I’ve been documenting weddings, engagements and other celebrations since the turn of the century and have not shot a wedding or engagement photography session on the Brooklyn Bridge itself, but always with the Brooklyn Bridge in the backdrop from afar.   Is it just like being a native New Yorker who has not been up to the Empire State building or the Statue of Liberty?

It’s easy to make things look beautiful from afar and always a challenge at close distance.  I faced that challenge when I met Mikaela.  The challenge, of course, is the Brooklyn Bridge and not Mikaela and Brian.

When I first met Mikaela in my studio she was coming straight from yoga class and was carrying her yoga mat. If I could have taken a photo of her then, I would say that she was enveloped in light!

Two weeks before their wedding, Mikaela and Brian wanted to do a pre-wedding (engagement) photo session on the Brooklyn Bridge and in Dumbo.  The best way to capture both locations is to start at the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge and walked across the bridge to Dumbo.  And the best time to do this engagement photo session is in the morning, sunrise to be exact.

Some of you may already know that I am not an early riser, but I will wake up and will stay up any time and every time for a photo shoot.   Mikaela and Brian rewarded me handsomely with beautiful images and on their wedding day they received enthusiastic compliments on the sunrise engagement photos we did on the Brooklyn Bridge and in Dumbo.  Of course, my artistic skills count for the stunning results of the engagement photos; but a huge part was truly that of Mikaela and Brian.

It did not hit me until later into the shoot why they choose to have a photo session so darn early in the morning! If Mikaela is the light, then Brian is the Greek god Helios who chariots the sun across the sky.

When I finally met Brian that early morning, I saw why they are in each other’s life. They are both so happy and couldn’t stop smiling. I had to tone them down for some of the shots; so that we may have variety of expressions!

I later learned from a friend of Brian’s at the wedding that it’s a hobby of Brian’s to take sunrise photos every where he travels to. Well, they are a couple that brings the sun up every morning!

A private eye in stilettos? No, it’s  makeup artist extraordinaire Laura Nadeau.

It should be common sense for people in wedding industry to be dedicated to the well being and happiness of their clients. If one cannot provide this most basic service, one should consider a profession in another industry. After all it’s a service industry and you are here to make people feel fantastic and comfortable on their big day!

This past weekend, I had the unfortunate encounter of a limousine driver who made the groom felt so bad on the way to the church that everyone got off the limo and walked to the church! And I must say this is the first for me in New York. Few years ago, I encountered something like that in Boston and was totally shocked by the experience.

Of course these are extreme cases and people in our industry in general are service oriented people, but there are few that stand above and beyond the norm!  Laura Nadeau is one of those who go above and beyond her duty to help and make her clients feel terrific on their big day! Not only is she a consummate artist who makes her brides look beautiful; she is out to help them by providing one of the most informative and inspiring website filled with expert advices from the pros in the wedding industry. This is something you rarely see.

I had the fortunate experience of working with Laura and she made my job much easier by handing over a gorgeous bride on time; so I did not have to rush.

I challenged Laura, and asked her to make herself look beautiful by doing her own makeup. We did a glamour editorial session last week in Soho.

Modern brides don’t forget to listen to an impromptu interview with Laura.  Please keep in mind that I am a professional photographer and do not have the eloquence of Barbara Walters.

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Without further adieu…the gorgeous Laura Nadeau’s Modern Lifestlye Fashion Photography Shoot.

This is the fourth consecutive Modern Lifestyle Family Portrait session for Dea and Chris. I photographed their wedding a few years ago and 2 years after that I photographed their lovely baby girl, whose photos are some of my all time favorites. Last year I photographed their new addition to the family, a baby boy. I look forward to their session every year because I get to witness and document the growth of their children and family.

The Chinese character for “good” (?) composes of a “girl” (?) on the left and “son” (?) on the right. Dea and Chris have this “goodness” not only because they have a daughter and a son, but because they really are a wonderful and fun loving family!

I totally enjoy photographing them because they instinctively know how to let it happen naturally without a fuss. They invite me into their life as a friend for the duration of the session and trust in my ability to capture the truth of their characters and family dynamics. This total trust and willingness on their part to enjoy the process have always created memorable and distinctive photo keepsakes.

These photos are not mere recordings of the changing face of a child, but the emerging character development of a little human being. I feel truly lucky to witness the transformation of their baby girl into a little princess and now seeing their son from a new born into a toddler!

Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side of New York City.

Click on the slideshow to see more images from the family portrait session in Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side of New York City. Be patient while slideshow loads…

Click here see a Lower East Side Modern Lifestyle Family Portrait session.

Can’t believe that it’s been almost 2 months since my last blog post! I have good reasons for this long absence. I have been busy shooting weddings! To relax after a long day of shooting and relieve my eye strain from sitting in front of the computer working on images; I have taking up guitar learning. It’s been a long time desire of mine and I am glad that I finally put down some good money for an acoustic guitar and lessons on DVDs.

There are couples of things against me as a guitarist; I have short fingers and can’t read music. So don’t expect me posting my playing anytime soon, but I must say that the regiment of practicing the basics, getting my short fingers to wrap correctly around the notes and producing a decent sound relaxes me and shows me once again that it’s possible to learn anything if you apply your time and energy to it.

Johann Sebastian Bach once said, “It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is to touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.”

If you want to be good at anything, keep on practicing. If you want to be a good photographer just shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. That’s it. That’s the secret. We become what we consistently do and practice!

I don’t know what kind of guitarist I will be, but I have  improved since I started my first lesson. I can now play the C and G7 chords that were giving me so much trouble that I was thinking of getting something to extend the length my index finger or getting a guitar for kids. Patience, perseverance, and persistent will always overcome any obstacles.

As a photographer, I can tell you that once you mastered the technical skills, then all you need is to combine it with feelings to give your photographs life. Without that personal touch chances are your photos will never go beyond technical and into the realm of art.

I am hoping that my guitar learning and playing will one day help infuse my photography with a new dimension of light, sound, and rhythm.

There are 2 posts I am excited about writing and sharing with you soon and they will give you a peek into why I am the luckiest photographer in the world; so stay tuned!

As humans we tend to gravitate towards a preference because we are creatures of habit; so when someone asks us about our favorites we are excited to tell all.

What’s my favorite piece of equipment? Well, if you know me or have plenty of free time on your hand to read through my blog posts, then you’ll probably know my answer. “I have no favorites and/or preferences”!

I apologize for the let down, but let me explain. I’m a person that doesn’t like to be pigeonholed. As I have learned from Takuan Soho’s, “The Unfettered Mind”: the placement of the mind in a sword fight is very important; if you put your mind and attention on a specific spot you will be cut by the sword. When you focus on the tree, you will miss the forest. When one falls in love with a favorite piece of equipment or a favorite style, one may no longer see other beauties or opportunities; this is very good for a marriage but not great for photography.

I will not limit myself to one lens; so in my arsenal of lenses, which are the eyes of my cameras, I have a long range telephoto zoom which is like a high power rifle for a sniper; I have a mid-range zoom which is like an AK 47 for running and shooting; I have a short-range zoom which is like an Uzi for spraying at close distance. I also use prime lenses which are for stealth and low light shooting. (I’m not a proponent or opponent of guns; this is just a visual analogy). Without a preference I can tell a story with a broader range of possibilities, but I would shoot a wedding with a point and shoot camera if that’s all I am given. As a photographer, I aspire to be consistent in the quality of my work; which will not only require a technical mastery of my tools, but also a flexible creative approach to each subject that appears in front of my lens.

From the following slideshow; can you find the long, the short and the in between shots?