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Bellydance Photo Shoot with Shahrazad - April 19, 2006

The next bellydance shoot of the day was with Shahrazad from Saddle River, NJ. Here's a few cool images from the photo session.

Bellydance Photo Shoot with Angelique - April 19, 2006

Wednesday April 19 was a really busy day. After spending about 2 hours photographing Kate and Kevin's wedding ceremony in the afternoon, I went back to my photo studio in midtown Manhattan to do 3 bellydance photo shoots in the evening. The first dancer was Angelique from New Paltz, NY. Here's just a few of the great shots I took during her photo session.

Kate & Kevin's Wedding - April 19, 2006

This was a small intimate weekday wedding ceremony I shot in Central Park. The couple, Kate & Kevin are from a small England town and decided to get married in an exotic destination, New York City. I can't think of a better place because I love NYC.

Kate being escorted to the ceremony by her dad.

Kevin watching as Kate approaches.

Kate and Kevin laughing from part of Rev Alma Daniel's beautiful ceremonial reading. Alma was the officiant and is one of the best officiants in NYC.

The exchange of rings.

Kate and Kevin glacing at each other as they say their vows.

The Kiss.

The couple walking to another Central Park spot for some portraits.

Afterwords the couple went on a cab to go sightseeing around NYC.

Bhavana & Samir's Wedding, Day 4 - April 15, 2006

Here's some shots from the last day of the wedding which took place at Pier Sixty (located in Chelsea Piers) in Manhattan, NYC. Check out a whole bunch more through the link at the bottom of the post.

The Jersey skyline view outside the pier.

Bhavana getting ready.

Bhavana's bridesmaids getting ready.

Super cute.

Samir getting ready with a little help.

The handsome groom.

They see each other for the first time during the day.

In the Limo going to some portrait locations.

In Hindu tradition, the groom's name is designed into the henna on the bride. It is the duty of the groom to find his name on his bride which is a sign of luck and prosperity. Here Samir is making an attempt to find himself.

In Grand Central Station.

The beautiful bride.

Walking towards Times Square.

At the center island in Times Square.

After the photo sesion, we headed back to Pier Sixty where the venue was adored with many Hindu religious pieces.

Before the main ceremony, Bhavana and Samir each had their own little ceremonies.

Musicians played tunes during Bhavana's ceremony.

Samir's ceremony included him riding into the venue on a horse dressed in matching attire.

The guests having a great time during Samir's ceremony, which had dance music playing in the background.

Everyone helping Samir dismount the horse.

All the guests heading towards the main ceremony. There were over 400 guests attending the final ceremony and reception.

During the beginning of the ceremony, the bride and groom are separated from seeing each other by a blanket.

Here's a lower perspective of the set up.

Here's an aeriel view of the set up.

The couple exchange offerings under the blanket.

The couple also exchange rings under the blanket.

Finally the blanket is lifted and Bhavana and Samir will perform the next ceremonial traditions face to face.

Samir places a necklace around Bhavana.

Next the couple pours rice over each other's head.

Bhavana glances at Samir.

The couple holds popcorn together.

In the next part of the ceremony, the couple plays a game where they both place their hands in a vase pitcher, where a ring is located. Whoever finds and pulls the ring out first is said to have control of the household.

Guess who won.

The guests had a terrific time watching the competition portion of the ceremony.

The couple exit the ceremony.

A kiss right before the reception starts.

The beautiful flowers and decor set up for the reception.

The delicious Abigail Kirsch cake.

The venue from outside.

The first dance.

Bhavana dances with her dad.

Samir's parents give a toast.

Samir dances with his mom.

Now the party starts.

The bridal party give toasts.

Samir's feeding Bhavana cake.

And the party resumes.

The last dance.

To check out a bunch more photos from the wedding click below:
more photos

Bhavana & Samir's Wedding, Day 3 - April 14, 2006

Day 3 of the wedding was a bridal religious ceremony that took place at Bhavana's uncle's home in Marlboro, NJ.

Bhavana getting dressed for the ceremony.

Two adorable children watching the preparation.

The Hindu ceremony begins with prayers and offerings.

All the women gave sincere and heartfelt speeches for Bhavana's marriage.

Bhavana touched and teary eyed from the words.

Bhavana & Samir's Wedding, Day 2 - April 13, 2006

The second day of the wedding took place aboard the World Yacht in Manhattan, NYC. The yacht chartered around Manhattan Island where breataking views of the NYC skyline were enjoyed by everyone.

The couple boards the yacht.

The guests enjoying the view.

During the evening, the guests were entertained by Bollywood dance performances.

The guests enjoying the performances.

Bhavana and Samir really enjoying the performances.

The most adorable performer.

After the performances, the dance party kicked in.

Samir's brother gives a great speech.

Samir's parents laughing and enjoying the speech.

The guests partying to the stick dance.

Bhavana & Samir's Wedding, Day 1 - April 12, 2006

It's been almost two weeks since I last posted on this blog and I'm sorry for the delay in getting everyone info and pics of what's been going on here (and trust me, there's been lots going on). Anyhow, one of the major things that happened in the last two weeks was Bhavana & Samir's 4 day wedding. Yes, 4 day wedding! This was one of the biggest weddings I've ever had the opportunity to photograph. One of the great things about photographing weddings in NYC is that I get the opportunity to shoot a wide variety of cultural weddings and document so many amazing traditions from a myriad of religions. Almost the whole Lina Jang Photography team (second photographers and interns) assisted and photographed with me during this event. Thousands of great shots were taken and just picking out some favorites from this amazing wedding was difficult. Here are some shots from day one of the wedding, the mendhi party. Bhavana & Samir's families are from South India where brides have beautiful henna designs applied to their hands and feet. Remember what I said a few weeks about the luck and symbolism behind henna designs. The mendhi party is a party where all the women from the brides side have henna applied to their hands and feet.

The Mendhi party took place at Bhavana's parents estate home in Marlboro, NJ.

The women sit and wait for the henna artists to apply the designs.

The beautiful Bhavana.

The henna artist applies the designs to Bhavana's feet.

The hand designs.

Bhavana's relatives having fun.

The bride with her jewelry and on top of her bridal outfit.

The party favors.

Bridal Expo at New York Marriot East Side Hotel

The New York Marriot East Side Hotel, one of Manhattan's leading wedding ballroom venues, will be holding an exquisite bridal expo next month on May 8, 2006 from 6-9PM. I'm excited to be the exclusive photographer invited to participate and showcase in the event and to be one of the selected vendors recommended by the renowned venue. They'll be champagne, hors d'oeures, prizes given, live music provided by the terrific Bud Maltin Orchestra, and guest speakers. They'll also be raffling off a free engagement photo shoot by Lina Jang Photography (meaning me) for future brides to be. The event is free and it'll be so fun so rsvp, bring a friend and hang out. Also if any of you guys know any soon to be brides who haven't booked a reception venue, please let them know about the expo. The New York Marriot East Side will be fully decorated and presented during the expo. I'll post some pics after the expo so stay tuned.

Bellydance Photo Shoot with Mimi - April 2, 2006

The day after my exhibit opening, I had the pleasure of photographing my good friend Mimi (who performed at my opening). I've shot Mimi on numerous occasions and we even went to Los Cabos, Mexico last year for an extended photo shoot. This studio session was to be the last photo session Mimi would need before she had what she wanted to finish off her upcoming website. We had such a great time and there were so many great shots we got from the shoot. Below are just a small sample of the shots. Mimi flew back to Florida after the shoot.

Lina Jang's "Excursions" Exhibition

Below were all the photos on display at the LITM gallery for my fine art exhibition.

I would like to thank all the special dancers who modeled for the work in my show.