BEAUTY AT FOREST LAWN CEMETERY!

Today’s image is a beautiful and dramatic image. If you can believe it, it was taken at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. Sure, you think of a cemetery and would never tie a wedding into it. But Forest Lawn has some amazing and beautiful grounds. There are actually tours you can take.

This was always a location that Neal wanted to shoot wedding images at. We were so excited when this couple said that’s where they wanted to go. And we promised them it would not feel like they were in a cemetery. Neal and I took a ride through and scouted out exactly where we wanted to go for pictures, so day of, it would be easy for the wedding party. Because Forest Lawn is so big we had to map out our course. It can get a bit confusing if you are not sure where you are going.

We worked in all different areas, and knew we wanted to end in one of the main entrance ways. The entrances are so amazing! It had been raining on and off for most of the day, so we knew the clouds would start to look amazing when they started to break up. And that’s about exactly the time we got to the final location. There was a light breeze, but strong enough to get some movement in the Bride’s veil.

We did some solos of the Bride and then brought in her Groom for the final touch. We had her stand in a similar pose she did in a solo and asked her man to come in and embrace her with a little kiss on the neck. For a more dramatic effect, we had the Bride close her eyes. The pose, the location, and the clouds all worked out amazing! It was an awesome shot to end on before heading to the reception! And before it started to pour out! 

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - St. Gregory the Great 

Photo Session - Forest Lawn Cemetery

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Aqua

POSING THE MEN!

The focus today is the men and posing! It is always a challenge to continue to come up with different ways to photograph the Groom and Groomsmen. Most of the time, they are not really into the photos. We like to keep it simple and make them look cool and manly. We also want them to have a good time. 

This image was taken at Niagara Square in Buffalo. This set up is not always the easiest, but Neal loves to try it when he can. The focus needs to be on the Groom, but we want all the guys partially in it. The best way is to place the Groom first and then scatter the Groomsmen around him. This can take a few minutes to get them exactly where they need to be. Once everyone is placed, Neal had them glance in all different directions. The reactions of the guys are funny, because they always ask, "What am I supposed to be looking at?" The answer is, "Nothing!" The Groom is the only person we want looking at the camera.

As you can see in this image, the Groom has a great smile. He was partially laughing because all the guys were making hysterical comments. It was a posed shot, but turned into being slightly candid too. After it was done, all the Groomsmen were curious what the image would look like. Neal gave them a quick look they all said "OOHHHH, we get it now. That's really cool!"

Some images are hard for people to understand at first because they are in them and can't see what we are looking at. But we say, "Trust us. You will love it!"

Stay tuned for tomorrow image of the girls almost in a similar pose that really wasn't planned!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - The basillica Our Lady of Victory of Buffalo, NY

Photo Session - City Hall of Buffalo NY & Niagara Square

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Statler City

Buffalo Wedding Planner - After 5 Events

Buffalo DJ & Photobooth - Toy Bros.

Wedding Dress - Pnina Tornai purchased at Kleinfeld Bridal

Wedding Shoes - Christian Louboutin

We hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather. Finally! Today's image was taken from an engagement shoot on Center Street in Lewiston.

Neal and I love shooting in this little village. There are so many cute shops, restaurants, and store fronts. For this shoot, the Village of Lewiston was very special to the couple. This is where they got engaged. So what better place to take engagement photos! We were taken on the journey of how the Groom got up the nerve to ask his Bride to marry him. It was so nice to park the cars and walk around and take pictures of all their favorite spots. We didn't really go in with a plan, but let the events unfold as we went along. As the couple was telling us how the proposal happened, it almost felt like it was going to happen again!

We stopped at so many different places along Center Street and came upon an old antique store front. The landscaping in front with the large stone wall and little stairway was perfect. We had the couple take a seat and just start talking to eachother. We wanted them to feel like we weren't around (easier said than done)! But they did a great job.

There weren't many people around either, so the couple didn't have a crowd watching or making them nervous. We didn't really direct them either. Neal was in the middle of the road waiting for the perfect moment. I was watching for traffic, so Neal didn't get hit by a car. Then the couple went in for a gentle kiss. That was it!

The rest of the shoot was just as beautiful. We captured so many wonderful moments between this couple. We can't wait for their wedding this year!

-Danielle

Neal Urban Studio 

CIRCLE OF LIFE

Take a look. What do you see? If you can find it, you will know why this image has this title.

This wedding took place at Asbury Hall, or Babeville in Buffalo. This venue has an awesome balcony that almost goes around the entire perimeter of the hall. It is an added bonus for photography! The Bride and Groom were very family oriented and wanted a group photo of all the guests. This is usually a tough request, especially when there are over a 100 guests. Most of the time, we need to find a higher vantage point to get everyone in the photo. Good thing for the balcony!

The only request we asked the Bride and Groom was to have the DJ make an announcement for all the guests to make their way to the center of the dance floor and we would do the rest. Neal was on the balcony directing and I was at eye level doing the same. Once everyone was in place, Neal snapped off about 50 shots. Have to be safe when there are that many people. There are bound to be eyes closed or people not looking at the camera. But at least a handful should be perfect. 

So have you found it yet? Do you feel like you are playing “Where’s Waldo”? This group of people had a great time in this shot. Even the family holding the baby up over the group. It looks like the scene from “The Lion King”, where Simba is born and introduced as the next king when he is older. We did not notice the baby until going through the shots after the wedding. Well done by the parents of the baby, making this a group portrait with a twist!

-Danielle

Buffalo Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Cermony location & Photo Session - Delaware Park

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Asbury Hall

Buffalo DJ - Premier Sound

Buffalo Videography - Candlelight Productions

THE GROOM AND HIS BRIDESMAIDS!

I promised I wouldn't leave out the Groom! Here he is with the Bridemaids at Buffalo Central Terminal in Buffalo. 

I know I mentioned yesterday that the Groomsmen were funny. Well this Groom was even funnier! He had the best expressions and one liners. There were a few times when Neal and I were laughing so hard, the cameras were shaking. Great time!

As you can see, we stayed in the same area of the Terminal for this image as well. The lighting was just amazing at this time. The Groom wanted it simple with the Bridesmaids around him. They just kept inching in closer to him. The ladies love to be sassy with giant smiles. We asked them to do just that. As their personalities started coming out, the Groom gave us the same smiles that the girls were giving. What a priceless smile! He even tilted his head like most ladies do when they are in a picture. His Bride said, it was so him!

The Bride and Groom had so much energy. They were a wonderful couple and had a great wedding party! The fun expressions continued later in the night on the dance floor and during their end of the night shoot!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony location - Holy Family Roman Catholic Church

Photo Session -  Buffalo Central Terminal

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Brierwood Country Club

Buffalo Wedding Band - Joy Ryde

THE BRIDE AND HER GROOMSMEN!

Besides having photos done with her Bridesmaids, the Bride needs her spotlight with the Groomsmen!

These are always fun images. The guys always want to do something super crazy. But of course in the end, the Bride gets the final say! This wedding party chose to have their pictures done at The Buffalo Central Terminal in Buffalo. It is an awesome place. However, due to renovations they stopped allowing weddings for a while. We lucked out, and got in right before that happened. Close call and hoping to get back in there soon! 

The Groomsmen in this party were a blast. They kept everyone laughing the entire day. For this image, we wanted to keep the guys feeling manly with the poses, shooting at a low angle and use of shadows, but keep a bright feel for the Bride with the backlight. We had the men stand as though they were FBI agents guarding the Bride. We had them try to be serious at first, but too many jokes were being said that nobody could keep a straight face. It actually worked out nicely.

Even though the Groomsmen were smiling, they still kept their stern, manly stances. It balanced greatly with the beautiful smile of the Bride as well. The scaffolding on all the windows created a cool background for the men. Another reason was to take advantage of the light coming in behind them to help soften up the image just a bit.

Doing different combinations with the wedding party is always fun if time permitting. They all let loose and act silly. The Bride and Groom love and appreciate the variety. I know what you are thinking right now.. Where is the Groom with the Bridesmaids? Check in tomorrow to see him shine with the ladies in the Terminal!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony location - Holy Family Roman Catholic Church

Photo Session -  Buffalo Central Terminal

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Brierwood Country Club

Buffalo Wedding Band - Joy Ryde

THE END OF THE NIGHT

Happy Monday! Let's start the week off with this beautiful image taken at Park Country Club in Williamsville.

If you have never been to Park Country Club, take a drive down Sheridan Drive in Williamsville, NY. It looks like a castle. A beautiful venue for a wedding. We got wonderful images the entire day for this wedding. We knew we needed to continue for the end of the night photos. Neal stepped away from the reception to take a quick look of where to go. This door is to the side of the main entrance. There were no guests around that area, so it would be perfect for the Bride and Groom to catch a breather from the party.

The door was outlined with windows and the lights from the chandelier inside were lighting up the doorway. That took care of backighting for us! The outside light put a nice glow on their bodies. So, we only needed a tiny bit of fill light on their faces. Neal started off shooting directly at them in front of the plants, but felt the image needed a little more color contrast to it. He decided to move behind the plants and get some of them in the foreground. It worked out great with the little touch of green and almost helped to frame them in the doorway.

The Bride had a very elegant wedding, so we wanted to keep that feel in the image. We decided a simple and romantic pose would do the trick! We had the Bride and Groom look at each other at first. It looked good, but something felt missing. A few easy adjustments to the pose, and wallah! The portrait was complete and fit with the Bride and Groom's style of the wedding. It was a great way to end the night!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - St. Peter's of Lewiston, NY

Photo Session - Private Residence & Park Country Club

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Park Country Club

Buffalo Wedding Videography - Brandon Peszko

Buffalo DJ - Toy Bros

LOVE ON LAKE ONTARIO!

Neal and I love engagement shoots. It is a great way to build a relationship with the couple. It gives them a taste of how we work. It also helps to build confidence in front of the camera, so the Bride and Groom are not as nervous to have their picture taken.

This engagement shoot was done at Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown, NY. There is beautiful foliage plus a small beach right on Lake Ontario. Sometimes, you can see the highrise buildings in Toronto, Canada across the Lake. Neal loves shooting in tall grass. To the normal eye, you wouldn't think much of the tall grass. But, to Neal, it can make for a beautiful image. We placed the couple right in the heart of the tall grass, slightly off center.

We used as much natural light as possible, but it was a bit too dark on their faces. We added some artificial light to help brighten them up. The clouds were starting to roll in as well! They were big and puffy with a hint of gray to them. Neal was in heaven! We had the couple do a few different poses. Then we asked them to slowly go in for a kiss.

Sometimes the image right before the lips touch, is the more intimate shot. In this instance, it had a very dramatic feel to it. The couple is so in love and you can feel it through the image. The final product...Amazing!

-Danielle

Neal Urban Studio 

DRAMATIC SKIES AT THE ALBRIGHT!

If you have been following Neal’s work, than you know he likes windy days and dramatic clouds. And today’s image gives us a little bit of both!

Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo is a very popular wedding photo location. On a typical Saturday wedding, this area can be flooded with wedding parties having their pictures taken. Luckily, this wedding took place on a Sunday, so there was only one other wedding at this location. The other party was on the main staircase of the Art Gallery. Instead of waiting for them to move on, we decided to do something different, but still give the Bride and Groom the Gallery in the image.

We were actually across the street on another stairway. The Bride had a very long veil and it was blowing beautifully in the wind. Neal was definitely not passing up on this. We started off working with the Bride alone and got amazing images. Now it was time to bring in the Groom. They both wanted to be in a photo with the Art Gallery in the background. We decided to try an action style shot. Neal was shooting from a lower level of the stairway and shooting up, so we would get just the top of the Gallery with the sky.

We had the Groom stand on one side and had the Bride strut her stuff toward him. We asked the Bride to gently hold out her veil and let the wind do the rest as she walked. You can see by the Groom's expression that he was loving the approach of his beautiful Bride. As Neal was snapping away, he turned to me and said this image was screaming black and white. I couldn't have agreed more!

-Danielle

Buffalo Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony & Reception location - The Mansion on Delaware

Photo Session - Albright-Knox Art Gallery

Jewelry - Tiffany & Co.

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