I hope you are having a cozy winter. In a couple of months the magnolia trees will start to bloom. You may want to schedule your engagement session on a date in April or May when the cherry blossoms are nearing peak bloom. We can take an afternoon off to stroll around the gardens or along the brownstone blocks. It’s your choice. Please enjoy these magnolia and cherry blossom engagement sessions at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and in Prospect Park below.
Here is a proposal and engagement session from the BBG.
There is nothing like an intimate City Hall ceremony, followed by a cozy welcome dinner at La Bergamote, succeeded by a lively Chelsea Glasshouse wedding reception with 360 views of the city. Benoit and Torsten celebrated for two days along with their kids, families and friends.
Please check out the photos below and see the joy and love for yourself.
Karen Wise is known for her Park Slope family portraits: Brooklyn Stoop Portraits, an ongoing project since March 2020 when the pandemic began. Her wedding contracts had either been cancelled or postponed and photographing her friends from a distance became a passion. Since then, Karen has photographed over 120 families and counting.
Whether you are home for the holidays or traveling somewhere warm, enjoy this time with your family. You may even make picture taking an annual ritual, our family sure does. We always make sure to take our family portraits before mid-December, and you should too. This way, your photographer will have time to edit the images and deliver them in time for you to make a great holiday card or create framed prints for your loved ones.
School is underway, and the temperatures are dropping.
Soon the trees will be bursting with color! Let’s take some Brooklyn Stoop Portraits this fall!
Your kids are growing quickly and it’s about time you had pictures you were actually in. As a mom, I know just how stressful the thought of a family photoshoot can be; you can trust me to take care of a lot of the fuss. I have some great techniques to help parents stay calm and in the moment, while the kids have fun being themselves and everyone looks great for the camera! Let’s take some Brooklyn Stoop Portraits this Fall!
Please don’t hesitate to contact me to plan your 35-45 minute family sessions.
These photos were taken in either Prospect Park, in the Berkshires or on a Brooklyn stoop.
Prospect Park is considered Brooklyn’s back yard! It is beautiful all year round. I love photographing in Prospect Park in the spring with the cherry blossoms and magnolia trees. I also love to shoot engagement sessions and family sessions against it backdrop of colorful autumn leaves. Whether you’re interested in baseball, soccer, birdwatching, hiking, skating or nature programs, there are thousands of ways to enjoy Prospect Park with your family.
I loved photographing this Buttermilk Falls wedding! There were so many beautiful details including a teal vintage car, an airstream photo booth, unique vintage garden furniture, canoes as props.
The seasonal flowers and wedding colors all coordinated so perfectly. Thank you, Ali and JP, for inviting me to photograph your wedding. It was so gorgeous and everyone had a blast!
A Buttermilk Falls Inn Ceremony.
Buttermilk Falls Inn is located on the edge of Hudson River, which depicts the perfect backdrop to their Riverfront Patio which can comfortably host 150-200 guests. This stunning two-tiered patio, on which a tent is placed, allows the guests to enjoy the serenity of Buttermilk Falls Inn’s grounds, while dancing the night away under the stars.
Here are some recent Brooklyn maternity sessions that I photographed. I photographed Samantha and Joe’s session on a windy day in December. A few weeks later, the couple welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Lana! She is super adorable and sweet and loves hanging out with my 6 year old son Henry!
I loved posing for my maternity photos. At this point in time, I was 34 weeks pregnant and my belly was getting really big and heavy! It was such an exciting time for me and my husband. You can also see the beautiful cake I served at our baby shower, designed by Betsy at Nine Cakes.
I recommend taking pictures between 28-32 weeks for the maternity session. You will be more comfortable and look and feel more limber in your poses!
Mawra’s maternity session was photographed at 32 weeks this fall. We photographed in Prospect Park and around the neighborhood in Park Slope. She was thrilled with the photos.
Megan had her second child, a boy, shortly after we took these pictures in her Brooklyn home. It was fun to have her 2 year old involved in the shoot, she didn’t want to leave her Mama’s side.
Yaryna, Lev and her son Cole welcomed a baby girl this summer a couple of months after I photographed their Brooklyn Stoop Portraits in Park Slope. Arielle delivered a baby during the beginning of the pandemic, so we did a maternity session a bit socially distanced, outdoors in front of her home. I love documenting this exciting time in a family’s life.
Karen is also a newborn photographer with 4 years of experience documenting babies on their second day of life in hospitals in Manhattan.
Nothing quite like a summery Park Slope Brooklyn wedding on a hot day in July! Megan and Joe were married at Stone Park Cafe surrounded by their closest family members. Here is a preview of some photos from their intimate wedding at Stone Park Cafe. I loved the floral bouquet designed by Zuzu’s petals, the blues and lavender color palette was so unique!
Park Slope Brooklyn Wedding
First Look
Megan started her day at Medusa hair salon, next door to the venue, and since it was such a hot and humid day, they decided to have their first look in front of the restaurant/salon because it was slightly cooler there. The couple lit up once they saw each other. We went into the most beautiful portrait session around the neighborhood before the ceremony at Stone Park Cafe.
In May, Brendon and George had their wedding at the Culinary Institute of America, the “world’s premier culinary college”, on the beautiful Upstate New York campus. As a foodie, home cook and food photographer I was honored to photograph at this incredible venue! Some well known graduates of the CIA include Anthony Bourdain, Anne Burrell, Sarah Baldwin, Roy Choi and Melissa Rodriguez to name a few.
What I loved most about Brendon and George’s wedding was how relaxed the day was. The couple decided to get ready together, so there wasn’t a first look. It was just the two of them, helping each other to prepare, which was sweet and serene.
The couple wanted the focus to be on portraits and candids with family and friends. Their first dance was professionally choreographed. A drag show followed and took over the stage with two performances in two different outfits.
I loved photographing both film and digital on this wedding. The shots at sunset on film were my favorite ones, with the unique look of grainy texture and rich color. Congrats to the happy couple!
Wedding at the Culinary Institute of America
Upstate NY Wedding
Upstate NY Wedding
Upstate NY Wedding
MASS MoCA Wedding
Karen Wise – Wedding at the Culinary Institute of America
Olivia & Jed’s MASS MoCA wedding was colorful, stunning and so much fun! I love how this Berkshires venue juxtaposes the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains with the industrial chic of its large contemporary art museum. Everywhere you turn at MASS MoCA there is another art installation that could be used as a backdrop for portraits. At this time of year – August – it was wrapped in an abundance of lush green too.
Olivia and Jed’s wedding party consisted of loving friends, cousins and siblings. The Brooklyn-based couple incorporated colorful flowers, an emotional Jewish ceremony, and delicious farm to table food catered by Mezze Catering. The long rectangular tables were perfectly placed alongside a 140-foot-long mural in eye-popping reds, pinks and oranges. Green Apple Weddings event planners used their impeccable style to create a room that would feel unique and inviting. Along with the planners, the floral designer, Hybl Fannin Design, made some jaw-dropping arrangements including a bright bouquet of dahlias, roses and lavender.
I used color film for many of the portraits of the couple and their flowers. You may see the borders that frame some of my film shots below. The medium format film images have a classic look and grain to it, which makes sense with images at this historic venue. I love to offer wedding film photography for all of my couples. I had so much fun photographing this Berkshires wedding alongside the awesome modern art. Olivia even got ready at a quaint little house down the street where she and the women in her bridal party had their portraits made. Olivia & Jed’s MASS MoCA wedding was one of my favorite Berkshires weddings to date!
Berkshires Wedding Photographer