s Fall Play “12 Angry Jurors”
Caroline Sanfilippo as Juror 4 in Sewickley Academy’s Fall theater play “12 Angry Jurors” running October 21st-24th 2021
Caroline is excited to be finishing her time at Sewickley Academy in 12 Angry Jurors. Though this is her second theatrical production, she has participated in Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contests for the past five years. Outside of school, Caroline enjoys photography, cheerleading, and spending time with her family and friends.
Alaina Ohr in Sewickley Academy’s Fall Play “12 Angry Jurors”
Alaina Ohr as Juror 11 in Sewickley Academy’s Fall theater play “12 Angry Jurors” running October 21st-24th 2021.
Alaina is a sophomore at SA this year, and excited to be doing her second fall play of her highschool career. She has previously performed in War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast, as well as all of the musicals in middle and lower school and PAC since third grade. She wants to thank everyone for coming and enjoy the show!