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The time has come! I am excited to announce Zorz Studios’ first contest, EngagEd, in which I give away a complimentary engagement session (and more!) to three lucky winners! Read more

As the busiest month of the year remains behind (shot seven weddings and one fashion session in October), I was given a chance to breath in some crisp autumn air, gliding down from the rich blue sky and warmed by the generous November sun. My family and I headed off to the Silver Lake park, which I “discovered” just a few weeks ago while shooting one of the weddings. The colors were unbelievable - rich and deep because of all the moisture, soaked in the past two days of rains.

I grabbed one of my cameras but this time, shooting was more recreational and personal. Although… couldn’t stop giving directions to my “couple” and climbing walls and rolling on the ground to get the shot.

This would begin a “slow” stage in my studio’s cycle but only in regards to shooting - left in 2008 are only two weddings, an engagement session in Florida, and two artistic sessions. With much of the post-production still planned through end of the year, this period presents an ideal opportunity for a long-awaited boost in my conceived marketing and branding initiatives, as well as studio renovation. The simple goal is to invest everything back into my growing business. Stay tuned for the announcements!

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My entry won Resource Magazine’s “Classy Nudes” contest and is set to be published in the Winter issue of the magazine. This photo, entitled “In the Morning”, was taken in 2006 on a ridgetop which offers a spectacular scenic overlook of one of the Wildlife Management Areas in New Jersey. Read more

Here it happened again… I was honored to receive a feedback, very similar to Allison’s a week ago. A wonderful bride from yesterday is Ellen, a NYC detective. Her brother is a police officer, and so is their father. In all regards, a serious lady who has been through a lot…

Within the first hour of shooting at her house, she admitted that I was making her very calm, soothing the stress of the day. And now I recall hearing the same notion from other photographers who have shot alongside with me in the past. They say it’s the voice. Ellen quickly gained trust and confidence, making the whole photography (which she wasn’t really looking for) enjoying and exciting.

As the day progressed, so did her pleasure of being photographed, giving up the control, participating in the creation of a beautiful story. The culmination of the day echoed in her ecstatic and kind words, a wish to re-live this experience, and expression of gratitude and love for what the photography has done on such an emotional day. With no exaggeration, Ellen was one of my most appreciative brides. My sincere “Thank you” to you, Ellen, and all my brides who entrusted me with their life-changing day.

With the days counted before the elections in the US, it is time to unveil more than most of you have known about me… With my recent activity in an unexpected area of politics, it didn’t take me long to make it to the televised Channel 3 News:

http://zorzstudios.com/v1site_images/video/EdforPresidency_480x360_30-show0.flv

Read more

Today I was pleasantly surprised to see my wedding photo gallery being featured on the homepage of WedPlan, one of the popular wedding planning online resources. It attracts about 65,000 visitors across the US per day. Not surprisingly, traffic to my website soared today. Of note, one of my recent contracts was signed by a WedPlan’s beautiful and exotic visitor, Mena, who lives in California and made her choice without even meeting me. I know that she will not regret… just as everyone else.

Covered two weddings this week-end. Allison’s wedding proved how important it is for a wedding photographer to instill confidence into a bride, and most importantly, that the genuine, passionate excitement is contagious.

It is easy to get excited about a bride. Quite possibly, she looks her best, easily to be fallen in love with, even for a day, even in one’s imagination. Confidence and admiration is what she needs, beginning to pour from her father, mother, family and friends. I believe the (male) photographer is at a unique advantage to boost it. Then, he shapes and transforms them into a beautiful portraiture, whether candid or masterfully posed.

This is where my modeling photography also kicks in. I create the moment, grab that ever so vanishing emotion and connection with either camera or time, then burst into admiration of what I created. Seeing a reassured smile in her eyes is what I shoot for.

This wedding also offered an opportunity for a night shooting, utilizing dragging the shutter in a front curtain flash sync on two-head setup (main side lighting and on-camera fill).

Continuing my coverage of Anya Caliendo’s millinery collection, we gathered at a fine St. Regis Hotel in New York, NY. The session went past midnight and involved a beautiful model Irina. Due to the continued confidentiality till December, I can’t show any samples yet, other than of truly yours… (EH: see update below)

With a slight delay, we gained access to the suite and began to prepare. Mrs. Caliendo hired two glamourous make-up artists; I brought my assistant and stylist. We had two rooms to work in, a collection of eight hats, and only six hours, including lighting setup and make-up application. Each hat depicted a story with a theme, tastefully and thoughtfully supported by changing fashionable wardrobes from Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Gaultier, Giambattista Valli, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Givenchy. Read more

One of the two weddings this week-end… one of the last warm and sunny week-ends this year, perhaps. What immediately stroke me upon entering the room and seeing the dress and shoes was a charming feel of classical beauty. Melissa does play the piano but she was also a trooper… To see the dress in action, check few more images below.

Read more

Ah, what a fabulous wedding! A beautiful bride, a nice groom, a fun and cooperative wedding party (wait to see…), stopped morning rain, cool urban backdrops, a splendid reception hall, a ton of ideas, and my trusted pineapple juice… Half of the work is done! The album is promising to be extraordinary.

My friends at Grey Line had an emergency and called me on Friday for shooting on Sunday. Although I planned to spend a quiet Sunday (after a crazy party on Friday and my wedding on Saturday) and have a birthday lunch with my extended family, David is a great guy so I turned my lunch into dinner, shooting for them in the first half of the day. Read more

http://zorzstudios.com//v1site_images/videos/DorothyRobby_480x360_30-show0.flv

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(click in the box above for hi-res video, also available in full screen)

Just returned from a wedding of Dorothy and Robby, a young couple in Brooklyn. Here’s just one of the fun moments… Unseen to you is the photographer (yours truly), standing tall in the back of a Cooper Mini. We are driving and moving. I think I made some on-lookers go crazy. I also used a zoom techniques during a relatively long exposure. Can’t write more now - need to get ready for tomorrow’s emergency coverage of a wedding for my friends-photographers.

10/02/2008 update: A high-resolution slideshow is added, please see above. Images used are from the first round of post-production.

Eh… I think I let an iMac into my studio… I could never catch the Mac fever and still don’t feel it. This (my fingers are begging to type something short like “PC”) computer was bought for a very specific purpose - an alternative to projecting my work during ordering process. I am yet to see if I “convert” to it otherwise. At the moment, I don’t feel comfortable with it yet, for obvious reasons. Will I be able to mess around with system’s registry and DLL files? Guess not. I guess it will lead to less worries, too. And will all my applications run on it? I know so little about Macs. Read more

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See me in action! Learn how I get my beauty retouching done! On October 27, 2008, I will be teaching Adobe Photoshop Cover-Quality Retouching for Super Monday, an educational event sponsored by Professional Photographers of America in my studio. This class is part of Professional Photographers of America continuing education programs for professional photographers. Serious amateurs are also welcomed! Read more

 

 

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The New York Wedding Salon hosted a cocktail party at the Slate restaurant on Tuesday, where I was kindly invited. During this private social event, fueled by plenty of drinks and hors d’ouevres, I had a wonderful opportunity to meet new peers and vendors, establishing a potential for new partnerships. I only wished I could have met Tatiana Byron, The Wedding Salon’s founder.

I’ve been contracted by Anya Caliendo, a couture millinery, to cover her new collection’s premier in December 2008. Anya Caliendo was taught in the United Kingdom by one of the most legendary names in the field of Millinery Art, brilliant lady - Rose Cory, who was a millinery to many stars of Old Hollywood and a Milliner to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. A lady of class and taste, Anya is a sheer pleasure to converse, let alone work with! Today was the first full-day session, to be followed by another one in October, even in a more elaborate environment. Much of the information is still confidential. Check back for details and a fashionable outcome (judging by the start…) in December!

Here are some fun Mexican ladies enjoying themselves and shaking some Stars of David. I’ve just covered a wedding of a Jewish bride marrying el compañero from Mexico. What a loving couple! Ceremony held at a Catholic church, under a chuppah. Read more

I’ve persuaded Zena, whose wedding I am shooting in October, to have a pre-wedding bridal session, solely dedicated to her beauty and being a bride. As a main advantage, I had about 2.5 hours of unrushed and relaxed studio-quality photography, filled with my normal posing “adventure” and lighting manipulation.

We started by the window with all-natural light, then moved to my portable-studio setup (background and three strobes), and finished by “environmental” series in a dining room with a mix of natural and strobe lighting.

As always, I gave a great deal of attention to hands and eyes. The session was conducted at her apartment, and was fun, exciting, and productive - I got a good amount of fabulous shots for Zena, her husband, and children to cherish in the future.

Well, here is my daughter Evelyn, getting dressed for her first day of first grade in a new school. My country-fellows would recall a vintage song, flowers, and a ceremonial gathering in a schoolyard. Here in the States, nonetheless, Evelyn and we got our share of the triple excitement, along with nostalgia and imminent thought of flying time.

http://zorzstudios.com/v1site_images/videos/MaryClareDan_480x360_30-show0.flv
(Shown above is a rough draft of a video clip, minimal post-processing)

I’ve had a pleasure of another scenic destination wedding (I went to Alaska last year) in Avon, CO. Another beautiful bride and handsome groom! Mary Clare moved to New York from Colorado while Dan is from New Zealand. The mix of guests was rather broad, from New Zealand, Australia, UK, to Hawaii, California, and New York. A warm, friendly, and cozy wedding it was. I only regret that I didn’t have as much opportunity to use the scenic backgrounds as I wished. Read more

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