Loved working with Jackie & Andrew for their engagement session! It was a super chilly day and man did they brave the weather so that we could get out and capture a little bit of their BIG love for each other! We strolled around the park and the Albright Knox Museum getting some great shots. They even went sledding all the way down the hill! Thanks for coming out friends, hope you enjoy the sneak peek! Stay tuned for the full gallery soon..
I LOVE surprise proposal sessions, although I always have a little bit of anxiety about keeping it all a secret and not messing it up haha!
Nick called me about a month back and told me all about his girlfriend Sydney and how he was planning to propose to her. We went over the plan on the phone a couple of time and figured out how we were going to pull it all off and what can I say.. it was PERFECT! Sydney was in tears, I was in tears, we all were in tears and it was amazing!
Thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of your surprise friends! Hope to work with you two in the future!
I love working with first time soon to be parents! Tyler and Kaylea called me earlier last year to discuss wedding photography for 2024 and part of their package was a maternity session! I mean I can’t even help just loving this session so much. It has all of my favorite things: babies, bumps, winter wonderland and a little sunshine! Thanks so much for braving this chilly day to make some memories friends! I can’t wait to show you the rest and work with you guys for your big day this year!
We barely missed one of Western New Yorks epic winter storms with this one and still managed to get that snow globe winter wonderland look without all the mess! I absolutely loved working with Carrington & Jake on their big day. It was so much fun to hang out with all the their friends and family and Samuel’s is really a beautiful venue to have a wedding at! Hope you enjoy this sneak peek!
How to prepare for calling your wedding photographer... top 5 questions to ask! Written by Ariel Hawkins Photography - Buffalo Wedding Photographer #1 Are you available for my date... (seems silly but you can't always assume that the photographer you're asking is available)? Or if you aren't available do you have an associate photographer that your company uses?
#2 Can you show me a full gallery from a wedding you've shot recently? Sometimes just looking at the photographers website you'll find a blog or two of recently shot weddings. But sometimes these can be just highlights of the day and not give a FULL view of the entire day. It's OKAY, to ask to see this. This can show you what your photographer's style is like throughout the day and is important in making the decision….
I really enjoyed working with Kassandra & Ron for their daughter’s newborn session! I had such a great time snuggling little Ruby and catching up with her parents! Thank you so much for inviting me into your home and sharing your baby girl with me.
I had such a great time with Poplar Hills a few weeks ago doing a stylized shoot along with several other vendors! Although we had just had a small snow storm and it was a bit chilly our Models and other vendors were more than happy to jump right in and we had a blast! If you’re looking for some top scale vendors I suggest you check them out for your big day!
Loved working with Carrington, Jacob and Numa for their beautiful fall engagement session! We had such a great time playing in the leaves and enjoying the beautiful fall foliage that Western New York so graciously proivides for us! I’m super excited to be shooting their wedding this January at Samuels Grand Manor! We’re going to have a blast!
Who knew that birthday weddings would become a thing? This is my second year spending my big day with another fantastic couple celebrating their big day! I had such a lovely time with Ashley & Josh for their fantastic wedding down at Classic V on Niagara Falls Blvd.
We started the day off at PIC Studio’s where Ashley got ready. We did a first look with her girls and then with her soon to be hubby! It was cute, you can check out the first look on my YouTube. Then we headed off to Shea’s in downtown Buffalo on Main Street where we did a whole bunch of formal photos.
Okay so this was a crazy night! First we met up at Tift Nature Preserve by the outer harbor in Buffalo to start off the session and it was literally raining cats and dogs. So I had the quick idea to beat the rain and we drove over to Amherst State Park in Williamsville instead. I don’t kid when I say the rain was about one mile away from where we were. The skies opened up and this crazy fiery blood red/orange sky gave way and all right before it hailed and we had to wrap it up! Thank you for coming out friends! I can’t wait to photograph your big day!
Love, love, LOVED working with Izzy for her senior session this year! At first she was a little shy but man she really worked with me and we got these AHHHHMAZING shots of her that blew me out of the water! Her laugh was completely infectious and we had such a blast hanging out! Thank you so much for thinking of me for your senior photos, enjoy the sneak peek! LIVE.LAUGH.PHOTO. Love, Ariel
Loved working with Rose & Joe for their beautiful wedding day! I’ve known Rose and Joe for several years now and it was very sweet to see these two tie the knot and I’m glad I got to capture their big day! Although it was a short day for me, I had a ton of fun and enjoyed hanging with everyone. Please enjoy this sneak peek!
I had the pleasure of working with Poplar Hills this year with some of my wedding client’s and I absolutely fell in love with the place. It charming, beautifully and tastefully decorated. The grounds are big, well manicured and full of fun little places to photograph. The staff is super friendly and everyone there is great! I met Sabrina & Alex out on a little bit of a rainy fall night and we trekked all over the place making memories. To say we had a great time would be an understatement. We had a FANTASTIC time! Seriously they couldn’t stop smiling and it was infectious. The night we met out they also were celebrating their 3 year anniversary so it was great to get to document that moment for them. LOVED working with everyone invlolved in pulling this off, enjoy!
Oh man… little’s are my fav’s! Running around playing games, seeing them smile from ear to ear makes my heart so happy! Sometimes I have to pinch myself that this IS my job! I get to hang out with cool parents and cute little kids and PLAY with them! Thank you so much for coming out Dickey family, I had such a great time with you and your kiddos! I hope to work with you again in the future!
Cute little family alert! Oh my goodness, can you feel the cuteness coming out of this adorable family? I sure felt it the whole time I was hanging out with them for sure! Loved working with the Bernosky’s we truly had such a blast! Thank you so much for sharing your little light Cara with me, she is a doll! LIVE.LAUGH.PHOTO. Love, Ariel
I loved working with the Hayes family; it’s always great to meet brand-new families and hang out. I definitely made a new friend in Carter, he legit smiled sooo BIG the whole session. It was super cute. My other new friend wasn’t so obliging. HaHa. But you know what? It’s all a memory and it changes so fast from year to year. Before you know it they're grown and off to college.. Thanks so much for braving a little bit of sprinkles, hope you enjoy these! LIVE.LAUGH.PHOTO. Love, Ariel
Ummm. Let’s talk about RAD families for a minute here. I love working with families who want to have a little fun and live a bit outside of the box! The Sundquist Family are all friends of our from BMX and we always have such a great time hanging with them! We met up at a local skatepark down by the water in Buffalo, NY to hang out, roller skate, bike and play some B-ball! Thanks so much for meeting me out to hang, play and take some epic pics! LIVE.LAUGH.PHOTO. Love, Ariel
Loved working with the Whiting Family for their family session, love these kids! We’ve spent the last few years on a BMX team with Blake & Tony and we’ve had such a great time with them! We went out to the newly aquisitioned Richardson Hotel in Buffalo, NY near Buffalo State College. This old building complex has been brought back to life and now serves as a hotel, restaurant and a venue for weddings and parties! It was the perfect place for some fall family photos! Thanks so much friends for coming out hope you enjoy your gallery! LIVE.LAUGH.PHOTO. Love, Ariel
I really enjoyed working with Kassi & Mitch on their wedding day at Becker Farms! They are such a great couple with so much love for each other and it’s super evident too. They are patient and fun and every time Mitch smiles he says’s “Cheese”. It was a great day, for sure. We enjoyed walking around the grounds and taking pictures. The bridal party was great and the ring bearer and flower girl were adorable. I loved this area at the beginning of fall; it truly is beautiful, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous for us all day.The bridal party was great and the ring bearer and flower girl were adorable. I love this area in the beginning of fall, it truly is beautiful and the weather was absolutely gorgeous for us all day.
Loved working with Sarah & Matt on their wedding day! Although it started off a looking like we may get hit with a storm, there really were only sprinkles and we were able to go out and get all of their formals without getting too wet! It was a sweet, short little ceremony at The North Tonawanda City Hall and then we went to Glen Falls.
The amount you should spend on wedding photography depends on various factors, including your budget, priorities, and the level of importance you place on capturing your special day. Here are a few things to consider when determining your wedding photography budget.
Oh my gosh. Model alert! Wow. Just wow! Alina blew her senior sesh out of the park the other day. We had such a great time exploring downtown buffalo together and it shows! We started down in the Cobblestone District by the Sabres Arena, walked over to Ballyhoo Buffalo and then drove over to Riverworks to finish off the night.
Oh I do love photographing newborns! Nessa was such a sweetie, she slept through our entire session and was super calm. She even slept through her big sister jumping on beds, couches and cribs haha! I just photographed mama’s pregnancy not even 4 weeks ago and now they have added their sweet little daughter into the family. Congrats friends, I hope you enjoy these!
Take me to the BEACH! Sneak Peeks coming atcha today of Charlie & Miranda's lovely beach wedding at the Falconwood on Beaver Island! There's nothing greater than the beach, toes in the sand and some good ole fashioned LOVE! Congrats friends, hope you enjoy this sneak!
Hiring a wedding photographer is a crucial decision, as your wedding photos will capture the memories of your special day for a lifetime. Here are the top 10 questions to ask before hiring your wedding photographer.
Oh man! I love, love, loved working with Julie & Brendan! They are totally high school sweethearts which just makes my heart happy. We met out at Knox Farms to take engagement photos and hang out to get to know each other. I almost immediately knew these are my people. We just meshed and it was effortless. We had a ton of fun and I can’t wait for their big day!
Absolutely, fall is a wonderful time for family photography with its beautiful colors and cozy vibes. Here are some stylish outfit ideas for your family photography session! I'm so excited you've decided to commit to styling your upcoming portrait session! By committing to curating the perfect outfits you're putting one piece of the puzzle together to create the most magical pictures! Take a look at my inspiration in this guide and get ready to be inspired!
Have you ever worked with a family that you just instantaneously hit it off with? I have! Little miss Ava ran right up to me upon us first meeting and wrapped me in her little arms. I instantly fell in love and the whole session was amazing! What a fun family! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your circle for the night, I truly enjoyed myself. LIVE.LAUGH.PHOTO. Love, Ariel
Love seeing Christina, Jonathan and Natalie for their yearly photos but especially loved how much Natalie has come out of her shell! Last year she was a shy little thing to this year she wanted to tell me all the things, hold hands, smiled and laughed all the way through their session. Loved it! We went out to the beach for a bit of a different look this year instead of the traditional fall photos we have taken over the years and I think this one matched their personalities just great!
Before you know it, Spring will be here, & I wanted you to know that I will be holding Cherry Blossom Mini sessions for Family or couples at the Cherry Blossoms behind the History Museum!!
This is the first mini of the year, so if we haven't seen each other in a bit it would be great to reconnect! Each session will provide you with All your digital files fully retouched in High Resolution and an opportunity to score more product with reviews!