Fort Greene Portraits | LouAnn & Roland

LouAnn and Roland are long time residents of Brooklyn's Fort Greene, and on the eve of LouAnn's 30th Birthday, were in search of some timeless photos to document her epic year. Fort Greene is a lot like Harlem in that it has become very gentrified and in the process, many new eateries and shops have arrived. What a fun nabe! 

Before our shoot I just happened to watch the documentary {highly recommended!} Brooklyn Boheme, and was feeling super inspired by the many artists who have come before me. If you haven't had a chance to see it, check it out. Great perspective of the 1990's artist's movement in Brooklyn. 

Happy Birthday LouAnn and thank you Roland for being such a good sport! 

Chelsea Family Portraits | The Kimmels

The holiday season was very good to me and as the year draws to a close, I am reflecting on how much my business has grown. My clients have been not just loyal but generous in referring me to their networks. So, thank you to all the clients, readers and fans out there! 

In my last post, I mentioned how difficult lighting indoor shoots has been. This is mostly because I had coined myself a "natural light photographer," but the reality is shooting in mixed light situations really tests a photographer's technical skills. This year {and NYC weather!} have really forced me to hone in my skills using a variety of lighting options. 

The Kimmels came to me looking for more traditional holiday portraits and were anxious to finally have "good" ones, as Sarah described. With a more photojournalistic style, I decided to meet them halfway but I knew my on camera Canon 580 flash would just not cut it. The Kimmel's Chelsea abode had just one window and 12 ft ceilings, making it a large space to light! With a little help from my friends at Adorama, I rented a Chimer Super Plus Pro White Softbox with a Dynalite 1000. Definitely not as strong as the strobes I used here, but perfect for lighting a family of five in a private residence. 

Without further adieu, the Kimmel's Holiday Portraits...

Julie - Theva turns 1!

After working together for Maudelyne & Edenson's wedding last year, Valerie contacted me about shooting her beaut, Julie - Theva, as she turned one this past November. The weather took a turn for the worst and it was too cold to go outside, so we shot the birthday girl in her Long Island home. The colder months here in the Northeast are really testing my lighting skills, but with a muse like Julie, who wouldn't feel inspired!?

Fall 2012 NYC Minisession | Attila, Nelli, Richard & CC

It always feels dreamy to wrap a weekend of marathon shooting with returning clients. In the spring, I shot Nelli and her boys near their Upper Eastside home, though Mom was bummed that Dad, Attila, wasn't able to make it at that time. Well, they redeemed themselves with a quintessential fall mini session a couple weekends ago. 

The boys were expectantly adorable and this time Richard even called me Ilene instead of "lady." Nelli did a fine job procuring leather coats for the family to look ever so chic in. And little CC, was just too cute for words! This time he was so animated in front of the camera. I'm still counting my blessings for a beautiful weekend of sunshine here in NYC! 

Fall 2012 NYC Minisession | Jocelyn, Jordan & Greyson

I kicked off the fall with a fun promo for my LA and NYC clients which included a 45 minute shoot, 10 hi res images and a 25 press printed cards. What a fun time to connect with old and new faces! This will certainly be a yearly tradition for my studio. 

Jocelyn was referred by Kate, my very first client published in the New York Times. When Jocelyn reached out she mentioned loving Kate's engagement photos and wanted some beautiful photos of her own family. These are my favorite kind of clients as they are excited to meet me as I am to meet them! 

Jordan and Jocelyn are the proud parents of delicious little biscuit, Greyson. He was filled with smiles from beginning to end and we were very lucky with great fall weather on the day of our Central Park shoot. Enjoy!