Danny + Emily {Engagement}

When we first started planning Emily and Danny’s engagement session, they talked about loving the outdoors and that they were willing to hike to get to some cool places. Emily mentioned that she really wanted it to be about the scenery surrounding them. There was a particular photo that had caught Emily’s eye when she was looking though my portfolio. When she described the photo, which was taken at Zindel park, in Clinton County Pennsylvania, I knew that location was going to be perfect for them and would meet all of their expectations. They chose October 17th, in the morning for their session to take advantage of the gorgeous Pennsylvania fall colors.

On the drive there the morning of the shoot, there was a chill in the air and dense fog all along the base of the mountains. I suddenly remembered that earlier in the week, I had wished to set up a foggy engagement session but hadn’t known how to plan it as fog is so unpredictable. As I drove closer I realized the fog wasn’t going anywhere, and I hoped that Emily and Danny were just as excited about it as I was.

During the hike, we had some time to get to know each other and talk about the wedding they have planned for May 30, 2021 at The Barn at Greenwood, in Millville, PA. Emily and Danny live in Astoria, Queens NY with their dog Buckley. They both went to school for scenic design and they work in tv and film now. Danny is a carpenter and Emily is a scenic artist, so he builds the sets and she paints them. They both worked in theatre before transitioning to tv, and they met at a theatre festival (Williamstown Theatre Festival) almost 10 years ago in the Berkshires. After that Danny moved to NYC, Emily was already living there, and three years later they both ended up at the Beer Garden in Astoria and starting talking. After two hours Danny asked Emily where the birthday party was, because he assumed she was there for the same reason. Fast forward six years later, Danny proposed on his birthday March 15th, with a gorgeous Celestial diamond ring (nicknamed the salt and pepper diamond). He told Emily later that he figured she wouldn’t say no to him on his birthday. That day turned into an even bigger stamp in time than they ever realized it would, when it ended up being the last time they left their apartment before quarantine hit in New York.

Suddenly it all made sense why they where so drawn to such a gorgeous and interesting place and why the scenery chosen was important. Zindel Park fit these two artists perfectly. The park was designed in the 1920s as a tourist attraction. If your not paying close attention to your surroundings, you will walk right past the hidden cabin (built to house the water officials but was later abounded) all boarded up in a very mysterious way. The bridges, monuments, and the columns on the cabin’s porch are made with lava rock from Mount Etna, a volcano in Italy.

We made our way to the reservoir, where the fog was just starting to lift off the water. I directed Emily and Danny to stand down by the water and with the fog and mountains surrounding them, it was like a scene from a movie. Suddenly, what was supposed to be a shoot all about fall foliage, took on a whole different feel…