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

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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

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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

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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

We are back with something that will take your breath away. Wow, what a fantastic wedding that was! Ladies and gets… Alicia & Mike!!!

There is always something very special and intimate when you photograph close friends. …We hit it off the moment we met. And in a couple of months this quickly grew into a wonderful friendship that let us discover many beautiful sides of our characters, and helped me see how much Alicia and Mike love each other.

We took so many photos at the wedding… Too bad I can’t post them all – I love every single one! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did while taking them. Here’s to our newlyweds!

Wedding Gallery 1:

Wedding Gallery 2:

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.

I am back home after a long trip in Europe, yayyy :) I have tons of exciting things to share with you, and this will be the first out of many new posts in the next couple of weeks. Can’t wait to tell you everything!

Just two days after I came back, two amazing people – Karen & Zac – had the day of their dreams come true. And boy, what a day it was. We’d known each other for a while, and had the opportunity to go out, enjoy ourselves and take some photos in downtown Manchester about two months ago. We took so many other great photos from that E-Session I never had a chance to post anywhere, and I thought I’d start with some of them. Enjoy.

A couple of cool things about the newlyweds ;)

* Karen & Zac are crazy about movies. You will find a humongous library with DVDs in their house. They can tell you anything about any movie in the last 30 years, and quite possibly, well beyond that.
* They wanted to keep everything a little more private. They organized and did the whole wedding in their backyard.
* They have one of a kind sense of humor (!!!) and can also make some of the craziest faces I have seen.
* They have some of the most beautiful and welcoming families I have met.
* Their laughter is contagious.
* They are the luckiest people in the world they found each other.

Congrats guys, you were absolutely fantastic!

…But without further ado, here’s what happened at the wedding.

WEDDING GALLERY 1:

WEDDING GALLERY 2:

Love ya!

Stay in touch ;)

…Oh, by the way, if you really want to do that, fill out the form below. It’s quick and easy. No worries, I hate spam as much as you do :)

VALDORAMA CT Wedding Photographers

a.k.a. Your Pal Val

One of the countries I went to was my own birthplace, Bulgaria. There’s always something new and exciting to learn about each place you visit, sometimes at the most unexpected moment. So here I am, in the plane on the way from Frankfurt to Sofia, sitting next to two Bulgarian women, chatting about their trip to this magical karst area near Lovech. They were showing me these mesmerizing images they took, and I was totally hooked.

With a little bit of research I found out the location, and two weeks later, here we are, along with Deni, our amazing bride/model. Deni was sparkling in every possible way, and I had the time of my life photographing so much of this unique beauty. Check it out.

THE PORTRAITS:

DEVETASHKA CAVE

Southeastern Europe is rich in big and impressive caves. Several A380s can fit in the front opening of Devetashka Cave, that’s how massive this place is. It is relatively dry and mild, which makes it perfect for bridal photography. You can see a huge chunk of the blue sky through the openings on the ceiling, and everything is so surreal you’d easily think it’s a part of a Star Wars episode (that’s right, I am a big SW fan).

KRUSHUNA WATERFALLS

is no less amazing. The area has its own micro climate, flora and fauna that separate it quite distinctively from the rest of the country side. Think Maui, Kauai, the Big Island. Think colors, green, lush… Think drowning the gown and having a ton of fun in the crystal water…. Yeah, this happens once in a lifetime. Enjoy.

Model: Deni Sharankova
Dress: Romantika Fashion, Sofia, Bulgaria

P.S. No harm whatsoever was done to the dress. We never intended to “trash” it, and at this point it is dry cleaned, looking brand new, comfortably resting in the closet. Amen.

See you around,

Your Pal Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers