AWARD WINNING NEWBORN, CHILD, FAMILY + HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHER based in rye, new york
Back in May I received an enquiry from Dan saying he’d found me on Google (thank you to everyone who’s left a review!). He was planning to propose to his girlfriend towards the end of the summer and was looking for a photographer to capture the moment – I jumped at the opportunity to work with him.
Dan doesn’t live close by but had researched a few locations and loved the look of The Temple of Love at the beautiful Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers, NY. Neither of us had been there before so a few weeks prior to the big day I went to scope the area and I’m so glad I did! The spot was beautiful but there were several reasons why I didn’t feel it would work well:
Everyone wants their photo taken there and the area get super busy. I was worried it would be even more crowded on a weekend (I was so right!).
It’s up high and the chances were I wouldn’t be able to see them behind the rocks and railings, even when I zoomed in from my hiding place!
Once down on one knee, Dan would be well and truly hidden!!!
Definitely worth a visit though with stunning views overlooking the Hudson River.
There were so many beautiful spots at the location so I explored the area and took lots of photos, sent them to Dan and we arranged a Zoom call to go through them together.
We agreed on “the” spot and the excitement started to build. After a week of sweltering heat we were relieved to enjoy a beautiful warm evening with gorgeous golden hour light and no humidity. I arrived early and wasn’t surprised to see how busy it was – the location is a photographer’s paradise and I wasn’t the only one with a camera so luckily didn’t stand out with my long lens! The nerves started to build (probably nothing compared to Dan’s!) but I took a deep breath and waited for them to arrive. Following from a distance I soon realized the spot we’d agreed on might not work with so many people around, and Dan clearly had the same thoughts as he started to move in a different direction (cue slight panic!). I stayed positive and knew things would work out as I followed him to this beautiful, quiet and perfect spot close by.
It was such a special moment and of course she said “YES”!
Relaxed and relieved, we were then able to spend time together capturing the excitement and joy for a little longer in the beautiful spots I’d seen before.
Dan, if you read this thank you for trusting me, and I wish you and Marissa a long life together filled with so much love, good health and happiness. It was so much fun planning this with you!
I’ll definitely be going back to Untermyer Gardens in the fall this year. It overlooks the Hudson River and the fall colors are sure to be amazing!
"Jo is the BEST. Not only does she take the most beautiful photos, but she is a joy to work with and simply be around. Upon meeting her you immediately feel at ease which translates into naturally beautiful photos. From working with my 1 week old on a newborn shoot, to my entire extended family for a larger shoot, she can speak to and capture any life moment; and does it with kindness and grace. I look forward to many more shoots with Jo!"
"I cannot say enough good things about Jo. She not only took beautiful pictures of our family but also helped me the day of the shoot to style our outfits. We have two very active kids under 4 years and she still managed to capture some beautiful pictures!!! Jo will definitely be taking our pictures over and over again!"
I was very hesitant about getting family photos. How would they turn out? How would our children fare during the session? Could we figure out what to wear?! All of these concerns were totally removed once we started working with Jo. She was very responsive before the shoot, helping to guide us with outfit suggestions and mood boards. The shoot itself was super fun, the time flew by and despite still not knowing if she had captured anything, we left feeling like it hadn't been so bad after all! Fast forward to the photos being ready and we were delighted! Jo had captured us in the most wonderful way, the smiles, the glances at the children, the ease with which we operate as a family. We are so happy with the final gallery of photos and I know we will be back next year to have Jo capture us again!
"I cannot say enough good things about Jo. She not only took beautiful pictures of our family but also helped me the day of the shoot to style our outfits. We have two very active kids under 4 years and she still managed to capture some beautiful pictures!!! Jo will definitely be taking our pictures over and over again!"
"Jo is fantastic! She did professional headshots for me, and I'm super happy with the results. I would highly recommend Jo to anyone looking for a professional photo. She was responsive and flexible, working with my schedule and adapting location as needed. She coached me on how to get the best, most flattering shot, and the photos were great!!"
"Jo is amazing!! She really is able to capture the emotion and love between the people she is photographing. We had a wonderful experience working with her from start to finish and couldn't be happier with the results. We will absolutely use her again!"
"Jo is amazing! She has been photographing my family for years. She captures the personality of my children perfectly & is a joy to work with. I can't recommend her enough!"
"I cannot say enough good things about Jo. This past session was our 5th time working together and as always it was such a pleasure! She is very responsive both before and after the session. During the session she is engaging and always gets my sometimes reluctant little one to feel at ease and have fun. The quality of the pictures are beautiful and I look forward to working with her again and again to capture my family."
"I couldn't recommend Jo Bryan Photography more highly! I was dreading having a professional work photo taken, but Jo actually made it enjoyable. Not only is she an extremely skilled photographer, but she also has a gift for making people feel relaxed and natural. Jo is also extremely professional--the housekeeping part of my experience was simple, efficient and best of all--I had my photos in less than a week which I felt was above and beyond. The only problem I had was that I had a hard time choosing!"
"After pouring over all the images, I can honestly say they are the best family photos I've ever been part of. Jo is as patient and kind as she is talented. Despite four rowdy kids ages 4-9, she was able to capture some of the most precious moments through her lens. Working with Jo was great and she made what usually is my kids least favorite family activity (family pictures) so easy! She's flexible, friendly, calm and makes everyone feel at ease. I will treasure all the photos she took of us this year and am looking forward to continuing to work with her well into the future."