Weddingbee Blog

It seems to be engagement photo season around here these days — I know several of the Bees have just gotten theirs back. And, so have we!

As you may recall, we were originally torn over whether to have a professional photographer for the wedding…. But it turns out hiring Punam Bean was a fantastic decision. She was a joy to work with, and we’re in love with the engagement photos. Now we can’t WAIT for the wedding pics!!

We traveled up to NYC for the photos, since that’s where Punam Bean lives. (FYI, for anyone who needs to travel between DC and NYC, there’s a new $25 bus with guaranteed reservations and wireless Internet onboard — you can’t beat it!) It was freezing all day and drizzled off and on, but we had a great time. Started the afternoon at South Street Seaport:

The area seemed to be ruled by seagulls. We were even buzzed by a seagull flyby. (Me: “I only have eyes for you, Mr. T.” Mr T: “Well, maybe you should spare some for the enormous bird flying right at your head!”):

Then we traveled to the DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn, where I used to lived. There are lots of magazine photo shoots taken here, and my old roommate and I wax nostalgic whenever we come across one in a magazine. Many of them are shot on this street, with the Manhattan Bridge in the background:

And at the end of the afternoon, we ended up at a playground! (I love this next shot because of the grafitti underneath us, which we didn’t notice till we saw the photo…. Also for the glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge in the background.)

Finally, as we were packing up and some serious drizzle started, we noticed a patch of what looked like grass made of fiber optic lights, growing in a park along the river. And came away with this magical shot:

A few lessons learned from our e-pic session:

1. We were both really nervous because we tend to be shy in front of a camera. But it turned out to be fun just walking around together and exploring. The photographer takes so many pictures that you start to forget she’s there. And when in doubt, you can always smooch! We clearly took full advantage of the smooching option. But it was great for neutralizing our tendency for goofy facial expressions….

2. Don’t worry too much about what you’re going to wear. Basics like color matter much more than the intricacies of style. I agonized over the issue, changing clothes multiple times before we left. (In summer, a flirty sundress or vintage skirt would be so easy. But what do you wear when it’s 30 degrees?) And as it turned out, we never took off our coats!

3. Similarly, don’t worry too much about location. Sure, sometimes fun locations (like Miss Petunia’s amusement park) can make for equally fun pictures. But you can also get great photos on the street, on a bench, against a wall, wherever….

What words of wisdom for engagement pictures (or any pictures!) would you share with everyone?