UVHaze | The Blog of Albert Cheung Photography

2011: A Memoir - Our Wedding

Albert — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:51:03 +0000

Looking back, 2011 was huge. This year saw a new business relationship, some exciting partnerships, and my marriage to my wonderful wife, Sooji. I am continually challenged and humbled by her - a loving companion, a creative yet pragmatic advisor, and a darn good cook. Her qualities shine in the areas I lack, and each day brings forth a greater appreciation of the woman she is. Our wedding was a reflection of the adventures we had during our travels. Sooji and I found Liberty View Farm, a charming organic apple farm near New Paltz in the Hudson Valley - an area we spent many weekends at. Billiam, the founder, is a beloved figure known in the area for his sustainable farming practices and stand-out marketing, helping him earn the title of "America's Top Ten Apple Picking Farms" by Travel & Leisure Magazine.

Billiam's minute attention to architectural details completely captured us on our first visit. Each room in the farmhouse was painted a different color and garnished with reclaimed details atypical of your typical hay-ridden farm. We were surprised that the grounds hosted only a handful of weddings beforehand because it was so feature-rich - a haven for any design-inspired planner.

Finding the right photographer to capture the bucolic nature of the grounds was our next challenge. We brought on Joshua Brown Photography and his motion picture crew to document the day. His natural photojournalistic style and vibrant representation of colors married well to the multi-colored pastel theme, which carried through from the bridesmaid dresses to the colored ceremonial Korean han-bok attire. With the help of our planner, Talida Bakes, we kept the wedding as DIY as possible. Sooji painted the invitations and fan programs herself, and our flowers and bouquets were arranged by our own friends. We adhered to the locavore theme with varietal jam-favors and desserts from Sugar Sweet Sunshine, NYC.

In good character, a farm wedding must have great food, and Bridge Creek Caterers did not disappoint. The award-winning culinary team served up equal parts Korean BBQ / Southern-style ribs, topped off by their distinguished lemon meringue cake, all presented amidst a 7-piece live band made up of our talented friend, Victor Lin and his crew of wonderfully gifted musical friends.

It's taken me a while to reflect on what an incredible year this has been, and to know that through faith there is an adventure waiting ahead for us. Thank you, friends, family, and my photography community for a wonderful 2011!

Wedding Photography: Joshua Brown Photography / Planner: Talida Bakes / Floral Design: DIY / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang / Make-up + Hair: Blush / BBQ Catering + Wedding Cake: Bridge Creek Caterers / Stationery: Paper Boutique NY / Bride's Earrings: Givenchy / Bride’s Rings: Jules Fainberg NY / Bride’s Shoes: Ralph Lauren / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Custom Suits: BlackLapel / Ties: Tommy Hilfiger / / Musical Guests: Victor Lin, Jennifer Shue Lin, Charles Bryant, Alicia Olatuja, Robin Lai, Kevin Farrell, Aaron Mclendon, Jon Ho, Jae Ko, Cate Song, Minnow Park

Sooji + Albert's Wedding Teaser (Same-Day-Edit) from Joshua Brown Photography on Vimeo.

Eddie + Angela's Engagement | Queensbridge Park + Tribeca, NY

Albert — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:54:32 +0000

Eddie and Angela approached me a while back to envision a unique set of engagement portraits. They wanted to reflect on their time here in New York with distinct images of downtown, while celebrating their Korean heritage and photographing a set of images for their family back in South Korea. Eddie also had recently purchased a Vespa, which I suggested we get into the shoot!

The day started in Queensbridge Park amidst a backdrop of peaking foliage between Triboro Bridge and the Hell's Gate Bridge (named after the treacherous strait that flowed between - a spot where many boats in early New York City history got stuck between). The stunning architectural perspective under Hell's Gate gave way to some great pullback shots.

Afterwards, we hiked over to Tribeca where we met up with one of my filmmakers, Gabe Leavell of StayUpProductions, to coordinate the Vespa shoot. We did quite a few laps around town, with Gabe and I hanging out of an SUV capturing Eddie and Angela. After a month of planning, this was probably the most pre-production I've had to put into an engagement shoot, but well worth it. Our video footage is still being worked on, but we'll release it soon! We ended the day at Battery Park City, chasing the sun as it set on an amazing and memorable Fall afternoon!

Above: Much credit to Andy Cheung, Eddie's business partner and assistant for our entire shoot.

Eric + Melissa's Engagement

Albert — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:29:54 +0000

Here's to a sharp-looking couple who are simply crazy for one another. And it shows!

We shot on a wonderful September day at NYU (where they met), Washington Square Park and Long Island City. The waning autumn sun gave the light an extra allure that made backlighting Eric and Melissa extra fun. At dusk, I prefer shooting portraits with my tack-sharp 85mm f/1.4, transforming the city lights in the distance into incredible discs of color. Great shoot!

Jayne + Noah | Liberty View Farm, NY | Hurricane Irene Weekend

Albert — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:40:28 +0000

This is a special wedding post for me, because Jayne and Noah got married on the same farm I got married at!

On August 27th, Hurricane Irene decided to attempt to spoil all the fun that Jayne and Noah had planned, with zero success. I packed my car with extra supplies to weather the storm, including Kata raincoats for my cameras, tarp, and an overnight bag. Good thing, because I was stuck upstate for 2 days after Irene flooded roads back to NYC. Jayne and I kept touch through the week monitoring the storm, but both her and Noah were so carefree that the forecast did little to contain the optimism they had for their big day!

They chose Liberty View Farm for the same reasons we did - it is a charming, unpretentious organic apple farm by New Paltz packed with so much vintage adornment already on the grounds that there was little need for any additional decoration. Billiam, the owner, is a beloved and active figure in sustainable farming techniques, and kept the farm in an incredibly tailored fashion. His farmhouse and residence served as the preparation house, while an old barn awaited to serve as the rain option for the wedding ceremony.

Hurricane Irene decided to crash our party late in the evening, but the partying went on, complete with a honeybee cake and sparklers! Their guests stayed past midnight, well into the brunt of the storm - a testament to the love and devotion they had to the promise that Jayne and Noah professed to each other. I spent a great weekend with them in the farmhouse, battered in by Irene but encouraged by their positive spirit and the support of their close friends and by Billiam the owner.

What a weekend to remember! - Albert

Preview: Esther + Danny's Engagement

Albert — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:32:41 +0000

I've known Esther and Danny separately since my college days, and it was wonderful hearing about their engagement and wedding! It's always great to work with old friends, especially for Esther and Danny - two strands of friendships coming together. Here's some of my favorite shots from our portrait session this week in New York!

Preview: Peter + Arianne | Oyster Bay, New York

Albert — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:21:10 +0000

In celebration of the famed annual Oyster Festival in Long Island, here's two scenic shots from a wedding last weekend in Oyster Bay, LI, where the famed festival is held every year. The owner kindly let us on his private docks to have our first-look session. It was wonderful shooting in Autumn morning daylight - it's crisp and brings a bold yet warm character to the surfaces cast upon.

Enjoy what seems like a beautiful Autumn start to a weekend!! -Albert

Stephen + Jessica | Verona Park, New Jersey

Albert — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:13:28 +0000

A tried-and-true approach if you adhere to the photojournalistic style of wedding portraiture is to consider 'scenarios' rather than 'shots' for your subjects. There is a certain amount of work you will need to put into the production of the portrait session, and I find myself putting together a storyline of 'scenarios', rather than 'shots' or 'poses', which help alleviate the couple's mentality that the portrait session is a fleeting, nervous time where shots and smiles may just not fall right. As much as a couple may come asking for me to pose them and appoint my artistic style on the shoot, I insist that such imposition is hardly the case. Our artistry as photojournalists lies in our excellence to script narratives via the photographic medium that are sensible to the couple's story. This makes it all the more important to conduct thorough interviews with our clients and understand their story.

In this scenario, Stephen and Jessica decided to stage their first-look under a willow tree at Verona Park in East Orange, New Jersey. Although there was some deal of scripting beforehand, we allowed them to naturally approach one another. A key for wedding photojournalists is to refrain from imposing on a moment and allowing the narrative to flow through the images produced. An occasional 'look at the camera' during a moment is welcomed (and displayed below), but the process is to selectively curate those shots that evoke the story of the day rather than acquiring a certain look. Another key is to advise your subjects for relaxed postures when necessary, and avoid insisting on awkward poses. Couples may love your photos but they will always remember much more how their photographer made them feel on the day of their wedding.

Minnow Park and I shot this lovely August wedding. Stephen and Jessica were just wonderful to work with!

-Albert

New York Fashion Week - N:F:P Runway Show

Albert — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:47:41 +0000

I randomly met Pavan Bahl not too long ago at a coffeeshop in the Lower East Side. Pavan runs House of Wahlia, a startup luxury footwear label featuring high-end chappals (commonly worn in South/Southeast Asia). At that time, Pavan also had the idea of launching Open Source Fashion, a meetup group for up-and-coming fashion-based brands and designers to potentially network and collaborate. It was an engaging conversation at a nascent period of both our businesses, and we made it a point to keep in touch.

Months later, Open Source Fashion launched and Pavan reached out to me to cover their first few meetups. It was a great opportunity to meet emerging fashion brands, and a lot came out of it, including meeting the startup label that produced the made-to-measure navy suits for my own wedding this year! (BlackLapel) I also had the opportunity to cover a runway show co-produced by OSFashion, Lion'esque Media, and the Wix Lounge during New York Fashion Week, and I had a fun time capturing some moments.

The show featured designer Gail Travis and her label - N:F:P (New Form Perspective). More on her:

"After working in the high-end fashion design world in NYC for the past 10 years, for companies such as Calvin Klein, Shelly Steffee, and Vera Wang, she has fatefully been guided to design her own brand free from mainstream trends. Her collection is inspired by her surroundings, personal interactions, experience of movement, and architecture and sculpture....The knitted sweaters (NIT), hand felted dresses and tops (FELT) and foundation jersey pieces of tanks, bodysuits, and leggings (PHRAME) collectively present a unique line of architectural building blocks. N:F:P additionally offers a distinctive line of tunics, dresses and floor-length gowns using a signature felting technique, one of the oldest methods of fabric-making. NEW FORM PERSPECTIVE marries felting with diaphanous featherweight jerseys in subtle, muted colors creating stunning, sophisticated, modern foils for layering the knits...."

I definitely appreciated Gail's work, which is inspired by the approach of architects like Rem Koolhaas, and multifunctionally driven. A few of the pieces can be worn in more than one way, and the photography attempts to capture the transmutative properties of her work, as the models demonstrated in these following presentations. I found out that Gail is also a fellow Cornell graduate, and it is always exciting to feature a fellow alumnus and come alongside a fellow emerging artist/designer.

Thanks for reading! -A

Gail Travis of N:F:P giving direction to a model pre-show, with one of her convertible knitwear pieces.

The crew of OSFashion, Lion'esque Media, and N:F:P (New Form Perspective)!

Preview: Jayne + Noah's Wedding | Liberty View Farm, Highland NY

Albert — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:35:20 +0000

Jose + Lydia

Albert — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:41:46 +0000

This season has brought some beautiful weddings, and here's a lovely one of Jose + Lydia getting wed in Long Island. We did a wonderful first-look right on the docks overlooking the Long Island Sound - a perfect prelude to a quaint ceremony at North Shore Community Church in Oyster Bay. Jose + Lydia were such fun, lighthearted, and gracious hosts. They surprised their reception guests when Jose, an Argentinian native, took Lydia by the hands and broke into a mad tango routine on the dance floor!

I went tandem with the talented second photographer, Clarence Chan. Our shots below: