This Old Westbury Gardens engagement session made me wonder if these two families are running a beauty pageant.
Four years ago I shot a fashionable engagement session for a couple at the Raphael vineyards, Leslie and Oleg (left). Both of them were young and chic, with their beauty further accentuated at their Jewish-Moroccan wedding. Instead of stopping gracing Zorz Studios with their imagery, they send me Oleg’s younger brother Igor now. The bothers look alike so that’s a start… Then, I see his gorgeous fiance Ilana. Another coin into my hot engagement sessions piggy bank.
It’s not easy to match an engagement shoot at a vineyard so a few worthy ideas like Brooklyn Botanic Garden and NY Public Library surfaced during the preparation. Both are fabulous locations covered on my NYC Photo Permits page but with the Library off limits and the additional options offered, the choice fell on Old Westbury Gardens engagement session.
Looking at these sunny images, it’s hard to believe that we lucked out with a few-hour opening on a very rainy weekend. It showered the day before, the morning of, and even more so the following day! In fact, I was supposed to have an all-day Quinceañera photo shoot that following day and they had to reschedule. (The shoot took place a week ago and will hopefully see the blog light—so beautiful!) Noteworthy, any booked Old Westbury Gardens engagement session can be rescheduled with the venue in case of rain, conducted inside the picturesque mansion, or refunded.
Similar to the wedding photo shoots, an attendant is assigned to you during any Old Westbury Gardens engagement session. He followed us to help out and provide any guidance, including interesting spots. The guy was kind enough to hold the speedlight when I worked by one of the smaller inner iron gates.
The mansion is undergoing a major facade renovation for another couple of months; having it in the background would be unsightly.
This Old Westbury Gardens engagement session was subject to the 1.5-hour limitation but the main gates are so exquisite, that passing on them would be a loss. It’s rather remote from the main grounds; working there doesn’t seem to be a problem (possibly even without a permit, who knows?) We easily spent the remaining 30 minutes of the standard 2-hour session by this iron marvel and the old oak alley leading to it, thus creating the final passionate engagement photos for the couple. As they reached each other through the iron rails, “Love knows no bounds” came to mind. The brothers are even now, love is the winner.
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