Oh, this right here? This would be the latest addition to my collection of photo gear: the Fujifilm X100. Yes, Fuji. No, not Canon.
:: cue the gasps ::

Now, I should preface this by saying that I very rarely make frivolous purchases. And I’m not one of those photographers who was playing with a camera while still in the womb, took darkroom classes in school, and now owns 5+ cameras for no reason other than they look cool and/or I have a compulsive need to collect them all. Nope, that’s not me at all. I didn’t just buy this camera for the sake of it, so know that this was a very calculated and thought-out decision.

Why DID I buy it, then? Well, the X100 is a camera made for professional photographers who need a camera that takes awesome pictures, is easy to carry around, and is fun to use. I can’t tell you how much of a hassle it is to lug around my dSLR with lenses when I’m hanging out with friends, traveling, or simply wandering around NYC. That stuff is HEAVY. But I do it anyway, because it is extremely important to me to document my life’s wanderings as beautifully as I can.

But the X100? It feels SO TINY in comparison. There are no lenses to change. The picture quality is fantastic, given that it’s not a professional camera. And, bonus: it looks SO COOL and is SO MUCH FUN to play with!

So now I can have it all: great pictures, a hot new toy, and hopefully less shoulder pain :) The X100 and I got acquainted over Labor Day Weekend, and it looked something like this:

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!

As I mentioned before, I really enjoyed these assignments because they were different from my usual wedding and event photography, yet still allowed me to practice photojournalism and capture the essence of people. I’d love to do more of this sort of work! This particular shoot at the ENCORE senior center was especially enjoyable because all the folks were so nice and funny. Lots of jokesters at the senior center, that’s for sure!

Don’t worry, we’ll be back to our regular scheduled programming soon! I know I’ve been posting a seemingly random array of photos lately, but the month of June is stock full of weddings, events, and engagement shoots for me. I’m excited to officially kick off this wedding season!

This past weekend, we were graced with the most incredible weather – sunshine & 70′s – does it get any better? When the weather is good, I make an effort to be outdoors as much as possible. On Saturday, Lauren and I wandered around the East Village and got a wee bit distracted by all the gorgeous fencing on St. Marks Place. I get so entranced by all the swirls and texture. Isn’t it just gorgeous?

 
Then on Sunday, I got on my bike and rode down to Prospect Park, where I just layed on a hill with the sun shining on me, dozing off to the occasional shouts from the six baseball games taking place all around me. No pictures, just pure enjoyment and relaxation :) Later, I ended up on 5th Ave in Park Slope where the annual 5th Ave Street Fair was happening. Unlike most NYC street fairs that all have the same repetitive vendors, this one had much more variation to it. So I wandered the street with my big lens, shooting candid shots of strangers and ogling all the kittens that were up for adoption at one booth. I am officially on the hunt for a kitty to call my own!… but it’s not a decision to be taken lightly, so I did not give in to temptation and adopt one on the spot there. Soon enough!

But man, I love NYC. I say it all the time, yet somehow it’s not enough.

Shooting various NYC events in the past year has really opened my eyes to how diverse this city is. From soup kitchen clients to the Real Housewives of NYC at a boutique opening, I’ve seen firsthand how New York can be home to anyone, no matter what race or class they may be. I think this is one of my favorite things about NYC – you can find anything and anyone here. I’m so glad to be living here!

This past weekend, on the Vernal Equinox and 10th Anniversary of these Winter Flowers, there was an assembly line setup where passers-by could help in constructing 300 new flowers for the garden. It involved cutting up old soda/beer cans into flower petals, layering these cans and threading them onto a pipe cleaner, adding a bottle top as the center of the flower, and finishing the flower off. They had us wear robes, hats, and gloves while participating in this special process. Lauren got to cut the cans into petals, and I had the task of assembling the cans and putting the flower together. And oh, this was not a task to be taken lightly! I took my sweet time with it, even though it backed the assembly line up a bit. But it was incredibly gratifying to be a part of it and finally see how the flowers came to form. I’m so glad we stopped by!

Lauren took the photo of me here (on the left), which I just LOVE because it’s so natural :) By the way, that hat barely fit on my big head!
 

These are the flowers we made:

But the lovely thing about NYC is that sure, you can go out and spend a fortune on a meal – but you can also just as easily eat on the cheap. And once in awhile, you can even combine extravagance with affordability, such as during Restaurant Week. Or, in this case, during Dine In Brooklyn week. A $20 three-course lunch at a restaurant right on the Brooklyn waterfront, where there are doormen, complimentary fresh bread, and sweeping views of the bridges? Sign me up, and fast!

So Lauren and I ate like queens on the most beautiful day of the year thusfar. I had salad, penne alla vodka, chocolate cake, and a mimosa, and it was nothing short of glorious. Giando on the Water is such a beautiful venue too, and they host events. Oh how I’d love to shoot weddings here!

The next day I was sore all over, which I thought was strange since I’d only really overworked my legs the day before. But it was so nice out that I couldn’t resist a frolic through Central Park. The whole time I felt like I was forcing myself to wander around while my back ached and all I really wanted to do was lay down. But I NEVER want to lay down! I never want to sit and relax – I’m the girl who always has to keep busy. And honest to god, I’ve never had a single problem with my back (which I am SO so thankful for), so this was all pretty weird.

And then I spent the next 3 days bed-ridden and unable to function. I don’t know what happened, but I went through a whole gamut of non cold-like symptoms in a span of about 24 hours. The kind that really knock you down and prevent you from doing ANYTHING, really. And for someone like me, that is pure torture. Not only was I unable to lift my head for 3 days, but I also missed *2* live tv show tapings and 3 glorious sunny 60-degree days. If that’s not FML-worthy, I don’t know what is!

But anyway, at least I was able to enjoy the weekend before my body decided to take the next 3 days off from life. On Saturday I did some shooting around my favorite wedding venue (Bubby’s), and on Sunday I snapped some shots around Central Park and the Upper East Side:

 
I spotted a little modeling going on in one of the side streets as the parade was passing by in the background. The whole scene looked like this: