After a week of rain, Karina & Ryan were ready get out into the park and have some fun taking photos. Our first stop was at the Conservatory Water in Central Park. It’s often called the Central Park Boat Pond since it’s full of radio controlled sailboats.

The pond holds a special place in our hearts because it’s also where we got engaged. If you’re in the area, we highly recommend getting something to eat at Knish Nosh right by the pond. Little outdoor cafe with the best stuffed cabbage we’ve ever had! Nothing like a little stuffed cabbage and beer while enjoying such a great view. If you go though, go early since the cafe gets very busy when the weather is nice and they usually sell out of the stuffed cabbage by early afternoon.

This first photo of Karina & Ryan has an old-fashioned look & feel but a few high tech tricks were used to get the final product. We actually took 5 pictures and combined them into one image. First, a high speed flash sync was used to balance the sunlight while still getting a pleasing out-of- focus background. Notice that their heads are in focus while the rest of the photo is out of focus. Then, several other photos were taken quickly after the first picture. All the images were then merged together to capture the dark areas in the trees while still showing the details in the bright sky. The final product is called a High Dynamic Range (HDR) photograph.

We also ventured off the beaten path to capture a section of Central Park that was exploding in green colors after a week of rain.  What a wonderful spot with long grass and wonderful sunlight coming though the trees! Do you feel like you are spying on their moment in their secret little oasis?

To Karina & Ryan – we had a great time taking photos of you and showing you a few hidden treasures in Central Park.  Looking forward to being a part of your wedding at the Waterside Restaurant in New Jersey next year!

We are excited to announce that both of the images we submitted to a recent AGWPJA photo contest have been honored with awards.  One image was taken during a wedding at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. St. Patrick’s is both breathtaking and an important center of Catholic life. We can definitely understand why brides would want to get married there! Unfortunately, for us wedding photographers though, St. Patrick’s is difficult because it has very strict rules.   They actually assign security personnel to keep an eye on us during the ceremony!

St Patrick’s does not allow the use of flashes or tripods.  We, however, have one of the best cameras in the industry for taking photos in low light even if we can’t use a flash. Its speed also allows us to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) images without having to use a tripod. HDR photos are created by combining several shots into one final image to show the dramatic details in both the bright and dark areas of the Cathedral.   For those not interested in the technical details, let’s simply say we didn’t let the church’s restrictions prevent us from creating an award-winning image!

The other winning image was taken at an Indian wedding reception at the Hyatt Regency in Long Island.  We love photographing Indian weddings because of all the vibrant colors in everyone’s clothing.  We caught this great moment of a young kid dancing in his white suit to the cheers of his friends and family.  We changed some of the color tones to spice up the moment.

We hope you enjoy these photos as much as the contest judges did!