e-session: jessica + phil

this was my first session for the new year...what a fun session! this recent photo shoot in new jersey was for the engagement of this sweet & cute couple. the session was an engagement gift from their friends with whom i also had an engagement photo shoot a few years ago. i don't normally have winter outdoor sessions but the couple recently just got engaged in the winter so they requested for a winter photo session. i happily obliged and just hoped for weather that wasn't below freezing! i kept wishing that it wasn't winter so we could last longer outside in the cold. luckily, we had a great sunny afternoon at the park despite the cold weather though it got bitter cold and dark really quick. i was glad that it wasn't too cold in the beginning of the session that we were able to take some photos without their winter coats. kudos to the couple for braving the cold w/o their coats! and also bringing some props which made the session more fun. :-) in the end, despite the cold weather & leafless trees, the lovely couple made the winter season look beautiful.

to jess and phil, congratulations again on your engagement and thanks for a great session! sorry that we had to rush when it got dark so quick! i hope you like your sneak peek and the rest to come soon.

i wish you all the love, peace and happiness for the rest of your lives together.

lots of love...

this was how he proposed! cute! :-)

e-session: kristin & eric

this recent special fall session was held in a cool castle in new jersey. the session was a gift from the mom of the fiance-the guy, to the engaged couple. they will wed next year during the fall season which makes it appropriate for the fall engagement photo shoot.

the session was supposed to be held a week before but got postponed due to bad weather. i have been really anxious during the past weekends because of the rain weather that has been falling on the weekends. on the day of the re-scheduled session, the weather was not what we were hoping for. it was cloudy but it still worked for the photo shoot and we were lucky to have no rain this time.

i was really excited for this photo shoot since i love fall engagement photo shoots. i have never had a shoot in a castle as well which made it more fun. the place was great and we were lucky to still have some fall foliage as a background.

to the lovely couple, kristin and eric ...thank you for your patience and for choosing such a great location. congratulations again on your engagement and best wishes.
to the mom, maureen ...thank you for choosing me to photograph & document their engagement. thank you again for having confidence in me. i am very grateful and also happy to have a part in a wonderful milestone in your lives.

i hope all of you will like this sneak peek and the rest of the photos to come.

lots of love...

e-session: my sister & her fiance!

as i had previously announced before on my blog, my sister got engaged!!! this post has been long overdue! sorry sis and dave! i have just been really busy lately at work, with photography clients/work and my weekends have also been filled up assisting my sister in taking care of stuff for her planned wedding next year since i am also her maid of honor! :-) in fact, we went wedding dress shopping last weekend and she finally found "the dress"...really fun!

anyways, their photo shoot was held on labor day weekend on the jersey shore. this was my engagement gift to them ...lucky them! :-) initially, we had thought of a fall season shoot since the fall foliage is just so pretty for photos. but then, they were deciding on a beach destination wedding so i had suggested a beach photo shoot instead. it would also be perfect for their wedding website and other wedding related stuff. anyways, it was perfect timing to have a shoot on the beach before it got too cold and wouldn't be too crowded anymore.

we had planned to stay and relax at the beach on the day of the photo session. but then, it wasn't too warm & sunny enough to relax on the beach but it came out to be a perfect day for a photo shoot ...no rain & cloudy. i had instead, scheduled the shoot right before sunset which was great for the photos. the day before, i became their stylist too since i had helped them choose what to wear for the shoot . :-)

it was windy for most of the time we were there but it helped add some drama on the photos which i really liked. we had to do a bunch of re-takes since my sister's hair was flying all over and there were times that sand would get into their eyes. despite all that, i am so happy with how the photos turned out! there's just so much to choose from that it took me time to decide on which ones to post on my blog. i will probably just do a slideshow when i hopefully find time. :-)

anyways, to my only sister and her fiance, dave ...congratulations again! i hope the two-hour long photo shoot was all worth it and hope you like the photos so far. i can't wait for the wedding!

lots and lots of love to both of you...

me and my sister and... i'm not sure who's the guy in the photo... just kidding dave! ;-)