Sag Harbor Photographer Brings Shooting Back Following Suspected DWI Stop
Photographer, Tim Justinlake, allegedly coming home from a wedding.
SAG HARBOR, NY — A late-night traffic stop in Sag Harbor took an unexpectedly theatrical turn after a wedding photographer, fresh off what he described as “a big one,” attempted to navigate both roadside questioning and a full day’s worth of residual reception energy.
Body cam footage provided by the Sag Harbor PD showed Timothy Justinlake with reddened eyes and some slurring of speech. When asked if he was visiting the area, Tim replied, “I just came from shooting.”
“What do you mean?” the investigating officer asked.
“Umm, it’s hard to explain — I was capturing moments,” Justinlake said, at which point the officer ordered the photographer out of the car.
“You guys are wild, man,” the camera recorded as Tim exited.
Justinlake, who identified himself as a Sony photographer, initially struggled to explain his occupation.
“…I mean, I do weddings… events… I guess — I’m an artist,” he said, before clarifying he had just come from shooting a “pretty major” celebration.
Body cam footage from the scene noted a vehicle filled with camera bodies, lenses, and what appeared to be a fully packed trunk of lighting equipment — including stands, beauty dishes, and a myriad of umbrellas, among them clear ones. “For those epic night shots in the rain, man,” Tim explained when questioned. The photographer allegedly gestured toward the gear at one point, stating, “I didn’t use 95% of those things tonight — and most nights,” before trailing off.
When asked if he had been drinking, he paused.
“I had… I mean… it’s been a long day,” he said, before adding, almost conversationally, “These are, like, hard questions.”
Officers then initiated a standard field sobriety test.
“These are, like… hard tests,” the photographer repeated while attempting to follow instructions. Witnesses say he approached the painted line with the same focus typically reserved for lining up a ceremony aisle shot, though the results were less consistent.
At one point, mid-attempt, he stopped and looked up.
“You’re really doing all this?”
“You guys are wild.”
During the interaction, a passenger identified as his second shooter — believed to also be his girlfriend — attempted to intervene from the vehicle.
“Can we just do some headshots of you guys and let us go?” she reportedly called out, an appeal that caused the officers to widen their gaze and reach for their sidearms.
“He’s a friggin’ photographer, you know what I mean!”
Moments later, the tone briefly shifted. As one officer moved closer to the passenger side, the body cam captured the second shooter saying to the photographer:
“This is why I told you not to drink and shoot.”
The officer was immediately overheard asking, “What’s that?”
Tim leaned forward quickly. “She’s talking about photography — shooting weddings,” he clarified. “Photos. Cameras.”
A brief pause followed before the officer resumed the stop.
The body cam video confirmed the photographer remained cooperative, though notably casual throughout. At one point he was heard mentioning needing to “get some sleep” ahead of another wedding scheduled for the following day, adding, “This is gonna mess up the timeline.”
Following the roadside assessment, officers moved to place the individual under arrest. When the officer jokingly asked whether he’d be willing to photograph him and his wife in exchange for some leniency, Tim answered, “Nah.”
As he was being taken into custody, he reportedly turned and reiterated:
“You guys are wild, man.”
During processing, the photographer maintained a light tone. While reviewing booking details, he allegedly made an offhand remark about shooting their families, followed quickly by, “…and afterwards, we can hang them — I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding,” though officials did not respond.
No injuries were reported.
Local photographers familiar with the situation described it as a “classic post-reception comedown,” where the transition from crowded dance floors — often featuring repeated renditions of “Sweet Caroline” — to quiet roadways can feel abrupt.
At press time, it remains unclear whether the photographer will make his next scheduled wedding.
Sources did confirm, however, that the previous event ended on a high note — and that Timothy Justinlake was released on his own recognizance.
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