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Last week I was hired to take photographs of a client who just became a certified Yoga instructor for her new website. The session was actually purchased by her sister as an early Christmas gift, which is never a bad idea during the holiday season! We spent a few hours in Jersey City at Liberty State Park, Paulus Hook, and a few other spots. I was shooting with my Canon EOS 5D III and alternating between my Canon 27-70mm 2.8II and Canon 70-200mm 2.8II. The telephoto lens always gives the most beautiful depth of field and color when shooting from a distance in a colorful setting. The late Autumn foliage around the park provided that perfect background and the pants Caitlyn wore really made her stand out in the foreground in all of the shots. I suggested she wore something colorful but those were really perfect!

I was able to capture a nice range of scenery, from a city backdrop to having the frame filled with nothing but nature. I think the tranquility of yoga and the connotations that go with it certainly warranted the need for plenty of Mother Nature in the shots and Caitlin could not have been happier with how they came out. I have been busy with Engagement sessions, Headshots, and Portrait sessions over the last few weeks leading into winter and I am excited to share the rest of those photos with everyone soon. Whatever it is that you want to capture, I would love to chat about your ideas or thoughts and discuss working together. Reach out anytime!

Isn’t love grand?? I was lucky enough to have been able to take photos of Eric proposing to Georgia back in the spring (you can read about it and see the gallery in a previous blog post) so, naturally I was extra excited to also be able to take their engagement photos last weekend! We had Sunday booked for months and when the weather was not looking the littlest bit promising, we still decided to trudge through and did our whole shoot in the middle of a downpour. With my Canon EOS 5D wrapped in a garbage bag and Nina there to hold the umbrella over Eric and Georgia, we were able to take what could have been a disaster and turn it into one of the best sessions I have had in recent memory.

These two were such troopers! The rain did not bother them one bit and we ended up with some great images with the rain providing a moody touch and some really cool reflections. Since we had to rush through the session, we finished up 2 days later with a last-minute night session at Liberty State Park. I finally got to use my new Westcott Ice Light 2 and it certainly did not disappoint! It really adds the perfect amount of smooth light without blowing anything out and being able to adjust the intensity and use a gel for a warmer look is just the icing on the cake.

For a remote flash, I went with 2 Canon Speedlite 600 EX-Ts and the “master” “slave” sync setting really allowed me to get creative which was a lot of fun. We played around with a few different areas and had the best results bouncing the flash off of the walls behind them and I was able to do some experimenting with different angles too. All in all, I could not have been happier with how everything came out and the couple loved their photos which is all really strive for! I am certainly looking forward to more engagement shoots in the upcoming months before the snow starts falling.

Yesterday Nina and I spent the afternoon at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and I was finally able to test out the new Canon 100mm Macro lens I just got. I was so impressed with the quality of the images I got with it and the detail I was able to capture in even the smallest object was outstanding. It also fared well with some test portraits and the colorful trees made for a perfect backdrop. The bonsai exhibit was my favorite part of the garden and we got one to bring home as well, we’re going to name it “Gizmo”.  I’ll definitely be going back in the summer, hopefully with some more new equipment to test out again.

Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to perform show coverage for Lotus at The Capitol theater in Port Chester, New York for DMNDR. Had such an amazing time! You can read my full write up, see all the photos, and read my interview with the band here:

Shedding Some Light On Lotus

As a huge lover of winter and the bitter cold, I was so excited that we got one last blizzard this season and I thought there was no better way to enjoy it than to walk around with my camera and take some photos. One of my favorite things about the canon 5D Mark III is how rugged and durable it is. It got covered in snow and I walked around in below freezing temperatures for over an hour and not once did it slow down or lag. It is so nice to know that I can bring it anywhere and not have to worry about it; whether it is walking in a snowstorm, stuffed in my backpack during a rugged hike, or covered in dirt while shooting a motocross race, it just keeps going strong. Aside from the beautiful snow falling, I was able to get some good photos of all the awesome graffiti all over Jersey City where I live, only made more photogenic by the falling snow. All in all it was a great day and while I am excited for spring and summer, I will certainly miss the winter!

Last week I took a trip out to Colorado to spend some time with a few friends and of course to do some snowboarding. I rode at Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin and every day had great conditions. My last day at Beaver Creek I was in knee deep powder the entire time and I cold not have been happier. When I ride, I just bring my GoPro Hero 4 and Iphone with me to take photos since I do not want to risk anything happening to my precious 5D and I just want to focus on my time in the mountains and nothing else. My favorite thing to do between riding in the woods is to turn off my music and just stop amongst the trees and take it all in because there is nowhere else to me that provides more solitude and beauty.

On Monday I took a hike near Boulder in the Chautauqua mountains to do a photography session for a new jewelry line that will be coming out soon so keep your eyes out for a new post once I am all done editing. I brought my EOS 5D mark III and my 24-70mm 2.8 LL lens with me; my go-to hiking setup. One of my favorite things about Colorado is how one day I can be way up in the mountains in a winter wonderland and the next I can be hiking in a t-shirt.

So I am back now and I have traded in the mountains for the skyscrapers of Manhattan but I certainly missed city life and all of the constant stimulation just walking around the streets of New York. I can sense spring right around the corner and I cannot wait to get outside more with my camera!