Over by the bridge,

a picnic down along the river.

Brendan & Grace

There are some sites all around

Brendan reached out to me from Cali. He was flying into New York with Grace for a short vacation and his window of opportunity to pop the questions was rather narrow. Luckily I could make it happen and when he said he wanted to do a picnic by the G.W. Bridge I knew the perfect spot.

I shot at the Ross Dock Picnic Area, beneath the Palisades Cliffs on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, not even a mile north of the famous bridge, before. The former 6th borough of New York City, Yonkers, sits across the water lined with tall residential buildings that have been popping up over the previous two decades.

These two were just sweethearts; kind and in love. She was certainly surprised when he finally got to his knee after a wonderful

the George Washington Bridge.

picnic in the late afternoon sun. It’s always somewhat impressive to me how people who are overcome with emotion can sort of laugh and cry at the same time. They don’t even know what’s going on. Grace was definitely overcome with joy and Brendan certainly matched that energy.

I knew one of the shots to get was a little trek away to the underside of the bridge. The patterns of structural steel spanning out from right above your head is really a playground for any kind of portrait photographer. So with their approval and endless smiles we took the walk.

All along the way it became undeniable to me that if you can laugh and smile like that you are meant to be together.