If you’re hoping to be a summer bride, we recently had June 30, 2012 open up on our calendar.  The holidays are peak engagement season and some prime spring and fall Saturdays are also available so don’t delay if you’re planning a 2012 wedding!  We have also started booking 2013 as well so it’s not too soon to call us, especially for summer dates.

If an engagement session is what you need, then twinkling holiday lights and a snowy winter landscape are perfect for pictures that will stand out from all the rest.  Call us at 440-390-1752 or email us at contact@linczakphoto.com to set up a consultation time or to schedule a session.  We wish you and yours a happy and blessed Christmas season!

We have some more great news to share with everyone! A few weeks ago Rachel and I had the opportunity to attend the Professional Photographers of Ohio 2012 Annual PhotoBlast Convention, which was held in Kalahari Waterpark near Sandusky, Ohio. We had the great opportunity to speak to other photographers about how we approach weddings at “The Buzz” event held Friday evening, and we’re also excited to announce that we took home a number of awards from the print competition! In addition to submitting a number of award winning prints, our additional accolades included being named in the top 10 photographers in the state of Ohio, winning overall best wedding album in the state (with none other than Manuel and Elizabeth’s album), as well as receiving the award for best new entrant in the state. It was the first time taking part in this event, and we are really excited to be part of this exceptional organization!

Shortly after the PPO convention, we got some more cool news! Back at the end of January, Rachel and I entered the WPPI’s (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) annual album competition for the first time as well. We’ve been meaning to enter for a few years now, and even though it was a last minute entry on the last day for submissions, we thought it would be great to see where our work stacks up on the national and international level. We were thrilled to find out last week that both of our albums were awarded Accolades of Excellence, and our highest scoring album from Liz and Brent’s wedding, which received an 88 in judging, was the 14th highest scoring album entry out of the 120 entries that were received in the competition! These 120 entries were comprised of albums not only from the United States, but from all over the world! Suffice to say we’re really looking forward to next year’s competition!

Here are a few of our award winning image entries from this pring, as well as few spreads from Brent and Liz’s WPPI album!

For those of you that have NOT been following us steadily on Facebook, we wanted to share some cool news from the past few months! As we’ve been crazy busy catching up from all the amazing weddings and sessions from the end of last year, we got the chance to participate in a few competitions held by a few of the professional orgranizations we are a part of. Back in November, we were thrilled to find out we  won 5 awards at the Professional Photographers of Ohio fall print competition, including 1st and 2nd place in the “Wedding Album” category! A few weeks ago, we also won 1st place in the “Wedding Album” category at the Guild of Professional Photographers of the Delaware Valley, an amazing organization that hosts a number of great speakers throughout the year, and represents some very talented photographers on the east coast. The album that won 1st place in both competitions was none other than Manuel and Elizabeth’s wedding album, which we photographed in Columbus last June! We thought we’d share just a handful of spreads from that album. To see the rest of this book, as well as the other award winning images, be sure to check out our Facebook business page (www.facebook.com/linczakphotography)!

An extremely frigid day in December dawned for Jeff and Natalie who, thankfully, were another awesome couple willing to roll with the punches.  Natalie’s parents had a house tailor made for photos of the bride getting ready – check out the amazing reflection shot of Natalie in the window.  Her dress was amazing with the lace overlay on her skirt, rhinestone studded flowers at her waist and a soft sash - the camera is intuitively drawn to such details.  There’s no missing Natalie’s beautiful brown eyes either.

It was easy to see the genuine affection between family – the warmth of Jeff’s smile, a knowingly look from Dad before heading down the aisle.  We especially love to catch whispered conversations during the ceremony…those stolen moments create a special memory of that exact moment in time.

Despite the cold temperatures, this group was phenomenal in cooperating with us to get some great images at Wade Lagoon in University Circle.  This spot is beautiful year round with its intricately carved lamp posts, and the whispy willow branches provide beautiful interest even in winter when most everything else is bare.  With the bridal party all in black, note the subtle pop of color from the green branches in complement to the green stems in the girls’ bouquets.   The Union Club, with its traditionally appointed elegance, is one of the most amazing venues in Cleveland.  It truly needs no decorating and we love, love, love the twinkle lights in the dance floor.  Things definitely warmed up inside with good food, great friends and fun for all!

]]> http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=5981 0 http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?p=5942 http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?p=5942#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:10:44 +0000 Ted http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?p=5942

The weather was an amazing 60 degrees last New Year’s Eve and Mike and Amanda made great use of it for their wedding day photography!  The Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square is a great venue because it is so modern and elegant on the inside and they have a great facility for ceremonies and receptions.

Mike and Amanda have great chemistry and it shows in front of the camera so we were thrilled they chose to do a First Glance before the ceremony.  This is especially nice for afternoon winter weddings if you’ve scheduled your reception immediately following the ceremony.  It allows you to take advantage of quickly fading daylight you may have otherwise missed. Not only was Amanda’s dress beautifully detailed, she had one of the prettiest bouquets ever.  The petals of the gorgeous purple orchids mimicked the ruffles on the bottom of her dress perfectly while the fur stole and feather gracing her hair added some additional texture.  All those details came together beautifully in their images.

Downtown was still decked out in Christmas decorations which made quick work of our outdoor session, allowing us to transition smoothly into the reception.   The reception decor was a photographer’s dream – lots of candles and beautiful uplighting.  Uplighting is a great option if it’s available to you.  It really sets the mood for the evening and adds a dramatic flair to your photographs.  Notice the vibrant yellow even during the ceremony.  New Year’s Eve weddings are always a blast because they’re more than just a wedding reception, they‘re a full blown party!  Mike and Amanda, we hope you had a great 2011 and an awesome first anniversary!

]]> http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=5942 2 http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?p=5902 http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?p=5902#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:00:06 +0000 Ted http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?p=5902

This was probably the coldest day we have ever photographed outside and Matt and Lauren were the most willing couple ever.  It was so cold we had to take several warm up breaks and this couple never once complained – instead they thanked us for being there.   Gotta say, we loved Matt’s long curly hair – he totally owns this look!   We took the outdoor shots at a farm belonging to Lauren’s family and it was a beautiful setting for photos outside and inside!  The shot of the bride and groom touching heads with the barn slats making blue lines behind them is one of our favorite shots ever.

Matt’s mother Michelle was in charge of the reception decor and she did a phenomenal job! This reception was a perfect example of how you can transform a hall with drapery and Christmas lights.  It gave the room a dramatic flair, perfect for romance.  There were so many gorgeous details to capture that it made our end of the night shot too easy.  It was just a matter of deciding which great spot to put our couple in.

As cold as it was outside, it was smokin’ on the dance floor!  This reception showcased some of the most extreme dance moves we’ve ever seen – at one point in the evening we saw Matt and Lauren on their backs on the dance floor!  It was an amazing party and even the kids had a blast.

John Carroll is a beautiful campus with great grounds and traditional architecture perfect for not only engagement photos but weddings as well.  The Saint Francis Chapel is available to current students and alumni and a hall is also available for your wedding reception.  Ted went to school with Kelly and was happy to catch up with her and meet the 2 most important men in her life: Mike and their amazing dog Remus.

Mike has been serving in the military and he and Kelly spent most of their engagement apart, but Kelly remarked to me that Mike was well worth the wait.  You can tell how much they treasure each other by their expressions when they are together.  You’re always welcome to include your pets in your engagements session as they really do add that personal touch.  We do recommend you recruit a friend or family member to drive separately with your pet so that they’re able to take them home once their part of the portrait session is complete.  This allows us (and you) to focus on you for the remaining time.

Sessions with snow on the ground are lots of fun because not only is it pretty but it serves as a giant reflector.  Here it sets off Kelly’s lovely blue coat which complements her gorgeous hair color.  The effect is quite flattering!  And you can’t beat a frosty kiss with snow flakes swirling all around – definitely my favorite from this session.  A close second – the matching shoes.

Mike and Kelly said their I do’s this past New Year’s weekend so we wish the happy couple an amazing new year together.

In honor of our Christmas snow, about a week too late, we’ll reminisce with one of our holiday couples from 2010.  George and Ashley had been dating for years, but you could never tell by the looks they gave each other.  This whole day was filled with love, tears of joy, and lots of laughter.  There was no shortage of emotions being shown the entire day from the time Ashley embraced her grandmother before going to the church to the craziness of the packed dance floor that night.

We spent all of their creative time outdoors in Medina Square which is such a great place for photos any time of the year but the Christmas lights add a bit of magic to the old fashioned street fronts, park benches and gazebo.  We love shooting with Christmas lights!  The camera sees them so differently than our eyes do and it just adds great visual interest to the background.

Ashley made some beautiful choices with colors in brown and fuschia that worked wonderfully against a winter wonderland and shows that you don’t have to go red and green when planning a wedding during the holiday season.  Furs for her and the girls also added some visual interest as well as a cozy feel to the photographs.

We can’t emphasis enough how glamorous a winter themed wedding can be, especially when it comes to your photos.  There’s nothing like a night time shot with a little snow and twinkling lights to really make for a unique image that you’ll treasure for years to come.  Also consider that your church and reception hall will likely be decked out for the holidays so you can take advantage of the bonus decorations without breaking your floral budget.   And most importantly, no one ever looks cold in their pictures so let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

]]> http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=5834 0 http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?p=5781 http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?p=5781#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:11:11 +0000 Ted http://www.linczakphoto.com/blog/?p=5781

David and Victoria’s wedding day was a bitterly cold one last January, but turned out to be a wonderful day despite the “chill”!  They are a great couple who are obviously best friends as well as being in love. Throughout the day they joked and played… it was easy to see they knew how to have fun together.  David & Victoria even took a moment during the ceremony to “high five” each other!  We also found that we have a shared love of cats – hopefully we get to meet their little “Buckeye” one of these days.

Winter weddings are really fun for us to because they push us to do things differently and look at locations and backgrounds we would have passed up on a balmy summer day.  We especially enjoy having a large amount of time to work with after dark – it adds drama and romance to everything.  A little snow and twinkling lights against a night sky makes any picture look like a scene from a movie.  We were able to get some frosty images of David and Victoria with snow on the ground and the Cleveland skyline behind them.  And ladies, you’re sure to feel like a Hollywood star with a gorgeous fur to keep you warm.  If you’re newly engaged, consider the beauty of a winter wedding – your images will make a truly unique album – and if you’re wondering, goosebumps and shivers don’t show up in pictures!

Thanks for a beautiful winter wedding and happy anniversary to you guys!

Tim and Megan were a referral from one of our favorite couples Natalie and Jon.  Just like their friends, Tim and Megan were amazing in front of the camera, taking direction like professionals.  They have great chemistry together that translated into some beautiful images… love the shot between the windows.  In and around the Brecksville Metroparks is one of our favorite places to shoot.  Tracks, courtesy of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, walking and biking trails, and an old barn provided some great backdrops for our lovebirds!  We always get beautiful light coming through at these locations and it’s the perfect place for a fall session.  We had such a great time with them that we lingered after the sun set and used some off camera flash to get a few dramatic backlit shots down by the river.