Engagement Photography (and video!) at Japanese Garden at Delaware Park in Buffalo NY

First of all, I think the engagement session is by far the best way to a) get to know your photographer and the way they work and b) will help you get a lot better wedding photos. So I highly recommend spending a little extra for engagement photos even though you might think you won't really need them. 

Why you should definitely do an engagement session

Most people are not very confident about seeing themselves in a photograph. They are used to selfies with wide angle lenses that make their nose look gigantic. If you are not confident about your own picture there is a high chance that you have never been photographed by a professional. 

Here is why I recommend all my couples to hire me for their engagement session. First of all, we can get to know each other in a different way than sitting down at my studio. Walking around together, finding cool photo spots and being directed by me for the first time will also help you two a lot to be confident about your wedding photos. Chances are, you will like yourself in your engagement photos way more than all the photos of yourself you have seen so far. 

Another reason is that engagement photos will give you images in more regular clothes. Even if you dress up a little, chances are that it won't be as fancy as on your wedding day. That gives you a lot more variety overall. You can of course also use the engagement photos for your save the dates or wedding invitations. 

To give you a quick overview about what a typical engagement session with me looks like, just watch this video below. While I focus on taking pictures most of the session, I also take a few video clips and try to film you with my drone as well. We usually end up going to two different locations, as for example a park for a pick-nick and the Niagara river for the sunset. The idea is that we make your photos and videos look like you are on a date. The more natural and candid, the better. 

Film photos from Road Trip - From Buffalo to Yellowstone

After telling you all about how I fell in love with shooting film this year, of course I need to show you some more film photos. I was lucky enough to have two weeks in the summer to go on a road trip. In early August I drove to Chicago where I met a friend who I actually met 10 years ago at that internship in Prague I mentioned in my last blog post. We had already done a road trip in 2014, through Arizona, Utah and Colorado. This time we decided to start way further north, driving through Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota. Just the emptiness of those states can be breathtaking. Endless fields, roads and just a farm here and there, nothing else. 

How to shoot your own vacation as a photographer

While a lot of people shoot most of their photos on vacation, for me it can be a relieve to not bring a camera. Don't get me wrong, I love using all kinds of cameras. But going on vacation with the same tool you use for work can make it feel less like a vacation. So I was debating in my head forever what I should do. Should I just bring my iPhone and capture some photo and video here and there? Maybe a phone gimbal to get more stable video and do time-lapses? But what about the drone? And wouldn't I miss shooting film? For a little bit I was even thinking about only using film for the entire trip. 

In the end, I did what I guess you do if you can't make up your mind. I had an entire suitcase full of gear. One film camera for black and white, one for color. A digital camera, all kind of lenses, the drone, a polaroid and a ton of film. There was some fear that this might be overwhelming. But it turned out it would be just perfect. Having all this gear at my disposal made it feel more like toys. I would pick whatever I felt like depending on the situation. Just open the trunk, choose 1-2 cameras and go shoot. The fun I had using all kind of cameras was definitely better than feeling like I was missing something. 

I have to admit, I didn't really edit my footage or photos yet. But here is the best part about film. You don't need to edit if you give the film to a lab. So here are my favorite film photos from the trip. One more tip, one of the best things we did was shooting lots of Polaroids. I had a little album we could use to make an album while we were on the trip.