Leave it to the Brooklyn Bridge to once again
provide the perfect DUMBO engagement session.
An early-spring engagement session in DUMBO, Brooklyn, with fog over the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Andrew and Peipei’s storybook proposal at sunset.
In April, I photographed Andrew and Peipei along the Brooklyn waterfront in DUMBO. The fog gave the bridges, buildings, and river a soft silver cast. Then it lifted, the sun came out, and suddenly it felt like we’d been given two completely different days to photograph.
We wandered along the waterfront and around Jane’s Carousel, taking in the views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan. DUMBO is one of those places where the landscape does a lot of the work, but it’s the people in front of the camera who make the pictures worth keeping.
Andrew and Peipei’s Brooklyn Bridge Park Proposal
Andrew shared the story of how he proposed:
“I had gotten Peipei to come with me to the Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO just before sunset on April 8th by telling her we had an early meal. Once we got there we walked along the river from the River Cafe past the Carousel to the beach area where the waves break.
“I waited for a moment when we had a little privacy, positioned us while the sun set behind the lower Manhattan skyline. I gave her my little speech and dropped down on one knee and finally proposed. Fortunately for me she didn't hesitate too much! Afterwards, we walked around the streets of Dumbo sharing in the euphoria until we had a beautiful dinner at the Vinegar Hill House. And the rest is history.”
The photographs became more than a record of the day. I made a small archival album for the couple, and they also used the images for their printed engagement announcement.
DUMBO offers a distinctive setting for engagement photography in New York City: cobblestone streets, the waterfront, the Brooklyn Bridge, Jane’s Carousel, and the Manhattan skyline all within walking distance. But the best photographs come from what happens between the landmarks—the anticipation, the relief, and the happiness that follows a moment like this.
DUMBO Engagement Session
The Lucida ring by Tiffany and Co.
DUMBO Engagement Session at Jane’s Carousel shot on location by Angela Cappetta.
Thanks for reading!