Never have I put my clients’ lives in danger more than I did during this session. Despite facing peril at every turn, Stacy and John handled it like complete pros! And that is only one of the reasons I think these two are the bee’s knees. Stacy doesn’t know this, but I have admired her from afar for quite awhile now. She is super stylish, uniquely beautiful, and one of the sweetest, kindest girls you’ll ever meet. I have been so lucky to have some of the coolest brides ever, and Stacy is certainly one of the coolest of the cool. Although I don’t know John quite as well, I know that if Stacy loves him, he must be equally as incredible, because no one but a total stud could win her heart!

The risk-taking begins in Soho, where yours truly wandered around Canal St. for a good half an hour because she didn’t take the time to write down the hotel address before she left. Whoops! I meandered aimlessly, clutching my camera bag to my chest, darting inside McDonalds every time I saw a sketchy character, but luckily Stacy and John found me, and we snuck into the Soho Grand Hotel for a few very-against-the-rules photos.

Then, I decided that breaking into an old courtyard surrounded by locked fences and big semi trucks was a good idea. It only took us about 1 minute to get kicked out, but I got my shot!

Next we decided to brave the streets of Soho again, stopping wherever we felt inspired (and that was quite often!). There may or may not have been some pigeon corralling involved…. I plead the 5th.

My favorite way to risk my client’s lives is to make them play in traffic!

Next it was off to the much more safe and peaceful Central Park…

Did I say safe? Well, I’m sure laying on the side of a bridge with a 30-foot drop is relatively safe….

Stacy and John, thank you so much for putting your lives on the line for me and allowing me to hang out with you in the Big Apple! You guys are troopers, not to mention super hot models, and I can’t wait for April!

Does it count as a destination portrait session if the couple lives there, but I don’t?

Although Andy and Natalie are Texans, born and bred, they currently live up in the Big Apple. I cannot wait to photograph their Dallas wedding late next year, but in the meantime, it was great to be able to meet them in their neck of the woods for a fun “destination” engagement session. Although I never met these guys before our first consultation, it feels as though I have known them my entire life. They both have this way of making virtual strangers feel like best friends, and I consider myself extremely lucky to be their wedding photographer. It doesn’t hurt that they are both unfairly good-looking, as well. Oh, and little miss Natalie is a brand new NY Jets Flight Crew member! If you live up in New York, stop by a Jets game and give the gorgeous blonde dancer an extra loud cheer for me!

Here are a few images from their New York City session:

We started off in the good old NYC staple, Central Park.  I am a huge fan of shooting engagement sessions in parks.  The backgrounds are always beautiful, the light is always great, and the simplicity of it allows me to focus on the couple, rather than the location.  And, of course, Central Park is THE park of parks, so I could shoot there all day and be perfectly happy.  :)

Next we headed to the Lower East Side to take a stroll around Andy and Natalie’s former neighborhood.  I learned quite a few interesting things on Avenue C that day (Aware, Beware, Caution, Danger – haha!).  It was great to be able to shoot around the places that Andy and Natalie spent their free time.  Now, even when they move back to Dallas (*fingers crossed*), they can remember the time they spent up in NYC.







Finally, we ended up in Times Square, one of my favorite places in the world. 
This is probably one of my favorite photos ever :)
Andy and Natalie – Come back to Texas!  It’s just not the same since you went away ;)  June is oh so far away.. Hopefully you guys will come visit before then!  Natalie, if the Jets ever play the Cowboys, I am TOTALLY there.

Carrie and Preston are easily two of the most fun clients I have ever had. I have been blessed to work with some really awesome people (no Bridezillas yet – knock on wood!), but few people I know have been able to make me laugh as hard as these two. Their smiles and laughter are infectious, it’s really impossible to be around them and not have a good time. So, when they asked me to fly with them to New York City for a destination portrait session, even my fear of flying couldn’t keep me from saying yes!

Here are some of my favorites from the trip:

We started off in Central Park, which I thought would be cheesy, but it actually turned out to be fantastic for photos. There are so many neat areas with cool and unusual architecture, I could have shot there all day! I really loved how you could see the city peeking in through the tree branches.

We found this neat Roman-esque area by the fountains.

Getting romantic :)

One of my favorite shots of the day.. I’m not sure why, I just love it!

See what I mean about these two being hilarious? Preston had to get in on the dipping action, too!

Then we hit the subway…

And headed to the Brooklyn Bridge!

Finally it was time to finish up at one of my new favorite places in the world, the heart of New York City, Times Square!

Carrie and Preston, thank you so much for hanging out with me and helping me to see the gloriousness that is New York City for the very first time.  You guys are a BLAST to hang out with, I am so so excited about your wedding.  I can already tell I am going to have so much fun with you two!

If anyone out there is interested in doing a destination portrait session, send me an e-mail and let me know.  I travel worldwide, and destination packages including my session fees, airfare, and hotel start at only $750 for select locations!  Where would you like to go?  :)