Moving to a new city is no easy task, especially when that city happens to be New York. Streets to navigate, subway maps to comprehend, not to mention adjusting to a whole new lifestyle. All of that may be challenging, but all of that is a piece of cake compared to the NYC dating scene. With over 8 million people living a 23 square mile island, Manhattan is quite literally packed with people. Yet, in the middle of all that, it's quite easy to feel like the prospect of finding that ONE perfect man in the sea of faces is nearly impossible. A passing glance on the street doesn't have the chance of turning into anything more on the city's bustling streets and a packed city bar is hardly the ideal location for meeting your soul mate.
She moved to the city from Connecticut to go to school and stayed there to pursue her career as a social worker. She learned the ins-and-outs of the city pretty quickly, really making it her home. There was only one thing missing - someone to share it with. Although it may be hard to find the perfect person, it's pretty easy to recognize the ones that just aren't the right fit - and she had found several that just didn't fit. Not willing to waste her time on Mr. Wrongs, she went online to JDate.com to find that Mr. Right. Little did she know that her perfect guy had just moved to the city from California for his job. As luck would have it, he ended up on that very same site. In the midst of the pages and pages of potential dates, they saw something in each other's profiles. A couple of weeks of talking led to that fateful first date. They bonded quickly over drinks and conversation. It was an instant chemistry.
It didn't take long for both of them to know that somehow on that crowded 23-square-mile island of 8 million people, they had both managed to find that ONE perfect person for them. And they can get around on the subway like nobody's business - they just have it all.
KERI & CASEY
We met Keri & Casey for the first time when she was the maid of honor at Deb & Tim's wedding a year ago (You can check their day out on our old blog by clicking HERE). Casey proposed to her about a month later (at Thanksgiving in front of her family - so cute!) and they contacted us not too long after to photograph their wedding. We were thrilled to hear from them and got even more excited at our first meeting with them talking about all the great ideas they have for their wedding. That night we even talked a bit about where to do their engagement session and it was a pretty obvious choice. It had to be in New York - the city where they met, fell in love, and still live today.
We started off the session in Central Park. There weren't too many leaves changed over yet, but we did manage to find some that had fallen on the ground. Good thing that Keri & Casey aren't shy because the park was pretty busy and we walked past at least three other photo shoots (clearly we had picked good locations). But really the other people around didn't make a difference because these two only have eyes for each other.
Whenever we do a session in Central Park we like to mix it up with an additional location within the city. While we love the park we really love the juxtaposition of the natural surroundings against a more urban location. So for Keri & Casey's session we also headed down to South Street Seaport. We hadn't been to seaport before for a session so we were psyched to shoot it for the first time. And there was so much to photograph down there - the ships, the fun storefronts and the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance. We even had Keri & Casey share a cupcake on the stairs outside of a museum in the seaport - a little prep for the cake-cutting they'll be doing in about 7 months. On the way back to the train, we finished off the session with a shot or two in the subway - it just doesn't get more NYC than that.
Keri & Casey really wanted to go to Central Park to for part of their session. They both love the tunnels and walkways throughout the park. We started in one of our favorite places in the park because we thought they would really love this spot. There is such great architecture and it is a really romantic city setting. I really love the texture that the leaves add to this one.
This is Kathleen's view at the same moment.
The subtle colors throughout this area are really nice and adds such a nice element to the photos.
One of the things that we immediately noticed about Keri when we first met her is her stunning eyes, they are really gorgeous as you can see in the photo on the left.
This was such an amazing spot. The lighting allowed us to get a nice silhouette along with incredible shadows. So moody!
There were a couple of models (none as cool as Keri & Casey!) and photographers in this area so we had to keep sharing the space. When we got the opportunity we came back to rock out these archways for a few minutes.
They are so sweet together!
These benches in the park are some of our favorite benches and such a great place to sit for a few photos.
We heart Central Park in B&W.
Simple and sweet. :)
I caught Kathleen doing her thing...
...and this is the shot she was getting.
I think this may just be my favorite image from their session. To me it says New York, it's romantic and it's simple. I guess I just really like the feel.
Same bench as above but a different angle. I love how moving just a small amount can drastically change the photo.
This is my shot...
...and this is Kathleen's view just a moment later.
The way that couples look at each other when they are in love is so perfect.
Didn't I tell you that Keri has amazing eyes?!
A nice relaxed portrait.
After spending a bunch of time up by the mall, we headed to a tunnel on the way out of the park. This shot is mine...
...and this is Kathleen's just a moment later.
Our plan was to leave the park but then we spotted this super warm light.
While I captured this moment...
...Kathleen captured these two.
{FILM} We headed over to South Street Seaport to add another feel to their session. I took out a roll of grainy black and white film to shoot a couple frames. This is one of those shots.
Same moment, just in digital.
Keri changed outfits so we wanted to make sure we got another relaxed portrait.
{FILM} I am totally in love with the timeless feel that film brings to photos, it is also romantic and sweet.
The Brooklyn Bridge is such an amazing background so of course we just had to spend a few moments there.
{FILM} This is another one of my personal favorites from their session.
Before moving on Kathleen captured this shot as I was capturing the one prior.
The light here was so so nice!! :)
Kathleen captured this shot and I think it really portrays the essence of the city. I really like the buildings in the back.
The wooden planks combining with the city buildings was really great.
Kathleen captured this shot as we we heading back to the street.
Right before we left and as the sun was setting we saw this amazing ship in the background and just had to take a couple of silhouettes.
At the end of their session we all grabbed a cupcake and talked about how amazing the day was. So much fun!
Just me doing my thing! :)
As we were catching a subway back to Grand Central, I was inspired to take a couple more film shots just for fun.
Keri & Casey, we had such a fun time going all around the city with you both. We can't wait for your wedding! ~Rob & Kathleen~
During a black and white film class that I took during my college years, the professor gave us a very basic project. The assignment was to take one lens and a roll or two of film and go photograph nothing but fences. It sounds simple enough but what I absolutely loved about that project is how it was designed to really make you think. It teaches you about depth-of-field but also about composition and how to approach photography in an interesting way. And by using only one lens it forces you to challenge yourself and work with the focal length that you have. If you are someone who loves photography or are a photographer and have never done this project, grab a camera (doens't have to be film) and only one lens and go shoot some fences. It is definitely something worth while.
Last week we were in New York for a photography conference. After the show we got to spend a rare day off in the city with a bunch of our photographer friends. With that fence project in mind, I decided that I wanted to be simple and bring only a film camera with only black and white film and only one lens. (We recently got a Carl Zeiss manual focus 50 1.4 lens that I have been wanting to really break in.) I don't often use a 50 but wanted to go back to the basics, after all a 50mm lens is generally one of the first lenses you use as you start in photography. A fixed 50mm lens is all about composition and it makes you really think about what you want in the frame and what you don't. If you don't want something in the photo you can't simply zoom in or out.
While spending the day and night in the city I took a few rolls of film. I wanted to shoot for myself, shoot what I was inspired with at that moment. I love documenting moments and objects that make up everyday life. For example when we are in NYC, I think one of the most quintessential NYC things is a taxi cab. There is something about a NYC taxi cab that has an energy all of its own that you simply can not find anywhere else in the world. When you are in the city you kind of ignore the taxis but they help make up the incredible personality of the city. When I was photographing I tried to capture things that make up everyday life that we might normally not even notice such a street light amongst the tall city buildings, an old man sitting on a sidewalk watching the day go by or a bicycle chained to a post. I think everything has beauty in its own way, even everyday things. One of the things that we absolutely love about photography is how you can capture these things and make them somehow more meaningful or more important instead of missing them in the business of life.
During the day we also took a trip to the Empire State Building to be a tourist for an hour or so, so I also got some great skyline shots that I am very excited for and naturally I took some shots of some of the people we were with. I really hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed capturing them.
Note: Black and white negatives tend to attract a little more dust than color negatives. As I was scanning these I may may have missed a spot of dust or two so please excuse that. :)
To say that the last couple of months for us have been busy would probably be one of the biggest understatements. We have been incredibly busy with very little sleep and very little time in here in the studio. Not that we are in any way complaining because this of course is how we like it. We LOVE shooting and LOVE sharing in the special days and moments of our clients. Truthfully we consider ourselves very lucky and are humbled by all the wonderful people we have the pleasure of working with. We truly have one of the best jobs in the world!
When we started our business in 2004 we could have never guessed that our clients would get as excited about our blog as we do. We think it is an amazing way to share the stories of our clients with the world. It makes us so happy to have so many people excited to be following our work. Since we have been so busy we are a little behind on blogging but wanted to put together a little preview post to show you a little peak of some of the amazing things coming. We can't wait to share their full posts and full stories with you all but hope in the meantime this gets you pumped. From fantastic weddings to sweet engagement sessions and even a couple of cute baby sessions we have some really fun things coming your way.
He could no longer wait for the right moment to come. He had to make it happen. High school was drawing to a close and each day that passed was a day that he could have told her. A day that he could have taken her on a date. A day that he could have gotten to know her better. He decided that he would not let one more day pass him by. So he found her in the hallway and took the chance. He laid it all out on the table, told her that what he felt for her was something deeper than just the friendship they had shared for the last couple of years. And to his surprise, she felt the same way.
So it began. Hours of talking about anything and everything, dates so magical they felt like they were living in their own fairy tale and a summer that seemed like it would never end. It was a love that came on so strong so fast that it would scare most people. And it did, but not them. They knew, even then, that they had found something real. In those three months together they learnt more about each other than they ever could have imagined. More than that, they learned how to care about one another, how to grow together and they built a connection so strong that nothing could break it. While others said that it was too soon, too fast - they savored each passing moment. Every experience, big or small, was a gift to be treasured. Because although they knew they had found the perfect person, they knew it wasn't the right time for them yet. So with heavy hearts they said goodbye as summer turned to fall, unsure what they future would hold but confident that they would find each other once again.
They went their separate ways, venturing out into the "real world" on their own, struggling to find their way. Because, really, how could you find your place in the world without having the person you were meant to share your life with by your side? Two years went by - he joined the Marines, she pursued her dream of teaching Italian. Change came fast and often, but one thing remained constant. They would each think back to that summer - a glimpse of what could have been. Nothing before or since had even felt so real. They never felt more at home, more complete, than they had in those few months.
So when he came home from boot camp, he found himself in a familiar predicament. No longer willing to wait for the right moment to come again, he knew he had to make it happen. He wouldn't let another year, another month, another day pass him by - he had to find her. And so he did. This time he didn't even have to lay it all on the table, one look in her eyes and he just knew that she felt the same. And so it begins. A life filled with hours of talking, magical dates and a complete confidence that their love can overcome any time or space that may ever come between them. Because it already has.
JEN & JOE
Jen & Joe are one of those couples that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Once you spend time with them you completely understand how they work together. To say that Jen is a force of nature is to put it mildly - she is so full of life and love that it practically just flows right out of her. When you see her with Joe you can tell that's one of the many things that he loves about her. Joe is more reserved - steady, strong and constant, willing to take on the world for her. Together they are the perfect balance. She shows him the pleasure in the little everyday things and he helps her navigate through all of life's ups and downs. Believe it or not, we could see that about Jen and Joe right away, back when we first met them in February to talk about their wedding. We couldn't wait to do their engagement session, to be able to translate that connection into pictures they could treasure for years to come.
Jen scouted out locations and decided on Topsmead State Forest in Litchfield for their session. We had never been there and we very excited for the chance to photograph at a new place, especially one as beautiful as Topsmead. Jen was beyond excited when we arrived - not only for the pictures, but for the solid couple of hours of time together with Joe as well. It was insanely windy that day, but Jen & Joe were troupers through it all - venturing out all over the forest, even climbing a tree at one point. Of course the cold wind was made a bit easier by Jen's aunt who had stopped by the Forest before the session and left Jen & Joe a "surprise" - a thermos of hot chocolate (which they very graciously shared with us - thank you again!). We could go on and on about how sweet these two are together, but we'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Jen & Joe thank you for such an amazing day! Can't wait to see you both again in July!
When we drove into Tompsmead Forest in Litchfield to meet up with Jen & Joe we were immediately beyond excited. This place was so cool and we saw like a million places to shoot and we hadn't even parked the car yet. We started their session right outside the parking area underneath these huge pine trees right by a stone wall.
We already knew that Jen & Joe were a great couple but when we started photographing them we truly saw how sweet they are with each other.
The beautiful even light with the little bits of sun poking through in the background was wonderful.
I personally loved this tree-lined roadway into the park, if that was the only place for us to shoot that day, I would have been completely content but as you will soon see this place had so much to offer.
Kathleen captured this sweet moment as Jen & Joe took a seat on the stone wall.
I grabbed this relaxed portrait of Jen & Joe before going in to explore the park.
As we got in a little bit we took a quick detour in order to take a couple of shots by these apple trees.
While we were by the apple trees we had noticed these really beautiful blueish clouds rolling. I absolutely love the contrast between the clouds and the vibrant green grass and how they seem to meet each other in a perfect line.
As the weather was changing the park was filled with this incredible energy. The wind was blowing, there was no one else around, it was really perfect.
As I was capturing some shots from down the hill Kathleen captured this photo Joe picking up and embracing Jen.
This is also Kathleen's shot...
...as I was capturing this one at the same moment. We were totally in love with that tree...
...so of course we had to go over to it and spend a couple moments by it.
Seriously if we had to tell Jen to stop smiling (and why would we want to do that) I think it would be impossible. Jen has such a energetic and bubbly personality which combines so nicely with Joe's laid back and steady personality. They certainly fit together nicely.
Don't ever underestimate the importance of a great straight-on portrait. Parents, family members and newspapers love them! :)
We headed over to the house that was part of the park where we spotted a couple little nooks to have some fun with. We really loved the texture of this wall and the light coming in.
This is one of the nicest things ever. Jen's aunt who knew Jen & Joe were meeting up with us for their engagement session left a card and a thermos filled with hot chocolate for us to share. It was such a nice treat on this cool October day.
I like how the wooden beams added to this photo. This is my view...
...and this is Kathleen's view just a moment later. Aren't Jen's eyes wonderful!
There was a small garden that we stopped by right outside the veranda before we headed out to one of the fields in front of the house.
Most of the lawn was cut but for those of you who know Kathleen and I well we found the grass that had not been cut and headed right into the middle of it all. Plus this spot gave us a great view of the house in the background.
Love this moment! :)
And this is the reason that we love un-cut grass. It gives such great detail and visual interest to the image.
Have we mentioned yet how into each other Jen & Joe are?!?!
I absolutely love this black and white image that Kathleen got of Jen and Joe stealing a kiss when they didn't think we were looking. :)
It was such a great day and Jen and Joe were totally willing to do anything even lay down with each other and relax in the slightly wet grass. :)
Out of these three images, my personal favorite is the one at the bottom right that Kathleen shot. I love how Jen and Joe are out of focus. Such a nice image!
Doesn't this photo make you want to take a day off just to lay in a field and watch the clouds go by. So relaxing!
After relaxing in the field for a while we did eventually head back up by the house where we found another garden to shoot a couple of photos in.
We really enjoy playing with depth-of-field to create artistic and timeless images.
Remember how I said we really loved this tree? Well, since we loved it so much we wanted to make sure we stopped by again to grab a couple more shots.
This shot makes us smile! :)
I really like the angle of this image that Kathleen photographed.
This was such a fun session filled with a lot of sitting around, relaxing and laughing. This house which at one time was a private residence provided such a nice backdrop.
Where did the summer go? I think we could have found a little more time to kick up our feet. We will have to put it on our TO DO list!!
On our way back to our cars as we were finishing up their session, we just had to take a couple more photos at the place where we started. I was inspired to take my own photo of Jen & Joe out of focus to show the beautiful roadway.
Autumn time in CT is one of our favorite times and I think this image pretty much shows some of the reasons why.
Jen & Joe, you are such a great couple and we can't wait for your wedding. Thank you so much for spending the afternoon with us and for bringing such great energy with you. We hope you enjoyed your session as much as we enjoyed capturing it for you! ~Rob & Kathleen~
They returned to the place were they had met - the stage of Sacred Heart University. It was the place where they had gotten to know one another as members of the school choir. It was where their shared love of music and performing that led to the beginning of a strong friendship that eventually became much more. It was the place they had shared many moments together - singing together, practicing together, laughing together. So when he had decided that he was going to ask her to marry him he knew it would be the perfect location. What better place to create yet another memory in?
He had planned it for weeks - personally designing the ring, arranging it all with the university theater and making sure she had no idea that it was coming all the while. She thought they were going out for dinner to celebrate her birthday and when he asked her to meet him at there instead of the restaurant, she really didn't think much of it. He had told her he had to drop something off and asked her to meet him in the theater and since she had absolutely no clue what he had in store she wasn’t fazed at all. Until she opened the doors to the theater.
The minute she stepped inside she knew something big was about to happen – there was an energy in the air. The only light in the entire room was on the stage and she could see him standing in the center, around him on the floor were scattered rose petals. As she started to walk up to meet him the music began, "From this Moment" echoing off all the walls drowning out the sound of her heart beating out of her chest. She was shaking when she walked up the theater stairs. He was grinning ear to ear as he took her hand. She smiled back at him as the tears of joy started streaming down her cheeks. He got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife, right in the very place that had brought them together in the first place.
LEANNE & JASON
We had the very unique opportunity of actually being there when Jason proposed to Leanne, photographing it from backstage. When we got a call about a proposal happening right at SHU, we couldn't pass up the chance to capture it. (It was especially special to us since we also happen to be SHU alumni who meet & fell in love in there as well.) We arrived shortly after Jason had set up the rose petals and was actually selecting the perfect lighting scheme for the stage - he was making sure every aspect of the proposal would be perfect, and it was. Once Leanne was on her way, we went and hid backstage to photograph the proposal. Not sure who was shaking more that day, Leanne or us since we were trying so hard to be quiet and not ruin the moment unfolding before us - it reminded me of playing hide and seek as a kid. Thankfully, Leanne had no idea we were there until we came out to congratulate them after she said yes. We were delighted to hear from them again just a few weeks later when they asked us to photograph their wedding.
Hard to believe that was over a year ago now, Leanne and Jason will be getting married in less than two weeks. We met up with them just a couple of weeks ago to do their engagement session and catch up a bit in the process. They decided to go to Silverman Farms in Easton it was another place they enjoyed when they were undergrads together. If you haven't been there, you should make the trip over - it's a great place for a family outing (apple & pumpkin picking & hayrides) and it also has some delicious baked good (lots of pies and, our favorites, apple cider donuts). One of our favorite things about engagement sessions is the opportunity to get out of the office on a weekday and, since they're almost always in a very cool location, get to enjoy the environment and get to know the couple while we're shooting. Which was very easy to do with Leanne & Jason - these two are so much fun to be around! Just seeing how they smile at one another reminds us of how lucky we are to get to do what we do.
Leanne & Jason - thanks for an amazing day (and helping me talk Rob into buying some mums)! Looking forward to seeing you VERY soon!
We started Leanne & Jason's engagement session up in the orchards at Sliverman Farms in Easton and let me tell you, the sunlight was simply incredible. This is my view...
...and this is Kathleen's at the same moment.
We love how completely into each other Leanne and Jason are.
I was really loving all of the depth and texture that were provided by the leaves in this one.
The smile that came over Leanne's face as Jason's kissed her cheek was so sweet.
We took advantage of the beautiful day and incredible light while they sat together on the ground.
These two are my view...
...and this is Kathleen's view at the same moment.
As we were walking through the orchard rows we came across this shady area with a fence where Kathleen captured this shot.
Since we had plenty of time we explored more of the orchard.
It was really a beautiful place and it was nice to spend the afternoon breathing the fresh air and talking with this great couple.
I really love how gorgeous a black and white image looks on a bright sunny day.
This is one of my personal favorites from their session.
While I was capturing the one above, this was Kathleen's view.
Silverman Farms is really hilly and has some really nice picturesque spots.
After spending some time in the orchards we headed back down where we took some photos by the pumpkins.
Since the orchards were getting busy we decided to drive down the street by the reservoir also in Easton. It was much quieter and had a nice nature feel similar to the Silverman Farms. Kathleen captured this moment...
...as I was capturing this one from a little further away.
A simple and relaxed portrait. :)
The trees let in the perfect amount of light and provided a great backdrop for these two photos.
To finish their session we went down by the water.
Leanne and Jason, we had such a nice afternoon with you, we can't wait to see you both again for your wedding in less than 2 weeks! ~Rob & Kathleen~
To finish off Leanne & Jason's post we thought we would share one more thing... see below! :)
We went back into the archives to find these couple of photos that we captured during Jason's surprise proposal to Leanne on the stage of the theater at Sacred Heart. This was such an amazingly special moment not only for them but for Kathleen and I to capture and we feel so honored to have been there.
