Jim
Georgetown Alumnus Jim Gaffigan speakers after his performance.
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
SoundOff ShakeUpNYC
Shape Up NYC is a free, drop-in fitness program (no class registration) with locations across the five boroughs. The awesome part about this program is community members just simply show up to take the fitness classes, there’s no signup! The classes combine aerobics, yoga, Pilates, Zumba, light weights and much more. SoundOff Experience provided the DJ and headphones used during Friday evening’s silent workout event at the Chelsea Recreation Center.
SoundOff Experience is a wireless headphone technology company that lets guests simultaneously tune in to up to three channels of audio from DJs, event leaders, fitness instructors, and multimedia presentations all at the same time. Friday’s event was a silent event for those without headphones. For those with headphones, the event was a super personal experience as you listened to music and to the instructor through your headphones as your worked out.
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!
Hadar's Rising Song Institute – Joey Weisenberg
Hadar’s Rising Song Institute seeks to empower Jewish community-building through music. Working alongside communities Joey Weisenberg works educates and train individuals around the world to unlock their musical and spiritual potential, and to make music a lasting and joy-filled force in shul and in Jewish life. On Thursday, December 28, 2018 Joey Weisenberg and the Hadar Ensambled joined the NYC community at the Upper West Side B’nai Jeshrun for a night of song.
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!