Category Archives: Engagements

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under the boardwalk | antoinette+ricky

March 1, 2010 – 6:25 pm

antoinette+ricky kicked off our first engagement shoot of 2010 with a bang!  it’s really “hit or miss” to schedule a beach and boardwalk session at the end of february, but we really lucked out with this one.  we had an awesome couple, gorgeous skies, empty beaches, amazing light, and happy vibes.  we even found a lucky dollar that washed up to our feet while we were taking portraits down near the waters edge.  antoinette+ricky took the lucky dollar to harrahs casino that night to see if they could win big!  we haven’t heard anything from them yet, so we’ll just have to assume that they are still on a roll at the slots or the craps table. (:   lauren and i can’t wait for their wedding this summer at congress hall in cape may, nj.  the wedding ceremony will take place on the cape may beach, although we would guess it will be a bit warmer than it was for their engagement session.  2 hours on the beach in 35 degree weather will totally get to your finger tips after awhile (or) toes in ricky’s case, since he was wearing sandals the majority of the time.

introducing antoinette+ricky | engaged

here are some more awesome beach engagements we shot recently that you may be interested in checking out:  shannon+rj –  jessica+dave –  jess+brad

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finding the sweet spot | mairin+joe

November 19, 2009 – 4:06 am

i woke up the morning of mairin+joe’s engagement shoot and looked outside to see what kind of weather we would be working with for the day.  i was happy to see it was going to be a beautiful afternoon.  when the time came to drive an hour to old city, philadelphia to meet with the happy couple my mind began to flood with ideas for their engagement shoot images.  i was trying to think of all the cool ways i might be able to shoot on the streets of philadelphia.  then naturally, my brain couldn’t get that bruce springsteen song out of my head.  damn you, Boss.  before i knew it i was walking around old city towards our pre planned meeting spot.  i initially thought i would be incorporating a lot of the city’s elements into the shoot: alleys, urban walls, concrete, brick, etc.  but, after arriving in old city i was very surprised to discover that my intensions and ideas would be blown right out of the water.  the city was filled with the amazing colors of fall and there was just no way i was going to avoid it’s beauty and charm.

now it was just a matter of finding the sweet spots to photograph within the city.  the sweet spot for me always begins with good lighting, followed by background & composition.  on sunny days the best portrait lighting is usually found in open shade, which can be next to a building or under a tree.  once you find good lighting, you will need an awesome couple to enjoy it.  cue: love magnets – mairin+joe.  i had such a nice time with these two throughout our little engagement session in philadelphia that i really can’t wait to rock out more portraits with them on their wedding day in may 2010.  thank you mairin, joe, the Boss, mother nature, mr. sunshine, and thank you most of all, philadelphia.  it was good vibes all around.  enjoy.

Fall-Philadelphia-Engagement-PhotoPhiladelphia-Engagement-SessionFall-Philly-Engagement-PhotoOld-City-Philadelphia-EngagementOld-City-Philly-Engagement-Picture

i’m totally digging the dreamy, watercolor nature of this reflection shot :  sweet spot, win

Philadelphia-Engagement-PicturePhiladelphia-Engaged-PortraitsOld-City-Engagement-PicturePhiladelphia-EngagementSouth-Street-Philadelphia

you might also be interested in checking out another engagement session i photographed at philadelphia’s boat house row a few months ago for maria+kevin.

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how to rock the beach portrait | shannon+rj

November 2, 2009 – 6:51 pm

how do you rock beach portraits?  you don’t actually shoot the whole session on the beach, that’s how.

as a photographer, i get plenty of requests to head over the beach to do engagement and portrait sessions.  don’t get me wrong i love the beach and there are moments that all the elements come together and you can capture an unbelievable photograph.  but in general, the beach holds a lot of obstacles for a photographer.  photographing couples on the beach means you will be dealing with a massive open space that provides no shelter from the sun.  as you’ll see in the images below, i tend to favor shooting near or around the beach for added elements and interest before actually stepping foot on the sand itself.  the goal is to provide the best of both worlds for my clients – a little urban fun and a beautiful romantic beach sunset.  (:

with that said, a good photograph has more ingredients involved than just the environment where it was shot.  i would get nowhere without the awesomeness of my clients.  shannon + rj decided they would bring their own dose of awesome power with them to their engagement shoot in ocean city, nj.  thank you guys for the opportunity to photograph you during this special time in your lives and going along with all my crazy ideas as we walked around ocean city together.  enjoy.

Ocean-City-Beach-EngagementSouth-Jersey-Beach-EngagementSouth-Jersey-Boardwalk-EngagementNew-Jersey-EngagementCouple-On-SwingFun-Engagement-PhotoJersey-Shore-CoupleCouples-In-LoveOcean-City-EngagementReflection-Engagement-PictureUrban-Engagement-PhotoCool-Engagement-Photos

remember what i said before – “it takes all the elements to align just perfectly for an unbelievable beach photo”  well, the picture below is my favorite of the day. (:  i love the harmony of the dune grass, amazing couple, perfect dip kiss, distant pier, and beautiful sunset.  total “WIN” in my book.

Ocean-City-Beach-Sunset-EngagementDunes-Beach-Engagement

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ENGAGED | jessica + dave

October 24, 2009 – 12:17 am

what should you do if you have never been to ocean city, nj before?  how about plan yourself a nice little engagement session with dinofa photography.  thats exactly what jessica + dave ended up doing and the photo shoot couldn’t have gone any better.  we began the session on 12th street in front of the flanders hotel before walking the streets and boardwalk looking for interesting elements to shoot.  as the sun began to set we headed onto the beach to round out our day of awesomeness.  lauren and i are seriously looking forward to their wedding day in march 2010.  by the looks of their engagement session i expect it to be a ridiculously good time.  congrats and enjoy.

Urban-City-EngagementFun-Engagement-PictureBrick-Wall-Engagement-PhotographySunset-Engagement-PhotoOcean-City-Mural-PictureOcean-City-Boardwalk-EngagementOCNJ-Boardwalk-Engagement-PhotoSouth-Jersey-Beach-EngagementUnder-Ocean-City-BoardwalkAction-Engagement-Beach-PhotosOcean-City-Sunset-Pier

please contact us if you are interested in having us shoot your wedding or if you would like to chat about photography.  (:

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ENGAGED | maureen + steve

October 23, 2009 – 4:50 pm

maureen + steve live a few footsteps from the beautiful beaches of sea isle city, nj.  so what better place to hold their engagement photography session, right?  i met the two of them in front of their house on a perfect late afternoon just a few hours before sunset.  their engagement session was casual and fun, just the way i like it.  after spending some quality time with these two i’m totally pumped to rock out their wedding day next september.  can’t wait to see you guys again soon.

enjoy.

Engagement-Beach-PortraitModern-Engagement-PhotographySea-Isle-EngagementCouples-In-LoveCouples-On-The-BeachSea-Isle-Beach-WeddingDiamond-Engagement-RingUrban-EngagementEngagement-Sunset

if you are interested in getting some rockin’ engagement photos for yourself or need a modern wedding photographer, please contact us: tim@dinofaphotography.com

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