A birthday on the 4th of July, originally uploaded by LahDeeDah Lu.

Coming to the US, there is no day that is quite so American and so light as the 4th of July. The whole country has a day off in the middle of summer. The weather was great (well, there was a huge downpour in the late afternoon/evening). Bubbles, a happy birthday girl and a red barn in the background just seem to capture the whole spirit of the day.

Quinceañera and sister in Central Park, originally uploaded by LahDeeDah Lu.

I had the pleasure of shooting a “Quinceañera” party in New York City. A “Quinceañera” is a latino celebration of a girl’s coming of age, at age 15. It’s similar to a “sweet sixteen”, but it’s planned nearly extravagantly as a wedding.

This is my favorite shot from the event. I’ll be posting a full album of the photos in a week or so.