Marissa and Ricardo made this engagement session memorable. As a photographer you sometimes get caught up in worrying about the background or trying to make it an interesting shot. With these two they made the shot.

Marissa and Ricardo had some really great ideas about where to shoot in Brooklyn and I was so excited they wanted their session only in Brooklyn. But it became increasingly clear that I wanted to take pictures of them just being together because they obviously had a strong connection and it was showing through in the pictures. They are about to embark on their next chapter in their lives together, moving back to California and getting married, and they wanted some pictures of their lively urban neighborhood.  So we walked over the Williamsburg Bridge which they’ve crossed over many times into Manhattan and headed down to the East River Park. There is an amazing view of Manhattan there which comes along with some interesting characters hanging out playing guitar and others sneaking into my shot with pants hanging low and smoking. Typical Brooklyn. I’m sure they have plenty of memories to remember what Brooklyn looks like, but I hope they look back on these images after they’ve been married for 50 years and remember the obvious love between them. I think that’s the real power and joy of having great pictures from your wedding, civil ceremony, engagement session, birthday party, etc. because ultimately it’s the connections and feelings that we have for our loved ones that we want sealed forever in a  flash of an instant.

Even though the biggest storm of the year was brewing I managed to squeeze in a really fun engagement session with Valerie and Matt.  We had to be a little more creative with some indoor shooting, but we managed to fit in some nice outside shots as the rain dissipated for a few moments . It was actually really nice to walk around Times Square in the rain while our umbrellas turned inside out like 100 times. All the electronic marquees and advertisements were glowing against the cloudy and misty sky.

Which brings me to a good photography tip for colorful pictures. A cloudy, overcast day will actually make bright colors pop even more. So next time it’s overcast go take some pictures outside of some colorful flowers and notice the intense saturation of the colors.

It was another highly entertaining and confusing night in Brooklyn as I joined in on the birthday celebration of my fabulous friend Temis. Oh and Thomas Jefferson (the ridiculously talented Scott Bradlee) was there to pound out Yankee Doodle Dandy and Lady Gaga hits in ragtime style…JEFFERSON!

I had such a fun day with Jane, Chris and their friends and family. Jane told me she was going to surprise Chris with a white dress instead of the black one she intended to wear. Chris was definitely surprised and his reaction was priceless when he saw her walk into city hall. They are such a fun couple and looked fabulous together.

We all pilled into the van they rented and off we went to the Highline and around the West Village for some pictures. Thank goodness the weather has been cooperating!