Leaving the City


Being based in New York City, the overwhelming majority of my photoshoots take place either in the city, Brooklyn, or somewhere just outside of NYC. That's why when Laura and Anthony reached out to me about an idea they had to take their engagement pictures on a farm in New Jersey, I was immediately hyped! Don't get me wrong. I do love NYC and I wouldn't trade it as my home for any other place in the world. It is, however, nice to do something new every once in a while outside of the city!


Couple standing with horses on a farm in NJ for an engagement photoshoot
Couple standing with horses on a farm in NJ for an engagement photoshoot
Couple posing on a farm in NJ for an engagement photoshoot wearing cowboy hats

Bringing the Vision to Life


Laura and Anthony are a couple that are both from big cities. With Anthony being from Staten Island and Laura from Paris. However they are both enamored with southern culture, from Anthony being stationed in Texas in the military, and their love of country music. After having a brief phone call with Anthony beforehand, it was clear how him and his fiancee wanted to capture their love in a way like this that expresses their shared interests, drawing inspiration from TV and other photographer's couples shoots on farms.

A romantic black and white photo of a couple embracing in a meadow.
A person in black stands in foreground while white-dressed figure appears in distant field.
A couple in western-inspired wedding attire sharing an intimate moment in a grassy field.
A playful black and white photo of a couple dancing in a meadow.
A couple holding hands in a meadow, showing western attire and wedding dress details.
A joyful couple in western and wedding attire pose with outstretched arms in a field.

Pre-shoot Prep


This engagement shoot was as close to perfect as you can possibly get. Everything from start to finish was executed flawlessly, and I have to give the client, Anthony, a lot of credit for that. His planning and communication pre-shoot was excellent. From coordinating the horses with the ranch owner, to creating a moodboard on Pinterest, both myself and the client were extremely prepared and set up for success going into the shoot!

A romantic photoshoot in a serene meadow with trees in the background during golden hour.

Channeling Your Inner Cowboy/Cowgirl


As Anthony and Laura truly wanted to lean into the cowboy and cowgirl theme for their engagement pictures, I tried to invoke that energy in them as much as possible. To start of the approximately 90 minutes or so that we had to take pictures, the ranch owner, Donna, took some of her beautiful horses out of the pen for Anthony and Laura to play with and set up for some wonderful candid shots at golden hour. Once we were finished, we let the horses take a rest, and I directed Anthony and Laura for some fun couples prompts on this open grass landscape. These two were down for anything! From chasing each other, to tag, to piggy back rides, we had SO much fun and I was satisfied that I was able to encourage so much organic laughter.

Two people lying down together in a grassy field with trees on the horizon.
Intimate couple's photoshoot in a rustic field with natural lighting and forest backdrop.
Candid romantic moment captured in an open field with treeline in the background.
Playful couple's portrait session in a rural field setting with dramatic sky.
Artistic black and white romantic portrait in a country field setting.
Dancing couple captured in a dramatic dip pose in an open meadow.
Joyful couple spinning and dancing in a sunlit grassy field.
Whimsical couple's photoshoot with playful poses in tall grass.

Blue Hour Ending


After the sun had set, and blue hour was swiftly approaching, we made our way back to the parking lot where Anthony had requested to do some photos in front of his beautiful new Dodge pick up truck. A perfect ending to the this beautiful summer evening.


Evening photoshoot with pickup trucks and headlights creating dramatic lighting.
A romantic couple embraces by a rustic barn door at dusk with a cowboy holding a lantern.
A couple in western attire poses on the back of a pickup truck at twilight.
Black and white photo of a couple sitting on a pickup truck tailgate in country setting.
A romantic couple in western-inspired outfits share an intimate moment at dusk.
A couple in western wear sits together in a pickup truck bed at sunset.

Favorite Shoot of 2025!


In conclusion, I had a BLAST on this shoot. It was definitely my favorite couples session of 2025, and getting out of NYC to take pictures was such a breath of fresh air!

If you're interested in doing a photoshoot like this for your engagement, elopement, or any other occasion, feel free to reach out in the contact section of my website or email at: patflanaganphotography@gmail.com