I thought my readers will realize that the post was a tongue and cheek writing about personal preferences and why you should not have one as professional photographer. That’s why I intentionally did not give a long list of the best locations for engagement photos in NYC, because the best locations are where you end up at the moment. The best “landscapes” are the human faces. Without that there’s no meaning to the best locations.

I’m certain that I’ll write more future blog posts on the best locations for photography sessions. Hopefully, soon you’ll be able to see some incredible images taken in ordinary everyday locations.

I would like to  end this post and leave with you a thought about focus…if you focus on the finger pointing to the moon; you will miss all that heavenly glory. And if you focus on getting to that beautiful location, you will miss those gorgeous moments on the way. Seize the moment, which is here and now and right in front of you! Carpe diem!

2,190,363 couples were wedded in the U.S. in 2008.

The world’s longest-married living couple, Zelmyra & Herbert Fisher of North Carolina, were, at press time, preparing to celebrate their 85th anniversary.

$707,051,028 worth of wedding cake and fondant frosting (more than 16 tons) was consumed last year in the U.S.

The average American wedding costs $28,704.

In frugal Mississippi the average drops to $18,562.

In spendthrift New Jersey that jumps to $36,113.

Behemoth David’s Bridal claims roughly 30% of the wedding-gown market, with dresses that start at $99.

Steel tycon Lakshmi Mittal spent an estimated $60 million on a five-day French wedding for his daughter, Vanisha, which included a 1,000 person engagement party at Versailles.

The discount chain Filene’s Basement has held its Running of the Brides event at dozens of stores each year since 1947.

At one store, shoppers cleared the racks of 3,000 marked-down dresses in a record 37 seconds.

In 1960, an American bride was typically 20 years old and a groom was 23. Today, they’re 27 and 29, respectively.

Six countries currently allow same-sex marriage: Belgium, Canada, Holland, Norway, South Africa, and Spain.

December is the most popular month to pop the question, accounting for one in five engagements.

Well, I admit that even an open minded fellow like me could get pretty dense at times. My mind was finally opened last night, when I could not get my hands on the $1200 Canon 45mm tilt shift lens (it’s been back ordered since I became interested in buying it).  It’s a pro lens that makes a photographer feel like a photographer. And if you are a photographer who spends a lot of time talking about his equipment, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I decided to check on Lensbaby on the web and what I found changed my mind. A fine art photographer, Luca Lacche’s work convinced me to finally get this “sissy toy”. This afternoon I decided to splurge $300 and got myself a Lensbaby Muse with all the different optics.

From the store I walked all the way back to my studio and shot some photos along the way. Here are some photos from my first try with this free spirited toy!

“That’s my commercial!”, I screamed out to my friends.

About two years ago, I was approached by Kim Wang of Digital Art Video to submit a concept sales pitch for a Chase commercial. To my surprise it was selected and made into a commercial.

If you have dined in a Chinese restaurant or attended a Chinese wedding, you have probably seen the double happiness symbol. This Chinese character “Double Happiness” is a very important symbol in Chinese culture.  Since the commercial is to target the Chinese community, I kept to theme of Double Happiness.

The commercial shows a young couple celebrating their wedding anniversary. The wife gives her husband a handbook for first time fathers, letting him know she is pregnant. He gives her a set of keys to their new home — financed with a mortgage from Chase.

Digital Art Video did a phenomenal job with the filming and editing of the commercial. Just imagine what they can do for your wedding, birthday party and other celebrations.

I was told that the commercial debuted last year on the Chinese cable channels of New York and Los Angeles. Maybe it is time that I get a TV and subscribe to cable.

Moms, aunts, sisters and cousins with little girls (preteens) in their family are familiar with American Girl.  American Girl is a premiere lifestyle brand that offers a variety of age-appropriate, high-quality dolls, books, clothing, and accessories.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl opens nation wide on July 2.

two strawberries…

three strawberries…

who’s that?

“A photograph should not only capture the soul of the subject, but also the soul of the photographer.”

- theStoryteller

Japan Day 2008 is held in a green oasis in New York City, Central Park’s East Meadow. It will feature the best of traditional and contemporary Japan with a wide range of family-friendly activities and powerful stage performances throughout the day.

It will be a great opportunity for me to practice my photography skills. Hope to see you all there.

To learn more about Japan Day and to see a list if activities and festivities please visit: http://japandaynyc.org/main/

This picture was taken from our studio window. That’s the Manhattan Bridge in the background.

Last night as I was trying blogging; I heard a loud bang. I looked out the window and was surprised to see beautiful lights. Wow, fireworks! What’s going on? After a quick Google search; I found out that last night was the 125th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge.

If you still don’t have any plans for this Memorial Day weekend, why not head over to the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoy the festivities.

Be sure to check out the New York Times slide show Brooklyn Bridge Turns 125.

We here at Willi Wong Photography believe in living a greener life. Here are some of the many things that we do to pitch in for a greener earth.

• use recyclable batteries
• use compact fluorescent bulbs
• walk, bike or scoot whenever possible, if not then we use public transit or carpool
• bring our own usable grocery bags. Willi sure does get all the local female vendors’ attention when he says, “NO, bag please”.
• reduce the temperature of our hot water heater to 99 degrees instead of the recommended 120 degrees
• in the winter we keep the temperature at 60 degrees. Don’t worry we turn it up when we have are clients.
• in the summer we only turn on the air conditioner when we have clients
• try our best to remove our name from every mailing list
• do not mail out our price list because it is available online and will email instead of paper copies
• conserve energy by turning off lights, computers and other appliances when out of the office
• drink beverages from a reusable, washable mug
• use double-sided photocopying or printing whenever possible
• have a natural fiber of sisal rug
• buy organic foods whenever possible
• buy & use products made from recycled materials – too bad that no one has invented recycle photo papers yet.
• our motto is “reduce, reuse and recycle”

Please feel free to share your green living tips with us.

GoCityKids to the rescue. A quick search on their website and within seconds tons of activities for the day came up.

We decided to go to McNally Robinson Booksellers for Saturday Storytime. This past Saturday happen to be a Curious George special. Three Curious George stories were read to enthusiastic little boys and girls by resident storyteller Yvonne Brooks, author of “Meet the Goat Kids”. After the last story, “Curious George Flies a Kite”, the children made their own kites.

We had tons of fun testing the wind and trying to get our kite high in the sky in the local park.