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.
Autumn Engagement Photos on Long Island
Kristen & Mike’s Engagement Photos on Long Island | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers in New York | Blydenburgh park | Smithtown, NY
“Now kick your heel out behind you,” Heather said to Kristen and Mike as they posed for their engagement photos on Long Island. Never in Apollo Fields history have we seen a man in Timberlands lift his heel off the ground instead of the woman—but Mike made AF history that day. A funny miscommunication turned candid moment, the rest of Mike and Kristen’s engagement session in Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown was a literal walk in the woods.
Kristen and Mike’s engagement session began at the beginning of a path adjacent to an outdoor horse ring and historical building, which couldn’t have been more perfect. It’s too bad that our horse, Limbo, is a diva who doesn’t do trail rides, because the serene scenery was something out of an impressionist painting. As we made our way down to the path to Stump Pond, we passed a quirky, pink dollhouse-like old home down by the water that Kristen and Mike (more likely just Kristen) wanted to snap a few pictures in front of. The fall patterns of their wardrobe choices perfectly complemented the palate of the leaves, especially contrasting nicely with the eccentric muted pink of the house.
As we moved further down the path, Heather and I were surprised with the number of fisherman posted up along the shore. They reminded us of a story from Heather’s childhood, where her animal-loving aunt Pam, freed all of her family’s bait worms on a fishing trip while they weren’t looking. Mike’s family is a big fishing family so he got a good kick out of the night crawler jailbreak. He was also very familiar with the park as his family home is just on the other side of the pond. We finished their engagement photos on a dock as the sun set behind the trees; and we even got a few shots with Mike and his favorite fishing rod.
It’s very refreshing to be shown new places in the area that you grew up. I’ve lived on Long Island for over twenty years of my life and I had never been to Stump Pond or Blydenburgh Park before. Yet because of Kristen and Mike, we now have a new place to escape stress and stroll in serenity. It made me realize that part of the fun of running a wedding photography business is being invited into places where our couples have significant memories or moments. It’s a wonderfully romantic image to imagine little Mike on the same dock with his father, learning how to fish on a starter pole. If you’re reading this and planning an engagement session of your own, take Kristen and Mike’s lead and pick a place that is not only beautiful but also makes you feel comfortable or means something to you. It will be impossible to hide your happiness.
Kind of like it was impossible not to laugh when Mike lifted his heel off the ground. Who knows, he might even be starting a wedding photo trend in this 21st century world that we live in. All I know is that I’m just happy to have shared that walk in the woods. Cheers to you, Kristen and Mike!
Enjoy Kristen & Mike’s Engagement Pics:
Photography: Apollo Fields