Same Sun, Shifting Perspectives: Cru Millennials Retreat

As a Californian, I've taken a lot of things in life for granted. If I could do my high school years all again, I would have marched the few blocks down the street to the beach every single day and soaked in as many blissful moments of sunshine as I could to negate the next 6+ years on the East Coast. One thing that didn't even occur to me, though, was that I would lose something very special: sunsets over the water. Believe it or not, a funny little thing called geography kind of gets in the way of that when you switch coasts. So despite a total lack of sleep during this past weekend's Cru Millennials Retreat, when I got Paul's blast at 1am saying a sunrise viewing on the beach was happening, I decided 4-5 hours of sleep was sufficient.

There are few things in this world that I will wake up early for, but the opportunity to experience a snippet of my old life, just differently, was well worth it. We lucked out with just the right amount of clouds, just the right amount of evolving colors, and just the right amount of awe & wonder to settle into our souls. The thing that I love about sunsets and sunrises is that in the span of less than an hour, you have the same sun, but shifting perspectives. As the minutes go by, the sky changes, your squinting needs to adapt, even how you view people begins to shift. And somehow, that's just the perfect way to encapsulate what the weekend retreat was like. 

Cru Millennials is an incredible ministry that seeks to create a community among young adult Christians in New York City. They have a huge heart for connecting wide and connecting deep, and I was lucky enough to hear about the annual beach retreat to Ocean Grove, NJ this year. With zero expectations beyond the promise of the ocean, I dove straight in, and found such beauty. From the lifting of shame to the necessary reliance on God's strength instead of our own, there were so many verses that were exactly the same, but was now viewed with a different perspective. As we broke out into smaller groups, it continued: seeing these same topics now through the eyes of others, learning from their wisdom, sharing my own. It never ceases to amaze me that even after 10+ years of being a Christian, I'm constantly learning to see through different lenses. But then again, I suppose that's just reflective of the infinite beauty of knowing God. 

Many thanks to all the staff & volunteers of Cru Millennials for making this weekend as beautiful, fun, relaxing, and welcoming as we all needed. And if you'd like to learn more or get connected, don't hesitate to reach out!

Let's take a whirl in the 20's: Jazz Age Lawn Party

Oh how I wish I lived in a time far fancier! Fascinators, long pearls, flapping dresses, seersucker suits, straw hats, and more! Ignore the fact that an Asian like me would be tucked away in the kitchen, and 1920s America sounds almost perfect heh heh. I've long held a love for the style of the jazz age: it all started in 4th grade when our class put on a Vaudeville Show and my mom made me a red & black flapper dress. Because I stopped growing in 5th grade, I proceeded to wear that dress as a Halloween costume (I kid you not) until college! This time around, I was joining hundreds of other party-goers at the 10th Annual Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island, and boy was it a blast! While there were varying levels of effort in outfits, I was truly amazed at how some people just played the part so well. It truly felt like you were transported to the 1920s for an afternoon with beautiful cocktails, a phenomenal jazz band, and non-stop dancing. Even people's picnics were on another level - we're talking fine china, wooden tables, vases with flowers, and more. I was smart enough to remember my DSLR this time around and courageous enough to ask strangers for photographs!

I always forget how much I love my 50mm lens until I start taking portraits with it - the crispness is just magical. For the most part I was shooting between a f/2.2 and f/3.2 from quite a few steps back. The only problem is that I need to put so much distance between myself & the subject, that it's hard to clear a path in a large crowd! I'm definitely getting better at quickly taking photographs, but I still feel quite a bit of pressure when I'm taking portraits of strangers as opposed to friends. I've learned, however, that a compliment serves as a fantastic explanation and lead-in to your question! 

Ethereal Light in Bushwick: Sarah Jane Shanks Collaboration [Part 2]

  This is Part 2 of my collaboration with the life-loving Sarah Jane Shanks! To see Part I please click here.

For Part 2, I'm showing you guys the photos from the incredible rooftop of this apartment we used in Bushwick! The wind was blowing hard and it was a lot colder than it looks, but we laughed our whole way through, played with the breeze as much as possible, and witnessed swatches of colors appear in the sunset behind us. I had so much fun experimenting with light out on the rooftop and in the interior shots in Part 1. It's incredible how just the slightest of movements, the tiniest of blockings, can completely change how a photo comes out. Soft hues versus sharp contrasts are all possible. While normally I would try to be editing the colors of my photos to remove any "unnatural" hues, I actually loved the shades cast on Sarah Jane as the sun set and sought to capture them even more. 

Baby Blues for Baby Boys

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate my dear friends Amy and Renee who are expecting baby boys a couple of weeks apart. Both of these wonderful ladies are actually the first within my New York City friend group to be entering parenthood, and I couldn't be more delighted for them. The item I loved the most (besides the gorgeous cake and ridiculously delicious monkey bread) was the hanging twine with "favors" for after the baby was born. Ideas ranged from bringing over a movie for a girls night to doing a sink full of dishes to holding a real adult conversation! As more and more of my friends have entered into different life stages than me, I've wondered how I can love and serve them best when I have absolutely no clue what they might be going through. I loved these tangible ideas and can't wait to see how amazing of mothers Amy & Renee will both become!