You might want to catch up on these two before scrolling any further. 

Here is their Camp Lucy Wedding – that has everything from their adorable dogs, some foggy night shots and sparklers- and while you’re at it, go drool a bit over their traffic stopping engagement session down South Congress.

Makes me miss our home in Austin a bit looking back on those sessions! But this is the year of travel for our family, and it’s bringing tons of new excitement in each new location. Also, our house is still waiting for us when we get back, so that’s a built in comfort factor right there.

We picked up whatever could fit in our small car and moved to Brooklyn, New York, for the entire Summer. People thought we were crazy, but the ones who knew me well weren’t that surprised at all. I have been working up in NYC once or twice a year for a while because, quite honestly, I can’t get enough of Christmas in that city. And while twinkle lights may stop working on me one day… I don’t see it happening anytime soon. Just look at this opera singer Natalie Havens on the Brooklyn Bridge!

Okay.

So now that we were there for the warmer months, I couldn’t wait to explore even farther than my usual trips around a snow filled city. Mind you, exploring around NYC with 50+ pounds of gear on my shoulders makes traveling the subway a bit more crazy. Thankfully I only had to take all my gear and Connor… at the same time… on the subway… once. And would never opt to do that again.

For this session, we started at Washington Square park. It’s one of Connor’s and my favorite spots to go hang any day of the week, any time of the day. There is a huge fountain that the kids love playing in, a rope course and dog park on one side of the square, and a playground on the other. Not to mention everything you’ll see in between.

Like someone running the bat mobile into your session for no reason at all?

Why not. 😂

The session only got better. And yes, the same guy ran it right into me, too. ….but what can you do? You’re in the city now.

That’s what I love about working sessions up here. Live music, art being sold, puppies to pet, skateboarders flying by your head, and all the people that are watching what you’re doing makes it so exciting for me to create in public.

If you’re on instagram, go follow Colin Huggins. He is an insanely talented pianist, who plays in the park every weekend and lifts up people’s spirits with the reality of everything he shares. And of course, you can tell what question he is asked the most… How did you get the piano here?  He definitely brightened my mood by reposting an oh-so-romantic photo I took during the last bit of golden hour, noting what he was really doing in the background of the photo.

So when people ask if it was crazy or scary to shoot with all my gear around the city? 

Honestly?

It was invigorating, and I don’t use that word lightly. Mostly because if I said it out loud to any of you I would sound like an insane romance novelist/murderer. But I loved it. I’ll still continue to come back for sessions as long as possible.

If you stayed with us at all here in NY, you know I take the subway, and hardly ever use ride sharing like I do on my other travels. Mostly because up here I buy the unlimited monthly pass, and I am stubborn. Somehow Caylie and Nick convinced me to hop in an Uber from Washington Square back to Times Square, and even the Uber drive was an adventure. We discovered a lapse in the facial recognition for our iPhones, that might be it’s own post for another time.

They were here on their one year anniversary trip, and I loved that they were staying in Times Square because that’s what Dave and I did for our one year anniversary and it all seemed so nostalgic. It should be noted that Dave brought the entire top layer of our cake from Austin, TX to NYC so we could eat it, and I almost squished the whole thing by trying to take it out of the container with my hands. 😬🤷‍♀️

Once we got to their place, my friend Spivey connected with us to help with lighting in all the hustle and bustle of the city that literally never sleeps. Unless it’s a place I want to shoot. There is usually someone sleeping in the spot I want to shoot.

We joined right into the crazy with some typical NY moves: standing up on a seating area to avoid garbage being in our photo, dancing in the neon lights to the music of a sax player, and of course, ordering some hot dogs in the middle of all the commotion. The NYPD was more than willing to play along in a shot for us, and who doesn’t want to be watched by an officer while you’re eating in the middle of sidewalk traffic??

The last few portraits involved dipping in the street with an obscene amount of traffic coming through (people and cars- see below), and a motion shot with the backdrop being the treasured Radio City Music Hall.

Taking off my gear felt so good after all that walking and moving… and we finally got to relax at an Irish Pub. Now, this pretty lady puts in her work all over the place. She is a total boss babe with Arbonne, and she earns her cheat meals. So let’s be clear, we went to this Irish Pub to indulge in some chicken wings that Caylie had on her bachelorette trip.  They did not disappoint. Neither did hanging out until we were all about to pass out. 

Looking forward to keeping up with these two along their journey!

Caylie & Nick- Thanks for being down for everything! A night we’ll never forget!