New York City. A place known for its nuances.
In my story, New York plays a special part in it. It was where my journey into adulthood began and the first place I lived by myself after graduating college. Not only was I stepping towards complete independence, but I was also doing it in a vibrant city where everything was exciting and dreams felt possible.
Years later, here I am, in the same place where so many of my stories were written, only this time, to tell someone else’s: of Marije and Arthur, a Dutch couple visiting NY for the first time.
Marije and I have been friends for over a decade and I always think about our friendship as those rare types, one you don’t understand how and why it happens, only that they do.
We met at a musical festival in Brazil while she was studying abroad. Back then, she barely spoke Portuguese, and I barely spoke English, but somehow we clicked and have been friends ever since.
When she told me she was coming to the US, I didn’t think twice and hopped on a plane to see her. She mentioned she was now in a relationship with Arthur, and he was also joining her on this trip. I couldn’t be more excited.
To meet my friend’s partner was to meet an extension of her, and no wonder Arthur and I also got along almost instantly.
We blended in so well together that telling their story felt seamless. The trust and mutual admiration created the ideal space for authenticity to flourish.
We shared meals, sunsets, spontaneous moments, and deep conversations. We biked through empty streets at night, made the subway our playground, explored, danced, and laughed.
To experience NYC again in their company, was a pleasant surprise. Through their newcomer’s innocent eyes, I traveled back in time, remembering my first days in the city and reclaiming why I fell in love with it.
NYC is a place where magic happens. A city that allows you to be, to experiment, express, whichever form it may be. Somehow you always end up awed by the unexpectedness you encounter every day.
This photoshoot not only holds Arthur and Marije’s love story, it also carries mine and many others. New York has become one of my all-time favorite places to photograph couples.
