luciebelle photography...the blog

bradley's bar mitzvah

2012-01-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

we're in print

2011-12-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

i'm so far behind on posting it's not even funny. i thought i'd get the ball rolling again by sharing a highlight from the fall. we were published by wedding nouveau magazine's http://weddingnouveau.com/fall issue. it's always excited to be published but it's especially exciting in print. this was a beautiful nyc wedding shot at the carlton hotel http://www.carltonhotelny.com and the midtown loft & terrace http://midtownloft.net thanks wedding nouveau!!!

dylan's bar mitzvah

2011-12-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

location: mandarin oriental http://www.mandarinoriental.com/newyork
and central park http://www.centralparknyc.org/

ellen & alicia

2011-12-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

location: the picnic house in prospect park http://www.prospectpark.org
catering by bon soir http://www.bonsoircaterers.com

justin's bar mitzvah

2011-12-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

location : temple beth abraham http://www.tba-ny.org

and elmwood country club http://www.elmwoodcountryclub.com/

published again!!!!!!

2011-11-21T15:20:00.001-08:00

this was a nice surprise. thank you the modern jewish wedding:)
http://www.themodernjewishmitzvah.com/norwalk-ct-bat-mitzvah-from-luciebelle-photography

austin & renee's country wedding

2011-10-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

in the words of renee, the beautiful bride....

the wedding was on my great great grandparents farm. the church was built in 1846 and has hosted many family weddings. the town "emerickville" is made up mostly of my ancestors and family- emerys, who came over from germany. the old pictures setting out of the table in the foyer were of the original farm and church when they were built. i've attached some just for reference. one pic is of my grandparents in front of barn as newlyweds with their new horses. also you'll see a family pic in front of the church like we took after the wedding.

we used a lot of things vintage family lace to make most of the decor and things. since my grandparents were married in the church in 1943, i wanted to have the same sort of look of that time that my grandma might have worn. i felt an ivory lace would be the best choice for the time of day and for the country scenery.

i wore bracelet my grandma wore, as a vintage bracelet that was my sisters. austin and i both loved our grandma's homes and found lots of nick knacks like the tiny glass chickens to set out to have the look inside their houses at the reception.

my dress was the enzoani dakota http://www.enzoani.com/main.html the bridesmaids dresses were calvin klein www.calvinklein.com.

my veil was edward berger www.edwardberger.com in champagne.

throughout the wedding we tried to use various shades of ivories and pale beige's, and whites. all the flowers were mixed solid groupings of white- lily of the valley, cymbidium orchids, hydrangea, roses, baby breath, queen ann's lace, etc.

my sister carried sunflowers for becky who was in love with sunflowers.

my girlfriend and i made the fascinators for the bridesmaids and flower girls using vintage lace from my moms wedding veil. the gloves the girls wore i also stitched with scallop edging from my moms veil.

the batons at the reception were made from scrap lace on wooden dowel rods.

the lily of the valley theme we tried to carry over from the wedding to the reception with the vintage lily of the valley postcards set out on the tables. my great grandmother kept hundreds of postcards from the early 1900s-1950s and that inspired a lot of the look of the reception tables.

for my girlfriends from new york i made wrist corsages out of vintage millinery supplies like wire pearls and tiny white dahlias.

austin designed the invitations, save the dates, all the signage sat out. he made a custom designed lettering for most of the pieces. we drew each others silhouettes for the wedding. they were inspired by a silhouette we have of my dad when he was in kindergarten.

the flower girls tutus are from princess doodle beans http://princessdoodlebeans.blogspot.com/ @ etsy http://www.etsy.com/ the jewelry was from etsy http://www.etsy.com/ and ebay http://www.ebay.com/ and it was tiny! my one month old nieces bracelet was like a ring on my finger. ha. all pearls.

my shoes for the wedding dress were badgley mischka http://www.badgleymischka.com/ kiss kiss.

the blonde fox fur was vintage from ebay http://ebay.com

the gloves were white silk carolina amato carolinaamato.com i'm obsessed with gloves because my grandma worked a glove factory before she was married.

my jewelry was kenneth jay lane kennethjaylanesales.com earrings and the diamond cross was gifted to me by my parents.

my party outfit studded shoes were sam edelman www.samedelman.com

the dark fur was the fionna stole from alice + olivia www.aliceandolivia.com

the dress was a gold bebe www.bebe.com mini dress.

my hair was done by friend julie gibson, we looked at lots of pictures from dior spring 2010 collection hair. she did finger waves, then pinned all my hair back.

my makeup i did myself, all nars www.narscosmetics.com makeup. i looked at a lot of old hollywood pics!

the bias cut satin robe i've had for some time. its victoria secret bridal collection www.victoriassecret.com i've been collecting vintage robes and lingerie for over a year now! could have done a boudoir shoot with all of it. haha. it's been the best fashion part of getting married.

austins tux was from mens wearhouse www.menswearhouse.com. lol. that was the most basic thing in the wedding. he wore the lily of the valley also.

the lily of the valley was super important to tie everything together as its symbol of christ and also it means, a sort of return to happiness.

:) xoxoxoxo

then

now

then

now

then

now

great products and gift idea!!!

2011-09-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

i went to a wedding industry networking thing a few weeks ago and saw a woman in a cool coat. i approached her because i thought she looked like someone i'd be friends with. it turns out that she is the owner of a great skin care line called naturally susan's http://www.naturallysusansllc.com/index.html. all of her products are hand crafted and amazing. it's very hard for me to choose my favorite from what i've tried so far which is the chocolate mask, the oatmeal facial exfoliant, the avocado lavender sauve, the lavender organic sugar scrub, the sweet orange & ginger sugar scrub and the peppermint sea salt scrub. for the morning i love the peppermint scrub and i especially love the sweet orange & ginger sugar scrub. it smells great and something about it makes me feel awake and happy. the lavender scrub also smells great but lavender relaxes me so that's better if you're trying to scrub off some stress:) the oatmeal exfoliant surprised me. a little bit went a long way and while it had the exfoliant component it also felt like a mask...2 products in one. i don't really know what to say about the chocolate scrub that you can't already imagine...yes, it is indulgent and yes it is wonderful. also, i was thinking of mixing it with the sweet orange & ginger sugar scrub for a snack one night (i'm only half kidding). i think my very favorite has to be the avocado, lavender sauve though. i'm telling you i use it everyday. i use it on my lips, my cuticles, dry skin, and sometimes i just rub it on my wrists because it smells so good.

i know that there are a lot of choices for skin care these days but not too many are handmade and use all natural ingredients. i love that i know exactly what is in each and every product. susan's moto is, "be kind to your body." and that's exactly what it felt like i was doing while using her products. http://www.naturallysusansllc.com/index.html

p.s. she has different gift options for events like baby/bridal showers, parties etc..

you can find these products at the website: http://www.naturallysusansllc.com/index.html
or on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaturallySusans?sk=info

xo

scott & gloria's wedding!!!

2011-08-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

jackie's trump national golf club bat mitzvah!!!

2011-08-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

this was my first time shooting an event at the trump national golf course in westchester http://www.trumpnationalwestchester.com/ and i hope it's not my last.

i highly recommend this place for a bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah, wedding, sweet sixteen or any other grand event you might be planning. the layout is perfect and moves you through different parts of the club which makes the night and flow naturally with out any abrupt "scene changes". the food and service was top notch and ned i say anything about the grounds? perfect backdrop for photographs. i love this place and think you will to! by the way, how cute is jackie in her betsey johnson http://www.betseyjohnson.com/ dress?

xoxo

finally!! gay marriage legalized in new york!!!

2011-08-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

in light of the fact that new york state finally came to it's senses and legalized gay marriage, i'm posting my 2 favorite what were "commitment ceremonies" at the time. let me just say that i think in the years to come that we, the citizens, of this great but sometimes moronic country will be terribly embarrassed that gay marriage was ever an "issue". i hope the rest of the u.s. will follow suit quickly so we can move on to real "issues" like getting our troops safely home.

j.d. & hy had a private ceremony but had a beautiful reception at the tribeca rooftop www.tribec.com
and we did their engagement shoot at various locations in williamsburg brookly where they live.

anita and erin had their ceremony at the old stone house http://theoldstonehouse.org/
which is exactly what it sounds like an old-stone-house. it is rustic and so charming and when you're there you feel transported to another time and place. i'm happy to report that erin & anita are now proud parents to twin baby girls:)

kendra & david's wedding

2011-08-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

kendra was raised and currently lives in new york city but clearly part of heart resides in the country. how else could you pull off such a magnificent country wedding? david & kendra got married at her parents weekend house in woodstock and had their reception at the bearsville theater http://bearsvilletheater.com it was magical. it's hard to imagine what the day would have been like if it had been raining or cold or super hot...lucky for all of us it was perfect. dinner was served family style and was delicious!!!! i know because my assistant and i got to eat what the guests were served and we felt so lucky. usually venues serve "vendor meals" and while i'm gratefull for all of my food i'm especially so when it is as good as the food cooked up by the bear cafe http://www.bearcafe.com they got all of the flowers from river garden which is a flower farm. they were beautiful arranged in canning jars on long tables with lots of diy details that made the setting uniquely theirs.

i want to write...for just a moment about the clothes. everyone in the wedding party was dressed impecibly. so a shout out to j crew bridal http://www.jcrew.com worn by all the bridesmaids. calvin klein http://www.calvinklein.com on the groomsmen. the groom wore a well tailored suit by theory http://www.theory.com and the gorgeous bride wore a gown by waters http://watters.com/

this was a dream wedding for me. the setting, the weather, the food, the details made it a really fun/inspiring wedding to shoot. also, it doesn't hurt when the bride looks like a 40's movie star:)

xoxo

sara & michael's new york city wedding!!!!!

2011-08-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

sara & michael are the sweetest, cutest couple of all time. i knew the first time i met them at their apartment on the upper west side that we would be fast friends. they are generous, kind, easy to be around and good looking to boot!! i'm so happy that chose me to shoot their gorgeous wedding.

our day did not start out on the best foot. our cab was rear-ended at the foot of the brooklyn bridge while we were on our way to meet the bride for the getting ready shots. getting rear-ended in a cab is not fun but is especially sucky when it happens near a bridge...slowing traffic..therefore slowing the arrival of another cab...eehh. being late for a wedding is something i have nightmares about. luckily, if possible, i always schedule a little extra time in the shooting schedule...just in case:) when we arrived sara was already looking like the beauty she is. her gown was by romona keveza http://www.romonakeveza.com/runway/current3/pages/collections.html and as you can see... was perfect for her. keri degeronimo is responsible for her very natural, held up the whole day in the humid weather hair and tanya rae tanyarae.com for the makeup. as a photographer hair and makeup are essential to great pictures. it's so important that the makeup and hair not make the bride look completely different from how she normally looks. the importance of having a makeup artist and hairstylist is so that 'look' lasts all day. we makeup/hair civilians simply don't have the tricks and tools to make this happen. it really says something to me when a bride actually likes the photos of herself from the end of the day as much as she does from the beginning and tanya and keri made that happen. sara and michael arranged a 'reveal moment' so that we could devote more time to pictures (i highly recommend doing this) after they saw each other for the first time on the street in front of the hotel http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_US/dt/hotel/NYCBPDT-DoubleTree-by-Hilton-Hotel-New-York-City-Financial-District-New-York/index.do we jumped in a cab and headed to the south street seaport southstreetseaport.com. it had been raining for days but the rain stopped that morning and there was virtually noone at the seaport which was amazing to me. i was worried i'd have to spend hours and hours photo-shopping people out of the background but i didn't have to. we got some amazing shots then headed back to the battery gardens batterygardens.com for the wedding and reception.

battery gardens is another of new york city's perfect event venues. it's flooded with light and has a view for days. it's perfect if you have a lot of people coming in from out of town because they can see the statue of liberty, be on the waterfront, see the city backdrop and marvel at the sight of the big apple. the event was put together by yvette ceselka a brilliant event planner who is both a pro and easy to work with (these two things don't often come together in this profession) ilene from battery gardens also did a terrific job! she was on hand making sure everything ran smoothly. she dazzled me! if they gave out awards for multi tasking she'd sweep. if you want a city wedding you should make an appointment to see her...i think you'll be impressed! info@batterygardens.com the flowers and decor were provided by jolie events jolieevents.com and you can see for yourself that they hit it out of the (battery) park.

the reception was catered (all kosher) by main events caterers of englewood nj www.mecaterers.com
they also did the cake. everything was beautifully presented, unfortunately i had about 5 seconds to eat but what i did have a chance to taste was great! the band http://www.hanklane.com/blog/category/pete-saunders-band was also great and kept the dance floor full which is tough job on a sunday afternoon.

i was very surprised when sara asked if we could take more photos after the reception ended....this never happens. i was happy to oblige given the setting and the couple. the groom, however, not so much.
michael is hilarious and, while letting it be known that he wasn't 'into' the post photo shoot, went along with his brides request and brought his sense of humor along too. with compromise like this i'd say their marriage is off to a great start... mozel tov!!!

Christelle & Ben's amazing Jewish, Christian, West African, New York City Wedding!!!

2011-07-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

this was a terrific wedding, a blending of different religions and cultures. christelle's entire family flew in from west africa. apparently there was some worry that they wouldn't be able to get out of the country so the u.s. ambassador had to step in to make sure everyone could be here for christelle's big day.

their day started at the carlton hotel http://www.carltonhotelny.com/ppc-offers.php?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=carlton+hotel+new+york+exact&utm_campaign=CRT01_2011_Branding&_vsrefdom=2010brand-ppc when the cab started to get close to drop us off i noticed that suddenly it was as if we entered the twilight zone. all of the cars and people on the street were straight out of the sixties. i'm telling you my assistant, videographer and i were seriously dumbfounded for a bit. thank fully the carlton doorman was in the know and was able to bring us back to earth. it just so happened that men in black 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPPqZh-xh7Y was filming a sceene on madison ave. a very fun little "extra" for the folks from africa:)

we headed up to the brides suite where she was getting ready and by the time we arrived she was already looking gorgeous. tinka Tinikasadiku.com was putting the final touches on her hair and soon she was ready to get into her beautiful wedding gown http://www.davidsbridal.com/Browse_Bridal-Gowns-Shop-By-Designer-Galina-Signature

she and ben decided to see each other before the ceremony which, of course, is what every photographer hopes for. they decided to have a reveal moment on the front balcony of the hotel which had perfect light and a perfect backdrop for pictures. we decided to use the balcony for the formal family shots and when those were finished we headed out to the streets of new york. the wedding and reception was at the midtown loft & terrace http://www.midtownloft.com/ which is within walking distance of the hotel. midtown loft & terrace is an excellent place for an event because you can be indoors and out. the terrace is so new york city with the empire state building just a couple of blocks away and a beautiful gothic church across the street. you get a birdseye view of the streets and life in nyc which the guests marveled at. the ceremony was resided over by rabbi ronald broden http://www.jewish-ceremonies.com/ and minister denise smartt sears http://www.nyac.com/churches/detail/1933 and was both intimate and universal. the cocktail hour was also on the terrace and catered by dorrie pariser at world wide events http://www.worldwideeventsltd.com/ and let me tell you this was no "wedding food" i've been to many weddings and believe me food is not usually on the top of my list of things to mention in my blog...the food from world wide was exceptional, fresh and well presented...bravo.

the bride and groom changed into traditional west african attire mid-reception and headed to the dance floor for a traditional dance which had me running to itunes and searching "west african music". so colorful and fun. dj con http://www.74events.com/ kept everyone on the dance floor from the first dance to the cake cutting. http://thesweetpeace.com/

the wedding was unique and memorable to me for its melding of cultures. i loved seeing the two families from opposite ends of the earth coming together to celebrate christelle and ben's love and union. it was beautiful in a big picture sort of way....

xoxo

renee & austin's brooklyn engagement session published!!!

2011-07-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.borrowedandbleu.com/real-weddings/real-couple-renee-austins-nyc-engagement/

a big thank you to borrowed & bleu http://www.borrowedandbleu.com/real-weddings/real-couple-renee-austins-nyc-engagement/ for publishing austin & renee's engagement session. if you're planning a wedding or event then you should visit their blog. borrowed and blue http://www.borrowedandbleu.com is a great resource for inspiration and advice and is one of my personal faves:)
xoxo

WE'VE GONE MOBILE!!!

2011-06-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

PUBLISHED!!!!

2011-06-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

thank you 'a paper proposal' for publishing this!!!
xo

http://apaperproposal.com/2011-6-24

what i do during the week...

2011-06-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

being an event photographer most people think i only work on the weekends and have my weekdays free to roam the streets....i wish!! in reality my weekdays are mostly spent on the computer editing images, designing albums, fulfilling print orders and vendor requests, updating the website, blog, facebook etc... but i also do a lot of shooting. i shoot things for the whitney museum of american art, city meals on wheels, and several pr firms as well as headshots, band photos, baby portraits, family portraits, engagements, senior pics etc.... here are some shots from a job on tuesday with celebrity chef michael symon.

austin & renee's brooklyn engagement shoot

2011-05-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

logan's gorgeous bat mitzvah!

2011-05-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

one of my very first "mitzvah" clients was stacey kornfeld. her daughter alex's bat mitzvah was the 2nd or 3rd i'd ever shot. they quickly became one of my favorite clients!!! stacey and her girls are beautiful, smart, funny, cool and most importantly kind. i've loved working with them and was so happy to shoot logan's bat mitzvah a couple of weeks ago.
when i posted a sneak peek on facebook i was quickly bombarded with questions. who was their stylist (they didn't have one) who did the decorations? where was it? who did the dresses? hair/makeup? etc....
here are your answers people. they come highly recommended by not only stacey but me as well.
xoxo

decor- diane amanti @ xquisitevents.com

dresses- bcbg bcbg.com betsey johnson (of course) betseyjohnson.com and all saints http://www.us.allsaints.com

hair/makeup- kimberly root https://www.facebook.com/people/Kim-Root/1306998790

cake- lulu cake boutique everythinglulu.com

entertainment- m.c ice @ glydeproductions.com

temple- beth abraham tba-ny.org

venue- elmwood country club elmwoodcountryclub.com

mozel tov logan!!!!!

christelle & ben's engagement shoot

2011-04-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

easter bunny

2011-04-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

new york magazine wedding event

2011-04-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

for the last three years i have been attending the new york magazine nymag.com/weddings/ wedding event. it is a great way to see what's happening in the industry and frankly, the only expo type thing i can stomach. it's ny mag http://nymag.com so the bar is set high and every year they manage to pull off this great event that so many people try and fail to do. well done!! nymag.com/weddingsevent

new glasses

2011-04-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

i found a great new company called warby parker http://warbyparker.com i was shopping with some friends one afternoon and we wandered into steven alan http://stevenalan.com there was a board with different frames on it. the first pair i tried on called "owen" i loved. the salesgirl explained to me that i could not buy them in the store but that they had to be ordered through this website http://warbyparker.com and that with a code from steven alan i would get $5 off my purchase. i went to the website as soon as i got home and was so happy at what i discovered there. all frames with prescription lenses are $99 and they donate a pair of glasses to someone in need every time a pair of frames is bought!!!! amazing! they don't have a retail store, only a showroom located near union square. they also offer 'at home try on' which means they will send you up to 3 pair of frames to try on at home. amazing again! i already knew what i wanted so i placed my order for the "owen" and received my new pair of glasses within a week and a half. they arrived in a small box (no wasted packaging). i love my new glasses and the company who made them.

an opia bat mitzvah

2011-04-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

i had the pleasure of shooting a bat mitzvah at opia http://opiarestaurant.com i had not been there since they had a major renovation. i was thrilled to see how fabulous the space is now. jimena was the event manager for the bat mitzvah and she did a great job making sure everything ran smoothly. sal lomonaco from academy floral http://www.academyfloral.com/ did a beautiful job with the tables and the entertainment was provided by shine events http://shineevents.com i've worked with these guys before and they are very good at what they do and consummate professionals. joe, who is a videographer with shine, was so good that he got a shout out from olivia the bat mitzvah girl.

it was great working with these vendors and i hope to work with them again soon:)

zach's bar mitzvah!!!

2011-03-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

we had the absolute pleasure of shooting a bar mitzvah for the seymour family this past weekend.
i often say how fortunate i feel to get to do what i love but when my clients turn out to be people like this awesome family it really makes me feel like i'm on the right track:)

it was a morning service at one of my favorite temples the temple beth abraham in tarrytown http://www.tba-ny.org/ the party followed at the new york country club in new hempstaed http://nycountryclub.com/ it's the second time i've had the opportunity to shoot there and it's great because it has a true indoor/outdoor feel and is filled with natural light. the tables looked amazing thanks to zack's dad michael who handmade the z's on each table and to the artist's (jeff) at balloon artistry who worked their magic again. http://www.balloonartistry.com/ they did the balloon centerpieces and the candy bar sign which looks just like the famous dylans candy bar sign. i've seen their work at several events and you can always tell it was them because they are the best in the business. the gorgeous cake was done by le gateau suisse http://www.legateausuisse.com and the entertainment was provided by the entertainment company http://www.theentertainmentcompany.net
the m.c., vega, was great! he really had a handle on the party and kept it going at a perfect pace and did this without being annoying...which is rare.. the dj managed to play a little bit of everything and kept the dance floor filled throughout the entire party.

the boys zack and his little brother dylan are so charming and fit into the classic older/younger brother roles. zach is mr. calm, cool and collected while dylan is more the 'life of the party' sort and will probably need a whole team of photographers to capture his bar mitzvah:) on behalf of luciebelle photography i want to thank you (rhona, michael, zack and dylan seymour) for choosing us to photograph this beautiful event. you are the reason we love what we do so much. mozel tov!!!!

vacation part 3: carlee & jeremy's wedding!!!

2011-03-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

what prompted this whole trip was my great friend carlee's wedding. i've known carlee for nearly 10 years. she was one of my first really good friends in new york and i was so sad when she moved away a few years ago:( our lives have taken us in different directions...

carlee breaths when she is stressed. i take a xanax...or 2.
carlee eats a clean, mostly vegetarian diet. i will push people down to get into the latest and greatest pork-centric restaurant.
carlee drinks tea. i prefer champagne.
carlee flip-flops. me heels...always heels.

the list goes on and on. we are not likely friends but i love her to death and am so happy that she found someone that had her beaming as much as she was on her wedding day. congratulations carlee & jeremy. here are a few of my favorites from the big day:) love and blessings xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Vacation part 2: disney world!!!

2011-03-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

    like everyone else around the world ,thanks to facebook, http://facebook.com i've reconnected with a lot of people. not all 'blast's from the past' are good ones but there have been a couple that i'm eternally grateful for. one of them is called TODD MILTON RYE.
     todd and i were great friends in high school and lost touch over the years. i was extactic when i received his friend request. we quickly started writing and i realized right away that he was the same histerical guy i knew all those years ago, and even more thrilled when i saw him in orlando a couple of weeks ago. todd has worked for disney http://disney.com for many years and now manages special events for disney world http://disneyworld.com he managed to get time away from staging celebrity photo shoots to take us to epcot center where we got an insiders tour and a drink from every county there. he also gave us tickets for all of the parks to use the next day....amazing!!
   carrie and i had never been to disneyworld http://disneyworld.com and didn't really know what to expect. needless to say we had a ball. i loved the safari, a bugs life and the tower of terror. we bought a photo of us on the buzz lightyear ride. it is, quite possibly, thee worst picture of me - ever. when todd saw it he said "carrie looks like a supermodel but under no circumstances should you ever show that photo of yourself to anyone!" i'm posting it anyway because it's hilarious and i love how serious i was taking it. the worst part is that not only does carrie look like a supermodel she also stomped me in points!!!

thank you so much todd for a day we'll always remember. i can't wait til you visit nyc. xoxoxoxoxo

published!!!!!!!

2011-03-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.modern-wedding-ideas.co.uk/brooklyn-wedding.html

vacation part 1: AYLA!!!

2011-03-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

i've just returned from a vacation that was jam packed! it started with a flight into orlando to meet up with my sister and niece so that we could visit my mom for a few days. my niece ayla is gorgeous and has changed so much in the few short months since i last saw her and here are the photos to prove it:) thank you mom and bob for the lobster, the unlimited use of the convertible and for being such great hosts in general. miss you.

international recognition!!!!

2011-02-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

so happy to have a photo featured on the london based blog 'modern wedding'...cheerio!
http://www.modern-wedding-ideas.co.uk/wedding-reception-venues.html

becca's bat mitzvah

2011-02-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

i had a great weekend! i got to shoot an amazing bat mitzvah in westchester. i don't know how i manage, but i have to say that i have the best looking clients. look at this family....and they are as nice as they are pretty. becca wore an adorable betsey johnson dress www.betseyjohnson.com any girl who has an upcoming bat mitzvah, sweet sixteen or party of any kind should run to the nearest betsey johnson retailer or, better yet, come to one of her stores here in the city. her party dresses are perfection.

the party was at harvest on hudson www.harvest2000.com it's called that for a reason...it's on the hudson river so, it goes without saying that, the views are stunning and easily seen from the lofty window surrounded main room. it's a gorgeous setting for any event and the staff were in top form. i had the pleasure of meeting and working with the lovely regina who is the events manager. you should give her a call if you're looking for the perfect place to host your next big event (914 478 2800) the room is flooded with natural light so it's great for pictures...i'm just sayin:)

i rarely comment on the entertainment because frankly i'm usually not that into it but i was pleasantly surprised by the guys i met on saturday. nelson cruz entertainment www.nelsoncruzevents.com is the way to go. they were genuinely nice people who obviously love what they do. i didn't get the impression that they were putting on an act which is so often the case with dj, mc, motivational dancer types. bravo guys!!! i hope we get the chance to work with them a lot more in the future.

thank you goldman family for having us be a part of such a special event. we had a great time working with you!!!!!

kobe's bar mitzvah/kareoke bash!!

2011-01-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

secret proposal photography

2011-01-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

every high school aptitude test i ever took told me that my ideal career would be "private detective". so i've always had this back burner fantasy about it. i know, in my adult mind, that the job mainly consists of a lot of sitting around and waiting which my short attention span won't allow for. however, my adolescent self still sees myself as a private i heading an agency not unlike remington steele's. you can imagine how thrilled i was when i got my first request to secretly shoot a wedding proposal. i've hidden behind tree's and in stairwells, sat on park benches in sunglasses "reading the paper", invented hand signals and code words....yes, it's a dream come true!! here are some photos from a secret proposal shoot i did in central park. so fun, sooooo romantic and so far everyone has said yes:)

published!!!!

2011-01-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

thank you to the great people over at borrowed and bleu (formally know as the indie bride) www.borrowedandbleu.com/.../real-couple-gloria-scott-at-reba... for featuring scott & gloria's wedding.

i love this blog and am thrilled they asked me to be a part of the new name launch. congratulations and good luck with the new site. xo

buffalo wedding!!!

2010-12-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

art auction in honor of my brother.

2010-12-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

so just when things start to settle down work wise it's time for the art auction. as you know my brother matt died from ms two years ago:( since then i've been throwing an art auction in his honor and donating all the proceeds to the national ms society. last year we had 25 artists and this year we have 40. i'm really excited and hoping we earn a lot of money for a great cause. if you'd like to learn more about our auction go here http://mattsartauctionforms.blogspot.com/ and please stop by if you can.
xo

tom & renee

2010-12-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

i, luckily, had a very busy spring, summer & fall season and have fallen WAY behind on blogging. this is my first chance to sit down and catch up and i wanted to start with tom & renee's gorgeous fall wedding. as you can see these 2 could have gotten married at the mall and it would have been beautiful but they didn't...they had a wedding to match them:)
the ceremony was at st. patricks catholic church. they had the north fork trolley http://northforktrolley.com provide transportation for the bridal party and close family. this thing is a great place to take pictures in and of itself...i was happy they saved us a seat. the trolley took us to the beach for the "formal" photos. we couldn't have wished for better weather. clear skies and mild tempetures not to mention an adventurous wedding party who were willing to do whatever i asked of them in the sand...thank you for that:) we took photos on the beach and at the fire island lighthouse fireislandlighthouse.com the photo's speak for themselves....

on to the party!! the reception was at bayview house in bay shore http://captainbills.com it's called bayview for obvious reasons. i had never been to this venue but hope i get to go back. it really is a great setting. one of the best things about it is that it's tented outdoors so you're completely protected from rain or harsh sun but still feel like you're on the water. the florist's over at long beach florists did a great job! http://longbeachflorist.net liquid a http://liquida.net provided the entertainment and had everyone dancing their tails off until the very end.

it's not everyday that i get to photograph a couple who are as beautiful on the outside as they are inside. congratulations tom & renee! i hope you have many years of happiness ahead of you....

other notes:

renee's dress was by demetrios http://demetriosbride.com and purchased at helen bohn bridal http://helenbohnbridals.com the brides maid dresses were dessy http://dessy.com and purchased at lebus veture in manhattan 212 627 0114

my first wedding book review:)

2010-11-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.weddingbook.com/wedding-photographers/new-york-city-ny/luciebelle-photography/reviews

adam & susie's wedding at the queens county farm!!

2010-08-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

i shot an awesome wedding over the weekend. it was at the queens county farm http://www.queensfarm.org/ i had never been there before and can't believe it exists in nyc. it's the perfect setting for a wedding and comes with chickens, sheep, peacocks, goats, cows, baby....yes, that's right...baby pigs and hayrides to boot.. adam & susie (the couple) had a pretty laid back approach to things. the bride planned the wedding with no help from a planner and her mother ute made all of the flower arrangements, decorated the pavilion where the ceremony was held and even lined the path to the pavilion with handmade flowers. the bride's brother laurence did a beautiful job officiating the ceremony and the bride even made her own dress. i've never seen such a successful diy wedding. they also had a "barty" after the reception which was way cool because it had a completely different feel than the wedding....think 30's swank. the huckleberry bar http://www.huckleberrybar.com/ where the "barty" was held is in williamsburg and is one of my favorite places to get a good cocktail. i mean a for real good cocktail. this is a topic that gets me a little heated. i was the first person to jump on the "cocktails" train when the trend to return to it began and i'm still on board with those of you who do it right. BUT just because you throw st. germain in a drink a cocktail it does not make. AND if you make whatever it is with triple sec or sour mix you should give it up. take a cue (or is it clue?) from the guys and girls over at huckleberry http://www.huckleberrybar.com/...it's not just another pretty bar. anyway...enough about me. congratulations adam & susie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

katy & joes wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

today was one of my favorite couple's wedding and it was gorgeous!!! i'm putting this post together on the fly because i leave for vacation first thing in the morning. i wanted to put something up so these guys won't have to wait 10 days to see something:)...please pardon the incompleteness, i'll put together a full list of vendors and a better description when i return....
the wedding was at the brooklyn historical society which is a great place for a wedding http://www.brooklynhistory.org and was overseen by the lovely and talented kira from naturally delicious http://www.naturallydelicious.com who also provided the 'delicious' food. you should contact these guys if you have any sort of event coming up. not only is the food great but it's also beautifully presented. dan & i loved working with everyone involved today and would like to give a giant thanks!!!! more when we return. happy fourth of july everyone!!!!!!!

spencer's bar mitzvah...yay!

2010-07-01T03:55:00.000-07:00

what a great family...my kinda people. the coolest kids, spencer is a drummer and his little sister hayden is a break dancer. it was a great party and we had a blast shooting it!!! thank's cohen family:)

2010-06-30T00:33:00.000-07:00

as many of you know, i've been shooting regularly for the whitney museum of american art for the past couple of years. this is one of my favorite jobs of all time!!! i'm often asked what i shoot for them so i've decided to start letting the pictures speak for themselves and for the whitney's fantastic education department....this blog thing might actually be good for something:) i will be digging into the archives and posting some past events but would like to start with the most recent which is from friday night. i've worked closely with the brilliant margie weinstein from the museums education department over the years...she is responsible for compelling, beautiful, challenging and just down right interesting public programming that i will be featuring in upcoming posts. this program, however, was put together by the new girl on the block...the lovely julie thomson, also of the museums education department. the program was called 'backyard birds: an evening of prose and music celebrating charles burchfield' and i have to tell you...it blew me away. the music and the reading were perfectly matched and the music was magical. i ran home and googled these guys right away. the program featured jonathan rosen, author of 'the life of the skies: birding at the end of nature' http://www.amazon.com/Life-Skies-Jonathan-Rosen/dp/0374186308 , reading exerpts from burchfields journals. the reading was interspersed with music from jonathan meiburg of 'shearwater' http://www.myspace.com/shearwater and andy stack of 'wye oak' http://wyeoakmusic.com/WWWYYYEEE_OOOAAAKKK.html . great great great!!!! congratulations on a fabulous first run julie...i'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with next:) to learn more about the whitney's public programs visit http://whitney.org/Education

hello summer!!!!!

2010-06-23T00:43:00.000-07:00

summer doesn't happen for me without a trip to coney island which includes pistachio soft serve, ski ball at the eldarado, a corn dog, contemplative time on the beach and ,of course, at least one whiplash inducing go around on the cyclone. this years excursion really got my summer off to a great start!!!!! thank you tania, edgar, felix and scott. xo

reasons to love nyc

2010-06-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

this is what i stumbled on when i dragged myself out of my apartment for a run the other day. i went to the park near my place and found 50 kids hip hop dancing to michael jackson songs. are you kidding me??? i was in heaven. turns out it was all part of the summer stage program which is responsible for free performances throughout the 5 boroughs. needless to say i ran my ass back home to get my camera. i love new york city so much, i am constantly surprised and inspired and in awe. i'm not usually a "dance" person but the performance was amazing and FREE!!! you should check out the summer stage calender http://www.summerstage.org and the various dance groups i saw. http://www.funkbuddha.org and http://www.organicmagnetics.com

emma's sweet 16

2010-06-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

ok...if i had known emma looked like this i would have shot this event for free:)...i'm only half kidding. i found a picture of myself at her age and thought of posting it so you could see the difference but decided to save myself the embarrassment. it was a great party. emma's mom liz was one of the coolest people i've worked with in awhile...super funny and laid back if only all my clients were like her. the event was at a place called prophecy in white plains a perfect venue for a sweet sixteen. http://www.prophecywhiteplains.com

brett's bar mitzvah

2010-06-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

brett's bar mitzvah was so great! it was at one of my new favorite venues in the city called crimson http://www.crimsonclub.com/ it's a perfect place for shooting because of it's great location on the outside (broadway & 21st) and it's fabulous interior which can be transformed into whatever you want it to be. we took a short walk to madison square park where we did the family portraits and stopped along the way for some grittier, less traditional, city shots. you get the best of both worlds at this place!!! also, it has a mezzanine which i love love love because it allows me to get a birds eye view which is great for dancing shots and is quite rare. you should stop by if you're having an event...it will not disappoint. http://www.crimsonclub.com/

kym & reily's wedding at 60 thomson nyc

2010-06-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

wow! kym & reily...two of the funnest people i know. they live in toronto but love nyc so decided to get married here. almost everyone at the wedding was from out of town...it was amazing. they have two cute boys sawyer and finn who were a little too tired to enjoy all of the action but managed to sit through most of the ceremony:) the wedding was at 60 thompson on the roof which is a great place for a city wedding as you can see. ... http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/nyc/60-thompson

katy & joe's engagement session

2010-06-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

gosh, i'm sooooo far behind on blogging...i swear, i'm going to try harder. i did this engagement shoot with katy & joe over a month ago and now their wedding is right around the corner on 7/3/10
i'm so excited to shoot the big day. it's at the brooklyn historical society http://www.brooklynhistory.org which is one of my favorite venues and they are so great to work with.....wedding pics soon:)

dr. oz at the new museum

2010-06-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

yes dr. oz is just like he is on t.v.. super nice, open and smart as a whip. i recently got to photograph him and dr. roizen http://www.realage.com at a luncheon at the new museum http://www.newmuseum.org hosted by the beautiful minds campaign to promote brain health. i learned that we should all be eating a lot more salmon and taking a dha supplement. you can learn more about dr. oz here: http://www.doctoroz.com/

duff goldman 'ace of cakes'

2010-06-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

i recently got to work with duff goldman a.k.a. the 'ace of cakes' http://www.charmcitycakes.com he's got a great new product line coming out for michael's http://www.michaels.com and was in nyc to get the word out. he decided to stop by the lower east side girls club bakery 'sweet things' to say hi and talk to them about how he got his start. the bakery and the girls are adorable and duff is pretty cute too:) i plan to use 'sweet things' for all my future cake needs..check them out if you get a chance.http://www.girlsclub.org

chloe's bat mitzvah...yay!!!!!

2010-06-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

dan an i had a great time on saturday shooting chloe's bat mitzvah. she wore the best shades of pink (my favorite) which really made the photos *pop*....not to mention the amazing shoes. her party was at half moon http://www.harvest2000.com/hmn/ in dobbs ferry which is right on the hudson river so, obviously, the views are spectacular. thanks for a great day chloe and mozel tov!!!!