Jul
18
I’m on a bit of a stay-close-to-home kick right now. Not for me so much, but for our couples. We’ve had several engagement sessions in which our clients have chosen to do their shoot in and/or around their home, or got back to their roots. I LOVE this!!! It’s so nice to get to know people in their natural environments and we get a great sense of who they are and what they like to do, simply by walking by this cafe or that park.
And so it was with Cleo and Dieter. They had initially thought we should do the session in New York City, as they live right across from the Big Apple. But as the day approached, we realized that their town of Hoboken provided the perfect backdrop for their session. They showed us their favorite spots to walk and bike ride, and the views of Manhattan were the views they could see by stepping out their door. Absolutely perfect!
We started down by the water. You can pretty much see the Empire State Building from anywhere in town. I especially love this photo because their story is central, but there are also two other neighborhood stories and life cycle stories- the dad and his son on the right were fishing (future family) and the couple by the railing is an elderly couple (to me, symbolizing the golden years in Cleo and Dieter’s life together).
Dancing and fooling around. Why not?!
On our walk, we popped onto the campus of the Stevens Institute of Technology (Cleo takes a class here for fun). Wow, the views! It must be a great place to go to school.
Hoboken just built this fabulous new park on the water. And there was this beautiful bridge.
We finished our tour at the Hoboken Terminal (Dieter rides his bike through here every day). It has character and charm and few people on a Saturday. It is truly a gem of a spot.
Loving this simple formal portrait.
A quiet moment.
And this one with a bit more drama.
After we were done, we took a cab back to their apartment and enjoyed brunch at one of their neighborhood haunts. I couldn’t get over how great Hoboken was. Having never been there, I had no idea. Seeing the town through their eyes was such fun. And seeing them through a filter of their town helped me get to know Cleo and Dieter even better.
If you would like to see a few more, check out their slideshow.
Jun
25
Hanging out with Amanda and Greg one June afternoon was an absolute blast. They so clearly adore each other and enjoy spending time together. They seem to mesh just so. Both working in PR and Greg consulting and speaking specifically on social media PR, it is very apropos that they first met online. Nope, not on Match or e-Harmony, but on Twitter. How absolutely perfect!
When we met up with them at their home on Long Island, we got to know them better and to see a bit of their life in this beautiful small town.
We started at their home, where they had just finished re-landscaping. Everything looked amazing so we wanted to show off the house as well as the two of them.
Sweet and sexy all at once.
Hanging out inside. The character of their home definitely shines through in this image.
After a quick wardrobe change (Amanda wanted to capture the contrast between nicer clothes and a more casual environment), we walked over to their local park. A great place with evening concerts, weekend festivals and a museum.
Statues.
Loving the dreaminess of the reflection behind them and the steaminess of their moment.
Among the grasses.
Enjoying the flowers.
So Greg’s one request was that we not use props. But then at the end of the shoot, we saw this ice cream truck. It wasn’t planned, but it was so bright colorful and "casual" that it had to be a part of our shoot. And besides, Amanda and I both wanted ice cream. 
Sorry, Greg.
Yummy!
Heat in the background and cool ice cream in the foreground. LOVE!
A truly great day with tons of photos to share. Now we can’t wait for their wedding at the Liberty Hotel! In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out their slideshow for a few more of our faves.
May
04
A few weeks back, before we had even a hint of spring, we ventured down to New York to meet up with Caitlin and Nick for their engagement session. Not many couples take us up on a winter e-session, but these two were up for enjoying a little fresh air and a beautiful wintery scene. That’s right, Manhattan offered up its best winter look, complete with fluffy flakes of snow. It was magical!
Another little bit of magic, is the story of how they met. Perhaps it is even a bit of movie magic, because they have a When Harry Met Sally story. (One of my all-time fave flix, by the way.) If they were sitting on a couch and recorded it, it would have fit in perfectly.
You see Caitlin and Nick both attended the same weekend music school for 3 years while they were in high school and never met. Nick saw Caitlin perform at their school, but they didn’t meet then either. They even have a photo from their class and they are separated by one row and they never met. Not until they attended a summer program in Colorado did they meet. They enjoyed dating for a few months, but they were headed in different directions for college and didn’t want to be long distance. They saw each other each summer, but they were still focusing on other things. That is until Caitlin took Nick out for his 25th birthday celebration. From that point on, there was no denying that these two were meant to be.
And really you can see what a perfect match they are for each other simply by watching how they look at each other.
Our session took us in and around Lincoln Center to capture their relationship and their connection to music.
And when we got cold, we ventured inside to do a few more photos in their home.
The session was a perfect mix, reflecting their lives, their relationship and their connection to the city. And I can’t imagine a more perfect time of year to do it!
Huge thanks to Caitlin and Nick for being so great to work with and for sharing your music with us! We truly can’t wait for your wedding!
Jun
27
Just two weeks after photographing our David Tutera wedding at The Plaza, Dave popped back down to New York to photograph the decor of this fabulous wedding at Gotham Hall. It was all blossoms and sparkles and simply amazing details. And the food looked to die for.
When the guests first arrived, they were greeted by a security detail and serenaded by violinists.
They entered the Grand Ballroom of Gotham Hall to find their escort cards laid out on this beautiful table. Then took their seats for the ceremony behind it.
At the top of the entry, you see the full view of the ceremony space. The aisle lined with elegant floral arrangements on pedestals. But the Chuppah was simply out of this world. I love the view from the inside looking out. This is one canopy I would gladly start the rest of my life under, and for that matter spend the rest of my life under (assuming the flowers wouldn’t die).
And a close up…
And you can get the full awesomeness of the scene, as the bride takes her first steps done the aisle…
Another amazing aspect of this wedding was the food- the presentation was simply a work of art. The champagne was chilled in ice sculptures.
An array of sushi in every shape, size and color.
The bride and groom were Russian Jews so the food also needed to pay homage to their roots. Each guest received a rainbow of caviar at his seat.
And the piece d’resistance, the stunning cake designed by Sylvia Weinstock. The craftsmanship, technique and attention to detail that goes into her cakes are exemplary.
During the cocktail hour, the David Tutera team transformed the space from the ceremony arrangement you saw above to the reception arrangement below. I think they had just over an hour to get it all done.
They turned the Chuppah into a canopy for the sweetheart table. This is the bride and groom’s view (looking to the right) during the reception.
And another view (straight ahead), where they can see the dance floor.
Some of the tables were arranged in a criss-cross patern. In the center was this tall arrangement with roses, willow branches, and all kinds of flowers pouring out of the urn and the pedestal.
These displays of calla lillies, roses, and crystals were placed throughout the hall and reached way into the sky.
The whole look was stunning. A huge thank you to David Tutera and his team. We are so thrilled that we could be a part of this beautiful design and capture these images for you.
Want to see more? Check out the slideshow.
