Clinton NJ Engagement Photography with Motorcycles
Clinton NJ Engagement Photography with Motorcycles | Outdoor Engagement Session in New Jersey | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers
Allie + Dan
Our business has a way of merging my old worlds with new ones, and I have absolutely loved reconnecting with friends in order to celebrate their engagements and weddings over the years. Allie and I met many years ago, when we were both working at Horsemen’s Outlet in NJ. I was riding horses full time and doing photography as a hobby, and I worked a few days a week at the local tack shop.
Fast forward to 2021 and we were able to hook up for their engagement-style sesh (Allie and Dan actually got legally married last year). I knew they were bringing their bikes, which is one of their favorite things to do together, but I didn’t realize just how cool it was until I heard a faint hum in the background as the two of them rolled up to their session. Their helmets glistened in the sun, and up the long driveway they pulled up on their motorcycles despite the cold temps that day. Totally badasses.
But their badassery was also met with such warmth and kindness, as Allie unhinged her storage spot on the back of her bike and pulled out a personal charcuterie box for me! What a great surprise, and so thoughtful, as I immediately dove into the cheese and fruits. Good food is the way to my heart, and there’s no better way to start a session than a little nosh, in my opinion.
We had a blast catching up while I also got to meet Dan for the first time! No matter how much changes over the years, it is reassuring to see certain qualities, like Allie’s love of animals and the outdoors, stay the same. I can’t wait to celebrate their wedding reception and party the night away with these two— I have a feeling it’s going to be one for the ages.
Pikes Peak Proposal in Colorado Springs
Pikes Peak Proposal in Colorado Springs | CO Engagement Photography | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers
Photography: Dylan Gallagher for Apollo Fields
New England Autumn Engagement Session
New England Autumn Engagement Session | Connecticut Foliage Engagement Photography | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers
Jacki & Tim
Timing the New England foliage is never a perfect science– anyone who has tried to chase the leaves knows that all it takes is one nasty frost or snowfall and the whole landscape can get nipped overnight. So trying to schedule engagement sessions around the leaves during busy season can be especially tricky. However, with Jacki and Tim’s session, I think we nailed it (part luck, part good timing— true for most good things in life right?)
We met up in Washington CT (fun fact, the same town that “Stars Hollow” was based on in Gilmore Girls) on a beautiful Sunday and thought that this cozy, quiet little town would be all ours. We were in for a bit of a shock when we realized that the leaf peepers had taken over and pretty much every restaurant was booked except for one, which boasted a whole lot of motorcycles out front and a pretty good burger. We had a great lunch and caught up about all things wedding planning, quarantine life, and of course horses.
The horse world happens to be the common denominator between Jacki and I. Many of you guys might know how much of a role riding has played in my life (I have been riding since I started walking) and I actually went to boarding school in CT for four years to compete on the riding circuit. Jacki and I know each other from that past life, and we both are lucky to still be riding and own our own horses. So naturally, it only took us about five minutes to start chatting about that world and her sweet fiancé, Tim, was happy to let us go on and on about horses.
Terrence has less of a bandwidth for the pony-talk and certainly does not want to spend his weekends at the shows, so Tim got major brownie points from me for being such an enthusiastic horse-hubby! After lunch we went over to Hidden Valley Preserve to shoot and got so lucky to have an amazing golden hour against the beautiful New England foliage!
Enjoy Tim & Jacki’s beautiful autumn engagement photos:
Location: Hidden Valley Preserve, Washington Depot CT
Photography: Apollo Fields
Fire Island Lighthouse Engagement Photography
Fire Island Engagement Lighthouse Photography in Long Island NY | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers | Robert Moses Beach Photos | Engagement Session Outfit Ideas
Stephanie & John
After a few days of debating “should we reschedule?” versus “should we hold out?” for this engagement session when an ominous rainy forecast loomed over the day, I had a gut feeling to hold out and I am SO glad that we did! For some reason, I just had an inkling that the weather and light would break, and luckily it did in the best way. I don’t always get this inclination (for example, today was supposed to be a shoot day for me and I ended up rescheduling because I didn’t get the feeling that the weather and light would break— and as I type this, I’m so glad because it’s just one of those East Coast *bleh* days that’s kind of crappy and gray).
I knew right away with Stephanie & John that we were about to have some fun— they brought a few fun outfits, lots of energy, and a little champagne. The perfect trio in my opinion! We got to explore the Fire Island Lighthouse together and follow the sunset back towards the ocean. It is always a bit windier down by the beach, and this day was no exception, but we all just laughed through the gusts of wind and these guys braved the elements like champs!
I loved the fun, flirty, and playful vibes that Stephanie and John had and it just made me so happy to watch them embrace the evening together. The lighthouse is one of my favorite places to shoot because it gives such a variation of architecture and scenery— you can get awesome boardwalk shots with fun vantage points, beach shots, and the beautiful lighthouse all in one easy spot.
My absolute favorite part of the night was towards the end when Stephanie and John were running around by the water together. The light was closing in on us fast and the waves were pretty wild from the storm the night before. Of course, the photographer and artist in me was dying to get them in the waves but there was no way I could have asked them to do that in their clothes, but just then they got that twinkle in their eyes and suggested in first. Yes, yes, YES!!! They grabbed each other’s hands and just ran into the waves and made my creative dreams come true!
We wrapped the night and began to drive away when someone called attention to the Harvest Moon that had begun to rise. I’m so glad they did because we hopped back out, with Stephanie and John both cold and soaked and wrapped up in a blanket, and got a few quick moon shots with the epic autumn Harvest Moon! I’m so excited to share this sweet engagement session and feel so lucky to have been apart of their story!
Enjoy these pics from Stephanie & John’s beach engagement session:
Photography: Apollo Fields
Heckscher Park Engagement Photos in Huntington, NY
Vince & Meredith’s Engagement Session | Heckscher Park Engagement Photos in Huntington, NY | Long Island Photographers | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
We first met Merideth at her sister-in-law Sage’s wedding in September 2019 when we walked into Sage and John’s home on Long Island. Hair spray was in the air, bagels on the table, and mimosas in hand. Meredith and Sage made sure we had anything that we wanted and we really felt the warmth of their welcome. Their kind of hospitality never goes unnoticed on our end.
We met up with Merideth and Vince almost a year later in Huntington for their engagement photos at Heckscher Park. We walked and talked and laughed as the early autumn sun warmed us in the breeze. They spoke about how excited they are for us to become parents and how they’re in the process of moving. I’ve definitely noticed a pattern of families becoming closer both literally and figuratively during 2020, and it makes me grateful to come from a large family. We can bicker and fight each other all we want, but when it comes down to it, there is nothing more valuable in life than having people in your corner.
For me, part of the fun of doing engagement photos is seeing how a couple reacts to one another. Are they playful, does PDA come naturally, or is this whole experience an exercise in torture. Heather and I love to make the experience as light as possible because the vast majority of people have not been in front of a camera like this before. There are different strokes for different folks but we can guarantee by the end of it that we will capture the nature of your relationship because it will naturally pour out of you. There is no putting a lid on love.
Right from the get-go Merideth and Vince had their hands on each other, whispering things into each other's ears, and giggling. People think that engagement photos have to be something more than this but at Apollo Fields this is all we want--for you to be unabashedly yourselves. In a world where our social media lives are as curated as the art that hangs on museum walls, authenticity still reigns supreme. No photo will ever be as good as the one that you let yourself go and exist as naturally possible. That kind of peaceful confidence is the best outfit any of us could wear.
It’s the kind of confidence that we have when we’re around our families, catching up in the living room on a holiday or summer vacation. It’s so easy for us to slip into the roles that we’ve been carving our whole lives and our egos wind up taking the back seat to the speed of a witty family back-and-forth. There is no time to wonder what we look like or where our hands are when a relative walks by and either physically or verbally jabs us. We just exist naturally.
And that’s what I’ll remember from Merideth and Vince’s engagement photos. How they and we just walked in the park and took some pictures. It was as easy as a summer night and that’s all it had to be.
Long Wharf Boston Engagement Photographers
Jessica and Matt's Boston Engagement Session at Long Wharf and Somerville | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography | Massachusetts Engagement Photographer
The “Big Dig” I have against Boston, aside from my predisposition as a New Yorker, is that goddamned Callahan Tunnel. I say this knowing that 1) most Bostonites would agree with me, and 2) I haven't even driven there during rush hour. Other than that, the 3rd most walkable city in the U.S. was a dream to explore while donning a mask on a morning run through the Boston Commons and alongside the Charles River. My admiration continued when we met up with Jessica and Matt in the North End, popping into quirky alleyways and onto cobblestone streets as we captured their undeniably fun and playful vibe.
I’m not sure which I enjoyed more: learning Jessica and Matt’s origin story of how they got to know each other over countless lunches as they worked together; or stumbling across a location where they shot a scene in The Departed. Around every corner there seemed to be a cornerstone of the city’s history or a memory of their budding relationship, turning their entire engagement photo session in Boston into a beautifully light trip down memory lane.
Jessica and Matt then brought us north over the Tobin Bridge to Somerville, a quaint city adjacent to Cambridge where they spent a significant amount of their relationship. Just imagine if Boulder, Colorado came 2,000 miles east or Burlington, Vermont, came 200 miles south-- that’s Somerville. Jessica and Matt amusingly did their best to explain the Davis Square Statues, the strange non-Covid-related mask-donning bronze metal statues stationed around the cozy downtown area (apparently the masks were added after their creation as a result of vandalism). We then grabbed some ice cream and took a stroll by The Foundry on Elm to commemorate the place where they had their first date.
As we looked ahead to their wedding, Jessica and Matt sang their praises to their wedding planner, Liz with Elegant Aura, who is helping them with the fine details of their June 2021 wedding at Granite Ridge Estate in Maine. Lucky for them, Jessica and Matt both have families equipped with skills that will fit perfectly into their day. Jessica’s father runs a prominent catering company in Boston and can turn a skint cabinet into a delicious meal, and Matt’s mother is happy to crush the floral arrangements. It was really wonderful to hear how excited they were to see it all come together.
Whether it's learning a new city or about a new couple, Heather and I are just stoked to be (cautiously) back at it again. We thrive on new experiences and pull on the threads of the stories of our couples that give us goosebumps and bring smiles and laughter to the world. As we move through 2020 together my optimistic side continues to be fed by amazing people like Jessica and Matt who remind me to always keep it light. Here’s to a city I never thought I’d like, a couple whose doing it right, and all of the positive vibes we can send to anyone who has to drive in that god forsaken tunnel.
Harlem NYC Engagement Photography
Mike and Madelyn's NYC Engagement Photos in Harlem | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
There’s always one moment during our engagement photo sessions—when I’m holding Heather’s backup camera lenses and am more-or-less a glorified coat rack—when a tingle goes up the top of my spine and out onto my shoulders. It is the same feeling you feel at the crescendo of a theatrical performance when you’re seated in the front row, or the first time as a kid when you walk up the tunnel of old Yankee Stadium to the bright lights and green grass; it is being witness to something spectacular. For us wedding photographers, it’s when you watch a couple look into each other’s eyes and really mean it.
As professional performers, Mike and Maddy were no strangers to the camera. It is almost literally in their job description to turn their facial expressions on and off like a light switch. But the first time we asked Mike and Maddy to bring their faces close and look into each other’s eyes it wasn’t a performance. It was real. It gave me that feeling that I’ve discovered that there’s actually a word for: frisson; a brief moment of emotional excitement. It is accessing that space and capturing that genuine connection between our couples that drives us. We just can never get enough.
Lucky for us, Mike and Maddy had moments like that on the ready as we moved through New York’s steamy summer streets. We started the photo session at the Hamilton Grange in Harlem, where they typically take their adorable dog, Millie, on a walk to a wonderfully secret local dog park. As the early evening golden light came through the trees, Mike and Maddy effortlessly showed us what it looks like to love someone. Turns out the fairytale vibes were just beginning.
In a beautiful combination of Heather’s understanding of the way that light refracts off of water and New York being New York, we stumbled across a fire hydrant spraying into the street. Whereas I would just walk by and smile as the neighborhood kids played and cooled off, Heather stopped all of us in our tracks and shouted “hol’ up!” She then told Mike and Maddy to do what they do best and love up on one another with the mist in the background. This moment led to one of my favorite images that Heather has ever taken and I look forward to storing it in my memory bank for years to come.
Mike and Maddy have decided to have a small wedding to celebrate their love in a couple weeks and it will be the first wedding we get to document as an Apollo Fields team since Covid-19 happened. I’d be lying if I said getting through the uncertainty of 2020 has been easy, but its engagement photo sessions in New York like these that my optimistic side will choose to focus on. Frissons of happiness may’ve seemed to be in short supply for the last few months, but if these photos of Mike and Maddy are any indication, we’ve got plenty of 2020 to look forward to.
Enjoy these sneaks from Madelyn and Mike’s Engagement Session:
Photography: Apollo Fields
Estancia 460 NYC Engagement Session
Igor and Michelle’s Engagement Photos in New York City | Estancia 460 NYC | Destination Wedding Photographers
There’s something so exciting about moving to a new city that makes you feel like everything is possible. Somehow all of the stresses, restraints, or regrets from the past are quickly forgotten and your new surroundings shine in the sunlight. Igor and Michelle just moved to New York from Los Angeles and before this engagement shoot had never even been to Central Park. I get giddy just thinking about them walking around on the winding paths I love so much. There’s something special about sharing something dear to your heart with others, and Igor and Michelle have an endless amount of avenues and streets and paths to explore. Everything is possible to them.
Igor and Michelle moved to New York with 4-year-old Harrison because Igor was offered the executive chef position at The Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. Foodies through and through, they can’t wait to share delicious meals in one of the toughest cities to run a successful restaurant. Partly because rent is so damn high and partly because competition exists on every corner and down every alley—if you’re running a restaurant in New York City you have to be consistent and service-forward. With Igor’s experience at Intercontinental Hotel Downtown Los Angeles you better believe he can bring it.
The other aspect of New York that really excites Igor and Michelle is the architecture. They particularly love to go on architectural boat tours that showcase the history of Manhattan. From the quirky, cobblestone streets of the Financial District to the iconic buildings like the Flatiron or the Chrysler, the structures are almost as unique as the people. Almost.
Igor and Michelle will be getting married in Los Angeles in 2020 and we look forward to getting to know their former hometown. Heather and I love the beach almost as much as we love the mountains, as they provide us the natural sounds that we long for. These are a far cry from the horns and sirens of big cities, and give us an energy that only the natural world possesses. That was a huge reason why we moved to Denver and plan to return one day. I imagine Igor and Michelle will head out to the beaches of Long Island come summer time to fill the void of the west coast.
Everything seems possible when you move to a new place because everything is. Sometimes we forget that when we’ve been in one place for too long, but if you always welcome change you will always be allowing new possibilities. Cheers to Igor and Michelle starting the next chapter of their lives.
As seen in: Popped! Mag
Cherry Blossom Engagement Session at City Park in Denver
Eve & Bobby's Cherry Blossom Engagement Session | City Park, Denver | Spring Engagement Photos | Colorado Wedding Photographer | Apollo Photojournalism
Eve and Bobby and are fun loving couple who are able to roll with the punches. They wanted their engagement session to be outdoors and since they live close to City Park in Denver, shooting there seemed to perfectly reflect their lifestyles. They are laid back and go-with-the-flow, which was great when the weather was freezing cold, overcast, and rainy on the day of their engagement session.
Rescheduling wasn't an option, so we crossed our fingers for a break in the weather and met up in the park. I'm so glad we did, because the shots are so beautiful! It never warmed up and the sun never poked through, but you can't even tell in the pictures. And we had the cherry blossoms all to ourselves, an almost unheard of luxury this time of year because their season is so short.
This was my first cherry blossom session that I have done and I was surprised by how much I love the color palate. I am usually more drawn to earthier tones than pastels, but I found that Eve and Bobby's outfits worked so well with the setting that I really enjoyed the pinks, whites, yellows, and light greens of the grove that we shot in.
We moved quickly through the session because the skies kept threatening a harder rain, and with frozen fingers and no golden light to play with, I wanted to get these lovebirds back in their warm car as quick as possible! They made my job easy because they have such a great balance of playfulness and tenderness. They were just as happy to be dancing under the trees as they were to cuddle up with each other and have a quiet moment together.
Peaking at my viewfinder on my camera and I knew that despite the weather (and the cranky geese) we had some gems to work with! I was so excited to get home to warm up and offload all these beautiful pictures from their engagement session. I'm so excited to shoot their wedding this season!
Denver Engagement Photographer: Erny Photo CO | Apollo Fields
Wedding Coordinator: Jennifer Wetterlin | Denver Event Pros
Location: Denver, Colorado | City Park