Terrence Takeover | The Line Between Guest and Vendor

Apollo Fields | Best Wedding Photos | Long Island Wedding Photography | Catskill Mountain Wedding Photographer | Upstate New York WEdding PHotographer | Writer | TErrence Huie

A bunch of acquaintances sit and stand around a large table, some blinds drawn and a faint waft of hair spray comes floating into the room. The nervous tension is palpable as conversation stalls in the dense air. There are a handful of half-eaten sandwiches and macaroni salads on paper plates strewn across the room complete with crumpled napkins and half-drunk mimosas. These are the last remnants before a wedding finally kicks off.

I’m standing on a beautiful wrap-around porch on an overcast day in the Catskill Mountains in my royal blue suit. It’s the same suit I wear when I work weddings when one of the guys asks, “is it easy for you to turn it off? Like today, will your mind be cranking?” As I begin to say that I was just scouting the first look location and going into details of what I’ve already helped with I stop–”no, it’s not. I’m more of a lifestyle guy. I’m interested in making sure that everyone is having a good time.” It didn’t occur to me until now that I was lying–well sort of half-lying–I was making sure that everyone was having a good time; but I also wasn’t turning it off,

making sure that everyone was having a good time—was actually me working.

I didn’t realize I was fully put into the guest zone until I was walking on the catwalk of the beautiful barn at Windham Manor when someone yelled below, “hey, you’re not supposed to be up there!” I’ve gotten so used to the wedding vendor all access pass that I didn’t know I was trespassing.

For the last five plus years I’ve been going into rooms like the one I described and facilitating conversations with people who may or may not know each other, and definitely don’t know me. I haven’t been afraid of entering crowded rooms since I learned to bartend ten years ago. Actually, I thrive on finding the common ground between myself and others. That’s because the more I learn about others, the more I learn about myself. So when I see a room full of people wiggling in their seats, avoiding eye contact, looking for what to say–I don’t move towards the walls, I move towards the center.

I move towards getting people talking. I notice the ones that don’t want to or can’t find the right words. I don’t press them. I laugh at the loud, lewd jokes. I keep walking along, wagging my tail, as Heather constantly refers to me as a golden retriever. It’s actually a quality that’s plagued me because I find it really hard to quantify. Even speaking about it makes me nauseous with self-importance.

I love to be around other people. That’s it. I’m a chronically addicted extrovert.

So when I attended the wedding of one of the last remaining bachelors of my grade school friends, I talked to a lot of people. I didn’t take many pictures, and I didn’t dance much either. I bounced around from cocktail tables to people seated on stairs, to people on couches at the after party. The entire wedding is a blur of laughter and conversations. I wasn’t working but looking back at it I kind of was. My personal life has blended so much with my professional life that it’s hard to discern where the good times end and work begins. I think it’s a good problem–and one that I will inevitably bring up while wagging my tail at one of our couple’s cocktail hours.

Maple Shade 1785 Farm Wedding in Delhi, NY

Apollo Fields | Upstate NY Wedding Photographer | Best Wedding Photos | Maple Shade Farm Wedding Photos | Delhi, NY

Tamara + Ronan

Before Heather and I started Apollo Fields together, my professional mindset was totally different. I had gotten used to being told what to do; whether it was making a drink in a particular way as a bartender, or editing copy according to industry standards as a freelance copywriter, or organizing meetings as a political activist. But as our company has grown over the last four years I am no longer looking for the next task to complete, instead, I’m looking towards what the future holds for Apollo Fields and how Heather and I are going to bring it into fruition. Well visiting Abby and Jay’s idyllic Maple Shade Farm for Tamara and Ronan’s wedding in Delhi, NY, gave me inspiration for one vision of what our future might hold.

Maple Shade Farm Wedding Photos

Working with Abby and Jay on their beautiful upstate New York wedding venue/homestead felt reminiscent of what makes working with Heather so enjoyable. We all were willing to do whatever we needed to do to create the best possible wedding for Tamara and Ronan. There were no ifs-ands-or-buts—only sound decision-making and pleasant attitudes. Heather and I have known for a longtime that a venue of our own might be in our future, and working with Abby and Jay showed us just how possible it is.

NYC Engagement Photos / Upstate New York Barn Wedding

Heather originally met up with Tamara and Ronan in Long Island City in Queens for their engagement photos, but they knew they’d be getting married in a place with more natural surroundings. It’s one of our favorite things about our couples: a shared love of both city life and the natural world. In New York we are able to ride up the Hudson to the Adirondack or Catskill Mountains and we take any and every opportunity to do so. It reminds me of the beginning of Heather and I’s relationship when we were living in NYC but taking adventures all over the northeast.

Maple Shade Farm Wedding

Abby and Jay’s historic barn lies on the foothills of their property that reaches all the way up to the peak of a mountain. It is immaculately groomed, including a man made pond (with canoe upon request!) that serves as  a perfect backdrop for an altar and ceremony. Just a quick ride up a hill on a golf cart and you have a beautiful view of the valley that they call home, and we were lucky enough to come at a time when a whole field of daisies were in full bloom. Photo opportunities abound at Maple Shade Farm, both inside and outside the beautifully renovated and repurposed historic barn.

Vendors

Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Maple Shade Farm | Delhi, NY
DJ/Pianist | Westphal Music
Dress | BHLDN
Shoes | Loeffler Randall
Veil | Twigs & Honey
Earrings | Jennifer Behr
Rings | Kent Jewelers | NYC
Suits | Robbie and Co. | NYC
Cake | Holiday Farm Biscuit Co.
Catering | Chef Deanna
Invitations | Minted

New York Wedding Photographers on Long Island

New York City Wedding Photographers | Colorado Weddings | Apollo Fields Photojournalism | NYC Photography

“Did you guys miss New York?”

This is one of those questions we have been asked by everyone since moving back East.  And it’s a good question, but the answer is complicated… When we moved to Colorado in 2016, we were veryready to move.  But it wasn’t because we hated NYC, it was just time.  It was time to be in nature and time to be in an unknown place together.  Big moves like that can make or break a relationship, and for us I guess we got lucky. 

When I first moved to New York City a few years before that, I barely knew anyone and the people that I did know were in different boroughs.  Despite always having the city close by, the UWS was as much of a mystery to me as if I had moved to Los Angeles by myself.  I learned a lot about myself in that first year while I was getting my MA and living in a tiny studio apartment on 105thStreet.  It was just me and Riddle, a mini fridge, an oven that leaked Carbon Monoxide, and a sort-of-view of the Hudson River if you hung your head out of the prison-sized window.  

I was still living in that death trap of an apartment when I met Terrence.  I was riding out my lease before moving farther uptown, but I can still remember one of our first dinners together there. We were eating on the couch because I only had one dining room chair and Terrence was cautioning me about how he didn’t eat onions, fish, tomatoes, etc.  I had no idea how to feed such a picky eater, so I just went ahead cooking like I normally did anyway.  How far we’ve come since those days.  
 

For as much as I learned about myself being single in NYC, I think we learned as much about each other when we made the move to the mountains together.  We had very few connections in CO when we first moved and had to learn how to lean on one another in ways that we hadn’t before. Even though we had lived together in New York, we always had additional roommates (such is life in Manhattan). We had a very familiar neighborhood in New York filled to the brim with drinking buddies, walk-able pubs, and enough libations to stay busy until 4am any time we felt like it.  

We landed in Colorado and everything quieted down.  We only had each other and our little cottage.  We found ourselves less intrigued by urban life and much more content hanging at a local brewery in town with a couple beers and a board game.  We got bikes and went hiking, we spent afternoons at the dog park and evenings cuddled up on our couch.  Life was good and it was hard to miss NYC at that time. 
 

We were still flying back East multiple times a year for weddings and holidays.  We were always happy to come back to familiar faces and good ethnic food.  Distance helps you weed out the drinking buddies and bring family to the surface, or at least that was the case for us.  Don’t get me wrong, we can still throw back a few shots at a dive bar, but suddenly, we were more interested in making a push for spending time with our siblings instead.     
 

Our decision to move back was multidimensional.  We are looking to buy a farm to turn into a wedding venue and the numbers just weren’t adding up in Colorado.  The real estate market there was pretty volatile: we were part of a huge boom of fellow transplants making the Rocky Mountain move and we got in too late.  By the time we were ready to look at properties, everything was selling above already-high asking prices.  Zoning was a nightmare, and anything with a mountain view was just plain cost prohibitive.  With the average all-in price of a CO wedding coming in at $26k and NY suburbs at roughly $65k+, we weren’t about to take that kind of business risk just to keep our beloved mountains in our backyard.  
 

So as you all know, at the end of September we packed up our little cottage into our Highlander and drove back East.  Animals and cameras in tow, we hit the ground running—getting married, wrapping up busy season, and honeymooning in Jamaica while settling into a new house.  We are finally slowing down (but not for long). 

We’ve moved into a cute yellow house in East Northport, five minutes from Terrence’s dad and stepmom. We went from a 550sq foot cottage to a real house, which after a few Salvation Army raids is beginning to feel like a home.  We are living well by Long Island standards:  fenced-in backyard, walking distance to the LIRR, and a ten-minute drive to the North Shore.  

Despite being an hour train or car ride from the city, this is a very different lifestyle than when we were actually living in NYC.  We are very much in a commuter / family town.  The delis and pizzerias are good, but that’s about it in the way of local flavor and small town charm.  It is nice to be closer to family again.  We have been into the city a few times and it’s been great.  We hit The Whitney for the Andy Warhol exhibit and gorged ourselves on international food.  We ride the subways like nothing has changed, and traversed up and down the blocks with the sharp cold air lingering on our cheeks.  

New York will always be our city, even though if we’re being honest I don’t think I’ll ever live in it again.  It doesn’t fit our lifestyle, business trajectory, or relationship anymore. In a perfect world, we won’t be on Long Island for very long, either.  We would love to end up on a farm in Bucks County PA or upstate NY. We have big dreams of hosting weddings, homesteading, and photographing more and more amazing couples.  We envision an old barn, a big fireplace, chickens and kiddos running through the fields, and a labor-of-love property that gives us as much as we give it.  

So the short answer is, yes we missed New York but we also miss Colorado.  We like walking through museums as well as walking up mountains.  We love our family here and love our friends in CO.  We miss the big western skies and the “300 days of sunshine” that we got so used to.  But we’re glad to get a decent bagel again.  We are lucky because we get to experience such a range of landscapes, and because of our business, we don’t have to choose one or the other.  We get to go back to the Rockies for work and play, and in the meantime we are stoked to start to look to the future to find the quirky farm venue that will turn into the biggest passion project we’ve taken on so far.  

Upstate NY Farm Wedding Photographer

Horse Farm Wedding | Upstate NY Weddings | Backyard Barn Wedding Photographer | Montgomery, New York | Apollo Fields Photography

Tori and Colin had an intimate wedding at their family farm in Montgomery, New York. The Riverview Farm is absolutely beautiful and holds a special place in my heart. I grew up riding horses and spent some time riding at this New York farm years ago and I can’t put into words how wonderful it felt to be back on my old stomping grounds. The farm itself is a 25 acre equine boarding and training facility located a little over an hour north of New York City.

Tori and Colin’s wedding included the perfect mix of rustic and modern details, as well as some intimate ones like photos of Colin’s father. I absolutely love when couples include special details like this to honor their loves ones that, for one reason or another, cannot attend their special day.

Tori and Colin also decided to include horses in their couple's photos, which made this the perfect equine wedding. They are both involved in the hunter jumper world and love horses just as much as I do. I have been riding my entire life and have a horse of my own, so photographing an authentic horse wedding like Tori and Colin’s was a dream come true.

Tori and Colin’s Equine Wedding at River View Farm

Tori & Colin | Farm Wedding on Equestrian Property | Upstate New York Weddings | Horse Wedding Photographer | Montgomery, NY | Apollo Photo

I was so excited when an old friend who I used to ride for reached out to ask about flying me out to their family farm to photograph her son's wedding!  It had been years since I rode at their farm, but I always loved their property.  The farm was always pristinely manicured with flowers, ponds, beautiful old trees, and perfect paths.  Colin owns a landscaping business, so I was sure that they would be rolling out only the best for the wedding!

The barn houses a number of the family's horses as well as a few boarders that are part of Jenny's training business.  She has been a highly successful and competitive hunter rider for years and I know her from the equestrian world and showjumping circuit.  I was surprised when I still recognized a few of the four legged friends on the farm even after all of these years. 

Tori was a stunning bride and I felt more like family than a photographer on the entire day of the wedding.  Many wedding days begin hectic, with people running around last minute tacking on decorations and frantically calling vendors and friends.  This wedding was the complete opposite..  everybody was calm, loving, and nostalgic.  Friends and family were gathered around laughing, spending quality time together, and sharing memories.  I truly felt like everyone was fully present in the moment.  Wedding mornings like theirs remind me of why I love my job. 

Tori and her bridesmaids got ready in the family farmhouse and I couldn't believe how much natural light there was!  It was a photographer's dream:  white walls, soft lighting, tall ceilings.  If only all of my bridal suites were this aesthetically designed!  One of my favorite in-between moments was when I went downstairs to find Tori tucked in a quiet corner painting her own nails. I just loved how modest she was in that moment, not obsessing over having her nails done at a salon or them being perfect.  Instead, we just chatted together as if we were old friends.  I love those moments on wedding days when I just put my camera down for a moment and lay down the foundation for a friendship. 

The ceremony was sweet and heartfelt.  Tori and Colin exchanged their vows, but it was the easy and adoring way that they looked at each other that said more than any words could.  Afterwards, everyone celebrated with live music, champagne, family photos, and dancing.  We even managed to squeeze in a portrait session with a few of the horses, which was one of my favorite parts of the day!  

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Tori and Colin's Wedding Vendors

Horse Wedding Photography: Apollo Fields

Wedding Venue: Riverview Farm, New York

Heather is a New York and Colorado based wedding photographer, but photographs weddings throughout the United States. If you’re interested in having her photograph your wedding, contact her today!