Pascal's Spring Proposal at Gantry Plaza LIC

Pascal planned a surprise proposal at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City during spring. He and his partner were visiting from Germany, and this was their first time coming to Gantry. To make sure everything went smoothly, Pascal and I prepared in advance — I sent him a map showing the route, marked where his partner would walk, and showed examples of where their proposal moment could happen.

The Proposal Story

We met at Gantry Plaza before sunset. With daylight still good and spring foliage starting to show, the walk along the waterfront was calm. Pascal waited for the right spot — a pier with a view of the skyline and water. When his partner arrived, he proposed. Photographs included wide shots showing the skyline and river, medium frames to focus on the couple, and close-ups to capture emotion. Because we planned the location ahead, we had time to choose angles and prepare without rushing.

Why Gantry Plaza State Park Is a Good Proposal Location

• Offers clear views of major NYC skyline landmarks (Empire State Building, United Nations, etc.)

• Waterfront setting allows for reflections in the water, adding depth to images

• Multiple vantage points (piers, walkways, gantries) give flexibility to move depending on light and composition

• More privacy compared to many Manhattan spots, especially in spring evenings before crowds peak

Tips for Planning a Gantry Spring Proposal

• Plan ahead: look at maps, pick your route, decide where the proposal moment will be, especially if your partner hasn’t seen the location before

• Time the proposal close to golden hour (late afternoon / just before sunset) so light is soft and flattering

• Arrive early to check light, explore possible spots, and avoid surprise obstacles

• Dress in season-appropriate attire and colors that work well with skyline + waterfront backdrops

• Use a photographer experienced with waterfront light and reflections

learn more about hiring a proposal photographer

Kosciuszko Foundation 85th Annual Fundraiser

This year's Kosciuszko Foundation Gala supported Ukrainian refugees. The evening was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City and successfully raised nearly 1.5M dollars for Ukraine.

Photographing a Fundraiser Gala in NYC

A professional photographer should be able to summarize the event they photographed in as few photos as possible. It is a photographers job to capture the Who, What, Where, and Why of the event. Tonight I photographed all of the event main moments with posed and candid photos.

Geoff's Central Park Proposal | NYC Proposal Photographer

Just past the Bow Bridge is the best place to propose in Central Park, NY.

Photographing proposals in Central Park is such a contrast from our typical hustle and bustle proposals throughout NYC; rooftops, venues, private apartments, hotels, and restaurants. Hidden just past the famous Bow Bridge is a spot down a short path. Often, tourists and city dwellers alike will stop on the main path to take in the view of the Dakota, but they oddly enough don’t walk the extra 50 feet down the path. What I like about photographing proposals here is how private, intimate, and beautiful it is.

The Plan: The couple was walking through Central Park, from the East Side to the West Side, for dinner.

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

LEARN MORE ABOUT HIRING A PROPOSAL PHOTOGRAPHER IN NYC

Anthony's DUMBO Work Week Proposal

Photographing a midweek and A middle of the day proposal in New York City has its benefits.

Proposing in the middle of the workweek in NYC has so many benefits. To start, the crowds are almost absent compared to the weekends. Proposing in the middle of the day has some challenges primarily if you’re looking to have your moment photographed by a professional photographer. The lighting isn’t always the best, but we can work with you to select an ideal location.

Working with a proposal photographer in brooklyn

DUMBO and the area around the Brooklyn Bridge Park facing West is a great option for a midday proposal and photography session. To start, the view of Manhattan and the New York City skyline provides real context to where you are. Next the lighting in DUMBO provides a ton n of spots to work around the strong high sun. Lastly, there’s so much character in the look and feel of this part of NYC that your photos will be guaranteed unique.

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

learn more about hiring a proposal photographer

Celebrating Google's WAYMO in NYC

Event Photography Tells A Story

New York City is the most densely populated city in the country, with bustling avenues, unconventional roads, complex intersections, even more complex drivers, and constantly changing traffic parterns. Google’s self driving division, WAYMO, designed their driver interface to handle these types of complex and dynamic activities that define city driving. The vehicles, which are manually operated by autonomous specialists at all times, aim to scale self driving cars by learning.

As a NYC Event Photographer it is my job to capture the purpose of the event, the energy of the room, and the details that made the event memorable.

Tonight’s event celebrated the end of six months of successfully testing WAYMO in NYC. Several individuals from the NYC Department of Transportation were in attendance, transportation experts, and the Mayor, Eric Adams. When photographing events I always photograph event signage with branding, guests mingling, and guest having a great time (laughing, smile, speaking with their hands)

Client: Waymo

Venue: Bowery Hotel

Brooklyn STEAM Center x WAYMO - Autonomous Vehicles in NYC

The Brooklyn STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Center is New York City's first public school program to be co-located within a business environment. The center is nestled within the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 1,000,000 square-foot property which provides students with access to over 400 businesses and a 300-acre industrial park as an additional feature of their learning environment. Scholars attend the STEAM center in a shared instructional model exposing them to all different types of businesses.

Today, WAYMO, Google’s self driving car division showed the students their self driving Jaguar SUV and explained how autonomous driving is being researched, engineered, and implemented in the real world. The students asked great questions about the technology behind the car to different potential benefits of autonomous vehicles vs self driven cars. Considering many New Yorkers do not own a car, let alone have their driver's license the students asked great questions.

Photographing School Education Photos

Whether you are launching a rebranding effort, designing marketing materials, highlighting a program, or beginning a national ad campaign, I can help you take your imagery to the next level with world-class photography. It’s easy to photograph students with blank stares of boredom on their faces. It’s another to capture photos of students engaged, actively learning, and excited. Waiting for the perfect moment when student giggles, smirks, raises his or her hand, and speaks with emphasis is what I look for as a professional education photographer.