When my couples come to me with a vision for their engagement session, it is SO exciting. I love when their creativity ignites inspiration within me and we work together to bring their vision to life. For Ashley and Carter, that meant a chic uptown New York City engagement session with direct flash in the Empire Hotel. Traveling from Virginia to New York for their engagement session, these two wanted to celebrate the glamour of New York City.

A note on direct flash photography –

Direct flash photography has gotten more popular in today’s days of Instagram and Pinterest. While some may see it as a passing trend or a fad, I think it’s a great way to incorporate a certain look when the timing calls for it. As a photographer, I am always searching for new ways to push my creative boundaries and playing around with this style was really fun in its experimentation. I think that’s one of the best parts of being a photographer. It’s having the expertise and knowledge of a variety of styles and sensing when the moment calls for each one. 

In this uptown Empire Hotel session, direct flash was beautifully fitting. We captured so many fun images of Ashley and Carter in the elevator as well as in the lounge areas. We finished this portion of their session by heading outside and popping some champagne to celebrate their time in New York!

Take a look and see how we brought Ashley and Carter’s chic New York City engagement session to life below. See this session’s featured Instagram post here.