New York City

Engagement: Lina & James - Manhattan, New York City

Three years ago this month, I had the pleasure of shooting an Engagement Session for a young lady, Lina, and her fiancé, James, in the Lower Manhattan. What made this a special photo shoot was that I've known Lina most of my life. Naturally, there's a long story to our connection. Her cousin, Alex and I, grew up together; side by side. From time to time, Alex's cousins would drive down to Arlington, VA from Chinatown in NYC for a visit; Miss Lina being one of his cousins.

It was always exciting when Alex's cousins would come down from New York City; their trips always resulted in a backyard BBQ by Alex's mom, Aunt Sylven, in South Arlington. Alex and I were a little bit older than Lina and I can remember hearing about the different stages of Lina's life from Aunt Syl. One of the most memorable was Lina's acceptance to George Washington University in D.C. Aunt Syl was particularly proud because that's where she taught.

When I learned Lina was engaged to James, I was very happy for her. When I heard they wanted me to take their engagement and wedding photos, I was very flattered - to say the least. I travelled up to NYC from D.C., and we shot the engagement photos on the same day as their amazing wedding reception, which was held at the Golden Unicorn in Chinatown. Their third anniversary is just around the corner... stay tuned for a few of their wedding photos!