Top of the Rock Engagement photos | nyc wedding photographer | New York City Photographers | Central Park Wedding Photography | bethesda fountain engagement | dog engagement photos New York | Apollo Fields

A good barometer for how New York is doing is to take a walk in Central Park by Bethesda Fountain. It’s usually swarmed with performers, musicians, photographers and tourists. At a wedding we did this summer we almost had the entire space to ourselves. But when we met up with Kryzia and Celestino in September for their engagement photos in NYC: the bubbles were out, musical notes floated in the air, and the shutters were clicking. It was then that we knew that New York wasn't going anywhere.

Kryzia and Celestino are a couple of born-and-bred New Yorkers. They actually live just a few blocks from where Heather used to live in Harlem. As soon as we met up with them on that beautiful fall day we could tell how kind and genuine both Kryzia and Celestino were. With the help of their adorably well-behaved Siberian Husky, Blizzard, and Celestino’s brother and his girlfriend, we broke the early jitters of doing engagement photos in such a highly trafficked place. 

From there we walked south through the park, stopping to take photos in some locations you would never believe were taken in New York City. I loved Kryzia’s choice to don a leather jacket, perfectly complimenting her gentle appearance with an edge you could tell was there. Celestino’s modern outfit exuded the calm confidence that he carried himself with--self-assured and humble. Together they glowed in the brightness of the fall day, sharing stories of how they met and how their relationship has evolved over the years.

We concluded our shoot at another iconic New York landmark: the Top of the Rock AKA the observation deck at the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Even though it’s commonplace to hate on tourist attractions, I actually will go out on a limb and defend this one. The view of Central Park to the north, the Empire State Building, Freedom Tower, and the rest of downtown Manhattan to the south--combined with the eerie silence of the breeze 70 floors up--provides the perfect amount of space to reflect on the beautiful beast that New York City is. Celestino and Kryzia danced amidst the skyscrapers and had a great time doing it! I was also blown away by the photos we took inside in the all white marble setting and the absolutely stunning juxtaposition with their bold outfit choices.

Kryzia and Celestino will be getting married in Miami in 2021 but showed us how true New Yorkers are living in 2020. People may be fleeing from the concrete jungle, but the resilience and kindness of the people that remain show the city’s true colors. New York has always been a mosaic of humanity, celebrating communities of all kinds in all shapes and sizes--it’ll take more than a pandemic to change that. I’m grateful that Kryzia and Celestino reminded us of that while also disproving the misconception that New Yorkers are rough around the edges (we’re only mean if you’re blocking the subway or standing on the left of the escalator). So whether you’re from New York, Florida, or anywhere in the world—if you didn’t know, now you know—New York isn’t going anywhere.