Ilyas and Sheena’s Engagement Portraits from Jared Platt on Vimeo.

I met Sheena and Ilyas at Central Park in New York City for their engagement portrait session.  They are both very busy people (doing the doctor thing) so getting them together on a date I could get to NYC was a challenge, but we found a date and made it happen.  Central Park is so full of possibilities, it is a perfect spot for a walk and a photo shoot.

My favorite thing about Central Park is the fact that one can be in a city that size and feel like you are in the country.  At times, I even forget about the traffic noise.  So I wanted to get a few shots that put the couple in the forest, away from it all.

It’s a bit of a challenge to get an empty staircase here, but I managed to sneak a few moments where that right section of the staircase is empty for a brief moment.  I was glad that those moments also aligned with a few moments between Sheena and Ilyas.  That’s the gamble that is photography.  We are often waiting for the stars to align to give us the best background, the best light, the best moment and on top of it all, we need to get the right exposure and the perfect composition.  Sometimes it works.

When photographing an engagement shoot, I always recommend finding a warlock to be a part of the shoot.

I love the architecture.  But the shadows under there get a little deep, so I threw a Canon 600 EX RT Flash under the arches on the opposite wall and popped a little bounce light in there to keep those arches illuminated.  There is such great architecture in that park, I enjoyed using it all in the photoshoot.

I did a bit of scouting the day before and found a few spots Ilyas and Sheena had never been.  It is understandable.  The place is enormous.

I love this shot.

And this one.  By the way, there’s a lot of backlight there and there’s no way this shot would have worked without the use of my 600 EX RT flash set off the left of the frame on a picnic table filling them in with a bit of light.

By the end of the shoot, Sheena was done wearing the shoes.  So was I, and I was wearing comfortable street shoes.  We didn’t do a lot of “city” shots, but on the way back to their car, I thought the street looked inviting, so we grabbed a shot there.

And then, one of my favorite shots presented itself as we continued toward their car.  I love the iron gates and the stairs and the dappled light coming through the trees.  I love it.

Thanks Sheena and Ilyas for spending the morning with me.  It was a pleasure getting to know you both and making some cool images with you.

Engagement Portrait by Jared Platt, Platt Photography

Slideshow Music by Mindy Gledhill, courtesy of Triple Scoop Music

Portrait Location: Central Park, New York City, NY