As an outdoorsy person and a wedding photographer I am obsessed with anything that connects weddings and nature. This January, while browsing the Internet and having dinner with the family, I accidentally came across a make up salon in Europe that creates these gorgeous head pieces made completely out of flowers. Wow, what if something like this is made for brides -  I thought – that would be such a cool idea! …And this is how I got bitten by the bug. I started looking for people here at home who make these things. And I came across Helena from Perfect Princess Events, whom I always knew as a great wedding planner, and never thought she could also be a master of floral design and table decoration. But here it is in practice – the marvel of casual F2F coffee meetings and networking.

…On a different front, I always wanted to do a shoot with my good friend Gina Mueller, owner of the classy Villa Capri in Wallingford, CT. Something a little more special, you know, away from the beaten path. We never really had the chance to pull it off – up until now. Sometimes things line up quite well. Helena, then Gina – in the end it wasn’t too difficult to connect the dots and draw the big picture. After a couple of quick calls everything came into place. Jess from Bliss Bridal – the ONE and ONLY – joined us with a fantastic lace gown which looked absolutely amazing on our beautiful model Jen Dean. The icing on the cake came from our make up artists, Larissa and Stephanie of Larissa Lake Make Up Artist, who totally stunned everybody with the way they transformed Jen’s face. As a photographer I am a bit obsessed with make up and I am itching to finish this whole post with my praises to both of them. I have to keep things focused though – and I hope I’ll have many more chances to write entire posts about them in the future.

So… starting with just a rough idea sparked from casually browsing the Internet, and ending up with this super team of incredibly talented professionals – this is something I’ve done a few times in the past to push myself and everybody else around me with something new, fresh and exciting. This approach has become a great way to bring creative ideas to fruition and later offer them to my clients. The underwater shoot with Dani was a great example, which was later picked up by Mari & Ben for their afterglow session in the Dominican Republic. If you like any element from this shoot, make sure you let me know, so that we can do the same thing for you. I am super super excited with the way everything came out. Hoooray!

The Details

The Venue

Spicy Stuff from Behind the Scenes

Once again, BIG KUDOS to my partners in crime:

Model: Jen Dean (facebook.com/JenDean94)
Dress: Bliss Bridal (blissbridalct.com)
Makeup: Larissa & Steph / Larissa Lake Makeup Artist (larissalakemakeupartist.com)
Table, Hair Floral Arrangements: Helena Willis of Perfect Princess Events (PerfectPrincessEvents.com)
Venue: Villa Capri, Wallingford CT (villacapri.com)

Love you guys!

XoXoXo,

- Your Pal Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

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So here we are today – at the same place, many years later. While finishing that yummy soup, we take a couple of quick shots to get started. Everything around us is memorable decor – the walls, the chairs, the stained glass, the lights, the custom sterling silver bowl we used for the ring shot when we eventually left the Cafe and moved to the store. We played quite a bit with the mirrors and the mannequins, and with all those clothes at the store. It was quite a departure from my typical outdoor engagement shoots, but in the end what really matters is what your heart calls for. And for Maryann and Rich, it was all perfect. I am super happy, excited – and honored – to make it a reality for them. Yay!

Check it out over here:

Gallery 1:

….Aaaaand here:

Congratulations Maryann & Rich! You guys rock! Can’t wait for the wedding!

Cheers,

- Your Pal Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

…If you love what you see here, stay in touch – subscribe to my posts. It’s quick and easy. No worries  – no spam and no excessive posting. I promise.

I am a Canon user. I am happy about today’s announcement. I’ve always had Canons, and probably always will. But this post is not going to be about Canon. Not about another silly Canon/Nikon debate either. It is all about what really matters after all.

A couple of days ago I came across something that picked my attention. I shared it on my Facebook status. It’s a list of the top 10 things a client should never say to a photographer, courtesy of Laura Fleming Photography (Kudos!). Interestingly, the one that tops them all is “Your camera takes really nice pictures!”. Here it is:

Today I saw at least a dozen status updates on Facebook about Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Photographers all over the world are now drooling. Everyone’s talking about extended ISO, improved noise, weather sealing, microphone interface, and so on. Indeed, cameras are a big part of a photographer’s world. And the introduction of a new and better model is always a good thing. In a way. But there is one other thing today’s events made me think about. They made me think about what is it that really matters after all – and what my clients really treasure. And speaking of that, here’s a little story for you.

PG’s Mecca

There’s a guy I know, who lives in a neighboring town. I’ll call him P. P has a relatively small house. With and enormous basement. And I mean ENORMOUS. To the extent where any B&H warehouse manager will go green with envy. Why? P has turned this place into a Mecca for Nikon bums. He stores TONS of photographic equipment there. In fire-resistant safes, locked with the latest security devices. When you open those safes, you’ll see virtually EVERY piece of equipment Nikon has EVER produced. In twos. Every time Nikon announces a new piece of gear, it is immediately being preordered – in twos. Just in case. It’s like a museum there. …No, it’s better. The museum will actually look like a toy store compared to this.

P is an extremely technically savvy person. He will anxiously tell you anything he knows about any piece of gear. Angles, speeds, f-stops, dimensions, glass quality, weight, what not. He’ll enthusiastically sit down and draw color graphics for you to compare the water and dust insulation characteristics of two lenses. He is a Nikon encyclopedia. But there is one element that is missing in this whole story. Everybody knows P with all his equipment, but nobody has mentioned anything about his photography. What I know is that P takes pictures with the single purpose of enjoying their technical quality and comparing their technical characteristics. He is all about that.

The truth is, every photographer has a little bit of P in them. Everybody secretly hopes that with each introduction of a new and cool piece of gear they will have a chance to buy it. At some point? No, ASAP please. I admit, I do too. Heck, I crave so much that better signal to noise ratio, or the new wireless flash head. Hey, no more Radiopoppers/Pocket Wizards. How about that, huh? But photography is not about that after all. It’s about what we as artists create with all these tools.

It’s All About Touching People’s Hearts

I strive to generate emotions with my photos. I create experiences and memories for people. I pour my heart and soul into my work. And while my camera is an extension of me, it’s just a tool. Yes, I do have gear – lots of it – and yes, it is really important that I know my gear from the ground up – so that I am always in control, and I can use it creatively. But owning the latest and the greatest stuff has never been among my top priorities. I never lived for my gear. And never will. I don’t believe that a new camera or lens will necessarily make me a better photographer. It won’t help me make more money either.

It is me who produces the image, not the camera. My camera is just a tool. And tools are tools. Learn how to use them. Inside and out. Start using them creatively, push them to their limits. You’d be amazed how much an old body can do for you. Pour your heart and soul into that. Try to create impactful images with whatever gear you have in your hands. I’ve learned to circumnavigate any inferiorities that piece of gear might have and squeeze the best out of it. Create “Paint from Fart”, as people in certain parts of the world say. Because, as a popular iPhone app puts it, “The best camera is the one that’s in your hands.”

…And guess what? People love what I do for them. Although they see me juggling tons of things in my hands all the time, they never ask me what camera/lenses/flashes, etc., I use. Nobody cares about f-stops, speeds, guide numbers, DOF, infrared, gamma rays, or the weight my tripod can support. Interestingly, judges at competitions don’t care about that either. Everyone just wants to see the final result.

If you are in the business of photography, it’s all about touching people’s hearts. Otherwise top photographers like Joe Buissink – who I absolutely LOVE – wouldn’t be selling weddings for millions of dollars, despite the fact that Joe himself admits some of his images are famously “blurry” and judges wouldn’t even consider them for a competition. Gear here is absolutely irrelevant, it is emotion that counts.

All that being said, getting that new camera, lens or whatever you are craving, is not necessarily a bad thing – it will make certain things easier for you. Being another P obsessed with equipment – just for the heck of owning the latest and the greatest – is the red flag. The industry has one single goal: to make more money. It will always come up with new toys, trying to lure people like him to spend the last penny in his bank account. Now think about it. As a photographer, you’d be offended if someone made remarks about your great camera and said nothing about you – and yet, you secretly crave it. But honestly, nobody is interested in that brand new toy you are holding in your hands. What makes you unique is your passion, your heart, your creativity, your personality. Blow people away with those qualities.

They will love you for that.

Smooches,

Your Pal Val,

a.k.a. CT Wedding Photographer Val Nanovsky

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Today I am posting something slightly different from my usual blog stuff. As some of you might know, I spent the New Year holidays in Bulgaria. There, along with Photo Forum (photo-forum.net) we put together a two-day seminar on wedding photography business and creativity in wedding photography.

The first day was strictly about photography business. The second day the topic was a little more about creativity and using a number of tricks  to win the hearts of our brides on the spot. The photos below demonstrate some of the basic concepts we talked about. I am very happy with the way they came out, and thought I’d share some of them with you.

• How to play with color, lines, shapes and design – and generate emotion;
• Isolating the subject from the background in less than perfect environments such as those brides often get ready in;
• Brainstorming and generating cool ideas;
• Clean visual communication of those ideas;
• Using inexpensive or free props to transform our photos into true works of art;
• Creating and manipulating a sense of space;
• Workflow and artistic editing tricks;
• Creating something out of nothing, otherwise known as the “Paint from Fart” concept. …Yeah, I know :)

We had a gorgeous model – Ina – who did a phenomenal job – from A to Z. KUDOS Ina, can’t tell you how happy I am we met. Can’t wait to work with you again! …on to the results:

I am currently working on a document discussing how each concept applies to every photo. It will be a good reminder of everything we talked about, something worth keeping and using in your photography on a daily basis. Along with the seminar presentation, each participant will get a copy of that document too. Yay!

Needless to say, I had an absolute blast at the seminar, and hope everybody enjoyed it as much as I did. It was a true honor and pleasure to be with you – you guys totally ROCK!!!

Cheerz, and stay in touch,

- Your Pal Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

…If you love what you see here, stay in touch – subscribe to my posts. It’s quick and easy. No worries  – no spam and no excessive posting. I promise.

Hope everyone spent the time surrounded with joy among dear friends and family – and got a beautiful gift you love! My gift today is for an absolutely amazing couple I recently met, and had the great pleasure to turn friends with and photograph. Ladies & Gents …..drum roll…. Joanna & Donnie! YAYYYYY!

When we first met and started brainstorming about the locations of our sessions there were so many great ideas – it was really hard to pick one. But with the holidays approaching so fast and the weather turning a bit cold for a full day outside the Hartford option was pretty obvious. We started everything from my own house with a couple of shots in the setting sun. And boy, when I saw those first results, I knew this engagement session was going to be like no other.

Photographing such a hot couple was sooo much fun. The challenge was to come up with something that would stand out and make those shots truly unique. So we moved to Downtown Hartford – and played with the stairs in front of the State Capitol, the Christmas lights in front of the Library, around Constitution Plaza, and on the bridge across the Connecticut River. At this time of the year the city looks absolutely amazing. A true fairy tale – with all those holiday decorations, the music you hear as you walk down the street, and the holiday spirit everywhere around you.

We finished the session back at my house, around the Christmas tree in the kitchen – haha, you may recognize my appliances in a couple of shots. At the very end, after photographing the ring we took a couple of portraits of Joanna. She is so beautiful, isn’t she. Donnie, brother, you are so so lucky! My sincere congratulations, I am super excited for you! Can’t wait for round 2 in the spring!

Love & BIG HUGS,

- Your Pal Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

…If you love what you see here, stay in touch – subscribe to my posts. It’s quick and easy. No worries  – no spam and no excessive posting. I promise.

I’ve been thinking about this photo shoot for quite a while and a week and a half ago we were finally able to take the whole idea to fruition – despite the numerous logistical issues, the guys with the chainsaws taking down huge trees right in front of the window, and my stinky furnace shooting sparks during the shoot and leaving me in the cold for two weeks afterwards. …We made it!!!

The main idea was to recreate the Christmas mood and mix it up with the bridal theme. I always wanted to play with a bride wrapped in string lights, so in a way, this was a dream come true for me. While digging those lights out of the Christmas decorations box I found the garlands, and thought they would be a really nice addition to our session. Finally, we threw in  a bunch of rose petals aaaand… voila! We started with one idea, went through another, a third one, and ended up with something completely different. I am super thrilled with how everything progressed. Check out the results.

The second part of the shoot was even more fun. I wanted to find out how a bride would look on this red background, with a tad more extreme lighting and a bit of a boudoir-y touch. Throw in a couple of candles, a veil, a decent size fan to move that air in Danielle’s hair, and here we go. For those soft images I shot through an old rusty piece of metal dating back from my grad school years. A friend of mine once made a whole bunch of holes in it – just for the heck of checking out how it was going to look. Well, back then IMHO it looked… totally crazy. But while I was cleaning up the garage one day I noticed it and thought “geez, this is going to be soooo cool to shoot through”. And cool it was indeed. Take a look.

I am so so excited with what we came up with. This was such a great team effort, and this is the point where I wanted to personally thank each and everyone involved:

Our gorgeous bride Danielle – for sparkling so beautifully in front of the camera;
Her sister Michelle – for helping out with every single little detail, and so patiently holding those lights for me. Yay!
Lili Lutu (http://lililutu.com) – for getting up 4 o’clock in the morning for our shoot and making these absolutely beautiful pieces of art Danielle was wearing during the shoot. And of course, for being soooo excited about throwing those petals from the second floor, lol :)))
Jess from Bliss Bridal (http://blissbridalct.com) – the ONE and ONLY – for ALWAYS being there for me and coming up with such an amazing dress for our session.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I could have NOT made it without any of you guys!

May beautiful moments and happy memories surround you with joy this holiday season.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

…If you love what you see here, stay in touch – subscribe to my posts. It’s quick and easy. No worries  – no spam and no excessive posting. I promise.

Punta Cana is one of those special spots where you find beauty almost anywhere, any time of the day. The place is truly breathtaking – in every sense of the word. Add to that the fact I was photographing Mari & Ben’s destination wedding – such an amazingly beautiful event – and you get the formula for pictures hard to forget.

For the first part of our Afterglow session we went to the beach, where the sunrise colors were nothing short of spectacular. During my initial scouts of the beach a couple of days prior to this shoot I discovered this amazing palm tree, apparently hit by a hurricane and almost leveled with the ground. I also found a couple of coconuts, still intact, and I stashed two of them in the shrubs, hoping that no one would find them. That morning they were still there, and boy, what a wonderful addition they were to the shoot. While we were walking around the weather changed several times, and gave us an opportunity to capture some of its wet facet, with wind and tropical sprinkles in the lens. What a treat!

We finished the session with a quick dip in the pool and a chance to photograph Mari and Ben’s love through the ripples and bubbles of the crystal water. That in itself was an experience of a lifetime. I had my mask and snorkel on, and with each shot things were getting more and more exciting. I truly hope some day I can get the footage Mari’s dad was shooting so that I can show you some of the backstage action, LOL :)

Once again Mari & Ben, thank you so so much for making me a part of your very special day. It was such a pleasure, and a true honor to be with you. Congratulations, and may you celebrate every day of your lives together the way we celebrated your wedding!

BEACH 1:

BEACH 2:

POOL:

Yours truly,

Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

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This is going to be a bit of an unusually long post, but then, the wedding I will tell you about is truly extraordinary. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Mari & Ben – an absolutely amazing couple!

…Wow, what a wedding that was! We started everything with a formal ceremony in New Haven, CT, but Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, was where things got really HOT. And I mean HOT! The Dominican Republic is one of a kind spot for destination weddings, and the images we took there weren’t any less impressive – a significant departure from my CT weddings. That place is heaven on Earth – beyond any description.  You gotta go there and experience it for yourself. And boy, with Mari and Ben being so fantastic I had a truly hard time selecting the shots for this post. Eventually I decided to split everything into multiple galleries and keep updating this post as I add more images.

So, without further ado, let’s check out the galleries – from Bridgeport CT, Stratford CT, and the ceremony & reception in Punta Cana. Enjoy.

Gallery 1:

Gallery 2:

Gallery 3 – Punta Cana Ceremony & Reception:

Yours truly,

Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

…If you love what you see here, stay in touch – subscribe to my posts. It’s quick and easy. No worries  – no spam and no excessive posting. I promise.

Snow storm Alfred had left quite a trail in its path, and the much of the State of Connecticut was almost totally out of power. You could see scattered fallen branches – and some trees – everywhere. The area looked like a war zone. At night it was almost pitch dark – unless you were looking at those few lucky places getting power from a generator. Who would think that two people in love would plan on getting married on such a day…

And yet, we made it – with a BANG! What a uniquely beautiful wedding that was! Danielle was sparkling with such beauty… I could easily say she was one of the most charming brides I have photographed. The lack of power didn’t seem to affect anybody’s mood, and there were so many smiles around – a true blast! Wooo-hooooooo!!!

..On to the images:

GALLERY 1:

GALLERY 2:

Guys, thank you so much for having me with you that night. It was such a pleasure – and honor – to be your photographer. May your joining together bring you more joy than you can imagine. Here’s to success in your new titles, bride, groom, husband, wife, and any more you will pick up over the years together.

Yours truly,

Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

…If you love what you see here, stay in touch – subscribe to my posts. It’s quick and easy. No worries  – no spam and no excessive posting. I promise.

About two weeks ago I had the privilege and honor to photograph the wedding of one of the most charming couples around. It was an absolutely beautiful event, full of joy, happiness, smiles and giggles. The venue was Maneeley’s in South Windsor, CT, and boy, that night was a memorable one.

We started with an outdoor ceremony, and moved indoors for the reception. If you have seen the Engagement Session, you already know how cute and photogenic these guys are, and at this party everybody had the time of their lives, which made for some absolutely amazing photo ops. …So without further ado, let’s move on to our newlyweds.

Ladies and gentlemen, Stacy and Russ, wooo-hooooo :) CONGRATULATIONS!

Wedding Gallery 1:

Wedding Gallery 2:

Many thanks for stopping by, and stay in touch ;)

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Later,

VALDORAMA CT Wedding Photographers

a.k.a. Your Pal Val