FALL ENGAGEMENT AT JAPANESE GARDENS!

Stacy and Pete were married June of 2014. We did their engagament shoot in the fall of 2013 at Delaware Park and the Japanese Gardens in Buffalo. We then headed into Elmwood Village when it got dark out. It was a great shoot!

This was done at the Japanese Gardens. It is a very popular place for photos. This was done off the beaten path of the gardens, away from the crowds of people. We saw some beautiful fall foliage behind one of the buildings. There were vibrant red and orange leaves growing all around the stone porch. The porch was raised up, so Neal had Stacy and Pete go below us. They had to crouch down a bit so we could see them. We had them kiss at first and when they pulled away from each other they had huge smiles on their faces. We loved it! Neal and I love how the pillars and the leaves frame in Stacy and Pete perfectly! 

-Danielle

Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Photo Session: Delaware Park, Japanese Gardens, Elmwood Village

GQ STYLE AT THE OLD FORT!

Happy Wedding Day to Nina and Vinny! Here is one last shot from their engagement shoot at Old Fort Niagara that we did last year!

We told Nina and Vinny to dress really bold! Their shoot was in the fall and we knew it wouldn't be that bright inside the Fort. Nina chose very well wearing red! Her and Vinny looked stunning! Both of them were pretty nervous at first. Once we starting and got them laughing, they were naturals. You would think they were both models. They looked like they belonged on the red carpet!

I think we did photos in every building we were allowed to go in. We pretty much covered the entire Fort! This was one of the Fort tower walls that looks out onto the water. We wanted it to look like a magazine image. That is why they are not looking directly at the camera. We asked them not to smile for this one too. We all know how that goes! Nina starts laughing and can't keep a straight face. Vinny starts to laugh. A quick 5 minute break was in order! We finally all calmed down and Neal got exactly what he was going for. 

We are so excited to be a huge part of their day! Congratulations Nina and Vinny!

-Danielle

Buffalo Engagement Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Session - Old Fort Niagara

ENGAGEMENT SHOOT AT THE RICHARDSON COMPLEX

We had a crazy weather engagement shoot Wednesday evening with Kristi and Adam. It rained on and off for most of the shoot. But the skies opened up to give us this amazing sky!

We began Kristi and Adam's shoot at Delaware Park in Buffalo. It was beautiful out and the park was packed. We were getting warmed up with some great portraits and the wind picked up. The skies started to darken and before you know it, it began to sprinkle. It wasn't that bad, so we kept shooting. Then the rain picked up a bit, so we took cover under a big tree and did more photos. We were going to call the shoot, and finish the rest another night, but Kristi and Adam were game to continue if we wanted. We looked at the sky and it was brighting up a bit, so we headed to the next location. The Richardson Complex in Buffalo.

Adam is really interested in old architecture, so this was the perfect location for him. Once we arrived, it stopped raining and the clouds opened up to a beautiful sky and sunset. We got Kristi and Adam in position. This was tricky because the Richardson Complex is under construction and we didn't want to get any of that in the photos so Neal shot from a low angle blocking most of the construction equipment. Since the Richardson Complex is so massive Neal wanted to fit it all in one shot so he chose to do a 7 shot panoramic image but centering Kristi & Adam so the focus stayed on them!

We were so happy that we did not end the shoot early and finish another time. We would have missed out on this amazing sky. We thank Kristi and Adam for toughing out the sketchy weather. They will not be sorry!

Kristi & Adam are currently building a new home. This image looks amazing in high resolution and will make a beautiful print for their brand new walls!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Location - Richardson Complex and Delaware Park

NINA, VINNY, AND MICKEY AT FORT NIAGARA!

Nina and Vinny are getting married Saturday! Here is one of their engagement images done at Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown NY.

Nina is a huge Disney fan! They actually got engaged in Disney World! We began their shoot inside the Old Fort (take a look Saturday to see an image from that part of the shoot). She brought a Mickey balloon and it really didn't work well inside the Fort with their outfits. We decided to keep it to use down by the water. We found a lonely picnic table facing Lake Ontario. This shot wasn't as easy as you would think. It was a little breezy and it kept moving around the Mickey balloon. Nina and Vinny couldn't really see what was going on because we needed them to look straight ahead. But, we really wanted to get a cute shot for Nina. It took about 10 minutes for Mickey to be visible haha! We knew she would love it! 

-Danielle

Buffalo Engagement Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Session - Fort Niagara State Park

DAVE & KRISTINE ENGAGEMENT SHOOT!

Dave and Kristine began their engagement shoot last week at Forest Lawn Cemetary. All Kristine wanted were some pretty flowers and pink trees. The shoot started out great! There were little goslings, deer, and bunnies everywhere. Kristine said she felt like she was Snow White! Time to find some pink trees! As we were making our way through the grounds, we found a great spot. We get Dave and Kristine in place and the grounds keeper comes around and says the gates close in 10 minutes. Oh no! We didn't panic. We continued to shoot and got some beautiful images!

Plan B! We went into Delaware Park and continued shooting. We found some great spots that Kristine and Dave loved! We found some more pink trees and some other beautiful landscapes. Now, Neal wanted to get a little more creative. He wanted a pink tree, but not for them to stand in front. He wanted the effect of just the leaves. Neal needed a tree he could climb to get a shot over the couple. We pretty much got everything we needed for the shoot, so this was just another idea. We began to walk the park and it started to sprinkle. Oh great! Neal was so bummed. But we didn't want to keep them in the rain. As we made our way back to the cars, Neal spots his tree and the rain stopped! Now we needed some of the leaves on the ground. We shook the branches a bit to get the effect Neal wanted. Kristine and I had a blast doing that! Then Neal climbed the tree and positioned them head to head directly below him. He shot through the branches. As Neal was taking the picture, I was making sure he didn't fall out of the tree. There sure were a lot of laughs during this shoot! Kristine and Dave were such good sports!

-Danielle

Buffalo Engagement Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Session - Forest Lawn Cemetary and Delaware Park

Dave LaNasa - LaNasa Studio

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

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 

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 

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