Tag Archives: central park engagement photos

Karina and Ryan’s Engagement Photos in Central Park, New York City

August 9, 2011 – 3:19 pm

Yes, we know it’s Summer. Why are we blogging about photos taken in the Spring? We’ve been so busy shooting weddings and have neglected our blog readers. Before posting some recent stuff, we just have to share some fun engagement photos in Central Park taken during our Spring Photo Fling event. These were mini engagement sessions we offered in the park to celebrate the arrival of Spring.

After a week of rain, Karina & Ryan were ready get out into the park and have some fun taking photos. Our first stop was at the Conservatory Water in Central Park. It’s often called the Central Park Boat Pond since it’s full of radio controlled sailboats.

The pond holds a special place in our hearts because it’s also where we got engaged. If you’re in the area, we highly recommend getting something to eat at Knish Nosh right by the pond. Little outdoor cafe with the best stuffed cabbage we’ve ever had! Nothing like a little stuffed cabbage and beer while enjoying such a great view. If you go though, go early since the cafe gets very busy when the weather is nice and they usually sell out of the stuffed cabbage by early afternoon.

This first photo of Karina & Ryan has an old-fashioned look & feel but a few high tech tricks were used to get the final product. We actually took 5 pictures and combined them into one image. First, a high speed flash sync was used to balance the sunlight while still getting a pleasing out-of- focus background. Notice that their heads are in focus while the rest of the photo is out of focus. Then, several other photos were taken quickly after the first picture. All the images were then merged together to capture the dark areas in the trees while still showing the details in the bright sky. The final product is called a High Dynamic Range (HDR) photograph.

HDR Engagement Photo in Central Park

We also ventured off the beaten path to capture a section of Central Park that was exploding in green colors after a week of rain.  What a wonderful spot with long grass and wonderful sunlight coming though the trees! Do you feel like you are spying on their moment in their secret little oasis?

Engagement Photos in Central Park

To Karina & Ryan – we had a great time taking photos of you and showing you a few hidden treasures in Central Park.  Looking forward to being a part of your wedding at the Waterside Restaurant in New Jersey next year!

By aliceandjames | Posted in Engagement Shoots, Funico Studios News | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Operation Proposal

November 17, 2010 – 6:59 pm
We’ve been getting a lot of requests to secretly photograph marriage proposals.  What a fantastic idea – love the romance and forethinking of the husband-to-be’s to contact us to capture this special moment!  During the summer, Todd contacted us to say that he was coming to NY and was planning to propose to his girlfriend in Central Park and wanted us to photograph the whole thing.  His plan was to propose on a row boat.  My familiarity with Central Park and both of our practical planning skills were put to the test to come up with a foolproof plan for “Operation Proposal.”  With both Todd and I being former boy scouts, we fully understood the important of  planning.  For you non boy scouts out there, “Be Prepared” is the Boy Scouts’ motto.

Photographing a couple in the middle of a lake in a park full of tourists requires careful planning. Especially when Todd’s travel plans did not allow for us to meet beforehand to see what the other person looked like.  Not only did we exchange photos of ourselves, we sent photos of the clothing we would be wearing.  I wanted to be sure that I was taking photos of the right couple.  Todd also wanted to know that his paparazzo was ready to capture the big moment before popping the question.

During the week, we finalized logistics and I recommended a spot on the lake that would give me a few good vantage points for photo taking at that time of day. When I arrived at the park on the morning of “Operation Proposal”, I realized that the South side of the lake where I told Todd I would be standing was closed for renovations!

I sent Todd a text to tell him that I had to change my shooting position and hoped that he would get the message in time.  If he didn’t go to the other side, I wouldn’t be able to get candid photos of them on the lake before he popped the question.  I was relieved to see Todd rowing towards the North side of the lake – looks like he got my text.  I could tell Melissa was enjoying the ride while Todd nervously rowed the boat.

I told Todd that he should propose just East of the Bow Bridge.  He was hesitant because he was worried that there would be a lot of boats near the bridge.  I convinced him that it wouldn’t be a problem. As luck would have it, when Todd moved into the spot, there was a bit of rowboat gridlock.  So I watched him nervously hover around the spot waiting for some of the other boats to pass.

Meanwhile, on the shore, a group came over and started to have a wedding ceremony inches from where I was standing!  The couple is probably still talking about me and saying that I was an inconsiderate TMZ photographer so concerned with getting a shot of an unsuspecting celebrity that I didn’t move away from their wedding ceremony.  Sorry, guys, but I was there first and had an important job to do.

After the congestion cleared, Todd was ready to propose.  I photographed Todd’s proposal while listening to another couple’s wedding vows.  I love the reaction from the woman in the boat behind them.

After Melissa said “yes”, they went back out on the lake to take in the moment.   When they got back to shore, we took a little “photo walk” around the park and I got some portraits of the happy couple.

As part of Operation Proposal, we also interviewed them about their experience.  Check out the following slide show with images and audio clips from the interview.

Many congrats to Todd and Melissa.  We are so pleased that everything went as planned without a hitch and Melissa said “yes” to getting hitched!

By aliceandjames | Posted in Engagement Shoots, Funico Studios News | Also tagged , , | Comments (4)