Eunice - From the beginning, I was enamored by Yuri's photos: that beautiful and natural mix of artistic and photojournalistic styles really called to me. After going back and forth via email, and an initial meeting at a coffee shop in Arlington, I had no qualms about choosing this gentle giant to be the one to capture all of our important moments. He used to have a studio back in his home country, is starting to build a presence here, and I couldn't be more thrilled that both of us are on this journey together. Yuri is incredibly talented at what he does, and has this air about him that can calm even the most Type A of brides-to- be (ahem, yours truly). He welcomes ideas for props and poses for photos, but he'll never force you to be anything you're not, and that kind of authenticity is priceless.
Though we had moved to Baltimore after we signed our contract in Boston, he was able and willing to work with us on a mutually convenient weekend that, by perfect chance, lined up with the National Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. -- that means, yes, he came down to the Capitol to meet us for a sunrise photo shoot amidst thousands of other people -- which is a feat in and of itself. But then the photos. My goodness, the photos! He was somehow able to make them all look as if we were the only ones there, aside from the beautiful blossoms. He encouraged us to have fun and relax, and most of the shots he was able to capture, definitely could never in a million years have been planned/posed -- and those are my favorites.
My fiance and I had a good time with him on our engagement photo shoot, and everyone who saw the final product(s) could not stop raving about how beautiful and fun the pictures looked. We are both beyond thrilled to have found Yuri and have him shoot our wedding next spring. There's a reason why I booked him as a vendor a good 18 months before the actual event... because I wanted to make sure he was there. Beyond the venue, he was definitely my top-most priority!
