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

FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE FUN

Happy Sunday Funday!

One more image from Nathan's first birthday photo shoot at Neal Urban Studio! After we finished up with the hockey portion of the shoot, it was time to smash some cake. He had a red, white & blue super hero color theme. Check out his cape! All I can say is poor Nathan was stained red from the frosting. It was so funny. He was digging in and having a great time. At one point, there was cake in his hair. He was definitely going right into the bathtub after this! Nathan was all smiles for his shoot and we were so happy to do these for his parents!

-Danielle

Buffalo First Birthday Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo First Birthday Photo Location: Neal Urban Studio

AIRPORT ENGAGEMENT FUN!

Happy Wedding Day Amanda and Kevin!

Here is one more image from their engagement shoot at the Akron Airport. Kevin used to be a pilot and now he inspects and fixes planes. He told us we had the run of the place and could pretty much go anywhere we wanted. Amanda also helps Kevin out at the airport. They even had her fixing parts of the planes!

We saw this cool plane and the pilot brought it out for us! Isn't it really cool? We put Kevin and Amanda in front of the plane. We have them off to the side, so you could still see the propellers. Everything fell into place. Their outfits were great! The color of the plane is so much fun! (Click here to see the photo of this plane in flight as it flew right over Amanda & Kevin)

Congratulations Kevin and Amanda!

-Danielle

Neal here, I'm here to talk about the post processing of this image. The plane is vintage so I wanted to make sure that the overall feel to the image matched the plane. I love looking at old black and white photos that have been colorized. When artists add color to image they do it by hand with paints. When my grandmother passed away last year we were looking at a lot of her images from the past. Most of them were black and white at first but she colorized them by hand. They were very, very well done! I was impressed and inspired. That was my inspiration for this image. I converted the images to black and white and slowly painted in the colors from the original image. It was my first time doing it this way and would like try it some more in the future. Stay tuned.

Buffalo Engagement Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Location: Akron Airport 

Jetsetters!

Amanda and Kevin are getting married tomorrow!

We did their engagement shoot almost 2 years ago. I felt like their wedding day was never going to get here! We are so excited to be a part of this amazing couple's special day tomorrow! 

In the hangar where Kevin works, there was a private plane he was working on. Right away we both asked, "Can we go in it?' I mean, it's not everyday you get to see the inside of a private plane. We decided this part of the shoot would look great in their formal outfits. It reminds me of the movie Pretty Woman, when Richard Gere whisks Julia Roberts off in his private plane to see the opera!

We played around with lighting for a while on this one. Neal explains in more detail below... I was not tall enough to hold the lights where Neal needed them. Time to bring in a ladder! Once everything was in place, we told Kevin and Amanda to pretend we were flying. You can imagine the laughs we got from that. But, we got a nice, intimate, private moment between them!

We'll see you tomorrow Amanda & Kevin!

-Danielle

Neal here, it's funny because the simple looking images are often the most complicated to "create"!

I agree with Danielle, this was a great opportunity, it's not often we have a private jet at our disposal. The Jet was parked inside a hangar. This was when it was getting dark outside. When I took a test shot you could see the hangar walls & equipment outside of the windows. I wanted to make it look as if we were flying high above the clouds so it had to be BRIGHT! Amanda & Kevin were getting changed so this bought us a few minutes to get setup. We took four speedlights and blasted the plane with light from the outside. All lights were set at different power levels. This washed out the windows making it look as if we were above the clouds! I even had Danielle point one of the lights towards the camera so it created a natural lens flare and that light acted as the sun (highest power). Like Danielle said, Jet's aren't low to the ground, we put lightstands on the wings and ladders. We also had a handheld light inside the plane for some fill light on their faces. We used 5 lights total, it literally looked and felt like a movie set. All of this was done within ten minutes. I live for moments like this!!!

As for the post processing, this jet wasn't very old but the interior screamed 1950's to me with the tan leather seats and the woodgrain trim. I used this illustration from a LIFE Magazine from 1955 as inspiration for the color palette. 

-Neal

Buffalo Engagement Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Location: Akron Airport

A DANCE AT THE BARTON HILL HOTEL

Here are Hayley and Wes on their engagement shoot!

We met up with Hayley and Wes at the Barton Hill Hotel in Lewiston NY. It was absolutely freezing out, we decided to do a few photos inside of the hotel. The main lobby is really pretty and has some nice open space. Why not have Hayley and Wes have a little dance?

A little background first. Hayley loves to be "dipped," especially in photos. So, we asked Wes to dip her at the end of the dance. What we did not know, was that he gave her a "dipping allowance!" He told her she only had so many left to spare for the wedding day (their wedding is not until October)! This was so funny! I wonder when the countdown began and how many are left?!

It was pretty dark out, so the lobby was not very bright. Neal added in some extra light behind them, on both sides. He also added some light to their faces, which gave them a nice glow.

Hayley and Wes were so much fun and I can't wait to capture their wedding day!

-Danielle

Neal here, I was Danielle's assistant on this shoot which is always a lot of fun for me. I get to do dorky things and play with lights throughout the shoot which is something I really enjoy. I stay quiet and out of the way while Danielle works with the couple. This shot is all Danielle, her idea for location, the pose etc. Danielle even directed me how she wanted it edited in post production. It's a classy image. Great work Danielle!

-Neal

Buffalo Engagement Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Location: Barton Hill Hotel

"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

FIRST BIRTHDAY FUN!

I love this little guy! Meet Nathan! He came to visit Neal Urban Studio for his first birthday photos!

He just turned 1!. His parents both played hockey and are now both hockey refs as well. How cool is that?! We needed to bring that theme into their sons' images. Thanks to mom and dad for supplying all of the hockey stuff as well! We could tell hockey ran through Nathan's blood. He picked up that hockey stick and was already showing off his moves. 

My absolute favorite part of this image, are Nathan's 2 little bottom teeth. How adorable! He was such a happy baby. 

I think he is going to be just what the Sabre's need in a few years!

Happy Birthday Nathan!

-Danielle

Buffalo First Birthday Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Fist Birthday Photo Location: Neal Urban Studio

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

FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE

A father and daughter dance can be so emotional! (well all dances are emotional)

Here, Silvia is dancing with her father in Puerto Vallarta Mexico.You can feel the emotion just by look at them. You can see Dad embracing the moment by closing his eyes. Even though you can't see Silvia's face, you can tell she is doing the same thing, by the way her face is pressed so closely to her father.

The lens flare cast from the lights just makes this even more beautiful! 

-Danielle

Neal here, Danielle mentioned the lights so I thought I'd chime in to let you know how I got this effect. Like we always do we discuss what the game plan is with the DJ and videographers so that we're all on the same page with the rundown of events. Luckily everyone spoke enough English for me to get the information I needed! I noticed that the DJ had a smoke machine, since the reception was outside and we didn't have to worry about setting off smoke alarms. I requested that he really pumped up the smoke during the first dances. The smoke plus the lights is how you get those light rays & lens flares just like you see at concerts. I found my spot to shoot from and waited for the moment where the emotion was perfect and I got my shot! I loved this effect so much that I got the same effect for the Groom & Mother dance.

-Neal

Destination Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Destination Wedding Ceremony: Our Lade of Guadalupe Parish

Destination Wedding Photo Session: Downtown Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Destination Wedding Reception: NOW Amber Puerto Vallarta

BOUQUET AND SHOES

Oh how I love wedding details! Kelsey's bouquet and shoes were just beautiful!

Kelsey got ready at Salvatore's Garden Place Hotel. We know there are a lot of places to get awesome reflections at the hotel. It all comes down to my shoe obsession. I am a sucker for some sexy shoes! That's why you keep seeing shoes on the blog! Pair it with the flowers, even better!

Kelsey had some amazing Christian Louboutin's (once again, the wrong size for me). We placed them next to her gorgeous bouquet and added some light to get a great reflection. I absolutely love how the pop of red from the shoes looks! The neutral colors in the flowers are just glowing!

-Danielle

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

Buffalo Wedding Florist: Evergreen Floral