This little spirit that came from the stars had kept us up all night for 3 weeks. I was pushed to the limit of my sanity. It was basic training for my other full time job as a stay at home Dad. Yes, I became a Mr. Mom for my little one and she has totally consumed every waking hour of my life for the past 6 months. But don’t worry I’m still available to capture your life stories and blissful moments, just contact me.

I know that this time is short and if I don’t pay attention; it will be gone in the blink of an eye! I enjoy carrying her in my arms, tossing her up in the air and catch her landing softly into my arms; these and many other things I will not be able to do with her if I had waited.

These photos from the slide-show were taken mostly on impulse inspired by her angelic spirit as I was taking care of her during the day and when Mommy wanted to dress her up, we made a photo session out of it. She has been an incredible subject, natural, willing to play along, and always never cease to please her Daddy’s trigger happy finger.

I will leave you to enjoy these blissful moments from my life as a first time Dad.

Time has no promises and that’s why we keep our memories alive with photographs. Tamar, a young woman whose aspiration is to become a family doctor, contacted me the day before for a family portrait session. She resides in New Orleans and came back to visit her family in Brooklyn. Tamar will be going to Cuba to study family medicine, so she can come back to New Orleans to help the people in needs. Tamar told me she will be getting a free education there; therefore she can afford to study as a general practitioner without having to worry about paying back expensive loans.

I am touched by her idealism and honesty.

Before we drove to meet up with Tamar and her family, we stopped by Dosa Hutt in Flushing to clench our thirst with the most delicious mango lassi. Yim is a food fanatic. I have never seen anyone read every menu like it was on the New York Times best sellers list, but she does and there’s no doubt that she is a foodie. I’m the kind of guy that can eat the same dish over and over again. Yim loves variety and she has really broadened my horizon when it comes to food. And her father’s cooking was the best.

I love tropical fruits and on the day Yim introduced me to mango lassi, I died and went to heaven, but I have to come back to earth for more. Like a kid I drank all mine and part of Yim’s lassi while waiting for our lunch at the Hindu Temple around the corner.

I thought, “Nothing can top today’s mango lassi from Dosa Hutt.” Well, I was wrong! After lunch Yim introduced me to mango kulfi, and the only thing I can say is that I felt like squatting on the sidewalk and eat that ice cream like a real native. Hey, we Asians can squat and it makes us happy; there’s one exception, Yim can’t squat for the life of her. She really needs to learn how to squat before she gives birth to our baby.

The only thing I can dream of that can top the mango kulfi is to dip it in the mango lassi. Now that’s ecstasy! Can’t wait to try that soon one day.

Can this day get any better? Yes, it can!

While waiting for Tamar and family in Dumbo, we sauntered into a bookstore, powerHouse Books, at the corner of Main and Water Street.

To be inspired by photographers of the past is one thing. Time has the ability to add weight to event and people from the past. Nostalgia is an important and powerful factor in influencing us to fall in love with things and people from the past; e.g., our heroes are most of the time dead and our legends are from the past. My dead heroes and legends in photography are Eugene Smith, Dorothy Lange, Henri-Cartier Bresson, and David Douglas Duncan (oops, he’s 94 and still kicking!) just to name a few.

Recently, I have been touched by the works of living breathing photographers of the present and just yesterday, I found two! Kristen Ashburn and another photographer named Boogie. I bought Kristen Ashburn’s book, “I Am Because We Are”.   Her images of the orphans from Malawi are truly an in depth study of human character. You have to love people to capture their spirit and to turn a snapshot into an image that speaks to people for generations to come.

Boogie’s work is hauntingly beautiful and breaks all rules. In an interview Boogie reaffirms a belief of mine; he said, “…inspiration and good shots are all around. It’s up to you to see all that. You can make great shots right here. It’s not about where you are. It’s not about going to crazy, f*cked up places,  it’s everywhere”.

You don’t have to go to special places to make great photos. You can make great photos where you are. Don’t wait for beautiful things to happen, the moment and place you are in has all the beauty you need. Go shoot and be one with your camera, place and time.

Tamar tried very hard to get everyone (14 people) to show up on time in Dumbo. It was not an easy task. We were half an hour late from our appointed time, but no big deal. We cope with what we have at that moment in time. And what we had was a wonderful mix of 3 generations (toddlers, parents, and grandma). Tamar’s Dad was called away on an emergency and couldn’t join us.

We shot quickly and furiously before the sun sets. Only available natural light was used for this family portrait session. Nothing captures the soul naturally like nature’s own light.

To reward Yim and our little bun for being such a great help, we went to one of Yim’s favorite Taiwanese restaurant in Elmhurst. We ordered dried radish omelet and a very spicy shrimp dish (I felt the effect this morning).

We ended the day with 3 scoops of home made mango and green tea ice cream from a street vendor we stumbled upon after the delicious dinner. I was walking with 50 pounds of camera gear, but it was so worth it and most importantly, Yim was no longer cranky, but totally happy. You don’t want to cross a pregnant lady when she’s hungry after all; she has 2 mouths to feed.

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.

There are many reasons and one of them is definitely appreciation. It makes us feel so good when we get to do something that we love and at the same time make people happy. Personally, the appreciations from my happy brides and grooms drive me to continue to create and to improve my art.

The ultimate sign of appreciation is the repeat referrals we get from our totally satisfied and loyal customers. This appreciation keeps our business going; we are a referral base and word of mouth business!

We are humble and grateful to the brides and grooms who keep referring us to their friends; therefore, we want to give back to our loyal customers by rewarding them with our Modern Lifestyle Portrait session. We appreciate your business and referrals. We will not be here without your support. Thank you!

Today’s photos are from Janet and Howard and their two lovely boys. We did not have the honor of photographing Janet and Howard’s wedding, since we were already booked when they inquire about our services; but we have since photographed their sister, Amy, and brother, Jimmy’s weddings and will soon photograph Janet’s friend, Lauren’s wedding.

Click here to see A Fine Day – Part One {A Lower East Side Modern Lifestyle Family Portrait Session}.

Knowing that Greg is an artist and musician, Willi asked Greg to bring his guitar with him. Greg treated Willi to a live performance. His voice is a pleasure to listen to; it is both soulful and angelic.

“Always Time” is on Greg’s new and soon to be released CD.

To learn more about Greg and his music visit him on myspace and CD Baby

The audio slideshow will play when it has finished loading. It may take a minute or two.

The photo session is shot entirely in the Lower East Side. It has it’s share of historical buildings, it’s own park, bridges and yet somehow retain the raw urban characteristics of decades past. As you can see, it is a hip place to shoot in.

Forcing children to pose is not something I recommend, but well meaning parents often try to help during a photo session by telling their children to sit or stand still and look at the camera. But that often leads to rebellious behavior or at best a cheesy smile. Children are at their best when they are deeply absorbed in doing something that interest them. Simple as it sounds, but it works.

The best way to capture children is to let them be. Let my camera document the many faces of your children as they reveal them freely without inhibition. Trust them and let them lead the way. You will not be disappointed by the outcome.

Parents wanting to get the best pictures tend to supervise their children during the photo session more often than not end up frustrated and unhappy; therefore, you should simply sit back, relax, enjoy, and play with them. When you look at the photos afterward you’ll recall a memorable experience which you want to relive over and over again; now that’s a lifetime investment!