Last weekend, we boarded our first flight without our kids since Emily was born sixteen months ago. We’ve flown (a lot) with the kids in the past year –– probably a dozen flights or more –– but this was our first with ZERO.
And. Let. Us. Tell. You. IT FELT LIKE A VACATION. Just the airport part! We grabbed coffee. We strolled the bookstore. We carried on our bags. We worked a little on the plane. Jordan even watched a movie. There were no diapers to change, babies to nurse, tears to wipe, cries to (try) to shush or strollers to fold up at the gate. It felt like the old days. Not the good ol’ days. We’re convinced we’re living in them right now, with our kids. Because despite how exhausting the baby and toddler years have been –– and we’ve still got a little ways to go –– they’ve also been, by far, without a doubt, the most truly fulfilling and deeply gratifying of any season of our life.
One of the reasons (among many) that we moved to Tennessee this year is to be closer to the rest of the country: personally and professionally. Nashville is only a ONE DAY drive from about 70% of the U.S. population. It’s just over a two hour flight from New York, Miami and Denver (how crazy is that?!) –– which means, as our kids grow up, it’ll be a lot easier for us to give our kids adventures and educational opportunities in historic places that would’ve otherwise required a cross-country flight.
It ALSO means that we get to say “YES!” to more destination engagement sessions and weddings! That’s what brought us to New York City, our beautiful bride-to-be Carol, and her handsome groom-to-be, George. Carol is originally from Arizona (like us!) but moved to The Big Apple a few years ago, where she met George, not through Match.com… wait for it… but through a real life matchmaker! How cool is that? A real human being who does this for a living matched them together! We didn’t even know that was a thing! BUT IT CLEARLY WORKS –– because these two couldn’t be more perfect for each other.
As you can probably imagine, Central Park… on a Saturday afternoon… in June… was PACKED with people. So we rented it out for a few hours to clear the crowds. Just kidding. You can’t do that! But we wish we could. So shooting on a Saturday afternoon in one of the most popular, crowded destinations in the world did mean that we had to be extra creative and use all the tools, tricks and techniques in our arsenal to make it seem like no one else was there (which we can’t wait to share with you in an upcoming project we’re working on right now!) Our goal when you scroll through these images is that you get the feeling that Carol and George has the whole place to themselves!
(If you’re a photographer who ever finds yourself shooting in a crowded place, you’re invited to come On Location to this session with us, where you can virtually shadow the entire session as we coach you through all the decisions, techniques and strategies we use to navigate shooting in a crowded, popular place packed with people. We’d love to have you join us!)
One of our favorite parts about shooting in Central Park on the weekend is the street music. It was like having a soundtrack playing the entire time! That brings us to the highlight of the session for us (which was also the most unscripted one). When we were going from one location to another, we walked right through a group of men and women playing all kinds of instruments. Drums. Bongos. Maracas. Trumpets. You name it, they had it! As we approached, the musicians pulled Carol and George into their orbit, gave them tambourines and drums to play and made them part of the song. When people talk about big cities “being alive” and “having a soul,” this is what they mean. The moment was spontaneous. It was dynamic. It was colorful and flavorful. It had all the definitions of pizzazz: spirit, energy, zest and flair. It felt like the perfect way to start their wedding countdown, and the most quintessential New York way to kickoff a long-overdue great American summer. It was one of those moments that felt straight out of a movie, and we loved every second of it.
Carol and George, it was such a treat to photograph your engagement session in Central Park –– and Hoboken, too! We hope you love seeing your love, in the city you love, where you fell in love, as much as we loved documenting it for you. You two are so beautiful together. We can’t wait to see you again this fall in Arizona! It’ll be a fun homecoming for all of us! Until then, we’ve gotta figure out a way to get our new friends to play bongos and trumpets at your wedding…
(If you’re a photographer who ever finds yourself shooting in a crowded place, you’re invited to come On Location to this session with us, where you can virtually shadow the entire session as we coach you through all the decisions, techniques and strategies we use to navigate shooting in a crowded, popular place packed with people. We’d love to have you join us!)
