Beach Engagement Photo Session
beach engagement sessioin | engagement session photography | engagement photos | NY engagement photos| ny wedding photography | beach style photos | golden hour
Connie & eric
“Golden hour, magic hour, l’heure bleue. Evenings when the beauty of the changing sky made us both go still and dreamy. Sunlight falling at an angle across the lawn so that it touched our elevated feet, then moved up our bodies like a long slow blessing.” — Sigrid Nunez
Golden hour with a beachfront lighthouse landscape could not create a dreamier engagement photo session location! I had such fun with Connie and Eric as you could feel their sheer excitement to begin preparation for the journey towards their wedding day.
The sunset gods were in our favor as we played in the stunning golden hour magic amongst the lighthouse and the ocean views. Connie and Eric’s laid back fun nature made for beautiful photos full of love and smiles that I hope they cherish forever! They brought multiple outfit options to switch up their photos and were enthusiastic with every pose and idea presented to them!
I love when couples choose a location for your engagement session that offers multiple photo backdrops to ensure that we capture the essence of you and your love story and create perfect options for your new favorite photos. From the boardwalk wood patios to the lighthouse and ocean it gave a similar theme to their photos but gave us options for color, warmth and allowing the sun to speak.
Popping the champagne and toasting to their new life ahead they strolled through the wooden walkways pausing for sweet moments along the way. We look forward to their wedding day and cannot wait to celebrate their next chapter of their love story with them soon. If you are recently engaged and starting the process of looking for your wedding photographer we would LOVE to chat with you! Contact us today here!
Long Beach Engagement Photography
Long Beach Engagement Photography | Long Island Engagement Photos | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers
Justyna & Steve
Target Rock Family Session in Lloyd Harbor
Target Rock Family Session in Lloyd Harbor | Long Island Photography | Apollo Fields Family Photos
Will I Still Be Grinding When I Turn 68?
Will I Still Be Grinding When I Turn 68? | Reflections on Retirement and Planning For Your Happiness | Apollo Fields
As I was picking up some lunch before shooting a wedding, the woman at the register asked a regular customer how everything has been since he wasn’t in the restaurant for about a week or so. He replied with a generic, “oh good”, then paused, “okay, I guess. I mean, things could be better”.
She was an older woman and unabashedly asked him, “How old are you?”
He goes, “Sixty eight. I’m getting old”.
She sort of snickered, “Sixty eight isn’t old… These are the best days of your life. The hard work is over. You can be retired and enjoy your life now”.
The man looks back, “I am retired. But not the way I want to be. Things didn’t really work out the way I thought”. Some silence continues before he tries to turn it into a joke again, “The only people who think I am young now— no offense— are old women”.
They laughed. She handed over his change, and he left.
It was a short conversation between two almost-strangers, acquaintances at best. But so much was said between the melancholy sadness and authentic laughter. The surface level lesson here is perspective: the “older” woman is envious of the “younger” man, although he no longer views himself as young.
On the deeper level, you have a man who is experiencing some sort of disappointment in a life that he views is past his peak. Things didn’t really work out the way I thought.
Damn dude.
I was a silent observer in this interaction, but couldn’t help wonder what their lives must be like. Could this be me someday? I’ve been thinking about retirement a lot from a practical, financial perspective but have spent less time planning for my own happiness. I sort of wove it into my career path and tend to consider it a given; given that things work out.
But what if they don’t? Nobody plans on being a callous surly crank by 68, right, we all envision ourselves on an Adirondack chair on the front porch of their house watching the sun set, holding hands with their spouse, surrounded by dogs. Lots and lots of dogs… (Or is that just me?)
Here it goes: THINGS MIGHT NOT WORK OUT. Or at least, they might not look the way they we originally envisioned. There’s a good chance that at 68, I’ll be grinding just as hard as I am now, cleaning up horse shit after dark, behind on emails, and beating myself up for not being good enough at something. I might never shake some of my own demons, and that’s okay.
Our culture is moving away from the retirement lifestyle that many of our baby booming predecessors are currently enjoying. We’re not going straight into the work force from high school and college is no longer a luxury, but an expensive prerequisite to a minimum wage job. We’re not buying houses at 23 years old and we’re not having 2.5 kids by 30. It’s just not happening.
We are paying student loans and we are negotiating multiple careers. A lot of people—like myself—are saying ‘no’ to the 9-5 commuter life in search of something that feels more sustainable, and ideally, has more meaning to us. If this “works out” for me, it will hopefully ensure some sort of happiness and sustainability that will be more fulfilling than my IRA alone and maybe keep me from bitching about my old haunts to a cashier at my lunch joint. Fingers crossed.
Photography: Apollo Fields
Location: Long Beach, NY
Dance Photographers in NYC Photoshoot Ideas
Katy Copeland | Your Body Should Be Your Greatest Lover | Passion Projects | Portraits of Women | Dancers | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography | Long Island, NY
Guest blog by Katy Copeland
Photography by Apollo Fields
My body and I used to have a tumultuous relationship. I would judge her and put her down and bully her for not being “correct” and pump her with drugs and alcohol to numb the insecurities and pain. Dancers develop some pretty severe psychoses. You bend and twist and starve and gorge and try to fit molds that are impossible and distorted and therefore wind up living in constant battles of not feeling worthy. At least, this was my experience. My body and I went to war. I disrespected her, treated her like shit, beat her down and was completely shocked that she wasn’t responding with my backwards and materialistic idea of beauty.
I met Heather during this time. About 5 years ago at a very delicate time when I self-proclaimed myself a feminist and was still wildly threatened by strong, powerful women . Cool… Having recently shaved my head for a performance gig, small parts of me felt liberated, larger parts unsuccessfully were hiding an immense amount of fear and self loathing. I became jealous of her instantly. Heather is confident without boasting. She is beautiful with zero effort. She is smart but not a know-it-all. She exudes grace with no judgement and she is vulgar yet still tasteful. How is that possible? My inner dialogue: “Fuck. I hate her. I want to be her.” It was madening.
Never did I imagine she would lift me up in times I needed most. Very quickly Heather became my family, my kindred spirit, a precious gem who wiped my tears, held me when I started to crumble, and taught me the true meaning of female friendship. She profoundly changed the way I viewed other women, but more importantly how I viewed myself for the better. Secretly, for better or worse (mostly for worse) I would always compare us. “Us” being all women. Over time, I stopped competing and started cultivating true love with all the women I am lucky enough to know. Heather is a pioneer and champion in my story and I am forever grateful.
So when I read recently that Heather was suffering from an ectopic pregnancy with severe complications my heart shattered. My body ached for her. It was rare that I ever saw her in pain and I felt it in my bones. The female body is magical with incredible vulnerability. Therefore, when our bodies take on trauma we instantly become stronger and grow three sizes compassion, depth and complexity. Our bodies are smarter and more resilient than ever and I am just starting to figure that out.
We set a fresh pasta dinner date (for she is the queen of homemade pasta) after she was post-op and comfortably back home in Long Island. A few days before, we agreed to snap some body shots of me while I was in town. Heather asked for my vision and without hesitation I told her that I was craving photos that are raw, bare, stripped down, unabashed and unapologetic. Like most, admittedly or not, I am constantly struggling to find my authentic self. Battling my bullshit ego and trying to halt myself when I start catering to what others want to see versus what I want to be. After the experience she just had I knew if anyone could help me find authenticity and mind-body connection it would be her. We would find it in each other.
This galley is what we created. By no means am I healed, or rehabilitated. But I am growing. I am learning. I am connecting deeper every day. My body and I are beginning a new journey. And the little voices inside my head are slowly becoming less of a bully and much more of a best friend. When my inner saboteur starts poking or prodding, I kindly and respectfully ask her to shut the fuck up. I am judging less and loving more and I trust my body will always know what to do. I just have to listen.
“Your body should be your greatest lover
for she is all you have.
It wasn’t until I started loving her unconditionally
that she began to respond.” —I wrote that.
They are my favorite two sentences I have ever written. That is the idea I wanted to capture with these photos, and girl… Heather did it in spades.
