Brenizer method of Lauren and Chris, 29 images with the 85mm f/1.4. The original is 72 megapixels.
Category Archives: engagement
I know that I teach how to deal with bad backgrounds in my workshops … but that doesn’t mean I don’t get lucky now and then.
I don’t generally have time to publish engagement shoots during the busy season … which, these days, seems like about 11 1/2 months of the year … but when someone comes all the way from Tokyo for the shoot, I’ll make an exception! Chika and Andrew met in Tokyo, and currently are having a very long-distance relationship while they plan the wedding, so I knew they’d have a great time at the shoot. Chika wanted to show her relatives back home some New York City landmarks (the real kind … taxi, subways, hot dogs) while in a beautiful kimono, and then they both changed into (very stylish) western clothes. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and I hope to see them again as they plan the wedding!
A touch of freelensing, a touch of Nik Silver FX, a lot of passion between an awesome couple, and voilà!
I don’t shoot boudoir except in very special cases, so it’s not often that I have to link a photo as potentially not-safe-for-work. But when you’re doing an engagement shoot in Coney Island, anything can happen…
But first, one a little more romantic:
29 images with the 85mm f/1.4.
Ting and Weiji brought me back to my old stomping grounds of Columbia University for this shoot. Fun fact: Even though I didn’t start at Columbia until 2004, the last time I was in this room was 1997. Figure that one out.
Not only do late-night engagement shoots make for some romantic lighting, it’s the only thing to do when the weather hits 103 degrees…
This is a good example of how a simple light — two flashes on the ground aimed upward at a quarter power — can transform a scene. Of course, it was Michelle and Kunal who really sold it.
For comparison, here it is without the flash. The kind of place where people look at you funny when you stop to shoot there.
Shakun, Tim and I were shooting an engagement session in the park when I saw, several block away, the sunset light streaming perfectly down the middle of the street. This doesn’t happen very often, especially on the very *Eastern* edge of Manhattan. We had about 30 seconds before it went down too low.
I don’t usually get a chance to blog engagement shoots during the season, but when we get interrupted by Dave Chappelle, when we stumble across a line of crazy Apple fanatics waiting in line for the iPhone the next day, when a woman sees me lying on the ground to get a shot and checks to see if I’m passed out drunk, and when a restaurant lets us inside after it’s closed, that’s more than an engagement shoot, it’s an adventure. Specifically, it’s the kind of adventure you have in New York when a couple is kind enough to bend to my crazy summer schedule and start the shoot at 9:30 p.m.! Thanks guys, looking forward to the July 4 wedding!
… and this one doubly so.
I met Heather and Jordan for a very late-night engagement shoot at the swanky hotel where they got engaged. Unfortunately the floor they got engaged on was under construction, but I said “Hey, these elevators are pretty cool.” I usually try not to inconvenience anyone, but since the hotel was quiet at this time of night and there were two other elevators sitting unused, I hit all the buttons on the way down so we’d have time to set up a shot.
To get the ceiling lights and to not be in the reflection, I was crouched low to the right of the door, impossible to see until you came in. So we stopped at one of the floors and a guy walks in. “Woah, paparazzi!” he says. This is a pretty common joke people make when they see my giant camera, so I don’t think much of it. Then I look up at the guy to apologize.
It’s Dave Chappelle. And he thought I realliy was there for him. So he got doubly confused when I just kind of shrugged, apologized for hitting all the buttons, and went back to shooting Heather and Jordan.
“Man, I don’t need this…” he said, and got off at the next floor. He wasn’t really mad, but I think anyone would say that when they see two people making out on an elevator with a photographer and all of the buttons lit up.
Sorry, Dave.
P.S.: Dave has been working out. The guy was RIPPED.
From the archives: Two years ago. (Man, time flies). This was the shoot that helped me realize that, especially with newer DSLRs, the most romantic time to do engagement shoots in NYC is at night. There are a few more technical challenges, but it’s worth it.
(EXIF)
With my background in photojournalism, I love the idea of bringing a documentary feel to couples’ portraits. Every gesture and expression tells a story, of course, but I like to see how your love really plays out, how you really express it with each other. Of course, it’s also fun to have someone prod you along to get you to do things you might not otherwise, like kiss in the middle of traffic. But when I saw Rachel and Jonathan’s comfy couch, I knew we had to do some shooting there to see love in its natural environment.
Basically no photoshop; a bit of contrast in the sky.
It was a wet Wednesday for Elyse and David’s engagement shoot, but we braved it anyway. I spent a good chunk of the time lying in puddles to get the best angles, and it was worth it. This is why I don’t wear designer clothes on most of my shoots.