Columbus Ohio Photography by Danielle Neil

I recently had another quick weekend trip to Youngstown for Kerrie & Pete’s engagement session and also her bridal shower. With our birthdays being two weeks apart, Kerrie and I really are friends for life. My grandparents lived next door to Kerrie and her twin sister, Kristie, while we were growing up and needless to say I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house so I could visit with the girls.

I had originally planned on taking Kerrie and Pete’s engagement photos in May while I was in town, but between Pete’s work schedule and the rain, we had to postpone till I was visiting again in June. For their e-session, we stopped by a few locations in downtown Youngstown on Federal Plaza and Market Street then made our way over to Mill Creek Park. I had a feeling that Fellows Riverside Gardens would be a zoo on a Saturday afternoon and I was right! There were two weddings going on and at least 5 sets of bridal parties having their portraits taken. We did a few shots at Fellows, but spent most of our time around the Lake Glacier area of the park.

Being an on-location photographer, I love the variety of locations in Columbus I can shoot at. But to me, nothing is better than heading to my hometown of Boardman for a session down the road at Mill Creek Park. With over 4,400 acres of land, the park is the perfect playground for photographers with amazing backdrops around every corner. And I’m sure I don’t even know all the hidden treasures the park has to offer.

Here are just a few frames from Kerrie and Pete’s engagement session. It’s always so much fun to photograph friends who I’ve known forever. I’m looking forward to their wedding coming up in August at Avion on the Water in Canfield and I’ll get to share in their big day as a bridesmaid and not the photographer!

There are some great areas of downtown Youngstown that you would never guess make a great location, like this one!

I just love her engagement ring!

One of the few spots not being overtaken by the bridal parties at Fellows Riverside Gardens.

We had to be super quiet for this shot, there was a wedding going on over to our left!

One of my favorite photographs from the day!

The weather never cooperates how you want when you have something scheduled! Fellow photographer Melissa and I had planned on going out Saturday evening with a few models to practice with some lighting techniques. Friday afternoon was in the 80′s, sunny but windy. Saturday was like we walked into late fall weather: it was in the high 40′s, overcast with wind gusts between 25-35 mph. Lucky for us, the models were all still happy to participate and grabbed their wedding dresses out of storage to play. A big thanks to Christina, Kelly and Amy for participating in the colder than usual May weather for us to try out some new ideas. Here are just a few of the images I captured while we were roaming the streets of downtown Columbus. Also, a big thanks to Nancy of Michael David Salon in Westerville for styling the girls’ hair before the shoot!

I told Melissa to move the light closer, so she decided to jump into the image!

For those of you who read my blog on a regular basis, you’ll recognize this clan. I met Melissa when I was in search of someone to split a box of paper with for my black and white film photography class at Columbus State. We’ve pretty much been partners in crime ever since. At least once a year (sometime more) we get together so I can take her family photos. Melissa started planning outfits when we scheduled her session. And as you can see, she did a great job down to the shoes and accessories! We went to Downtown Columbus and out to Ft. Hayes for this round of family photographs.

Melissa just blogged about how she prepared for her session and selecting what to wear for the whole family. I highly suggest stopping by her blog and reading it to assist you in planning your family’s portrait session. Check it out over to www.melissajonesphotography.com.

Little Brody lost interest quickly, so he didn't make though the outfit change for this family photo.

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A quick shot of the girls.

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I just love the old door behind them in this image, the older and more worn-out the better!

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One last shot of mom and dad.

Another set of the Best of 2009! Today we’re looking at the best of my 2009 Relationship Photography. Within this group I have examples of family, engagement and wedding photography. I had the opportunity over the summer to assist my friend and fellow photographer, Melissa Jones, with her weddings. It was a great learning experience for me and I hope Melissa will have me back to help in 2010! Yet again, I had a hard time picking my favorites from the year. I decided to show one from each category of relationship photos that I offer. My favorites all share one thing in common, I’ve tried to capture the connection and emotion between these folks in each image.

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I had such a great time with Natalie and her family at the park for this session.
This un-posed image of them playing in the colorful fall leaves is a perfect moment.

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Not exactly an “engagement” photograph of Jen and Jeff since they were married prior to this image, we’ll call it my favorite “couple” image of 2009.

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I absolutely love this image!! It doesn’t hurt when you have a stunning bride and groom to work with!
This image is Danielle Neil for Melissa Jones Photography.

View the Relationship Photography Portfolio