Archive: ‘Engagement Sessions’



Radhika and Arpit I Engagement Portraits I Crystal Cove Beach, California

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

 

There’s no end to the confusion in working with a bride with the same name. When we were planning this shoot in California I was waiting for an email reply and it turned out that Arpit had sent it to the wrong Radhika…his fiance instead of me. We have the same nickname too so no help there.

Although, like many photographers, I have my favorite portrait locations it was fun to have the chance to explore some place new on the West Coast. Sunny California wasn’t so sunny, but we lucked out half way through the shoot when the sun peaked out for a bit. That perfectly coincided with a change of outfits from formal to jeans and together that combination made the magic happen. You never know what will make things click (no pun intended) that turns a good photoshoot into one with really cool, beautiful images, but when it happens it’s very exciting….jump up and down exciting. What can I say. I’m a sucker for what mother nature does all on her own. Crystal Cove State Park is a beautiful location to photograph.  The photographs on the stairs were taken within minutes of the silhouette…just goes to show that what National Geographic photographer Sam Abell once told me is true…”when the light is shining and everyone is looking one way make sure you turn around and see what’s happening behind you.”

crystal cove beach portrait

crystal cove beach portraits

crystal cove beach engagement portrait
crystal cove beach portraits

crystal cove beach portrait
crystal cove beach portrait
crystal cove  beach portrait

Betsy and Sibin I Engagement Portraits I Dumbo, Brooklyn

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

Betsy and Sibin’s Puerto Rico wedding is coming up super fast….right after New Year’s.  I’m excited to be shooting their San Juan wedding. And looking forward to some warm weather  (just a little bit).  We managed to sneak this shoot in ahead of their January destination wedding in one of my favorite areas to shoot.  It was nice to see Jane’s Carousel up and running again after Superstorm Sandy flooded the park.

brooklyn engagement portrait
brooklyn engagement portrait
brooklyn engagement portrait
brooklyn engagement portrait
brooklyn engagement portrait

brooklyn engagement portrait

brooklyn engagement portrait

brooklyn engagement portrait

Adi & Rachana I New Jersey Marriage Proposal I Jersey City, NJ

Monday, August 6th, 2012

I’m no longer surprised when I get asked to photograph a proposal. It’s fun to be in on the surprise and to witness that special moment. Even better when it comes off as planned. I advised Adi to make sure Rachana wasn’t planning on such a relaxed Saturday evening at Pier C Park in Hoboken that she showed up in shorts and t-shirt, unprepared for a photo shoot. Luckily, Rachana’s friend, in charge of getting her to the Hoboken waterfront, knew what she was doing and Rachana was totally prepared (unknowingly) for the moment. I had a to shoo a few people away from the spot before she arrived, but once people knew what was in the works they didn’t mind. One woman offered to marry Adi herself if Rachana didn’t accept since he was a good looking guy. Rachana- it’s a good thing you snapped him up!

I was impressed with Adi’s color coordination between his tie and the balloons. This man is totally prepared for wedding planning!


marriage proposal hoboken
marriage proposal
marriage proposal
marriage proposal
marriage proposa
marriage proposal
marriage proposal hoboken
marriage proposal
marriage proposal
marriage proposal hoboken
marriage proposal

marriage proposal

 

 

 

Neha & Ranjit – NYC Engagement Portraits Part II

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

I wanted to post a few more photos from Neha and Ranjit’s engagement session from taken on the Highline and in Times Square. I think I only managed to convince them to do an early morning shoot on the Highline because it was close to Ranjit’s apartment, but it was well worth it. By 8:30am when we were finishing up it was already crowded. The thought bubbles made us laugh so we had to use them in a photo. I loved the changes in light that happen in the morning from that soft early light to cloud cover, to strong contrasty light. Then there’s the crazy neon lights of Times Square at the end of the day.

nyc highline engagment portrait
nyc highline engagement portraits
nyc highline engagement portraits
nyc highline engagement portraits
nyc highline engagement portraits
times square engagement portrait

 

Ben & Lee – Engagement Portraits, Brooklyn Museum

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

Ben and Lee are having their wedding reception at the Brooklyn Museum next summer so we were lucky to have the opportunity to do their engagement portraits there. I also thought it would be cool to show their shared love for movies so we went to one of their favorite theaters, the Film Forum, and added in a stop at their first date place, John’s Pizza on Bleeker. I don’t mind saying that having a few slices of that terrific pizza was a great way to end a day spent getting to know this couple.

Brooklyn museum engagement portraits

 

Judith & Pradeep – Central Park engagement portraits

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

 

We’ve had such incredibly beautiful weather this month with the fall colors hitting their peak and surprisingly balmy temperatures.  I’ve loved being able to spend much of the month photographing couples and families outdoors. The light in the fall is so different than the summer.  With the shorter days we can have some incredible light midday filtering through the trees.  Of course all that color is also fun to play with.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Judith and Pradeep before photographing their wedding next April.  I always tell couples that these sessions are not only fun, but a great way for us to get know each other and for them to become comfortable posing for photos.  The aim, of course, is for it to not feel like posing.  That’s where talking ahead of time about ideas and locations than have an appeal for each couple is really important.  Both Judith and Pradeep love spending time in natural settings so Central Park with all it’s variety seemed a great choice.  We even ran into Big Bird there.

Radhika Photography portrait session in Auction – Rocking the Boat

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Items up for auction include sailing lessons and a family portrait session from Radhika Photography.  This is a benefit to support a great organization, Rocking the Boat, that gets disadvantaged kids in the South Bronx involved with wooden boat building and on-water education programs. They serve over 2,700 young people and community members each year. It’s such a great idea and as a sailor I’m all for it. So please consider buying a ticket for the night or taking part in the online auction.

Lara & Mike, Lincoln Center portraits

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Lara and Mike’s wedding December 5th in New York City encountered the first real winter weather of the season which posed a few challenges for the day. Lara’s concession to the wet, slushy weather was to trade her high heels for yellow galoshes for our outdoor portrait session at Lincoln Center. We decided to go ahead with the outdoor shoot despite the ‘interesting’ conditions. What we didn’t count on was a rather eager and unromantic rentacop who decided that my camera looked ‘professional’ therefore I shouldn’t be taking photos without a permit. Never mind that the real police congratulated the couple and just reminded us that as long as we weren’t using a tripod we were ok to do what we liked. I decided that since we had a reception downtown in Greenwich Village in less than 40 minutes that we didn’t have time to try talk to the supervisor and I’d just ignore the security guy and go for the shots we wanted. Lara, Mike, and the bridal party with umbrellas in tow were all game and my assistant managed to keep my flash dry and lighting steady in windy weather in front of the fountain at Lincoln Center. All the while I was trying very hard to ignore the security guy yelling at me to stop taking photos and demanding my business card. We got some great shots very fast and we high-tailed it to the car before he got over his confusion and I got into more serious trouble. By the time we all got into the cars and headed downtown everyone was pretty jazzed by the fun of getting away with doing the photos. It made for a great story at the reception which the best man (Mike’s brother) dutifully told and retold and embellished along the way.  I think I won major points with the bridal party for getting the shots as planned. Too bad we didn’t get any photos of the security guard and the whole scene!

The number one lesson I’ve learned in my years as a photojournalist is keep going until you are absolutely forced to stop doing what you need to do to in order to get the photos.

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Marcella and Brendan, Photo Shoot Around New York

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Marcella and Brendan are from Hong Kong and will be getting married there next July. Since Brendan is studying at Columbia Business School they thought it would be fun to do their wedding portraits around New York City. I photographed their friends’ wedding last spring and Michelle had put Marcella in touch with me. I’m not sure they had any idea what they were getting in for….I think they now can appreciate the work that models do each day.  It was a long but fun day and we managed to get great shots in a variety of locations including Bow Bridge in Central Park and Fifth Avenue. The highlight of Marcella’s day may have been the burger at at the Central Park Boathouse though!

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