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I was invited by a dear friend of mine to a Playboy casting party at the Hawaiian Tropic in Times Square. She had appeared in different Special Editions of Playboy, and to top it off, she was Asian. As you can guess, almost all of the models at the event were voluptuous tanned blondes in tight glimmery outfits. While I shared a dinner with my friend, I couldn’t help but notice one of the waitresses walking around in the Hawaiian Tropic bikini outfit. She was exotic looking, a few sizes smaller than the rest of the Playboy bunny wannabe’s, and stood out to catch both my friend and my attention. In fact, we both wish we could take her home. Typical me, I could not muster any guts to say hi, so I waited till my friend could come with me and introduce ourselves. Funny thing is, and this happens often, she already knew who I was and had wanted to shoot with me. So a few months later, here we are.

As if having a blacked out car wasn’t a magnet enough for the five-o, I’ve added a hot red roadster to the line up, Imola Red to be exact. There’s enough trunk space to fit my camera bag and a weekend getaway bag. All photos taken with a Canon S90.

2007 BMW M Roadster

I just realized I haven’t blogged any engagement sessions for the entire 2009 year. Here are some old photos. I never had the motive to quit wedding photography, I just took down my website to relieve some stress. You don’t just give up something you have a passion for, it’s in your blood.

Everyone knows a photo is worth a thousand words. This photo only needs to describe three, “Michelle LOVES cooking.”

It all started with a plan to spend the day at a park and take photos, but Michelle and I decided to go straight for a yummy meal at brgr in midtown Manhattan. After a cup of coffee it was getting dark and Michelle needed to cook dinner for her friends, so we went grocery shopping, then off to her place and she started preparing dinner. I could see her experience in cooking by her knowing what and how to do everything without a recipe, just doing it freehand, like any mom can do. It felt very warm, familiar, and intimate. In the kitchen, Michelle felt most comfortable, happy, and perhaps most confident, and it was in that environment where I just observed and captured a few candids of her.

After looking back at the photo did we realize how I captured Michelle in her best moment, doing what she loved most and was passionate about. Even Michelle’s friends and family complimented on the perfect representation of her. If we had stuck to the plan and took photos outside, we might have created some pretty photos, but I bet none of which would have had the impact that this particular shot generated. I feel very privileged to have been invited to her home and to share the experience.

I hope I can participate in more of these personal experiences with individuals and capture them in their best moment. Anybody want to let me in?