I was going to wait to post these … but I’m no good at being patient. Megan and Michael did such an awesome job at putting together a Mad-Men-themed engagement shoot, that I had to share some more. Everything from the newspapers they’re holding to the details of their clothing are either from around 1963 or, in the case of Megan’s dress, a prop from the show itself! And of course it helps to have access to the sorts of places the characters would actually frequent — first a 1960s subway car, from the New York Transit Museum, to the Gramercy Park Hotel — a bastion of New York style for most of the 20th Century.

Editing is crucial in photography, but they looked so fantastic and I had such a good time doing this that I’d be comfortable showing every last shutter click from this shoot. They even rocked the light tests. I can’t wait for their wedding in September.

I don’t do a lot of styled engagement sessions, mostly because I’m not a stylist, as anyone who’s seen the way I dress on “Image processing days” can tell you. But when a theme fits a couple’s personality and vision so well, and when they have Megan’s impeccable taste and precision … well, I think I spent most of this shoot excitedly giggling.

Since the theme was Mad Men, and not generic 1960s, I kind of wanted to turn “vintage wedding photography” on its head a bit. Mad Men is vintage only in its props, wardrobe and styling, but modern and gorgeous in its visuals, with nary an old-timey filter to be seen. Generally they are playing with more time and budget than five minutes in the back of Gramercy Park Hotel, but Megan and Michael still rocked it. I can’t wait to show the full set and all of the hard work Megan did, with everything 1963-appropriate from the newspapers to the dog leash.
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s

As I’ve noted before, I love starting engagement shoots in couple’s homes, because the central mission of an engagement shoot is to make you as comfortable being photographed as possible, and to show your real relationship and personalities, and the home is where you’re most comfortable and most of the real life of your relationship plays out.

But I also love seeing common scenes in very different ways, and it’s doubly satisfying to do that in someone’s home, in their familiar surroundings. I know that Jessica and Doug won’t see their entryway in quite the same way now.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: 58mm f/1.2 Noct-Nikkor AIS

Tom and Nicole. This is a flash composite AND a panorama, using two really awesome assistants for the lighting … Tom and Nicole.

No, I never did color within the lines in school, why do you ask?
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Light: Sb-900 triggered by PocketWizard FlexTT5

The adorable Mona and Sean, free-lensed with the 58mm f/1.2 Noct-Nikkor AIS.

That sound you hear is the exploding heads of lens collectors.

Jessica and Brian commute to the city every day by boat. That’s pretty cool. One rung under commuting by jetpack. I’m working on that.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: 8-image “Brenizer method” panorama with the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 (equivalent of 55mm f/0.9 according to Brett’s calculator)

One of the defining traits of photography is that whatever is outside the frame doesn’t exist. Not only is the High Line a very urban park, but every little last bit of greenery is roped off so you can’t get near it. But with a little creative framing, you’d never know.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: Sigma 85mm f/1.4

There isn’t much you need to do to prepare for an engagement shoot with me. Dress to a similar level, get ready to have fun … that’s about it. But ballroom lessons never hurt.
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s

Sometimes, a picture’s just gotta be big.

Also, too.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: Sigma 85mm f/1.4

I had a fantastic, fun session with Gina and Gary, and I managed to surprise myself with this one. Yes, I’ve been getting a kick out of using the golden rule of photography “nothing outside the frame actually exists” to turn Newark into a verdant wonderland. But when Gina and Gary told me they wanted to shoot in Penn Station I thought “Ok, this will be fun, we’ll re-enact the early stages of their relationship, capture the feeling of a surging crowd, etc.” but I never thought the station itself would look good.

Penn Station … the shame of NYC, an architectural disaster so terrible that it inspired a new movement in architectural preservation, and some great episodes of Mad Men … transformed by a dramatic underexposure and a Wells-Fargo sign (which is outside the frame, and so doesn’t exist). It actually was a delight to walk around and see the place not as my eyes would see it, but as my camera would.
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Lens: 24mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s

Once again, the first word that came to your mind when you saw this photo probably wasn’t "Newark." But it is.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: 18-image “Brenizer method” panorama with the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 (equivalent of 36mm f/0.6 according to Brett’s calculator)

Joe and Marisa live in Brooklyn Heights, with amazing views of Manhattan — so the engagement capital of NYC has personal meaning for them.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: 12-image “Brenizer method” panorama with the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 (equivalent of 42mm f/0.7 according to Brett’s calculator)

Today I’m finishing my busiest stretch of the year — not only a double-wedding weekend, but also full-day weddings on a Thursday and a Tuesday. Yes, they aren’t just for weekends anymore. Along the way, I’ve created some photos that I cannot wait to share. Some will have to wait for their turn in the wedding queue, but here’s one of Mina and Igor. They had a fantastic wedding on Sunday, and as you might be able to tell from their posture, they had one heck of a first dance.
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: One SB-900

There’s shallow depth-of-field, and then there’s this — Brett’s calculator shows this to be the equivalent of an 80mm f/0.8. But what kept bringing me back to this photo is Lindsay and Ron’s connection to each other, clear even in silhouette apart.
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Lens: 30-frame “Brenizer method” panorama with 200mm f/2G VRII
Camera: Nikon D3s

Happy Memorial Day! I’m on the road in Washington DC today as part of my Memorial Day Weekend Wedding World Tour … three weddings and an engagement shoot. Kim and Dinesh were married on Saturday in a gorgeous wedding at Gotham Hall. It’s crazy-season time, but I’ll do my best to keep up, becauase I have so much to show!

Fun fact: We’re at 23rd Street because an off-duty MTA worker wrongly claimed we weren’t allowed to shoot at my subway stop … so we got onto the train and off at the next stop. One day MTA workers will read what the rules actually are (no lights, no tripods, no impeding traffic, otherwise photography is expressly permitted). Shooting with a wedding dress on a rainy day in NYC is a challenge because there is literally nowhere you can go that people will not try to stop you. NYC is like a video game on Hard Mode.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: 10-image “Brenizer method” panorama with the Nikon 105mm f/1.8 AIS (35mm equivalent focal length: 41mm f/0.67 — calculated here)

Taking a little advantage of Central Park street performers
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Lens: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II
Camera: Nikon D3s

You know, I’m really glad that Tiffany and Bartow are both members of sets of triplets, but there’s got to be an easier way to do this — matching the wardrobes was a pain.
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s

Engagement shoots need more of a post-apocalyptic/epic vibe, I think.
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Lens: 24mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: Two SB-900s, composited from three frames