For the past three years, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing the Opdenburg family for their annual Chinese New Year’s card. The theme is loosely based on the creature of the year—this time the Tiger—and I always have a blast trying to come up with an idea that relates to said animal. The problem is shooting in the middle of winter and coming up with a concept that won’t freeze everyone to the bone. So I took my chances and asked their lovely mother Shana if we could go to a park and hunt for some tall grass for the “tigers” to stalk in. She said yes and prayed that it was subarctic out.

As luck would have it, this past Saturday was a bit timid for NJ January weather at 44 degrees, allowing for a brisk shoot through Verona Park. We brought along some colorful balloons to brighten up the gray surroundings and finished the day with only a mild case of frost bite (kidding) and some fun images.

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