Tag: ‘New York’
Radhika & Arpit I Mendhi
Tuesday, August 27th, 2013Nadia & Dave I Round Hill House I Hudson Valley
Tuesday, June 4th, 2013You know a wedding that starts with firemen and a blind-folded groom with beer in hand is going to be a good one! I just couldn’t resist posting these and I know Dave in particular will appreciate them.
Dorothy & Eoin, Fall wedding, Finger Lakes region, NY
Sunday, December 12th, 2010As the winter temperatures drop and there seems to be snow on the way I thought it would be nice to share photos from one of those beautiful crisp late Autumn days when the light is beautiful and the Fall colors are still around us. It feels like a real gift in the Fall when we get those surprisingly warm days that let us pretend winter isn’t on its way.
Dorothy, an archaeologist in Binghamton, decided to look for her wedding photographer in the New York City area. Lucky for me that she and Eoin liked my work so I was given the opportunity to visit a part of New York State I’ve never had the chance to see.
It was a beautiful location with Glenora Wine Cellars sitting on the edge of Seneca Lake. The balconies of our rooms overlooked the vineyard and the lake with a fantastic view of sunrise. If you were feeling lazy enough you could just lie in bed and watch the sun come up, but I actually managed to get my tripod out on my balcony at the crack of dawn and it was worth the effort. If you’ve never been to the area I hope these photos will tempt you to visit (and of course do some wine tasting along the way).
Ceremony and Reception: The Inn at Glenora Wine Cellars, Dundee, NY
Chhandasi and Amil, Melville, New York
Thursday, October 7th, 2010I’ve never actually tried to explain what happens in an Indian wedding on this blog since I’ve grown up with them, but whenever I talk to friends who aren’t Indian I realize that many of the rituals could probably use some explanation. Each part of India has slightly different rituals or ways of performing the same rituals which is what makes photographing Indian wedding so interesting.
I remember that at one wedding the non-Indian groomsmen didn’t realize they were supposed to let the bridesmaids steal the groom’s shoes. One groomsman was holding onto them for dear life until a bridesmaid explained he was only supposed to put up token resistance so later on the groom could buy back his shoes from the bridesmaids.
There’s almost always a horse (though sometimes an elephant) with or without a carriage for the bharat. This is a procession of the groom’s family, traditionally, to the bride’s residence. Here it’s often once around the wedding venue and plenty of dancing by the groom’s family. As the photos below show getting put on someone’s shoulders can get a little tricky, but Amil took the whole thing in stride. I’m guessing he was much more comfortable, though, in the horse-drawn carriage.
Puppies Behind Bars/Time.com
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009A story I photographed on a great program called Puppies Behind Bars was published today on Time.com. As a photojournalist I’m always excited to see programs that really succeed in changing people’s lives for the better so I’m very happy to see this story get some attention and wanted to share it with you. Many of the dogs are helping injured soldiers back from Afghanistan and Iraq through the Dog Tags project. If you’re interested in learning more about this you can take a look at the story on Oprah.com.
The Puppies Behind Bars (PPB) Program works with prison inmates in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to train service dogs, including ones who help injured soldiers. The puppies arrive at 8 weeks-old and remain at the prisons, mostly working with one inmate, for 20 months. Fishkill Correctional Facility is a medium security prison in New York with 22 men in the puppy program. The emotional element of caring for the puppies breaks down the hard façade that most prisoners create for themselves to survive prison life. Prisoners learn responsibility and pride in helping others. The program often gives them a new outlook on their crimes, their time in prison, and goals when they are released.
Leanne & Sebastian / Central Park Boathouse, NY
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009Leanne contacted me about her marriage to Sebastian while I was in India on a magazine assignment. She had a clear idea of what she was looking for and was happy to hire me as her photographer after an hour-long phone call via skype (boy, do I love that technology) despite the distance and not meeting in person. When I finally got to meet her and Sebastian, chatting at great length over a meal, they were exactly as I expected; a fun, relaxed, easy going couple. They had two beautiful locations picked out including the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Central Park Boathouse. Though it’s been a pretty rainy spring and summer so far they were lucky enough to have great weather. The mix of Sebastian’s friends and family from Chile and Leanne’s southern U.S. roots made for an incredibly fun group and a beautiful day.
Getting Ready: Waldorf Astoria Hotel
Portraits: Bethesda Fountain in Central Park
Ceremony: The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Reception: The Central Park Boathouse
Nellie & Jim / DUMBO, Brooklyn
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009When Nellie and I talked about her upcoming portrait session with her fiance, Jim, she expressed concerns about how awkward they might feel posing for the camera. I kept reassuring her that I always make it a fun and relaxed shoot even if I have to tell bad jokes to make them laugh! After discussing several locations we settled on the Brooklyn neighborhood of DUMBO. DUMBO is one of my favorite places for portraits both for the great views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the cobblestone urban street scenes. They ended up having a lot of fun posing for the photos. We were having such a great time that once we got done we headed for pizza and beer at the famous Grimaldi’s pizza place next to the Brooklyn Bridge. Lucky for us there wasn’t the usual long line out front.
Jennifer & David’s wedding celebration / Tribeca, NY
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
Jennifer and David contacted me one day in March to photograph a cocktail party they were hosting at their home. They were also considering doing a portrait session. When we met in person I learned that the ‘cocktail party’ was actually a wedding celebration. They’d gone on a vacation to Sri Lanka and decided to exchange vows there on a beach. The party last month was to celebrate their marriage with friends and family. Once I got to a know a little about them it isn’t surprising they got married in Sri Lanka. They both have the travel bug and are adventurers at heart. That’s something I can relate to in my own life with my many years living and working in Asia and Africa. Their ‘wedding’ seemed to fit perfectly with who they are as a couple. The party was casual, elegant and intimate. I’m looking forward to scheduling the portrait session with them soon as soon as we stop having all this rain. I love that Jennifer told me she didn’t want ‘prom-like’ portraits.
Jennifer and David recently launched ApproachGuides, based on their personal travels. The guides are downloadable and offer detailed reviews of cultural sites throughout the world focusing on specific themes – such as the Last Supper frescoes in Florence and the exploration of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia in Turkey.
n Turkey.
