Arastasia & Justin
adventurous New york engagement session
Something I always tell my couples, is that we are down for anything that they are on an engagement session. If they want to road trip somewhere amazing, spend days in a row together exploring a new place, we’re absolutely there. This is exactly what Arastasia and Justin took us up on.
It all started late one cold October night in the small town of Saint Johnsonville, New York. We pulled into the driveway not knowing if we were in the right place, the only thing we could see were chickens scattering in front of our headlights. Stasia and Justin pulled up next to us and showed us the way to our Airbnb, which was tucked way in the back of a multi acre organic farm. Our cabin had no electric, no heat, barely any water, and of course no wifi. Our cabin was enchanting, and although we had no modern amenities, we thrived in this environment. In the mornings, I made us all breakfast, Stasia made our coffee in the french press, and Jeremiah and Justin worked on splitting wood and getting the fire started to warm our cozy cabin. My favorite memories in this cabin were the nights though, whenever we would get back from a long day, the fire would roar and we would all laugh and share stories like we’d been best friends for years. This is how I got to know Stasia and Justin so well, between the late night talks, the long drives through the mountains, we got to know them and their stories SO well. This is the whole point of an engagement session for us, to spend quality time getting to know a couple on a personal level. We want to know your story, how you fell in love, your similarities, and your differences. This adventure with Arastasia and Justin allowed us to ask them so many questions about their past, and truly understand their personalities.
Our cabin was located in the southern park of the Adirondack park in upstate New York, one day we drove a couple more hours north to do a 5 mile hike up one of the mountains. This hike was not what we expected, we anticipated a little snow, however we didn’t anticipate rain, and full on snow storms on our hike up. It was a very intense day, when we neared the top we took photos in the freezing winter wonderland. Justin and Stasia were brave enough to take off their coats, and brave the brisk air for about 10 minutes before I made them put their coats on again. Their hair, eyelashes, and clothes were frozen. It was a treacherous, and very adventurous day. This day we got to know Justin and Stasia even better, as I saw their strength and perseverance through the circumstances. But most of all, I saw their team work. They both were very caring and kind towards each other needs, I appreciated that deeply.
After a few days in the Adirondacks and many wild experiences, we drove down to NYC to stay in Brooklyn for one night. The weather was perfect, although chilly, the sun was shining bright and it was warmer than it had been in a while. We shot in front of the Brooklyn Bridge, and then through a happy mistake found ourselves on the Manhattan Bridge. The Manhattan Bridge was the perfect way to end their session. Hardly anyone was on this bridge, as opposed to the Brooklyn bridge where hundreds crowded to see the sunset. It was a beautiful sunset, a low orange glow beamed through the fence and made an elegant contrast with the blue sky. For this portion, I decided to do no posing. I wanted Stasia and Justin to take in this moment fully, and I captured them in their own romantic element.
Truly, this trip was one of the most special of my life. I’m so thankful for Stasia and Justin for being willing to go along with this crazy idea of an adventure, and their kindness was so incredible. My heart has been longing to explore more of the east coast ever since. Every time I look at these pictures, I can feel the air, smell the outside, and feel what I felt while we were there. It was bliss, this is my element. I look forward to the many more adventures we will have in our careers as adventure wedding photographers.
