Engagement with Boomer the dog!

We love when couples bring their dogs on engagement shoots. Dogs can be so unpredictable. It is always so much fun to see what they will do!

The photo shoot was at Knox Farm in East Aurora. The couple mentioned they would like to have their dog in some photos. We all met in the parking lot and when the dog got out of the car, we couldn’t believe our eyes. He was huge! We knew this was going to be fun! We always like to get acquainted with pets before we start shooting. What a lovable dog this was too. We just wanted to play with him.

The dog was actually pretty calm to work with. In this image, the dog was taking a break by a bench and we asked if he would be able to get up onto in. They said no problem. The dog was so big I didn’t think he would fit on the bench, but he got up there no problem. I was trying to get the attention of the dog while Neal was shooting. He just wanted to play and lick his owners’ faces. Once he heard the clicking of the camera, he looked our way. He was zoned in. He looked so happy with his tongue hanging out. Perfect! Just a nice simple family portrait.

When photographing dogs (or any animal with people), you have to see what they are going to do first. Then you place the couple in with the dog. It’s always good to have the pet owners have another person accompany them on their shoot to take the dog away when we are finished with them. Or, if the dog looks like they need a break. If you can remember, find out what kind of treats they like as well. Treats and squeaky toys work wonders!

-Danielle

Neal Urban Studio

NATURAL LIGHT!

Finding the best lighting can make or break a photo. Taking advantage of natural light is always beautiful if it's available and used properly.

We definitely found the light for this image. It was taken at the Avanti Mansion in Buffalo.  There are beautiful archways throughout the outside of the building. We were getting ready to end the photo session and head into the reception, when we noticed amazing light pouring through one of the arches. We had to take advantage of it. 

Neal wanted a simple, natural, but slightly artistic pose in the arch. Brides and Grooms do not always need to be looking at the camera or each other to get a beautiful image. The light continued to pour through as we were getting the Bride and Groom in position. There was another arch to the side of them that had light coming through as well, so we didn’t need to add artificial light.

You can see how it casts a glow around the couple. The cement block on the ground had a glossy finish to it, so it picked up the glow as well. We showed the image to the Bride and Groom right away. They were in love with it! The Bride said it was a beautiful, timeless, and worth the few extra minutes! And now it’s time to party!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony, Photo Session, Reception & in-house DJ - Avanti Mansion

LOVE TAKES FLIGHT!

So many people have asked if this image was fake and photoshopped. But to show everyone it really happened, we decided to show the sequence of events leading up to this amazing shot, taken be me (Danielle)!

This was an awesome engagement shoot at the Akron Airport. The Groom to be used to be a commercial airline pilot, now he has a hangar there and inspects and fixes planes. The Bride to be also works there sometimes. So, what better place to do their engagement shoot, but at their Airport. This shoot ranged from a vintage car on the runway, fighter planes in the hangar, to glider planes flying over and behind the couple on the runway. At one point, there were even sky divers! Pretty cool!

These images were taken directly on the runway. We spoke with the pilot before take off and asked him to fly right over the couple and let out some smoke on the way up. Besides Neal and I, another one of our photographers, Shane was working with us. We needed all hands on deck for this engagement shoot. We all positoned ourselves in different spots. I decided to lay completely flat in the middle of the runway. Yes, I was the crazy one this time.

The couple was all for standing in the runway. We placed the couple where we needed them to be and prayed haha! As you can see, I started clicking away right from take-off. As the plane was getting closer, my whole body was shaking. I was terrified. A plane was going right over our heads! "Don't panic, just keep taking pictures." Before you know it, the plane was well past us. None of us got up off the runway. We all looked at our cameras while still on the ground. Once I began to look, I knew I got "the shot." I yelled over to Neal, "I got it!" At first he didn't look up from his camera. So I walked over and shoved my camera right at his face and said, "Neal, I got it. I got the whole plane!" He put his camera down and said, "Wow, you sure did!" His eyes didn't move from the camera screen.

We went over to the couple so excited and told them it was going to be amazing! The Bride to be was still shaking as well. She was pretty scared too having a plane go over them. From begining to end, this engagement shoot turned out absolutely amazing. The couple loved the images so much, they sent out 6 different "Save the Date" cards because they couldn't choose just a few pictures. We can't wait until the wedding!

I won my first award with this image at this year's WPPI - Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Competition in at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Photographers from all over the world come to this event to compete. This was the first image I have ever submitted. It was actually questioned as well if it was fake or not. We had to supply the sequence of shots to the judges to prove it was real. If we didn't then it would have been disqualified. It was so exciting walking through the winners gallery and see my photo hang with an award on it. Neal took home two other awards as well. Three more awards for Neal Urban Studio!

-Danielle

Buffalo Engagement Photography by Neal Urban Studio

ROCKIN' THE buffalo PHOTO BOOTH at Trimania 2015!

If you were not at Trimania last night or didn't stop into Neal Urban Studio, shame on you. What a great time. We had music blasting, uplighting, and an awesome photo booth! 

Our booth was perfect for the day. Not only was our theme, "Party Like a Rockstar," but it was also "National Record Store Day." What better way to support both, but with a backdrop of old record album covers. This backdrop was made by Neal and I and has taken us over a year to find what we wanted. The final result was awesome!

There were about 3,000 people at Trimania. Our studio was packed all night. Once people saw the photo booth, they couldn't get enough. All they needed to do was put on some funky hats or glasses and click away at the camera. They could take unlimited amounts of photos. And you could have about 10 people at once. People started to get adventurous and were jumping, picking eachother up, and all different kinds of crazy things. We had a huge tv screen up that was doing a slide show of the images as guests were taking them. So, even if you didn't go in, you could watch and get some good laughs! 

Thank you to all who came and supported the Buffalo Arts Studio (host of Trimania). And a huge thank you to everyone who visited Neal Urban Studio. We hope we provided you with an awesome experience. If you missed out, you have 2 years to make yourself available for the next!

View and please tag yourselves on our Facebook page!

View and order prints through our online store!

-Danielle

Buffalo Photobooth by Neal Urban Studio

THE TIME OF MY LIFE!

Perfect title for this image, don’t you think. You would think the women were the crazy ones on the dance floor, but you are wrong. The guys took the win in this reception.

The reception took place at Antonio’s Banquet and Conference Center in Niagara Falls. If you have ever been there, you know they have a huge dance floor. This wedding sure needed it. There were over 350 guests present at the reception. And everyone was dancing. What a party! Neal and I had a hard time getting through the crowd for pictures. We found ourselves standing on chairs to see over people. But it sure was fun!

Everyone gets a little nostalgic when the song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley from the movie “Dirty Dancing” comes on. Everyone thinks they are Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) and Baby (Jennifer Grey). It is so great to see the dance moves. In this case, the Groomsman decided to play the part. Sure enough, that is the Groom hoisted up into the iconic “lift.” The funny thing was the guys knew exactly when to lift him up in the song! I would say the Groom had some pretty good form as well! They must have practiced in water somewhere before the big day!

This ended up being such a crazy party that it went on until around 1:30am. The drinks were flowing and the guests really were having “The Time of Their Lives!.”

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - St. Vincent de Paul of Niagara Falls, NY

Photo Session - The Silo on the lower Niagara River, Lewiston NY 

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Antonio's Banquet & Conference Center

SPOTLIGHT ON THE GROOM!

Most people think that a wedding is all about the Bride. But come on, the Groom is part of the day too! It's important that we show them some photo love!

The ceremony was at St. Joseph University Church in Buffalo. It is a beautiful church and great for pictures. Before the ceremony, Neal sneaks to where the Groom and his guys are to get some photos. He will do some group shots and them some solos of the Groom.

Most guys do not like having their picture taken. Guys like to look and feel cool, strong and masculine! We show them a couple great shots right away and then they're excited to take pictures for rest of the day! In the photo above Neal placed the groom in great light and had him give a masculine pose to look "GQ"! This was all done in the moments before he was to say “I do.” 

We keep it pretty simple and harmless for the guys. We try to keep it a comfortable and fun atmosphere. So, guys are not afraid of the camera on the wedding day. It can be a lot of fun and your other half will truly appreciate it!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - St. Joseph University Church

Photo Session - Carrousel Museum of Tonawanda, NY

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Byblos

SHADOW GAMES

Today’s image comes to you from Statler City in Buffalo. If you have been to the Statler before, you may be wondering where we could have taken this image.

This wedding took place a few years ago, when the majority of the Statler was under construction. (Well more than it is now). Even though there were renovations going on, this Bride and Groom wanted some pictures done around the building. There were many places that were restricted, so we needed to work our magic. The head wedding and events coordinator at the Statler is wonderful to work with. We saw her walking around and asked where we could go. She said she would take us up to one of the top floors, where eventually there would be hotel rooms. It had views of the city. The Bride and Groom were completely up for taking the adventure.

It was pretty much a blank canvas surrounded by windows and wall paper. We took advantage of the windows with the city in the background. As I was walking around a bit, I noticed the sun was setting and casting an amazing glow across some of the walls.  And my shadow looked really cool on the wall. I grabbed Neal and suggested we play with some shadows. The Bride thought it looked really cool as well, so we had her pose. It took a few minutes to get her shadow exactly where we needed it to be. Then we needed her to be a statue for Neal to get the shot. The Bride did a wonderful job and the end result was beautiful! And don’t worry, the Groom was not left out. We took him to another area that had some graffiti on it. A bit more manly!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony & Photo Session - Christ the King Chapel of Canisius

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Statler City

Buffalo DJ - Signature Entertainment

CAKE SMASH SATURDAY!

It’s time to get messy and have some fun! First Birthday cake smash photo shoots are just the ticket! There are definitely no forks or napkins for this cake. The messier the better!

This image was taken by one of our photographers, Shane. It is also his beautiful daughter. She was celebrating her first birthday, so it was only natural to bring her into the studio. She even got all dressed up in her tutu and pearls for the occasion. We sat her down and put the cake in front of her. (The beautiful cake was made by Andrea Amodeo from Blackbird Sweets in Buffalo).  At first she just stared at it. She wasn’t sure what to do. Shane gave her a little taste of frosting and that was it. She dove right in. It got to the point where she had so much frosting on her hands, she couldn’t move her little fingers. She was having so much fun, while daddy was clicking away with the camera. Every image was a keeper. 

Neal and I were helping behind the scenes. We got to jump around and be silly to make the baby laugh. What a great collaborative effort by all and a beautiful image by Shane!

-Danielle

Buffalo Baby Cake Smash Photography by Neal Urban Studio

GIANT WEDDING PARTY!

A wedding party of 31! That is crazy. But that is how many people were in this wedding party, including the Bride and Groom. (imagine how many guests were at the reception)

What to do with a party of 31 people? We had our work cut out for us on this one. The funny thing is that the entire party are mostly family members. Can you imagine if all of the couples’ friends were in it too? Aahhhh!! 

When we found out how many people were involved, we needed to figure out locations for pictures. The couple wanted to go to the waterfront in Lewiston near Water Street Landing and the Silo Restaurants. A great place for pictures, but also a nice place for people to walk around and enjoy the scenery. Neal and I are very familiar with the area, we just needed to figure out where to put everyone. We knew there was a big wooden stairway that lead to the water and that could work.

It was pretty busy when we arrived. The wedding party was exiting the limo and the group just kept coming. People passing by had the look of shock at how many people got off the limo. They were wishing us good luck too. It was hysterical! We had to talk pretty loud to get everyone’s attention and tell them where we wanted to start. Neal and I walked down to the bottom first and told everyone to file in behind. As they were following, all I was thinking was, “I hope there are enough steps for everyone." And thank goodness there were!

Meanwhile down below, people were watching and waiting to get back up the stairs. We had to get moving and the only way to do it was to keep it simple. “Everybody smile and look at the camera”. Done! The wedding party could turn around and head back to the limo. We had gone to another location first and worked with the party as well, so the Bride and Groom only wanted one quick shot by the waterfront with them. We showed them the image in the camera quickly. They started laughing and couldn’t believe they all fit. They loved it!

We still laugh about this image with the couple. They have thanked us so many times for staying positive, keeping everyone under control, and having fun with the wedding party! 

This image is featured in “500 Poses for Photographing Group Portraits: A Visual Sourcebook for Digital Portrait Photographers”.  It was written by Michelle Perkins at Amherst Media Publishing in Buffalo.

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - St. Vincent de Paul of Niagara Falls, NY

Photo Session - The Silo on the lower Niagara River, Lewiston NY 

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Antonio's Banquet & Conference Center

FOUNTAIN OF LOVE

We love doing night photography. Nearing the end of receptions, we like to take the Bride and Groom away for one last photo shoot. 

This image was taken in the courtyard of Samuel’s Grande Manor in Williamsville, NY. The reception was almost coming to an end and we noticed the Bride and Groom going outside to get some air. Luckily, the courtyard was specifically for the wedding we were photographing so we didn’t need to intrude on another couple, which we would never do anyway. Neal and I decided to test out some lighting against the fountain. It looked amazing. All we needed was the couple for the finishing touch!

We placed lighting behind the fountain and had the Bride and Groom sit on the ledge in front. We also had some extra lighting directly on the couple to brighten up their faces. Neal took a series of shots with them looking at us, looking at each other, and then having a kiss. All of them looked beautiful. But the kiss really captured the couple in the moment. It seemed as though they were in their own world, not in a courtyard at Samuel’s. We got it! 

What a great way to end a beautiful wedding with an amazing Bride and Groom! 

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - St. Joseph's of Niagara Falls, NY

Photo Session - Niagara Square of Buffalo, NY

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Samuel's Grande Manor