How to Have a Soul Satisfying Home Wedding 

There are reasons beyond budget to hold your wedding in your home or the home of a loved one or great friend. For many people, home really is where the heart is, as the old saying goes. A home wedding can be soul-satisfying because if done well, it can bring a deep feeling of satisfaction that you’ve started your new life with your beloved emphasizing the importance of home and family.

Here are some things to think about in deciding whether to wed at home or at a venue:

What rental items (chairs, tents, lighting, etc.) will you need for the size wedding you want? Will you end up spending more on your own rentals than you will for a professional venue that already has the items?

From the photographic point of view, are there places within the home or lawn that will make good backgrounds?  Gardens are great if they are weeded or if enough flowers are in bloom. Look at all the spaces in your home and yard that might be used for photography with a critical eye.

If the wedding or reception is to be held indoors, is there available natural light? Natural light is the secret to the most beautiful wedding photos.

Is there enough space so that the guests are not too close to the wedding couple during the ceremony? 

Remember also, that this is one day in your wedded life. There are hopefully years and years to come.  Don’t buy furniture or do renovations that are expensive for this one day, unless you and your betrothed love them.

How to Choose Wedding Attire for an Entire Day of Being the Star!

Brides-to-be pour-over glossy magazine pictures and internet sites featuring everything from glorious wedding dresses and shoes to jewelry, gloves, hairstyles, makeup, and the whole array of wedding paraphernalia. Dreaming is easy but just remember, you’ll want to be a vision of beauty for the whole day and evening too on your wedding day.

Comfort is an element of planning your wedding attire that brides seldom seriously consider, until the wedding day when it is too late. Your groom will most likely be wearing comfortable flat-heeled shoes while you totter on heels that show off your dress, but make walking and dancing a major feat to be accomplished. Even small weddings may mean a long day from the time you begin getting dressed until the last guest leaves. Changing clothes for the reception is an option, but many brides want to remain the star of the show until the last possible minute. Everyone wants photos on the dance floor in their dresses.

If you plan carefully, you can go all day without wilting or getting blisters. Well-planned, you’ll remember the day as being wonderful instead of hot, scratchy, and overwhelming. When you find the dress you love, use your imagination to see yourself wearing it through weather changes and all of the activities of your wedding day. Choose shoes that are wearable all day or have multiple pairs available. Break them in before the wedding. If you plan to kick them off on the dance floor, make sure you won’t trip over your dress!

Consider the weather and your comfort in makeup. We’ll have a future blog on applying makeup for optimal photography. The glossy magazine photos and Instagram shots that attract you are edited. Weddings are real-life events that require careful consideration. Years later when you look at your photos and see how comfortable and happy you were on that spectacular day, you will be glad you took the time.

How to Choose the Vision That is You

There are pivotal moments in each person’s life when choices are made that create a path in a new direction. The choice to become engaged and married is certainly one of those moments. Many women and some men too find that the decision to marry and to hold a wedding propels them into looking deeper within themselves. “Who am I?” is an age-old question. For couples who have never planned anything as monumental as a wedding, that question comes up. The questions of “who are we as a couple?” and “how do we want to present ourselves as a couple to our families and community?” are more concepts to think about.

Wedding planning that starts out simply often takes on a life of its own, especially when friends, family, and professionals get involved. It goes better when you’re clear that your wedding is the springboard for the rest of your lives together. In planning how you want your wedding to look, and more importantly how you want it to feel, be true to yourself. Shakespeare said it best centuries ago… “this above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man”.

These Daniel Photo Pro photos of four brides show how each was true to the vision that felt right for her. 

How to Choose Your Wedding Colors. Forget the Trends – Make It You!

What happens when you let the colors of your imagination run free?  This is what happens…the colors that make your heart fill up with emotion also begin to glow in your mind. Life overflows with wonderful colors. Think about it. Does Lavender make you feel beautiful?  Does Orange fill you with a zest for living? Does Red remind you of your passionate side?  Does White emanate romance?  Does Turquoise bring on your peaceful, happy place? Does Yellow make you want to jump for joy?

Your wedding is one of the most important times in your life when you can use the colors that you LOVE to set the stage for your new life. Just like walking into a colorful home gives you a sense of the owner’s personality, your chosen wedding colors vividly say who you are and what brings you happiness.

There are many design elements used in wedding decorations. Whether you have a wedding planner, a friend helping you, or are doing your own planning, the choice of color must be yours. Color will play a big part in your wedding photography and your guests’ emotional experience of the wedding, so create it with the color or colors that are YOU!

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When the Garden is the Heart of Your Wedding Photography

Flowers have always been integral to weddings, from ancient times when a bride carried a bouquet to make her smell good, to modern weddings with towering vases of flowers created by floral artists. Some brides choose outdoor weddings that incorporate Nature into the theme. However, for a truly splendid setting, a well-kept, sculpted botanical garden is incomparable. Here you find outdoor natural beauty made even grander by professional landscape designers and artists.

The Cleveland Botanical Garden has been nurtured since its inception in 1930. It is now integrated with the famed Holden Arboretum. With nearly 200 years of tender care, the Garden has developed into an extraordinary place for wedding photos.  With generations of love poured into its care, no wonder the Cleveland Botanical Garden exudes LOVE!

Romance, Elegance, Timelessness – Think Black & White!

Do you want wedding photos that evoke Romance, Elegance, and Timelessness in the mind of the viewer? If so, choose the Black & White version of photos and these qualities invariably appear. Photography in Black & White, especially when the viewer is expecting color, typically causes the viewer to pause. The brain says…ah, this is different than what I expected. We live in a color-filled world so when color suddenly disappears, yet we still have the familiar shapes, the photo becomes intriguing.

No one quite knows whether this response to the B&W photos is because that’s all that was available in early photography, thus they seem old, or because in the absence of color, light and shadow add a deeper dimension.  

Black & White photos add mystery and artistic quality to photos as well. A good photographer loves to play with the light and shadow that adds depth. If you love the B&W look, let your photographer know in advance. Enjoy these samples of Daniel Photo Pro images and pause to think of the qualities they evoke in you.

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The Breathtaking Quality of a Sunset Sky

Why do people the world over gather in the evening to experience sunset together? Because it’s the most magical, mysterious moment of the day!  Sunrise is sweet and hopeful, the awakening of a new day, but Sunset can be dramatic and that’s why photographers and lovers flock to photograph it. Nothing says passion like a loving couple posing in the glowing embers of a sunset.

The other wonder of an evening spent taking engagement or wedding photography at sunset is the variety of backgrounds that appear over a short time. The photo at the pivotal moment of sunset may be red hot, but later, the afterglow of the dispersing colors across the sky creates a very different palette and mood.

Yes, it can be difficult to arrange your photography on a day when the setting sun and the clouds will cooperate. It’s not always possible, but very often the result of the extra effort is well worth it. No amount of money can create the artistry the setting sun can make. More importantly, like your love, it’s real. The two of you and that evening sky are absolutely unique in all of Time.

Wedding a Year Away? Book Engagement Photos Now.

It’s Summer!

Summer is here and it’s the perfect time to take your engagement photos outdoors in natural light.

Wrap yourself and your beloved in Nature for photos that you will cherish. Everyone is more beautiful when the face and body are relaxed and happy.  With years of experience, we at Daniel Photo Pro understand how engagement photos can lead to great wedding photos because we have the opportunity to study how the camera sees you. It’s the artistry of photography.

Contact us today to discuss engagement photos while the warmth, beauty, and wonder of summer stretch out before us.

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Creating Color with Light for Your Wedding Events

Have you ever noticed how your world changes when you’re watching the sun slowly set and all around you nature begins to glow with a blend of breathtaking colors?  Color is one of the great joys of life. Colorful lighting brings a transforming ambiance that makes an event become an experience. If used carefully, it can add a stunning dimension to your wedding or reception. Natural light outdoors at certain times of day can create magic. For indoor events, artificial lighting can be used effectively to create mood and to reflect the personality of the couple being joined in marriage.

Whether the event is at home or in an event center, using colored lighting along with carefully curated settings can make the event memorable. If you choose to use artificial lighting, be sure to see how it appears during the time of day that your event will be held. It can look very different in the morning than it does at night. The light coming in through windows will affect it.  As you can see in these photos, artificial lighting creates a much different look than standard lighting would. Creating color-impacted events doesn’t have to be done by a professional, but it does take some time and experimenting. Be brave and have fun with color!

               How to choose colors that make your wedding uniquely you
When planning a wedding, the color scheme is a very important choice. Using one or two colors that blend well will tie everything together – invitations, bridesmaids’ dresses, table decorations, flowers, and more.  The chosen colors reflect the personalities of the bride and groom.  Although many grooms default to the bride when it comes to choosing colors, some have strong feelings about it. What do you do when you and your fiancé have strong differences about the color scheme?

It’s important to remember that this may be just the beginning of integrating color into your lives!  Decorating a home comes next, and in a happy marriage, the home is a reflection of both of you. Working out color choices for your wedding that bring happiness to both of you is a good way to start your new life.

In the photos below, turquoise is the dominant color. Combining blue and a small amount of yellow, it fits on the color scale between green and blue and radiates the peace, calm, and tranquility of blue and the balance and growth of green with the uplifting energy of yellow.

Beneath the photos, you’ll find highlights from Psychology Today that explains how color is reflective of personality.

Black. People who choose black as their favorite color are often artistic and sensitive.

White. People who like white are often organized and logical and don't have a great deal of clutter in their lives.

Red. Those who love red live life to the fullest and are tenacious and determined in their endeavors.

Blue. If blue is your favorite color you love harmony, are reliable, sensitive, and always make an effort to think of others. You like to keep things clean and tidy and feel that stability is the most important aspect of life.

Green. Those who love the color green are often affectionate, loyal, and frank. Green lovers are also aware of what others think of them and consider their reputation very important.

Yellow. You enjoy learning and sharing your knowledge with others. Finding happiness comes easy to you and others would compare you to sunshine.

Purple. You are artistic and unique. You have great respect for people but at times can be arrogant.

Brown. You are a good friend and try your hardest to be reliable and dependable. Flashy objects are not something you desire; you just want a stable life.

Location Spotlight – Lorain Harbor Lighthouse

The combination of sunset over the lake and the historic Lorain Harbor Lighthouse is unbeatable for couples who want their love photographed among nature’s most passionate colors. Beginning in late April, our part of the earth is positioned for gorgeous sunsets in this area. The extra benefit is that every single sunset is unique, as are the love and dreams of every couple.

It is possible to hold small weddings or engagement events at the Lighthouse itself, but there are significant costs. See the Lighthouse website for details. For photography only, there are ideal locations on land from which Daniel can shoot your photos with you in front of the Lighthouse bathed in sunset’s glow. Give us a call to discuss the options.

Location Spotlight – Schoepfle Garden

Spring at Schoepfle Garden in Wakeman, Ohio is dazzling, a photographer’s dream! Comprising seventy-seven acres of botanical gardens and woodlands near the Vermilion River, Schoepfle Garden is the perfect place in spring and summer for the photography of lovers. The bloom of love evident on the faces of engaged couples blends with nature’s extraordinary bloom in gardens like Schoepfle.

How do spectacular places like Schoepfle Garden come to exist? They typically grow from one person’s curiosity about flowers. In this case, a man who was once a banker, and then publisher of the Elyria Chronicle, traveled to Europe and came home brimming with ideas about flowers.  The result of his passion and willingness to study botanicals is that decades later, ordinary people like us can enjoy their transcendental beauty.

We hope you enjoy the glories of Schoepfle Garden, collections of rhododendrons, roses, hosta, cannas, flowering shrubs, magnificent trees, and much more. It would be our great pleasure to photograph you and your beloved, or your family and friends in this place of love and passion.

Location Spotlight - Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Northeast Ohio is a land blessed with natural beauty both in the wild and in the cultivated areas. The great Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is a little of both! The famed cherry blossoms of Washington DC have a serious competitor in the blossoms of Cleveland.  Our zoo is a marvelous place for photography with dappled natural light coming through the trees that adds a quality of timelessness indoor photography can rarely achieve. The softness and colors of nature bring out the beauty in humans as well.

These photos were taken in spring with the blossoms in bloom, but throughout the seasons the Cleveland Zoo is a wondrous place for photography. It's especially good for engagement photos because it offers a wide variety of spaces within the zoo and the surrounding Metroparks from which to choose. Give us a call to explore natural areas for your engagement, wedding, and family photo needs.  Daniel Photo Pro photography makes you see how beautiful you are!