This married couple of elementary school sweethearts are sailing through life as partners in law and love. Here’s my romantic take on their story with timeless portraits.
Romantic Photography for the Married Couples
Oh, how I love doing romantic photo sessions for married couples! My engagement portfolio is full of wow images from the engagement shoot stories. On the other hand, married couples don’t show as much interest in such romantic photo adventures after their weddings for understandable “life is tough” reasons.
Yet, some married couples add timeless portraits to their anniversaries, especially tied to adventurous trips. For example, one Indian couple brought me to Monaco and France, one couple from New Orleans traveled to Jamaica with me, another visited NYC for Christmas fun, then there was a visiting Hawaiian married couple, an Israeli one, and so on.
Elementary School Sweethearts
Today’s couple isn’t marking any milestone anniversary, nor are they on an adventure trip. They live right in Manhattan, but they are celebrating their 40th birthdays this year! This alone was their creative trigger for timeless portraits.
Ashley and Nate grew up together in upstate New York and first “met” in second grade — they were in the same class! They started dating in their junior year of high school and have been together ever since. The guys went to college together, became lawyers, married in 2006, and moved to NYC, later bringing two kids. How sweet is it? How romantic is it?!? Here’s to the timeless portraits!
The Wind of Romance
We picked lower Manhattan for their 2-hour couple session. In my pre-shoot consultation with the client, I felt they were quite romantic. I’ve longed to use the Wavertree for such a couple, a historic tall ship docked at the South Street Seaport Museum. The Wavertree is a steel-hulled, full-rigged sailing ship, and it’s one of the largest ships of its kind that are still afloat today. It serves as a key attraction at the museum, offering visitors a glimpse into New York City’s maritime history.
Call me old-fashioned, but I’m a die-hard for romance and the associated visuals like classic posters and book covers. Yeah, yeah, some of them look cheesy—I can’t resist chuckling at those—but there is also that irresistible charm, like of an innocent and naive love poem, an old master’s painting, or an Indian movie poster. 🙂
Romanticized sailors and knights were my childhood heroes and imagination idols. And so, this little project stroke the chord for some timeless portraits. The sailboat theme isn’t my first try, by the way. Here’s one of the timeless portraits from a wedding in the Dominican Republic.
Timeless Portraits
A unique elegance comes when two lives intertwine, not just in love but in purpose. For this married couple, both esteemed lawyers, their journey is much like the steady rise and fall of the tides—grounded in balance, committed to the law, and forever anchored in each other. In their sailboat-inspired photoshoot, we captured not the waves’ motion but a harbor’s quiet stillness—a momentary pause from the demands of courtrooms and cases, where love becomes the prevailing wind guiding them.
Standing beside the towering sailboat with the moon behind them, their connection was perceptible in the timeless portraits. The boat, with its sails folded and ropes neatly coiled, seemed a perfect metaphor for their life together—prepared for any challenge yet taking time to appreciate the calm. The open water stretched before them, not as a destination but as a reminder of the vast opportunities that awaited. In their poised stances and subtle glances, one could see the mutual respect and the partnership they’ve built through years of shared victories and challenges, both in law and life.
NYC Night Stroll
We continued our lower Manhattan night stroll, looking for an old-time city feel. Our destination was the David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building, one of the largest government office buildings in the world. It houses many offices and agencies, including the legal ones that both of these lawyers visit from time to time. That’s where I posed them for a “power team servicing the Gotham” portrait as a diversion for the romantic route.
Final Word
This married couple’s journey may not have taken them to the open seas that day, but the spirit of adventure and resilience was ever-present. Each of the timeless portraits became a testament to how, in both law and love, they navigate life’s complexities—always side by side, anchored by a shared sense of purpose and a deep understanding of each other. These images are more than portraits; they reflect the balance between freedom and commitment, individuality and partnership, much like the tides themselves.
Fair wind to you, guys!
