RJT Pictures Blog

Monthly Archives: October 2008

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Sarah & Scott’s Engagement Session in NYC

October 28, 2008 – 4:17 pm

When Sarah entered the bar that night she had no idea her life was about to change. Her friend recognized someone across the room – a high school classmate. It was Scott. Sarah’s friend went over to Scott to catch up, casually introducing the two. As the night went on, Sarah and Scott really hit it off. He made her laugh; she brought a smile to his face. They started dating right away and have been together ever since.

A year ago, Sarah and Scott moved from Colorado to Stamford for Scott’s job. Sarah quickly found a job in NYC and they have loved exploring their new surroundings. Since, their wedding will be in Colorado (the reception will be in the hotel that was used in the movie the Shining), Sarah and Scott decided to do their engagement pictures in NYC. What better way to represent their new home on the east coast?

When Sarah contacted us about doing engagement pictures in NYC, Rob and I were very excited. The city is really special to us – it’s where Rob proposed and it’s where we did our own engagement session. So it was very cool for us to go to some of those same locations with Sarah and Scott and retrace our steps, this time on the other side of the camera.

We started the day in Central Park, by the mall and the boat house. What we love most about Central Park is that even though it’s a very large park, it still feels like NYC. You’re away from the noise, the traffic and the skyscrapers, but it still has a definitive city feel. And it has so much to offer – the 40-foot wide Mall Promenade with it’s beautiful American Elm trees (where they filmed part of the movie Enchanted), the row boat area (where Carrie fell into the water on Sex and the City, and where my brother proposed to his wife), not to mention the tons of other buildings with incredible architecture and the street musicians that bring the park to life.

Afterward we headed over to the Brooklyn Bridge for a different feel. The bridge itself with it’s cables and archways makes for an awesome backdrop – the view of the city skyline makes it even better. We walked down into Brooklyn just in time for sunset. We finished the day at Brooklyn Bridge Park, where there is an breathtaking view of the city and the bridge, which is even cooler when all the lights come on. It was the perfect ending to a classic NYC session.

So please enjoy some photos from Sarah & Scott’s NYC Engagement Session, narrated of course by Rob

We started Sarah & Scott’s Engagement at the Mall in Central Park. This part of the park is one of our favorites parts, the American elm trees and benches lining the central promenade are simply beautiful.

Such a sweet moment.

When Kathleen and I had our engagement session we actually went to the park and I remember how much I liked these benches, this area is so peaceful, you almost forget you are in the middle of NYC.

I like to watch how couples look at each other, the way Sarah looked at Scott was so sweet.

We stopped for a quick portrait, these two were simply great!

I really love the stairs at the end of the central promenade especially from above.

Sarah & Scott started dancing while we were shooting from on top of the bridge, so awesome!!

They way Scott looks at Sarah is really sweet too!

Kathleen and I really loved this texture, it made for the perfect background.

After coming down the stairs there are beautiful archways, I really love New York!!

We stopped by the fountain and Sarah & Scott stole a quick kiss.

This was too great!! This street performer (who by the way was awesome) looked over and started playing as Sarah and Scott sat there.

It was such a sweet moment, one that could have only happened in New York City.

The weeping trees in the park are beautiful.

Love this moment, it is so sweet with the row boats in the background.

One of my favorite silhouettes ever!!

After we finished in the park we grabbed a taxi and headed to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Before we got in the taxi Kathleen captured Sarah and Scott kissing as a bus went by, I really like the ad on the bus, I thought it added to the emotion.

It took a while but we finally made it to the Brooklyn Bridge, the lighting was so beautiful up there.

The architecture of the bridge is so great, I wanted to make sure we got that into some of their photos.

So sweet!!

I love how Sarah and Scott are looking at each other here.

As we were walking down to the park by the water where you can see the Brooklyn Bridge, Kathleen spotted this awesome building with crazy textures, colors and one solitary lightbulb, we simply had to get a quick shot there.

We got to the park and this to me is one of the places in the city with the coolest views. We thought it would be the perfect place to finish up Sarah & Scott’s Session. I really love it!!

By Robert J. Trenske | Posted in Destinations, Engagement Sessions | Comments (9)

Our Clients are the BEST!!

October 28, 2008 – 10:53 am

We love our clients and we just wanted to share with you a couple of notes that we just received showing how much our clients love us. We feel so blessed that we get to share the most special days with the most amazing people. We can’t even begin to show our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to our clients.

Carolina & Angelo right before their reception at Grassy Hill Country Club.

Becky & Jon steal a kiss from each other immediately following the ceremony… one of my favorite photos!

By Robert J. Trenske | Posted in Client Notes | Comments (2)

[b] School @ The W Hotel in Times Square

October 27, 2008 – 4:07 pm

Last Thursday Kathleen and I met up with a bunch of fellow photographers at the W Hotel in Times Square. It was a great time, we got to meet some really great new people and hang out with some of the west coast photographers of came out such as [b]ecker, David Jay and Gene Higa. The Bui Brothers were also there, what a fun night!

Here is a shot some of the people who showed up. Thank you to our new friend (and fantastic photographer) from Long Island, Brian Calabrese for sending us this shot. Brian is the guy all the way to the far right of the shot.

Kathleen and I got in a quick photo with [b]ecker that we found up on the [b] School Blog.

Check back in a day or so when we will be posting the sweet engagement session that we did with Sarah & Scott while we were in the city. Also for all of you CT PUG people that we hung out with on Friday (you know who you are) we will be posting some of those crazy pics soon!!

By Robert J. Trenske | Posted in Education/Networking, Travel | Comments (3)

Marisa & Donald’s Engagement Session in Litchfield

October 27, 2008 – 1:10 am

They met in middle school, their lockers were right next to each other, he would slam her locker closed. As you can imagine she couldn’t stand him one bit.

Two years later, as fate would have it, they met again – this time in high school. She caught his eye right away. He knew his work was cut out for him, he would have to convince her to be his. Neither of them can remember how he got her to go on that first date but all that matters is they have been together ever since. “Persistence paid off,” he says now, seven years later.

- Marisa & Donald -

We met Marisa and Donald in their hometown of Litchfield for their engagement session last Monday. They took us to one of the most incredible places we have ever been to in Connecticut – a boardwalk trail through a protected nature preserve. The trail going through the preserve was well over a mile long and it had such beautiful scenery – tall grass, amazing large trees, and gorgeous foliage. We had a great time walking through the trail, marveling at all the nature around us, and getting to know Marisa and Donald a little better. After spending time on the boardwalk we headed over to downtown Litchfield for a bite to eat at this really tasty hometown restaruant. After lunch Marisa and Donald felt right at home strolling around their hometown, showing us around a little bit and giving us the opportunity to capture some more photos of them. We had a blast!!

Here are some of our favorites from their engagement session, we hope you enjoy them!!

We spent most of the day at this really incredible nature preserve. It was incredibly beautiful with a wooden boardwalk that ran through the whole place. This photo was right in the beginning of the session and is actually one of Kathleen’s. I thought she captured it so well that it needed to start this post.

I really liked this bridge (keep a look out for it again later in this post). It was over this beautiful swamp land. It was so relaxing out there.

I really like the emotion in this photo, something about how Marissa & Donald are looking at each other, you can almost feel what they feel for each other.

One of my FAVORITES, Kathleen and I really liked this tree and I wanted to do something really different with it, I think this photo is so beautiful.

Kathleen’s shot, they fit together so well.

This place was like a magical little land that nobody knows about. At times I felt like we were walking through a dream, it was that beautiful.

So cute!!

We were a little nervous walking through some of the places where there was deeper water but it was totally worth it for shots like this!

This is another one of my favorites from the day. We were shooting in really harsh light (right around noon at this point with no shade) so I decided to work with the light instead of against it. I LOVE the backlight and the tall grass.

Marissa & Donald said to us that they wish they had a camera to take a picture of us because we looked that funny…all for the great shot!

We liked this bridge so much that we went back to it for a couple more photos. Marissa was certainly brave sitting up there, but look how cute they look.

Beautiful!

We stopped for a nice simple portrait…

…and one more kiss before heading to town for some lunch.

After lunch we had to take advantage of some brick (one of our other favorite things).

We spent some time around downtown Litchfield…

…and enjoyed the beautiful autumn day we were having.

Kathleen spotted this door and we thought it would be a great way to finish the session.
Thank you for a wonderful afternoon Marisa & Donald – we really loved getting to know you both and can’t wait for your wedding.Rob & Kathleen

By Robert J. Trenske | Posted in Engagement Sessions | Comments (7)

Deb & Tim’s Wedding @ The Fox Hill Inn

October 25, 2008 – 8:40 pm

Last weekend, Sue, Rob and I photographed the wedding of Deb and Tim. The ceremony and reception were both held at the Fox Hill Inn in Brookfield. Deb and her girls got dressed at the Fox Hill as well, so we had a lot of fun with the shoes and dress in the center hallway at the inn (the bright red walls and antique fixtures created the perfect contrast with the dress).

Before the traditional Jewish ceremony could begin, the bride and groom had to see each other for the signing of the Ketubah. Rob set up a special moment for the two of them to see each other for the first time in the bridal suite. Deb waited anxiously by the window and Tim came into the room. He walked over to his future wife and gently touched her on the shoulder. Once she turned around and he saw he for the first time, he was completely speechless, overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment. They hugged, exchanged a few private words and then walked hand-in-hand to sign the Ketubah in the presence of the bridal party and parents.

The ceremony was held outside on the grounds of the Fox Hill where the October blue sky and incredible foliage added to the romantic feel of the day. From the upstairs balcony where I was snapping away, I could see the sun peaking through the clouds, casting a beautiful beam of sunlight down almost directly onto Deb and Tim. I couldn’t get it from where I was since I was above it, but I knew Rob was probably getting some amazing shots of it (which he did, of course…check it out below).

The reception started out with what was probably a hora that lasted well over 5 minutes (probably closer to 10). The dance floor was packed, nearly every person in attendance clapping, dancing and cheering for Deb and Tim. The energy was incredibly contagious – and lasted the rest of the night. The amazing Ken Gross Orchestra kept the crowd going all night, playing everything from Billy Joel to Dave Matthews (Tim’s favorite), and even Louis Armstrong.

So as always enjoy Rob’s narration of some photos from Deb & Tim’s Wedding!

Deb & the girls got their hair and make-up done before heading over to the Fox Hill Inn where she got her dress on. I like how Deb’s Mom is looking on from the background. We decided it would also be fun to do a quick ring shot on Deb’s iPhone, I really liked the reflection.

For those of you who have never been to the Fox Hill Inn, it is a really cool place. Kathleen and I thought the lights in the hallway made for a nice shoe shot. The crazy red wall was really fun!

We hung her dress on the balcony overlooking the entry way. I tried some fun tilt-shift action on this.

How many girls does it take to help get a wedding dress on? As a guy, I have to say, we have it easy, it takes no time at all to put a suit on.

The rabbi explains the Ketubah to Deb & Tim before the ceremony.

Deb’s signing the handmade Ketubah that her mother made.

I love the light coming through the trees as the groomsmen walk down the aisle with the hoopa.

A guest captures a quick shot before Deb comes down the aisle.

Deb’s parents both walked her down to Tim as part of the traditional Jewish ceremony.

The rabbi asked us not to take any photos during the ceremony so we had to improvise to make sure we got some for the bride and groom. I actually like shooting from up here, it was a really nice view. Kathleen also captured some really nice shots from up here.

I just like this one…

Almost married!!

Look at the light coming through the trees right before Deb & Tim’s first kiss, so beautiful.

They were both beaming as they walked out of their ceremony.

Kathleen and I got to spend a couple moments with Deb & Tim before heading into their reception.

We took advantage of the leave-lined-driveway…

…and the beautiful grounds at Fox Hill. How sweet is this one!

The sun coming through the trees all day was AWESOME!!

Kathleen captured this sweet moment.

Kathleen also got this shot of Deb and Tim during the hora…

…Sue & I were trapped in the middle of the craziness…it was a ton of fun!!

Their first dance!

I LOVE chandeliers and I love the weird flare you can get when shooting the 85 @ 1.2, to me it makes it kind of magical.

Cake Cutting.

This picture is really fun to us, Kathleen and I had to get in this group shot because every couple in this photo is an RJT couple! We had 3 brides and 3 grooms in which we photographed their wedding day. How awesome is that!!
Deb and Tim – we know you’re checking this from Antigua, so have an umbrella drink for us!Thanks so much for letting us be a part of your incredible day.

By Robert J. Trenske | Posted in Weddings | Comments (29)

We’re in NYC!!

October 22, 2008 – 2:08 pm

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you all know that Kathleen and I are in the city until Friday night. We are staying with our awesome friends (and loyal blog stalkers), Andrea & Christina at their apartment, which totally beats a hotel! Today we are off to photograph an engagement session and then tomorrow we are going to PDN PhotoPlus Expo. Hope to meet up with a bunch of photographers so leave a comment or shoot us an e-mail if you are going to be there. We are also going to catch up with [b]ecker and some fellow [b] School Members tomorrow night and then our CT Pug Group on Friday.

Check back soon, we will try to get a couple previews up. We will also have some previews from Deb & Tim’s Wedding as well as Marissa & Donald’s Engagement Session up soon so keep checking :).

Hope everyone is having a great week!!

By Robert J. Trenske | Posted in Education/Networking, Engagement Sessions, Travel | Comments (0)

Olga & Christopher’s Engagement Session @ Wadsworth Falls State Park

October 21, 2008 – 1:41 pm

From the minute you meet Olga and Chris, you can see that they just fit together. She’s bubbly and talkative – with an artistic mind constantly whirling with ideas. He’s more reserved, exuding a kind of quiet confidence. Together, they are the kind of couple that can make everyone around them feel good, just from the way they look at each other and interact. It’s as though once they found each other they breathed a sigh of relief and said, Ah, there you are. I guess that’s how you really know you’ve found the one.

We met them at the Wadsworth Falls State Park in Middletown, a park they had been to many times and was significant to them as a couple. We could see right away why the picked this location. Autumn in New England is always beautiful, and this park was especially gorgeous. It had everything you could ask for - large grassy areas, a small beach, and a beautiful waterfall. And the best bonus? There were some railroad tracks right next to the falls area – something we’ve been hoping for at a session for a while. So of course we had to go all over the park. Thankfully Olga and Chris we game for all of it. They were so easy-going and adventurous – climbing rocks next to a waterfall, walking along the tracks, and even crawling into a tunnel.

Olga and Chris, here are some photos from your session, we can’t wait for your wedding next year!!