Happy Valentine’s Day!

Did we deliberately delay the posting of part 4 until today to build up anticipation? No, it is just a coincidence. It was on my list of tasks to do, but I was busy gathering me rosebuds. Sometimes I just have to stop what I’m doing and smell the flowers and enjoy the moment before it is out of my grasp.

I never knew that Times Square during the evening can be so romantic.  What a difference a little light makes.

When two people in love get together the distance that separated them melts away. Bryon and Amy congratulations on your upcoming wedding. No distance can keep your love for each other apart.

Bryon, did Willi mention to you that you resemble my favorite Mandopop singer, Richie Ren?

To read about Amy and Bryon’s story and to view the first part of this Cinematic Engagement Photography series: Click Here

To view the second part of this Cinematic Engagement Photography series: Click Here

To view the third part of this Cinematic Engagement Photography series: Click Here

The photos from this Cinematic Engagement Photo Session were shot in New York City’s Dumbo, Brooklyn  and The High Line Park in Chelsea, Manhattan.

To read about Amy and Bryon’s story and to view the first part of this Cinematic Engagement Photography series: Click Here

To  view the second part of this Cinematic Engagement Photography series: Click Here

To read about Amy and Bryon’s story and to view the first part of this Cinematic Engagement Photography series: Click Here

When I described my Cinematic Photography Session to Byron and Amy; they decided that it was what they wanted.  Cinematic Photography Session is an approach that I have created for couples who want more than just the standard photos.  They were also willing to give me the whole day to work with them. Boy, did I have a hard time falling asleep just thinking about their up coming shoot!

After talking to Byron and Amy and listening to their story, I know that travel was an important element in their relationship. It was how they met and how their relationship was formed, tested, nourished and blossomed into what it is today. So travel, distance, and longing are some important elements that I would like to incorporate into the images.

Here is Byron and Amy’s account of how their story began.

Byron: “It was in Edinburgh, September 2004, I was an engineering undergrad and decided to “broaden my horizon” that semester by auditing a Business Law class at the Old College.”

Amy: “I was a visiting law student from Hong Kong and was looking forward to my first lecture abroad. The lecture was not particularly informative or inspiring. However, it turned out to be the most influential one for us.”

Byron and Amy: “Because that was when we first met; when we found the love of our life in each other”

Byron: “The year flew by fast, before we knew it, Amy had to return to Hong Kong to finish her degree and I headed further west to the United States for my exchange program. This marked the start of our long-distance relationship.”

The long distance was no obstacle to the love they feel for one another. In fact the marathon relationship made their bond even stronger.

Byron and Amy have traveled together to 19 countries, including France, Italy, the UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Spain, the US, Mexico, China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea just to name a few. In fact, Byron proposed to Amy during a surprise trip to Japan which he put a lot of thoughts and planning into it to keep it a secret and a surprise. He had previously planned an elaborate proposal involving helicopter and tall buildings in Hong Kong, but someone leaked it to Amy before Byron got a chance to execute it; however, Byron was unfazed by the temporary upset of plan A and went ahead with plan B which he kept it only to himself.

Byron and Amy’s wedding will be held in Hong Kong later this year. This will conclude their long distance relationship, but not their passion for each other and for traveling the world!

Here’s Amy and Byron’s experience with the Cinematic Photo Session:

Byron: “New York City is a place that meant so much to both of us and we want our memories to be preserved in a special way. Willi was able to capture that flawlessly. We had a great time being photographed by him.”

Amy: “We truly appreciate Willi’s professional attitude and tremendous help throughout the process – you can’t possibly find anyone better. He has offered helpful guidance on our outfit, props, etc. We especially thank Willi for sacrificing his Thanksgiving Day to fit our visiting schedule, in particular starting from the wee hour of 6.30am and finishing after 8pm! His energy level is just unbelievable and lasts longer than the Duracell batteries! We only wish that he will start his second base camp in Hong Kong soon enough so he can capture our memories in Hong Kong cinematically as well!”

If you enjoyed this post, you may want to come back soon and check out part 2, 3, and 4 of the series where you can see more images from the entire 12 hour shoot.

Engagement sessions allow me to explore a wide gamut of styles base on the personalities of the couple. It’s an awesome way to spend a couple hours or a day with two happy people. I always come away from an engagement session charged, elated, and totally happy, because I have been infused by love and creation.

The photos I’m about to show below from Stefanny and Wilson’s shoot in Central Park and the streets of New York City is one of those sessions that blew me away. Stefanny and Wilson are a very theatrical couple! They enjoy bold colors and posing and I am usually not much into posing, but Stefany and Wilson challenged my habits and I am glad that I went with the flow. As you can see, the images are awesome and what’s more, it’s who they are: theatrical, bold and beautiful!

To  view more engagement photo sessions:  Click Here

Life is funny in it’s unfolding of our destiny.

A and D, two people destined to be together grew up in New York’s old Chinatown, but didn’t meet until recent years. They probably have walked past each other many times on Mott street, or Pell street, or any of the old streets in this historical neighborhood, orbiting each other day in and day out. Their lives were connected before they even met.

Here’s A’s account of their story: “We should have met many years ago, but because timing was probably not right then, we finally met in spring of 2006. We quickly learned that we have a lot of mutual friends – and that we grew up in the same neighborhood with practically the same groups of friends. Our shared interest of playing Tetris and snowboarding have bound us. But the true test of our love for each other came when life throws its wrenches into our relationship and nearly broke us. In the darkest moment of our relationship, there was uncertainty, there was doubt, and there were rivers of tears, but love does conquer all. After a year of “figuring stuff out”, we decided to give our love another try, only this time with a bigger challenge ahead — “long-distance”.   D was in Alabama for a year and a half, while I stayed put in NYC.”

D was training as a helicopter pilot in the Army.  And on May 5th, 2011, D kept his promise and proposed to A, on the day he received his wings for the completion of his pilot training.

This is truly “an officer and a gentleman” story with a Chinese-American touch. A and D not only love each other, but they love their families, their Chinese culture and this country. And the story comes full circle with the couple celebrating their wedding in where else, but Chinatown!

To top it off, we celebrated our daughter’s first birthday by connecting with friends and family in D.C.  She had so much fun and learned so much from this trip and she’s now walking with confidence too!

Here are some images from the wedding followed by a slide show, hope you enjoy it!

Ceremony and Reception:  Halcyon House
Day of Planner:  Monique Marwani
Makeup: Monique Marwani
Hair:  Ofeer Marwani
Florist:  Philippa Tarrant
Caterer:  Ridgewells Caterers
Ceremony music:  Celebrated String Quartet
Reception music:  Kristen & the Noise
Rabbi:  Jessica Olean, Temple Sinai
Decor:  Julie Shanklin, Syzygy Event Productions
Lighting:  John Farr Lighting Design
Invitations:  SIMPLESONG Design
Candelabra Chandeliers:  Beehive Events

A: Good question. Let me try to answer it  before showing you the images from Ruth and Bert’s Cinematic Engagement Session. A Cinematic Engagement Session should be epic in color, lighting and composition, and yet it captures the intimate personalities of the couples. It’s like a grand scale romantic movie in it’s visual impact, but a small independent film in its character creation.

This kind of shoot requires pre-plannings. If you want to create a Cinematic Engagement Session of your own, please contact us for details.

Without further ado, here are some breathtaking images from Ruth and Bert’s Cinematic Engagement Session.

Images taken with Lensbaby Sweet 35