August 8^th, 2009 was a day of many firsts for me.

It was the first time I:

* was at The Prospect Park Audubon Center at the Boathouse (for a wedding or personal leisure)
* was at The River Café
* saw a handmade silk bouquet by Twigs & Honey
* met stylist Sissi Chan
* assisted on two weddings in one day (yes, TWO (2) weddings!)
* was in Dumbo for a wedding day photography session
* assisted Willi and associate photographer, Ben
* brought a mp3 player with a recorder with me to a wedding
* tasted a Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory ice cream
* ate black cod with miso
* and so much more that I’m not going to bore you with

When I first walked into Prospect Park; it seemed like dejavu. I couldn’t pinpoint it until I’ve reached the Boathouse. I felt as if I was on the movie set of  Somewhere in Time; when I saw Cynthia and Matt in their wedding attire. The Boathouse is such a romantic setting for a wedding.

I did not plan on using my mp3 recorder, but when I heard the harpist playing Pachelbel’s Canon I couldn’t resist pressing the record button. A few days after the wedding when I listened to the recording; I was surprised by the content. Unknowingly, I had left the recorder on for the entire wedding ceremony. It recorded Cynthia and Matt’s wedding vows.

Now, I understand why talkies were such a phenomenon in the 1920s. Adding sound and especially dialog to photographs enhances the emotional content.  With Willi’s photo storytelling skills and my mp3 recorder we may have just added a new a la carte service.  Do let us know what you think.

By the way pescetarians I highly recommend The River Café’s black cod with miso!

The River Café
1 Water Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 522-5200

Prospect Park Audubon Center at the Boathouse?
95 Prospect Park West
Brooklyn, NY? 11215
(718) 287-3400?

Cynthia & Matt’s slideshow was first published on September 27, 2009.

Dumbo, Brooklyn  is a very beautiful setting for not just wedding photography sessions, but also engagement photo sessions.

I hope everyone had a warm and wonderful holiday season!

Willi, theStoryteller, a Modern Lifestyle photographer, is still in the mist of post production and album making. Looks like he won’t be able to come up for air until the end of February; but in the mean time we would like to share an intimate wedding of a lovely, beautiful & fun couple from London, England.

Helen contacted us to photograph her intimate get away New York City destination wedding a month before their City Hall civil wedding ceremony. No contract was drawn; we promised to meet each other at 8 a.m. at the Hudson Hotel on one of the coldest day in December 2009.

They had a total party of three people: Helen, John, and Helen’s sister, Heather. Here are the challenges in a nut shell: Willi had to create a story of three people who comes to New York City’s City Clerk’s Office Marriage Bureau for a less than twenty second civil wedding ceremony to be pronounced husband and wife in 10°F (it sure did felt like it) weather and make it fill with fun, emotion, warmth, and NYC chicness, because that’s what the bride and groom came all the way to New York City from London to do. Thank goodness that the love was already there, because luckily for us Helen and John are so much in love that it shows.

We started the wedding photo shoot at the elegant Hudson Hotel Penthouse then we headed out to City Hall, Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Central Station. Due to the inclement weather; we tried, but were not able to utilize the terrace with panoramic New York City views. I was surprised that we were able to shoot in bathroom, but then it was chic and luxuriously stylish.

Well, here are the results from the challenges given! Be sure to view the slideshow too!

Please click on the play button to see more of Helen & John’s gorgeous wedding pictures taken in the penthouse of the Hudson Hotel, New York City Hall, Brooklyn Brooklyn and Grand Central Station.

Hudson Hotel
356 West 58th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 554-6000

Weddings are a once in a lifetime event that most, if not all brides dream about. When it comes to weddings, perfection is not an option but very much preferred. We are only human and can sometimes err in our choices and planning a wedding is nothing but making choices and hope that in the end it all comes out perfect.

On Melissa and Joe’s wedding day the entire bridal party cheered and chanted my name as I walked through the door of the bridal suite; because I was available to phatograph Melissa and Joe’s wedding. I was elated, surprised and humbled by the ovation; it showed me how important my photography services are to a bride, her friends and her family.

Bungalow Hotel
50 Laird Street
Long Branch, NJ 07740
phone: 732.229.3700
email: info@bungalowhotel.net

Avenue Restaurant
Le Club Beach Club
23 Ocean Avenue
Long Branch, NJ 07740
phone: 732.759.2900
email: info@leclubavenue.com

What is the typical age of a ring bearer? The younger the cuter! Must he be old enough to understand the importance of his role? No matter the age of the ring bearer, the rings are usually kept in the safekeeping of the best man. The trick is getting the ring bearer to walk down the aisle. More often than not; the shy younger ring bearer will stop after a few short steps and begins to look scared.

Don’t worry mommy is waiting at the end of the aisle with the arms open and candy in her hands.

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?