It’s been awhile since I posted photos from my explorations. I’ve been so busy this summer with weddings and shoots that I haven’t had enough time to wander around the city much. But that’s about to change because next week I’m heading to Europe!

I will be out of the country from September 10-28, traveling through Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium. I’m sure that I will have sporadic connection to the internet, so please be patient if I don’t respond to your emails right away! I’ll also try to post some photos along the way so you can see what I’m up to overseas :)

In the meantime, I’m excited to announce that there’s a new addition to my lens lineup: the Canon 45mm f.2.8 tilt shift! For the non-camera geeks, the best way I can explain it is that it’ll allow me to provide more creative images for my clients. I’m gonna give it a test run on my trip and hopefully end up with some creative travel shots!

Here’s a photo I took with the tilt shift lens of the Manhattan Appellate Courthouse on 25th street (by Flatiron). Notice how the head of the statue is in focus, while the rest of it (and most of the courthouse itself) is blurred – this isn’t possible with a normal lens!

I spent a warm summer evening last week wandering around one of my favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods (and my backyard), Williamsburg. This isn’t anything out of the ordinary, as I’ve done this more times than I can count. But this time, I was with Giselle-Erica, a fellow Brooklynite. Her senior portrait session found us embracing the grit and color of the streets, as well as the waterfront. Take a look at some of her shots!:

And if you’d like to book a New York senior portrait session, you can read more about it and contact me for more information! :)

Rute and Peter wanted a very New York location for their engagement shoot, so I was quick to suggest the area by the Brooklyn Bridge. As we all know, I’m a wee bit obsessed with this NYC spot. Can you blame me? I always manage to walk away with different images whenever I shoot here. Even though it’s often frequented by tourists, you can still go there and feel like it’s just you and the city.

I’m not sure why, but there was a big boat sitting on shore right between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. I’d definitely be wary of leaving something like that unattended in such a high traffic area, but I guess I can’t complain too much because we used it in a few shots :) I actually went kayaking in this cove last weekend, so I can understand the allure of boating by the bridges. It’s so beautiful!

Check out Rute and Peter by the Brooklyn Bridge – and stay tuned for their St. Patrick’s Cathedral wedding next month! (I can’t wait!)

Part 1 (getting ready + ceremony) can be seen here.
Engagement + sneak peek photos can be found here.
Part 2 (portraits + receptions) below!:

We started the day bright and early with portraits at the Anderson House in Washington D.C. Jill and Esrael decided to have a ‘first look’ and got to see each other before the ceremony. I could write a whole blog post dedicated to why couples should always try to do this on their wedding day – it’s an excellent, excellent idea. Getting portraits taken at the start of the day meant that they were free to enjoy the rest of their wedding day without having to leave any part of it to go get pictures taken. A couple should not have to miss any part of their own party!

But oh, what a gorgeous venue the Anderson House is. We could have spent the entire day exploring it and taking pictures!

One of the many reasons why this wedding was so awesome was that they had TWO receptions! Two VERY different receptions, at that. Jill has the biggest sweet tooth of anyone I have ever known. It’s not unheard of her to replace entire meals with some sort of dessert, or incorporate a bakery trip into every city visit. So, not surprisingly, Jill had a dessert reception at her wedding. I have never seen so many different sweets in one room! Cookies, cupcakes, babka, fondue, chocolate, candy, and pretty much any other dessert you can think of… you name it, she had it. And at the end, all the guests got to fill up a bag with treats to take home.

 
Kelsey took the shot below of Jill and I on stage. We thought it’d be funny if I took Jill’s “throne” and she had to stand next to me :)
 

Reception #2 was the Eritrean reception, with hundreds of Esrael’s friends & family members in attendance. Lots of music, dancing, and most importantly – FOOD. Eritrean food is so flavorful and veggie-friendly, and meant to be eaten with your hands rather than with utensils. More specifically, you typically cover a thin, spongey bread with servings of food, and then rip off pieces of the bread to pick up the food with and then eat. It’s pretty fantastic.

Look at the gorgeous jewelry adorning her hand!

Congrats again, you guys! :)

On July 17th, I had the honor of shooting the wedding of a very good friend of mine. Jill and I have known each other for over 10 years, despite never having lived within 250 miles of each other. I’m not even sure how we became friends in the first place, though I’m pretty sure it had a lot to do with our mutual love for boybands and baseball. Neither of these interest me much anymore, but I’m so grateful they brought us together in friendship :)

But oh man, I can’t even tell you how excited I was for Jill and Esrael’s wedding. I even had two engagement shoots with them in the months leading up to their big day (which you can see here). I wanted nothing more than to spend their wedding day doing what I love, for people I love, who are so very in love (how’s that for an overdose of love?).

And that’s precisely what I did :)

Here is the first part of their wedding photos, from getting ready through the ceremony (which took place at Mosaic Church in Washington D.C.). Part 2: portraits & receptions (coming soon!).

There was a red carpet!! Had to incorporate that into some shots, obviously:

What I really loved about their wedding day was how it was a celebration of two cultures coming together. Esrael’s family is from Eritrea, so they had Eritrean prayers and songs incorporated into the ceremony.

Congrats, Jill & Esrael! I am so, so happy for you guys and hope you come up to visit me again soon!

Also – special thanks to my friend and second shooter, Kelsey Fain, for roadtripping with me from NYC to DC and shooting their wedding with me :D