Lizzie & Rob | Harlem Engagement Session | NYC Engagements
When you walk in New York City you get lost in the crowd, paradoxically providing you an opportunity to assert yourself as an individual. The sheer population density of the five boroughs is a marvel to contemplate, a frustration to endure; it is your license to be loud and a soundboard for your creativity. Some perish in the gutters while others shine on Broadway, but it all comes down to your will and the company you find yourself in.
Rob & Lizzie find themselves in good company. They act and play and laugh. They smile. They bring happiness to others at Touch Performance Art. They're just another couple faces in the NYC crowd but they stand out because they use their freedom to perform the dialogue in their hearts. You can’t fake that kind of happiness.
Heather and I met not too far from where Rob & Liz’s engagement pictures were taken, but for months we shared the same sidewalks as strangers. Close proximity doesn’t promise connection, you have to seek it out for yourself. I remember the first night I got Heather’s number she almost walked away from me in shy embarrassment, but I didn’t let her get away. I yelled “your phone number would be great for something like that” after she turned her back when I told her that I’d love to see her again. Happiness like Rob & Liz and Heather & I have is a reward for our respective self-expressions.
When I think of love I think of two people who can’t help being themselves, embracing the most positive sides of their identities and celebrating them. When we shoot a wedding it is clear as day which couples have this brand of relationship because their vibes reverberate through all of those in attendance. It all stems from an honesty to themselves and each other, asserting their identities as individuals and as a couple.
New York City can make you or break you but it’s obvious that Rob & Lizzie will make it. They are the walking paradoxes meandering through the collage of people crowding the sidewalks of Manhattan. They are the ones smiling and laughing, working hard and loving harder.
These guys didn't miss a beat. We popped a few beers and brown-bagged them in the park. They brought water guns, bubbles, and a lasso. Rob successfully lassoed Lizzie on his first try... did I mention they are performers? It's SO MUCH FUN to photograph people in the entertainment industry. They weren't shy or bashful, rather they were animated and theatrical and treated their engagement session like the biggest performance on Broadway.
We wrapped the session under the NYC lights in Harlem, dancing into the headlights of the traffic, with people buzzing by and taxis nearly running us over for their epic dip under the bridge. We even ran into a mutual friend on the street! It was in every way the best that New York has to offer, and reminded me of why this city will always be my city.