nyc city hall wedding

Words cannot even begin to describe what a great time I had photographing my first NYC City Hall wedding. Rob and Christi are one of those special couples with an air about them that makes everyone in the same room as them instantaneously feel at ease. Warm, loving, and full of smiles, these two kept their wedding simple (for now). From the "blue spiky heels" to the laughs on the waiting line for the East or the West ceremony room to the Manhattan 2nd Ave Deli lunchin' of salami and matzo balls: this was one of the best experiences of human connection so far in my career.

With the Officiant. 

2nd Ave. Deli: One of their favorites

Congratulations again to the both of you, and I thank you so much for allowing me be a part of your City Hall experience. I had a blast. And here is one another photograph I took at City Hall - although it is Rob and Christi-less, I kind of sort of love it:

dance floor, por favor.

Among my few years experience with wedding photography, I have come to adore the moments of the dance floor more than any others. Faces lit by the flash, bodies stopped while in motion, time frozen in one single frame. Dance floor 'moments' come in all different styles: from happy to emotional to just plain absurd, but no matter what the moment represents, there is something intrinsically special about capturing people being themselves - genuinely and completely. Today, I share with you my favorite (so far) dance floor snapshots from the weddings I have photographed: old and new.

Heart to Hearts are best on the dance floor

Lit by nothing but DJ lights

To see more dancing, weddings, and fun, head on over to: beimaged.com

the getting ready

After recently assisting another photographer on a wedding, I had this feeling that the images may have been my best so far in my career. We'll see. While I edit the rest and wait to have the go ahead to post many more, I am sharing a couple of the special getting ready moments that I found to be most emotional, delightful, and pretty. 

To see more beIMAGED Photography, visit beimaged.com

fitz and the tantrums

There is a cool and funky indie band that has hit my radar. Their name is Fitz and The Tantrums. They stole the spotlight at The Mercury Lounge on Friday, with a late night show. With their Debut LP set to be released in August, the band has quite a following for not even having a full record out yet. With the small venue packed to the brim, it was easy to feel the excitement in the room. The audience was filled with cocktails and smiles, and the band with vibrance and heart.

The music is a bit of pop, a bit of Motown, a bit of funk. It's good, if not great. The one unfortunate aspect of the midnight performance was that slow songs dominated the set list, when it is clear that the best is brought out in them when they keep it upbeat. Fingers crossed that the album will have a majority of fast tempo.

Despite any performance qualms I may have had, having shared a great portion of their tour with Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, it is clear that Fitz and The Tantrums is a musical force to be reckoned with. With so many up and coming musicians exploring the route of what I call "modern Motown", it is nice to have a band stand out from the crowd.

Second best part of Fitz and The Tantrums, placing in after their clap-your-hands fun music, is the personality of the band. The members are friendly, engaging, and seem to genuinely enjoy the ride. Third best part: allowing me to ebed the tunes. Enjoy.

Photography by: Melissa Lynn of beIMAGED Photography. To get beBLOGGED coverage, e-mail us.

new york city faces and places

People, objects, and buildings of New York City fascinate me. The faces and the places. The way every single thing is juxtaposed, and how it is all happening at the same time. The woman walking, with one hand clasping the baby's stroller and the other, the dog's leash. The man hanging up metal pieces of artwork outside, while smiling out into the distance. The building with a perfect reflection of the building across the street, working with the sun to pull it off. The world truly is full of wonder.

central park music

Central Park Saxophonist

If you are ever in New York City on a day-time budget, the best place for entertainment, in my book, is Central Park. There are almost always talented musicians lining the gravel walk-ways, performing their hearts out. Often times, these local bands earn their living with dollar bills in their guitar cases, while they sound better then most performers you would pay a lot of money to see in concert.

Front Row Fan, The Little Girl With a Cookie.

Be sure to check out the Central Park Summer Music Concerts coming up soon.