Linczak Photography Blog

I’m sure everyone remembers the lovely weather on July 11th, where dark, menacing clouds threatened to open up and pour down on all the unsuspecting brides and grooms that got married that day.  I don’t know what it was, but just about time for pictures and the clouds rolled back showing blue skies!  It was just about the luckiest day ever!  And it wasn’t wasted with Jess & Dan!  They are warm, fun, and vibrant.  They have a sense of humor together, and it seems like everyone at the wedding thinks of both of them as their best friends.  I love seeing different dynamics of guests at weddings and Jess & Dan are pretty much one of the most popular couples we’ve ever had!  Their dance floor was packed all night, and it was almost impossible to pull them away at the end of the night!  All in all, it was a pretty fantastic day which was topped off with some images to go along with it!

Loved this little box for the rings together!

Jess’s gown was simple and elegant - it suited her perfectly!

I love how the light in this one shows off the sculpting of Dan’s face…

Sometimes the best images come when you take a step back and look at the whole picture.  Here’s an example of Ted doing just that:

Jess had 10 bridesmaids - there was no shortage of helping hands that morning!

I know Jess felt weird at first, but she was a gorgeous bride and great for the camera!

Little bit more intimate:

Jess has a great eye for detail.  I had to love how she had these shows picked out for her girls:

This was a photo ninja moment snapped in what felt like a millisecond while the adorable ring bearer made up his mind on where to go upon reaching the end of the aisle:

Nervous at first…

Turns into smiles!

Married!!!

Lolly the Trolley provided the transportation that day and made for some fun photo ops:

Then we headed off for some Cleveland landmarks!

I love it when the veil blows around, but I love happiness even more!

It wouldn’t be us if we didn’t use this cool metal grate!

Dan understood my hand rule!

Of course we brought out their giant, awesome, fun bridal party!

All of these girls adore Jess:

These groomsmen gave us high fives everytime we did something they deemed cool.  We got a lot of high fives that day! 

Ted’s been eyeing this garage door for awhile now…

We had to shoot this through moving traffic - a challenge that ended up worth it!

This is just them:

The toasts proved more than anything how loved these two are.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the house!

Thanks Windows for this awesome setting for the cake shot!

Oh yeah - and the first dance!

Loved our end of the night time with them!  This is mine:

Ted’s:

Thanks for everything guys!  You were awesome!

It seems like Natalie and Jon’s wedding was ages ago (January actually, but hey, it was a while ago), so it was nice to finally meet up again with these guys to rock it out for their after session. Their January 3rd wedding some saw great weather (we were able to do nearly all our images outdoors!), but were definitely a little warmer this time around. Rachel and I had such a blast shooting their wedding that we have been anticipating this session for a few months now. Natalie and Jon are as laid back as can be, and I think we really just click with them beautifully! Not only this, but they are incredible together, which makes our job oh-so-easy. We headed downtown to try a few new spots we’ve been wanting to use, and wrapped up closer to home right before sunset. Here’s a little sampling of what we got!

Natalie rocks out the poses, so it was tough not featuring a lot of her in this post!

Love. it.

Kickin’ it up a notch!

We really love this new spot!

Natalie’s hair both on wedding day and during this session was absolutely stunning!

Let’s bring Jon back in for a few!

A little fun…

My favorite from the day…

We just made it to our last spot before sunset…

The 4th of July found us spending the day with two of our country’s finest heroes: Stephanie and John.  Steph and John were the second winners of the photography contest we posted last year, and after spending the day with them, Ted and I couldn’t be more convinced that they were deserving.  So many days, we Americans feel like we have problems with this or that and we lose sight of what’s the most important.  Not so for Stephanie and John, who are both Marines.  It is people like them that make it so that we can be comfortable enough to find petty things annoying and we don’t even realize it.  The most touching thing to me however, was that both of them were more humble than you can imagine.  There was more than one time that Stephanie remarked to us, “We don’t need any special treatment or anything - we’re just doing our job.”  It was comments like that, that made me and Ted happy to give of ourselves back to them.  Before I get on to the wedding images, I have to put in one more time for John.  I feel honored to have met him.   Not only is he a servant to our country, but he is also an amazing person.   Hearing his story gives me chills every time, and I thought you might find equally moving.  Check out his feature from CNN telling the story of his courage and willingness to die for us and our country:

http://loudobbs.tv.cnn.com/2009/06/01/captain-john-roussos/

I don’t normally ask for comments on our blog, but I’m asking anyone who is touched by his story to please leave a note of thanks here for him and Stephanie not to mention all of the amazing men and women the serve faithfully every day.

Now, on to the wedding!  The day was beautiful, the sky was clear, and we had all the ingredients for a perfect wedding!  Lake Forest Country Club, First Glance, outdoor ceremony, and beautiful people!  Also, we were working with one of our favorite wedding coordinators ever: Angela Wish who, incidentally, we worked with exactly a year ago on the wedding of Judi and James!  Even though we had only met Stephanie and John once or twice before the wedding, they instantly fell into the roll of being models for us like they were born for it!

I don’t think there was any better way to spend our 4th…

Stephanie’s amazing dress:

It’s getting to the point, that Ted and I see reflections everywhere we go!

The boys getting the groom ready!

Making sure to give John a hard time getting that garter off!

Not only is John a war hero, but he’s also a pretty good model!  Check out those medals!

I love seeing the groom’s big and strong hands holding the rings.  It’s a great contrast!

Now on to our beautiful bride who doesn’t have a clue how gorgeous she is!

I almost can’t imagine her being a Marine, she’s so soft and feminine!

John and Stephanie opted for a “First Glance” since they were having their reception immediately following the ceremony.  Sure made for a happy set of photographers!

After a few quite moments alone, we got to steal them away for some fun around the grounds of Lake Forest.

They were a little happy! 

Our recent love has been ivy covered walls.  So, of course we had to use this one:

Since the inside of the country club is so nice too, we decided to use the rest of our time in there.  LOVE this shot from Ted:

Another cool spot + reflection…

After that, we spent some quality time with the party, most of which serve in our military as well!

Love this strong look from the girls:

Now on to the ceremony!

There was never a moment of disconnect between these two.

The reception was immediately following starting with the first dance:

Love this view through a window and a bunch of candles of the father/daughter dance:

While the Father/Daughter dance made you cry, the Mother/Son dance made you laugh!

In lieu of an end of the night shot, we grabbed the rings one last time!

Thanks again John & Stephanie for not only being an amazing couple, but for your continued sacrifice for us and our country.  We love you!

We’ve got a ton of catching up to do on the blog! Stay tuned this week for 2 awesome sessions and 4 weddings…

Just and Annie actually got married this past Saturday, and we shot their engagement session a few weeks ago in downtown Cleveland. We met Annie almost a year ago, as she was a referral from one of our 2007 couples, and it was great getting to know both Annie and Justin a little better prior to their big day! Stay tuned for images from their beautiful wedding coming to this blog in the very near future!

Hard to imagine you can find this right in the middle of downtown!

We headed down to Edgewater Park to grab some images near the lake…

Gotta show some love for the puddle…

A little more color!

I know there are many ladies out there in cyberspace that have been eagerly awaiting this blog entry and I am so happy to be able to deliver it! 

What to say about Tara and CJ?  This was a day we’ve been looking forward to for a long time and it didn’t disappoint in the least!  Tara and CJ are like a model bride and groom and there was never a point of the day that was less than absolutely, 100%  ideal for a wedding photographer!  Time + amazing couple + beautiful details + great people + perfect weather = extremely happy Ted and Rachel.   Besides the being beautiful part, Tara and CJ are so much fun to be around - they have an energy that is contagious and a love for each other that is amazing to see.  I don’t think either of them will ever have a dull day for the rest of their lives now that they have each other!

One of my favorite details was Tara’s green shoes!

The ability to use amazing light like this is why I keep Ted around…

CJ had this jewelry box made special for Tara.  Way to make all the women cry early CJ!

Besides being a good gift-giver, CJ also makes a pretty acceptable model!

Tara is one of the easiest people in the world to photograph.  Happiness just pours out of her!

Look at those sparkly eyes!  I love her!

Tara and CJ opted to do a “First Glance”.  If they were trying to endear themselves to us…it worked!  One of our favorite things ever is to be able to capture that first moment when the bride and groom see each other for the first time without any restrictions.  It is such a special time when the they got to just have nothing else on their minds except each other.  It always amazes me to look at these pictures afterward!

Excitement and tears!  It’s was an amazing thing to be there to witness it!

One of my goals in life is to convince Tara that she looks amazing with the “serious” face.  Will someone help me out here?

Great idea from Ted to use the hammock in the backyard!  I love how the lines just lead straight to them!

After some photo time with the stars of the day, we brought out the supporting cast + undeniably the cutest ringbearer and flowergirl of all time!

I love love LOVE Tara and CJ’s family!  I felt so welcome in their home, it was as if I was one of their own.  This is what a family formal should look like:

With the time we had left before the ceremony, we revisited some of the places we used for their engagement session last October including this amazing barn in Tara’s parents’ backyard:

Hands hands hands!  We can’t stress it enough!  Hands can make or break the emotion in an image.  What would this image say without the strategic placement of their hands?

Hey CJ, if you ever get tired of Tara, we’ll take her!  *wishful thinking*

Almost getting hit by a car preceded this spot:

Another amazing fact about Tara is that she handmade almost every single detail.  From the invitations and programs to the baked goods table at the reception - the whole day had her fingerprints all over it!

The guys just chillin before the ceremony:

Collective *Aaaaaaawwwwww* from the audience.  Tara was Hannah and Joseph’s nanny for a big part of their lives and the wedding day was actually their 3rd birthday.  Does it get more adorable than that?

Ceremony time!

Possibly one my favorite bubbles shots ever!

Gotta thank the Retro Rider for this backdrop:

A little bit more time after the ceremony with the bridal party:

The boys kept begging to do a shot with their coats off.  I’m not sure if was for the shot or because it was so hot… Either way, Ted finally let them do it!

Love these feet!

One last sweetness before heading in for the reception!

The Courthouse has to be one of the most beautiful locations for  a reception.

Another amazing cake by CMYKakes…

Toasts!

Tara’s dad wins the prize for the sweetest speech ever.  It sure produced a multitude of reaction images!

I don’t think that party stopped until the Courthouse kicked them out!

For the end of the night shots, we took Tara and CJ out on Ontario street to dodge traffic for the following images:

Best wishes for a long and happy life together!  Thanks to everyone that was there and a HUGE thank you to Hedi from Heidzillas for everything that she did!

A couple of days after Emily and Chris’s wedding, we got a call from Michelle -a friend of Emily’s mother who had been a guest at the wedding and fallen in love with our work.  Michelle happens to be a conductor of an up and coming choral group in New York called “One”.  Since her website would be up soon, Michelle wanted some out of the box head shots to show her outgoing and energetic personality.  I could already tell we were going to hit it off with her when she gave me some of her ideas - out in the forest with sheet music spread out all around her - dynamite!  While we were expecting a fun session, we were NOT expecting Michelle!  This is one tough lady!  No matter where we wanted to grab a shot, she was willing to climb, crawl, or pull herself there - in dress clothes and heels no less!!!  Not only is she amazingly beautiful, but she is not afraid of getting dirty, wet, or muddy - the complete package!  Check her out:

For those of you that may be wondering - this is freakishly early morning light.  Even though neither Michelle, Ted, or I are morning people, we decided to do a morning session because of the threat of rain later in the afternoon.  I think I like it though!

Love this - light, foreground leaves, and expression…

We pulled the sheet music out for a couple:

Michelle is one of those people that others are just drawn to…

I positively ADORE this shot:

She’s pretty much gorgeous from every angle!

The best part of the session was the last spot in the river!  Michelle had already mentioned she wanted to do some in the water, but little did any of us know how hot it was going to get by that time!  By the end of the session, we were DYING to get in this water!

This look of joy is real!

Who wouldn’t have a blast taking pictures of Michelle???

Here’s another wedding Ted and I have been counting down the days to shoot!  Back when we booked Emily and Chris, we knew we were going to love them when they changed their date to Sunday so that we could photograph their wedding.  The real treat however, was having them in front of the camera!  They are so fluid and natural together - they do everything we think of before we can even suggest it!  I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that they live in Hawaii (we’re not jealous)…  Either way, it was an all around wonderful day for us, shooting with an amazing couple, perfect size bridal party, amazing family, and spending the day with our favorite videographers Brian and Susy from 2nd Mile.

There were many tears shed that morning, especially when this card from Chris came out…

These rings are pretty amazing.  Chris’s ring has wood from Hawaii built into it.

Chris getting ready with his brother Alex…

Emily took a dive to get into her dress:

This was a total photo ninja moment:

Emily and Chris are at their best when they are together, but they’re pretty gorgeous by themselves too! Check out this groom:

Emily’s parents, though they don’t live in Hawaii, have a beautiful house in Chagrin Falls.  I found a little pocket of light in this stairwell…

I think Chris was excited to get married!

It’s hard to NOT get good images with families like these:

I would gladly be adopted into this family!

I think Emily’s parents had this day and this shot in mind when they picked this AMAZING color for their house (check out those eyes! *swoon*):

This is the first and probably only time that my bride walked to the church from her home!

Seconds before walking down the aisle and Emily is cracking up with her dad!  I love it!

We only had this car for one minute, but we worked it!

I think this one of the nicest bridal party times ever!  We just walked around downtown Chagrin Falls and stopped where ever we thought was cool!  Ted’s first stop:

Is it sad that a wall like this makes me excited?

Of course, we had to stop for the classic popcorn shop shot!

I don’t think they ever get tired of each other!

There was several people including a total stranger that suggested this shot:

Chagrin Falls is one of our favorite places to shoot because of the multitude of different locations in such a small area.

On to the reception where we went straight into the first dance:

Mom and Dad looking on with happiness! 

Since that day was the longest day of the year, our end of the night shot ended up being a sunset shot.  I adore that light!

I spotted this last stop at the top of a hill.  I hate making a bride hike in a wedding dress, but I think it was worth it!  LOVE this last image from Ted.  Perfect end to a perfect day!

Thanks for an amazing day guys!

The Saturday before last, we had the great pleasure of photographing Jenny and Troy.  What a day it was!  Jenny and Troy are two of the nicest people in the whole wide world and it has always been a joy to work with them.  Besides that, I felt like I learned something very valuable from them.  Amidst all the craziness of people, two ceremonies, and details, never once did they lose sight of each other.  There were so many times when we would be photographing them, that I felt like we weren’t even there to them.  It was if nothing else existed but the two of them.  It was so amazing to watch and it makes us feel even more privileged to do what we do.  Now on to the reason we’re all here…

Ted got his classic ring shot with Troy that morning

Troy being all GQ getting ready…

We started off the day with a Vietnamese tea ceremony, as is the reason for the following (amazing) outfit:

How gorgeous is Jenny?

Troy bustin’ it out for the camera:

The groomsmen, all of which are Troy’s brothers!  Being from a big family myself, I had to appreciate that!

The competition!

The tea ceremony was a first for us, and we loved it!  It is always so fascinating to see how different cultures celebrate weddings.  I especially loved how it gave each family member the opportunity to say something meaningful to the bride and groom that there might not have been time for otherwise.  There was no shortage of tears!

Back where we started and ready to get into the white dress!

Of course we had to get Jenny’s details too!

The Marriott on W 150th has recently updated its lobby extensively.  I like the changes!

I say this about all my grooms, but Troy is lucky guy!  Check out his gorgeous wife!

You guys all know how much we love outdoor ceremonies.  Mapleside Farms is a beautiful backdrop for one as evidenced here:

The funny part was that it was supposed to rain that day, according to the forecast every day up to that point.  Instead of rain, we had a gorgeous blue sky, puffy white clouds, and a breeze! God was looking out for them that day! 

This expression from Jenny pretty much sums up the day for me.

The bridal party!

My new favorite detail for bridesmaids: umbrellas.  Love love LOVE this.

<Insert speech about amazing family formals done outdoors>

After the family formals, we used the rest of our time with the stars of the day.  This moment was totally unscripted:

That “breeze” I mentioned earlier was actually more like a “wind”, but sure did make for some drama during our creative time…

We were only sad that we didn’t get to use Mapleside longer!

On the way to the reception, we stopped at Brecksville Town Square for a little more fun with Troy and Jenny…

Ted’s a master of toast shots!

It was a great night with all kinds of party happening…

I know you all must be wondering where our reflection shot of the day was!  You know I can’t leave you without at least one!

Thanks guys for everything!  Best wishes for a long and happy life together!