VIEW FROM ACROSS THE ROOM

Here is an image from Christina and Nick's wedding at the Avanti Mansion!

This is not the normal view you would see of the ballroom. Neal had Christina and Nick stand at the top of the staircase and had them an intimate moment. Their reception dance party was at the bottom of the stairs. Neal told them to hold each other in their arms and reflect on the day. Neal shot this from the opposite end of the room standing on a chair. They did a great job posing as well, since Neal was not able to yell directions across the room. They nailed it on the first few shots.

Even after Neal was finished with the shot, Christina and Nick stayed at the top of the stairs and started dancing. Their guests took notice and began to cheer them on and took photos themselves. I think they actually stayed up there dancing for a few songs! Once they had their moment we moved on to other areas for some intimate photos that turned out beautiful as well.

Photographing weddings at the same venues frequently will always be a challenge. We need to make sure that each wedding is different and we aren't repeating the same shots. That can mean shooting from different angles, or using different lighting. In this case, I think Neal found a great new perspective!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony and Reception: Avanti Mansion

MAGAZINE GROOM #2

And here is Kevin! I told you there was going to be another stunning guy today!

Kevin looked amazing as well! He also could pull off the serious look very well. I swear we did get a lot of photos of him and Jeffrey smiling!

We photographed Kevin in the same location that Jeffrey's image was taken. We just shot from the opposite direction. And instead of him looking toward the window, we had him look off the other way to get a different reflection. 

Kevin also had a gorgeous suit. We found out they had their suits custom made. They were a perfect fit on both of them. After doing photos all over Buffalo, we headed to the Buffalo Historical Society for the ceremony and reception!

Kevin and Jeffrey definitely belong in a magazine! We will need to work on that!

-Danielle

-Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony and Reception: Buffalo Historical Society

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Niagara Square, Hotel at the Lafayette, Buffalo Theatre District, Downtown Buffalo

MAGAZINE GROOM #1

Today is solo day! And it sure is a good one. Jeffrey looks amazing!

Doesn't Jeffrey look like a model? All I can say is stunning! Kevin and Jeffrey got married at the Buffalo Historical Society. We did their photos before the ceremony and ventured all over downtown Buffalo. 

In the beginning he kept telling us he would need some help posing. I have no idea why. He was so natural and you can see it in this photo. All we did was show him where he needed to stand. I love everything about this. His suit was gorgeous. The reflection looks so good. And I love his expression. He could pull of the serious look so well. But he also had a beautiful smile!

Now we won't leave out Kevin! See his solo tomorrow!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony & Reception: Buffalo Historical Society

Buffalo Wedding Photo Session: Niagara Square, Hotel at the Lafayette, Buffalo Theatre District, Downtown Buffalo

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

I know this may seem a little different, but I really liked this image. It is Rose and Ramin at the Delaware Mansion.

This was right after they had their first look. We did some portraits inside before heading to Canalside with the wedding party. Delaware Mansion has amazing old wooden sliding doors. I grew up in a house that had doors similar to this (much smaller haha) and I feel they will never go out of style. You do not see them often, so we wanted to use them for photos.

Do you get the feeling that Neal is sneaking in on them? If so, that's sort of the idea. I was behind the doors with Rose and Ramin telling them when to look at each other or maybe have a kiss. Neal was shooting from outside the doors. I love how he decided to only keep the doors open a tiny bit. You can still see how happy and giddy Rose and Ramin are. They are in their own world and having a wonderful moment alone. (well almost alone)

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony and Reception: Delaware Mansion

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Delaware Mansion, Canalside

Buffalo Wedding DJ: Whirlin Disc Sound

THE AFTERMATH OF SPARKLERS!

If you logged into yesterdays blog, you saw the group image of Ashley and Dan's guests with sparklers. After they cleared out, this was the aftermath!

There were so many sparklers, that it created tons of smoke. It looked really cool. To add to fun, a few family members stayed behind and lit a few more for fun. We had them hold off a few seconds so we could get some of our lighting ready. Once everything was in place, they lit up a few more. Then they started running around everywhere spreading the smoke.

It was great! They helped to create this smoky, but beautiful image of Ashley and Dan. The smoke paired with the color of the sky was amazing! 

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Video: Bella Star Productions

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony: Queen of Heaven

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Shea's Performing Arts Center, Private Residence

Buffalo Wedding Reception: Private Residence

SPARKLER FUN!

Time to get all the guests involved for some sparkler fun!

This was towards the end of the night at Ashley and Dan's wedding! Their reception was at a private residence with a lot of open, dark space. It was perfect for sparklers. Dan helped gather everyone up and gave them all the instructions. "Listen to Neal!" Their guests were very cooperative too! They did an amazing job getting all the sparklers lit in a record time.

We had Ashley and Dan right up front. Their friends and family were yelling and cheering them on with congratulations. We had a hard time communicating with them, so we just let them be in the moment. We took a series of shots and they looked different in almost every photo. I liked the way Dan was looking toward the camera and Ashley is just enjoying the fun surrounding her.

The smoke looked awesome around them and helped to create this amazing image! Come back tomorrow and you'll see what we created right after this, it's beautiful!

-Danielle 

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Video: Bella Star Productions

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony: Queen of Heaven

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Shea's Performing Arts, Private Residence

Buffalo Wedding Reception: Private Residence

A moment of reflection

We were so happy to walk into Amanda's room at Hotel at the Lafayette and see they had two full length mirrors in the room.

The ladies decided the guys really did not need theirs that much and they had it brought down the hall to their room. Great idea! Once I saw these, I knew Neal was going to use both for a shot. I love this and think it is so beautiful. Amanda looked stunning, so why not have two more of her! 

The rooms at Hotel at the Lafayette have great windows that light pours in. We tested the placement of the mirrors while Amanda was doing a few touch ups. So, when we brought her in, it was all ready to go. We did a few different poses with this set up as well. This was my favorite, with her fabulous feather bouquet. (Really cute idea instead of flowers)

This is a beautiful image of Amanda before her ceremony. It is just timeless!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony, Photo Session, Reception: Hotel at the Lafayette

Buffalo Wedding Band: The Boys of Summer

END OF THE NIGHT AT HOTEL LAFAYETTE!

The first wedding of 2016! Amanda & Kevin are married! Their wedding was at Hotel at the Lafayette!

We met Amanda & Kevin about 2 years ago and did their engagement photos. Their wedding day finally arrived and we couldn't be happier for them. They are so much fun to work with. Constantly laughing and having fun!

Amanda & Kevin were hoping for some snow. Neal was checking the weather app all day and night. The only time you'll ever catch Neal on his phone during a wedding is when he's checking the weather! It kept telling us that there was a "Lake effect snow advisory". It was supposed to hit at 9pm! 9pm hit and nothing. Then 10pm, nothing. And then the snow storm got pushed to the following day! The only time we wished for snow we had no luck. This situation gave me flashbacks to the story of the making of "Dance with me my loves" photo!!! Time for plan B.

It was pretty cold out, so we needed to move fast. We took a quick walk behind the hotel and found a driveway that looked like an alley! Perfect! It was so cold out, that the heat vents were giving off an awesome haze! It's cool how the haze ties into their famous engagement shot when the plane left the smoke trail! Now that we had them out there it was time to set up the lights and get moving! We had everything ready to go in about 5 minutes. Amanda was staying warm wearing her husbands coat. When it was go time, she passed it back to Kevin. We had them look at each other! The background looks so cool with the lights from the hotel as well. Three stories directly above them was their reception room. You could still hear the band and see their lights through the windows. I love how you can see the stairs to the watertank and the buildings in the background. Most people wouldn't think it would be picture worthy. But, it looks awesome when it was all tied together! It's truly a romantic moment in the city of downtown Buffalo!

Congratulations Amanda and Kevin!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony, Photo Location, Reception: Hotel at the Lafayette

Buffalo Wedding Band: The Boys of Summer

"Love you 'till the end"

Let's take a look at an amazing image from Kelsey and Jarrett's wedding!

To be honest, when we set this shot up, I wasn't really sure where Neal was going with it. So, I quickly glanced over it while starting their basic edits. Neal asked me a few times, "Bring up the image with Jarrett holding the umbrella." I kept pushing it off and selecting different photos. Finally, I sat back and really looked at it and noticed how beautiful it really was and what Neal could do with it. I knew it would tell a story when it was finished.

He turned it into one of his fine art edits, which took this image to a different level. Kelsey is patiently waiting for Jarrett to come up the stairs to cover her. Her pose is beautiful and almost shy. Jarrett is slowly in motion going toward Kelsey to give her the protection she needs. We needed some extra light on Kelsey, as it was getting pretty dark out quickly. This is also a little different view of Albright Knox Art Gallery and Delaware Park. We didn't want the museum to be the focal point either. Neal used the lines of the building to lead your eyes to the Bride & Groom.

I guess I shouldn't second guess some images anymore when Neal asks for them!

-Danielle

Neal here! Okay, sometimes you really have to read into some of my images, some more than others! I was building off our "The Singing Brothers" (mid-left photo from above) and the "Dance with me my loves" photo (mid-bottom photo from above). When I'm not shooting I do a lot of studying of photos & paintings I come across in life. Whenever I pass by an image that inspires me I take a photo of it with my phone and keep them as inspiration. I do this a lot when we're shopping at Antique shops for studio props. If a painting is of a landscape and the colors are beautiful, I will take a photo of it to keep the color palette in mind for future edits. This photo has a color palette that was inspired by a vintage photo of a cityscape on a rainy night from the 1970's.

I'm thankful for couples who choose to do an engagement session & follow us on social media. This gives us an opportunity to get to know our clients better. If you know this couple personally then you'll understand the true meaning behind this image :-)

-Neal

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Video: Nigh Video Productions

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony: Salvatore's Garden Place Hotel

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Delaware Park

Buffalo Wedding Reception: Salvatore's Italian Gardens

Buffalo Wedding DJ: Moving Music

Wedding Prep at Park Country Club

Erica is stunning!

This is the view from the outside where Erica got ready at Park Country Club. Unfortunately, you have to stand on the roof, but that's ok. I love these doors. I always sneak out there when Neal is shooting from inside. Of course it was raining and cold that day. I yelled inside to Erica to take a quick glance my way when Neal was finished. She looked so pretty, I couldn't help myself to butt in.

Once again, having two people shooting is great. You get two completely different looks and styles with one pose. You just need to look for it!

-Danielle

Neal here, this really is a great shot by Danielle and the look Erica gave her is beautiful. While editing this image it screamed Black and White to me. The building, lighting and pose is perfect for a B&W image. I do all of my B&W's manually, I don't just hit a button. Park CC was founded in 1903 so I wanted this image to have a vintage/film look to it. I had to be careful to not overdo it. You never want the post processing to take away from the original beauty of the image, just enhance it.

-Neal

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony, Photo Location, Reception: Park Country Club