Garden Wedding in The Hamptons at Madoo Conservatory
Madoo Wedding Photography | Intimate Garden Wedding in The Hamptons | East Hampton, NY Wedding Photography | Dinner Party Style Wedding at Madoo Conservatory
Fernando + Michael
I’ll take an intimate garden wedding with a fancy dinner party ANY DAY over a big, ultra-traditional catering hall wedding. Really— if I can go a whole day without hearing the words “ballroom” or “banquet”, I’m a happy camper.
I get so inspired by couples who think outside the box and curate a day that truly represents them, their values, and their relationship. It’s honestly what keeps the art fresh for me, and keeps me feeling optimistic about not just my work, but society in general.
Fernando and Michael filled their wedding day with things that would really bring them joy: a lush garden setting filled with flowers and art and nature, their closest friends and family, and beautiful shared meal with drinks and rich conversation. They chose Madoo Conservatory in Sagaponack, NY as their venue which is close to their home in East Hampton, and as they walked the property with their guests, you could feel their innate connection to the people and environment around them.
The day began with a walk around the grounds to pick the flowers that they would use to decorate their own wedding cake. Now, a lot of the time when couples tell me that they are DIY-ing something like that, I get skeptical. A lot of things are better left to the pros, but let me tell you, I was blown away by this one! Fernando and Rita had a vision, one inspiration picture, and just the right amount of artistry to pull off a cake that was more like a piece of artwork than a dessert!
Their ceremony soon began, and with a live musical performance, Michael and Fernando arrived in the garden where their guests were already arranged among the fabulous yellow chairs. They were officiated by the mayor of Southampton, Jesse Warren, and exchanged their vows with their friends and family surrounding them. A beautiful cocktail hour followed, which was full of celebration and good drinks, and then sun began to fade into the horizon just in time for a beautiful golden hour.
As night approached, guests sat for a wonderful meal hosted by Janet and her talented team at Janet O’Brien Caterers. Toasts and speeches were given, cake was cut, and the wine flowed the whole evening. A spectacular way to spend the day in my opinion!
Vendors:
Reception Venue: Madoo
Party Planner / Day-Of Coordinator: Janet O'Brien
Officiant : Mayor of South Hampton: Jesse Warren
Florist: Flowers by Beth
DJ / Band : Peter Watrous (jazz band trio)
Decor / Party Rentals : Bermuda Rentals
Rings : Tiffany & Co
Invitations and Save The Dates: Calligrapher Margaret Neiman Harber
2021 Recap: Our Year in Review "What The Hell Just Happened!?"
Destination Wedding Photographer Based Out Of NY | Husband And Wife Wedding Photographers | Editorial Engagement and Wedding Photography NYC
2021 Recap: Our Year in Review "What The Hell Just Happened!?"
It is 9PM on a Tuesday and I am about six hours into editing a big job. The job is from our second-to-last wedding of the year and I’m only about 30% the way through the gallery when my mind begins to drift and reminisce on all the gigs we had this year: 54 weddings and at least as many other sessions, across thirteen different states. I look up from my monitor and think to myself, what the hell just happened??
What I mean by that is, what the hell was 2021!? What actually just happened??
This was bar none the craziest wedding season that I’ve seen in my seven-ish years of doing this, and that’s not even taking into consideration the fact that we had a tiny and completely dependent baby throughout the whole thing. It was the perfect storm, really– take all the covid rescheduled weddings (for us, approx 35) and then pile them on top of our organic biz, now funnel them down into the finite number of Saturdays in a year, and now hand pluck out all the vendors who peaced out of weddings after 2020, and you have yourself the 2021 wedding season.
Oh, and now add the baby back into the equation.
See our grand plan back in the beginning of 2020 was to go HAM on weddings while I was pregnant and then chillsies for 2021 when we had the baby. You know, take a *few* local weddings and some passion projects here and there, but sort of coast. Enjoy family life. Do newborn stuff, whatever that is.
Of course, the great cosmic joke was on us when the pandemic totally took us out at the knees. We were forced to halt everything, completely freeze, postpone, revise and re-plan everything. Not a single gig was unaffected and although we still managed to pull of 26 weddings in seven different states, I’d be remiss to act as if it wasn’t traumatic on both a personal and professional level. But we survived, and as we both will attest, even thrived in many ways. It was honestly… a great year… which feels like a weird thing to say given the complete dumpster fire that we were dealing with.
So when 2021 rolled around, things started really looking up.
Vaccines were a total game changer for large gatherings– in our case weddings, and you know, our entire livelihoods. We were just SO. DAMN. GRATEFUL. to have weddings actually happen on the dates they were scheduled for and in the locations they were contracted, that we sort of went blind. To say we had a whole new appreciation for the work we do is an understatement. And let’s be honest, it was also a lot easier on my body to work and travel without being hugely preggo lugging around a big belly and swollen feet for 15 hour long days.
But like I said, I think we sort of went blind. Like we were so grateful to be shooting and working and traveling that we didn’t even realize how bizarre the conditions still were.
We shot WAY heavier than ever before, out of complete necessity to our couples who have dealt with so many curveballs over the last two years.
We did weddings on Fridays and Sundays, which was becoming more normal anyway. But then there were Thursday weddings, a few Mondays, I think we even did a Tuesday. Double headers have always been my happy place but this year were triples and I even swung a quad in October. That’s four-in-a-row for those who aren’t in the know.
Capa, our sweet boy, bounced around strapped to our chests for twelve of our weddings and at least twice that amount of engagement and family sessions. God bless’em because he THRIVED on weddings. Thrived. We never imagined toting our kid around for more than one, maybe two, events but here we are now with a slightly quirky reputation as that husband and wife photographer team who worked with their baby in tow.
The pandemic loomed over every wedding this year and still continues to force us to adapt over and over again as we continue to navigate mask mandates, rapid testing, vax cards, and trying to avoid getting sick while also being completely swallowed by mobs of drunk people flailing to “Shout” like it’s the first time anyone has thought to lay down on a public floor in the name of dancing.
Guests went hard this year. For many couples, elopements and microweddings got all that pesky paperwork out of the way last year and so formalities be damned, they were just there to rage their faces off this time. We thought there would be a gentle transition back into cocktail hours and conga lines but pretty much once April hit, the floodgates opened and people were off to the races en masse. I’ll admit, it did make for good content, and I’ve never been one to turn down a sweet party, so I was more than happy to oblige.
In fact, we had some of our best couples of all time this year…
…and it’s truly impossible to narrow down even the top five. I could honestly go through each event and rave about our favorite parts of each wedding and couple, but I’ll try to keep it short and as unbiased as possible… My mind immediately jumps to Jess and Matt– who had an epic three-day celebration on the top of a mountain at Granite Ridge in Maine. We rented a cabin, brought my sister with us to babysit (unknowingly with a black bear hanging outside the house) and partied ALL night long with their sick wedding band. We still talk about their transition into Flashing Lights.
Then there was Mercie and Dan, our sweet friends who made actual magic on their wedding day by appointing their closest kiddo friends and family to take over traditionally adult duties. Their officiants and their MC and wedding party and speeches and everything were executed by munchkins. And you know what, they all CRUSHED it. These little beautiful humans who poured their whole souls into this heartfelt celebration. I can still hear Merc and Dan singing to one another before their ceremony, holding hands and grounding one another, with their voices almost swirling in harmony over the ceramic tiles in the bathroom they were getting ready in. I will admit that I cried a little behind my camera but I won’t ever forget that moment.
But then jump to August when we got to go back to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone to capture Ross and Michelle’s wedding. A literal dream come true. We were lucky enough to be out there last year for a wedding and vowed to return, which I think is a common thing to do when leaving a destination after a vacation, but getting to be back in those mountains again was another *pinch me* moment. And getting to show Capa one of our favorite places was priceless. I’ll always remember how much fun we were all having blasting music in our rental car, driving through the mountains chasing the light, trying to pierce through the haze and smoke to get the infamous views. And then when we finally found the spot to pull off of as the sun was setting over the plains, Ross and Michelle jumping out to go exchange their vows privately against the mountains made it all worth it.
Then there was Chris and Kristen’s amazing Hamptons wedding which pretty much left us speechless. The whole thing was set up on their family property on the highest point of Montauk with 360 degree views that did not disappoint. There were charcuterie boards that put anything on pinterest to shame. I stuffed my face with oysters. Life was good. But most memorable was their dance party– people went fucking nuts. Over the years we have learned that there is a delicate balance to a good party: a sweet spot for the number of wedding guests, the amount of space that they have to dance, the amount of intoxicants available, the quality of music, energy of the band, and overall cohesiveness to the party. Getting all the ingredients *just so* is a rarity, but when all these conditions are met, fun will be had. And Kristen and Chris certainly had fun.
Speaking of these kinds of nights, Lia and Brendan also top out at our favorite tent set up of all time. Two epic sperry tents, immaculate decor, another freaking gorgeous private residence with views that you can only dream of. And then their golden hour. Stealing a couple for these shots isn’t easy sometimes, but always worth it, and the ten minutes that we pulled these two onto the golf course next door was a dream. Lia was beaming, legitimately smiling from ear to ear. Her dress was off the charts gorgeous. Cotton candy clouds billowed in the sky behind them as they sprinted off the green together. The pictures are epic, but the image in my mind is honestly just as good.
Heather and Chase are our most recent holy-amaze-balls wedding and deserve all the shoutouts for their stunner of a Palm Beach wedding. While our dreams of escaping the cold north in exchange for sunny Florida didn’t happen until the last of our four days there (it POURED rain for most of the weekend, like legitimately dumped on us nonstop), they still managed to have a jaw dropping three days worth of celebrating. It’s hard to argue with chillin’ on the rooftop of the Ben hotel with a cold beer, sweet views, and our giggly pool-loving baby on a work trip.
In fact, many of our work trips look like this on the bookends of our trips. One thing that bringing Capa along with us has really forced me to do is slow down a bit, despite still having our busiest year to date. Slowing down might only be for an hour or two at a time, but sometimes that’s all you really need to cue in and appreciate how cool life can be. We set out to be busy, and none of this was an accident.
So yeah, what the hell happened totally rings true for 2021. Heck, we’re not even done as I write this– we’re about to get on another plane to Nashville to close out our season at a New Years Eve wedding. It’s going to be a banger, and we can’t wait. Midnight on Dec 31 will officially close out our work year, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Our lives are sort of wild but also beautiful and as I just begin to process what this whole season has meant to us personally and professionally, I can’t help but be left in awe at how full and inspiring it all is.
– xo, Heather
Enjoy some snapshots from this year:
Bear Mountain State Park Engagement Photos
Apollo Fields | Bear Mountain Engagement Photos | Mountain Engagements | Fall Engagements | New York Wedding Photographer | Long Island Wedding Photographer | NYC Wedding Photos | Best Wedding Photos | Wedding Photographers Near Me
Carly + Kyle’s Bear Mountain Engagement Photos
Waking up on Heather’s family farm, Honeymoon Acres, feels like being part of a child’s storybook. One of the potbelly pigs, either Johnny Walker Tito Cash (yes that is his full name) or Rose grunts to be let outside or serve them breakfast. The silkie chicken that is trying to become a rooster attempts to crow but sounds like the cracking voice of a teenage boy going through puberty. Billy, the arthritic goat, walks through the backyard on her knees because her hooves ache too much. Then I release the dogs: Riddle, Rumor, Bertie, and Ms. Jean to do their business and run around the yard like a pack of wild hyenas. The donkey, Brownie, and pony, Amber, neigh from the barn as I take my first sip of coffee. It’s kind of like Old Macdonalds Farm meets a Tim Burton movie--a motley, quirky crew of animals and family and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Heather and I were in the neighborhood to do Carly and Kyle’s engagement photos at Bear Mountain State Park. I surprisingly had never been to the mountain before and was completely blown away by the panoramic views of the orange, red, and yellow leaves. It was like we still lived in Colorado but the Aspen Trees were swapped out for Maples and Oaks. I’m glad that despite being spoiled for two years in the Rockies that my home back east could still evoke that feeling of smallness; where all you want to do is take a deep breath and exhale above the treetops.
Carly and Kyle live and met in Stamford, Connecticut, and trekked over to Bear Mountain to get some peak foliage engagement photos. They couldn’t have timed it any better and Heather and I were immediately jealous just looking at the raw images in the back of the camera. We started down at Hessian Lake near the lodge for their first casual outfit, then finished at the top next to Perkins Memorial Tower for their more chic look. The top of the mountain was a little crowded with tourists but Carly and Kyle rolled through their paparazzi moment with laughter and smiles.
And that’s why we say having an engagement session is so important! It’s not just to grab some photos for save the dates and invitations--it’s to get in front of our cameras and start to feel comfortable. We know from experience that (almost) no one feels comfortable in front of a camera; ourselves included! You should see my camera reel with all of the photos of Heather hiding her face behind a mask, our baby, or any inanimate object she can get her hands on. It doesn’t feel natural to be the center of attention but that’s exactly what we are on our wedding day. So book an engagement session, peek at our style guide, show up, and we’ll do the rest.
As we drove back down the switchbacks of Bear Mountain we kept fawning over Carly and Kyle and the views. This wedding season has been one for the ages and if Carly and Kyle are any indication, 2023 (!!) is already beginning to take on a beautiful shape.
Astoria Wedding Photographers
Apollo Fields | NYC Wedding Photographers | Wedding Photographers in Queens | Best Wedding Photos | Bohemian Beer Garden Wedding | Photographers Near Me
Alexis & Dan’s Wedding
Ever since Heather and I lived on the Upper West Side over five years ago, people have always talked about “the beer garden” in Astoria, Queens. For us, it was always too far to trek to from the UWS--kind of like Williamsburg or Bushwick in Brooklyn--but the thought of this little German-themed beer and brat oasis has never eluded me. I was so stoked to hear that Alexis and Dan planned to hold their wedding reception at Bohemian Hall because that’s where they had their informal first dates among friends.
We first met Alexis and Dan when we photographed their elopement in Gantry Plaza last year. It was a sweet, intimate outdoor ceremony with the skyline of Manhattan in the backdrop. Champagne was popped, cake cups were served, and smiles and giggles were seen and heard through cloth masks. It was evident that Alexis and Dan’s relationship is light and heartfelt, sincere and silly. They are so thoughtful that they gave us a thank you card with a typewriter print on the outside and a handwritten message on the inside--things like that go really far with us.
When we asked Alexis to compare Dan to an animal, inanimate object, scene, song, or movie in our questionnaire, she said “every entrance Kramer makes into Jerry’s apartment in Seinfeld,” and I can’t stop laughing. That is such a specific reference and vibe that I don’t think I know anyone else that can fit that description. Additionally, Alexis is as ruthless when playing games with Dan as Heather and I are and I love it. She made him spell an answer in Trivial Pursuit once and he said “Vellagio” instead of “Bellagio” and it makes me think of all of the times Heather used a bullshit word in Scrabble and I called her out on it. Relationships are all fun and games until you unfold the cardboard and put the pieces on the board.
Heather and I have always loved to play and bet on games like mini-golf, Scrabble, Patchwork, Tokaido, Sequence, and Rummy. Sometimes we make silly bets like you have to wear two different shoes on a date and other times it’s more serious like you’re picking up the tab at the brewery. There always has to be some element of embarrassment to the wager to really spice up the competition. I fondly remember one time where Heather had to wear her pants backwards at a dinner party we hosted. Somehow, people didn’t really notice--and the one person that did thought it was a style choice, lol.
It’s easy to get caught up with work and other responsibilities and forget to give your partner the same amount of attention that you did at the beginning of your relationship. Over time romance waxes and wanes and life inevitably becomes more complicated. Since having Capa Heather and I have barely played any board games and made any bets. We said we’d make a concerted effort to spend time with each other before he was born, but time management is really difficult with a little one. We both understand that we are doing all we can and before we know it we will be embarrassing one another. I just can’t wait to get Capa in on the action.
Enjoy these pics from Alexis & Dan’s Bohemian Beer Garden Wedding:
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Reception Venue | Bohemian Hall [Beer Garden] | Astoria, Queens | NYC
It’s Us!
With Alexis and Dan having a great time at their wedding!! Reach out for your own photography below:
Three Village Inn Wedding Photography in Stony Brook
Apollo Fields | Three Village Inn Wedding Photos | Candid Wedding Photography | Long Island Wedding Photographer | New York Wedding Photographer | Best Wedding Photos | Photographers Near Me
kelly & derek’s Wedding
I’ve taken 25A heading west on Long Island countless times in my life. Grandma’s house, Smithaven Mall, Port Jefferson Ferry, baseball games in St. James--it’s the kind of road that I never needed to use a GPS for. But just like the rest of this summer, I turned off of 25A towards Three Village Inn for Kelly and Derek’s wedding and stumbled across beautiful places I’ve never been to before.
First, Heather and I grabbed a snack at a local cafe tucked into Old Stony Brook Village, a charming village center of storefronts and restaurants whose timeless facades have been preserved through time. Later in the day we visited Kelly and Derek’s old apartment on Setauket Harbor and captured romantics and bridal party photos to commemorate their relationship’s beginnings as the sun set in the background.
Heather and I love traveling to places where our couples formed core memories of their relationship. It doesn’t get much more romantic than watching a couple sit down in the exact place where they used to picnic, remembering favorite meals as their bodies gradually move closer to one another. I’ve noticed that the natural state of a relationship emerges when sharing a meal; a few pilfered fries here, a sip of a drink there, each partner knowing exactly what they can and can’t get away with--sharing food turns out to be a surprisingly intimate experience.
When Heather and I eat on the road it’s not pretty: gas station snacks, Clif Bars, Starbucks sandwiches, bags of chips or nuts we forgot were in the center console. But when we have time to make a home-cooked meal, or better yet, host a dinner party, there are few things we enjoy more. Our speciality has always been fresh cooked pasta but we love to explore different cuisines, test our skills, and expand our palates. Maybe it’s because we have a lot of experience in hospitality, but we don’t quite understand when people stress about hosting others for a meal. To us, as long as you greet your guests with a drink and have some snacks ready to go, the vibes will take care of themselves. We’re actually waaay overdue on hosting so once wedding season slows down a bit we will totally be busting out our dirty aprons!
When I think about it, the best part about this summer is a lot like entertaining guests in your home: striking up a conversation with a table full of people is all about uncovering beautiful things about your guests that you didn’t already know. Just like traveling is all about discovering places you’ve never been before. We will always feel more comfortable in the familiar, in places we love and with people we know, but real connections happen by taking that extra step and finding the beautiful in the unfamiliar. So turn off your GPS, throw your cookbook away, and invite some friends over for dinner!
Enjoy these photos from Derek & Kelly’s wedding:
vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Three Village Inn | Stony Brook, NY
Dress | Family Heirloom made by Great Grandmother
Videography | Violet and Iris Cinematography
Event Coordinator | One of a Kind Gatherings | Cynthia Lynn
Flowers | Wildflower Touch
Makeup & Hair | Beauty Marks Spa and Bridal Studio
DJ | Todd Barrie Music
Trolley | Hampton Jitney
Limo | LIE Lite Limo
It’s no secret…
…we love weddings! And would love to learn more about YOURS!
follow us on the ‘gram
@apollofields
Prospect Park Engagement Photos
Apollo Fields | Prospect Park Engagement Photos | NYC Wedding Photographer | Brooklyn Wedding Photographer | Best Wedding Photos | Photographers Near Me | New York Wedding Photographer
Ashley and Andrew’s Engagement Photos
A steamy summer Saturday in Brooklyn has a particular vibe: fire hydrants spraying into the street, shirtless people riding Citi-bikes, local vendors selling sliced mangoes or papaya in ziploc bags, and an all-too-familiar New York City stench. Yet being outside is somehow preferable to staying within the comfort of an air conditioned living room. Whether it’s cozying up on a picnic blanket in the shade, catching a baseball game, or grabbing a margarita at a bar, the heat doesn’t scare New Yorkers into hermitude.
When we first met up with Ashley and Andrew for their engagement photos in Prospect Park, Ashley immediately asked if she could hold Capa. It was a trip to see someone I’ve known since my first day in kindergarten throw my eight-month-old baby on their hip. For as long as I can remember, Ashley has always had a maternal presence, caring for her friends as if they were family. Growing up, her mother always welcomed anyone to join their dinner table and it’s endearing to see Ashley embody their tradition of hospitality.
I met Andrew for the first time when I caught a performance of he and Ashley’s band, Moondrunk, at a bar in Brooklyn a few years back. As a hip-hop fan, I was blown away by Andrew’s ability to freestyle rap, a skill that both he and Ashley have shown off in their Broadway performances with Freestyle Love Supreme. From the outside looking in, freestyle rapping is terrifying--conjuring up punchlines seemingly out of thin air--but from a fellow freestyler (albeit a very amateur one), it is one of the most welcoming, loose, fun, and creative experiences I know. You should really try it sometime, or better yet, take a class!
Heather and I are similar to Ash and Andrew in that we are hustlers. While they try to plan things around a hectic performance and rehearsal schedule, we try to plan things around weddings and engagements. We both show up everyday, on time, ready to work, but behind the scenes we are trying to catch our breath (at least speaking for Heather and I). Yet every time Heather and I get a stretch of time at home we enjoy it for a few days then get a bit restless. I imagine it must be the same for Ashley and Andrew, who spend a lot of time in the spotlight.
In the end, it always feels better to push ourselves than to rest on our laurels. For years I allowed myself to stay inside, thinking too much, and not taking enough action. At some point I gave myself an ultimatum: either you put yourself out there or you tell yourself that you are okay never giving it a try. This black-and-white approach allowed me to simplify an otherwise convoluted emotional dilemma, and I began performing spoken word poetry in bars around Manhattan. Through that experience, I learned that I didn’t enjoy performing as much as I enjoyed creating and expressing myself with words and rhythm. I never knew it would lead to me telling couples love stories but here I am--I’ll leave the spotlight for the professionals like Ashley and Andrew.
Hamilton Hall Wedding in NYC
Apollo Fields | NYC Wedding Photographer | Hamilton Hall Wedding | New York Wedding Photos | Wedding Photographers Near Me | Best Wedding Photos | Candid Wedding Photos
Carly & Mike’s Wedding
Walking through Harlem with eight-month-old baby Capa strapped to my chest felt like a bridge between two versions of myself: the mid-twenties, student/martini-mixer and the early-thirties small business owner/infant entertainer extraordinaire. The former stayed up until six a.m. drinking and the latter currently wakes at six a.m. to help another person drink. Sleep is seldom in both versions but the idea of it is much sexier now. The link between the two is my wife, Heather, who helped elevate my life from those romantically late New York City nights to my current state of blissful, overworked, exhaustion.
I first met Carly when she was a bartender at my favorite late night jaunt, a bar fondly remembered as AmTav (Amsterdam Tavern) at 106th and Broadway. I’d walk in with my tie undone and saddle up to the bar next to other industry folk with empty shot glasses in front of them. Carly would always be finishing a story or giving somebody the business over what an idiot they were. She embodied the kind of take-no-shit NYC bartender that I always wanted to be but never had the stomach for. I met her partner, Mike, there a number of nights after he finished his shift down at St. Marks that all seem to blend together now. He was (and is) always so kind, charming, and welcoming. They really make a great pair.
Carly and Mike love hosting for all the same reasons Heather and I love hosting: fresh food, strong, well-made drinks, and gathering people around a table to share stories and laugh. They know not to freak out when guests start arriving because they know things always will come together. Just throw a drink in their hands, keep doing what you’re doing, or ask them to help. The true beauty of having good friends is that you can rely on them—the frivolous, irresponsible, and selfish ones were cut before last call.
Carly and Mike replanned their wedding more times than an Upper West Sider sends back a bone dry martini. Yet they still held an incredibly authentic celebration of their love at The Hamilton Hall in Harlem. Carly and Mike’s guests first walked into the space to find handmade seating cards made by Carly herself. Then, as they made their way past the long, wooden bar, more personalized details adorned the tables and walls: wildflower arrangements, specialized bitters from TNT Bitters (a company that Mike runs with his business partner, Anna), and printed itineraries of what to expect the rest of the evening. They held their ceremony down on a secluded outdoor patio and they entered together to the biggest ovation I have heard for a bride and groom to date.
There is absolutely a community in the late night bar scene in New York City. We grew closer as the morning grew nearer and we never seemed to care. We learned that you leave some friends at the service bar because you want something more. And there was always some epiphanic revelation about life that turned out to be nonsense in the morning. But maybe those late nights and early mornings were training us to operate on short sleep to have a family one day. Or maybe we were just rounding up a crew of misfits that we were just beginning to consider family. Either way, food and drink did bring us together.
Enjoy these photos from Mike & Car’s NYC Wedding:
vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Hamilton Hall
Seating Cards | Crafted by the bride, Carly
Floral | Crafted by the bride, Carly
Day-Of Coordinator | Sophie Russek
Coming Atcha
Team Apollo with some of our faves!!
Riviera Waterfront Mansion Wedding Photos
Apollo Fields | Long Island Wedding Photographers | NY Wedding Photographers | Best Wedding Photos | Riviera Waterfront Mansion Wedding Photographer | Massapequa Wedding Photographer | LI Wedding Photographer
Kristen & Mike
Fall colors, a stiff but gentle breeze, your significant other nestling onto the shoulder of your flannel shirt. Genuine laughter, a pause, and the click of the shutter from Heather’s camera. Heather, Mike, Kristen, and I marched forward, brittle leaves crackling beneath our feet as we circled Stump Pond in Blydenburgh Park in Smithtown in fall 2019. Pre-Covid memories like these seem more like a dream, reminiscent of the pristine moments from Heather and I’s honeymoon in Jamaica. They manifest a clear division of before and after [quarantine] in my mind, where our relationships with our couples represent the light at both ends of a dark tunnel.
Kristen and Mike held their ceremony last year in East Northport, stopping in Heckscher Park in Huntington afterwards for family formals and romantics. They turned it up this year for their reception at the Riviera Waterfront Mansion in Massapequa and it did not disappoint! Although it rained, the beautifully renovated property right on South Oyster Bay allowed Kristen and Mike’s family and friends to mingle and explore, especially when the clouds let up for a short while.
Kristen and Mike took it all in stride, allowing themselves to enjoy the celebration that they waited so long for. When cocktail hour gave way to the reception, the grand entrances of the wedding party officially kick started the day. With a camera on one hip and a stuffed octopus on the other, Heather, Capa (with protective headphones) and I danced and documented these priceless moments. Seeing all of Kristen and Mike’s closest family and friends that we’d met the year before reminded us how grateful we are for being, albeit briefly, allowed into these intimate circles of our couple’s lives. Occasionally we’re even lucky enough to be invited to photograph one of their siblings or relative’s weddings!
Such is the case with Kristen’s brother, Mike, and his fiance, Caity. We’ll be photographing their wedding at Sunken Meadow State Park in August 2022 and we’re already pumped. Caity and Mike, like Kristen and Mike, are fun loving, salt-of-the-earth type people. They’re the kind of people you want to sit around a bonfire with, sharing stories, ‘smores, and a drink or two. They’re the kind of people you can count on.
And in this last year I think we’ve all needed and found the people in our lives that we can count on. I was surprised that my five siblings and I kept a weekly Zoom chat going all year. It culminated into our first family vacation together with all of our partners and children. For all of the turmoil that each one of us have been through, having a friend or family member you can count on is one of the most valuable assets you can have in life. Lucky for Mike and Kristen, Caity and Mike, and Heather and I, we all have our partners, and now we all have each other to follow the light outside the tunnel.
Enjoy these photos from Kristen & Mike’s Riviera Waterfront wedding reception:
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Riviera Waterfront Mansion | Massapequa, NY
Videography | Chris Lobello Productions
Suits | Karako
Dress | Madi Lane Bridal
Hair Vine | Green Alaska
Shoes | Betsey Johnson
Floral | Tim’s Florist | Massapequa, NY
Having the best time!
With Kristen & Mike ANDDDD one of our couples for next year, Caity & Mike!!
Waterside Restaurant Weddings New Jersey
Apollo Fields | North Bergen Wedding Photographer | Long Island Wedding Photographers | Photographers Near Me | Best Wedding Photos | NJ Wedding Photographers | Waterside Wedding Photos | Candid Wedding Photography
Heather and Scott’s Wedding
“This is actually the park where Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton,” Scott told me, his eyebrows raised with the enthusiasm that comes with sharing a juicy factoid. Heather (my wife), Heather (the bride-to-be), Scott, Capa, and I were walking through Hamilton Park in Weehawken, New Jersey, just on the other side of the Hudson from Manhattan, snapping some pre-wedding celebration photos before we made our way up to their venue. I have to say, the view of the skyline from Hamilton Park is unparalleled--and I do love me some views from Brooklyn Bridge Park, The Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, Liberty State Park (NJ), and Gantry Plaza--but the combination of the elevation and the location of the park (across from ~ 48th Street in NYC) truly takes the cake.
I met Heather and Scott about seven years ago in my favorite community that I’ve ever been a part of in New York--Sheep’s Meadow Ultimate [Frisbee]. Led by a dear friend, Ben, Sheep’s Meadow Ultimate is an ever-increasing group of performers, hospitality professionals, tourists, and pretty much anyone who ever wanted to join in on our ultimate frisbee game. We spent so many hot summer days out there, sweating, laughing, and trying not to get kicked out by the park rangers. I knew Heather and Scott before they were Heather and Scott--and it’s amazing that our frisbee community led to Heather and I being their wedding photographers.
Heather and Scott are performers through-and-through. They’ve both been on Broadway and it had me wondering how people who love the spotlight fared through quarantine. They said that they both found ways to redirect their unspent energy: exercising, eating healthy, exploring career options that don’t rely on rooms filled with hundreds of people. They’ve fallen in love with biking up and down the coast of New Jersey, staring across the Hudson at the city that brought them together. “We love it here,” Scott said.
I was so excited to see Heather and Scott dance together because I know the energy and skill that each of them bring to the table. So when the music started and the smoke machine started pumping I put headphones on Capa and Heather and I started snapping away. Heather and Scott immediately locked right in, synchronizing steps, movements, and looks toward the crowd, baiting their guests with confident stares that said, I know you want more. Things started getting really spicy when Scott heard Michael Jackson come on. I’m so jealous of performers like Heather and Scott who can own a stage like that--Heather and I talk a big game--but when all the lights are on us we pick up a camera, pen, or meet for a beer at the bar.
When you make a connection with someone you never know how long it’s going to last. I’ve seen so many friends disappear over the years, and sadly enough, most of the time it’s for the better. Yet the ones that come back, the ones that reach out, and say, “hey, heard you were in town, want to grab a beer?” Are the ones who are growing right along with you; the ones who aren’t just living life but taking center stage.
Enjoy Scott & Heather’s Wedding Reception Photos:
vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Waterside Weddings
Team Apollo!
Having a blast, as usual, with baby Capa in tow!
Maine Barn Wedding Photos at Granite Ridge Estate
Apollo Fields | Maine Wedding Photographers | Barn Wedding Photos in Maine | Granite Ridge Estate Wedding Photographer | Norway, Maine
Jessica & Matthew’s Wedding
Jumping into Lake Pennesseewassee in Norway, Maine, in those last few moments before I broke the surface of the water, I realized this was the third lake I’d been jumping into in as many days. Heather and I spent the previous week in upstate New York and I plunged into Lake Sunnyside and Lake George with the same childlike enthusiasm. As reckless or juvenile as the act of jumping into a body of water can be, anyone who knew me before my trip to Bermuda in 2010 knows that my leap into the Atlantic Ocean from a rock in Horseshoe Bay truly changed my approach to life. That all-too-literal coming of age story was when I gave myself permission to be who I was rather than who I thought everyone wanted me to be.
Last year in August, Heather and I met up with Jessica and Matt in the North End district of Boston for their engagement photos at Long Wharf and Somerville. We knew immediately as we stumbled upon the first photo location that Jessica and Matt were one of those couples that have it. It is something that can’t be taught, learned, or fabricated. It is when two people meet each other at the perfect time in their lives, develop alongside and with one other, and are able to both enjoy and plan the trajectory of their relationship. Some people might call it falling in love—but I think that sounds too passive or reactive—and doesn’t quite capture the active role that partners play in realizing, deciding, and building a meaningful life with someone else.
Jessica and Matt, with the help of Liz, their amazing planner, and Jessica’s father, John, and Matt’s mother, Kathy, threw a wedding for the ages at Granite Ridge Estate and Barn in Maine. From the rehearsal dinner at Oxbow Beer Garden, to the New England church ceremony, vintage gold Bentley, delicious food, overflowing florals, panoramic views, and the best goddamn wedding band we’ve ever danced to—Matt and Jessica’s celebration of it was want for nothing. Jessica even braved the weeds going barefoot (!!) in her wedding dress to get those iconic shots during golden hour. One time for all the brides out there who throw down like that!
Those are the kind of photos and memories that you have to take the leap for like I did in Horseshoe Bay. Jess, Matt, Heather and I know that you can live your whole life in those tense moments of contemplation, frustration, and regret or you can kick off your damned shoes and jump in! Before Bermuda I introduced myself as Terry to anyone I met, but afterwards, I started going by Terrence. I was sick of the half-confident way I used to say it when people would respond, “what, who?” I was sick of that feeling after I left a party when I didn’t go say hi to my crush. I finally had enough and it was then that I decided to start tipping the scale in those moments of uncertainty into a more certain direction.
So in those last few seconds before I broke the surface of Lake Pennesseewassee I wasn’t thinking about how cold it was going to be, or what kind of critters were in the lake, all I could think about was how easy it was to make that decision—to just kick off my shoes, take off my shirt, be who I wanted to be, and jump on in.
Owbow Brewing Company Rehearsal Dinner / Welcome Drinks:
Granite Ridge Estate & Barn Wedding:
vendors:
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Granite Ridge Estate | Norway, ME
Catering | Essential Chefs | John Martin
Planner | Elegant Aura
Staffing | Strange Events
Floral | Kathy | Mother of Groom
Cake | Bear Brook Bakery
Band | Soul of Boston
Videographer | Toast Wedding Films
Rentals | Affordable Events | Scott
Drapery | Maine Event Decor
Hair & Makeup | Her. A Bridal Beauty Company
Say Hey
Our classic end-of-night pic! Except we put down our cameras and closed down this shindig with Jess & Matt because their band was THAT good!!!
Central Park Wedding in Shakespeare's Garden
Apollo Fields | New York Wedding Photographers | Central Park Wedding | Wedding Photos in Central Park | Shakespeare's Garden Wedding Photos | Belvedere’s Castle Wedding | Best Wedding Photos | New York Wedding Photographer | NYC Wedding Photographer
Emily + David
Damn it feels good to be back! I’m finally beginning to feel like myself again after such a tumultuous year. With every conversation my mind is making new connections to old memories like fresh breaths of spring air. Heather and I are back on the road, this time with Capa’s squishy napping face in the seatback mirror. First stop, Emily and David’s intimate wedding at Shakespeare’s Garden in Central Park!
Like many other couples, Emily and David’s wedding plans changed several times, but their pivot to an intimate ceremony near Shakespeare’s Garden in Central Park struck all of the right chords. Tucked into a small picnic area directly behind the steps of Belvedere’s Castle, Emily and David’s ceremony was light, heartfelt, and honest. Small drizzles of rain dropped upon our heads but the clouds held off, creating an almost fantasy-like novel atmosphere of refracted light.
We strolled through Shakespeare’s Garden, stopping to take a series of photos in front of the blossoming tulips that bursted with color. We turned a corner and stumbled across a couple of surprised locals when Heather was clicking away on her Nikon while at the same time nursing Capa. “You are my idol,” one woman shouted, “You go girl,” said another. Integrating the development of our son into our business will be a constant give-and-take relationship, but it is one that we find deeply important as parents and partners.
We continued on through the paths between the trees towards Bethesda Fountain, where Emily and David first wanted to have their ceremony. A nice group of teenagers moved when they saw us beginning to pose them in front of the fountain--an act of kindness that I will never forget. Just as we were about to wrap the close shots of them at the fountain a gust of wind swept through and drenched Emily and David like a log flume at Six Flags. They laughed it off and began to dance and share space with one another on the side.
Emily’s dress was the perfect combination of class and comfort, as she was able to navigate the park and look absolutely stunning. David’s great smile and fun personality popped from the lapels of his grey suit as we moved beneath the terrace where there were a couple of quintessential New York City buskers. Heather encouraged Emily and David to take a moment and enjoy a dance in the spot where they wanted to get married, when suddenly one of the buskers began tenderly singing Lean on Me by Bill Withers, and the entire moment came together so serendipitously. It was impossible not to become emotional in a beautiful happenstance like that given all that Emily, David and all of us have been through this last year.
Emily and David went on to have a small reception at a local Irish pub where they spent a lot of time early in their relationship. I think everyone who has spent a good amount of time in NYC has their own Irish pub; maybe a year from now we can all go back and celebrate the one year anniversary when the warm spring air begins to smell like tulips again.
Team Apollo
In our favorite park (Central Park, duh!) doing what we do best.
Sunrise Elopement Vow Exchange at Brooklyn Bridge
Apollo Fields | Brooklyn Bridge Engagement | Sunrise Brooklyn Bridge Photos | Wedding Photos Brooklyn Bridge | Brooklyn Bridge park, NY
It’s funny how the arches of Brooklyn Bridge, in all of their man-made glory, reminded me of the natural beauty of the Grand Tetons at sunrise. I’ve really learned to love the quiet of early mornings, especially in places like New York City that are known for their cacophony of sounds. When we met up with Vanessa and Jake to photograph them as they shared their vows that October morning, there were plenty of cars whizzing by below us but none were blaring their horns. The only sounds we heard were the heavy breaths of bikers passing by and their bells ringing in the distance.
Vanessa and Jake are one of those couples that claim that they don't know what to do in front of the camera then proceed to dance and play like they are the stars of a rom-com. I’m trying to find a word more accurate than ‘chemistry’ that captures this--the way that two people interact when they are so obviously in love. I think it’s part being comfortable with PDA and part being comfortable with yourself; and we could tell very quickly that Vanessa and Jake had it whatever it is.
Vanessa and Jake picked the Brooklyn Bridge to have a vow sharing/first date anniversary because that’s where Jake proposed. They playfully recreated the moment on the spot where it happened while popping a bottle of champagne! It seems that in every proposal story the person who is proposing is always uncharacteristically failing at trying to be sly to get their partner to the spot they want to propose and we think it’s hilarious. I mean there’s no smooth way to be like, ‘let’s walk to this super picturesque spot and just take in the good vibes’ without it sounding super forced. Everyone knows that those fleeting moments are so great precisely because they aren’t scripted. Here’s one for all the romantics out there like Jake and I who try no matter what.
From there we trekked to both their old and new neighborhoods in Bed Stuy and got some shots of them at other landmarks of their relationship. We love taking a trip down memory lane with our couples, it gives us a chance to really get to know them. Jake and Vanessa even took a silly photo in front of a token NYC Chinese food restaurant because Jake has an affinity for those hole-in-the-wall joints--and who can blame him, boneless spare ribs are effing delicious.
Spending that morning with Vanessa and Jake really solidified why I love New York as much as I love the mountains. We just walked and told stories and watched as the city came alive (I was totally blown away by how many people go for a run at sunrise). Heather goes on and on about the beautiful alpen glow of the morning and the golden hour at night and I hate to admit that I’m beginning to enjoy chasing the light with her. Whether it is on mountain peaks, city streets, or a fluorescent light behind a Chinese restaurant sign, to the light we go.
Enjoy these images from Vanessa & Jake’s sunrise ceremony:
Photography: Apollo Fields
Top of the Rock NYC Engagement Session
Top of the Rock Engagement photos | nyc wedding photographer | New York City Photographers | Central Park Wedding Photography | bethesda fountain engagement | dog engagement photos New York | Apollo Fields
A good barometer for how New York is doing is to take a walk in Central Park by Bethesda Fountain. It’s usually swarmed with performers, musicians, photographers and tourists. At a wedding we did this summer we almost had the entire space to ourselves. But when we met up with Kryzia and Celestino in September for their engagement photos in NYC: the bubbles were out, musical notes floated in the air, and the shutters were clicking. It was then that we knew that New York wasn't going anywhere.
Kryzia and Celestino are a couple of born-and-bred New Yorkers. They actually live just a few blocks from where Heather used to live in Harlem. As soon as we met up with them on that beautiful fall day we could tell how kind and genuine both Kryzia and Celestino were. With the help of their adorably well-behaved Siberian Husky, Blizzard, and Celestino’s brother and his girlfriend, we broke the early jitters of doing engagement photos in such a highly trafficked place.
From there we walked south through the park, stopping to take photos in some locations you would never believe were taken in New York City. I loved Kryzia’s choice to don a leather jacket, perfectly complimenting her gentle appearance with an edge you could tell was there. Celestino’s modern outfit exuded the calm confidence that he carried himself with--self-assured and humble. Together they glowed in the brightness of the fall day, sharing stories of how they met and how their relationship has evolved over the years.
We concluded our shoot at another iconic New York landmark: the Top of the Rock AKA the observation deck at the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Even though it’s commonplace to hate on tourist attractions, I actually will go out on a limb and defend this one. The view of Central Park to the north, the Empire State Building, Freedom Tower, and the rest of downtown Manhattan to the south--combined with the eerie silence of the breeze 70 floors up--provides the perfect amount of space to reflect on the beautiful beast that New York City is. Celestino and Kryzia danced amidst the skyscrapers and had a great time doing it! I was also blown away by the photos we took inside in the all white marble setting and the absolutely stunning juxtaposition with their bold outfit choices.
Kryzia and Celestino will be getting married in Miami in 2021 but showed us how true New Yorkers are living in 2020. People may be fleeing from the concrete jungle, but the resilience and kindness of the people that remain show the city’s true colors. New York has always been a mosaic of humanity, celebrating communities of all kinds in all shapes and sizes--it’ll take more than a pandemic to change that. I’m grateful that Kryzia and Celestino reminded us of that while also disproving the misconception that New Yorkers are rough around the edges (we’re only mean if you’re blocking the subway or standing on the left of the escalator). So whether you’re from New York, Florida, or anywhere in the world—if you didn’t know, now you know—New York isn’t going anywhere.
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
Indian Fusion Wedding Photography in Pennsylvania
Krishna and Nikko’s Wedding | Fusion Indian Wedding in NYC | Apollo Fields Photography
What exactly is a “fusion wedding”? Simply put, it is when partners from two distinctly different cultures, religions, and/or traditions choose to celebrate their marriage with elements from both backgrounds. Personally, I love photographing fusion weddings because there is such an opportunity for couples to handpick the traditions that they choose to honor and quiet the ones that maybe don’t resonate as much with them.
Fusion weddings can also serve as a platform for education and acceptance across cultures because oftentimes, you are bringing together generations of family and friends whose own beliefs and practices might differ from about half of the ones being honored during the wedding. For me, personally, I always appreciate when a couple creates a ceremony program that gives a little explanation about the customs that are being honored. This is a great way to gently explain what is happening for guests who are curious, but might be timid, to ask about the traditions because they either don’t want to come off as ignorant or say something that might accidentally be offensive.
Fusion weddings are also a great opportunity to use attire to celebrate one another’s culture. Each culture has its own version of traditional wedding clothing and goes far beyond the western version of a bride wearing a white gown and the groom in a black suit. For example, many Chinese brides wear red as a symbol of good luck and posterity, many Scottish grooms choose their family’s kilt, a lot of African couples are adorned in intricate patterns, etc… With Nikko and Krishna’s wedding, I loved the moment where Nikko gets adorned with a traditional turban as a symbol of supporting the culture he is marrying into, and being likewise accepted. Nikko later changed into a more traditional western suit for the second half of the wedding day, which is a great example of how both brides and grooms can embrace their cultures simultaneously.
The food being served at a fusion wedding is also something that I always take a lot of care to notice. The menu can be another great place to honor traditional foods and also play with combining recipes a bit. I tend to think that menu cards that explain the different foods are the most helpful for a few reasons: First, put the name of the food and perhaps its pronunciation next to it. I find that food is a great way to get multicultural conversations started— hey, we all love to eat, right?— and if someone isn’t anxious about a mispronunciation, then they are more likely to talk about it. I also recommend a description of the food (particularly if it is vegetarian friendly, gluten friendly, etc) and perhaps even a guide to whether or not it is spicy. I see a hesitation in a lot of westerners when it comes to sampling new Indian foods because they are worried that they will be too spicy, and I’ve found that a simple heads up about what to expect is more likely to empower someone to try a foreign food.
The last element that I find really intriguing about fusion weddings is the music for the day. Many cultures choose to celebrate weddings with traditional dances, songs, and performances. This can be a great way to blend different backgrounds and get everyone dancing together and supporting one another. I find that music can be a powerful tool for bringing cultures together and some of the baraat photos at Nikko and Krishna’s wedding highlight that the best because you see both sides coming together to escort the groom to the ceremony with the best energy and celebratory vibes possible. Everyone was just celebrating and supporting the couple rather than worrying about strictly abiding by cultural norms.
Fusion weddings are more than just two people from different backgrounds choosing to get married. They are two families and backgrounds finding their middle ground without having to sacrifice ones beliefs. They can be an opportunity for understanding and personal growth as well as a platform for acceptance and nurturing. Being able to capture weddings across so many different cultures and religions is one of the core reasons that I love being a photographer in the first place, because it does oftentimes serve as my ticket into being an accepted member of this celebration, and even if only for a few hours. I have had nothing but positive experiences throughout the years that I have been doing this, which is why I am always especially proud of these photos.
Shot by Apollo Fields for Studio Nine
Destination Wedding Photography by Apollo Fields
Busy Season as a Destination Wedding Photographer | Behind The Lens With Apollo Fields | NYC and CO Wedding Photography
Busy season:
This is the feast to my mid-winter famine, when the sun is shining and I seem to wear nothing but little black dresses and yoga pants. It is the constant buzz of start-times and deadlines, the tick-tick-tick of my shutter as me and my camera search for that exact tear-jerker moment, and it is the click-clicking while I edit on cars, trains, and planes because there ain’t no rest for the wicked.
Busy season is when I feel most alive and maybe it’s just the coffee talking but there’s nothing I love more than being in the swirling energy of my couples, their vibrant wedding parties, and their nutty families. I am there for the chaos and the calm and I’m taking the same collective deep breath as everyone else right when the ceremony begins.
Oftentimes, I am right in the nucleus of it all. I am a stranger in sacred circles and I hope I never take that for granted. Few jobs allow such an outsider into their sanctuaries but the acceptance I feel as I stand under altars, mandaps, and chuppahs is a reminder that it is possible to put our differences aside without compromising who we are. Some of my favorite moments are when I am surrounded by practices that I do not understand, yet somehow the camera grants me permission to be included anyway.
I am there breathing in the same incense as you with the same tackiness of sandalwood in the back of my throat. I feel the heat of your fires and I have the same resonate hum in my core when2 the ceremonial gong is struck. I am right there to hear the crunch of the breaking glass when the wedding is made official. I may not always understand the language—but I always see the connection between humans as I am shooting.
My job is to find those generational bonds that keep us together and give you the photos that tell that greater narrative. Somehow you have made it this far and that story is worth telling. Busy season challenges me as an artist and a business owner, but how damn lucky am I to get to do this over and over again? The memory cards are filling up and we’re busy trekking around the country into cities and mountains and oceans and none of it is lost on me.
Thanks to everyone who helps to keep this crazy dream of mine alive,
Heather
Top Of The Rock Photographers in NYC
Callie & Tyler | Top of the Rock NYC | Central Park New York | Rockefeller Center | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
I’m really excited about this session for a lot of reasons but I think the biggest reason is because it really represents both of the worlds that I love – skyscrapers and mountains – since Callie & Tyler came out from Colorado to visit NYC for their anniversary! It was so fun to connect with them in the city and get to show an awesome CO couple this city that I love so much. Callie is also a wedding photographer in Colorado and runs Callie Riesling Photography. She loves to travel and has a great blog of her own about all of the places that she goes for work and play with her family!
I was so excited when I found out that they would be in NYC at the same time as me. We chatted about their itinerary and decided that we would begin the afternoon skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park and then head over to Top of the Rock for golden hour. This was the perfect blend of iconic New York without being too touristy for me and it seemed to match their styles, too.
Callie and Tyler both love skating but are used to wearing hockey skates so they had me laughing when we first began since (I didn’t know this) regular skates are different than hockey skates, so they told me that they might be super clumsy on the ice and hanging onto each other to avoid falling. Well, of course they got out there and still looked like champs, so I was happy to be on the sidelines because I would have definitely been eating the ice if that were me!
Then we walked down to Rockefeller Center and headed up to the observation deck at Top of the Rock. Our timing was perfect because the sun was just beginning to set and the golden light was approaching. It was cloudy and we didn’t get a true “golden” hour, but the light was super soft and dreamy and the city was pretty magnificent anyway! We got to watch the sun set and the city lights all begin to turn on while snapping photos away in one of NYC’s best locations. A perfect end to a session, I’d say!
I was so happy to spend the afternoon with this couple because we immediately clicked about the wedding industry, Colorado life, and the contrasts and similarities with NYC. It was great to show them around my city for a bit and play tour guide since I’m so used to seeing New York from a local’s point of view now that I forget sometimes how amazing it truly is.
New York City Photography: Apollo Fields
Locations:
Top of the Rock | NYC
Central Park | NYC
Rockefeller Center | NYC