Hudson Valley Engagement Photographers

apollo fields | engagement photos in beacon, ny | outdoor engagement | upstate new york weddings

Escaping to the mountains in Colorado was easy. 30 minutes in a car and the Rockies swallowed us up. The distance to nature from New York City isn’t that much further but it feels like a lot longer. That’s because when you live in NYC -- any trip that requires a subway (or god forbid a bus) transfer -- is like flying to Texas and having a layover in Atlanta. The luxury of the travel service is shrouded by our entitlement and the relative way in which the culture of a city interprets time. I realize that the second part of that sentence sounds like something out of a sociologist textbook but just hear me out.

Heather and I drove up to Beacon, NY, for an engagement session with one of our August 2020 couples, Rachel and Billy. They went to school in upstate NY, currently live up there, and could never see themselves in a metropolis like NYC. When I asked Billy why -- he barely had to answer -- as his eyes stayed fixed upon the rolling topography of Beacon Mountain, studying the horizon like it contained a secret of an ancient text. For Rachel and Billy, proximity to nature is a priority and they couldn’t imagine not having a treeline to watch the sun set over. They thrive on taking the time to slow down and stare out into the woods. That’s the main difference between Rachel and Billy and people who live in NYC.

People who live in NYC never slow down -- and the only things they stare at -- are the things that are in fact slowing them down. Because we move so fast, when things are moving slowly, they feel like they’re going really slow. Einstein theorized that time is relative but living in New York is the proof. Traveling from the city to upstate feels like a journey across several states when in reality it’s as easy as two trains and one transfer. By comparison, traveling to the mountains from Denver feels like a quick trip up the road because the pace of the city is slower. For people in Denver, like Rachel and Billy, involving nature in their lives is a lifestyle priority, not a logistical stressor. Lucky for Heather and I, we have an occupation that makes trekking into the woods an enjoyable business trip.

Driving up to Beacon, NY, for Rachel and Billy’s outdoor engagement photos illuminated just one of the many accessible towns from NYC along the Hudson River Valley. Just as the boundaries of where young people find affordable housing in Brooklyn, Harlem, and Queens are constantly expanding, so are the cultural development of towns running north along the Metro-North train lines. If you’re like Heather and I (or Emily and Augie), and enjoy the hustle of the city complemented by the solitude of nature, press through the stress of traveling and get up and get out. You might just meet another literally down-to-earth couple like Rachel and Billy -- and if you don’t -- just take a deep breath and study the horizon.