Documentary Wedding Photographer in Pittsburgh, PA

little girl in flower girl dress smiles up at the bride and groom and holds the bride's hand as they are holding champagne glasses in a reception room

bride hugs her girls in blue bridesmaid dresses, all together while smiling with her eyes closed

bride and her dad laugh at the flower girl and ring bearer, just before they walk up the aisle at her wedding

bride pops a cork on the champagne, making a mess surrounded by her laughing bridesmaids

candid moment between a groom and his groomsman, in the back of the church, before the ceremony, surrounded by candles in a narrow hallway

closeup photo of a laughing bride and groom snuggling together at sunset, on a farm

closeup photo of bride and groom holding hands during their wedding ceremony in a church

bride and groom laugh together, sitting at a dinner table surrounded by their family and friends

man holds kid over his shoulder while another one pulls on his shirt, sunglasses disheveled and holding a drink out of the picture

bride and groom with disheveled hair at their wedding reception, making funny faces and pretending to cut the cake in half

bride and her bridesmaids laugh together as they adjust her dress, set against a geometric carpet at the hotel monaco in downtown pittsburgh

up close photo of groom kissing his bride's forehead, and she leans romantically into it with her eyes closed

Documentary Wedding Photographers in Pittsburgh, PA

THERE IS MORE TO YOUR STORY THAN JUST THE OBVIOUS.

bride and groom cheer as they enter their wedding reception

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Welcome! Pamela Anticole is a documentary wedding photographer in Pittsburgh, PA

More than anything I want you to have time to enjoy your people: all those friends and family who gather to celebrate with you. Even crazy Uncle Bob! It’s your wedding day, not a day-long portrait session, and I 1000% respect that.

My priority is yours: celebrating the laughter and joy and tears and hugs and all of the in between. I am also looking beyond the obvious, flipping my camera around on your guests. The photos you receive from me are candid, authentic, and natural; often of moments that you may never even realize happened. Ultimately I want to show you the story of your wedding day from your guest’s point of view.

It doesn’t take long to create some beautiful, relaxed portraits together. But the rest of the day shouldn’t be directed by me. Enjoy yourself! I am just there to document it.

Wedding Photojournalism

Documentary Wedding Photographer in Pittsburgh

Documentary wedding photography is a unique approach to photographing weddings, that focuses on capturing CANDID moments in a really artistic way.

All wedding photographers are trained to capture beautiful, classic portraits of couples on their wedding day, but documentary wedding photographers ALSO take it a step further… filling in all the gaps with emotive, creative pictures that together tell a full, emotional story of your wedding day!

This means your wedding photos won’t bring back memories of your wedding photographer telling you where to stand, how to tilt your head, or when your bridesmaids should get dressed. All you’ll remember is all the joy and wonder and love that surrounded you on the first day of your new marriage!

Your wedding photos shouldn’t bring back memories of your wedding photographer telling you where to stand, how to tilt your head, or when your bridesmaids should get dressed. All I want you to remember is all the joy and wonder and love that surrounded you on the first day of your new marriage!

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Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.

Dorothea Lange

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Pittsburgh, PA

Photographic Storyteller

I am part of a growing group of professional photographers who value authenticity above all when photographing weddings. Using techniques rooted in photojournalism, we create pictures that are completely unorchestrated by the photographer, rather captured through the skills of observation and anticipation.

This means that couples have the freedom to enjoy their day without being overly directed by me, and they receive candid, emotional images that bring them right back to the emotions they experienced in that moment.

documentary wedding photographer portfolio

genuine, witty, & meaningful

Unposed Moments

These are my favorite found moments photographed at Pittsburgh weddings through the years. Of course I capture the obvious moments, toasts and first kiss and announcements and all the dances. But some of my FAVORITE moments happen in between all the crazy, in quiet pauses throughout the day. They require a bit of paying attention. And THESE are the moments that make my work unique.

Early on I can tell who is going to be the wild one on the dance floor, or who cries during speeches. I always know where the kids are and which grandma will be squeezing the bride’s cheeks in the receiving line. I pay attention to body language and touch and how people connect with each other. I am a friendly observer of the day! And that is why I am a documentary wedding photographer… because it combines two of my favorite things: making pictures, and people watching.

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bride and groom share their first dance at their wedding reception, smiling and laughing while guests watch

Fun & Relaxed Moments Together

What about Portraits?

I am happy to spend as much time as you’d like making portraits! Before your wedding day we will talk through your goals and time constraints for the day, together coming up with a plan that is custom tailored for you. I have been a wedding photographer in Pittsburgh for a very long time, which means I have lots of suggestions for locations for you, too.

My goal is to make your photo session fun! As every couple is unique, this may look different for you than it does for another of my couples. Some people want prompts and goofy direction from me, to bring out the smiles and interaction. Other couples do beautiful, natural things on their own when given some space and subtle direction. I figure out pretty quickly which method is right for you… and couples always tell me it’s a lot more fun than they expected it would be!

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Testimonials

Client Love

“Absolutely wonderful to work with! She was very flexible throughout my entire wedding process, was great on communication and captured every moment at my wedding. Pictures were fantastic quality with unique angles and styles. I would highly recommend!!”

Vanessa & Chaz

“As a wedding photographer myself, I thought it would be difficult to find and hire another photographer. But that was CERTAINLY not the case! I found Pamela to be the number one choice among my fellow competition that I would like to work with, and would do so again in a heartbeat. Thank you Pamela for being so amazing, we truly loved working with you!!”

Autumn & Bill

“Pamela was everything that we could ever have wished for in a wedding photographer! She was completely willing to work with our styles and produced the most amazing photographs and albums that we have ever seen.

Every person that sees out photographs raves about how amazing they are and how perfectly she captured the day. We didn’t have a video made; but we don’t need it as Pamela’s work tells the story of the entire day!”

Jan & Kevin

“Pamela has outdone herself again!!! Absolutely beautiful pictures! Her photojournalistic style really captured the mood and atmosphere of the evening better than any videographer could have, and each picture tells a story and evokes a different special memory. Beautifully done.”

Emily & Jim

“Pamela Marie Photography was, by far, the best investment for our wedding! Pamela is amazingly talented, a true professional, and so easy to work with, to boot! She made us, our bridal party, and our guests feel so at ease in front of the camera. She worked so hard throughout our entire wedding day to capture tons and tons and tons of moments.”

Heather & Hendrick

“Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! Pamela is a complete professional and truly strives to do all that she can to capture the essence of every brides day. She is a pleasure to work with and I’m so thrilled we chose her. Our engagement session was very comfortable and the results were lovely. On our wedding day she stayed LONG into the night to capture the images of the evening… Choose Pamela if you would like a fresh take on wedding photography and a TRUE artist who is willing to with with you to make your unforgettable day very special.”

Leah & Quentin

“Exceptional. Stunning. Perfection.”

Tracey & Chris

“I really don’t know where to start to describe Pamela and our wonderful experience for a second marriage for my husband and me. Pamela is a gifted photographer who really listens to her clients while still balancing her expertise and artistic creativity. She was so much fun and easy to work with for both our engagement photos and for our wedding photos. Her passion for excellence is evident as she works tirelessly to get the best shots. We have beautiful memories captured because of her and we will always be grateful. I give my highest recommendation to Pamela.”

Lucy & Mark

“Pam was one of the best decision my husband and I made for our wedding. Neither of us are super comfortable in front of a camera but she was able to capture the most beautiful shots of us on our day that were so full of joy — I was beyond ecstatic with the end result. Her photos are so full of life and really take you back to how you were feeling on your day. I would recommend her to anyone looking for someone to help keep you calm, cool, and collected on your big day — and make you look great in the process! Thanks Pam!”

Alex & Dan

“Wee Chuan and I had a great experience during our engagement shoot with Pamela. She was able to give us really useful prompts to make us feel comfortable. We had so much fun that at some moments we almost forgot that we had a photographer shooting us. Her enthusiasm shines through her work and the photo outcome was amazing too! The photos were natural and rich with emotions. Definitely recommend Pamela if you are looking for a casual, fun, relaxing and candid session”

Li Yen & Wee Chuan

“Pamela was a delight to work with, and the quality of her work is top notch in my book. When looking for a photographer for our wedding, I specifically wanted a photo journalism approach, which is what brought me to her website. The day of our wedding, she accomplished the daunting task of handling the heat (un air-conditioned church), flower girl melt downs, and the 15+ personalities needed for the group family and bridal party shots. Through it all she was nothing but professional, and provided us with pictures that I am absolutely in love with, and have sent to all family and friends, several of which that told me they were the best wedding photos they had ever seen(and I agree!). For any brides in the Pittsburgh area, I HIGHLY recommend this photographer, and would love to serve as a reference going forward.”

Maureen & Jamie

bride holds back tears during her ceremony as she looks at her groom

Pittsburgh, PA

Documentary Wedding Photographer

Pamela Anticole

With a background in photojournalism and two decades of documentary wedding photographer experience here in Pittsburgh, I photograph wedding ceremonies, receptions, and elopements in an artistic documentary style that focuses on unstaged moments and real family relationships. My clients hire me for my creative candid approach as well as my dedication to give each of my couples an easy photography experience. I really love my job!

Your wedding day will go SO QUICKLY, and you won’t want to miss a thing. It is MY job to fill in the gaps, with genuine, natural pictures that bring it all back. This mean that not only will I pay attention to all the one-of-a-kind touches and details that make your wedding day unique, but I am also dedicated to capturing those in-between moments, the quiet connections between people that together tell your own personal wedding day story. THAT is what is so special about the documentary approach, and why I choose to be a documentary wedding photographer in Pittsburgh.

Photography is storytelling, and I am passionate about capturing YOUR story candidly, and with integrity. ♡

Meet Pamela