A GQ-Inspired Portrait Session in NYC With a Fellow Creative I Admire

Susan’s use of the dark aesthetic is easily one of the things that made it a no-brainer for me.

     As a wedding photographer in Puerto Rico, I spend most of my life behind the camera—photographing weddings, proposals, and destination celebrations. But for quite some time, I’ve been wanting to experience the other side of the lens. I had tried plenty to refresh my portfolio using behind-the-scenes content from weddings, having team members photograph me while I worked. While those images were helpful, they didn’t reflect the polished, editorial look I had in mind.

     What I truly wanted was something with intention: a stylized, GQ-inspired portrait session that captured the way I feel as an artist. Clean, sophisticated, timeless. And once I finally slowed down enough to think about it, the person I wanted to collaborate with became obvious.

It’s almost as if Susan knew she’d be rocking me in front of black V-Flats

     I wanted to work with Canon Explorer of Light Susan Stripling — someone whose work I’ve admired for a while and whose approach to light, mood, and storytelling aligns closely with my own. Among photographers in New York City, she’s someone whose artistic values mirror mine: thoughtful use of light, a love of shadows, and a natural intuition for mood and tone that feels familiar to me. We were already speaking the same language creatively, so reaching out felt natural.

     I emailed her with a laid-back, friendly pitch about the idea. She replied warmly, and soon enough we set up a FaceTime call. From the first minute, it felt like catching up with someone I’d known for years. We laughed, swapped stories, introduced our pets, and even got to say hello to Bill, her partner and fellow photographer. The energy was easy, familiar, and genuinely fun. A few days later, the invoice was in my inbox; I paid it and immediately booked a flight straight to Midtown Manhattan.

Landing in New York City

Susan made me look tough but I’ll have you know I’m a Pop-Tart: hard on the outside but soft in the middle.

     On November 9th, I arrived at JFK and—despite the federal shutdown—managed to get through smoothly. From there, I hopped on the train and headed to 38th Street to check into the La Quinta by Wyndham, which happened to be directly across from Susan’s studio.

     The next morning, I laid out my outfit: a light gray suit we’d already talked about through text, paired with a black shirt and tie. But the real star, as it turned out, was the black pea coat I packed for the cold weather. The second she saw it, she knew it had to be part of the session. Honestly, she wasn’t wrong.

Walking Into the Studio

I’ll probably hear from the modeling agency very soon if I’m being honest.

     With the studio just across the street, I left five minutes before the session. Susan greeted me at the door with a hug—warm, friendly, no pretense—and Bill followed with an outstretched hand and a smile. It immediately set the tone for the whole shoot: relaxed, collaborative, and comfortable.

     After a quick catch-up, Susan complimented the outfit choice and started pulling out V-Flats. We headed toward the massive windows overlooking 38th Street, planning to use them as our main light source. Both she and I love natural light, so it made perfect sense to keep the setup simple and let the city do the work.

Gotta throw in a good black and white. Am I right?!

     I loved that we didn’t need flash. With only an hour together—and plenty of conversation in between shots—working with window light kept everything flowing. Before starting, I suggested playing some Lucy Dacus, one of her favorite artists. I always feel that when you’re listening to something that inspires you, the creativity just comes easier.

Shooting With a Colleague Whose Work I Respect

Had to sneak in a pick out in the streets because, you know…New York City. C’mon…

     Throughout the session, Susan moved between her Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 and the 85mm f/1.2, making small adjustments, finding interesting angles, and shaping the light with both light and dark V-Flats. Her use of shadow and negative fill felt very much in line with my own approach—and that’s exactly why this collaboration felt so natural.

Might actually be my favorite from the bunch.

     She positioned me near the window, playing with pockets of light and areas of darkness in ways that reminded me of how I work during weddings in Puerto Rico. We weren’t trying to reinvent anything; we were simply two photographers who share similar instincts.

     She didn’t show me the back of the camera—and I didn’t want to see it. I trusted her completely; I made this very clear. Susan also let me record the entire session using my new DJI Osmo 360 camera and even let me clip a mic on her for crisp audio. Those behind-the-scenes clips are going to be gold.

Why This Session Mattered

Quick tip: pretend to reach for your wallet for a classic male pose.

     As someone who spends every weekend photographing couples across the island as a Puerto Rico wedding photographer, I’m always creating, directing, managing timelines, and adapting to unpredictable environments. Being in front of the camera—especially in a controlled, intentional environment—felt refreshing in the best way.

     It reminded me of why I love this craft. It reminded me that even photographers need portraits that feel true to who we are. And collaborating with someone whose style aligns with mine made the whole experience feel effortless—not like working with an unreachable expert, but like creating with a colleague I genuinely connect with.

I need to work on my hands. They’re starting to call me ‘scissor fingers’.

     Among New York City wedding photographers, Susan is someone whose approach I respect deeply, and shooting with her reaffirmed just how valuable creative collaboration can be. I’m genuinely excited to share the images from this session—and the behind-the-scenes footage—very soon.

New York City Surprise Marriage Proposal

Alysha & Justin

     The 2023 wedding season for me ended with my second Indian wedding in Puerto Rico. It was quite arguably the most rewarding event I have ever photographed. It spanned two days, had tons of moving parts and was perhaps the most gratifying wedding of which I’ve ever been part as a photographer in Puerto Rico. The groom, Sumanth, was one the kindest clients I’ve ever had; he and Nicole, his now wife, treated my team and I with the utmost care and were such a pleasure with whom to work. During the reception, he pulls me to the side and, using his peripheral vision somehow points to one of his groomsmen, Justin, and whispers that he is looking to propose to his then girlfriend, Alysha, in New York City. The reason he approached me is because my then girlfriend was living in Manhattan and Sumanth knew I would be in New York quite often; he saw it as an opportunity to collaborate even further with his friend.

     As per Sumanth’s request, I reached out privately (so as to not blow his cover) to Justin while in the city and suggested we meet for coffee to discuss the possibility of documenting his surprise proposal. We agreed to meet at a local coffee shop and, when introducing himself for the first time, he casually confessed that he told Alysha he’d be meeting with a potential client so that she wouldn’t suspect anything about odd behaving; sometimes a white lie is fair in love and war. After exchanging plesantries, Justin tells me that he’s very interested in proposing at Jose Andrés’s rooftop bar/restaurant called Nubeluz in midtown Manhattan. I immediately thought it was a great idea and was enamored at the idea of having a view that amazing as a backdrop to such an amazing moment for him. 

She said YES!

     After a few days of marinating the idea, it’s ultimately what Justin wanted so we went with it as Plan A. He, of course, was the one responsible for making the arrangements and, once he did, he kindly asked if I could come meet him the day before to scope out the venue. I typically enjoy visiting a venue that I haven’t shot at before because I thoroughly enjoy scouting for the best lighting and scenes possible so I hopped on my electric scooter and met him as requested. Upon arrival, I was floored: the views were breathtaking and, as you made your way out onto the balcony, you had the Chrysler building right in your face. I think it was the perfect choice for Justin and the hotel employees at the Nomad Ritz-Carlton seemed to agree.

     The most important reason to visit Nubeluz was to determine where exactly I was going to position myself in order to take pictures of Alysha as she waltzed in while, at the same time, figuring out how I was going to take that ever-so-important shot of Justin on one knee. After a meticulous search of ever nook and cranny, I figured out where that needed to be and we were on our way. I can only imagine it was going to be a memorable experience for Alysha and Justin but this wouldn’t go unnoticed by me seeing as how it would be my first event outside of Puerto Rico which is where most of my clientele hires me as a professional photographer. I was up for the challenge and, although it wasn’t going to be my first surprise marriage proposal, it was definitely going to feel different.

Glistening…

My goal for this session was to make it seem as authentic and genuine as possible; I was meeting Alysha for the first time (I didn’t quite interact with her during Sumanth’s wedding at the Royal Sonesta in San Juan) so I definitely had to ‘feel’ her out but I was told she loves pictures so that’s something that as a wedding photographer in Puerto Rico I love to hear. I remember telling them that I wanted to be the proverbial ‘fly on the wall’ meaning that I wanted to interpose as little as possible so that I could have them interact with each as organically as possible. This is one of my secrets to getting great candid photography: give them directions, perhaps a few prompts from time to time but, for the most part: let them be.

Table for two.

Nubeluz is riddled with lovely scenes to take advantage of from lavish seating booths to wonderful couches overlooking that Manhattan skyline. The floor to ceiling windows allow for an extraordinary amount of natural light to make its way into the bar/restaurant and I made sure to use it to my advantage at all times. It made life easy in the sense that I could could have a great balance of shots of Alysha and Justin both sitting down and either leaning on the bar or standing up for an environmental portrait. The venue really brought out the atmosphere of the occasion and I think it paired well with the overall aesthetic that Justin had envisioned even before picking my brain as a professional photographer.

     There’s something really special to me in shooting a surprise marriage proposal. I can only imagine it’s a nerve-racking event and it’s safe to say Justin was definitely feeling all sorts of emotions; between weddings in Puerto Rico I thoroughly enjoy photographing these the most due to the fact that it serves as a prequel of what’s to come. I get to witness how it all started, even more so when they book me to be their photographer as well. By having that initial step documented, it allows me to enhance their love story even more because I have that preface; it’s like reading part two of a trilogy without having browsed through the first few chapters. It doesn’t always happen, of course, but when it does it makes my story-telling that much more interesting.

Just us…

     One of the best things you can do in these scenarios is to tell their story with attention to detail. During a surprise marriage proposal, the focal points are explicit: the epic moment when Justin kneels down asking for Alysha’s hand in marriage as well is the obligatory shots of the epic engagement ring with which he was going to do it. I wanted to highlight it as best as I could and I loved how this shot came out with both of their glasses in the frame as well as their hand embrace reflected on the table’s glass top. Professional photographers in Puerto Rico often forget to follow the establishing shots with medium and tight images that aid in the understanding of the activity that is taking place.

Kids.

     You can tell a session is going really well when you take naturally occurring shots like this one above of Alysha just soaking in the moments. Admittedly, it’s exactly what I was aiming for: two lovebirds just having the most meaninful display of their love to this day and having private conversations of what transpired to make it happen as well as thoughts of what’s about to happen moving forward. The Nubeluz bar was a great spot for photography; the staff setting up was nice enough to move out of the frame while they were setting up for opening and the mirrors in the back were a pretty good prop for getting creative as a Puerto Rico photographer. It was obviously my first time shooting here and, although I showed up just hours earlier, I was still challenging myself with anything I could find.

He sees her in him…

All in all, we had an amazing time for about the next hour or so getting as creative as possible with the best spots at the venue. It was a gratifying experience to be able to travel to New York City and capture this very special moment for Alysha and Justin. It was honestly as fun for me as it was for them! During the course of the next two days we would also work together to break the news to their parents in the lobby the following morning and in the evening the couple would rent another space so that their closest friends can also join in on their happiness. This trip was an all-encompassing experience for me as a Puerto Rico wedding photographer and one I can wish to replicate.

Views.

Mademoiselle.

The future looks bright.