From the Brooklyn Waterfront to Their Wedding Celebration
There are wedding days where the location becomes part of the story from the very beginning. Dave and Shannon had one of those days.
Their boda began with the unmistakable character of Brooklyn: the waterfront, the city skyline, the architecture and the energy that surrounds Brooklyn Bridge Park. Later, the celebration moved to Dyker Beach Golf Club, creating a completely different atmosphere for the reception.
As their fotógrafo profesional, what I enjoyed most was being able to follow that transition and photograph how the day changed along with them.
Before the Ceremony
I started with getting ready, when the pace of the day was still relatively calm.
These photographs are about the anticipation before everything officially begins. The final preparations, the small interactions and those quiet moments before seeing each other are easy to overlook when everyone is focused on the schedule.
For me, they are essential to telling the complete story of a wedding.
I don’t want the gallery to begin with the ceremony and make it seem as if the day simply appeared. I want the photographs to show what came before—the anticipation, the people around the couple and the feeling that something important is about to happen.
The First Look
Then came the first look.
After spending part of the morning apart, Dave and Shannon finally saw each other before the ceremony. I like photographing first looks without turning them into a heavily directed production. Once the couple sees each other, the camera becomes secondary.
My job is to anticipate the reaction and give them enough space to actually experience the moment.
That is where the photographs become much more personal.
Brooklyn Bridge Park: The Ceremony
For the ceremony, we headed to Brooklyn Bridge Park, where the surroundings immediately gave the wedding a very different character.
The waterfront and New York skyline created a natural backdrop without needing much else. Dave and Shannon were surrounded by the city, but the focus remained on the two of them and the people who had come to witness the ceremony.
I made sure to photograph both sides of the moment: the intimate details between them and the larger scene around them.
That wider perspective matters. When Dave and Shannon look back at these photographs years from now, they’ll not only remember exchanging vows—they’ll remember where they were standing when they did it.
The People Who Came to Celebrate
After the ceremony, we took time for group photos.
This part of wedding photography can easily become purely functional: line everyone up, take the picture and move on. I prefer to keep it organized while still allowing some personality to come through.
These are the photographs that document the people who were actually there.
The friends and family surrounding Dave and Shannon are part of the story, and a wedding gallery wouldn’t feel complete without giving those relationships their place.
A Wedding Photo Session in Brooklyn
Brooklyn also gave us the opportunity to create photographs that felt connected to the city.
For the wedding photo session, I wanted to use the environment rather than simply place the couple against a generic background. The waterfront, the skyline and the architecture provide scale, while the couple gives the photographs their emotion.
There is something I particularly like about photographing weddings in New York: the city doesn’t have to be hidden or softened. It can be present in the frame.
For Dave and Shannon, that meant creating portraits that feel unmistakably connected to their wedding day in Brooklyn.
From Brooklyn Bridge Park to the Reception
Once the ceremony and portraits were finished, the day moved to Dyker Beach Golf Club for the reception.
The change in location brought another shift in the photography. The quiet anticipation of the morning was gone. The ceremony was complete, the formal photographs were finished, and it was time to celebrate.
This is when I put more attention on movement and reactions—the interactions between guests, the energy on the dance floor and those spontaneous moments that happen when everyone finally relaxes.
That’s one of the things I enjoy most about photographing a complete boda. The day never stays visually or emotionally the same for very long.
What I Remember From Dave & Shannon’s Wedding
Looking through the photographs, what stands out to me is the journey of the day.
It started quietly while Dave and Shannon were getting ready. It became more personal during their first look, opened up against the Brooklyn waterfront for the ceremony and photo session, and eventually turned into a celebration surrounded by their closest people.
As a professional photographer, I don’t think my job is simply to make every photograph look beautiful.
My job is to make sure that when Dave and Shannon look through these images years from now, they can recognize the day.
The places.
The people.
The atmosphere.
And, most importantly, how it felt to be there together.
