The Untermyer Gardens Conservatory in Yonkers, New York is a gorgeous park created by Samuel Untermyer who built it to mimic a paradise here on earth, similar to the great Indo-Persian gardens of antiquity. Even though I live in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, this was my first ever visit there. Imagine my surprise! Being a photographer and living near this majestic masterpiece and not knowing of its existence until very recent, my jaw just dropped! 

When my friend Tyrone told me of his idea of doing the shoot there, I never thought the location was so special. The official wedding time was 4pm, and we arrived at the park at 3.30, with only 30 minutes to spare and no photography permit, it seemed as if the gods conspired to allow us to create a very beautiful collection of images. 

At 3.30pm, even though the weather was very beautiful, the park was practically empty and no one around asking for permits! Normally, to be that lucky, you need to light up a candle and pray non-stop for weeks or go there very early and be the first one to arrive. I really enjoyed working with Tyrone and his lovely wife Mabel because as a couple, they are truly blessed. They were humble and showed genuine love and affection for each other. Oftentimes we photographers direct our couples to hug, to kiss, to look into each other's eyes and so on, but I didn't feel I needed to do that  with these two. I think this was the reason we were able to create so many beautiful and natural-looking photos under thirty minutes! The love and affection was very easy to see!  

My name is Hans Gonzalez, and I am a Wedding, Event, Portrait and Headshot Photographer based in Manhattan, New York. For Inquiries, please contact me at 917-539-9418.   

Hans Gonzalez