THE CAVA TIMESThe life and times of a mild mannered New York photographer...

Published: Two Covers in 2010!

2011-02-03T01:21:00.002-05:00

Last year I had my first cover in the U.S.:

If you would like to see an awesome slideshow to this wedding click here!

and another in Mexico:

I will have more images from both these publications soon!

Vera Wang Fashion Show

2010-02-26T02:13:00.009-05:00

Faves:

Organized by the Wedding Library....
For some great behind the scenes of the 7th on 6th fashion week coverage check out my friend's Gregory Saffidi's site.

Backstage...

2010-02-26T01:51:00.004-05:00

Wedding Video Teaser

2009-10-13T00:46:00.007-04:00

Just a short video I shot at a wedding this last weekend in D.C.
Let me know what you all think!

You can see the HD version here (ps. It's much nicer and you should watch it full screen!).

Big Announcements Coming Soon!

2009-09-30T02:13:00.004-04:00

It's been a busy Summer!

Bridal Fashion Weeks...

2009-04-07T00:53:00.009-04:00

As some of you know, bridal fashion week took place last week and I, thinking it only took place once a year, -never did it occur to me that bridal fashion is just as crazy and busy as haute couture fashion- just decided to take my time in posting some images from the fashion shows I shot last winter... To tell the truth I don't know when I planned on posting them, however I didn't think it would take a whole season for that to happen...
A self imposed guilt trip took over me, and so here I am, finally posting!
The way I see it though, these dresses looked good then (although I did include some crazy ones) and still look good today. And maybe, just maybe, you can, if you like them, find them in the boutique's sales rack!

Badgely Mishka

Ines Di Santo

Junkko Yoshioka

My favorite show was the Monique Lhullier, but it was brutal trying to get in, and then it got even worse trying to find a good spot to set up your "pod" and shoot!!

Monique Lhullier

Priscilla of Boston and Reverie

Priscilla of Boston

Platinum by Priscilla of Boston

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Speaking of fashion, I heard that Ubah, a model that Victor and I had shot a while back, was all over the Paris Runways a month ago! I remember having a great time shooting her and I am not surprised of her success!

Umm... that's me with a wig that Ubah thought I needed...

I decided to take a quick look through that shoot and found this image, that somehow had been overlooked... Let me know what you guys think!

Ubah

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On a totally unrelated subject I found this little video on youtube...

Now, if you know me I'm the biggest Mac fan, and I own five (anyone want to buy a white dual 2.0 Macbook?) but I have to admit I love this ad... especially the part where she says "I'm not cool enough to own a Mac"! Microsoft is finally doing something right!

And here is a new Mac commercial...

Unfortunately, it's not a real ad but it's pretty funny!

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What do you guys think of what may be my new logo (the one that is in all my pics)? It's not definite yet, but when was trying to figure out a way to put my name on the images I came up with this. Let me know what you all think!

--

The Signs say it all...

2009-03-06T03:15:00.008-05:00

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New Orleans.

What can I say?

My recent trip there gave me unforgettable memories. I feel so lucky.
The city's life, it's people, it's happiness, excitement, music and most importantly, it's mystery and history created a need in me to explore it without end...

-And how lucky am I that I had the opportunity to explore it with my best friends?
V&E, VT, GV I miss you guys!
Who knows when we will all see each other together again, but as Kerouac once wiely said "we're still great friends, but we have to go through later phases of our lives"

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The last image was from a local photographer's gallery opening whose show was entitled "secrets".
People would anonymously write down their never told secrets on a paper napkin with only the time as a constant.

-I'm sorry that you had to point this one out to me baby.-

It seems like I am late to celebrate important milestones or holidays... this is my 101 post!

Valentine's Day...

2009-02-16T20:12:00.009-05:00

I suppose I am a bit late in in wishing you all a happy Valentine's day, so can I say I hope you all had a great Valentine's day?!

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I wanted to share two of my favorite images taken from an engagement shoot from last year, and a very interesting video made especially for Valentine's day...
Enjoy!

I am excited about 2009 and all the possibilities it will bring.
As Hunter S. Thompson once said, all we have to do is get into "the proper spirit of the thing"!

Published...Fashion Spread!

2008-10-15T01:40:00.005-04:00

This has been quite a month...
And to add to the good news, the environmental fashion shoot Victor Affaro and I shot some months ago was finally published in a high-end Brazilian Fashion/Architectural publication (sort of the Wallpaper of Brazil)!

I have to say that the team we had was pretty amazing!
Celia Howlson-Hall -Art Direction
Lindsey Hornyak -Stylist
Georgi Sahdev -Makeup
Anthony Campbell -Hair

and special thanks to Punam Bean for assisting us!

Detail shoot at Cipriani

2008-10-14T00:41:00.004-04:00

Everytime I see a room planned and decorated by Michelle Rago I am impressed (she is one of New York's top event planners after all) ... but last week when I went in to Cipriani 42nd street to shoot the details for her event I was floored.

Michelle!

Brooklyn Bridge...

2008-10-09T23:49:00.007-04:00

I've been on assignment for a Brazilian magazine this whole week, and yesterday I shot this really beautiful panoramic at the Brooklyn Promenade...

I've been in NY for about 10 years now...
I get nostalgic.
I can't get used to the city skyline without the towers.
Today I thought about them.
Two souls. One needing the other.
Like life.

Life needs for some humor as well:

NYC is about dreaming big...
And companionship.

Featured.... {Brides NY}

2008-09-26T20:02:00.012-04:00

The wedding I shot for Gabby and Jeff is a featured wedding in the current issue of Brides NY!

Here are a few more favorites from that wedding:

Featured... {Style Me Pretty}

2008-08-25T01:28:00.006-04:00

My first appearance on Style me Pretty comes courtesy of Barb at Hatch Creative Studio...

-Thanks Mel for shooting this with me!

-For the extra curious the event took place at the Met Pavilion and catering was provided by Avents.

Hasselblad h3dII-31

2008-08-15T00:54:00.007-04:00

Thanks to my friend Victor I've been dying to shoot with a medium format camera for a while now...
After last weekend nothing seems the same anymore.
Life seems more real.
Or more like photography seems more real now.

Click on the picture to see all 31mp at 100%(just zoom in)!!!!

-(when you click on the link it will take a few seconds to load but you can zoom in to see all the detail of the file at 100% view (look for the cars in the bridge)... or in other words 31 megapixels -pixel-per-pixel!)-

I just wish I could afford reality.

Reality begins at $20,000+

(Photo taken from the Elan Artists offices)

Jon Sordoni -Folk Musician

2008-07-20T15:23:00.003-04:00

I shot these a few months ago for John's upcoming CD. He wanted an earthy, melancholic feel...

Fit for an ad...

2008-07-16T22:35:00.002-04:00

This shot I took of the bride going back to her party after our portrait session. I bet the Met Pavilion would love it!

New Palenke Soultribe image...

2008-07-09T14:50:00.005-04:00

I'm giving them a tougher more modern feel....

Palenke Soultribe

Google Reader...

2008-05-01T21:38:00.006-04:00

Some of you have contacted me about adding me to your google reader subscription feed... If you are wondering why you can't subscribe it's because when you type my blog as cavaweddings.com/blog you are being re-directed to the following address:

http://www.carlosandresvarela.blogspot.com

Type this one in instead and you should be able to subscribe!

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Unfortunately I can't really post/blog right now.
I've been too busy trying to clone myself...
With no luck.

Here's a recent picture in case you are interested in helping me out:

Picture by ? (click here)

Will pay top dollar $$$!

Into the Wild...

2008-03-08T04:31:00.006-05:00

As some of you know I will be headed to Las Vegas in less than a week and many know as well how much I love the American Southwest.
I guess it was befitting that out of sheer coincidence I watched Into the Wild tonight.
Here's something from the script that made me even more anxious to go:

-I’ll miss you too, Ron. But you’re wrong
if you think the joy of life comes
principally from human relationships.
God’s placed it all around us. It’s in
everything. In anything we can
experience. People just have to change
the way they think about those things.
You ought to put a little camper on the
back of your pick-up and go take a look
at some of the great work here in the American west.--

But what struck me the most was this qoute:

-The core of man's spirit
comes with new experiences. (!)

And some final words from the movie:

-Happiness is only real when shared.

Some food for thought...

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Speaking of happiness, I want to share some great news! My friend Ben Chrisman just won the WPJA's photojournalistic photographer of the year award!!!
Congratulations Ben! Your work inspires us all!

A Knot story and the state of the business...

2008-03-07T03:19:00.006-05:00

It is always fun to find out how much someone likes/respects your work; sometimes, some of these stories really take you by surprise...

Two years ago I was at one of my first bridal shows when, I apparently made a lasting impression on an unsespecting future bride; because here I was, face to face, -two years later- at a coffee shop talking about me photographing her wedding!
Two years after giving her my card...
And she still had it!
And to add a little sugar to the story:
Two years ago she worked at The Knot... and guess what?
She still works there!
I am honored and humbled.

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Later on I met with a second bride to be and at the meeting I actually got to recommend to her my favorite caterers, event spaces, cake makers etc...
I am slowly turning into an event planner! ;)
However I got stumped when she asked to recommend a place where the party can go till 5 or 6 in the morning (she's marrying a European...).
New York is an amazing place and for the first time I have to ask myself this question:
Is this even possible in NYC?????
Good question no?

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Now to the state of the business as you tube sees it:

Has something like this ever happened to any of you? Is this the state of the business in general? Is there something we can do to fix this?
Leave some comments!
(Maybe when you come to us photographers you should say you need us to photograph an event... a small one! -joking ;)

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Here is a response posted on the Digital Wedding Forum on an explanation of why we (professional photographers) charge what we charge:

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

(This article has been very well received by the photography community, and is now referred to by many Photography websites across the country)

In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home "photo printers", when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time - How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here's why.

Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise. First, let's look at the actual time involved. If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:

- one hour of travel to and from the session
- two hours of shooting
- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.
- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 4 Gb of data)
- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive
- 3 - 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs
- 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.
- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order. Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours.

You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish. So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour.

For an eight hour wedding:

- I won't bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour.

Now for the expertise.

Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc.

And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera - and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way - the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.

What about the cheap studios at the mall?

Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for.

The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.

Conclusion

We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.
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A bit more humor:
Check out these Photoshop disasters!

A shout out to Mel Barlow again for inviting me to shoot the above wedding with her (check out her new blog!). I will post some more pics in the next few days.

New pics... Opinions

2008-03-03T03:45:00.005-05:00

The top pic I added to my site last week...
I can't decide on which of the last two is the "best"... Which ones do you guys like more, the saturated or unsaturated one?

I will soon be working on adding many new pics to my site and will be posting them here as well.

Some Humor...

2008-02-06T05:02:00.002-05:00

You can poke him! Try it!

Really funny and interesting sites I have found lateley!

Jules Verne -please let me know if you can figure out what he's saying!

ecards -perfect for Valentine's day!

Eric Meyer -Create the perfect face!

Funnel Design -Talk about old meets new!

Maine and opportunities...

2008-02-05T02:37:00.000-05:00

More pictures from my infrared excursion to Maine last winter...

This last one was stitched together with photomerge in photoshop.Click on it to see it much bigger!

Images were taken with an infrared converted Nikon D70.
Which toning do you like more?

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I found this today:

From the Cream Cheese and Caviar website:

Do Not Plan Your Career

From The Pmarca Guide to Career Planning: career planning = career limiting.

You can't plan your career because you have no idea what's going to happen in the future. And if you think you have an idea of what's going to happen, then watch "Next" with Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Biel.

Instead of trying to plan your career, focus on developing skills and pursuing opportunities--opportunities are key.

Pmarca's quote from Nassim Nicholas Taleb in The Black Swan sums it up pretty well:

"Seize any opportunity or anything that looks like opportunity. They are rare, much rarer than you think..."

"Many people do not realize they are getting a lucky break in life when they get it. If a big publisher (or a big art dealer or a movie executive or a hotshot banker or a big thinker) suggests an appointment, cancel anything you have planned: you may not see such a window open up again."

So if you're pressed for a career "plan" make it this: "[be] continuously alert to opportunities that present themselves to you spontaneously, when you happen to be in the right place at the right time."

First Dance!

2008-02-04T04:25:00.000-05:00

My friend Jason Groupp posted this video on his blog and I couldn't help but want to share it with you all!

Enjoy!

NYC environmentally conscious fashion shoot + Tone Loc

2008-02-02T16:46:00.000-05:00

Victor and I organized an editorial project (with an environmentatly friendly theme) along with Bandwagon Productions for submission to different magazines (sponsored by Creativa Magazine)...

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On another note... if you, like me, can remember the beginnings of hip hop you might remember Tone Loc...
Well, they just released a remix of his old classic "Wild Thing" for free!
You can download it here:
Wild Thing -Tone Loc+Peaches Remix
Enjoy!

Soul for Sale...

2008-02-01T18:52:00.001-05:00

I read this on Craigslist today and couldn't stop laughing:

Looking to trade my soul for a Wii:
My soul is in good shape and has served me well for 28 years. The reason I'm getting rid of it is.... I'm a politician in the making and a good soul could hinder my career advancement.

Infrared And New Profile Picture....

2008-02-01T14:55:00.000-05:00

This is a picture I took in Maine a while ago with my infrared-only converted D70. Everything is becoming a possibility with digital.

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DxO Optics Pro has asked me many times for a profile photo, so earlier this year while visiting the Joshua Tree National Forest in California I asked my friend Mel to take some pics for me. Which one do you all prefer?

Thanks Mel!!!

Image of the day...

2007-12-17T04:58:00.002-05:00

I love this shot!

Avoid U.S. Airways....

2007-12-14T14:21:00.000-05:00

As I was about to board a flight today they closed the doors on me...
They said that they had a "weight" restriction and that I had to take the next flight!!!! Unbelievable.

It was not like I was a standby or anything. I was a full paying customer.

All they said was "sorry"
Once!
Of course the later flight was delayed and I spent the whole day at the airport.

The plane I flew reminded me of the Austrian Arrows episode of Ze Frank's blog.
It was not a fun day today.

Looking forward to tomorrow's wedding though!! I'm upstate in a Vineyard with heavy snowfall expected!!!!!!!

Sunday might be another full day at the airport though.

Images of the day... inspired by Fellini

2007-12-11T04:44:00.001-05:00

These shots were inspired by Fellini's 8 1/2 .
Actually by one particular short scene...

I'm wondering if anyone knows which one-
It lasts only a few seconds.
But it is beautiful; Perfect.

Image of the Day... Jewish Orthodox Wedding

2007-12-10T04:22:00.000-05:00

This was truly an amazing and unique experience...
I will share more from this wedding over the course of the week.

Image of the day... Gotham Hall

2007-12-07T01:26:00.001-05:00

First Dance...

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A few days ago I saw Crash for the first time... All I have to say is that EVERYONE should watch this movie.
Made me realize how life is such an amazing experience even with all our misunderstandings.

Angel Orensanz for Two (II)

2007-12-06T05:56:00.002-05:00

More pics from this "unique" wedding...
Thanks again to Mel!

Angel Orensanz for Two

2007-11-30T04:40:00.001-05:00

This was an amazing wedding I shot with my good friend Mel Barlow.

No Guests.
Just the Bride and the Groom at the Angel Orensanz Foundation.

...Any questions you may have about this unique (to say the least) wedding should be directed to Mel! ; )

Image of the day, The Cava Times 2.0

2007-11-29T06:47:00.000-05:00

Starting today, The Cava Times is changing management.

As many of you are aware the managerial style of the last team was lax, to say the least...

The new team is bringing in "Fundamental Restructuring (FR)" to this blog. As the term (FR) implies, the changes are not radical just more in step with a more modern 21st century blog (never mind that blogs were invented in this century).
We will now post at least once every two days, if not daily, but will focus on sharing one image, so as to stay focused on the artistry and appreciation of such said image.
We hope that this new format will make the reader appreciate the image more profoundly and want to come back on a daily basis.
We will however, continue to write entries in the first person as we hope it will make this blog more "personal" and you feel more connected to our stories.
thank you,
Sincerely,

The new Cava Times Management!

It's been a while...

2007-11-21T21:09:00.000-05:00

... since I last posted.
I've been shooting non-stop and now I am working on the post-production full time. I just wanted to post a new pic that I am preparing to submit to a contest...
what do you all think????

The Details...

2007-09-23T00:02:00.000-04:00

The details are not the details.
They make the product.

-Charles Eames
Designer

Photobooth... with Saris???

2007-09-11T03:30:00.001-04:00

Kruti and Vipin (B&G) can't stop dancing...

Even though we don't have time for games at cavaweddings...
The photobooth seems to just keep asking for them!

The Cavaweddings crew hard at work...

With Floridian vacationer

With Bride and Groom

With Phil Mantas and Dasha Wright

Special thanks to Phil Mantas and Dasha Wright for coming to shoot this wedding with us!

-----------------------------------For more images click here ----------------------------------------

Or on the next Image...

_

Ubah...

2007-09-10T00:10:00.000-04:00

Ubah from Click Models

Ubah has to be one of my favorite models this year.
She has a winning personality that is so upbeat that it's hard to keep up... and add to that her physical traits...
But what really won me over was wwhen our friend Lindsey from Bandwagon Productions asked her why she was always so happy and optimistic about everything.
She said (with a smile)

"You have to be when you're an immigrant!"

How great is that???

I'm glad she is our friend now.

These are just some tests shots before our actual shoot. Those will be shown soon.

Diversity...

2007-09-06T02:32:00.000-04:00

My passion for photography does not end in wedding photography...
I love fashion and editorial photography just as much. I just haven't had time to pursue it much over the last two years...

VC28 is making it possible to go back to this.

-As always, one of the most important rules for me/us is to have fun while doing our job. For this particular job we rented a convertible to go to Coney Island and had a great day... and got some amazing shots!!!!-

I hope you all agree!

All shots by Victor Affaro and I.
This shoot was done for a Dance/Art magazine.
Thanks to Bandwagon productions for making this shoot such a success!
Oh and thanks to our Mini Cooper convertible for making it so much fun to get to Coney Island... and get wet because our top wouldn't work!!!

Developing a "style"...

2007-09-03T18:36:00.000-04:00

Eric (an amazing fashion photographer) and his beautiful stylist bride -start off the session!

When I began shooting weddings I really wanted to shoot them under my own perspective and hopefully by doing this, I would bring a unique style to wedding photography, or at the very least to the weddings I would shoot under my name...

Over the last several weeks I have been adamant about going back to this and working hard on developing a style that is truly unique...
I have been shooting constantly all summer long...
Weddings every weekend and fashion on weekdays...
Finally, I feel I am getting closer.
These are definitely exciting times...

My photobooth has been extremely popular since it's launch, probably because it was very different to the photobooths that weddings photographers set up. I am in no way saying it is better, just unique and different.
Truly a Cavaweddings photobooth.
And now it comes in different backgrounds!!!!
enjoy!

This has to be my favorite "family portrait" of all time!!!!

Victor and I loving what we do!

I will hopefully have the time to post more often now...
There is so much new and amazing images to share.
I have to thank two people who over the last several weeks have taken the time to give me some invaluable advice and have been there while I made some very important decisions that will affect the way I shoot and handle my business.
Of course one of those is my inseparable photography partner Victor!
And thank you Mel Barlow there is no doubt that I wouldn't shoot the way I shoot without having the inspiration that your photography gives me! (-check out her site... like a friend of mine said: "it's nasty!")

VII and Workshops

2007-08-13T08:10:00.000-04:00

In my opinion the core of wedding photography, more than the great angles, posed portraits, fashion like settings, is photojournalism.
Well I am so excited to know that in October, I will be taking a five day intensive workshop with what many believe to be the best photojournalists in the world!

After September 11, 2001 seven of the top photojournalists got together to form one of the most prestigous photographic agencies:

VII

The agency now is composed of nine members and is compared to Magnum constantly, with news agencies and corporations all over the world buying images and hiring them to shoot everything from wars to ad campaigns! You can read more about them by clicking here.
To find out about their workshops you can click here.

FRUSTRATIONS!!!

2007-07-23T20:31:00.000-04:00

The DROBO machine is much too slow and now my computer is going haywire. I have had the hardest day! It seems like all my settings and much of my personal info has disappeared from my computer... I'm trying to see if I can somehow recoup my e-mails on this computer....
Fortunately all my images and files ares still where they should be and thank goodness I use .mac and sync constantly....
I'll keep you all updated.

The Coello's and coincidences...

2007-07-20T00:53:00.000-04:00

Sometime last year I called up one of my favorite design stores (Design Within Reach) to ask about buying some Aeron chairs.
Lucky me that Cortney answered the phone...
It didn't take long to find out I was a wedding photographer ; )
... Skip to several days later and I had an industrial design guru and a photographer as future clients!
Yes, Carlos (coincidence?) is also a photographer.

These guys are cool.
But not above anything, just down to earth.
I even asked them to pose for some really, really, really cheesy shots -just for fun- and they played their role to the T.
And you guys should see their apartment. Very DWR.

As with most weddings, everything didn't go as planned but they just kept on smiling and having a good time.
The icing on the cake for me was when I saw that they had a band that played Salsa!!!

Cheers guys!!!
See you both soon!

Enjoy!

(Shot with an infrared D70 with grain added later)

As always please be patient while the slideshow loads! And don't forget to lower the volume -also, sorry about the music... I have no choice in the matter-...

I want to also thank Allan Zeppeda for coming and shooting this wedding with me!

ps. Cortney will be my first bride to do a "trash the dress" session. Any ideas????

Two tips...

2007-07-18T04:44:00.000-04:00

Do not install software into your computer which you're not sure of... and ALWAYS back up your hard drives -often-.
I just spent an entire day trying to fix my computer.
fortunately I back up my files after every wedding but the editing and color correcting on my most recent weddings have all been lost...
Frustrating.

I just ordered Drobo and bought 3 Terabytes worth of hard drive space. I really hope this will save me unnecessary pains in the future.

Palenke and A.A.

2007-07-13T17:11:00.000-04:00

My cousin Felipe "Popa" Erazo from Palenke Soultribe

On Wednesday Palenke's concert was a bit behind schedule...
Only three and a half hours late.
But hey, on Monday my A.A. flight was two hours behind schedule.
It seems like I just have to get used to delays in my life.
But it seems like I have learned to deal with them a lot better since Friday....

Both events however had great endings.
I made some new friends at American Airlines.
And Palenke's live concert was just amazingly... Amazing!!!!
If you like Electronica, you have to see these guys.

I am considering changing my opinion of A.A. because I had a great time with the flight attendants during my flight back from New Mexico. I even got an ice cream treat (reserved for flight crew only)!!!!

I arrived to JFK around 2 hrs late (around midnight)

The smiling faces of A.A.!!!!

Palenke's concert for tonight has been cancelled. Bummer.

Contests: WPJA

2007-07-11T01:37:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I learned that one of my images had been selected for recognition on the latest WPJA contest:

19th place: Ceremony

A nice surprise; to say the least!

Reminder! Palenke Soultribe...

2007-07-09T00:38:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to come if you can to Palenke's first New York City performance!!!
I hope to see many of you there. Here is a link to their myspace page.

The concert will take place at:
Kion ( 9 East 6th Street, NY, NY 10009)
On Wednesday July 11th, 9PM.

Unnecessary Risks...

2007-07-07T03:07:00.000-04:00

Today I almost drowned.

I thought I could swim to the middle Isle.
I knew I was 7000 feet above sea level.
I remembered I used to get asthma attacks.
I thought I was in shape.
I remembered I had swam longer distances before.
I guess I thought I was 23 not 32.
...
My asthma attack began after I had made it a little more than halfway...

My friend Violetta invited me to go skydiving about a month ago.
I said I to her "I don't take unnecessary risks"

Ironic.

Don't take unnecessary risks.
It's not worth it.

Carlos Andres
ps. I am fine now. My lungs still burn but I thank God I am still here.

The I-dinner...

2007-07-06T05:35:00.000-04:00

New Apple concept being tested in New Mexico...
The I-dinner.
No longer will tv dinners be a thing of the home!!!

Sopapillas and Enchiladas W/ Green sauce

2007-07-05T02:36:00.000-04:00

4th of July fireworks in Santa Fe, NM

Finally!!!

After 3 regional flights and no sleep I made it to New Mexico!
I've been missing the local cuisine so much that I even ate at Albaqurque's airport restaurant... And thoroughly enjoyed it. Even airport food is great here!

As you can tell I am extremely happy to be back.
It is just so beautiful here. -I will post some pics soon...

While in Santa Fe I hung out with my good friend Ben Chrisman and his girlfriend Lauren. Ben is one of Santa Fe's premiere wedding photographers and his work is a constant source of inspiration.
He also seems to know a thing or two about Absinthe...

Ben and Lauren in their Santa Fe home

--------------------
I am now spending the night at a beautiful ranch in Northern New Mexico.
I will be here for the next couple of days to photograph Terra and Dave's wedding which will take place on 7-7-07. A date that seems to be a bit popular... to say the least.

- On another note, the lack of cell phone reception here makes me happy to not have bought an I-phone. It would have been ironic to have spent an entire night waiting in line to buy it, just to go away a few days afterwards and not have service.
In any case, I do not recommend you buy the first generation Iphone...
it seems it's built in web browser Safari does not display Java sites;
Which means you would have a hard time accessing my wedding site...
-A deal breaker if I ever saw one.

PS. -The fireworks (from the top picture) are being reflected from the top of a white van not water!!!-

Avoid A.A.

2007-07-04T01:41:00.000-04:00

American Airlines that is.
I'm stuck in Dallas tonight. All A.A. flights have been canceled.
I had been wanting to post about American for a while now... last time I flew with them I had so many problems...
And here they are again. Misinformation central.
It seems I'm not the only one who says that customer service here is terrible. Everyone in the airport was saying it...I hope I never have to fly with them again.
When flights are canceled or delayed they don't even send one person to let you know. In January I found out only through the loudspeakers and the monitors.
Today I had to go out back to the ticket counter and wait an eternity in order get my questions answered!!!
And let's not even get into how confusing their signage is. This girl was crying today 'cause she missed her flight, not because she didn't make it to the airport on time but because the gates weren't properly labeled!
I'm not exagerating, it happened to me and two others as well.

Oh, and today a flight attendant informed me that now they don't let you take pictures out the window once you're in the plane.
Oh yeah?

I guess I showed them...
or did I?
I should have shot a picture of a Jetblue plane instead,
now that I think about it.

So tonight I had to find a hotel last minute -which of course AA did not pay for.

At least I made some new friends here.
I named them Girl One and Girl Two.

Girl One was not happy about being stuck in Dallas.
Girl two was happy to find a bar.
And I? I was happy I wasn't being photographed ;)

(And I had been so looking forward to being in New Mexico tonight).
Can't wait to shoot my first N.M. wedding!

LISA & JON

2007-06-28T00:11:00.000-04:00

-This has quickly become one of my new favorite pictures!-

"You know most people hate their accountants Carlos..."
Really?
I found this to be quite interesting.
Why?
Because you see, Jon is my accountant
And he has become a good friend.
And I really like him.

-When I have a question he takes care of me immediately (and boy do I have questions)... I can be a pretty anxious guy. He even takes care of me when at times I pop into his office unexpectedly (sorry Jon, I can't help it!).
Many times he'll even come up to my studio (when I ask him to).
Not that I may be in the middle of a fashion shoot or anything like that...

I won't even mention that it was Jon who told me that "everyone hates their accountants"...

-while grinning-

I wouldn't want you all to hold it against him...

---------------------------------------

I loved meeting Jon's fiancee Lisa and her family on the day of the wedding. I especially loved it when I found out that they were big Manu Chao fans (which by the way, I went to his concert yesterday and have to say it was AMAZING...). The best part of this is that it was Lisa's mom who originally introduced them to Manu's music!!!
What a great day...everyone was extremely friendly.
Victor and I had a great time... we especially loved shooting the formals in front of that beautiful red wall!
Enjoy!

It's amazing how a wedding will always stop traffic!

Don't forget to watch the Slideshow! (You might want to turn the volume down a bit!)

For the best accountants in the city, (which you won't hate) click here.
Thanks again to my good friend Victor Affaro for being my second photographer... again!

THE TEEMANS...

2007-06-25T05:03:00.000-04:00

I was really excited to photograph Hilary and Alex's wedding...
They are just cool down to earth people, people you can just hang out with quite easily after just meeting them...
I was truly inspired by the locations (W Hotel and Puck Building), Hilary's beauty and the emotive and happy guests. Everyone smiled or cried the whole time... I loved it!!!

-----

When I was editing these pictures I really loved how Hilary always looked at Alex... It was very moving and I hadn't realized this when I was shooting the wedding... The power of pictures, what can I say?

Moms have been known to get excited....

Don't forget to watch the Slideshow!!!
Don't forget to lower your volume as well...
Enjoy!!!

I want to thank, as always my good friend Victor Affaro for shooting this wedding with me!

What?

2007-06-22T02:43:00.000-04:00

Palenke Soultribe

2007-06-18T23:57:00.000-04:00

You all might think that this entry is a plug for my cousin's band Palenke Soultribe...
And it is. I admit it.
But I love their music.
And I am excited to see them here in NYC for the first time live (July 11th). If anyone would like to join me, shoot me an e-mail.

-Ironically he is in another much more famous band (at least in Latin America)...
It's called La Pestilencia (it has played for 70,000 people in Rock al Parque in Colombia).
Obviously with a name like that it has to be a Hard Rock/Punk band.
From Punk Rock to Folk-Electronica...
Felipe, what's going on in your head?

Finally!!!

2007-06-12T13:03:00.001-04:00

Last Thursday I finally recieved a new Canon 1D Mark III! It had been announced several months ago and the first shipment arrived stateside about two weeks ago... I had been on a waiting list for it for over a month but didn't make the cut. Like a little kid I had to have one.
Since it was hard to get I had to start making some calls to my contacts all over the country...;)
When I found one with a US Warranty I couldn't believe it!
But, I wasn't able to use it until Saturday when I worked a wedding as a guest shooter for my good friend Jason Groupp.
I'll post some pictures pretty soon, but I have to say that the photographic possibilities have just gone up exponentially!
-------------------------------

And the even better news is that I have a new redesigned website!!! I have been working on this for quite some time now...
go to cavaweddings and let me know what you think!!!!

These are exciting times indeed.
(tomorrow I head off to Atlanta, for what promises to be a very cool and interesting wedding!)

Jenn XXXXX wedding...

2007-05-30T22:03:00.000-04:00

Gilbert's new wife is in a band...
An internationally touring Rock band...
But for privacy reasons I can't mention much about Jennifer's band except that it is an "internationally touring rock band"... bummer.
But in any case how cool is this? A member of a punk rock band (DRUMMER no less!!!) hires me to shoot her wedding.
Even punk rockers can get cheesy...
(in a good way, mind you).
I have to admit, I loved it.

Well Jennifer and Gilbert are somewhere in Thailand right now celebrating their month-long honeymoon...
Ah, the life of the rock star -or so it seems- ; )
Hopefully one day I can share with you all some of their music...
-----------
I had a blast at the wedding and although there were some minor hiccups everything came out great and on time. Incredibly Jennifer never let it get to her. She, like her mom, just kept on smiling!

And
Gilbert and Jennifer:
Thanks for going for the photobooth!
And trusting the new lighting scheme,
Everyone it seems, including ourselves, had a blast with it!

Jennifer at the Mercer Hotel getting ready

I seem to hit it off well with all grandma's!

The view from Ramscale Studio at night

Here are some images from the Photobooth session... I really enjoyed this. Let me know what you guys think of the lighting and the colors...

Gilbert wishes he was in a band...What a strange family... LOL

The band with the "roadies" or so it would seem...

For the slideshow presentations click on the images below:
(Please have patience while it loads... and I must apologize about the music, I have very little choice about this. Also, don't forget to turn the volume down a little...)

Wedding Slideshow

Photobooth Slideshow

I want to thank Victor my second photographer and Amanda Adams for helping me out on this wedding.

Florida Continued....

2007-05-11T04:44:00.002-04:00

Ever since I got back from Las Vegas I have been on one project after another... I have barely had any time for myself, it's just been too busy.
And now the wedding season is about to begin...

..................

It is due to insomnia and excitement for all the things to come that I am able to post tonight.
I decided to post some of the images from the engagement session I shot in Florida with Deyfra and Jorge.
It turned out to be a fun and very interesting shoot. I thought Deyfra would love the idea of jumping into the ocean and Jorge would hate it...
Well, in the end it was Jorge who (excited about the idea) had to convince Deyfra that it was a worthwhile endeavour!!!
Enjoy!

Jorge And Deyfra got married last week in Colombia, and unfortunately I couldn't shoot their wedding.
I heard it was a beautiful wedding, and in a beautiful location, as it took place in one of Cololmbia's most beautiful cities:
Villa de Leyva.
Congratulations guys!

Brother Holmes...Road trips and Florida

2007-04-19T00:39:00.000-04:00

This morning I got up at 5am after going to sleep at 2 to catch a flight back to the Big A.
I must be crazy to want to come back to nyc, with the crazy weather and all..
Ahh, but I miss my city.

I know you all are asking yourselves,
Another trip?
Yes.
You see, I love to travel.
especially if it's by land.

It all started with the idea of a road trip to Florida...
Sun,
roads,
nature,
people
diners...
hard to resist.
-Plus, I would avoid the impending nor'easter!(I guess I have avoidance issues; I learned to deal with them though... as it followed us all the way through the most of the Carolina's.)

Fate would have it that the sun would finally shine through in South Carolina,
where we stopped at a local gas station,
and met Brother Holmes...

The guardian Brother Holmes

-The protector of all who enter this particular Exxon station from Satan himself!!!
-And oddly enough a close personal friend to many famous NBA players ( He even played out some games he played with them...)
(Next time we stop by he promised to call and introduce us to Michael Jordan... Or was it Charles Barkeley?)
-Either way I can't wait.

Thanks for the protection Brother H.!

---------------

On tuesday I shot my first engagement session in Miami. I will post some pictures in the next couple of days.
I'm happy to be able to post again!!!

I'm Back, Mario Batalli and... Playboy?

2007-04-05T21:35:00.003-04:00

Playboy Brazil Mario Batalli Spread!

Las Vegas and Los Angeles can really spoil you if you live in New York, but I miss this city...

In what seemed like the longest 10 days (good ones mind you... just no sleep) I am back. And it's back to wearing jackets and (today) a bit of snow...

No matter, I had a very nice surprise waiting for me here.

VC28 (Victor Affaro & Carlos A. Varela) had our first assignment published, and it was for Playboy Brazil!
No women (this time), but a great subject nonetheless...
Superstar chef Mario Batalli.
We had to follow him throughout a typical workday. We were told to meet him at Otto (one of his 7 or 8 restaurants) at exactly 10:10 A.M. and from there our day took off.
He really is a great down to earth fellow who treats everyone as his equals and has a amazing sense of humor.

He told us so many fun stories (like flying to Canada with Michael Stipe on a whim to see a U2 concert then having dinner with U2 and flying back the very next day)...
He invited us to one of his favorite restaurants in the Village for a lunch meeting he had (he asked the receptionist to add three more to his table) and later gave us really great tours of Otto and Babbo -including some private rooms that only certain client friends can request...

He had one shot that he really wanted us to take...
He told us that he had been waiting for a publication such as Playboy for it...
Look back at the opening image, and you can see why!

----------
I will tell you all about Las Vegas and my meeting with Yervant over the next several days...

Las Vegas...

2007-03-25T15:22:00.000-04:00

So I finally made it here. I had no sleep the last week while I tried frantically to finish up selecting the images to include in my portfolio, fixing them and finally sending them out to print with overnight delivery...
I have little internet access (shouldn't this always be included in hotels nowadays?) so I have no time to post updates or even work on my new website...

-----------
It's nice to be able to go out and wear t-shirts again!!!

Darn!...

2007-03-17T00:24:00.000-04:00

Just when I thought winter was over...

This was the scene early today at the South Street Seaport. It was freezing...
At this time it is usually packed with tourists. Most flights were cancelled today.
I'm just confused.

-----------

And to add to the confusion, I thought that today was supposed to be Ze Frank's last show. After a year of video bloggging he was supposed to end today.. but it might be tomorrow.

Should I be happy?

I don't know...

But...
I have found someone who can continue to connect the dots for me a la "Le Grand Content" and Ze Frank:
Jessica Hagy's "indexed" blog.

You never know...

2007-03-15T03:46:00.000-04:00

What you may find in the streets of New York.

And you have to wonder about people's sense of humor here...

I wonder if I would be included in that statement...

This city is definitely Alice in Wonderland made real.

I'm glad winter is almost over.
Can't wait to wander the streets of New York again...

---------

"There again was my lost city, wrapped cool in mystery and promise."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

VC28...

2007-03-12T20:30:00.000-04:00

Photography by:
VC28 Victor Affaro & Carlos Andres Varela.
I like the sound of that.
---------

A few days ago we shot our first team job.
Our setup included tethering our 5d to a Mac...
Shooting this way is great not only because can we check every detail in our images but it really reassures clients when they can immediately see their images.

We have to thank Elvis Solis (our good friend and assistant) and Susan Donoghue (Make-up Artist) making things easier for us.

Elvis

Susan

Sorry, can't show any of the final images yet...

Brad, Samuel and Gladiator...

2007-03-09T03:00:00.000-05:00

I have been in movie mode lately...
Not that I've had the time watch any.

A movie being shot on 28th street (on my way to the studio)

---------
I recently read an interview with Brad Pitt with him describing the movie Babel...
He says:

"The amazing thing is that (Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu) was trying to talk about communication and jumping to conclusions and misunderstandings without seeing others' point of view..."

It struck me because, I feel this is happening too often in our lives.
Too much jumping to conclusions... too many misunderstandings.

But where would our lives be if not for our dilemmas?
Not that I love having misunderstandings or anything like that : )

Now, Quentin Tarantino's movies are full of erroneous conclusions and misunderstandings but these are the obvious statements of most if not all his movies (I feel). I wanted to share one of my favorite movie moments based on this (and I also wanted to share my love of font based design):
----Caution----- VERY GRAPHIC AND FOUL LANGUAGE ------
No, really.

WhAt do yOu all THink?
--------

And now, some trivia:

What are the movies referenced?

Here are my guesses (and I hope I'm not making a fool of myself):
-Steamboat Willie, _? , Nosferatu, Metropolis, _?, Sound of Music, _?, Vertigo, _?, _?, 007, Saturday Night Fever, Tron, Predator, Basic Instinct, Alice in Wonderland, Gladiator, Lost in Translation.

Melissa, Andrew... You've got mail!

2007-03-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

What if you and someone else's paths cross most of your life, but you never actually met?
What if this someone else is the person of your dreams?

I'll let Melissa illustrate:

"We (Melissa and Andrew) grew up in the same town, went to different schools, but knew and hung out with friends in common. A's(Andrew's) best friend in high-school, who I knew, dated my friend in highschool (they are now married) but A and I don't remember ever meeting each other. Other friends of ours dated each other as well back then, and A's brother was good friends with my boyfriend in highschool. We remember being at the same parties, hanging out at the same places, eating at the same pizza place, deli, but we never actually met...

Andrew went to business school at Hofstra on Long Island from 2003-2005. I went to Law School at Hofstra in 2006.

In 2001, we lived 2 blocks from each other. I studied for the bar exam at Starbucks every day for 2 months. I found out later that the Starbucks was located in A's apartment building. (he was right upstairs!).....

In 2002, we lived 1 block from each other, went to the same bagel place, same cleaners, same pizza place, same wine store, same diner - never met.....

In 2005, we met...

On-line on jdate.

(!)"

You've got to love mom's expression here!

It would make an interesting movie wouldn't you say?

The beautiful emotions and happiness in the wedding were definitely movie worthy. The day was just right except for the freezing cold and I have to give extra special thanks to Melissa for braving it in order to get some amazing shots. The things we'll do for photography!
Andrew I loved that you just rolled with all the punches.
But I have to give my highest regards to grandma...
93 years old and an incredible dancer!!!

Enjoy the pictures!

Look at Grandma!!! At 93!!!

I have to thank Victor Affaro for coming with me and helping me take all these great pictures.
Click here or on the picture below to see the Slideshow presentation (Please lower the volume on your computer and most importantly be patient while it loads... it will be worth it!!!)

Dahlia, trust, experience and Varaff...

2007-03-02T20:25:00.000-05:00

Dahlia in an old elevator shaft

The fashion world is so full of it's crazy stories, that I think that no one will ever stop being surprised...
And believe me lack of experience in this particular world can really kill your self-esteem. Let's not even talk about trust...

During one of my first assignments while at ICP, I had gone to one of NY's top modeling agency's looking to find models to "test"...
They asked for my portfolio
-check
They asked for a concept
-check
They asked for a team...
A team whom I trusted,
A team I needed,
My team?... the people I took class with.
-check

Well, this team did not show up on the day of the shoot.
I didn't know what to do...
Dahlia was not happy.
Her bodyguard/boyfriend snarled
her agent told her to go home,
And I?
I stressed out...

But I told her about a great elevator shaft on my rooftop...

----
I never heard from the agency again.
I never called any of my "team" again.
but...
Don't you all think these shots are great?

I'm glad she had brought her boyfriend!

ps. I must have looked really bad holding a camera with one hand and a reflector with another, but as we all know: the means justifies the end... or does it?

-------

If you were to see these words, what would you think?

-VICCA

-Varaff

I need some honesty here.

Yervant, Contests and Las Vegas...

2007-02-26T15:41:00.000-05:00

As George Constanza once said:
"I am speechless... I am... without... speech."

This morning as I browsed through the subject lines of my e-mails I read one that said: "Congratulations!"
...I wondered.
Could it be????
Naw. No way...
"It's just an e-mail congratulating me for making it into the top five, but that unfortunately my picture wasn't selected..."- I thought.
So I waited to open it, paced, made a phone call, held off until I could no longer.
-Here is what I saw:

I had won!
----
I would like to thank....
Everyone!!!
---
:)
---
Las Vegas here I come!!!
-(for more info on the contest look for the Yervant entry below)

Fashion, Romeo & Juliet and Victor Affaro...

2007-02-24T23:32:00.000-05:00

On what seemed like a sunny day at the start of last summer I walked into the offices of Showroom 7 here in Manhattan. I was there to meet with the owner, to show her my portfolio, and to hopefully walk out with an ad campaign contract...
It was one of those New York moments... she flipped through the book, made some comments and thanked me for coming by.
I thought I lost the job.
But the agent in charge said "she liked you. I think you got it."
what?
My very own big ad campaign!
Several days later, I received the call to tell me I had the job!!!
And the pressure was on:
MTV was to be there, it was a tie-in with a movie (Downtown, will which will premier sometime this year) and I had to use actors instead of models.
Click here for the MTV segment.

------------
These are exciting times, indeed...

One of my best friends, Victor Affaro (a reknowned photographer in his native Brazil -click here for some of his magazine work-) finally kept his promise to come and live in New York...

We had met a while back at the International Center of Photography (ICP) while taking the same fashion photography classes. We quickly became good friends and found out that we shared similar goals and thought alike visually, but most importantly we had the same passion for art and photography, especially when it came to fashion photography. During this time we worked on several projects together, and felt that we definitely made a good team. (It seems there is a magazine interested in publishing our first collaboration!...)
So we have decided to form a photography team... but
we now face a daunting task:

In the world of...
-fashion photography, there is: Mert and Marcus,
-in fashion: Dolce & Gabbana,
-in wedding photography: The Boutwells,
-in cartoons: Tom and Jerry, Ren and Stimpy
-in the acting world: Brangelina, TomKat

What shall we name ourselves?

Surprises...Contests and Yervant

2007-02-22T02:12:00.000-05:00

One of my new year's resolutions was to enter more wedding contests and submit "real" weddings to bridal magazines...
Up to now I have only entered one contest, one where only one image could be submitted. I actually forgot about it, that is, until today. The contest prize is to get a personal portfolio review by one of the world's most famous wedding photographers: Yervant, at the biggest wedding trade show in the world, which of course takes place in Las Vegas.
There will be vendors, seminars, classes, workshops, exhibitions etc...
Well the contest goes something like this:
Yervant personally chooses his 5 favorite images as finalists. Then the members of the Digital Wedding Forums (the company that organizes the trade show) will choose their favorite...
Well, guess what?

No, no I haven't won... yet.
But today I received an e-mail where I was told that I had made it to the final five!!!!
I couldn't help but share this news with you all, today ( I hope I'm not jinxing myself). I'm just very excited...I guess I have to go to Vegas now (even if you don't win you still get to meet Yervant and attend the portfolio review).
...
I wonder where I left my tuxedo.

And Danielle... what a nice surprise huh?
to see more pics from this wedding go here.

Oh yeah, keep your fingers crossed y'all!

An update and Zefrank....

2007-02-21T03:52:00.000-05:00

Today I received a comment from Kristin on the "Eternal Youth..." entry, and I wanted to share it with you all:

"I noticed that you have posted about Aveeno's Fountain of Youth and Julian Beever's newest creation, and I thought you would be interested in seeing how he does it.
My agency recently worked with Julian to create the “Fountain of Youth” in Union Square in NYC a few weeks ago. We recorded a video of how he works and posted it on YouTube. You can check it out here.
It’s the first video we’ve seen produced of how he creates his amazing pavement drawings. Check it out, see what you think, and pass it along if you like it."
I thought it was fascinating and I am glad Kristin brought this to my attention. Thanks!

And now one of my new favorite blog/video links:
The show with Zefrank.
The random connections he makes are just like the ones in the "Death, taxes and... spam" video Le Grand Content. Click on the big duck for the newest entry, but definitely watch the first one.
Enjoy!

My own Space!!!

2007-02-20T04:06:00.000-05:00

So I finally did it! I got my own Myspace page!!!
I know, I know... it's about time, but I just never liked the layout so right now it's in what I like to call the "beta" stages... I don't know much html, but I hate the fact that myspace is full of so much clutter... so I've been copying and pasting code from other sites and profiles in order to make it better but I definitely need help...
any takers?
For the "beta" myspace page click here.

Cavaweddings, cavaportraits, cavarts, the blog, myspace, and my studio are being updated, redesigned, and renovated! It's a lot of work and not everything will be done at once but there is much new and I don't want to ruin all the surprises so come back often to get the latest!

I am including in this entry a few of the new things coming. A sneak peak, if you will.

Hands and Feet...

2007-02-17T03:47:00.000-05:00

How fitting.

I found this commercial in one of the many design sites I search through weekly... I've always loved Guinness commercials but this one may be my favorite: Hands
-if the link does not work go here.
Make sure you watch the full commercial as well (A reward is offered to any of my wordly readers who can get me the name of the song!!!).

This site has changed my New York life since I stumbled into it a few days ago... It taught me how to tie a shoelace that still feels and looks like a knot but will not come undone...If you've ever hung out with me you while I am wearing sneakers you know that this is a godsend. I still have to try the other 17 methods. I am especially curious about the "fastest knot"...
The shoelace site.

Westminster, Pennsylvania and Rufus

2007-02-14T04:33:00.000-05:00

Across from Madison Square Garden lies the Pennsylvania Hotel. It is a very old hotel, in fact it is in urgent need of renovation. So I was not very surprised that when I was headed to my studio on Sunday afternoon I saw a great influx of dogs coming in and out of the hotel...

A dog hotel!
Genius!
The decrepit old Pennsylvania needed an angle, something catchy...
Only in New York I thought, only in New York.

I know, I know. I shouldn't have been surprised. But when I saw the hotel sign welcoming contestants to the Westminster 2007 Dog show, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I mean this is New York! We need a dog hotel!

I still couldn't resist going in though. Once inside, dogs of all shapes and sizes were meeting and greeting each other, seemingly not bothered by the fact that their owners let anyone and everyone photograph them...
While shooting one of these perfect examples of a canine, an owner asked me:
"do you know who this (dog) is?"
-Excuse me?
"This is Rufus! the best of show from last year!"
-oh right, how could I forget?
-Nice doggy.

Rufus. Best of show 2006

Talking to some of the dog owners and fans, I learned a lot about the show world. It's quite fascinating. The dogs are divided into seven categories, categories which include such groupings as "working class" and "toy" (dogs)!
Rumor has it that this year a bored oil magnate (I wonder where he could be from?) has spent over half a million promoting his "dog" (are they still called dogs at this point?).

P.S. Anyone interested in investing in a "LUXURY Dog Hotel" here in NYC? I'm now taking bidders...

New Focus: Sharing & Education.

2007-02-12T02:54:00.000-05:00

Ever since I began writing this blog I have received e-mails here and there where I am asked technical questions related to my equipment and/or my images...I have never minded sharing but I never thought that so many people wanted to know more...
Several months ago I began, at the request of a client, to give private classes. I agreed because I thought it would be something I would really enjoy. And I have... now I am being asked more and more for this. I am realizing that digital is very confusing for the uninitiated or for those who have only shot with film cameras or digital point and shoots.
With this in mind and because so many want to know, I will try to include more technical data and information about my images (If for some reason I don't, or forget to, and you'd like some more specific details, feel free to send me an e-mail).
I will include a list of some of my equipment on the right side column, which I hope you will find useful...

So to start off, I want to share this amazing video produced by Canon which details all the work that goes into creating its lenses. I hope you enjoy it and learn much from it... ( have patience when downloading though, it takes a while).
Click here.

I'm also, lately, wanting to not just share my images, but also random stuff that I run across on the internet; mostly related to New York, photography, design and the arts. I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do.

Aramire in Carnegie!!!

2007-02-09T02:38:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I met a very interesting woman at my studio.
She had white dreads and carried a satchel.

She told me about her life and about her passions.
She told me about traditional Pizzica music and about a group named Aramire.
She told me about how they were coming to NY to play at Carnegie Hall.
She asked me if I could photograph the event...

I smiled...

I had to shoot from the back with no flash and a cloth on the camera to lessen the noise

No dancing allowed! But sometimes...
(85mm f1.2 lens)

I am the luckiest new yorker, I get to live my dreams everyday....
I now know how to dance the pizzica version of Tarantella and admire the music of Aramire.
New York and photography, I can't be thankful enough.

Dance for Joy.

Good 'ol Microsoft

2007-02-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

Check out this cool Ipod parody:

Now, rewatch it and replace the Ipod with Apple's current operating system (OS X)... and voila! you'd get Microsoft's new operating system, "Vista" (except it would be a Microsoft product and you know what that means...)!

oh yeah, full disclosure due here:
I don't work for Apple.

I just own about 4 Macs that's all.

:)

Eternal Youth...

2007-02-02T02:09:00.000-05:00

Last week my good friends at Eventage called me up for yet another one of their crazy promotions. Aveeno was to be unveiling their newest product derived from... the Eternal Fountain of Youth!
Incredible! Unbelievable! You say.
But it's true...

security of course was tight...

Big security man

Obviously, this being New York, even the fountain of youth needs to be promoted over and over again. And who better to do this than this big ominous and imposing man:

Big Ominous announcer

Even the press made it out. Although it seems that they all decided to send just one person to represent them all:

the highlight of the day was the actual depiction of the fountain of youth, drawn by no other than the very famous 3d chalk artist Julian Beever:

Even my friend Clay Enos (who by the way is one of my favorite photographers/bloggers) who has seen it all could not resist coming to the ceremony and joining in on the festivities:

Clay "take pictures" Enos

Death, Taxes and...

2007-01-26T02:06:00.000-05:00

spam.
Who
would've
thought....

oh.
Kogler!

click here.

I'm Back!!!

2007-01-23T04:16:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone I'm finally back from some traveling and things are finally starting to settle down for me. I have many stories and interesting things to show everyone in the next couple of days, but for now I just want to share one of my favorite moments of the last few weeks...
A few weeks ago I was coming back from a trip to Maine, and took a bus from Massachusetts to New York(those that know me well know that I live for traveling especially if I can do it by land).
And it is when you have so much time that you take the time to meet people, even if you don't really set out to do so. I just wanted to watch a movie on my Macbook but my seatmate kept staring at me and my computer. I figured he just wanted to watch it as well... so I put the captions on. He stopped looking... Strange.
So I decided to tell him that it was cool, but it turns out he wasn't interested in the movie after all... he just wanted to talk. And at first I could not believe what I was hearing:
he was a Sherpa(!!!!!!!),
and one that had climbed Everest 5 times.
5 times!!!!!!!!!!!

Migma Gelu Sherpa, my new friend!

"Well, it's good" he says "but my older sister has done it 6 times. 6 times!!!! Oh yeah, did I mention that my youngest sister became the youngest girl to climb Everest at...

15!" he says with a smile. 15!!!!!!

Ever since I had read John Krakauer's book "Into Thin Air" (short magazine story here) I had admired any all Sherpa's and for a brief nanosecond I wanted to climb Everest (a bit more dangerous apparently than your standard hike). I never thought I would ever meet one much less be sitting next to one. So I was not about to pass this opportunity up.
Some fun stuff he shared with me (basically I became like a little kid and didn't stop with the questions):
-his company only charges $24,000 to guide you up there. Krakauer did mention how some companies charge over 60K.
-He was caught in an avalanche with two other people... only he survived. And that was because he landed near the top. He went on to climb the next year.
-He tried to climb all the way to the top without an oxygen mask one year... said it's too crazy and almost impossible.
-His favorite climb was when he went with one of his sisters and a brother.
-He was learning how to read and write for the first time.
-Has friends all over the world which he sometimes visits.
-Rescued a very famous Mexican climber who has yet to write to him after arriving back in Mexico.
-Plans on going up a few more times but does not think he will ever be close to climbing as much as the current record holder (15 times) who is a short stocky superman that plans on climbing this year as well.

-Said he will keep in touch!

Oh the places you'll see...
the people you'll meet.

Let's dance for joy.

DESTINATION: PHILADELPHIA!

2006-12-19T03:45:00.000-05:00

I remember when this beautiful bride...

was just a bridesmaid...

summer 2005!

Oh how quickly they grow up!!!

I can't even begin to tell you all how happy I was when I received a call from Danielle asking me to photograph her wedding! Not only had she been a bridesmaid in one of my most defining and sentimentally favorite weddings but she was to also have it in Philadelphia, a favorite city of mine to photograph in...
When we first arrived Danielle and her family were in such a great mood and they greeted us so well that it was a bit daunting... I think we got offered drinks about 20 times in the first 10 minutes!
From the outstart I was entertained by the Dicerbo's and their humor. Danielle made me laugh so hard when I first started shooting when she noticed how her dad would always smile and and look at the camera every time I would point it in his direction, and seeing that I didn't say anything to him, she just went ahead and blurted out "Dad! stop posing...it's supposed to be candid"! (everyone laughed... even dad)
Ah, but his smile never disappeared... you could tell he was extremely happy...and very, very proud.
And who wouldn't be? Danielle looked SPECTACULAR!
Stunning, I think is the word her French groom Bertrand used. Damn those French and their gift with words...
What great people, I am very happy to have met you all especially Danielle, her family, and her really cool Bertrand!

Despite the fact that this was to be my first nighttime wedding ( not something to be taken lightly) I think we were able to get some really spectacular photos and some amazing moments.
I hope you all agree!

If you would like to see more pictures, there is a SLIDESHOW presentation here (please have patience while it loads and be careful with your volume).

Maria Mayer and Amber Johnson thanks for coming along with me!
PS. Heather and Joe (and Debbie) Thank you again for such a wonderful first wedding in Philadelphia. It has brought me many great moments, images and weddings, it is like I said in the post, a sentimental favorite.
PS2. And of course thank you my dearest Cynthia for always recommending and believing in me!

Slideshows

2006-12-05T00:40:00.000-05:00

If you have been following my blog you probably noticed that I started adding slideshows to my entries...
-'bout time (I can hear some of you say).
In the online news world, slideshows have been going on for a while. However, instead of just having music accompany their images they add narration (think NPR but with pictures). The main differences between a traditional slideshow -like the ones that I and most people make- and a news centered photojournalistic one is that there is narration and a story line... not just a timeline.
As shamelessly self promoting as this blog is, this entry will not make reference to any particular slideshow or picture of mine. In fact, the slideshow I want you all to view is somewhat different than most, it is presented "flip-book"style and although it is reportage, it is a slideshow with no narration...just many story lines.
It is like watching a movie with only the soundtrack playing. Making it, in my view, an incredibly powerful and unique presentation; unique in the sense that you make it your own... it becomes personal, intimate... there is no one there. No one to tell you what, or how, to think, feel or react. No outside voices, just yours...
Listen to the beautiful music as well (I am a big fan of traditional music, especially middle eastern and Persian) see how well they go together...

For the flip-book style presentation of Iraqi Kurdistan by Ed Kashi go here.

Weep for Joy...help others.

DESTINATION: HOUSTON!

2006-11-30T16:31:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I was off to Houston to shoot my first Indian wedding... well the first one under my name.
And I was very excited. Indian weddings are colorful, rich, vibrant, happy and filled with beautiful people! And the music is so alive.
I had not met Anu before the wedding but had met Hitesh at my studio. He told me that Anu was beautiful but I didn't expect her to be so much so!
The first part of the day was a bit tough for me because Anu's family is bit
traditional and they did not want me phtoographing them getting ready. But in the end, I got some really amazing shots and had a great time with everyone there.
This was also the first time that I photographed some obvious wedding crashers that came in the form of teenage girls in shorts and t-shirts... It seemed no one in the wedding really minded, some were even laughing and talking with them. Can you believe that event the father of the bride was getting down with them?
Great people!

enjoy!!!

The wedding crashers have fun with the father of the bride!

For a slideshow presentation go here. Watch out for the music and have patience while it loads (9mb).

QUE VIVA COLOMBIA!

2006-11-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

I'm wondering how many of you know I'm Colombian. because if you did know, then you would begin to understand why a Colombian wedding would be extra special for me.
I'm wondering because then everyone will understand why this entry will seem a bit biased.

Natalia was my first Colombian bride...
And she was beautiful, and was so proud of being Colombian.
There was the moment when she knelt before her mom, and then her dad to receive a benediction and words of love right as she was about to leave for the religious ceremony...
My favorite moment however, was when Natalia at the dinner party took out candles she had brought just for this occasion, passed them around to all the guests, lit them and then told the history of the Cumbia dance in Colombia while everyone held the candles and prepared to dance with them!
Then the dancing began, and boy did she dance! (I remember looking over at Stefan and he was -put simply- mesmerized!)
It's hard to put in words how moving and beautiful this wedding seemed to me...

One of the reasons why I love shooting weddings is that I get to see and experience so many different traditions, cultures, rituals, people... But with Natalia's wedding it was a bit different, only because it reminded me of my childhood, my family, my life... I felt awed, proud and humbled, it was hard at moments to hold back my tears.
But alas, I did!!!
Thanks guys!
Enjoy...

For more images go here for the slideshow! (careful with the music! and have patience as it may take a minute to load). Enjoy!

A PARK'ED LIFE

2006-10-25T02:27:00.000-04:00

OK see if you can follow this:

My good friend Kevin introduced me to Jane.
Jane introduced me to Sean.
Sean introduced me to David.
And David introduced me to his lovely Karaoke skills on the lower east side.
Now,*
Jane is Kevin's cousin, who -by the way- happens to be in love with Sean.
Sean in a way is David's brother but is not a Park.
David is both Jane's brother and Kevin's cousin...
and Kevin? Well, Kevin is a cousin, a cultural interpreter and a Park!
Got it?

Good!
...

The Bride with her father

The Groom with his mother

The Groom with his beautiful wife
The triplets of Bellville

Jane and Sean I am eternally grateful to you both for not only allowing me photograph your wedding but for the new experiences that it brought me. I had never shot a Korean wedding before! This is one of the reasons why I love to do what I do. It's the exposure to the world and it's people...and you guys just gave me a piece of that.
And don't think I forgot about the walk from the Staten Island Terminal up the hill to your place! But it was worth it. My assistant and I had a great time!
We should do Karaoke again soon!

*Litereray trick I learned from Dave Egger's "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius".

BARNABY DID WHAT ?

2006-10-19T16:15:00.000-04:00

Only in New York folks, only in New York.
When I found out through Jason Groupp (whom had asked me to come photograph this wedding with him) that Barnaby (the groom) had promised his bride a perfect day for their wedding, I could not believe it!
I mean, a promise of A PERFECT DAY,... that's quite a promise!
Think about it!

Well, if you are wondering if he kept his promise,
take a look:

What do you think?

Enjoy!

Barnaby's beautiful mom

Barnaby's -not so beautiful- dad

Some of you may recognize this church from a prevoius post...

A princess gets ready to walk down the aisle...

she just needs a little encouragement!

Does being part of the "Barnaby Train"...

allow you to walk anywhere, anytime?!!!

Thanks Jason for inviting me to tag along!
And hey Jeff it was really cool that you joined us -That whole accidental burning of my jacket incident... forget bout it! ;)

-To see more pictures of the day check out Jason's and Jeff's blog-

PS. Barnaby how about you share some of your secrets with me? I could have used them on my Bond shoot...

KIRSTEN & KEITH

2006-10-19T01:38:00.000-04:00

This wedding was a bit different for me, a lot shorter than I am used. I was hired to shoot the ceremony and the formals only, so in a way it was a great gig since it was in the middle of the busy season for me and I could definitely appreciate such a job. I appreciated it so much that I rented a Mini Cooper convertible for the drive!
Well, I had a great time, everyone was nice and cool and many of the guests were laughing and joking around. I made some new friends and despite the short day I got many great images AND most importantly I captured some really great moments...

Here one of my new friends strikes a smile!

I really, really need to get me an Aston Martin

2006-10-16T21:26:00.000-04:00

Or maybe just a Brioni suit...
If I had had them, then maybe I could have held Caterina Murino (the newest Bond Girl) in my arms just a bit longer...
In the meantime... does anyone know of a good "distinguished gentleman" school?

You can see how jealous my friend Brien is getting!

(Watch for my friend Don Sercer's shoot in the next issue of 21 magazine!)

DESTINATION: MOHONK!!!

2006-10-12T19:31:00.000-04:00

Two days in this idyllic setting and you start to get spoiled, let me tell you.

Deb and Matt had it all perfectly planned for their two day wedding extravaganza:
The ideal location, the BBQ, the hike, the rehearsal dinner, the Ketubah signing, the wedding ceremony...
Well, maybe not everything!
Deb, Matt -should I mention the hike?
Ah, yes. The infamous hike.

Matt pumps up the crowd.

I just don't know if everyone knew what the hike entailed, maybe it was because Matt forgot to mention some of the obstacles we were to face...

Obviously those of us that were carrying precious and fragile "gear" had to find a detour...

-Not surprisingly we got lost.

Funny enough, we made it to the top of the hill while the main group didn't!
It was worth it though. The views were spectacular (see first picture) and everyone was having a great time.

The day went on to have a great rehearsal dinner, filled with extremely funny moments as some gave historical slideshow presentations explaining some of the family's esoteric evolution, while others engaged in formal theories on why the Tropp-Spain merger was perfect...

They seemed to be right, as the next couple of images clearly support what was said:

I have to admit I was very excited about this wedding; I mean I had two days of photographing in such a beautiful setting and, it was to be my first official "destination" wedding.
But never did I expect for Deb and Matt to give me such artistic freedom as they did at the end of the first day for the Ketubah signing. First off they surprised me by telling me that they wanted to sign it that night and that we could do it in one of the main rooms of the hotel. When I saw the room and I asked if it would be O.K. if we shot it in a dramatic way and with available light, they said they loved the idea.
I shot so many great images, but here is one of my new all time favorite images of any wedding I have shot:

Day two was full of the magic that make weddings beautiful....

We couldn't have asked for a better day!

When the time came for the reception, it seems everyone was having a blast (in their own way) of course.

Deb and Matt thanks for everything and most importantly for those Ketubah shots! I can't wait to show you guys the rest of the pictures from that series!

Rocco de.... Bertolli?

2006-10-06T19:17:00.000-04:00

Just the other day New York found one of it's most venerable chefs along with a fierce looking group of supporters protesting in the middle of Times Square.

Who where they? At first I couldn't tell since they had chef's uniforms but they were all unusually thin....

And their cause? A proposed ban on Bertolli's newest products "products which will encourage preparing gourmet dinners at home instead of going out to eat, and thus leaving chefs without any business".
A worthy cause indeed!

I think Eventage is getting to know me better, they now point out the celebritiesto me from the onset! It is obviously due to the infamous "Rippa" incident (see -a mayor proclamation-) . I never thought that not having a T.V. would work against me -and the only times I have missed it have been when the World Cup and the Olympics have rolled around-. But in a celebrity driven town you better know your celebrities if you are to photograph events.
-Maybe I should subscribe to US Weekly and People magazines...

TOP OF THE ROCK

2006-09-13T02:25:00.000-04:00

How about a wedding with this view?

Well my friend Jason Groupp was hired to shoot a wedding at the Pegasus Room on the 64th floor of Rockefeller center. When he called me to see if I could, along with Luke Walker, help him shoot this wedding, I jumped at the chance.
It is always great to be a second photographer at a wedding because you have the opportunity to take more chances and to look for photo opportunities from different angles than the main photographer. However, Jason's just too good and it's hard to find these angles...
You never stop learning, and shooting with your friends who are great at what they do, is an invaluable experience. So thank you Jason and Luke!
And Jason what a beautiful wedding it was, wouldn't you say?

-The LVHRD crew

2006-09-13T01:02:00.000-04:00

had their party at the studio tonight. To be invited to a LVHRD party you have to be on the "specially" selected guest list; the list then gets a text message 4 hours prior to the event telling them where the "secret" location of the party is.

What kind of party is this you ask?
well...

Imagine lots of dancing and blow up dolls

The guest list is so exclusive that Pedro came to the party...

even amateurs are welcome...

especially chicken dancers!

The cowboys and indians are left on the sidelines though...

The show and party are so entertaining that even my good friend Michael Conlon the "director of operations" here at the studio stayed for the show (my friends get the VIP view from the loft)
Over 200 people came to the party but only one came up to me to praise my red tuxedo shirt (it's a lot cooler than what you are imagining... really) so here is a picture of my new friend Jen the psychologist (whom truth be told has great taste!).

And here is La Presidenta of the 10th floor association Miss Lipton playing with herself.

A NEW YORK WEDDING...

2006-09-12T05:39:00.000-04:00

"Do you think that if we gave you two and a half hours to shoot some fun pictures around midtown we would get some nice shots?" Remie and Oliver said to me.
-They had me at hello.

"our first dance is a salsa song... We've been taking classes"
-Again they had me at hello.

A week before the wedding they wanted to have brunch with me to go over the photography for the wedding.
I was theirs!
How could I not love these guys?
Every meeting was great and I felt more and more connected to them and their wedding. And during the wedding the maid of honor said to me that even though it was halfway through the wedding day she felt like she had known me for the longest time. Well I felt like they were all friends of mine.

Funny enough, I thought that since most of our correspondence was handled by Remie that she would be the picture seeker.
But Oliver has a deep secret that was unveiled that day....

Well the shoot around midtown went so well that several people at Grand Central came up to me to ask me if this was a real wedding or if it was for a magazine!

Another beautiful church to add to my list:

The first dance gets underway:

They even had time for games!

Thank you Remie and Oliver for being such great sports. The whole around town session is now one of my favorites and I tell all my newest clients about it!!! It was truly quite the experience!

-Jesus was here!

2006-08-30T01:36:00.000-04:00

Well, sort of.
You see, many months ago my friend Steve Chappell met Oliver Stone for the first time. It was at an audition, an audition where Oliver Stone upon seeing him said:
"So Jesus, are you going to do something miraculous like levitate or walk on water?" And Steve, being Steve (or Jesus?), aptly and with a smile replied:
"I thought I'd just radiate pure love!"

I guess it's no surprise that a couple of months later, Steve is being congratulated, - and hugged - by Oliver Stone at the end of shooting his Jesus scene... He had been that good!
So... Depending on how you see things... Jesus was here!
Here is a quote from a review of Stone's film WTC:
"In what may be the film's most striking image, a vision of Christ appears to Jimeno..." Time, July 31, 2006
Congratulations Steve!
-Steve (Jesus) celebrates and radiates pure love. ©2006 Carlos A. Varela Photography : )

-Moms are THE GREATEST...Happy Anniversary!

2006-08-29T04:31:00.000-04:00

"Have you seen Carlos Andres' newest ad? It's so beautiful!" my mom tells my sister over the phone... (Mom's are the greatest, really)
"Mom, it's not an ad. It's a Blog!" Grace says.
"a what?"...

My Mom loved my "Buena Vista" post. She loved it because she said she felt she connected with the wedding and how it showed much of our Latin culture and our love for dancing...
Oh the Dancing...
You see my mom loves to dance; she can't have enough of it. If she were to start a blog she would post a daily entry where she would detail which particular songs she danced on that day, be assured.
I also think she loved the B.V. entry because in a way it reminded her of her wedding which took place about two years ago. But instead of marrying a Canadian as Maria did, she chose a crazy, long haired, earring wearing, Harley Davidson riding, DJ extraordinaire, gringo. -Now that I think about it- maybe the only similarities between the two weddings was the dancing and the Spanish; being that he wore a pink tux shirt and a red bowtie to the wedding, and he decided to DJ the event himself...

Dan has turned out to be a wonderful father, husband, stepdad and an invaluable source for getting the latest lounge/buddha bar music and we are very lucky to have had him join our family.

And Dan -you are extremely lucky to have been able to sweep my mother off her feet with your dance moves (literally- see example below) and used your ye-ne-se-qua charm to make her fall in love with you!

I love you both very much.

Happy 2nd Anniversary!!!

-My newest poll

2006-08-23T03:50:00.000-04:00

If you you were to vote tomorrow, which candidate would you most likely favor?*

*This poll is being conducted for research purposes only. Please be aware that many of you will not qualify to vote. Inclusion of the winning picture in my portfolio will ultimately be decided by last minute recounting. Thank You.

A BUENA VISTA WEDDING

2006-08-17T02:49:00.000-04:00

The Acustilocos, one of the best weddings bands I have heard, get the party started!

The soundtrack to Buena Vista Social Club has one of my favorite songs of all time:
"El Carretero" -a song which was picked as the official song of Cali, Colombia's famous Feria de Cali in the early 70's. Not only do I love that song but it reminds me of my childhood, and more importantly of my parents.

On July 3rd of this year, it was playing in the hotel room where Maria was getting ready. I never imagined I would be hearing this song or even this album on any one of my clients' wedding day. But Maria and her parents had asked me to put on some music while the preparations were going on...
This was to be my first Latin wedding, and Jason, Maria, and her family made me feel like I was back home. It felt good.
It was beautiful wedding day in every sense.
and the grand finale was without a doubt a grand fiesta...
and the dancing... oh the dancing...

I would say that the playing of that soundtrack
was a foreshadowing of things to come because to me
this wedding felt very cinematic...

and the dancing!!!

-A mayor proclamation!

2006-08-16T03:32:00.000-04:00

On a deceptively regular Tuesday (the second of this month) the mayor of the city of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg, delivered in the form of an official document, a proclamation:

-It is hereby be known that today, Tuesday the 8th of august.... (Very official stuff continued)... shall be known as "Pokemon day"!!!!

*For liability reasons I must now clarify that:
1- The person pictured above (Hulk Hogan)
is/was not the mayor's spokesperson
2- Most likely was hired by Pokemon himself

Given the excitement and buzz surrounding this day, I was hired to document it in its full glory. Here are some excerpts:

Here the Hulkster is kind enough to give me one of his signature looks:

Kelly Rippa and family worry about my safety... literally.
-I was standing on the platform edge fighting off other photographers
in order to get a good picture of them...-

Here I am angry at myself for not knowing who the Rippa's were,
and for not getting a magazine-worthy shot of them:

EARLIER TODAY...

2006-08-14T23:19:00.000-04:00

Two visitors came to my studio to view the wedding pictures I had taken of their wedding several weeks ago.

-Susan and Joe- How had I met them?

Joe, who works for New York magazine (a magazine to which at the beginning of this year I paid a ransom to advertise in - the 2006 summer wedding issue in case you were wondering! -), ironically did not find me through my ad! When I told him about the irony of this, he, in the manner of a true gentleman, right away said:
"Thank you for helping to indirectly pay for my salary"
I sensed his smile at the other side of the line...

I didn't meet Joe or Susan until the actual wedding day but, just like our initial phone conversation, the wedding was fun and many times extremely humorous... (I must say that Joe's mom was just as quick witted as her son and having her company at different times throughout the wedding really made my day!)

-I think all wedding photographers get a bit nervous when they first show the pictures to their clients...Welll, at least I do. - however, Susan's reaction (or reactions in this case) when she came upstairs and finally started seeing the pictures, are what every wedding photographer dreams about... the excitement, the cries, the questions, the comments they were all there... as soon as the slide show started she took over my chair and did not bat an eye from the monitors for the entire hour-long visit.
When Joe told her it was time to leave she said:
"But I haven't seen all 450 pictures yet"!
Joe immediately looked at me and we burst out laughing.
Not wanting to leave? That's definitely a good sign.
You guys are definitely welcome at my studio anytime!

The wedding took place at Columbia University, which, in my opinion, has one of the most beautiful churches in nyc:

I have more if anyone wants to see them!

This next image is one of my favorites from this wedding (taken just before Joe walked down the aisle).

The smiles just kept on coming!