My family had its annual week-long trip to Cape Cod last week. We stayed right on the beach at Linnell Landing in Brewster with my dad’s side of the family. The first half of the week was fraught with clouds and rain, which made for pretty crummy beach weather. Thankfully the sun came out later in the week and I was able to get in a few decent photos!

All shots taken with the 5d2 & 17-40 or 85/1.8.

In my quest to “pursue photography” more this summer whilst [f]unemployed, I made my sisters dress up for a photoshoot on the beaches of Cape Cod (not that they took much convincing!). I have very little experience with portraiture, and they’re just so photogenic! I have to say, this experience might have been monumental in whatever may happen with my so-called photography career because it was such a success! My sisters are so picky and critical and can be divas to work with, so the fact that they were so thrilled with the shoot results was so encouraging. The 135L is an absolute dream for portraits!

All shot with the 5d2 & 135L or 85/1.8.

Lauren and I went to a bar in Bushwick to catch some bands performing for this year’s Make Music New York. Virtually every neighborhood in NYC had performances throughout the day at various venues for the event. At the Duck Duck Bar we sat front-row and watched Matthew Varvil, Of Hounds, and Roadside Graves make some enjoyable music. Then afterwards, we made our way to another venue where a certain band was supposed to be performing on the roof… only there was no one out there when we arrived! (Perhaps they wussed out because of the rain?). But it ended up being a good thing because we had our own little practice photoshoot on the roof and fire escape!

All shots taken with the 5d2 & 85/1.8 or 135L.

I made my [unofficial] annual trip to the Top of the Rock observation deck at Rockefeller Center tonight. Jono let me borrow his rented tilt shift lens, which I had no idea what to do with but had a whole lot of fun playing with! Overall I was less than thrilled with the shots I got this time, which I’ll blame on the subpar lighting and windy conditions when we were up there. But one thing’s for sure - I’ll never get tired of seeing NYC lit up at night. It’s gorgeous, and it makes me feel alive. Of course the fact that I had just completed my last day of work at my old job may have contributed to this feeling of liberation as well, but I’ll take it either way

All shot with the 5d2 & 90/2.8 TS-E or other lenses (I used like 5 others!).

This month, the High Line finally opened up to the public. What was once elevated train tracks has been turned into a public park, complete with garden patches and elegantly-designed benches and seating areas. What I love about the park is that it’s so clean and modern-looking and a really nice place to spend some time, but there still exists a sort of grungy essence that I hope never completely fades from NYC.

All shots taken with the 5d2 & 17-40.