We met up with Katherine and Mike at Alta, their favorite restaurant. They had their first date there, they’ve been returning ever since, and that’s where Mike asked Katherine to marry him. It was a fitting start to their engagement session, followed by street wandering (our favorite!) and ending near Washington Square.

Mike and Katherine have spent most of their dating life in and out of a favorite restaurant in the Village, so why not start their engagement session there? They let us in early before the dinner rush and we made use of the bar where they had so many dates. From there, we ambled down the brownstone-lined roads to Washington Square Park.

Lee and Liz took us on a great tour of their favorite places around Red Hook and Cobble Hill in Brooklyn. They’ve lived there long enough to know about some really great character-filled areas that were perfect for their engagement session. Ending in the park they regularly walk to for breakfast topped off a personalized engagement session for them!

First, let’s just say it. The Fire Island seashore is a beautiful area, and with a day full of gorgeous afternoon light and a butterfly-filled breeze, our job was always going to be easy. Add in how great Brad and Arianna are and how meaningful the location is to them (he proposed here!) and we had all the perfect ingredients for a great session!

At her image premiere, Arianna told us that one of the images from her sneak peek caught the eye of a coworker who asked why she was showing off a Ralph Lauren ad. I think she might have to answer that question again sometime soon!

Peter and Jessica said Central Park has a lot of meaning to them and wanted their shoot there, but I bet they say that even more so now! They had a blast with a very cooperative bubble performer on a lovely sunny morning in the city.

So it’s chronologically backward since I posted their wedding last week, I know. Maybe I just wanted to spread out their photos for more enjoyment! Jessica and Keith’s Brooklyn engagement shoot was carefully planned, right down to sending their dog, Blu, to the groomer that afternoon. Unhappily, Blu did not fare so well at the groomer and our shoot started a little rough with him terrified of the subway trains going by. He rallied for the rest of the session and gave us some playful nudges by the end!

Brad and Arianna picked the most perfect place for their engagement session! Brad proposed to Arianna at the Fire Island lighthouse and we returned there for a shoot filled with beautiful autumn sunshine and breezes flowering through the beach grass.

We just barely managed to get Sunny and Kelsey’s engagement session in before their wedding and have been anxiously awaiting to share these images ever since! We met them after work one day on the High Line and walked the entire length before hitting the West Side bike path overlooking the Hudson River. Here are just a handful of our favorites!

Danielle and Pete spent all of high school dating, so it was fitting that we’d photograph their engagement shoot at their high school! They’ve moved on well beyond the high school years and are getting married next summer, so they get to enjoy these photos for a year before they make it official. We started the shoot in a few empty classrooms, moving on to the library and then gym in homage to Pete, and then headed out to the track and football field. I love the Grease feel of a few of these!

Sometime I sound like a broken record, but I really do mean it when I go on and on about how we love personal engagement shoots! We met up with Todd and Taryn at their new home to start our session, then continued on over at Todd’s family business. I didn’t expect a dirty job site to be so filled with inspiration but we had a blast taming the light at Ruttara & Sons!

Later, we moved on to another location with meaning: Point Lookout is where Todd grew up and used to spend his days on the beach.

Justin and Victoria really went to bat to make their engagement session personal since the US Park Service doesn’t make it easy to photograph on unique sites like Edison Labs. Not only was Edison Labs the perfect spot due to their professions, it was a great halfway point since they live in Pennsylvania and us in New York! We started by the chemistry lab, then later moved on over to Edison’s home and garden.

We hope everyone agrees with us on how wonderfully these photos turned out! For two scientists, it was the perfect setting for a truly personal engagement shoot.

The view of Arun’s favorite cricket stadium from Dome!

We just finished their image premiere and I love one of the things that Mike said, that he loves the picture of Anna alone the most because he loves her. Who doesn’t melt at that?

So without further ado, I give you their engagement images from downtown near city hall and on the Chelsea waterfront.

We can’t wait to see what they have planned for their June wedding here on Long Island! After talking with them about their wedding plans, this time needs to start hurrying up to see it all!

On to the photos of their engagement shoot!

We started at the Glenwood Fire House and moved on down to the beach for sunset and doggie pics just after that.

Then we moved up to their rooftop, followed by a nearby park:

And finally to Brooklyn Bridge Park:

I’m putting the last image of the session first, because I know how much Jamie wanted to go “foraging” all day! I feel like we failed him since we couldn’t magically produce a safari hat.

And since the first image is an homage to Jamie, the second is an homage to Andrea’s marathon endurance. We noticed the sticker on her car!

We met at the Boathouse and then traipsed around Central Park, ending over near Strawberry Fields for an iconic image. I’ll stop writing and let the images speak for themselves, then try and figure out how to find wall space to enlarge them all.

We started in the shade for a few minutes since it was a warm day on the beach:

Tony has spent a lot of time modifying his car, so we had to make sure and include it in the session!

I’m always a fan of quiet moments:

Ilana loves funnel cake. Mike loves funnel cake. We love when the powdery fluff ends up all over their faces!

We had some pretty dramatic light when we started in the late afternoon light:

I love that Pia thought of shooting here, as this was her school growing up!

Dan and Pia love dancing around the kitchen, and have the cutest (and warmest) chef coats. I’m hoping Pia convinced Joe that I need a chef coat now. Here they are (ahem) counting how many many ballers her mom has.

We went up to the roof to grab a few images with the Manhattan skyline view, but had to take cover inside as a spring shower passed.

We’re excited to be making up a guestbook for them with these images!

By the way, anyone want to guess how long it takes a thoroughly drenched pair of Uggs to dry out?

From there we moved on to Dumbo and a lovely little park between the two bridges.

So, that said, I’m pointing you to another article that delves further into this idea better than I can express with my own words:
Lessons Learned From the (in)Famous Chicken Suit Pics
With that, we’re off to California. We’ll be photographing a couple weddings, and I’ll be in a wedding! I can’t wait to see Andrew and Sara get married!

Andrew and Sara arranged to have a Vespa at their engagement shoot!

This next series of images perfectly illustrates the different viewpoints we have of the same location:

And then, up to the High Line! It’s our newest favorite place, and we’re glad to see something come of an incredible area of NYC.

I don’t think we could have had a more perfect day for Zoe and Carolina’s shoot!

This next one makes us laugh, because as Carolina pulled out her well-loved hat she worried under her breath whether anyone would give her a hard time about a Sox hat in New York!

Nope, not at all obsessed with the Wicked posters all over the city… not one bit!

1. Texture

We love texture! Sweaters with cable and other textures add a richness that you’ll never get with a plain cotton tee. Look at Ava’s sweater dress, the different rolling textures at the hem, and also her headband even has texture. We do mostly prefer the textures to be solid in color as that’s not distracting, but any texture is great. (Also, you’ll note that the kids take center stage here and the parents are in supporting colors– this is great.)

While the Splendorio kids do match perfectly, they added visual interest by all wearing textured knits. In addition, they really dressed considering the surroundings.

Below, Evie and Jeff are dressed quite simply for their beach engagement session. But her sweater adds some dimension in an otherwise simple image.

2. Layers

Layers also add interest without adding distraction. The orange shirt Mandell is wearing beneath his Mom shirt adds a pop of color in an otherwise dark outfit. Layering denim jackets over dresses, layering sweaters with corduroy pants, ruffled dresses — these are all easy ways to add layers into your clothing choices.

3. Accessories

Technically, white tank tops are pretty boring, right? But with the accessories we added here with the cowboy hat and ruffled skit, it’s a great portrait! Sometimes letting the girls take center stage works pretty well. After all, most women know that adding the right necklace or hat can completely transform an outfit. Below, the Presser girls look adorable in their gold leggings and Converse. The right accessories really dress up a portrait.

4. Complementing Colors

Years later, I still use this great portrait of the Ver Steegs as an example of awesome attire. They’re all dressed in complementing colors, but no one matches exactly. Jeans, black pants, black lace shirts (texture), sweaters… they all meld wonderfully. For a full family, you don’t get any better than this.

Below, the Weinstocks complemented each other very well, all dressing in greens, yellows, and pinks for their family lifestyle beach session. The kids suits all have subtle patterns and textures that blend nicely as well.

Below, Amber and Trevor complement each other so well! They are at the same level of formality and in similar tones.

5. Naked. But I guess that really only works for newborns!

In honor of my excitement over this location, we’re offering a great deal for a complimentary weekday portrait session at this pond. The session would be up to an hour or so, and in addition to waiving the session fee we’ll also include a complimentary 8×10. This session would be great for kids or an engagement session!

Here are a few teaser images:

I pulled the infrared camera back from the brink this morning!

The most important reason to us as photographers is to get to know you better. Sitting in a meeting with you helps us start that process, but sometimes talking about all the details of your wedding can distract us from that. We like to start an engagement shoot with a chat over cocktails or coffee and have a little time to just talk about life, and then move on to the engagement shoot. We may be in a business relationship, but really like being friends with our clients, and the engagement shoot is the first step towards that. This is why we include an engagement shoot in our basic coverage; it’s important to us!

Another reason for an engagement shoot is to incorporate meaningful places. Often the tight schedule on a wedding day means you can’t choose just any location for your wedding portraits. Maybe, as in Sadiaka and Yusha’s case, you’re getting married in Westchester and you’d really like your portraits in Central Park. It’s just not a realistic opportunity on the wedding day, but we’d be happy to photograph wherever you like for your engagement shoot. We love places that matter to you! Maybe where you met? Had a first date? Where he proposed?

In Heather and Scott’s case, it was very important to Heather to include another love of her life, her longtime pony.

Of course, as we get to know each other, we hope that we’re starting the first step of photographing all the important steps of your life. Just a few posts down, you’ll notice Steve and Carole’s family shoot with their beautiful daughters. Here’s one of my favorites from their engagement shoot several years ago:

Another reason for an engagement shoot? It’s nice to have something to hold on to while you’re engaged. It’s a busy time, sometimes stressful, and we think it’s nice to be able to turn to a photo, a portfolio box, a framed portrait. The sooner you schedule the shoot, the sooner you can enjoy beautiful products, of course. It’s nice seeing gorgeous images on our website, but even nicer seeing them on your wall.

This is the image Joel and Karley chose to frame, and they also displayed it near the escort cards at their Guasti Villa wedding.

This, of course, brings us to the next question. What can you do to share these images with your guests, your friends and family? The easiest option is to share your online gallery with them. But we’ve got some pretty impressive products that also make great ways to share your photographs.

The portfolio box is a great way to share images in your home. It’s a lovely designed box that can sit out in your living room, dining room. We mat your favorite images to fit within the box. With a small easel, you can rotate images out of the box for a more creative display, too.

If you’re looking for a way to share more than one image at your wedding, a guestbook is another great option. We design the guestbook with a lot of blank space for your friends to write in their good wishes and sign their names. It gives you a great reason not to put away the guestbook after the wedding, never to be seen again.

There is art in your life. We mean that when we say it, and that’s the last reason to have an engagement shoot. Let it loose!

I love this image!