Hank + Kristen Madison Square Park Proposal

Congrats, Hank and Kristen! The plan: After brunch with Kristen’s parents, her sister Kasey, and their friend Alex, would all walk through Madison Square Park where Hank would propose. The Spot: The northwest corner of the park in front of the fountain with the clocktower in the background.

MY PLAN ON HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH A nyc proposal

At 2:30pm just as we planned, the group walked in to the park. As they all approached the fountain, Kristen’s family and Alex stopped, and Kristen and Hank walked ahead.

Hank proposed.

POST PROPOSAL ENGAGEMENT STYLE SESSION PHOTOS ARE MY FAVORITE

After a few candid moments, several posed shots, and a family photo, we captured a great mini-session throughout Madison Square Park. This area of Manhattan really captures the essence of NYC and the Flatiron District. We took full advantage of the perfect late Fall afternoon light, remaining foliage, and the Christmas lights throughout the proposal shoot.

Jonathan Heisler Photography is comprised of Professional New York City photographers specializing in photographing private NYC proposals, as well as engagement sessions and weddings.

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Mike + Meghan Carroll Gardens Engagement Session

Meghan and Mike are awesome, and so are their two dogs, and so is their apartment in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. I’ve know Mike and Meghan from our summers at the beach and through my college friend Joe. Throughout the summer and fall, these two spend almost every weekend at the beach. If they’re not camping, fishing, or surfing they’re hanging out by the water with their friends enjoying a good beer.

When Mike proposed two weeks ago, out in Montauk, he quickly reached out asking if I could photograph their engagement photos. Everything these two do is done with a smile. So, I knew our shoot would be fun. Prior the session, I thought about how I could capture Mike and Meghan’s fun spirit. Luckily, they had a few ideas of their own; pizza, beer, dogs, their Brooklyn apartment, and the Yankees.

We started off in their apartment. Then, we moved on to their iconic Brooklyn brownstone steps. From there, we walked around Carroll gardens.

Matt + Erica Gantry Plaza Proposal

Congrats Matt and Erica! About a month ago, Matt and I started planning how and where he’d propose. Since Matt and Erica live in Long Island City, near Gantry Plaza State Park, Gantry Plaza with its awesome views of the New York City skyline only made sense.

Photographing a Long Island City Proposal makes me love NYC that much more. It is quintessential New York

Together, Matt and I, scouted the area, sent texts and emails with screenshots of the area, watched the weather, created a Plan A and a Plan B, and decided on a post proposal restaurant for a brunch.

The morning of Matt’s proposal the weather was “iffy” with rain in forecast. I arrived to Gantry Plaza a whole 90 minutes early to send Matt final photos of our Plan A location. I also sent a Plan B location which was under an awning. Finally, with 40 minutes to go and the rain drops subsiding we said “Plan A is a go!”. The skies cleared.

As I saw Matt and Erica approach I cleared the pier. It was a HUGE surprise for Erica.

capturing a mini-engagement session provides variety in the images i can deliver (posed and candid photos)

We took full advantage of the Spring flowers on our post proposal shoot.

Jourdan + Adam | Winter DUMBO Engagement Session

Brrrr it was cold! Jourdan and Adam were real troopers for making their Brooklyn Bridge engagement session this awesome! Origionally, we were scheduled for Sunday, but with an alleged snow storm on the way we rescheduled for Saturday.

When planning their engagement session Jourdan and Adam asked me what they should wear. Knowing it would be cold (28*), I said “Wear something you’ll be comfortable in, something fashionable, and something not too puffy. You’ll definitely want to wear a warm jacket though. A peacoat would be a great idea.” Peacoat it was! These two knocked it out of the park with their simple and clean look.

We started out near the Brooklyn Bridge Ice Cream Factory lighthouse and slowly made our way in to DUMBO stopping along the way. Adam expressed he felt a bit awkward in front of the camera and I kept this in mind throughout our shoot. I too, even as a professional photographer, am not the most photogenic and comfortable being photographed, so I completely understand how he feels. I had Jourdan and Adam do real simple poses and broke up their posing with easy relaxing walking shots (holding hands, Jordan holding Adam’s arm, looking at each other…).

Jourdan’s number 1 (and only) ask was to get a shot of them on Washington Street with the Manhattan Bridge prominently in the background. I love this shot because if you time your shoot right and position the couple correctly you’ll capture the Empire State Building dead center in between the bridge’s support tower. It’s a cool shot, which captures a lot.

Later that evening, I texted Jourdan the photos above (a small sample) and recieved a quick reply.

“Jonathan these are amazing!!”. - Jourdan

Stephanie and Ray Grand Central Engagement Session

Ray is from New York. Stephanie is from Indiana.

When Stephanie first reached out to me about capturing her engagement photos, I knew immediately this would be a great shoot. Flying in from Indiana for a holiday themed trip to NYC to see Ray’s family, she and her new fiance had plans to shoot in Grand Central. Grand Central Terminal is, in my opinion, one of the most amazing buildings in New York and I couldn’t wait to shoot there.

The biggest challenge of photographing inside Grand Central are the crowds. We chose several locations throughout the terminal, which showed off the iconic space and would allow us to work together without being trampled. I wanted to capture the energy, chaos, and excitement of NYC, and I think we really knocked it out of the park with these photos!

Bryan and Nicole Central Park Proposal

Proposing in NYC is iconic.

Rain, Rain, Go away… and maybe come back another day? For two weeks, Bryan and I planned how he was going to propose and where. We decided on Central Park just past the Bow Bridge at around 12:30pm. And then, 3 days before the big day the weather headed South with rain in the forecast. I made several suggestions for a plan B location (Grand Central, Holiday Shops, The Oculus). However, we stayed positive and we kept watching the weather hoping for the best. Our concern was “would Nicole go on a walk through the park if it was raining?”. Creating a story and convincing her to go is always a challenge.

photographing their proposal reminded me of why i love new york city.

In the end it all worked out! The rain ended earlier in the morning and Nicole agreed to go on walk throughout the park with Bryan.

Just a few minutes before Bryan and Nicole arrived, I politely asked several lingering tourist if they could move. “A couple is about to arrive and he’s going to propose. Do you mind moving to the side?” I politely asked.

Bryan and Nicole arrived. As tourists made their way around the couple, Bryan went down on one knee and Nicole gasped!

After the big moment everyone took it all in. There was crying and there was laughter.

After a capturing the big moment. I introduced myself. We took several posed photos, a few close ups of Nicole’s new ring, and then we went for a walk throughout Central Park. Bryan and I had chosen a few locations for more photos (the Ramble, Reservoir…). It was great!

Congrats Bryan and Nicole!