Libin & Bianca @ NYU

Bianca (on the left) has been featured on my blog a few times already, and with the advent of summer-like weather in NYC, she and friends have frequented Washington Square Park doing what young people do in the "center of the universe", as I like to call it.

This time though, she encouraged her friend Libin to join her on a quick photo session on La Guardia Place posing against NYU's black steel doors. While I photographed both of them individually, it's the first time that I pose and photograph two subjects together. They were natural, and hammed it up a little....moving from bored to smiling poses.

We were done in about 15 minutes. I used the Fuji GFX50R and the 50mm Fujinon lens.

And here's another one using my favorite ON1 preset:

"Vee" | Pink Braids

I noticed "Vee" sitting by the Washington Square Park fountain because of her pink braids. Although a little conscious at first (and who wouldn't?), she was very willing to pose for my cameras. 

I looked up what her hairstyle was called, and realized there are countless styles of braids for women irrespective of race. I think her pink braids are a mix of "yarn braids" and "cornrow braids"...but I might be mistaken. All I know is that it looks good on her.

Galiya Serdali | Magazine

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Following the very successful and productive 3-hour photo session with Galiya Serdali, I had Blurb print a 20 page glossy magazine of her best photographs.

Here is a short Instagram Reel featuring Galiya opening the package which she received today, and showing us the magazine.

Cotton Candy | Mizuki

It was a glorious day in Washington Square Park where hundreds of various vendors hawking their wares were arranged in a neat circle around its fountain.

With her immaculate white cotton candy wig, one of them stood out. "Mizuki" frequently graces the park, and has a folding table with her artwork. She describes herself as an actor, singer, songwriter, director, producer as well as an artist.

I was certainly not the only one who was visually attracted to her looks, so I had to line up with other photographers to photograph her. I invited "Mizuki" for a photo session in SoHo, and hopefully that will take place when we can schedule it.

Galiya | Soho & Lower East Side

A 3-hour marathon photo session with Galiya resulted in over 300 photographs made in the streets of Soho and at Freeman Alley of the Lower East Side in New York City. 

I used the Fuji GFX50S and a Fujinon 45mm (the widest lens I have for this camera).

La Place Du Tertre | Paris

The Place du Tertre is the highest square of Paris, and was created in 1772. Its name means the ‘mound‘, a direct reference to the hillock of Montmartre. All over the square, various artists set up their easels in the afternoon, tempting the visitors and tourists with their works of art: personalized charcoal portraits, water-paintings, drawings, and sculptures.

About 300 artists occupy their rented spaces. They erect their easels and pallets and go about their creative business from around 10 am until dusk. There are about 150 spaces of a square meter, occupied by two artists – each working alternate days. To obtain a permit, the artist has to submit a portfolio for approval.

It’s claimed that the French term ‘Bistro’ started from earlier days in the Place du Tertre. It originated during the Russian occupation of Paris in 1814. The Cossack soldiers would often take a drink in the cafés before their little battles. They would call ‘Bystro’, meaning quickly, before they were ordered to fight. Legend has it that the term Bistro has stuck ever since.

Here's an audio slideshow (or readers can scroll down):

For my larger sized photographs: Place Du Tertre

Freeman Alley | NYC

As a result of a Tweet from a fellow photographer, I walked over to the Lower East Side, and found a veritable trove of graffiti and paste art on the walls of a narrow alley leading to a low-key hotel and a renown restaurant. The alley will provide awesome backdrops for my forthcoming photo sessions...especially for those wearing street fashion.

The dead-end alley is in NYC's Lower East Side and is about 300 feet long, starting from the north side Rivington Street between the Bowery and Chrystie Street. I read it might be named for Uzal Freeman, a surveyor who in 1810 lived in the area, or for the Second African Burial Ground, a cemetery for black New Yorkers.

I used my Fuji X-Pro3 fitted with a fujinon 16mm, and set the images' format to a 16:9 aspect ratio. However, when I am photographing a model, I'll be using the medium format GFX50S/GFX50R with a 45mm and a 63mm...as I prefer to photograph horizontal frames, the narrowness of the alley will be a challenge, and will force me to (i) photograph at an angle, and choose the spots (as in the center of the alley), (ii) photograph verticals, (iii) photograph horizontal half body length and portraits and perhaps use a X-Pro3 with a 12mm wide angle lens for some of the frames.

For my larger sized photographs, drop by Freeman Alley here.