Photographer & Photojournalist – Buffalo, NY – Weddings, Portraits, Brand

It’s easy to lose sight of the, “why” of our jobs, to get caught up in the busyness of it all and forget what makes it matter to us (and hopefully to others) in the first place.  The priceless refresher course for me?  Photograph people I personally know.

Every summer I head out on an annual camping trip with my boyfriend Paul and a group of his longstanding childhood friends.  We spend nearly two weeks on a picture perfect little island in the middle of an Adirondack mountain lake.  Typically there are a ton of friends around at any given time, but for whatever reason on this particular evening, it was just Jenny, Dave, Paul and me.  The sun was getting low in the sky and Dave asked if we wanted to go out in their boat to watch the sunset.  For whatever reason, we declined.  Fast forward an hour or so and we welcome Jenny and Dave back to shore.  Jenny is literally shaking and a sparkly new ring is resting on her finger.  Had we taken them up on the sunset cruise, who knows what/how that all would have went down, but here we are.

Jenny and Dave were one of those, “we don’t want a fuss” couples when it came to planning their wedding.  They wanted little more than a small, laid back celebration with the people closest to them.  As a photographer, I’ve been REALLY lucky.  My friends never ask me if I can, “just bring along a camera and snap a few photos,” and Jenny and Dave were no exception.  And since they didn’t ask, of course I volunteered.  AND I’M SO GLAD!!!  I’m happy to give my friends the gift of photos, but I’m also selfishly grateful for the experience of seeing pictures of people I care about behind my own lens.  It honestly changes things.  I pride myself on capturing my clients personalities, capturing the dynamic of their families and friends, but as an outsider, I’m never really sure if I have told their story properly.  You try to SEE people, like… really SEE them.  Showing clients how you see them is really one of the great joys of this profession.  But when it’s your own people, it opens your eyes to how much we as photographers really do see in others and how important the moments we capture really are.  Little facial expressions or hand gestures, some day those will all be gone, but the photographs that allow those intricacies to live on, that’s what it’s all about.  And I’m SO glad that these memories from Jenny and Dave’s wedding exist.  If these memories matter to ME,  then it also serves as a striking reminder of how special the photos must (I hope!) feel to them!

At any rate, enough sappy photo stuff, without further ado, a few of my favorite photos with my pals Jenny and Dave on their wedding day!  We started the day outside their house, a charming garden cottage in Buffalo, with a little bit of rain to keep things interesting.

From their house we headed over to Hydraulic Hearth in the Larkinville neighborhood of Buffalo.  An outdoor ceremony was planned, but we were rained out and so we gathered inside and got cozy instead.  The sun finally made an appearance after the ceremony ended and we were able to enjoy the rest of the day outside, eating delicious bagel sandwiches from Breadhive Bakery, playing shuffle board and attempting tandem cycling.  Thanks Jenny and Dave for a super fun day!  We all wish you the best!

Tahleen + Luke

I love when I get to know clients a little bit and really enjoy being around them, then meet their families and friends, and it just explains everything about how the couple came to be as they are.  Tahleen and Luke were surrounded by such profound love and support on their wedding day, it was infectious to be around.  I’m so grateful for the opportunities I get to document special moments for people who I know really appreciate it.  It’s unquestionably one of the highlights of this profession.

I began the day with Tahleen at her families home, which is now going to be the home she and Luke share!  I love how much history there is here!

Generally when clients request a “first look” with their dad, that tells me they know dad might lose it a little bit.  Tahleen’s dad was certainly no exception.  He was SO excited for this day, proud and grateful, and as soon as I set him up for the big reveal, he instantly started choking up.  It was such a beautiful moment to witness!

Meanwhile second shooter extrodinaire Teri met up with Luke and the guys at their church, Faith Fellowship in Clarence, NY where they got ready for the day.  Luke’s socks clearly stole the show here.  Cute socks are my favorite.It doesn’t take a whole lot of time in Tahleen’s presence to realize she’s a thoughtful person, but I just love this story about the cards her dad is holding in the picture below.   So the story goes, when Tahleen was in 5th grade, she started making these index cards for when her dad was traveling for work – little pictures, bible verses, words of encouragement and so forth to remind him how much he was loved and missed.  Tahleen’s dad kept the notes with him, and now has 724 of them.  SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR.   When Tahleen and Luke started dating, Tahleen started making Luke index cards as well and some of those have since been pinned to the wall in their house.  When Tahleen’s dad saw those cards hanging, he felt so thankful that she had Luke in her life and that Luke was getting his turn to receive the notes now. <3

After the ceremony we traveled over to Chestnut Ridge Park for a few portraits with the bridal party and family.  Chestnut ridge has a lot of really beautiful nooks to photograph in, it seems like I find a new little spot every time I visit. …When your parents have a really cute idea for a photo and you’re just like, what?…Every once in a blue moon a client will point out something stylistic that I do and it makes me SO EXCITED because it really means a lot to know that people notice these small things.  When I turned Luke and Tahleen for this portrait below Luke commented something along the lines of, “you love that back light.”  Why YES I DO!!!  (:Onward to La Galleria for the reception!  This campfire cookie cake stole a piece of my heart.Many thanks to Tahleen and Luke for selecting us to document this super special day.  It was such an honor to be a part of it!  And thanks to these awesome vendors below for their part!

Preparation: Bride – Private Residence / Groom – Faith Fellowship Church (Clarence, NY)

Ceremony: Faith Fellowship Church (Clarence, NY)

Officiant: Father of Bride

Portraits: Chestnut Ridge State Park

Reception: La Galleria

Flowers: Flowers by Johnny

Hair + Makeup : Jessica Bugay, Ape & Canary on Strathallan

DJ: Artistic Audio Entertainment

Cake: Tracy Wassink, The Ideal Cookie

Second Photographer: Teri Fiske