Nicole and Victor

A Sentimental TWA Hotel Engagement Session in New York City

The Setting

The TWA Hotel is unlike almost any other engagement photography location in New York City.

Originally designed as the TWA Flight Center in 1962 by architect Eero Saarinen, the building is an iconic piece of mid-century modern architecture. Today, the restored terminal has been transformed into the TWA Hotel, bringing its futuristic curves, sweeping concrete forms, dramatic windows, and unmistakable red accents back to life.

For Nicole and Victor, the history of the space made the location especially meaningful.

Their relationship had involved a lot of airports.

A lot of flights.

A lot of goodbyes.

And, thankfully, a lot of hellos.

So instead of choosing a traditional NYC engagement session location, they leaned into something deeply personal to them.

And I am always going to be a fan of that.

The Day

A TWA Hotel Engagement Session With a Story Behind It

There are engagement sessions that are beautiful, and then there are engagement sessions that actually mean something. Nicole and Victor's TWA Hotel engagement session in New York City was a little bit of both.

The location wasn't chosen simply because it was visually interesting—although, let's be honest, the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport is one of the coolest places in New York City to take photographs. For Nicole and Victor, airports had always been part of their story.

During their long-distance relationship, they spent countless hours traveling back and forth, meeting in terminals, waiting for flights, and crossing the miles between them. So when it came time to plan their NYC engagement photos, an old airport terminal felt almost too perfect.

The TWA Hotel became more than a backdrop.

It became part of their love story.

The Vibe

Bold Design, Mid-Century Architecture & TWA Red

From a photography perspective, the TWA Hotel is an absolute playground.

The architecture is bold without needing much added to it. Curved hallways, sculptural staircases, geometric details, enormous windows, vintage-inspired interiors, and that signature TWA red create visual interest almost everywhere you turn.

There are so many little nooks and unexpected corners throughout the hotel that it would be nearly impossible to make the same photograph twice.

One hallway feels cinematic.

Another feels like a 1960s fashion editorial.

Then you turn a corner and suddenly you're standing in front of a wall of windows overlooking JFK.

The design gives the session an incredible amount of personality before we even start photographing.

And that is exactly what I want from an editorial engagement session in NYC.

Give me a location with a point of view, and let's build the photographs around it.

The Photography

Digital + Film Engagement Photography in NYC

For Nicole and Victor's engagement session, I photographed using a combination of digital and film photography.

The digital images allowed me to really lean into the architecture—the clean lines, dramatic shapes, bold colors, and graphic quality of the TWA Hotel.

Film brought something different.

A little softness.

A little grain.

A little nostalgia.

And for a couple whose relationship was so intertwined with travel and airports, that nostalgic quality felt especially fitting.

I love mixing digital and film during engagement sessions because the two mediums can tell slightly different parts of the same story. Digital can feel crisp and contemporary, while film has an organic, imperfect quality that makes photographs feel like memories.

Together, they create a gallery that feels both editorial and nostalgic.

The End

A New York City Engagement Session With Personality

Nicole and Victor's TWA Hotel engagement photos are a perfect example of why I love photographing couples in places that feel a little unexpected.

The bold architecture.

The red.

The vintage-inspired design.

The quiet corners.

The movement through the terminal.

The travel history behind it all.

Every part of the space gave us something to play with.

But ultimately, the photographs aren't really about the TWA Hotel.

They're about two people who spent a lot of time traveling to find each other—and eventually found themselves getting married.

The airport just happened to be the perfect place to tell that story.

Planning your own New York City Engagement Session?

Based in Pennsylvania and available for weddings throughout New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, and destinations worldwide.