Haiti is another country that seems to have an ongoing and evolving presence in my life. When I was a teenager, my best friends’ mom traveled there with her church and took slides that she showed us when she returned. I was fascinated and hoped I’d one day travel there. I got an opportunity in...
Author Archives: xine
Mayan Riviera Wedding – Playa Del Carmen with Betsy and Justin
Location: Iberostar Quetzal, Playa del Carmen Mexico Couple from: San Francisco Wow, has it really been two years since Betsy and Justin got married? Before I was blogging, before I was on Facebook, Betsy and Justin chose me to photograph their wedding in Playa Del Carmen which is on the Caribbean side of Mexico, south...
Glimpses of Redhook – Brooklyn, NY
I first heard about Redhook from Eugene Richard’s book Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue. Amazing photography, but not exactly an endorsement for the neighborhood. A couple of years later I found myself in Redhook photographing the opening day of the NY Mexican baseball league. (I need to get some of those photos online…finally.) Nowadays, Redhook has...
The Lemon Ice King of Corona
The Lemon Ice King of Corona is a New York legend. I don’t know when I first heard about it but it was probably a good 15 or so years ago, maybe making one of the Best Of lists in either the New York Press or the Village Voice. It was always on my list...
Sugar Mama
Lent is officially over. I’ve always thought of Lent as a great time to look at what I was overindulging in and try to abstain from whatever it was for 40 days. This year once again it was sugar. I won’t say I was perfect, but for me it wasn’t about total perfection. It was...
Palm Sunday Puerto Vallarta Style
Palm Sunday (in Spanish El Domingo de Ramos) is celebrated in Mexico, like it is in the US, with the handing out of palm fronds . But what’s really unique is that the evening before, artisans (some who travel from outlying villages or even from other states) camp out in front of the city’s main...
Epoca (Puerto Vallarta Restaurant)
Location: Epoca Restaurant, Puerto Vallarta Couples from: Colorado, Chicago I’ve had the pleasure of both eating and working (which fortunately included some eating!) at Epoca Restaurant which is ideally located between the Malecon and Los Muertos beach in “Old Town” Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The first time was in April 2007 when I photographed Kara and...
Engaged! (La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta)
Location: La Palapa Restaruant, Puerto Vallarta Mexico Couple from: Chicago Reed was really excited to propose to Rhonda and wanted to find the perfect location. So many options here in Puerto Vallarta. It became a decision between a place up high with a great view looking down on the bay or a romantic spot on...
Family Paradise (Family Portrait Paradise Village, Nuevo Vallarta)
Location: Paradise Village, Nuevo Vallarta Mexico Family from: Colorado Karah contacted me to photograph her and her family while they were visiting from Colorado and staying at Nuevo Vallarta’s Paradise Village resort, always popular with families. One nice thing about photographing at Paradise Village is the variety of locations/backgrounds available. Sunset portrait sessions can be...