As I walked into the lobby of their condominium (The Blue in Miami), something inside of me knew I would "hit it off" with these two. Over a nice lincoln road breakfast, we discussed the most important aspects of their wedding day with photography being at the top of the list. Once I heard that, everything just fell into place perfectly. Two weeks later Nuria Manrique and Lester Kuan were living out their dream day and we were there to catch every moment. Here's a quick peek at a few highlights... Nuria and Lester: I'm so grateful that we were able to pull things together with such short notice. From preparation to ceremony and right into the celebration, this day was perfect! Congratulations, we look forward to getting together. And a special thanks to: 1) as always to my precious Gisela for throwing all obstacles aside to shoot with me. You are amazing and I thank you for everything you do, 2) Tracey Ann Jarrett: owner of Photo Notions Photography for offering your talent to work with me and making this day a success 3) Marissa Cisneros for referring Nuria and Lester to me: thank you for trusting me, I count it an honor.

With their wedding not far off, Marissa and Luis are getting married at the Church of the Little Flower on June 07, 2008. We started out with a few family portraits and little Jorge had a natural gift in front of the camera. After about 5-10 minutes of getting comfortable with us, he turned on the charm and the rest of the day followed suit. Luis and Marissa completely complement one another which was clear to us every moment. We find that every couple has a unique story as to how they met, fell in love and finally found themselves walking towards the alter. These two are no exception which was refreshing once again.

Thanks again you two for sharing your story with us and choosing us to work with...we are looking forward to an amazing wedding day...

So I pulled up to the residence of Vinnie and Rosie Hayden today expecting to run upstairs, connect with Rosie and makeup artist Nadia Lemos, and then back outdoors for a fun portrait session...but wait, as i walk into their apartment with windows facing east & west, the light was dancing across the room and simply screaming at me, "SHOOT HERE, SHOOT HERE MIKE!". Well a couple of hours later we finished the first part of our portrait session of Rosie Hayden who you might recognize as the talented wedding coordinator at Coco Plum Party Place in Miami. We had an amazing day with a few unexpected turns as we ventured outdoors (I'll share more on that in a later post). A big thanks to Nadia Lemos for not only doing an amazing job with the makeup but also worked seamlessly with me as an assistant to help produce this amazing light. And of course, thank you Vinnie for taking care of the family while we turned your wife into a model for the day, you are the best my friend. Rosie, you look fantastic! I'm so grateful that we connected and are able to work with one another. Thank you for all you do...

Sometimes we wake up in the morning scratching our heads and saying to ourselves somewhere inside, "hmmm, what's my life all about and what's my purpose today?" Personally, that day happens more often than not to me which is why I'm excited about leaving for Haiti on Monday, March 3rd to document the activities happening at Project Hope Orphanage which just might answer that question for some of us. Check out the video below to see more... If you want to get involved in helping out, just check out their website. As well, sometime later this year, I'll be releasing a method for contributions to go directly to those in need for multiple projects.