Engagement and Couple Portraits in New York City. Info page and FAQ’s

Engagement sessions (or just good old couple portraits) can take place anywhere in New York City.

I usually walk around with my clients for a couple of hours, location depends on your style and or if there is an area of personal meaning to you and your relationship.

The sessions are usually very creative and fun, We’ll do some traditional stuff, but also a lot of very laid back and natural shots of you just being yourselves… There’s nothing I like more than capturing your personality and chemistry as a couple.

Locations for Creative Engagement sessions in NYC:

Central park, Soho, Meat Packing, East Village, UES, UWS, anything goes… tell me a bit about you and what you like and we’ll come up with a location that will best match the style of shots you like best.

More samples

To see more couple portraits and engagement sessions, please visit the LOVE gallery in the Portrait website. Almost all the images you will find on that page were photographed in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

---

What to wear

The first step towards deciding what to wear would be to go over the Love gallery (again?) and see what type of outfits are most appealing to you!

I always suggest you try to be fashionable while keeping in mind you should be comfortable walking around. Your outfit shouldn’t be something totally out of the realm of what you’d be seen wearing.
My goal at these sessions is to have fun, creative photographs that you might see in a magaizine. So again, think fashion before family portrait.
No matter what you do. Avoid matching outfits (jeans and tee’s). Please!? no really…

Colors
Sticking to black white and gray works, but you can always dress more colorfully if you’d like. Try to avoid outfits that have distracting patterns (such as zebra or polka-dots)

Accessories

Sunglasses are an easy way to change the mood and look of a shot.
For winter sessions, hats and scarfs can be a fun accessory to have with  you. Depending on the weather, they might be more than just ‘fun’ to have around… 🙂

Friendly advice…
For the ladies… keep in mind that we will be walking around, so if you wear heels you might want to sneak a pair of flip flops in your bag for when we walk from one location to the next.

---

Engagement/Couples specific FAQ’s

A quick note first…
Whether you’ve been dating for 6 months or have been married for 20… All answers on this list apply.Regardless if it is an engagement, anniversary or just for fun couples session.

For General Session FAQ’s (i.e “What is the cancellation policy?”)  please click here.

Can we bring a change of clothes?

You are more than welcome to bring a secondary outfit to your couple’s shoot… However, just keep in mind that we will have to stop and put the bag away everytime we want to take a shot.
This can sometimes get in the way of taking some candid shots that present themselves in the moment.

Can we bring our little dog with us on the shoot?

Same as above… You are welcome to bring him/her along, we’ll just have to get him/her out of the shot whenever we want to take a shot of just you.

What do we do if it rains on the day of our session?

Usually, we’ll be able to decide a day or 2 before if we think we can avoid the rain.
In case of showers, we’ll do our best to reschedule your session as soon as possible.

Can you photograph me proposing to my girlfriend?

Proposals can be a part of any session, I have had clients either propose in the middle of the shoot, right before or hire me just to shoot from a distance without being noticed0. Proposals are priced within the regular couple portrait packages/pricing.

Location FAQ

This will be our first time in New York, can you make suggestions as to where we should do our pictures?

I can make suggestions or plan it for you. I have routes that I enjoy and think give a good variety. The location depends on your style and vision, if you prefer more Urban or more Scenic/Romantic locations.

How many locations can we do during our session?

Generally, we’ll stick to 1 or 2 general locations during our session. any more than 2 ends up being too much traveling and not enough shooting.

Can we do pictures on the Brooklyn Bridge?

We can. The bridge is a little tricky though, its always crowded not as easy to get to, we’ll have to walk a bit on it in order to get to the good areas. It’s also hard to find shade, all this while trying not to get run over by bicycles :)… but yes, we can.

Why don’t I see any photos at the tourist spots on your site (i.e Rockefeller Center, Times Square etc.)?

I rarely ever shoot in the usual tourist destinations. You don’t need to go to RC in order to capture NYC. I really prefer the small streets, the cobble stoned roads, old townhouses, gritty walls etc.

Central Park

Do you have a good route in central park?

Yes. The trick is to shoot in the known/famous spots so that you it screams Central Park… otherwise your shot on the bench might look like a bench shot at a central park, NJ (Conchords anyone?)

When’s the best time of year for shots in the park?

I’ve shot in the park all year, and while December offers unique opportunities in the park, Spring and Fall are still preferred.
Even for city shots, Spring and Fall offer milder temperatures which naturally lends to you being more comfortable during your session. During the hot summer months, we’ll start a little earlier than usual and try to avoid the peak of the day’s heat.