Happy Monday Everyone! Isn't it amazing the difference a day can make. This weekend was absolutely incredible weather wise but that certainly took a quick change as we were woken up by a pretty intense thunder and lighting storm in the middle of the night. Today is a little rainy out there which to us is the perfect type of day to get the things on our "TO DO" list crossed off. The rain also gives us a chance to share some bright and sunny images from a few recent engagement sessions and weddings that we have coming up soon!
First up is Alba & Gary's engagement session which we photographed at Harkness State Park followed by Courney & Michael's session on Long Island. Last but certainly not least, last weekend we spent the day with Katie & Jim who had their wedding in Westport/Darien. We can't wait to share all of our couple stories with you so be sure to check back soon!
It all started with a lunch that Kathleen and I had with Candice at Archie Moores, which has quickly become THE place to go when whenever we have a meal with her. Over a couple of glasses of beer and wine and a couple of plates of wings the idea was born. We were going to lead a workshop and photo shoot in one of our absolute favorite places; Paris!
For all of you who know us closely know that we don't do anything in a conventional way. We like to push boundaries, we never like taking no for an answer and really REALLY hate regrets. You only live this life once and we believe that if you set a goal for yourself or your business, you do NOT stop until you achieve it! It is so easy to say "maybe we will do that one day" but I guarantee it is MUCH more rewarding to say "no excuses - we ARE doing this". We wanted to hold our very first workshop in Paris and in no way did we want it to be conventional: most imporantly we were not going to let anything or anyone stop us from achieving this goal.
One of the most valuable things that we learned really early on is that you never stop learning. We want to live our lives with an open mind and soak up as much knowledge as possible from everyone. We believe that you can learn from anyone, from an old pro to someone just beginning out and of course everyone in between. This is the philosophy that we wanted to bring to our first workshop. We were there to share how we do things, what we have learned along the way and what works for us. We were also there to listen and learn how our overseas peers do things. This way we can ALL get better and all help each other in pursuit for the greater good.
We will share with you even more about what we all accomplished at our first "Taking Off Seminar" in the actual post but for now we have put together some behind the scenes photos throughout the day - just for fun. A HUGE thank you to our good friends Candice from Jubilee Events and Beth from The White Dress by the Shore who made the journey all the way out to Paris with us with TONS of details, wedding dresses and their amazing talents. You are simply the best! A huge thank you also goes out to our new friend Kim from Parisian Events and all of the many other vendors who have come together to make this all happen. Last but certainly not least, thank you to all of our attendees and models from Paris, Southern France, Spain, and Germany! Much more on all of them soon! :)
The day after we lead our "Taking Off Seminar" Kathleen and I along with help from Candice & Beth put together this absolutely amazing photo shoot inspired by the incredibly sweet movie "Amelie". If you have never seen this movie, you absolutely should! We photographed in an old French restaurant, in the Metro stations and even had a vintage French car and driver bring us through the streets of Montmartre. It was simply an wonderful experience. We will also have that coming up soon but in the meantime we hope you enjoy some of these behind the scenes from our first day.
I know that many of you saw this already since we shared it as a preview but this is the insanely awesome view from the roof-deck terrace of the Paris apartment we used for the workshop.
This is how the terrace looked before Candice & Kim got their hands on it and worked their magic. Wait until you see what they did!
Kathleen bringing out her inner model as we tested some light on one of the many balconies overlooking the city. She always says one of the most important things when showing a model how to pose is also showing her the face you want her to make!
Beth, Sarah & Kim start pulling out all of the bridal head pieces...
...Candice had no problem trying them all on! :)
Along with 5 wedding dresses can you believe that Beth and Sara got all of these details through the airport system, I don't know how they managed it all but they are simply amazing!
How could you shoot in Paris without at least one cage veil?!
The dining room as we were getting setup before everyone arrived.
It's always all about the details even when packaging something simple such as a notebook and book.
....sigh, we miss Paris!!
Candice put some finishing touches on each of the chairs before they made their way up to the terrace. Her attention to detail is truly out of this world!!
Out of everyone in the room no one could figure out how to tie a bow tie for our male model Jeremy!! Thankfully we found a set of instructions...
...and Beth was able to make it happen!
Right before heading out to start the first part of our shoot, our INSANELY TALENTED makeup artist Masafumi put the final touches on our female model Segolene. Just wait until you see how amazing she looked!
Love this one!!!! :)
We structured our workshop as if it was a real wedding day. We shared with everyone everything from how to shoot details such as dresses, to telling the story of the day and even how to keep an open mind when the weather doesn't cooperate. We were really able to put that part to the test when it started hailing, how crazy is that?!
Love how Karoline is completely rocking the 2 camera setup!! :)
Even more feathers and pearls.
We can't show you yet what Marco was shooting here but the details on the terrace were simply beautiful.
Candice watched as Beth put the first head piece on Segolene...
...and then made sure she got one of her own!!
Since we had some unexpected rain and HAIL (what's that all about????) we brought the group inside for a little while and made use of one of our favorite things: window light.
I think if Candice ever decides she wants to add something to her long lists of talents, it just might be photography.
Just when I thought we had seen it all, Beth pulled out yet another head piece, so amazing!!!!
Even though it was raining AND hailing the energy of everyone was so wonderful and we were able to teach and produce some truly amazing images. We seriously can't wait to share.
The rain did eventually stop and we headed over to the Eiffel Tower with the entire group. Kathleen grabbed this quick shot of Beth & Sara right before we finished up...
...and everyone got together for this one. Again we can't wait to show you the simply beautiful photos we captured from this day as well as the Amelie inspired photo shoot that Kathleen and I photographed the next day.
I think that one of the biggest things in life that triggers the most emotions and memories is bringing a new baby into the world.
For the parents it is certainly a life changing experience filled with so many emotions; excitement, hope and maybe even a little fear because after all you want the absolute best for your new son or daughter. You want to be able to teach and protect him or her and or course want to provide a life for him or her that is even better than yours.
For the grand parents the pure joy of seeing your baby have a baby must truly be one of the most amazing experiences. You have given your child all of your love, your knowledge, your experience and now you get to see all that really put to the test. Not to mention how wonderful it must be to see parts of all of your family members in that new little addition. We only hope that one day we are lucky enough to see our children's children!
As a sibling becoming a new aunt or uncle, we know from experience that this part is really cool! You get to decide if you want to be that "cool" uncle or that slightly wacky aunt. You get to be the one to spoil your niece or nephew, bring them on day trips or be the one taking one too many photos when they go to their first prom. Most of all you get to show them this world while telling stories of what it was like growing up with their mom and dad.
* * *
When we heard that our good friends Carlos & Sara were having a baby, we were more than excited. Carlos casually called me up one day on his way home from work and told me that they were thinking of having us come up for a photo session. I thought that it was so great that he and Sara wanted a couples session of the two of them, maybe with their two dogs in a few. He said although that would be great he was thinking of having us come up instead for a baby session. It took me a minute to realize what he was saying but when I finally caught on, I completely lost my mind! :)
Carlos and I have been close friends since the beginning of middle school, a little more than 18 years ago now. We lived really close and shared many of the same interests. We have been through the ups and downs of high school together including learning to drive, working the same jobs and of course the drama that is dating. We also partied at each others dorms during college, saw each other get married, and just recently attended our 10 year high school reunion. We have been through just about everything.
I have also always been close to his family, to his sister Suzanne (who I went to college with and who is getting married this year!!) and his brother Tony (who recently became a police officer) and his parents who are two of the warmest, welcoming and wonderful people in the world. There was always a warm plate of food at the table and a place to sleep if it got too late. Growing up, their house was really a second home to me and all of them were family to me. In fact every one of them made the trip all the way to New Jersey when Kathleen and I got married.
To make this story even more interesting, I actually met Sara way back in elementary school, I remember that we were in the same third grade class and I sat right behind her at one point. Sara didn't go to the same high school as us and we all lost touch with her but somehow Sara and Carlos re-met by chance during college. I would have never guessed that these two would find each other but clearly they couldn't have found a more perfect match.
On this past Friday Kathleen and I had the honor of meeting their new baby: Stella Grace. They had just arrived home from the hospital the day before and Stella was barely 3 days old when we met her. I couldn't wait to hold her! After getting to know her a little bit it was time for her very first photo session. This was especially emotional as I was trying to take it all in. It is so surreal and amazing when someone close to you has a baby. It is truly my pleasure to introduce to all of you; ten fingers, ten toes and one happy healthy little girl; Stella Grace!!
You know those movies where the two main characters lives intertwine but they don't know it until the end? I love those those - probably cause it really does seem like something that happens all of the time, we just don't realize it. Maybe you were in the cafeteria at the same time. Maybe you passed one another in the hall. Maybe you would have meet months or years before if only...something. If only you hadn't been late to class, or had stayed later at that party, whatever the case may be.
That's how it was for Alison and Tony. They spent over three years together on the campus of the University of Delaware before they ever met one another. Three years in the same halls, walking the same sidewalks, even knowing some of the same people, without so much as a class together. And when the finally did meet, it wasn't even on that campus. In fact, it wasn't even in Delaware. It was in Tampa, Florida.
While boarding a cruise for Spring Break they were both pleasantly surprised to see a new (& cute) face boarding the ship they would be calling home for the next week. Once aboard, they didn't have to look work too hard to find one another, they were staying just two rooms apart. (Sounds like fate to me.) Over the course of that week they got to know each other. They were surprised to learn that they had never seemed to run into one another on campus, and happy to know that this great new relationship didn't have to come to an end once Spring Break was over.
Alison and Tony had found each other and four years later they were just a bit lost looking for something else on an October evening in Central Park.
Today, they both still laugh about that evening, when Tony was anxiously looking for the spot to pop the question and Alison was antsy to get to happy hour (the place were she thought they were going that evening.) Finally, Tony found the spot. He asked her to marry him and the two of them went off to meet friends for what was probably the happiest of happy hours.
* * *
We started the morning with Alison & Tony over at the Brooklyn Bridge. In the mid-morning the bridge is the least busy, not too clogged with the commuters (some of which whiz by on bicycles - a total NYC experience), and light is beautiful. The sunny, warm day was perfect for a stroll across the bridge and even a venture down into Brooklyn for another fun perspective, with the bridge in the background. From there we headed up to Alison & Tony's awesome Upper West Side apartment for a quick outfit change (them, not us!) and to catch up a bit. Alison and Rob actually went to high school together, so they filled each other in on all that is new in Naugatuck (Go Greyhounds!).
We finished their session over at the scene of their engagement, Central Park. The warm weather brought out many people looking for some fresh air, a few of which were even cheering on Alison & Tony while we were snapping away. They may have gotten a bit embarrassed, but I think they totally loved it. When you're as crazy in love as these two are, you can't help but want the whole world to see it...and maybe even cheer it on a bit.
A tiny bit of the distinct New York skyline as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge.
One of the main things you notice right away about Alison and Tony is the way they make each other smile (and bring out one another's dimples).
See what I mean?! Look at those dimples!
A rare moment free of traffic in the midst of all the intricate cables that make Brooklyn Bridge so distinct. This is Rob's view...
...and this is mine at the same moment.
We've probably said this before, but one of the things we absolutely love about shooting in New York is incorporating the people of the city that really make up the energy of the city. Instead of seeing the busy pedestrian traffic on the bridge as an obstacle, we see it as an opportunity to create an a great shot like this.
Can't you just feel the energy between them?
This is definitely one of our favorite shots. So classic NYC.
One of the great things about shooting together - seeing the shot from two different perspectives. This one is my view...
And this is Rob's from a moment later. Two completely different shots, and Alison & Tony didn't even have to move.
A little over halfway over the bridge we took a seat before we headed over into Brooklyn, giving Alison & Tony a chance to snuggle a bit.
Walking over to the park in DUMBO, we spotted a few unique backdrops we just had to use. This orange garage was especially fun since it happens to be Tony's favorite color.
Just a few steps later, awesome old car. You gotta love Brooklyn!
Finally down at the park by the bridge, we made it to the view that pretty much always take your breath away...
this one. One of the few places you can see the entire span of the bridge.
One last kiss before a quick outfit change and some time at that other NYC park. :)
A few timeless and of course "newspaper announcement" appropriate shots.
The American Elms that line the mall in the center of the park are one of the few trees that look equally incredible when the are full of leaves AND when they're not. Those branches can totally stand on their own.
We love how they look at each other... so sweet! :)
We absolutely love the Bethesda Arcade, particularly the Minton Tiles that are on the walls and the ceiling. On this visit there, we lucked out that there was some water on the ground, making for some dramatic shadows.
Sometimes the minute right before a kiss is somehow even more romantic than the kiss itself. You can almost feel the energy between them here, can't you?
Alison & Tony, thank you for a fabulous day. Can't wait to see you again in June!!
The week before we went away to Europe for our "Taking Off" {Paris} Seminar was certainly a whirlwind. It is always really challenging trying to get everything together and packed while making sure you took care of all of the things that need to still get done in the time you are going to be away. The true fun is no matter how much planning you do or how many lists you make there is always at least one thing you still forget to either do or bring.
Thankfully we had planned to meet up with Alison & Tony for their engagement session in New York City a couple days before we left. It gave us a chance to get away from the stress of packing and enjoy a day in the city. I actually went to high school with Alison so getting to catch up with her while we shot their engagement session made the day that much more fun.
Alison & Tony both really wanted to have some of their photos on and around the Brooklyn Bridge which is where we decided to start their day. This is especially special for us because that is exactly where we had part of our engagement session photos taken as well. Here is just one preview from their session, we can't wait to show you more! We hope that you are all having a wonderful week!
