Apollo Fields 2021: 54 Weddings and 1 Baby
For the most part, our job as wedding photographers is to blend in, not stand out.
To move throughout the day like inconspicuous flies on the wall, floating through rooms and in and out of moments like a steady breeze through an open window. We take great pride in being given the opportunity to navigate the intimate spaces of wedding days, playing off the principle that stepping on a truly genuine moment is a cardinal sin. Year-in-and-year-out we flutter from venue-to-venue, unpacking and repacking our camera bags as quickly and commonly as the shutter clicks on our cameras. I am writing this blog to give a glimpse of what it is like to document a commencement of love 50 times a year in the span of six or seven months. It is with great love and appreciation that I say—it is our time to stand out.
From Brandon and Lia’s Wedding in September 2021 in Little Compton, Rhode Island.
2021 Still Wasn’t “Normal.”
We try to avoid using the word normal because it’s one of those “non-words” that doesn’t really mean anything. What exactly does it mean for a person or a year to be “normal”? As it pertains to people: the quirkier the better; but as it goes for wedding seasons, we’ll take predictable. Like the idea of a wedding happening on a specified date and location. Of course we have empathized with every couple for the last two years but can you imagine what our Google calendar has looked like? Think Charlie Kelly in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia vibes. Now picture him in a wedding dress.
And yet, it was the best year of my life.
I like to joke that having a kid feels like you’re playing the game of life on hard mode. Every activity of everyday or every trip is just that much harder. Mornings feel earlier and nights feel longer, but in between extended bouts of exhaustion there are pristine moments of overtired bliss. Like the walk Heather and I took at midnight in Montauk after a wedding as we watched the crests of waves hover and crash on the coast over and over again in the bright moonlight. Or when I held Capa just above the surface of the rooftop pool in West Palm Beach, pushing him through the water like the dorsal fin of a dolphin swimming in the Caribbean. For everything that being a parent takes away from you it gives it back in moments of overwhelming joy.
And also the busiest.
Between our 54 weddings in 13 states plus an unspecified amount of family and engagement sessions we changed diapers, spoon-fed, walked, drove, and nursed our baby Capa. The crazy part is that despite all of the time Heather and I spent together we often felt like we never saw each other. We developed a workflow where I would take Capa in the morning and let Heather catch up on sleep after nursing him all night. Then we’d have breakfast together and one of us would take him for the next stretch while the other person works. It was like a game of hot potato if that potato was adorable and could poop and pee. And despite developing the habit popular to babies of rubbing my eyes when I’m tired, I have no regrets about how we handled everything.
Ron and Sunil’s wedding in August 2021 at The Battery on the southern tip of Manhattan.
a reminder to Change over time.
I was just talking to Heather this morning about how I can’t imagine both of us still bartending full-time like we did in our twenties. It’s not that we couldn’t or we shouldn’t but rather that we value the current iteration of Terrence-and-Heather (-and-Capa) over the one at the beginning of our relationship. In a funny way, our 2021 wedding season felt like a full bartending shift spent “in the weeds” where we never got to look up and kept going from one thing to the next. As the years pass I can’t help but notice the trajectory of our lives and how the previous events prepared us for what came next. Who knows what Capa will mean for our future but if this year was any indication of what’s to come, I can’t fucking wait.
NYE 2015 - One of Heather and I’s first photos together. Taken at a diner on the UWS at ~ 5:00am.
Nassau Museum of Art Wedding in Long Island
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Rachael & George
A garden of modern art installations, wooden chairs arranged between beautiful flowers and bushes, and an old 20th century building displaying an Andy Warhol exhibit. Walk by the Campbell’s Soup section and past a group of work from Warhol’s portraiture period and a door creaks open to a group of bridesmaids seeing Rachael in her dress for the first time. Our job as wedding photographers takes us to a ton of amazing places, and sometimes the best ones are the ones you had no idea existed—like Rachael and George’s wedding photos at the Nassau Museum of Art in Roslyn on Long Island.
The first time I met Rachael was either in middle school or high school. I used to go over her house in Northport to play basketball with her older brother, Brett, in their beautiful backyard. A few years younger, Rachael used to run around the neighborhood with her group of friends while we did our thing. I vaguely remember playing capture the flag and climbing over the fence into the neighbors yard and getting in trouble. Who could’ve guessed that I would be photographing her wedding 15-20 years later!
When we asked Rachael and George if they wanted any particular photos during their engagement session at the Vanderbilt Museum—both of their eyes lit up as they shouted—“we need the chest bump picture!” Apparently for every gathering where there is a photographer they take position 5-10 feet from one another, and then enthusiastically run up, jump, and give each other a chest bump. It was a hilarious sight to see and we love when our couples have traditions and inside jokes. Each instance gives you an insight into their relationship and showcases their sense of humor.
That’s part of why doing an engagement session is so important. It’s not just for the photos, or to do something cute with your partner—it’s about getting in front of our camera, getting to know us, and letting us into your world. It’s about getting to a place to feel comfortable enough to be goofy and silly because in our opinion, that’s when human beings are in their most beautiful state. Of course we throw on some makeup and put on nice clothes, but you cannot replicate an individual’s unique genuine joy with material products. Please take our advice: book an engagement session and take up our offer to grab a beer after—trust me—you’ll feel that much better come wedding day.
We had a blast with Rachael and George at their wedding at the Nassau County Museum of Art. Rachael did an impeccable job of planning and execution and their friends and family did the rest. The outdoor art installations provided great props for wedding party photos, and the artwork and white walls of the inside of the buildings glowed with a curated elegance. Of all of the places we traveled to this year, I never expected to take a bride’s first look next to the work of a world renowned artist—I guess we will just have to start setting the bar a little higher.
Enjoy these photos from George & Rachael’s Nassau Museum of Art Wedding:
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Nassau Museum of Art | Roslyn, NY
Catering | Elegant Affairs
Dress | Bridal Reflections | Massapequa, NY
Rings | Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay
Invitations | Lion in the Sun | Park Slope, Brooklyn
Hair and Makeup | The Look Spa Salon | Greenlawn, NY
Transportation | Trans-Star Executive
Band | J-Riz Entertainment
Wrapping up a great night
With Rachael & George! Reach out for your own wedding photography needs below!
Bear Mountain State Park Engagement Photos
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Carly + Kyle’s Bear Mountain Engagement Photos
Waking up on Heather’s family farm, Honeymoon Acres, feels like being part of a child’s storybook. One of the potbelly pigs, either Johnny Walker Tito Cash (yes that is his full name) or Rose grunts to be let outside or serve them breakfast. The silkie chicken that is trying to become a rooster attempts to crow but sounds like the cracking voice of a teenage boy going through puberty. Billy, the arthritic goat, walks through the backyard on her knees because her hooves ache too much. Then I release the dogs: Riddle, Rumor, Bertie, and Ms. Jean to do their business and run around the yard like a pack of wild hyenas. The donkey, Brownie, and pony, Amber, neigh from the barn as I take my first sip of coffee. It’s kind of like Old Macdonalds Farm meets a Tim Burton movie--a motley, quirky crew of animals and family and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Heather and I were in the neighborhood to do Carly and Kyle’s engagement photos at Bear Mountain State Park. I surprisingly had never been to the mountain before and was completely blown away by the panoramic views of the orange, red, and yellow leaves. It was like we still lived in Colorado but the Aspen Trees were swapped out for Maples and Oaks. I’m glad that despite being spoiled for two years in the Rockies that my home back east could still evoke that feeling of smallness; where all you want to do is take a deep breath and exhale above the treetops.
Carly and Kyle live and met in Stamford, Connecticut, and trekked over to Bear Mountain to get some peak foliage engagement photos. They couldn’t have timed it any better and Heather and I were immediately jealous just looking at the raw images in the back of the camera. We started down at Hessian Lake near the lodge for their first casual outfit, then finished at the top next to Perkins Memorial Tower for their more chic look. The top of the mountain was a little crowded with tourists but Carly and Kyle rolled through their paparazzi moment with laughter and smiles.
And that’s why we say having an engagement session is so important! It’s not just to grab some photos for save the dates and invitations--it’s to get in front of our cameras and start to feel comfortable. We know from experience that (almost) no one feels comfortable in front of a camera; ourselves included! You should see my camera reel with all of the photos of Heather hiding her face behind a mask, our baby, or any inanimate object she can get her hands on. It doesn’t feel natural to be the center of attention but that’s exactly what we are on our wedding day. So book an engagement session, peek at our style guide, show up, and we’ll do the rest.
As we drove back down the switchbacks of Bear Mountain we kept fawning over Carly and Kyle and the views. This wedding season has been one for the ages and if Carly and Kyle are any indication, 2023 (!!) is already beginning to take on a beautiful shape.
Montauk Wedding Photography in the Hamptons, NY
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Chris & Kristen
Walking along a beach in Montauk at midnight, Heather and I watched the waves crash in the moonlight. It was the first night we got to spend together sans Capa since he was born. Eight months of long nights, groggy mornings, and “you got this one [diaper change]?” What made the moment even sweeter was the memory of my after prom on the same beach 15 years ago. Just the thought of reliving some of those memories made me cringe. It was like the feeling of regret--but deeper, more intimate. Like I wanted to go back in time to tell myself to relax because it was all going to work out. Just then, Heather and I took a seat, leaned back, and let our heads fall into the sand.
Heather first met Chris back when she was going to equestrian school with his younger sister, Bri. Chris and Bri’s family is the kind of family to invite you over for dinner or ask you to tag along when they are going out for the night. Such was the case when Heather and I snapped Bri and her husband Tyler’s Montauk engagement photos when we all went out to dinner after. Kristen and Chris were just dating at the time, but you could tell by the relaxed way that they engaged with one another that this was just the beginning.
Maybe it’s because they both live in Montauk, but Kristen ahd Chris are laid back through-and-through. I’d never met a couple so relaxed on their wedding day. Kristen was getting ready at a beautiful harborfront spot with her closest girls, while Chris kicked it back at the family house with the boys. The overcast day created a cool afternoon, and Chris and Kristen and their bridal parties took full advantage.
From there we all went up to Chris’s family property atop a hill in Montauk with waterviews all around. A light drizzle began to come down during the ceremony right before the clouds opened up for a moment in the distance. A few sun rays popped right through and the moisture in the atmosphere appeared. The drizzle stopped but the same breeze from the afternoon had guests wrapping their sport coats around bare shoulders. A hybrid audience, half-seated and half-standing, roared at the ceremony’s conclusion and the party was set to begin.
From a full raw bar to a raucous live band, Kristen and Chris’s wedding celebration was one for the ages. There were always feet on the dance floor and someone screaming at the top of their lungs. When the sun went down on their property in Montauk you couldn’t see the water anymore but you could hear it--you could feel it. And maybe that’s what keeps us Long Islanders from leaving--when you’re only so far from the beach you can just close your eyes and feel the breeze--and know that everything is going to work out.
Enjoy these photos from Chris & Kristen’s Montauk Wedding:
Photography: Apollo Fields
Wedding Planning: Forever Young Events
Catering: Janet O’Brien Caterers
Apollo Fields
We love a good party, and Kristen and Chris certainly delivered! For your own wedding photography, reach out below: