Landscape Entry

Someone wise once told me “don’t miss the forest for the trees”. I knew what that saying meant, but never fully understood it the way I do now. Photography always pushes my mental ability to its limits. If I don’t properly evaluate the things around me, I’ll miss a chance to capture beautiful scenery or a beautiful moment.

As a teenager growing up in Glenelg, Maryland, a suburban/rural area of Howard County, I never actually appreciated its true beauty, or stopped for a moment to notice that the scenery around me was worth a thousand words.

In Boston, where I live now, I rarely see such vast expanses of land with beautiful sky uninterrupted. I have to thank my sister for this shot. Not only did she alert me to the a beautiful sunset, she also taught me a new trick for taking photos.

I grabbed my 28mm f1.8 lens and first tried to take the shot in ISO 100, f5.6 with 1/30 shutter speed. The foreground was too dark. It’s understandable, since the ISO I used was quite low and I didn’t want to open up my aperture because I wanted my landscape photo to be sharp. I increased the ISO to 1600 just to see what I could muster. It turned out OK, but I wasn’t really happy with it because the foreground was still a tad dark, and if I increased the ISO more it would produce more noise. I concluded that the only way to capture it with perfect exposure was to open up the shutter speed. Of course I needed a tripod for it. I told my sister I could actually fix it in post but for the heck of it I opened it up to 1/10. It came out with blur.

My sister told me to try it again and said this time she would hold me. Our natural body wavelength (tremor) will naturally lessen the vibration. She did that and VOILA! I was able to capture it. You guys should try it. Have your assistant (or your sister, or your friend) hold both of your arms just for support. You are your own tripod. Of course, the longer the shutter speed you use, the worse the results will be.

US Captain Navy Retirement Ceremony

For over 20 years in the Navy as a Medical Researcher my step dad rose in rank to captain and now had a chance to retire. I’d like to tell a story about myself before I delve deeper into sharing these photos. I lost my biological dad in the battle against cancer when I was 11. When I lost him, it was as if the world was ending. I didn’t know what to do at that time; all I wanted to do is to become like him and make him proud. The worst part then was seeing my mom suffering. She had just lost someone that she had loved throughout most of her life.

Shortly after my dad passed away, my mom met my step dad and he brought my brother and I to America when I was 13. My step dad has loved me unconditionally. Without his sacrifices and his love for my mom, I wouldn’t be here. He taught me discipline and helped us to live here. I happily took up the challenge to document his retirement ceremony and the subsequent reception party afterwards. Thank you for everything, dad, and congratulations.

Kelly Family Lifestyle Photoshoot

I shot these in November 18, 2012 and was asked to wait before posting it to my site because Kelly wanted to surprise her family with holiday cards of the photos. I happily obliged with the request 🙂 This was a very busy week for me. I shot an engagement session the day before and 3 mini-sessions on the day before driving over to Kelly’s house to shoot her family session. However, I couldn’t be happier shooting this family and I was glad to be able to document the love that they have for each other. I am also blessed with a wonderful model, Isla. Look at her!!! There aren’t really any bad shots if you have her in the frame. Thank you again guys 🙂 Happy Holidays!

April 7, 2015 - 6:19 pm

Steve McGarvey - Fantastic Job!

H+P Beautiful Engagement

Like all forms of art, photographs can be styled to create a certain mood or effect. In working with clients I always offer a wide range of editing options to influence the final look of a shoot. The original, color-corrected shots are a given, but the variations allow for a more custom creativity – dramatic black and white, perhaps, or scruffy and film-like. For this couple’s session we opted for the film look, which is a growing trend in wedding photography. Our backdrop was the natural beauty of Boston Commons and surrounding Beacon Hill, where we we were joined by the bride-to-be’s adorable Shiba Inu, Ronin. The session was a ton of fun and I had a great time working with these two. I absolutely can’t wait to shoot their wedding next year. Bonus if Ronin makes another appearance!

February 10, 2014 - 2:43 am

Hillary + Paul Wedding » Renard Richie - […] tied the knot not long after. You may remember them from their engagement that I shot last year, Hillary + Paul Engagement. Love is inseparable by race, gender or religion. It is pure, selfless, and in my heart I believe it […]

Jimmy & Jenna Engagement

On October 21, I had the pleasure of shooting Jimmy and Jenna’s engagement pictures. One of the things that I advertise to my clients is great photos and fast turn-around. I’m a bit of a workoholic and once I set my mind to do something I have to get it done. This engagement shoot is by far one of my favorite sets that I’ve had the pleasure to work on. They are wonderful to work with and the results show. I cannot wait to shoot their wedding in March 2013. Again guys, congratulations. 🙂

March 15, 2014 - 1:12 am

Trudi Florian - They are beautiful