It is always a pleasure to meet up again with couples whose wedding I photographed - especially when there is a new addition to the family.

I helped another photograher, JC Carley, to photograph Hallie and Michael’s wedding in  2004 - and so it was a real treat last week, to get to meet Ava - Hallie and Michael’s baby daughter …

And here is a slideshow of images of Ava.
(click on the header of the slideshow to return to the blog.) 

I was very fortunate in photographing Desha and Kyle’s wedding in an exotic a location as Aruba. And really, if you’re going to get married, why not Aruba - where the number plates on the motor vehicles read, “One Happy Island”.

As you can guess my family and I had a fabulous time over here - and even better for photographing a couple as wonderful as Desha and Kyle, who spent the extra time and energy in working with me in getting exceptional wedding photographs and portraits of them as a couple.

Here’s a slideshow of the best images taken over the three days there.

A few of the portraits of the couple, directly after their vows on the sunset beach …

More of the ceremony itself :

The wedding event in Aruba started off with the civil ceremony on Monday morning - and then afterwards I did some portraits of the newly married around the center of Oranjestad. In the early evening they exchanged vows on the beach with just a few family members in attendance. And on Tuesday morning (today) we did some more portraits using the Aruba landscape.

Here is a slideshow of the best images ….
(click on the header above the slideshow to return to the blog.)

It is very easy to see why Aruba is a great choice for destination weddings.  And I must admit that I’ve fallen in love with Aruba, for the quaint mix of colonial and island cultures - and the easy-going nature of life here. And also that they speak Dutch here and a lot of the signs are in Dutch. I immediately felt at home here, and would return any time for a vacation. 

I would also like to heartily thank my friend David Mielcarek for involving me in this event.  Congratulations and best wishes to you, Desha and Kyle - it was a wonderful experience!

Chad is a saxophonist that I’d bump into occasionally at wedding receptions where he’d be playing. He needed some publicity shots of himself and the band he gathered - so I met up with Chad Gale & Friends, at Showman’s in Harlem, NYC, on Tuesday evening.

Inbetween sets, we went outside, and used the city lights for this evocative shot of Chad playing to passersby on a busy Harlem street.

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Another one of my favourite images, is this one of Kevin Lewis on trumpet …

I photographed Melissa and Brian’s wedding in 2004 and we kept in contact … so it was with great pleasure that I arranged with Melissa to do a maternity portrait shoot with her on Monday.  Yup, first kiddo is on the way. And nope, I don’t know whether it is a boy or a girl … Melissa refused to reveal that tidbit of info.

We used Melissa’s Dojo (in Paramus, NJ) as a make-shift studio for the morning, and we came up with a variety of images that will be a wonderful reminder of this time in the soon-to-be-parents’ life. 

Melissa & Brian … congrats! You’re in for a magical journey. 

And to tie it all in, here’s a photo from Melissa & Brian’s wedding day.

Christina McCarron is a New York-based photographer who I know from the DWF - and when she asked if someone would do some headshots of her, I was eager to photograph her. Well, who could resist photographing a beautiful woman? 

A group of photographers attended a seminar by Marcus Bell in Manhattan on Monday, and Christina and I took the opportunity afterwards for some photos.  We started in the hotel (where this image was taken), and then walked a few blocks in Manhattan’s early evening light, looking for opportunities. It was a fun way to chat and get some nice portraits. Thanks again, Crissy. And I’m looking forward to the next time.