So there I was, minding my own business, finishing up the last bites of a slice of ultra thin crust pineapple and ham pizza when I looked up and saw a mule pulling a small wagon down Isham Street toward Inwood Hill Park.
Yes I was surprised, we don’t see large four legged animals up in my neck of the woods. Dogs, yes. Mules, no!
So I did what any self-respecting blogger would do, I hot-footed it home to grab my camera. (Perhaps I should start carrying a small point & shoot with me at all times. Of course that would necessitate me buying a point & shoot….)
Fortunately they stopped for a brief moment in the park, and I snagged this shot. Quite profound wouldn’t you say? The mule gazing off into the urban distance.
The mule & owners ended up spending the night at the Van Cortland Park stables in The Bronx.
It turns out that the couple (Bud & Kenny) are planning to travel the world on foot. You can read about their travels, gawk at their solar powered trailer, or donate to support their journey at http://www.usonfoot.com/.
Anyway, it’s just not something you see every day on the streets of New York.
A few weeks ago I approached Sarah to see if she was interested in doing a “Fearless Bridal” session (formerly known as Trash The Dress or TTD). She was game, and so a few weeks later we found ourselves running around NYC's Upper West Side & Central Park having a great time.
I asked her if she wouldn’t mind writing up a little blurb for the blog, and she said sure (try saying that last part ten times fast). Her words are below, and I’ve even posted a fun clip highlighting fun photos from our shoot.
Happy reading & viewing.
-Bitter
****
When Melissa Bitter first asked me if she could take some pictures of me in my wedding dress, I agreed without hesitation. The weekend we hoped to do the photo shoot would be one week shy of my 1st wedding anniversary, and this seemed like a perfect time to pull out the dress and re-live some of the fun of my wedding day.
But, as the day for the photo shoot drew near, I began to get nervous. Melissa wasn’t going to take me to a photo studio for some nice conservative portraits. I was going to be out there in the public eye; in Central Park, on the streets hailing cabs, and on (not in!) fountains.
I realized- People are going to be staring at me! And despite being a Leo (very easily flattered and generally a sucker for attention), I became more and more apprehensive about tromping around New York in my wedding dress and veil until I finally found myself in the bathroom at the American Museum of Natural History touching up my makeup. And I was self-conscious…for about 5 minutes. Melissa was so professional and encouraging.
As the day progressed, I lost almost all inhibition (as demonstrated by the dance party shots!) and began to fully embrace what I was doing. I felt confident, sexy, and happy. People didn’t think I was weird- they thought I was a bride (albeit, a bride that was climbing over rocks and scaling stonework) and I was greeted by nothing but goodwill from onlookers. When everyone is smiling at you, wishing you congratulations, and telling you that you look beautiful in your dress, it’s hard not enjoy yourself. I felt that wedding-day flush all over again.
Was my dress filthy by the end of the day? Yes.
Was I exhausted? Yes. (Though probably not as much as Melissa who had to lug a 20 pound camera bad around with her everywhere!)
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. It was such a fun, liberating experience that the fact that Melissa’s shots came out wonderfully is just a bonus. The shoot was a great way to close out my first year of marriage- it reminded me that I’m still a little bit of a blushing bride, but it also helped me (finally!) get my dress to the drycleaner and pack it away that chapter of my life.
I'm on the run today and won't have time to blog later, so I'm sending you over to fellow NYC Blogger, Kitty @ New York Portraits.
Her write-up reminds me of my first three months in The City, where I lived on a couch in the front room/living room/kitchen. And my subsequent apartment that had a kitchen just as she describes.
I am now the proud owner of a fairly long/skinny kitchen, and I felt immediate kinship with the developer she mentioned. I ended up taking apart some metal IKEA racks and rebuilding it with shelves and a counter top. It's pretty ghetto, if I ever get brave enough, I'll post a picture so you can see it. ;)
"Now, not only can men tell friends and family about the circumstances of their engagement, they can show them, too, thanks to a candid shot of the proposal."
I think the idea of shooting a proposal in stealth mode sounds like so much fun! I love capturing candid moments anyway, so I'm thinking this type of work would really float my boat. Are any of you men out there thinking about popping the question anytime soon? Mention you saw this on my blog and I'll cut you a deal. lol
So what did I do? I went strait to google news to figure out what in the heck was going on.