My grandpa is standing to the right, holding a Zorki Soviet Union camera (an affordable, almost exact copy of Leica I have now). I heard he took photos, but I never knew how much it meant to him. Back then in Ukraine, photography was a luxury. Now I know this is what I’m meant to do- to preserve and honor what he wished he could do more of.

He died when I was three. I don’t remember much, just that he was in pain and at the end. Seeing this photo was the first time I have felt connected to him. Something deeper than I can explain.

My heart.

I look for the light, the easy, the organic. The movement between moments, where the joy and color are found.

Every year I asked for the lavender backdrop, but in our home photos were considered a luxury, which meant no matter how much I asked for color I was given gray, until in the fifth grade my persistence paid off and I remember feeling so free and so me, and it was not until high school that I had the chance to create that moment for someone else when I borrowed my friend’s fancy camera I did not know how to use to take senior photos for my older sister who never had them, and though they were cheesy and blurry they were her, comfortable, playful and free, and the joy I felt watching her see herself is what made me buy my first camera and why I do what I do, and with me I hope you feel seen, like the presence of a sister who cares about capturing your true essence, and when your gallery arrives I hope you are reminded of your light

What’s your dream backdrop?

My family’s story begins in Ukraine, and these images are the only pieces I hold. You don’t realize how important images are until you go back to feel.These images guide me, shaping how I hope your moments will be felt for generations to come.

family Heirlooms

F A Q.

  • I’m Diana (Dee/yana) — a Cleveland based wedding photographer who cares way more about who you are than how you look. I didn’t grow up planning to do weddings; I started by photographing people I cared about and realized how powerful it feels to truly see someone. Weddings hold joy, grief, anxiety, relief, and love all at once. My role is to witness that honestly.

    Your ability to stay present is more important than any photo I could ever force you to take. When you are present, the images carry something deeper than appearance. They carry memory. My work exists to translate your experience into something you can feel long after the day has passed.

  • Feeling relaxed and seen will always matter more to me than your wedding appearing perfect. If you are nervous being photographed, then I have not yet done my job. My highest priority is helping you feel safe enough to be fully yourself.

    My process involves talking about what feels real, not just what feels easy. Your wedding day can hold many emotions at once. You can feel joy and grief in the same breath. Nothing needs to be hidden or performed. Imperfections always tell the truest story.

    You do not need to prove anything. You only need to be present

  • I live in Cleveland and work everywhere that feels meaningful. I travel often — to the East Coast, across the country, and beyond because there’s something grounding about being a bit out of my comfort zone. Every new place invites a different kind of creativity, and I love chasing that.

  • My approach is rooted in photojournalism. I watch and listen more than I direct. I do not believe in constant posing because the most meaningful images happen when you are living, not performing.

    When an image carries emotion, you will return to it differently. You will not just see it. You will feel it again.

    Your guests, your environment, and the quiet in between moments matter deeply to me. They are part of the history of your love, and they deserve to be remembered.

  • My sweet bride Emma taught me presence.

    It was around my eleventh year photographing weddings, and I still found myself quietly gripping the idea that things needed to go right. Even now, I notice that instinct rise in me sometimes. And each time, I practice letting it soften again.

    It was a windy day in New York City. Emma and Mitch were walking to the bus stop on their way to the courthouse where they first met, about to be married in the simplest way. When we arrived, we realized they had forgotten their marriage license.

    I felt my body tense instantly, as if I had failed them. As if the day had somehow broken.

    But Emma was smiling. Fully there. Completely unfazed.

    She wasn’t holding onto what was missing. She was inside what was still here.

    They ended up signing a makeshift piece of paper later that day. It now lives framed in their home, not as a symbol of something going wrong, but as proof that nothing needed to be perfect to be meaningful. That presence was enough.

  • I am inspired by honesty and unhidden emotion

    A few things that bring me joy:

    a home that feels lived in.
    an outfit that doesn’t match but feels true.
    shimmer and sparkle in unexpected places.
    color that feels alive.
    mother Earth and the way she holds everything without trying.

  • I do not hijack your day. I am there to support it.

    I want you at your cocktail hour. I want you laughing with your friends. I want you fully inside your life as it is unfolding. You live your day. I document it.

    I show up prepared, attentive, and grounded so you can let go. My role is to create space where you can fall in love not only with how your photos look, but with how your day truly was.

    As the great John Dolan often says “I am a guest with a camera”

  • Both digital and analog film. I weave 35mm and 120 film throughout your gallery, bringing a sense of nostalgia and depth.

  • Yes. I offer both half day and full day coverage. Your wedding is not approached as a series of hours, but as a complete story. I document the beginning, middle, and end so your gallery feels like an illustrated storybook, with no chapter missing.

    Half day coverage begins at $5,400 and full day coverage begins at $7,400.

  • Someone who shows up as themselves — uncomplicated, unfiltered, and unafraid of feeling deeply. That’s where the magic lives.

  • Find moments to genuinely be with each other. Let go of perfection, and trust the people you’ve chosen to be with you. Protect your presence above everything else.

    The more you allow yourself to be inside your day, the more meaningful your photographs will become. Not because of how they look, but because of what they hold.

    The goal is not perfection. The goal is to create something you can return to and feel again.