The Proposal

Recently we found ourselves in New York City to photograph a surprise proposal. It was an incredible experience to be a part of and we are truly grateful for the opportunity. We figured we'd share some of the photographs with you, and briefly describe the day for you.

The proposal ended up being photographed in the lounge of The W Hotel in Manhattan. This was after a previous day and a half of planning, which was originally supposed to happen in a gondola in Central Park. After scouting the location it became apparent to us, and to the nervous soon-to-be-fiance, that there were way too many variables that couldn't be controlled with this location. The location would change several more times throughout the course of the day as we tried to find a location that would allow for things to unfold the way that he envisioned it, and in an environment that we'd be able to capture everything as it was happening.

Missy, the bride-to-be, was on a girls only trip with Rocky's sisters and friends in New York. All but one sister, Sandy, were completely unaware of Rocky's presence there in the city. Sandy was the master planner behind the operation, and was secretly texting back and forth with Rocky as they tried to coordinate everything. It was really quite amazing that everything hinged upon the text messages of these two, as every detail had to be meticulously planned down to which couch they'd sit on when they arrived in the lounge. It all came down to the last text messages minutes before they arrived, and I even had to have my wife hold the seats for them and mysteriously get up and leave as they walked to to make sure that we could capture it all.

Here is Rocky minutes before they arrived, obviously trying to shake off some of the nervousness that appeared in the final minutes, and continuing to text back and forth with Sandy. Ultimately Rocky would call Missy, ask to be put on speaker phone, and ask his sisters if they thought that Missy would make a good sister-in-law as he walked around the corner from his hiding spot completely surprising them all!

And here is the proposal, and subsequent reactions!

And the future sister-in-laws look on with approval!

The Engagement Portraits

After giving the couple some down time from the morning's recent events, our job was to shoot engagement portraits for the couple throughout New York City.

Video of the shoot here: CLICK HERE

We started out in Central Park, ironically by The Central Park Boathouse where the proposal was originally supposed to take place.

Even in Central Park it was possible to find some great architecture to incorporate in the shoot.

What I found particularly great about shooting in the city itself was that people were so accustomed to all sorts of activities and photo shoots going on that they weren't particularly interested in what we were doing and left us alone. The same cannot be said for many other cities and areas around the country, and I've had my own experiences within the French Quarter in New Orleans that have made shooting around crowds of people a particular challenge.

We finished the shoot in Times Square, and then we all went to Carmine's for great food and drinks. The experience was terrific and the opportunity to shoot in New York City was amazing! We'll be shooting their wedding in Ft. Walton, Florida, on the beach at sunset!

Rocky and Missy were terrific subjects, and we thank them for letting us be a part of the entire experience. Best of wishes from us to you, and we're looking forward to being a part of everything else!