Annie and Rich will marry this June at Bridgewaters in NYC. It will be a special honor for me to shoot their wedding, since I shot Annie’s sister Dana’s wedding last year. One wedding, however, will not be enough of a celebration of their intense and abiding love, and they will have a second ceremony just one week later in Kingston, Jamaica at the Church where Rich’s GrandFather was once a priest.
Anne is an art teacher and it was a pleasure to see her creativity in action with many suggestions of walls and spots to shoot at. Rich, a first generation Jamaican-American, is filled with that infectious love of his culture and heritage, to which Anne readily took. They both love Jamaican music and brought with them a mini-sound system which greatly enlivened the shoot. It was an absolutely brilliant idea and created such a fun-filled energy that every construction platform and scaffold became an instant dance floor.
I have to say I was really excited by the clothes they wore. I always hint to my couples not to wear strict black or white as I feel it absorbs or reflects too much light. I love colors and ask that people express themselves and think about playful accessories. In that regard, Anne’s coat was stunning with a bright red that draws the eye and loves the camera. It was a perfect complement to Rich’s ultra hip style and funky cool Jamaican shirt. When I have a couple that puts effort and imagination into their outfits in this way, I cannot help but be inspired and have trouble taking my finger off the shutter. We had so much fun that the we all lost track of time and the shoot actually went on for six hours!
Halfway through, we did take a needed break and drank ice chocolate at the mouth watering and marvelous Jacques Torres. While sitting there, I eyed through the window a gorgeous vintage-style azure blue bicycle that I simply had to get into a shot with them. (I am always hunting for those treasures in a shoot). It was however that type of bicycle that looks extremely expensive and VERY well cared- polished and without a single scratch or blemish. I wasn’t sure in such a case if its owner would lend it to an enthusiastic couple and their wide-eyed photographer, but after hearing that they were getting married soon, she kindly agreed.
There are many genuine things I can say about my couples. Some are sweet and fun- others are stylish or elegant. If, however, I had to chose one thing to say about Annie and Rich in particular, it would be that that they wholeheartedly embrace love and life. And of course, their pictures show it.
Below is the story of how they met in their own words and their proposal:
“We had mutual friends in college and would see each other here and there over the years but had never really exchanged more than a passing greeting. It wasn’t until a few years later, in 2002, when we both happened to be spending more time at friend’s apartment on a regular basis that we really began to get to know each other better. Annie says, “I was really impressed when Rich showed me how he could do push ups while standing on his head. I could tell he was showing off for me and I thought it was absolutely adorable.” Rich says. “One night we were all out doing karaoke and I when I saw Anne get up on stage and do her thing all I could think was…wow!” A few months later we were at a friend’s birthday party and we kissed! A week later we had our first date and we’ve been together ever since!
Rich proposed on January 18, 2009. He was taking me out for the day to celebrate my birthday and he surprised me by deciding to recreate our first date. Our last stop was The Metropolitan Museum of Art. When Rich and I were first dating we spent a lot of time there sketching and looking at artwork together. He remembers, “It’s where you first taught me how to render value in a drawing. I remember it so well, I really wanted to propose in that exact spot.” The “exact spot” happens to be a little secluded section of the museum which exhibits art from South/Southeast Asia. Rich proposed right in front of the beautiful sculptures we had sketched together years before- one is a freestanding sculpture carved out of wood, called “Standing Amoghapasa Lokeshvara” and is a representation of a Nepalese deity. The others are a series of the most gorgeous wood carvings of “Tree Goddesses”. Amidst of this ancient and spiritual visual feast, Richard got down on one knee, looked me in the eye and said some special words to me and then popped the question. I said yes of course, and then he placed my great grandmother’s ring on my finger. It was an overwhelmingly romantic and meaningful moment between just the two of us.”
by admin