This time I did something different. I went to BROOKLYN for an engagement session!
Tey and her partner Alice hired me to shoot their commitment ceremony so when I asked where we should do their e session they said that wanted to do something that reflected their own neighborhood and so off we went.
Here’s the family in their backyard.
In front of their really sweet brownstone.
They wanted to do something kind of gritty so when we passed this former stationery shop that was in the process of being, um, either closed or deconstructed by time. I walked right in and asked the 90 year old owner if we could take a few pictures – he was totally cool with it. I think he was trying to tell us that his store had been there for more than 40 years and that Charles DeGaulle had shopped there or something – but I’m not really sure what he was saying,,,but he was really nice to us. I told Tey and Alice that it was so unusual nowadays for people to invite you in to take pictures (especially when a location is – closed?) since even in the most mundane of environments people have been getting bent out of shape lately.
Of course the entire time I was waiting for either the floor to open up and swallow us or for the ceiling to come crashing down upon us but it was a playful place.
So as we left, I was explaining to them that lately people have been really getting wiggy about having pictures of their things or themselves taken. I related a story about how just the other day I sent one of my couples into that terribly over-rated cupcake store in the Village hoping to get some fun shots through the window as they picked out their cupcakes together. In seconds a guy was blocking my view of them by holding a pastry box in front of the window and started yelling at me. Apparently, you can’t take pictures of store windows anymore. Who knew? Anyway, this has become pretty typical. If you show up with a point and shoot, hey have at it. But show up with a professional camera then you’re persona non grata. Even when I explain that it’s for an engagement session and not for commercial use people still get all bent.
Then we passed this place. Well we had to grab a shot in front of Flirt.
So anyway, Tey and Alice and I took pictures on the benches out in front of Flirt for about 60 seconds and then we start to walk away and someone comes out of the store and says, “Hey, you can’t take pictures here. What’s this for?”
Now, while I’m tempted to say something like, “Oh this is just B-roll for John Stossel’s “Shame on You” report, I tell them honestly it’s “just pictures for the two of them.”
“But what are they FOR?”, she insists.
“Just portraits, for the two of them, really, ” I reply.
“But what are they going to be USED FOR?”, she presses.
“Um, well, pictures. For them. Like portraits”, I say, “you know, portraits like you hang on the wall?”
She still didn’t get it, “Wait a sec, I have to get the manager, ” she says.
Now remember, we were already walking away at this point. This is what it has become like for me. Totally out of hand.
Finally Alice says to me, “Watch, I’ll take care of it,”
She says to this woman, “We’re having a commitment ceremony and these are pictures for us.”
And Alice was right. That shut her right up. According to Alice, no one wants to risk being un-PC and appearing potentially biased so if you drop the words, “commitment ceremony”, everyone invites you in and pours you tea and says shoot away. Sweet.
And it worked like a charm for the rest of our shoot.
And in front of their favorite coffee shop.
Below, a special request for a romantic “checks cashed” picture.
Everyone should be in a relationship as fun, loving and caring as the one these two women have. I can’t wait until their wedding (ne commitment) day. The photographic world will be OURS! AH HA ha ha ha ha ha.
