Apollo Fields | Long Island Wedding Photographer | Engagement Photos On Long Island | Long Island Engagement Photography | Beach Wedding Photos | Beach Engagement Photos | Wedding Photographers Near Me

Krista & Matt’s Engagement Photos

Driving through the meandering roads of Sound Beach, Long Island, past the cottages and wooden fences, childhood memories of grandma’s house crept into my mind. This area on the north shore of Long Island, not quite “out east” and not quite “down port” [Port Jefferson], as Krista and Matt referred to it, is a mix of the beachy charm from Cape Cod combined with the vestiges of a simpler time. The chaotic network of the streets bend and shoot in all directions like the strings of a spider’s web as families wearing flip-flops with towels tossed over their shoulders casually make their way to the beach.

When Heather, Capa, and I arrived a little early for our engagement session, Krista and Matt invited us into their home. I immediately noticed a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf packed with titles ranging from classics to postmodernist and felt the nerdy bookworm in me bubbling to the surface. I couldn’t help mentioning a collection of David Foster Wallace’s non-fiction work, A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments, because it means that either Matt or Krista took a deeper interest in the author of the infamously laborious work, Infinite Jest. It turns out Matt is an english teacher and we were off to a splendid start.

We piled into our respective cars as Matt and Krista led us to a private beach a few minutes away from their house. After descending a flight of steps that would make a stairmaster blush, we kicked off our shoes and walked onto the rocky and shell-laden beach. Krista and Matt moved with each other effortlessly, stopping every so often to bend down and pick up a piece of beach glass to add to Krista’s collection. They then busted out a wicker picnic basket complete with champagne and stemless flutes (with two for us!), and settled onto a blanket. They told us about their relationship’s beginning, a friendship turned romance, but got a little distracted when they remembered they also packed sparklers for the engagement shoot!

We love when our couples come prepared like Krista and Matt--props, champagne, beer, wine, picnic blankets--whatever makes you feel comfortable! Whatever makes you feel you. It’s easy to retreat back into your shell when the camera comes out, but this is why engagement sessions are so great: they give us a chance to get to know who you are before your wedding day. So by the time the big day arrives, when your family descends upon your location ready to test your patience, we know when to let you soak in those beautiful moments and when to pull you away for a breath of fresh air.

After taking their engagement photos in Sound Beach, we got to enjoy a nice dinner with Krista and Matt at one of their favorite local spots. We got to talking about Matt’s favorite book to teach (Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury!) and growing up on this part of the island with most of their family close by. Turns out Heather and I moved back to Northport for the same reason Matt and Krista see themselves staying around Sound Beach. Family visits become less of an obligation (in our case) and more of a welcome trip down memory lane.