Brooklyn Heights Engagement Photographer

emily & augie’s engagement photos in NYC | brooklyn heights, bk | apollo fields wedding photography

The night before our trip to Colorado a couple weeks back, Heather and I met up with one of our September 2019 couples, Emily and Augie, at their apartment in Brooklyn Heights. It was supposed to be an early evening where we all get to know each other a little bit but ended with each of us telling story after story over a few glasses of wine and laughing all the way until midnight. #noregrets. What this quintessential New York City night made clear to us (other than that Emily and Augie’s wedding is gonna be dope AF) is that whether we are in New York or Colorado, we are always finding couples who are trying to surround themselves with nature.

When we first stepped into Emily and Augie’s penthouse apartment we were greeted by white walls that opened the space up with light as a breeze came in through the patio door. After a warm welcome and quick tour, we stepped out onto their serene terrace where vine ripe tomatoes, basil, thyme, and grapes grew in raised garden beds, thriving on a custom irrigation system which Augie built himself. He also re-floored the entire patio with a clean wooden farmhouse look to replace the rubber mats that should be kept on NYC playgrounds. He said it was the hardest math problem he’s ever done, lol. We really admire when people have the skills and ambition to take on DIY projects like this! As we lounged and spoke about our love of nature and photography, their two dogs ran between our legs and teased one another with their toys and we were well on our way to a wonderful evening.

In a kind of afterthought, Emily and Augie told us we can climb a metal ladder that reaches to the roof for a view of downtown Manhattan. If you’ve seen the pictures, this was a massive undersell. It was like saying, “you can go look at piles of dirt and trees when you drive on I-70 through the Rockies.” The view from their private rooftop is what people dream of when they rent their first basement shoe box apartment in New York City. They have an unobstructed view of the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, downtown Manhattan and the Freedom tower—they could be running a tourist attraction for crying out loud—and it was all an afterthought. They were so much more excited to talk about their dogs, pluck a grape, tomato, or a leaf of basil, and hand it to us rather than boast a view they could charge admission for. Just thinking about the humility and priorities of these two makes us so grateful to be their wedding photographers! When they eventually joined us on the rooftop they didn’t even think we’d snap pictures of them up there, which was equal parts dumbfounding and endearing.

Brooklyn-Engagement-Session-Apollo-Fields-NYC-Skyline-23.jpg

After we climbed down and our jaws returned to their natural resting position, we made our way to their favorite local Italian spot, Noodle Pudding. With each of us coming from our respective quirky families we exchanged stories in a friendly one-upping of “you won’t believe this,” covering everything from barroom stories, to trusting strangers, and wedding planning. The food spread included some of the freshest caprese salad I’ve ever tasted, fried zucchini, some true Brooklyn homemade lasagna, and a couple of glasses of house red to wash it all down. When we all finally threw in our white handkerchiefs we were all full, happy, and ready to call it a night, although I’m pretty sure we all had a story or two left in each of us.

Whether our couples are from New York, Colorado, or somewhere in between, we find that most of them are trying to surround themselves with something green. I’m not talking about money or the famous Colorado herb but something that brings them back to nature. While it is obviously much easier in Colorado than New York, Emily and Augie have shown us what can be done even in the concrete jungle.