TRAIN CAR IN ALASKA

So, I know this image of Sheryl and Rob has been on Face Book recently, but we never got a chance to tell the back story.

Who would have thought a random abandon train car would be just hanging around in a camp ground in Alaska. Let alone, the camp ground we stopped at to see Rob's family before heading out for pictures. After taking a quick boat ride, Sheryl and Rob needed to change into their wedding clothes. Luckily, his parents had a giant camper they were all at nearby, so Sheryl and Rob could change there.

While changing, Neal took a quick walk around the area and found this train car. At first, I didn't think much of it. Surprised it was there, but was more fixed on the mountains in the background. But, I knew Neal couldn't leave without doing some photos here.

To get this shot, Neal had to stand on the trunk of the car to get a better vantage point. No biggie. We had to reposition the car for him to be the right way. We ended up blocking the entire road. Good thing there was only foot traffic!

Five minutes later...this amazing shot came to be! 

-Danielle

Destination Wedding Photographers: Neal Urban Studio

Destination Wedding Ceremony: Settler's Bay Lodge

Destination Wedding Reception: Settler's Bay Lodge

Destination Wedding Photo Location: Settler's Bay Lodge, Beluga Point, Seward Alaska, Flattop Mountain, Matanuska Glacier, and little stops along the way that really do not have names!

BRIDE AND HER PARENTS

Happy Friday! We end the week with one last image of Heather and Clay. Well, Heather and her parents.

This is an image from Heather getting ready at her parents house. You have to love an old staircase. My favorite! 

As Heather made her grand entrance down the stairs, Neal placed her parents in the doorway below. This was not the first time Heathers parents saw her though. But it was such a great set up for Heather and her parents to be in a photo together. And not just your typical family portrait either!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony & Reception: Youngstown Yacht Club

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Old Fort Niagara, Youngstown Yacht Club

ALL ABOARD!

Clay is back and behind the wheel...of a boat! As I mentioned, Heather and Clay were married at the Youngstown Yacht Club. So, it was only natural to have some photos on a boat!

Clay is the captain and Heather is the first mate! This image is really fun. I love the angle Neal shot for this. I like how he included parts of the boat. Then he had Heather and Clay look off into the distance toward the water!

Do you notice anything about Heather? She has a different dress on! This was her cocktail dress. Heather and Clay did a first look and photos before the ceremony. She wore her actual wedding dress for those. Their ceremony did not take place until about 8:30, so they wanted to mingle with the guests for the pre-cocktail hour. Heather did not want anyone to see her wedding dress until she said "I Do!" So, she changed out of her wedding dress and into a cocktail dress and back to her wedding dress! Oh how I love wardrobe changes!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony & Reception: Youngstown Yacht Club

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Old Fort Niagara, Youngstown Yacht Club

STUNNING BRIDE DOWN BY THE DOCK

I apologize now. Heather and Clay will be taking up the week! I do not know if it is because I didn't shoot with Neal that day, so as I go through them, I am seeing all of his ideas for the first time (for that wedding). Or just because there were so many amazing and different images to tell their day! We do not shoot separate too often, but it is so exciting to see each others ideas!

Heather is breathtaking in this image! at the Youngstown Yacht Club. She has great posture. Neal had her go to the end of the dock and glance over her shoulder. I love the boats and sky in the background. Everything just ties together perfectly!

Gorgeous!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony & Reception: Youngstown Yacht Club

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Old Fort Niagara, Youngstown Yacht Club

OLD FORT NIAGARA SOLDIERS AND THE HAPPY COUPLE!

More from Heather and Clay's wedding at Old Fort Niagara, just like I mentioned yesterday.

And Clay is in the photo! I think this is just hysterical. I love how Heather & Clay wanted the Old Fort reenactment actors in some of their wedding photos. Neal asked them to be serious here to act like they are protecting Heather and Clay. Neal said that one of the guys could not stop smiling. You could tell he was happy to be a part of the photos. But he couldn't keep the serious face like the other guys at first. Well, they all did a great job here. You can definitely see Clay laughing. I know I would be laughing too.

I love this image. We have done so many photos at Old Fort Niagara and this is the first time any of the staff has been involved. We normally try to stay in the shadows and not get in the way. In this instance, how could you not have these 3 guys part of the shot! So much fun!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony & Reception: Youngstown Yacht Club

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Old Fort Niagara

STUNNING BRIDE AT OLD FORT NIAGARA

Look at this amazing image of Heather at Old Fort Niagara!

Heather and Clay were married in July at the Youngstown Yacht Club. They did their photos inside of Old Fort Niagara. Heather grew up close to the entrance of the Fort so it was personal that they went there for photos! Neal shot this wedding with another assistant, as I had my own wedding that day. I still took a quick look through Heather and Clay's images though.

And I am so happy I did! Heather looks stunning! I know she is walking/running away from the camera, but I still love it. It was super bright out as you can see. This is one of the tunnels in the Fort. Neal had her go toward the light. You would think she would have been super blown out because of her white dress. The material was so lightweight, that Heather could carry it no problem on her own. The way she held it helped to catch shadows and create detail in her dress and not wash her out. The tunnel sometimes acts as a wind tunnel so it creates beautiful movement in dresses and veils.

Simply beautiful! 

A lot more to come from Heather and Clay's wedding!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony and Reception: Youngstown Yacht Club

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Old Fort Niagara

A DIFFERENT VIEW AT DELAWARE PARK

Let's take a look at one more image from Kate and Vinny's engagement session at Delaware Park.

Like I mentioned yesterday, the Park was super busy. When we walked toward the stone bridge area, another photographer was already there doing some family portraits. We wanted to be courteous, so we went to the other side to stay out of each others way. At popular locations, you can always run into someone else shooting. That's when we all need to work together and respect each others shoot. 

We chose to shoot a different angle for this shot. Most of the time, you see couples standing in front of the bridge. It is a pretty shot. But, the other photographer and couple would have been in the frame. Time to shake it up a little! We see a glimpse of the bridge in the background which is great!

In this image, we got a bit of everything. There are flowers, trees, plants, vines, the stone bridge, and the lovely couple in their tie dye shirts! It was a great way to change up a common location in the Park!

-Danielle

Buffalo Engagement Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Location: Delaware Park

ENGAGEMENT AT DELAWARE PARK

We had a great engagement shoot last night with Kate and Vinny! 

We did their shoot all around Delaware Park to start. It was super busy at the Park, so we ventured into areas off the beaten path. Just like this one here! We had Kate and Vinny walk into the woods a little. It was pretty bright (and super humid haha). This spot looked really nice with the natural backlight and darker foreground. Neal was kind of spying in on them for this one too! 

Kate and Vinny were so fun! Vinny had us laughing the whole time. He was so funny. He was not afraid to be himself either. This was great for photos! We had amazing reactions from Kate! Their interaction was awesome!

We can't wait until their wedding next year!

-Danielle

Buffalo Engagement Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Location: Delaware Park

GUYS AT TIFT NATURE PRESERVE

Late post on a Monday. We were out of town and the internet decided not to work so well this morning. So, here we are now!

Here are Matthew and his guys at Tifft Nature Preserve. So, for the guys we needed to find a spot that was a little more manly than the Preserve. Lucky for us, there is an overpass that leads into the area. Neal took the guys "under the overpass" to take advantage of the stone work. He had the guys all stand casually, but with a serious face. They did a great job with the serious look too. Most people start laughing when we ask for no smiles (which is not often). They nailed it. I love the little guy and his pose is perfect!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photographer: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony and Reception: Pearl St. Grill and Brewery

Buffalo Wedding Photo Location: Tifft Nature Preserve, Pearl at the Webb

ENGAGEMENT SESSION AT NIAGARA SQUARE

Happy Friday everyone! Here is another image from Kaitlyn and Dan's engagement session!

This was from the start of their shoot at Niagara Square. Niagara Square has so much to offer. Besides, the architecture, there are amazing flowers surrounding the whole square. We were a little nervous that the flowers and plants might not look so good because of the lack of rain. However, the colors were so vibrant. There was actually a woman watering them during the shoot! 

We had Kaitlyn and Dan stand on one side of the flowers and we were on the other. It was a little breezy out, so we had to sway with the wind to make sure the flowers were not covering their faces.

Kaitlyn and Dan were great to work with. They have an amazing connection. They were laughing the whole time. We got natural smiles and tons of fun! We can't wait for their wedding next year!

-Danielle

Buffalo Engagement Photography: Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Engagement Photo Location: Niagara Square, Canalside