CT Wedding Photographer Val Nanovsky

Hey there everyone,

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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Yeah, it’s that time of the year :)  …And YEAAAAH, we MADE IT!

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.

Hey folks,

As you can tell from the photos below, Lauren  is a beautiful young lady with a ton of charm and hot Southern temper.

Recently she approached me with the idea to start working on a modeling portfolio for her. It had to be simple, clean, and focus on some of Lauren’s best sides to help her apply for future jobs in the modeling industry. We got together at my studio in Vernon CT, and boy, we had so much fun! Lauren was soooo cute in the outfits she had on, and one thing in particular that I became a big fan of – that killer red dress. Let me tell ya… it took my breath away!

And last, but definitely NOT least, I wanted to give my credits to the fabulous Naomi Martinez & team (www.salonnaomi.com), who did an absolutely amazing  job with the makeup. Thanks so much guys, you were fabulous – as always! We banged out some shots we are truly proud of!

Check ‘em out & leave some love.

See you around,

Your Pal Val

a.k.a. Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

This past summer I had the opportunity to help a very good friend of mine – Danny Kash – with a wedding he was shooting down in NJ/NYC.  Danny asked me to photograph everything that was happening away from him while he was concentrated on the bride and the groom. After the main ceremony the whole bridal party along with some of the guests headed to Liberty State Park in NJ for a fresh breath of ocean breeze in the hot day.

While Danny was doing his magic with our newlyweds, I started photographing everybody else – family, friends, guests …until I came across Anya. The moment I lifted the camera and started shooting, I instantly knew this was going to be a bit different from most other sessions I’ve had. Anya was easily one of the most beautiful bridesmaids I’ve seen …period. And with somebody like that it really didn’t take long to produce the results you see below.

There is not much to be said from this point on… other than what I am talking about is defined in the thick photography books as a pure serendipity – an amazing girl, great light and colors, the perfect amount of wind for that extra glam touch, and the classic New York City skyline in the background. Boy, what can I say…

Here we go:

The Color:

The B/W:

Have fun,

Val

Boutique Photography for Special People by Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

Hey Folks,

Valley Falls Park in Vernon CT is a beautiful place, easily accessible from anywhere in CT. The park has great trails, and amazing rock formations up the hill. In the winter there are huge icicles all over the place, and that just begs to be photographed. I’ve had a couple of engagement sessions in the area. When Sarah and Jimmy recently approached me, Valley Falls Park was the obvious choice.

I’ve known them as a couple for not too long.  But there was something magical going on with them. The moment I picked the camera and snapped the first few of photos, it felt like I was photographing two old friends. Everything started flowing so smoothly and nicely right from the start. We got right into creative mode. Angles, light, different little places around the area – you name it – and Sarah and Jimmy were so totally amazing. After a while we totally lost idea how late it had gotten – until something amazing happened in the dark. One of my flashes ran out of juice, misfired and left only Jimmy & Sarah’s backlit silhouettes. When we saw the image in camera we were… totally blown away! I had never had such a beautiful serendipity.

Every once in a while these things happen, I guess. And when they do, they are truly magical. This shot is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites. Check it out below – image #10.

Cheers Jimmy & Sarah – for such an amazing photo session. And thank you so much for picking me to be your photographer. You guys ROCK!

Val

Valdorama CT Wedding Photographers

Hey folks,

I’ve got something really exciting for you this time. It starts with a well-known green wedding business in Boston, MA, called SEAMS and specializing in custom hand made bridal fashion. Through the use of natural fibers and organic materials they can make your dream wedding dress a reality for you. Their owner, Harper Della-Piana has created costumes for Batman Forever, Spin City, Saturday Night Live, and The Late Show with David Letterman, Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Victoria’s Secret, Max Factor, among others …WOW!

I was recently approached by Harper with the idea to photograph some of her latest creations, two British Royal-themed bridal dresses. To the already off-the-beaten-path idea we added some punk-rock flavor, threw in a bit of snowy New England outdoor charm, and boy, what a TOTAL BLAST we had taking the actual photos!

The team was joined by Amanda Wilkes with her make up magic, and man, what an amazing job she did… absolutely breathtaking. Brides, don’t forget to check out the contact info below. Amanda is a HOT HOT HOT ticket!

There are models, and then there is Miss Q. What can I say… I can’t really say much, lol :) From the very beginning to the very end… so many creative directions, and so many reincarnations… she nailed absolutely every single one of them. With a bang. I am so happy to get to know her. And from my perspective now, I really couldn’t think of a better person for something like this. Miss Q ROCKS! Hats off.

…Enough talk. Time to see the goodies. Here we go:

THE PREPARATIONS

THE PORTRAITS

THE ROYAL DRESS

THE BLACK & WHITES

THE BLUES… LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN… HERE WE COME

Here’s some contact info for you. Psssssst! It’s TOP SECRET! Have fun ;)

SEAMS:
1.978.473.3398
http://seamstheshop.com

Amanda Wilkes | Makeup Artist:
1.781.662.5204
http://www.styleseat.com/amandawilkes?referrer=fbshare&image=16767

Amen.

See you around,

- Your Pal Val (a.k.a. CT Wedding Photographer Val Nanovsky)

WOW, these girls were such a riot!

This was one of those once in a lifetime photo shoots you just can’t forget. Seriously, how many times do you get to meet not one or two, but FIVE so amazing sisters together!?

And yeah, you read that right. “Army” is indeed their last name, believe it or not. We covered a whole bunch of mood variations – ranging from HOT all the way to FORTE, with everything in between. The following is a quick sneak peak of what happened with that “army” a couple of days ago.

Wild? Crazy? Heck yeah :) Fasten your seat belts.

Happy New Year everybody!

HOT

HOTTER

FORTE

Yours truly,

CT Wedding/Portrait Photographer Val Nanovsky

a.k.a. Your Pal Val