Pia at the Park
PĂa’s parents had contacted us not too long ago about a family photo session in New York City. Excitingly enough, they had heard about us through one of their friends (aka another family we had the honor of photographing last fall). We eventually decided upon Carl Schurz Park, an increasingly favorite spot of ours for photo sessions. Home to Gracie Mansion, an outdoor dog run, and a family-friendly environment, we spent our entire session playing with bubbles and exploring the various areas of the park. Special thanks to our friend Yanshu for the lighting assistance- couldn’t have done the family photos without your help. 🙂 Enjoy some of our favorite images below.
Last but not least, I wanted to include one of my favorite moments from their session– see the last photo & the accompanying text.
A Night in the Wild || Tinicum State Park, PA
(Stay tuned for images from Andrew’s upcoming wedding THIS weekend)
When you are informed that your good friend’s bachelor party is an overnight camping trip, there’s only one thing that you can think about (if you are a photographer, at least…): “Ridiculously awesome lighting possibilities.” Certainly, one could guess that this environment, “the wilderness”, would be on Andrew’s list of top choices for his bachelor party. He’s fond of everything outdoors- blazing campfires, roasted hot dogs, late night conversations, pale ale and good company. We spent the night stoking the campfire with a few good beers, a cuban-seed Don Simon, and planning pranks for whoever went to the nearby outhouse. Earlier, the guys had gone freshwater fishing to no avail. Our plan for the next morning was breakfast (pigs in a blanket, campfire style) and one more try at some fish. Below are some of our favorite images:
A Wedding in Nicaragua
(written by Jon. wedding took place on 02/06/11)
Location: LeĂłn, Nicaragua
Skills Used: Slight eavesdropping, Asking politely, Broken Spanish
Results:Â One amazing experience after another
It all started with a late Friday afternoon staff meeting. I had been lounging around in the main office of Nuevas Esperanzas (an amazing, Nicaraguan-based NGO), waiting for the 2pm staff meeting to begin. Having been in Nicaragua for a few weeks already, I thought this upcoming weekend would be like any other- exploring the city, enjoying some downtime and sharpening my Spanish. One of my coworkers leaned over and asked one of our directors, “I wonder who is getting married tomorrow at the Cathedral…”
“Wait?! Wedding? Married? How did you know there was a wedding? I’d love to go to a wedding! I’m a wedding photographer!” I jumped in excitedly.
After some more investigating, it turned out my coworker’s husband was the Executive Chef of the premier hotel & wedding reception venue in the region– Hotel El Convento. Saturday’s wedding was to take place at the Cathedral, followed by an evening reception at that exact wedding venue. Better yet, he was happy to ask the newlyweds-to-be if I could tag along for the wedding day, photograph unobtrusively, and deliver them a CD of photos after the wedding. Saturday afternoon came, and still no word about the wedding. I was ready to call it quits and join my friends for a local boxing match, when, a few hours before the wedding ceremony was to start, I received a phone call from my coworker… I was good to go!
Although the wedding ceremony was scheduled to begin at 7pm, the bride didn’t arrive until almost an hour later. Regardless, the ceremony proceeded beautifully. Everyone from the guests to the bridal party looked extra sharp in their attire, and the bride herself was especially stunning in her white gown. Being the one and only Cathedral in the town of LeĂłn, as well as an important historical landmark, many of the people passing through the Cathedral were a mixture of tourists and locals alike. All throughout the ceremony, I watched a myriad of unfamiliar, traditional Catholic traditions unfold. Coupled with a whole lot of fast-spoken Spanish, I never really understand much at all. Of all the weddings I have been to over the last few years, this was my very first traditional Catholic wedding… and it was in Nicaragua. Thousands of miles away from home, and casually taking photos at a wedding? Thrilled would have been an understatement. (Oh and about the drunk guy who kept harassing me and shouting at me during the ceremony? The one I had to ask National Police security officers to remove? Email me and I’ll gladly tell you the story.)
As stated earlier, I was nothing more than an “unofficial third shooter” by most accounts. Technically, I did in fact receive the permissible “OK” from the bride & groom to attend the wedding. In fact, I spent most of the ceremony photographing from the right side of the pews, maneuvering slowly and trying to ignore the incessant (and well deserved) stares of others… among other things, being the only Asian-looking person in the entire cathedral of hundreds of attendees (Not to mention my 2 DSLRs on me, a camera bag, blue polo shirt, beige khakis, and running sneakers amongst a throng of suit+ties and gorgeous evening gowns). As for proper photographer etiquette, I did make it a point to introduce myself to the two official photographers before the ceremony started– Otto J. Mejia & Enmanuel Barquero. They were both incredibly friendly & welcoming, and though I assured them I wouldn’t step on their toes throughout the night, they welcomed me like family. I carpooled with them to the reception, joined in for some portraits, and ate a fantastic meal at their table. Be sure to click on their names above & check out their photography work.
Some fun facts:
-Initial construction of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of LeĂłn began in 1747
-Had been told that the strawberries served at the cocktail hour were imported for that special evening.
-While everyone I met that night spoke Spanish, many spoke a high-level of English, too. Not common to find oneself in this kind of situation in Central America.
-Hotel El Convento was originally built in the 1600’s, deteriorated, and rebuilt to it’s current state in the mid 1990’s. Find them also on facebook.
Last but not least, below are a selection of my favorite images from that evening. Enjoy.
Dan + Perla’s Engagement || Brooklyn, NYC
Dan and Perla’s engagement session this past weekend was amazing. Although the previous few days have been cloudy + gloomy, we were blessed with beautiful, sunny weather & clear blue skies. We started our session at D.U.M.B.O, and later ventured on a bit more south towards Prospect Park. Along the way, we had multiple encounters with the city garbage collection truck, of whom we were certain had been following us around.. On a lighter note, we also ran into a group of Boston Terrier-loving folks (Dan + Perla’s favorite dog breed) who were glad to join us for some photos. It was a ton of fun to photograph Perla and Dan- the best combination of relax, goofy, patient and romantic a photographer could ask for (and of course, a special thanks to Yanshu Liu for the lighting assistance).
Looking forward to your big day in October!
Sue + New York City
(All photographs taken November 2010)
As photographers, it’s always a blessing to catch a small break from the normal routine of weddings, engagements and portrait sessions. While we love what we do, every once in a while we need to take a breather and find an outlet to recharge ourselves both creatively and mentally. When Sue had contacted Jon a few weeks back, her email suggested shooting something along the lines of “fun.. fashion.. free spirited…crazy.” Using different trends in fashion, short dresses or womens hoodies uk which are popular in fashion.
Below is the culmination of the few hours we spent adventuring Harlem & the surrounding neighborhoods.
(Special thanks to Sue for being way too cool to work with. Also, thanks to Lakeshore Learning Center for suggesting the touchable bubbles we used that evening. Although our frigid fingers prevented us from successfully collecting and stacking the bubbles, y’all should try it out and share with us your experiences.)
Oliver at the Park
Earlier this fall, Oliver and his parents joined me (Jon) for a family photo session at Carl Schurz Park in New York City. Â We spent the afternoon strolling through this magnificent jewel of a park– spacious green lawns, kid-friendly walkways and a great view of the East River. Best of all, this family was extremely warm and easygoing from the start– especially Oliver. In fact, Oliver spent very little time shying away from me before he repeatedly approached me and offered me to play with his toys. For a little guy just shy of his second birthday, he was really sociable and outgoing.
As you will see in the photos below, a lot of our time was spent blowing bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles. In fact, Oliver’s mom told me “bubbles” was his first word. I can’t even remember the last time I played with bubbles for fun, but over the last few months I’ve been fortunate enough to have bubbles included in a few recent photo shoots. I must admit…I’ll probably go and pickup a few bottles of my own during the winter months. Hope you all enjoy this latest set!
(And if you’d like to see your family on our blog OR know a family who’d love to have their photos taken, we’d love to get connected via email– info AT dreamlitephotography.com— or, catch us on facebook.)
Andrew + Angelica’s Engagement
If you’ve spent any time with either of these two, you know that they’re both adventurous, passionate and unique individuals. Angelica’s travels have taken her all around the world, along the way having collected her fair share of interesting experiences and stories (did I mention she brought home a pet cat from her Peace Corps stint in Senegal?). Meanwhile, Andrew would rather be hunting & gathering than watching the newest Brangelina Cruise flick, proudly drives his own “batmobile,” and is pretty famous around here for making tasty lobster feasts. Â Andrew and Angelica aren’t your typical.. anything. Seriously, I think that’s really what makes them who they are.
Soon after they had gotten engaged, I remember discussing (read: battling) with Andrew about having an engagement session. Angelica was all for having one, but Andrew thought it was unnecessary and just plain silly. When Andrew finally sent me an email, it read: “we thought of something that we’d both be willing to do for an engagement shoot…skeet shooting.” I was sold.
Below is the only proof you need to our shotgun wielding adventures.. and the fact that we were also celebrating their recent engagement. We spent our Sunday evening at Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays  (http://www.lvsclays.com/), a shotgun range situated somewhere in Pennsylvania between a bunch of farmland and some highways. Perhaps most enjoyable about this range, besides having numerous stations to shoot clays from, was the fact that much of the range had incorporated an already defunct, dilapidated mill factory. Best of all– when the staff was nowhere in sight– we snuck in to grab a few awesome shots.
Last but not least, pay close attention to the images below. It’s the first time we’ve ever imbedded a “.gif” file into our blog.
Congratulations again to Andrew & Angelica, and we’re looking forward to celebrating (and photographing) your wedding with next you summer.
Spencer in Central Park
It’s incredibly exciting when families call us back to do more photographs with them. As always, it was a really nice opportunity to see Spencer & his family again after a ten month hiatus.
Prior to beginning our session, Spencer’s parents warned me that he was “on his feet”, pretty much guaranteeing me a full afternoon of exercise… and correct they were. Spencer has grown quite a bit since our last session, and was certainly taking advantage of his newly acquired bipedal abilities.
We spent the afternoon in Central Park near one of my favorite photography locations, the 72nd street traverse. Though the park was crowded, as expected on a warm October afternoon, we quickly found a quaint little spot beneath the shade of a large tree.
Besides watching Spencer constantly snack throughout our two hour session, definitely one of my favorite moments that day had to be when Spencer sported his halloween costume– a full-body Elmo outfit. He definitely received his fair share of “awws” and “how cute!” from passersby. Thanks again to Spencer and his family for another great photography session!
Peter + Grace’s Proposal
So… I almost missed the actual proposal.
Peter and I planned to meet at Christmas Eve noontime behind the Busch Student Center at Rutgers. Originally, Peter was planning to take Grace to the Quiet Lounge (a silent study room) and play for her a slideshow he had put together. This location was significant because it’s where they first studied together, thus very fitting for a starting point. Since all of the university facilities were closed for winter break, we were frantically (read: jon was frantic and peter stayed surprisingly calm, as always) trying to find an alternate location. As we walked by the supposedly non-operating automatic sliding doors behind the BSC, we heard a “bzzzrrrrttt” and the doors opened. After a little setup, Peter went back to the car to get Grace as I found my hiding spot (she thought they were at Rutgers so Peter could drop off “residency application papers” for med school).
As with most engagement proposals, Dreamlite’s preferred m.o. is what we call “photographing ninja style”. Meaning, we choose to photograph the entire proposal without obstructing or being noticed. For the first half of Peter’s time with Grace, this method of photography seemed like an excellent idea. When they exited the student center and headed to SERC, where the actual proposing would take place, the distance between myself and them grew farther and farther apart. Since following them from behind was too risky, which left many opportunities to be spotted, I decided to get to the other side of SERC. *cue the adrenaline-pumping music*
I sprinted for the next 5 minutes with my gear in hand (d700+80-200mmAFD and d700+35mmf2, for your photo geeks) from the Busch Student Center all the way to SERC, circumventing along the way two research buildings, the chemistry library, and the Center of Alcohol Studies building, all the while praying that Peter hadn’t yet gotten down on one knee. ((Btw, thank you Busch Campus for having wonderful buildings that are conveniently not spaced apart.))
Just as I arrived on the other side of SERC, I saw Peter reaching into his pocket for something and beginning to get down on one knee. I whipped out my camera, and clicked away as another beautiful moment unfolded. I made it after all, and it was all pretty sweet.
Lastly, I want to leave you all with the first two lines from the song, “Lemonade” by Chris Rice that accompanied Peter’s slideshow for Grace:
So go ahead and ask her,
For a happy ever after…
Congratulations to our friends Peter & Grace, and to everyone checking our blog, enjoy the latest photos!
Brian + Sara (Traditional Ceremony)
Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about our blog! We know we’ve been neglecting this blog for a while now (our apologies), but this summer’s been quite the busy one for us. We’ve been so busy traveling/photographing/editing/meeting with couples that we haven’t set much time aside for full sets. In saying all this, I’ve finally found some free time to put together my favorite images from Brian and Sara’s wedding ceremony from earlier this summer.
Both of Brian and Sara’s wedding ceremonies have been exciting, intimate, and completely different. Their first ceremony, which took place a week earlier, included a very detailed set of traditional Korean wedding practices. In this set, it was a whole new party. Brian and Sara chose the Somerset Hills Hotel for their wedding reception, which was a gorgeous venue inside and out. Since Brian hails from the midwest, their reception included a Boot Scootin’ Boogie Line Dance (led by the Bride and Groom + the wedding party, later joined by the whole crowd), and a cowboy hat toss. Best of all, the song selection for the night included a lot of country music (a music genre I really like, for those who don’t know). Enjoy this latest set. JT
Brian + Sara (Korean Wedding Ceremony)
I’m excited to write that Brian + Sara are the first couple I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with three times in the span of three months. As you may recall, their gorgeous spring engagement session took place in Princeton. Before we knew it, time flew and I joined them for two separate wedding ceremonies. (Did you see the teasers here or here?). The first of the two ceremonies, as shown below, was a traditional Korean Wedding Ceremony.
If you ask anyone who knows me well, you’ll learn that I love witnessing and experiencing different cultural practices/traditions, because I really believe that there is so much depth and history rooted within cultural celebrations. From what I’ve learned, it’s actually not too common that marrying couples conduct a full out Korean Ceremony nowadays. This made the experience all the more fascinating to me.
First off, the attire was amazingly colorful and intricate. Within the actual marriage ceremony, there was a lot of tea drinking, exchanging of bows, and other things I wish I could have interpreted (unfortunately, I don’t speak Korean). Afterwards, the bowing ceremony took place. Since Brian and Sara were purposely not informed about the structure of the ceremony, this made everything a little more relaxed, unpredictable & fun to watch.
At one point, Brian’s parents were instructed to toss a handful of dried dates towards the bride and groom. However many dates that the b&g caught on a piece of fabric, this number would symbolize how many children they would have together. This was definitely one of my favorite moments.
Jason + Melissa’s Wedding || Centenary College Weddings
Jason and Melissa’s wedding ceremony took place early this summer at the most unique of locations– Centenary College (aka Melissa’s alma mater). It’s campus, like many schools established in the 19th century, is home to beautiful architecture and scenery. One can’t tell from looking at the photos, but the day was incredibly hot & humid. Regardless, their big day went by smoothly- a short & sweet ceremony followed by a whole lot of celebrating. Towards the end of the evening, a surprise birthday cake came out for our groom’s dad.
Biggest surprise of the evening? When a surprise birthday cake for Jason’s dad was rolled out front and center. However, hands down, my very favorite moment of the night was at the very end. The reception was starting to wrap up when the DJ played “That’s amore” and the dance floor came alive with people. Not only was everyone dancing and locking arms, but the crowd chimed in with the song– including singing along to all of the Italian lyrics (the bride’s side of the family is italian-american). Couldn’t have ended the night any better.
Congratulations again to Melissa & Jason on their wedding!!
Ceremony: Centenary College, Hackettstown, NJ
Reception: Mattar’s Bistro and Lounge, Allamuchy, NJ
Flowers: Katarina Florist & Gift, Hackettstown, NJ
Howie + Diana’s Wedding
We’re really excited to showcase our latest wedding set: Howie & Diana’s wedding!
As many of you may remember, Howie tied the knot back in early June. However, Jon wasn’t alone in the photographic adventures of the day. Diana’s brother + sister-in-law, Jason and Han-Meh, joined in on the photo coverage as well. Check out their set here.
The day went by so fast. From a photographer’s point of view, it was definitely a full day’s work. The bride’s side started around 7am, and we went through the usual preparation work– make-up, hair, surprise gift-opening, and calming of the nerves. As with any morning of the wedding day, there were also some unexpected moments of surprises (and tears). Howie’s gift to Diana was multi-faceted; on the outside, it was an Apple Ipad 3G. He placed a sweet note on the front of the screen that read, “Unlock Me! And There’s A Video! <3 Howie”. Saved on the Ipad was a really sentimental video message that Howie had made for Diana, recorded especially for the morning of.
Eventually, Jon traveled to the guy’s side to document their easy-going morning. Transformers 2 was blaring on the big-screen T.V., while the guys were eating their breakfast, ironing clothes, and getting ready at their own pace (sorry ladies, we guys have it really easy.) Diana’s gift to Howie was exceedingly awesome as well– it’s a one-of-a-kind Seiko watch that requires movement & motion to keep it charged.
One of my favorite photos? The black&white shot of Howie stealing a peek at his new bride whilst the entire sanctuary is in the middle of a prayer. Classic.
Enjoy our latest set, leave some comments, and if you like what you see, please spread the word about Dreamlite.
Last but not least, here’s a brief list some vendors from the wedding day. Give them some love:
Florist: Margie of La Flor Events & Design http://www.laflordesign.com/
DJ: Andy of Versatile Wedding chaseB985@aol.com
Hair/Makeup: Winnie winniethebeautician@yahoo.com
Catering & Tent Rental: Cambridge Inn cambridgeinn@verizon.net
Eco-Friendly Wedding Bands: Bario-Neal http://bario-neal.com/
Benefit Concert for Leukemia Research
While our primary focus is photographing weddings and portraits, sometimes we get the opportunity to put our time & skills into other cool happenings. In this post, here are some of Jon’s favorite images from a recent Leukemia Benefit Concert held in Garwood, NJ. Casey (a friend of his from high school) organized this awesome event, showcasing a local slew of talented bands and raising support for a great cause. Can’t forget to say a shout out to a fellow photographer friend, Jenna Perfette, for allowing Jon to tag along.
the venue: The Crossroads at Garwood, Garwood, NJ, 78 North Ave  (site link here, Yelp! link here)
the cause: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LINK)- money was raised for a local team participating in a triathlon
for Team in Training for Leukemia research
the bands (in order of appearance):
+ Ugly Club  http://www.myspace.com/theuglyclubnj
+ The Tattle Tales http://www.myspace.com/thetattletales
+ Bah Bah Bahrain http://www.myspace.com/bahbahbahrain
+ Young American Artists http://www.myspace.com/youngamericanartists
+ Martian http://www.myspace.com/listentomartian
the amount raised: over $300 in donations at the door
event planner: Casey R. Â (Interested in having her plan your next show/event/concert? She can be reached at: caseyreznik@mac.com )
Lastly, here are some kind words directly from the fingertips of Casey:
*A huge thanks to Lee from Crossroads for making the show possible and being insanely easy to work with.
*Make sure you come out to the next event so more money can be raised for worthy causes… Besides, more people means more fun for those attending.“
Jonathan + Lillian
Perhaps their “Thank You” card says it all:
Months earlier, my (Jon’s) aunt and uncle from Massachusetts had contacted me and asked if I would do a photo session with them in NYC. Admittedly a bit nervous, I gladly agreed and we setup a date on our calendars. This wasn’t just any photo session– Auntie Lillian had shared with me that they never had a photographer on their wedding day (rather a small & intimate wedding ceremony), and she always wanted professional photos done of her and my uncle. On top of that, her milestone birthday had just past (not sure if I’m allowed to say, but contrary to how young she looks, she didn’t just turn 30), all the more wanting photos to cherish. Lastly, being relatives of mine, I knew these photos had to be special– time honored, personal, memorable– yet far from tacky & cheesy.
During our afternoon together, we ventured mostly through Central Park. Below you will also see some random images, but none are posted without a purpose. (photo#3) My aunt’s an artist (“self-teaching” oil painter- see her blog for definition), and absolutely loves flowers. In fact, check out her work here: http://lilyoilpaints.blogspot.com/ ). Also, she loves cats. (photo#14) When we saw these cats and dogs offered up for adoption, I knew she would be tempted to bring them all home. Thankfully, she didn’t, or our photo session would get a whole lot complicated. Other places we visited included a thrift store and the classically beautiful brownstone buildings.
So this one’s for you guys. Happy belated Auntie Lillian, and to you both, thank you for allowing me to be a part of it all.
(more…)
Colin + Ann (Part 2)
Here’s what you all have been waiting for… Colin and Ann’s wedding in photos, part two!
As mentioned in previous posts (see here ), Colin and Ann’s ceremony took place at Summit Adventure. The timing for the ceremony was just perfect– the late afternoon sun was descending right behind the bride & groom, making for an amazing backlight and some exciting images.
My favorite image from this set probably has to be the moment they finished walking out of the ceremony area, towards the back, and embrace for the first time as husband and wife. Although it lasted a split second, it’s one of those joyous + simplistic moments that really stick in a photographers mind. Afterwards, we escaped to Willow Creek, a natural creek/local swimming hole that sources it’s water from the Sierra Nevadas. We even had time to do some fun, old-timey, vintage-esque photos on a fallen log– one of my personal faves from the day. MUCH credit is due to the bride and groom for having excellent taste in wedding attire.
The celebration continued at the community center of Coarsegold, a historic and quiet little town right outside of Bass Lake. Music was provided by The Trespassers, a tremendously talented band very well known in these parts of California. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them play live a few times, and their multifaceted talent encompasses the genres of rock/folk/blue grass/gypsy jazz/poetic and more, and they are 100% worth listening to.
Brian + Sara Engagement
On the morning of their engagement session, Jon got to Princeton University a half-hour early to do a little more exploring of the campus. While wandering around the Theological Seminary, he kept hearing brief spurts of TAP TAP TAP, then a pause, then more TAP TAP TAPs. He soon realized the sounds were coming from atop a tree– a woodpecker in search of it’s early morning breakfast (See photo #1). What a cool way to start the morning!
Not long after, Brian and Sara arrived and Jon’s attention was reverted to bigger and better things. Princeton is a great place to take couples because the opportunities for photos are endless. Many buildings on campus are known for their High Victorian Gothic style of architecture. Since it was spring time, the trees and the flowers were all showing off their vibrant colors.
Here’s a super-quick listing of where we went & what cool things took place (photos ordered accordingly):
a. The woodpecker (can’t start off a photo blog without something scenery-related)
b. Speer Library- Brian spent many hours hitting the books as a student, and we also revisited the very place where he asked Sara to marry him!
c. Outdoor garden area of Speer Library- doors were locked, but we got access via the outer gates
d. Awesome gothic architecture around the general Princeton campus
e. “The Chapel” as stated on Princeton’s official maps.
Sunlight + Red stainglass windows = awesome red lighting
f. Magnolia trees had just shed their petals, making for some cool downward-looking photos
g. Very cool tunnel on campus
h. (Downtown) Small World Coffee – Brian and Sara’s official “first date” spot
i. (Downtown) Halo Pub – This great little ice cream & dessert nook is where we ended our engagement session. Ironically, I asked why Brian was covering his face and Sara replied, “He’s getting camera shy.” Moments later, it seemed to be contagious. Â (photos to prove it!)
