I also got to finally take out the high-demand (and still unavailable!) Nikon D800 with its super 36 megapixel sensor. I'm normally not a guy who leans on numbers to justify means, but the camera was simply incredible to shoot with. I didn't have to do much editing or recovery on these teasers - in fact, some are just straight off the camera with just slight adjustments.

Congratulations, Christina + Matthew! It was a beautiful day!

It's been a while since I've been up in Northern California, but when I met Ronald, a Google product manager from Fremont, and Crystal, an ophthalmology resident at UCLA, to discuss their 2013 wedding plans, I was excited for the opportunity to photograph their portraits out in San Francisco. Apparently the weather in the Bay Area was quite mercurial up to the April weekend of our shoot - to everyone's surprise, we got good soft sun and no fog. Lucked out!

Our shoot started in Potrero Hill with a backdrop vista of the city, and covered some iconic parts of the city including Golden Gate Park, the Palace of Fine Arts, and Sausalito. Enjoy these!

I've personally been involved with Restore NYC since 2008, when my friend Peter Ong and a few others helped to spearhead an effort for social justice awareness through Christian churches and non-faith-based organizations in NYC. Restore is a growing nonprofit dedicated to restoring freedom, safety and hope for foreign-born survivors of sex trafficking by providing long-term, holistic aftercare services .

In November 2011, I was excited to work with Restore once again, when they commissioned photographer Minnow Park and I to tackle the large task of capturing new images to accompany their new website launch and visual campaign to better reflect their ongoing mission. The shoot involved several weeks of model casting, scouting, and production, including covering spaces in the Restore safehouse, where clients were living and establishing themselves in a heallthy environment. Other scenes were shot in urban environments where the act of trafficking could potentially occur, implying thematic and geographical allegories to the issue. No actual victims/clients were used in the shoots.

It was definitely a challenge to stage, represent, and shoot these types of images, considering I shoot mostly weddings. Nevertheless, it was a good exercise in exploring a different type of portraiture, in an attempt to understand the emotional and physical catharsis of a survivor of sex trafficking. In the process of developing these photographs, I could not help but educate myself more on both the compounding problem, and the greater hope that is now accessible to a growing number of rescued victims each year. I learned a lot through this.

Production: Fay Sarjono, Faith Huckel, Savina Kim-Johnson, Minnow Park
Video: Gabe Leavell
B Camera, Long Island City Set: Edmond H Lee
Assistants/Grips: Norm Mui, Lance Villio, Evangel Fung, Justin Ong

Models: Melissa Smith, Katie Ostrowski, Theresa Leigh, Mia Santiago, Amanda Chapman

It was a privilege to be part of Maria and Daniel's wedding as a young photographer, given their vast accomplishments in their respective fields of work. Maria is an mathematician and professor at Columbia University and named one of the “Brilliant 10” by Popular Science Magazine for her breakthrough work on graph theory, while Daniel is a violist and long-time faculty at the the renowned Julliard School in New York. Within the union of such phenoms, a story of love and compassion was shared at a wonderful celebration - a true joy to witness and document.

The event was held in the spectacular Yale Club in Midtown Manhattan, kicked off by a traditional ceremony with touches of classic elegance. We had a chance to do some wonderful portraits on the rooftop amidst the backdrop of a historic venue, surrounded by fellow musicians and friends. This wedding was a special one for me, as it yielded a number of incredible photojournalistic images that I submitted to the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) for award consideration.

Congratulations to the both of you!!

We enjoyed our comfortable stay at La Casa Bianca, a 100-yr old Jewish-hospital-turned-bed & breakfast in the MontRoyal district, an area known for small shops and artisans.

Reader warning: Lots of food shots, so be prepared. I am getting hungry just putting this post together! Our only complaint? Wish we were there longer!

Images shot with my trusty Panasonic Lumix GF2.

Below: Le Petit Plateau, a nice eatery in MontRoyal, featuring a hard-to-find offering called the Floating Islands, an egg-white based dessert, and their excellent venison + foie gras.

The incredible Basilique Notre-Dame.

Schwartz's Smoked Meats - a favorite stop in the city, but didn't think it really took on Katz's in NYC. A close second, a different breed.

The famed Au Pied De Cochon below (Left: A diner is served the Duck In A Can (literally!), Right: My wife thoroughly enjoying the Stuffed Pig's Foot topped with champignones + foie gras)

Poutine @ La Banquise

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.

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.

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!