To keep myself informed and inspired as a photographer, I regularly attend various seminars and workshops.  And as such, I attended a 3-day workshop in Nantucket this week, held by my friend and mentor, Claudia Kronenberg. Under the banner ‘Jump Start Your New Year‘, Claudia and her team presented an outstanding program. They covered various aspects that a photographer would need to stay at the cutting edge, artistically and professionally. Thanks again to Claudia, Brea & Gordon and my fellow photographers who attended and help make this a wonderful event!

The highlight for me was a fashion shoot at the Whaling Museum where we had the chance to work with two great models - Seth and Marie. We were allowed to direct the models, and each push ourselves creatively. These are a few of my favourite images of the day.

Kathy and Ken are a couple from California who wanted to do their exchange of vows in Central Park, on New Year’s Eve. The following are a few images from what turned out to be a fabulous photo-shoot with a wonderful couple. And here is a slideshow of the photo album of the afternoon’s events.

Part of the trip through Central Park was on one of the horse carts there, which are a well-known New York sight. 

Just the two of them in as private a moment as you could have in the middle of Central Park.

After Central Park, we left for Times Square in the back of two bicycle rikshas, stopping at various points …

Rockefeller Plaza …

The weather on this 31st Dec, was quite mild, and by 3pm dense crowds had already started to form in Times Square. It was quite funny to watch how people around us responded to the sight of Kathy and Ken - heads turning to look at this very elegant couple striding along the crowded sidewalks - with me photographing every move.

Thanks Kathy & Ken, for what turned out to be one of my most memorable New Year’s Eve events ever.

Claudia Kronenberg is a photographer fast rising to prominence -most noticeably as a successful wedding photographer based in  Nantucket. But also as a Nikon-sponsored photographer; as a speaker at WPPI; and a recent feature in Grace Ormonde magazine.

So it was with great pleasure that I finally met Claudia in person at the Photo Expo in NYC in Nov, after a few tangential emails and phone calls over the past year or two.  Our conversations at the NYC Photo Expo eventually lead to discussing the possibilities of working together in the future. 

And continuing in this direction, I visited her studio in Nantucket over the past weekend. This coincided with the famed Nantucket Christmas Stroll, and I also had time to explore the island a little bit, and take a few portraits of the charming Ms Claudia K …

Melissa and Hayden are recent transplants here from San Diego, California. Since most of their friends and families are in California, they decided to have their wedding there in ‘07. But wanted to have their engagement photo session in New York, and to give it a specific NYC flavour to show friends and family there. And what exclaims “New York!” more than yellow cabs in Times Square?

Still in Times Square, using the giant electronic billboards as colourful backdrops …

And from a final series of images of Melissa, looking appropriately glamorous against the lights on Broadway …

Melissa and Hayden, thank you for a fantastic afternoon, and best wishes with the wedding plans ahead. 
And a thank you to Darin Fong, their photographer in San Diego, for letting me take on the NYC photo session.