When Tiffany and Vinny first contacted me about their engagement pictures, they mentioned some private property of Tiffany’s Grandfathers in the Southern Tier of WNY might be a fitting location. This could have gone a number of ways, but I’m always up for adventure. I made the drive, dirt road after dirt road, nearly hitting several deer, a bunny and turtle. I eventually came upon a man (Tiffany’s dad) on a four wheeler who flagged me down. I followed him up a steep hill and eventually arrived at a cabin situated on one of the most BEAUTIFUL properties imaginable. Tiffany and Vinny’s vision was perfection. We wandered around in some light rain from location to location and the whole place was just heavenly.
Many thanks to these two for inviting me out to this special place and all the best to you both with your wedding this winter!
It was roughly 207 degrees out for Katelynn and Scott’s Geneseo wedding in the Finger Lakes region of NY, and somehow that stopped zero fun. Well maybe a little bit of fun was zapped on the broken air conditioner limo… but other than that, this day was laid back, beautiful and super fun. We started the day at Katelynn’s Aunt’s gorgeous farm house in Geneseo. The bride and groom had their first look overlooking the fields and it was nothing short of perfect.
From here we went on to the stunning Temple Hill Bed and Breakfast in Geneseo for the wedding portraits. Temple Hill was built in 1826 as a school and was later converted to a private home. The grounds of the now bed and breakfast made a lovely backdrop for our pictures and the owners were ever so gracious with their air conditioner in between photos. Thanks Temple Hill!!! This place is a true gem in the Finger Lakes.
Katelynn and Scott’s crew rolls deep and were effortless to work with. Big bridal parties can be… terrible. These people were not. Also, let’s talk about the palette of the bridesmaids dresses color coordinating with the colors of Temple Hill?! It’s perfect. The gowns came from Show me your Mumu and these ladies rocked them.
This lil’ guy is my favorite.We ventured on to the Oaks at Livingston Country Club, also in Geneseo, for the ceremony and reception. Guests gathered in a small shaded area off to the side of the ceremony area to escape the heat. The seats remained mostly empty. It was pretty hilarious. This is Keith James. Hire him. Pretty sure everyone at this wedding got “ice’d” at some point. The grooms brother delivered a great speech, but the tribute to their Grandma brought everyone to their feet and to tears. Well done. I hope I get this story right. So. Katelynn used to live in a house where one night they found jugs of moonshine in the basement. Debauchery ensues. Katelynn eventually moves out and life goes on. Fast forward to the days leading up to this wedding, someone in this crew decided it would be a good idea to BREAK IN to this old house and steal the very last jug to bring to this wedding!!! I’m pretty sure I just witnessed a bunch of people drink gasoline, but it was highly entertaining no less.
Many thanks to Katelynn and Scott for including us in the celebration! We had a blast working with you and your crew!
Hockey Fans Turned Pittsburgh Lovers – Tricia + Ryan
Ever since this wedding engagement photography shoot in Pittsburgh, I’ve been contemplating this: Have we, as Buffalonians, hit the point where it’s totally fair to have “another” team? Are our sports programs SO wretched that we need backup to keep us engaged in the sports we love to watch? I’d like to say that’s totally, 100%, cheating on your team… jerks… but… maybe there has to be a breaking point? Can we really still hate on fair weather fans? I’m torn.
For Ryan, an avid hockey fan, that breaking point started creeping up around the time Sydney Crosby first put on his Pittsburgh sweater in 2005, and gradually grew as Crosby’s dynamic career has unfolded. As the fandom blossomed, so did Ryan’s relationship with Tricia, and the two decided to travel to Pittsburgh to see Crosby on home ice. This started to become a regular tradition for these two and they started to simply become fans of Pittsburgh as a whole. These two still call Buffalo home, but Pittsburgh is a place they return to time and time again and has become an important place to them.
Tricia and Ryan are planning a wedding for next June back in Buffalo, but decided to bring me out to Pittsburgh for their engagement photos to honor this place that’s so special to them. I had a blast working in some new places and exploring Pittsburgh for a day. It’s sure a nice place. But… let’s go Buff-a-lo!
Thank you SO much to Tricia and Ryan for bringing me out to Pittsburgh to be part of this wedding engagement photography session. It was so much fun to explore new places with you both. Can’t wait for the wedding!
Update: The wedding happened! Check out their pictures here!
Give me love and literal light – there will be photo magic. But before we get in to Tahleen and Luke’s wedding engagement photography session at Knox Farm, a little prelude.
People have asked if I ever know which couples will make it, which relationships will stand the test of time, and I like to think I do. Honestly, my only credentials for making such a statement are that the one couple I’ve photographed in 12 years that I know has split was also the number one couple about which I thought, “meh… I dunno about those two.” But this begs the question, what does love look like? It certainly takes on many shapes as it molds to the personalities of those it inhabits, but there are just certain couples where you can see it, that THING, they have it!
When I critique photographers work, the sentiment I share more than any other is, “it doesn’t FEEL like anything.” Taking a picture of a pretty thing – that’s easy. Finding or creating good light, finding great color, using an engaging composition, all of these things are vital. But if the photo doesn’t FEEL like anything, what’s it all for? Sure, light and color and composition help create feeling, but there’s more. Finding the light, the color, the composition, then finding Love, captial L-love, and using the elements and principles of art to let that Love shine, that’s where the magic lives. That’s the photo that makes you take a deep breath, soak it in, maybe even let out an audible “mmmm…” because you can just FEEL what it’s like to be present, then and there.
This magic trifecta came to fruition with Tahleen and Luke’s wedding engagement photography at Knox Farm. At some point I realized I was being pretty quiet during this shoot. That’s rare for me. I’m always making conversation, jokes, asking questions… But this session was beyond. The light was there, the love was there… all I needed to do was focus. Not focus the camera, though that’s important too… but focus on how to make art out of everything the world was so generously throwing at me.
My greatest goal with a picture is to transport people to a place in time, to give the world living, breathing pictures that they can FEEL with all the senses, not just sight. I think these pictures have that… because I did my job, and Tahleen and Luke just have that THAT thing…
In short, to me, this is what love looks like folks. Soak it in.
Many thanks to Tahleen and Luke for hiring me to document your engagement and wedding celebrations! Can’t wait for the wedding!
Update: Tahleen and Luke are married! Check out some wedding photography highlights here!
On the drive home from every wedding, I inevitably reflect back on the day – favorite moments, favorite photos, all the different characters I met, etc. Leaving Kellie and Trevor’s garden wedding at Samuel’s Grande Manor near Buffalo I thought, “well that sure was pleasant.” There was a calm among this crew. Kellie and Trevor are those sorts of people you can tell really go out of their way to make the people around them feel great. And I think it really reflected back on them during their wedding – you could look around and just FEEL everyone was genuinely happy for these two and so happy to share in the celebration.
We started the day at Kellie’s parents house which is always such a special and personal treat for me. I love seeing where my clients grew up and the people and places that shaped them. THE one and only Lizzy Dugan and the crew from Salon Elizabeth joined us and filled their lil’ kitchen with all the beauty and glam imaginable. I can’t recommend these ladies enough – true top notch pros.
Meanwhile Trevor and his groomsmen got in to all sorts of shenanigans over at Kellie’s sisters house. Trevor owned a skate shop for years and I knew he wanted to incorporate skateboarding in to his pictures, so I figured he and my second shooter would have a lot of fun working working together… had no idea it would lead to what you see below, but that’s all part of the fun. (:
We spent the rest of the day at Samuel’s Grande Manor, an event venue near Buffalo, where the rain cleared JUST in time for a beautifully lush outdoor garden ceremony with a reception afterward in their second level ballroom.
Many thanks to Kellie and Trevor for including me in this celebration, it has been such a pleasure! All the best to you both!
