Jase Kim

ASHLEY + PATRICK (Beloved Session – West Village, NYC Photography)

Posted on June 25, 2012 by jase

I first met Ashley and Patrick a couple years ago when I did their engagement session and wedding. I remember their engagement session distinctly not only because it was at lovely Sands Point, but because as soon as I met them and shook their hands, Patrick looks at his watch and goes, “Okay, we only have an hour. Let’s get going.” Ha.

So much for small talk! I believe Patrick was in med school at the time and they had scheduled the entire day to take care of other wedding business, so understandably, their day was tight. I don’t think it was a stretch, either, to think that “Engagement Session” wasn’t exactly circled in red with exclamation points in his calendar.

Before we knew it though, everyone loosened up, the trust in the relationship began, and we ended up with some amazing photos (as well as having a great time). One blink later and they were married, holding their reception at one of my favorite Manhattan venues, Studio 450.

As with the vast majority of my clients, I managed to keep in touch with Ashley and Patrick over the years and as I branched off into a different philosophy of portraiture, they provided plenty of moral support and enthusiasm for my new venture.

So a few weeks back, Ashley and Patrick experienced their own Beloved session in the midst of moving to Texas after calling NYC home for the past few years. I don’t think it could’ve come at a better time for them, as they themselves mentioned how much they needed this time to just relax and be together, leaving behind all the stress and anxiety that comes with moving half-way across the country.

It was great working with Ashley and Patrick again, and I was glad to see them one more time before they moved out of New York. We can always look back on these photos and remember how we almost managed to finish an entire shoot without a European family getting passive-aggressively pissed off at me. Oh well.

I should mention though, that as soon as I met up with them at Washington Square Park, they were like, “We can only park there for an hour, so let’s get going.” Or something like that. Some things never change, I guess.

~Jase

The last shots were taken with the permission of the courteous staff at popbar over on Carmine and 6th. Go tell them Jase Kim sent you and you get a free confused wtf look from the staff!

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Stephanie, Yabar & Wally (Beloved Family Portraits – Brooklyn, NYC)

Posted on June 23, 2012 by jase

Stephanie was my boss for a number of years, another life ago when I used to work corporate. While working for the firm, I moonlit as a photographer and writer for a few years, and no one was more supportive of my passions than Stephanie. She was definitely the best boss I ever had… always had my back, and we know that goes a LONG way in business and in life. I remember walking into her office with my resignation letter on my fourteenth to last day in the corporate world, and instead of some selfish “How can you do this to us!” kind of spiel, she was like “I KNEW IT! But I’m so happy for you! You’re gonna be awesome!” How can you not love a boss like that?

It’s been a few years now, and we still keep in touch. She’s since gotten married (to a gentleman named Yabar) and had a handsome son, named Wally… I forget what it’s short for. (Sorry!) I’m still single with no kids, but the business has been my baby of sorts, keeping me up at nights and breast pumping all my money away. Sorry, that was a terrible metaphor.

Anyways, Steph and I were having lunch one day when we started discussing a Beloved Family Portrait session. This was more a hybrid of a Beloved and a regular portrait session because there’s only so much response/reaction you’re going to get from a baby!

For this blog entry, I’m showcasing just black and white photos. I recently met with a couple who wanted ONLY color photographs for their wedding and it kind of bothered me. They didn’t book me but I wasn’t terribly destroyed over it like I usually am(!). I think it would’ve been a cool wedding to shoot (it was themed) and the couple seemed really nice. But I LOVE black and white photography (moreso than color), so I would’ve been torn. I think I would’ve just given them black and whites regardless (I’m stubborn like that).

I think with a great color photo, I’m like “Wow, that’s a cool photo.” But with a great black and white, I’m more like “Wow, there’s so much emotion in this shot.” Black and whites strip everything else away, isolating the emotion. And a photograph that evokes a certain feeling is always far superior to me.

Not that I’m saying all of MY black and whites are like that. But that is a goal of mine every time I click the shutter. Anyways, enjoy these monochromes!

~Jase

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KAYLA + ROY – United States Military Academy and Boscobel House & Gardens Wedding Photography (West Point/Garrison, NY)

Posted on May 31, 2012 by jase

Let’s play Six Degrees of Separation. Kayla and Roy got married last Sunday at West Point, NY. Kayla’s mom, Lisa knows Allison C. through working together, who is sisters with Rob C., who I was close friends with in elementary school. Is that just five? Well… Rob, Allison and I got reacquainted in the past couple of years through Facebook so I guess FB is our sixth degree. When Kayla got engaged to Roy, Allison gave Lisa my contact information.

I first met with Kayla’s mother a while back at her home in Garrison and we got along right off the bat. Kayla and Roy were living in Germany at the time so Lisa, acting on their behalf, was my contact person. If Kayla was as warm and kind as her mother, I was going to have a great time photographing her and her fiance, Roy, who is a First Lieutenant in the United States Army and a graduate of the prestigious United States Military Academy in West Point.

A couple months pass and Kayla is back in the States taking care of some wedding planning so she, Lisa and I met up at a little cafe in Cold Spring and after that consult, I knew I was going to have a fantastic time.

Fast forward to May 27. There were threats of thunderstorms in the days leading up, but on our drive upstate, we knew it was going to be a beautiful day. Not just because of the weather, but because of the two people who were getting married to each other. And for the two wonderful families that were becoming one.

The emotional ceremony took place at the Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity on West Point’s campus and the reception took place on the beautiful gardens of Boscobel in Garrison, NY. The day couldn’t have gone any smoother and everyone involved in this event, from the bride and groom to the last guest, couldn’t have been more gracious and classy.

Seeing two wonderful people getting married to each other never gets old, no matter how many weddings I shoot. And I was fortunate enough to have had the honor to document this one. It was truly an exquisite event!

Cheers to 1st LT. and Mrs. Roy Ragsdale! Hope you two enjoy these teasers from your precious day! And special thanks to my second shooter, Orlando Emmanuelli for his amazing artistic skills and talent.

~Jase