Current updates on Buffalo, NY photographer Lindsay DeDario's photography musings

Dec 29 2024

Niagara Falls Fall Foliage Engagement Photography

With the loose location request of “trees and fall foliage, not opposed to waterfalls/water” in mind, Anh and Brian had given me the perfect parameters to take them to one of my favorite places for their wedding engagement photography, Niagara Falls, NY! Niagara Falls might seem like an obvious place for wedding/engagement/proposal pictures, but honestly, it’s really underutilized! This is especially true of the Niagara River Gorge. The Niagara Gorge puts on an incredible show each fall. With its wide range of tree varietals that provide these warm foliage tones, contrasted with the blue-green water, it’s such a SCENE. Add to this all that cozy late day sun, and you’ve got the makings of a really special session.

With such a photography setting in place, all we needed was love (and a skilled lady with a camera, of course! ;). If I do say so, we all delivered as we walked the trails of Niagara Falls and created these engagement photos. I love having these opportunities to really get to know couples before the wedding day, and can’t wait to see these two in front of my camera again next year at The Sterling!

couple looks at each other with fall foliage in background during wedding engagement photography session in Niagara Falls, NY

couple poses for portraits with fall foliage in background during wedding engagement photography session in Niagara Falls, NY

I always ask the couple if they’re afraid of heights before we visit this super special spot. This location is a bit precarious, but offers one of the best views in the city of Niagara Falls for engagement photography.

People always ask how I find my favorite locations, the answer is simple – I GET OUT OF MY CAR. I’ve found so many incredible places by hiking and exploring on my bike. Location scouting is one of my favorite things to do in my down time. It seems wherever I adventure, I picture an imaginary client in each scene. It’s one of those things about having a job that you truly enjoy – it’s hard to “turn it off” when you’re not working. But if my job is going to be both a blessing and a curse, I’m sure glad the curse is SO. FLIPPING. PRETTY!

Wondering what the view is like from the bottom? Check out the photography from this Niagara Falls wedding engagement proposal at the base of the Niagara River Gorge in Whirlpool State Park!

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May 30 2024

Buffalo Wedding Engagement Photos

Nick + Sam

There are some couples that just have that thing, that ease around one another that makes photographing them so simple. As you can guess, Nick and Sam are one of those couples. This bride and groom to-be decided to start their wedding engagement photos in the Buffalo, NY neighborhood where they spent their formative years in as a couple – Allentown. This colorful and historic neighborhood is a lot of fun for photography. But what makes these pictures magic is the comfort Nick and Sam have just BEING together. All the prompts in the world can’t create that secret ingredient. <3

We had to make an obligatory stop in front of the classic Allentown house Nick and Sam first lived in together for a picture (bottom right). A slow dance to “our house, is a very very very fine house” ensued. <3

Onward to Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo!

Nick and Sam wanted to include some more natural settings in their wedding engagement photos, so we headed to Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo, NY for some additional pictures. When we arrived I expressed a little disappointment with the sparse foliage. It was then that Sam totally changed my perspective and said she preferred the bare trees, explaining that the leaves hide all the interesting structures of the branches. This eternal optimist will forever be grateful for that lovely take.

I need to talk about something here… I REALLY dislike gender stereotypes, but generally… men… you’re terrible at sitting in any sort of remotely natural looking manner. Take notes from Nick please. Over the course of many hundreds of wedding engagement photo sessions, I’ve seen countless men sit down in front of my camera. 9 times out of 10 it’s like… what? That’s how you sit?! It’s SO BAD. Not Nick though. He sits beautifully. I can’t believe I’m typing all this… but it’s really remarkable!

Is there anything like a Buffalo sunset in fall? These warm tones warm my soul. Tifft Nature preserve has beautiful west facing views making it a perfect spot for sunset wedding engagement photos in Buffalo, NY.

That’s all for this group of Buffalo, NY wedding engagement photos!

If you’d like to see more pictures from sessions at Tifft, check out this one!

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Apr 29 2024

The North Farm Wedding in Geneva, NY

Hannah + Will

If teamwork makes the dream work, then the dream team Hannah and Will assembled for their wedding at the North Farm in Geneva was bound to create the dreamiest of wedding dreams. And so it was.

While this vendor team was amazing, no doubt, we can only take it so far. The secret ingredient for a truly beautiful wedding day is a cast of wonderfully colorful, supportive and FUN family and friends. That’s the real gold. It’s not often that a wedding really ticks all the boxes for me, but this was just one of those special days.

I started with Hannah and her family at an Air BNB nearby the North Farm. Meanwhile, Mark joined Will and co. over at the 41 Lakefront Hotel in Geneva.

Wedding time at The North Farm in Geneva, NY!

The North Farm in Geneva is a truly special wedding venue. It’s nestled in the wine country of the Finger Lakes region of NY, with views of Seneca Lake and a REALLY fun barn for photography. Between the variety of areas to gather, often with multiple levels within each area, and the dynamic and dramatic natural light, it provides a delightfully unique footprint to design with. Kelli and her team at Simply Beautiful Events did such a great job finding uses for so many of the different nooks of this venue. They created such a comfortable, “something for everyone” type atmosphere that was truly magical.

We kicked off the celebrations with an adorable “first look” in a nice shady area beside the barn. Then we got right to the portraits, knocking most of them out before the ceremony began.

Hannah and Will utilized an open field at the North Farm, situated on a hill with gorgeous views of Seneca Lake, for the wedding ceremony scene.

Upon arrival guests were greeted with some refreshing lemonade and the option to either walk or take a golf cart up the hill. It was a HOT day. You’ll see many people gathered in the shade of nearby trees and under their umbrellas until the ceremony began.

Back at the The North Farm’s barn, it was wedding reception time!

The cocktail hour took place in the North Farm’s “courtyard,” if you will. Guests were entertained by live music and enjoyed their refreshments. As cocktail hour was coming to a close, the sliding doors of the lower level of the barn were open to guests. This dinner area makes my eyes SO very happy. The cozy space with its warm sweeping light, the long farm tables, Pistil and Pollen’s truly STUNNING florals… this was a scene out of dining dream.

Oh… and also… a cannabis bar!

This was the first wedding I photographed with a proper cannabis bar. Since marijuana was legalized in NY state, I’ve seen it popping up in different ways at weddings. This cozy bar and lounge out in the yard was definitely the most formal (and lovely) set up I’ve seen to date.

After dinner, guests were invited to make their way around to the back of the barn to enter the upper level where dancing and dessert awaited. Hannah and Will’s wedding cake was also the stuff of dreams. The floral backdrop… are you kidding me?!

Many thanks to Hannah and Will for having us document your perfect wedding at the North Farm in Geneva!

If you’re looking for a photographer for your own wedding, please reach out here!

And thank you to all these venues and vendors who helped make the day so great!

Planner: Simply Beautiful Events (Kelli Burgh)

Bridal Preparation Location: Air BnB

Groom Preparation: 41 Lakefront Hotel

Ceremony & Reception: The North Farm

Hair/Makeup: The Traveling Stylist

DJ/Band: string quartet, Chris (DJ Sweet) from Breakthrough Entertainment

Rentals: Petunia Rose – china

Florist: Pistil and Pollen

Bakery: Get Caked

Catering: Root Catering

Officiant: Ryan, friend of couple

Second Photographer: Mark Duggan

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Jan 16 2024

Knox Farm Wedding Photography

Betsy and Mac’s colorful tented wedding at Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora, NY

Betsy and Mac were a dream to work with, and so it only made sense that they pulled together a dream team of vendors for their wedding at Knox Farm. To add to it all, Knox Farm is a forever favorite wedding venue of mine. Between the tree lined lanes, golden fields, woods and the mansion itself, opportunities for photography abound at every turn.

I began the day with Betsy at Knox Farm’s new Air Bnb, a cottage outside the mansion. This is a super convenient option for wedding parties to stay after their events. Betsy and her wedding party used this space for their hair and makeup in the morning, then moved over to the Knox Farm mansion to get Betsy in her dress.

Betsy and Mac had super charming details. From the bouquet by Wild Blossom Hollow to the couples invitations by Rust Belt Love, all the way down to Betsy’s personalized hair brush gifted by her wedding party, everything was so thoughtful and sweet.

Meanwhile, Mac and his wedding party got ready at High Violet. This gorgeous cocktail bar is attached to the menswear shop, Bureau, from which they purchased their suits!

Back at Knox farm, Betsy got in her dress in this magical secret room located behind a legit rotating bookshelf in one of the bedrooms.

Before the wedding ceremony began, we made some portraits of both wedding parties on the beautiful tree lined road that approaches the mansion at Knox Farm, which is a perfect shady spot for photography on a hot day.

Almost every wedding has it – the classic “there’s a bug in your veil photo.” (:

Wedding ceremony time!

There are so many amazing places for wedding ceremonies that are GREAT for photography at Knox Farm. This big beautiful tree definitely has potential. One thing to consider when contemplating where to have a ceremony though, is the direction of the sun.

Unfortunately, in this location, at this time of day, the sun was falling through the leaves of the tree creating what we call dappled light on the couple. Aka, a photographers worst nightmare. There are a few simple solutions though – the easiest of which is to simply rotate the ceremony site so that the sun is behind the couple. It is possible to overpower the sun with photography lights, but that would be pretty obnoxious to do without your wedding ceremony looking like the set of a feature film. Soooo, just rotate. (: We made the most of what we had though and went in to rapid fire mode, finding the best angles we could. When the leaves parted in just the right way, it sure was beautiful. <3

Time for the tented wedding reception behind the mansion at Knox Farm!

Syrie Roman of Social Maven assembled such a gorgeous reception. From the sailcloth tent from McCarthy’s, to the gorgeous wood tables from Quaint Rentals, and of course Wild Blossom Hollow’s beautiful and oh so colorful florals, this tent was a feast for the eyes.

10/10 recommend the Nickel City Pimp Choir! These fellas have SUCH A BLAST and are such crowd pleasers. Guaranteed to keep you guests super entertained all night long. I mean… just look at them!

That’s it for this one! If you’d like to see more action from another wedding at Knox Farm, check out the photography from this one!

Big thanks to all these vendors who made this wedding what it was:

Planner: Syrie Roman – Social Maven

Hair/Makeup: Rachel Rizzo/Nicole Morris

Transportation: Bedore Tours

DJ/Band: Nickel City Pimp Choir

String Quartet: Diana Sachs

Rentals: Quaint Rentals, McCarthy Tents

Florist: Wild Blossom Hollow

Bakery: Muscoreils

Catering: Olivers

Officiant: Sam Alviani (friend of couple)

Menswear: Bureau

Invitations and Paper Goods: Rust Belt Love

Second Photographer: Mark Duggan

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Jan 03 2023

Niagara Falls Country Club Wedding

Emma and Matt’s Outdoor Wedding Ceremony and Ballroom Reception at Barton Hill House and Niagara Falls Country Club

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I LOVE photographing multiple weddings for the same family. What a special opportunity to be part of the ongoing photographic story these families will tell. Emma and Matt’s wedding was the second I photographed for Emma’s family this past year, as I had pleasure of photographing her sister Hayley’s wedding as well! Oddly enough, Hayley was a referral from another sister duo whose weddings I photographed at the exact same venues, Niagara Falls Country Club and the Admiral Room! What are the odds?!

Second photographer and bow-tie-tie-er extraordinaire, Dorian, and I began our day with some wedding preparation photos at the Barton Hill House in Lewiston, NY. This is a house I know well! When I was younger, I served as a tour guide of this home when it was featured on a tour of homes. What a treat it was to see it again in its new form, a B&B! This house is REALLY historic. Originally built in 1812, it was used as an armory during the War of 1812. It was burned by the British in 1813, rebuilt on its original foundation in 1815, complete with Underground Railroad Tunnels behind a trap door in the fireplace! Also of note, the famous winding staircase carved from a single piece of wood!

Enough history lessons, let’s get to the wedding photography!

We set up the big reveal or “first look” for Emma and Matt on the grass path that leads to the Barton Hill House. It was just the perfect lush, romantic runway for this scene to unfold.

The Barton Hill House has no shortage of nooks perfect for wedding portraits. What a treat it is to make pictures here!

Off to the Niagara Falls Country Club for the wedding ceremony and reception!

The lawn of the Niagara Falls Country Club provides a scenic vista for outdoor weddings with views of the Niagara River, wine country, Lake Ontario, and on clear days, Toronto, ON! Add to this scene some beautiful floral arrangements provided by Fern Croft and you’ve set a perfect outdoor wedding ceremony scene.

The Niagara Falls Country Club offers a modern ballroom with a gorgeous terrace overlooking the wedding ceremony lawn. It’s an effortless transition from wedding ceremony to reception.

If there is one thing weddings at the Niagara Falls Country Club are best known for, it has to be the sunsets. What a SCENE!

Ok… so… don’t buy these sparklers. I was so excited when I saw they had a built in match stick, but literally NONE OF THEM WORKED. It’s always a project getting everyone to light their sparklers at roughly the same time. This seemed like a perfect solution. Alas, it was a comedic fail as you can see in the first picture. Luckily we were able to conjure up some matches and lighters and get the show going.

I highly recommend doing your sparkler show early in the evening if you’re concerned about getting guests to go outside late night and breaking up the party. Many people will already be outside to enjoy the waning sunlight, and the sparklers still illuminate beautifully just after sunset. It’s a great way to transition in to the next portion of the party back inside, the dancing!

Yooooo… EMMA ATTACKED with this wedding cake. They hadn’t even pulled the slice out and she just grabbed it and smashed Matt’s face. NO ONE SAW IT COMING. Including me! The aftermath says it all though.