These are just a few of the many words that can be used to describe Eyvette, the lovely and vivacious bride who took a chance and hired me, all the way down here from Austin, to photograph her and Bourahima’s wedding WAY WAY up in New York City.

I was referred to Eyvette by a close friend of hers who happens to be a hobbyist photographer who travels back and forth from Texas to New York for work. Eyvette and I spoke on the phone before she made her decision and we ended up talking and chatting for about an hour about anything and everything. It was amazing – it was as if we had been friends who had known each other for a long time and were just playing catch up. We hit it off. We really connected. I think that is what ultimately led to her decision to hire me as her photographer without having even met me face to face. And ever since that day, she and I remained in contact on an almost weekly basis. We would touch base with each other from time to time to see how things are progressing along. She would ask me for advice about certain details she was planning for the wedding. She would even vent to me when things weren’t going as expected. It’s always great to be able to connect with my clients, but it’s icing on the cake whenever I can also forge a new friendship along the way.

Now….because we hadn’t met prior to me arriving in NYC, I always had this thought in the back of my head that perhaps there is a small chance that the connection wouldn’t be as strong once we did meet face to face. Or that perhaps that neither Eyvette nor myself would be the same people we were on the phone. Pshaw! That thought was immediately crushed as soon as I heard my name being yelled outside of the passenger-pickup area at JFK airport. There was Eyvette, happy as ever. Bright as can be, with the biggest smile I’d seen on anyone’s face in a long time. She is just as nice and vibrant in person as she was on the phone. Sorry for the lengthy post, but a person as beautiful as Eyvette is deserving of such a story. Here are just a few pictures taken on her and Bourahima’s very special day. So very honored to have been a part of it. Thank you, Eyvette!

There is life all over the city. Breathing. Growing. A massive ball of energy.

It’s everywhere you look and even more prominent where you don’t look. It all happens very quickly, though. Fleeting. In a blink of an eye.

I had the most wonderful opportunity to photograph the beautiful wedding of a beautiful bride in this beautiful city last week(more on that later – with some preview images to follow!). However, instead of just doing a shoot-and-run, I decided to make the most of the trip and made a little vacation out of it. After all, this is my first time to visit the Big Apple as an adult. As some of you know, I love to do candid street photography, and what better place to take advantage of that than NYC!?

Much to my chagrin, taking street photos in New York City is much more daunting and difficult that I previously manifested it to be in my head. It’s a bit overwhelming, to say the least. Every single one of your senses is being over-stimulated simultaneously from all different directions. It’s hard to pick and choose what to shoot. It was all a little shocking. My first hour on the streets was spent in observation and a few failed attempts to try and determine the speed at which the city moves. At this point, I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to take pictures at all. I was in shock. For a brief moment, the idea of taking pictures felt really, really foreign to me. I felt a little sad. What to do?

I had to snap out of it. I had to remove myself from that state of shock that had put me in a trance. I knew that I had to just start clicking away and that everything would just fall into place. I think that’s what happened. I just found my zone and started doing what I normally do – shoving my camera and lens into people’s spaces, their personal hoola-hoops, their lives. I think I got away with some cool pictures. Here’s what I saw…

(Sorry, there are A LOT of pictures in this set)