Wedding at the Hotel Lafayette and in the square!

I love this image! Kate and Shawn had their wedding reception at Hotel at The Lafayette! During the reception we took Kate and Shawn across the way to Lafayette Square to get some photos. It was just starting to rain and Neal had a really great idea!

Storm clouds were moving in fast and they looked really cool. We knew we needed to move fast or we all would get drenched. With everything that was going on, we needed Kate and Shawn to be in a more dramatic pose. We had them almost kiss, but with enough separation to see some light coming though. Shawn is holding the umbrella and Kate is actually holding a light behind them. We needed a bit of light to brighten up the background and the umbrella. We then had Shawn bend Kate back just a bit. I was also holding another light in front of them for their faces. Neal shot at an angel where he could get some of Buffalo City Hall in the background. I would say he did a good job on that!

Neal edited the image to feel as if they're in Gotham City of the Dark Knight movies. The dark clouds, the rain, the colorless city buildings certainly added to the drama of the image and then you have our beautiful couple having a romantic moment with a splash of warm color on them. This photo looks like it belongs in a movie or on a movie poster. Beautiful!!!

This image turned out amazing and only took a few minutes to get. Kate and Shawn got safely back into Hotel at the Lafayette without getting soaked. On their way, cars were honking their horns and yelling congratulations! What a great way to end the night!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony: St. John the Baptist RC Church

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Niagara Square, Lafayette Square, Hotel at The Lafayette

Buffalo Wedding Reception: Hotel at The Lafayette

Boston, MA Wedding Cinematography: Harris Films

MIRROR GENTLEMEN AT HOTEL AT THE LAFAYETTE

Look at this stud! Mike had no problem having his picture taken. He was great in front of the camera.

This was done in one of the suites at Hotel at The Lafayette in Buffalo. They have amazing suites for the Bride and Groom. Mike loved everything about this room, even the pictures hanging on the walls. He made sure to point them out to us when we walked in. Right then we knew we had to incorporate them somehow. I think Neal did a great job on this. The matching of the pose and the lighting are nealry perfect. Minus the difference in outfit, white hair, and landscape, Mike looks pretty similiar to the man in the picture behind him (and he's so much younger and more handsome).

Mike is actually married to my cousin Christina, so he is also family to Neal and I. We got to know Mike very well before the wedding, and we got to see his true personality. He is the guy that makes you laugh and will do almost anything. We wanted that to show through in their photos. He definitely would have posed in front of this picture even if we didn't ask him to. We love you Mike!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography - Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony - Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location - Ellicott Square Building

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Hotel at The Lafayette

Buffalo Wedding Band - Nik and the Nice Guys (Nik Entertainment Co.)

WEDDING AT STATLER CITY

Statler City is a wonderful venue for a wedding reception. The rooms are beautiful to hold your special day in! This reception was located in the Terrace Room. There are massive windows along the entire back wall of this room. 

We always arrive at the reception before the guests start to arrive to get shots of the room. They always look better with no one in them to get all the details. We also like to have the Bride and Groom back to freshen up and have a few drinks! While shooting the details, Neal asked if I could grab the Bride and Groom really quick for a shot before anyone arrived. There is a Bridal suite off to the side, so it was easy to find them. To the back of the room, there were giant statue type columns in front of one of the windows. The windows had interesting curtains and drapery. There was also a giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. What a great spot for a photo!

Let's bring in the newly married couple. Instead of having them look at the camera, we decided to go with a more artistic pose. We posed the Bride with her back to us, with a slight profile of her face. Then brought in her Groom facing her. We had the Groom bring in his wife just a little. Then had her drop her bouquet to her side. Neal needed a tiny bit of fill light besides the light coming from the chandelier. We wanted a nice glow on them, but keeping a elegant overall feel to compliment the scene.

You can see the giant smile on the Groom's face as he looks at his wife. And even though you cannot see the Bride's entire face, you still see her happy reaction from the side. The couple almost looks like statues waiting to go in for a giant kiss! And don't worry, they did go in for a kiss right after this shot!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony- Christ the King Chapel

Photo Session -  Canisius College

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Statler City

Buffalo DJ - Signature Entertainment

Engagement with the Buffalo Mansion Homes

We bring you an engagement shot today from the Delaware Park area in Buffalo!

This couple was from out of town (Bride originally from the area). This was our first time meeting the couple in person as well. They were only in town for one night for their shoot. Delaware Park and Albright Knox Art Gallery are prime locations for engagement and wedding photos. There was actually a small wedding having their photos done at the same time.

We wanted to make sure we got some images that really stood out. Right from the start Neal and I completely clicked with this couple. They were being silly and having a lot of fun. It definitely didn't feel like a first meeting for us. We worked around the Albright Knox Art Gallery for a little while and headed into the park for a bit.

We then headed down the road a bit where there are a ton of amazing mansions. Neal wanted to get an artistic image with the couple in front of one. Decisions decisions on which one was best. We took a llittle stroll passed a few and Neal came to a halt. Bingo! He found his mansion! There was a nice iron gate with some stone lions protecting the entrance. We wanted to make sure we got at least one of those in the image.

The couple was placed to the left of the gate. We wanted the Bride to be to go up and embrace her Groom to be! Then go in for a kiss! We learned earlier in the shoot that the Bride to be was a dancer. So, when she embraced her fiance, she naturally kicked up her leg. We didn't even need to ask! It looked great!

Neal was shooting from the middle of the street of course. Besides holding some lighting, I was on car patrol. Right as Neal was clicking away, someone pulled in the driveway. I thought we were done for it and would need to move. Luckily, the driver just waved to us and drove to the back. I guess we picked the right mansion!

-Danielle

Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Photo Session - Deleware Park, Albright Knox Art Gallery area

Buffalo Central Terminal Wedding

To get some great shots, we sometimes have to break the rules. I mean how much trouble can you get into when there is a Bride and Groom on site for their wedding day! 

This is what we needed to do for this wedding. The couple wanted to get some shots done at the Buffalo Central Terminal. However, we did not have access to get into the building. It was time to improvise! We did some beautiful images with the Terminal in the background, but we needed more. Off to the side, there was another building where the train tracks ran through. It was very abandoned and a bit creepy. You really weren't supposed to be in there, but everyone was up for it. The worst that could happen was we would need to leave.

We were basically done with photos so this would have been a nice added bonus. The entire wedding party was excited to be off the beaten path. Once we finished with the party, we sent them back to the limo and ventured to the opposite side of the building. That's where the magic happened. Windows were broken and the ceiling was missing. The light was pouring in. It was overgrown with trees and plants (well weeds, but they were so green and bushy, they passed for plants)! We made a safe path for the Bride and Groom to walk and placed them. Even though there were rusty beams in the background, it gave the location such character. With the light and greenery, it balanced out really nicely. We told the Groom to go in for a kiss. The Bride naturally picked up her dress slightly and it worked great for the image. 

Looking back on this image, I love the feeling of abandonment of the building with the Bride and Groom completely alone enjoying the moment!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Church - The Basillica, Our Lady of Victory Buffalo, NY

Photo Session - Buffalo Central Terminal 

Buffalo Wedding Reception -  Avanti Mansion

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.

TRIMANIA!

Ok people..Today's the day! Trimania is here! 

If you are unfamiliar with this event, it is held every few years at the Tri-Main Center in Buffalo. This is also the home of Neal Urban Studio. Trimania was created to celebrate the arts, music and culture of Buffalo. This is a chance to see what the Tri-Main Center has to offer and to benefit the Buffalo Arts Studio. This year's theme is "Go Bananas." All of the businesses will have their doors open! It is from 8:00pm-1:00am. So even if you have dinner plans, you can still purchase tickets at the door.

There will be bands, bars, and food stations throughout all six floors! There will be DJ's dancers, comedians, poets, and visual artists everywhere. There is even going to be cirque shows and fire twirlers! 

Neal Urban Studio's doors will be open! Come down and see us! Meet Neal and I and some of our other photographers. Studio 443. Stop in for some music, fun, and have your picture taken at our photobooth! We built a backdrop just for this event and we think it's awesome!

We look forward to seeing everyone and "Going Bananas!"

-Danielle

Buffalo Photobooth 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

April Fool's

This image is perfect for the biggest day for playing jokes throughout the year, April 1st.

 

Wedding ceremonies are pretty standard.  We usually always know what is going to happen next and are ready to take the shot.  In this instance, we were wrong.  It is the most important moment in the ceremony, the Vows.  The priest is perfroming the ritual of asking the bride if she will take the groom to be her husband, when something goes wrong. The priest gives the wrong name for the groom.  OH NO!  As you can see in the picture, the groom is stunned.  He has no idea how to react at first.  The bride thinks it's hysterical, along with all of the guests.  The entire church begins to laugh.  Neal was right in the center of the aisle to capture this funny moment.  The priest made a heartfelt apology and said "April Fool's". Apparently he gave the groom's name for the ceremony he was to perform next.  I guess priests get a little confused too sometimes!  

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - Christ the King

Photo Session - Buffalo Silo City

Buffalo Wedding Reception Venue - Pearl at the Webb

Our Lady of Victory.

Let’s be honest.  A lot of people are not able to attend a wedding ceremony or choose not to go.  It’s difficult for small children to sit still and be quiet for an hour. This image was taken by Neal at Our Lady of Victory in Buffalo.  More commonly know as just the “Basilica”.  This local icon is known to rival the great churches in Italy.  

 

If you attend the wedding ceremony, pay attention, but do not be afraid to people watch, especially the little kids. This little guy was curious and exploring during the ceremony.  We almost weren’t sure where he was going to end up next.  Then this statue caught his eye.  The angel holding the bowl with holy water.  Most young children do not know the significance of holy water.  In this case, the little boy took it upon himself to start playing in the water.  From the angle of the shot, you would never know he was up to no good.  However, he was pretty quiet and most people didn’t even notice what he was doing.  He kept himself occupied for the rest of the ceremony.

This is one of the reasons why we always have 2 people photographing a wedding.  A set of eyes are always on the bride and groom, and the other can have the freedom to observe everything and everyone else!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony - Basillica Our Lady of Victory