Anayet and Lindsay at Skylands Botanical Gardens in Ringwood, New Jersey

I could not believe I did not have this engagement session up on the blog! I photographed Anayet and Lindsay on one of the last beautiful days of fall in 2020 at the Skylands Botanical Gardens in Ringwood, New Jersey. I am talking one of the literal last days where the temp was above 50 and golden leaves still adorned the trees. I am no stranger to Skylands. I grew up two towns over. Though, there is art in not being complacent. On any beautiful day the 300 acre grounds will be filled with photographers all doing pretty much the same thing. My duty is to make sure my photographs are interesting and not stereotypical to this location. It’s a beautiful place. I can see why it’s flooded daily with photographers but it doesn’t mean my photos have to be boring!

We were blessed with low humidity and a gorgeous(quickly) setting sun so in my head I was planning out the spots I wanted to hit. It may look like there is nobody there but these to gorgeous kids but that’s a bit of photography magic. Here’s a magic photo tip, patience. Too many people in a scene will ruin that scene. Sometimes the difference between taking a standard photo or an amazing one is mere seconds. Sometimes it can be 15 minutes. The first image you see in black and white took those 15 minutes to create. The facade of the manor house is very popular and getting a clear shot with no human obstructions can be difficult. In the end I put my big boy voice on and asked politely, yet firmly, if a family could get out of the way so I could take this shot.

These two were absolute gems and you’ll be excited to hear that I will also be photographing their wedding at the Crystal Plaza later this year. Lindsay even remarked that I made Anayet actually laugh which is a high bar to cross. I knew clown school came in handy. Anyway, enough talk. Please enjoy these images from a place I know too well but always want to experience for the first time each time I photograph there.

"Springtime" engagement with Mike and Meredith at Liberty State Park.

I’m starting off this blog post title with quotations because spring is definitely here as far as the calendar is concerned but they forgot to tell New Jersey about it. It’s still a tad bit cold and it seems nothing has yet to bloom. Totally alright. I make pictures regardless of the season. I met Mike and Meredith on a chilly morning in March at Liberty State Park. If you’ve ever been there you know, it’s a pretty cool place. It has all the views of New York without hopping on the Path, some beautiful trails and is right next to the Liberty Science Center. The center is a right of passage for every 3rd grader in New Jersey.

As usual, I digress. I met the lovely couple as the sun was just rising over the city. They brought their lovely little puppy Cleo too. Dogs and engagement shoots can be tricky because the couple sometimes gets very focused on getting the dog to behave. Luckily Mike and Meredith are wicked smart and enlisted the help of their friend to keep Cleo occupied when we made photographs.

I’ll be shooting Mike and Meredith’s wedding in early summer this year so it was exciting to get to know them. I feel that’s what a solid engagement shoot is, a great chance to get to know the people that will be trusting you with their future memories. I love laid back people. These two were completely awesome. I know there’s always apprehension when being professionally photographed. What do you do with your hands? How do you pose? Why is this weird man in our faces? I want none of that. I just want a fun conversation and some snaps in between to show how much you guys rock!

Liberty State Park is expansive and you can get quite a different engagement look and feel from each of it’s locations. I think we covered all our bases. In this set you’ll see some New York landscape, turn of the century train station, and seemingly the golden hues of the woods. I’m so lucky to have sweet clients. Enjoy Mike, Meredith (and Cleo!).

KEEP IT PG KIDS!