Jake & Chenee Whyte | United

On Columbus day I had the opportunity, to attend the union of Jake and Chenee Whyte. It was a gorgeous event, the reception was held at the Fox Hollow, It was a beautiful place to capture on camera.
I even, had the chance to play with some video recording! I wanted to capture the essence of their love and affection, in the same playful way they interact with one another...
Enjoy, and leave a word of inspiration!

A Walk in the Park | Duane & Margie

About 3 weeks ago, I had the pleasure of doing a lifestyle shoot, with a beautiful couple they have been married now for 4 years, and I had the pleasure of attending their wedding, it was a event to witness, I am a punk when it comes to that smile and glow, the affection that can only come from your mate… so here is a day at the park, with Duane & Margie Cruickshank, and here is to many more years of happy smiles.

Jake & Chenee | Engagement

Love is so over rated, LOL.
Love is a word and we attempt to give it a meaning, I tend to give it a frame. The 1st frame, because, beauty is life, from the bees. to the trees, the wind blowing, the flowers, the worker bee’s pollinate. I am a hopeless romantic and in my story the underdog always wins, so this weekend, I had the pleasure of working with a couple Chenee and Jake and I was given the opportunity to photograph their love affair, to their coming nuptials. love is alive and well, and I captured the electricity of their attraction to one another, though reluctant at first, Jake was won over after the first few frames. He proceeded to tell me he hates flash, and that when he sees a picture with flash, the persons in the photo looks horrible, and you know what Jake, I agree. but I had to pull out the flash and do some creative lighting, I had to, I was in a dark entrance of a building. I did a quick set up and let the lens do the talking, handed him the camera, so he could take a look and he was won over from then on, thank you Zack!
the rest is worth a thousand words, but I ask that you leave one...

A Vase by any other name...

About two weeks ago I had the opportunity to work with two lovely young ladies of Jolie Vases, I was assigned to shoot there product line of high end handmade vases, and one word comes to mind beautiful, each piece was gorgeous and had a unique quality of capturing light and detail weather it was the Swarovski crystals or the intricate lace and beaded flowers, to the names, I know its hard for a lot of us to see an idea and follow that vision to conception, but I will say Jolie vases has not only accomplished this but have mastered the art, in this day and age where we have limitless options and Variety, I would love to be able to give my significant other flowers, but not just place them in some ordinary vase, but have the flowers beauty matched by the vase they are placed in.

Well, I can go on forever, let’s just say I was awed and I purchased the Hamptons vase for my bookcase not only as a center piece but as an accessory for my photo shoots, if you would like to see the vases and I am urging you to take a look and make a purchase here is the website www.jolievases.etsy.com

SideBar (Giving Back)

I am going to take a different approach with this blog entry and take a sidebar. A few weeks back I had the opportunity to help a fellow photographer and friend with a studio shoot that included a very bright and beautiful young lady. I was on hand to lend a creative voice and assist with lighting. You might not know this, but the photography community is very gracious and helpful with their knowledge and always willing to assist or answer a question. It’s our way of giving back. I would be nowhere if not for the help of so many others, and the Internet is a huge tool in that as well. As we set up at Beowulf Studio, we went through the first stage, which was pure dialog and getting to know everyone. Before every photo shoot, I ask my clients a very important question: “What is beauty to you?” Their response helps me figure out what type of shoot we will have. It’s something that started as a way to break the ice, but it has become my M.O. and has yet to fail me (knock on wood). My friend Craig performed, as always, in a very professional manner, and the shoot went well. The young lady needed a few head shots, and as the session went on and during one of the wardrobe changes, I stole a quick shot, forever frozen in time…I so love a candid shot.

But my true pleasure was giving my time and knowledge to assist a fellow photographer and good friend. I always try to remember those times I needed an assistant and one of my comrades stepped up if they could…but the first step was asking. Photographers ROCK!

A walk, on the smiling side...

I get the opportunity to walk a lot around the city of Gotham- my Gotham, Manhattan. I see the downtrodden faces of my fellow New Yorkers, but I can’t let it affect me. I hold on to the beauty this city has to give the urban landscape, and I balk at the news and the papers. They’re only there to perpetuate the gloom and the despair. I mean, as soon as you turn on the news, bam! It’s so up close and personal…someone was murdered or some CEO ran off with his investors’ money…the stock market hit a new low, or the recession, the recession, the recession…enough already! But they are only doing their job, reprogramming our mood and our hopes by playing on our fears. I simply point these things out to say this…we walk around so absorbed in the daily grind that we miss the opportunity to see the beauty in the every day, and we miss most of all an opportunity to smile. So the next time you are out and about, forget the news and all its angst, and take a look around.

But for all the clouds there is a silver lining. Here is a poem about the good things life has to offer written by a great poet and Author, Danimaris Fonseca.

Attention’s Recession

They’ve asked me to stop dreaming because a recession looms near.
Washing away any and every notion of the goals I hold dear.

I had to close my eyes extremely tight and quickly drown THEM out.
Because, I’ve come too far, lived too hard, to return to living doubt.

The shadows they mistake for reality, are clouding their perceptions.
Allowing the media to intercede and conquer their attention.

The thoughts projected into the vast universe must be mirrored back.
It seems the majority of visions are images of lack.

I’ve closed all my senses and started feeding from my soul…
Because the food that society offers, expired long ago.

I can’t dwell on “what if” or “what was” any longer
We’ve been feeding negativity, and it’s only getting stronger.

I won’t play along in the anti-war, anti-drugs or anti-hate.
Since anything against anything, will only procreate…..

How dare they threaten me with Recession, in the Aquarius Age?
When knowledge is at our finger tips, and souls yearn for change.

Our history has proven to be a pattern of undesirable results.
Our actions have deemed us “lost” with a unanimous vote.

I can’t allow my dreams to falter, or my mind to regress,
back into the illusionary world of lack and ignorance.

I stayed there way too long after my initial birth,
and I contributed way too much to the destruction of the earth.

Now for the first time ever I feel an optimistic wave
That descends from my soul and ascends into change…

They’ve asked me to stop my ascension and join in their despair.
But I whisper back calmly “There is nothing for us, there”.

I’ll remain in a state of gratitude, where abundance is innate.
Focusing my attention on the multitude of blessings life creates…

The moutains & the Sun

I woke up to the mountains as my background, and palm trees, I keep singing the chorus to LL.Cool J’s, I am going back to Cali… and it makes me laugh, the forecast says’ rain and I see it in the clouds, I want to break out in dance and chant “Rain, Rain, go away please come back another day!”
Children and laughter, I swear it is therapy, I always thought California was a hot place, almost tropical, but it feels more like N.Y. in late February. My hopes, more my mission statement, for this blog is a summary of what beauty is, well to me that is: LIFE, in all its forms, and as a Writer and a Photographer, I plan to merge both fields in my own creative way.
Enjoy.