Vintage style couture!

Oh man, I had a great weekend! It started with an absolutely beautiful wedding (see Dan and Marie below), and ended with a good 5 hours of shooting a really nice line of wedding dresses and womens business attire for Stephanie James Courture of Huntington Beach, CA. Remember the pin-up girl photos I posted a while ago? Well this caught the eye of Stephanie and her husband Jim Kennedy, who is one of the photographers I admire most in this business. We met at Becker Photographer's workshop in NYC and have kept in touch since then. In Vegas I saw them again at Becker's shin dig and that's when we decided to make this photo shoot happen.

It was a lot of fun, the weather was GREAT for AZ, and I got to get to know Jim and Stephanie a lot better and they are both awesome people. So many photographers are so caught up in their own positioning, that they sometimes forget what is really important to their clients; great, amazing photography, excellent customer service, and just knowing that their business is really appreciated. Well Jim focuses on all three of these things before himself and it's no surprise that the hundred plus brides who hire him each year absolutely love him. Same with Stephanie, who's also a wedding photographer.

Here's a shot of Jim from yesterday, and his wife Stephanie (I took that photo at Becker's workshop in NYC, she was a model for it!) - she's quite the looker! I gave Jim the ride of his life after the shoot to a place where we could all eat some dinner and download our images. You know I am in AZ at least a couple times a month these days, but when we got in the car my ADD really kicked in full force. I impressed Jim with my cognitive map-reading skills, my ability to drive at night with no headlights, and got a few nervous laughs out of him as I skillfully dodged a median, and crazy drivers who didn't know how to drive. ;) What am I doing as a photographer! I need to become an airline pilot. I told Jim that I started taking flying lessons a while back. I can take off on my own, but I can't land yet. As soon as I learn to land, I am bringing Jim and Stephanie out for a flight, a little adventure tour somewhere cool. And poor Stephanie who had to follow me, was dying for a pit stop. Sorry Stephanie!

And here are just a few shots from my shoot. Jim and I were both shooting and by coincidence he was working more with Jamie, the model they brought out from CA and I worked mostly with Amber, so I'm not playing fav's here, I just happen to have more shots of Amber. They were both just PERFECT for this kind of shoot and worked it very well for the camera! I haven't even seen them all yet, these just stuck out from a very quick scan of the images.

Here's Jamie - this shot probably wouldn't work for Stephanie's use because it doesn't show the whole dress, but it's one of my personal fav's.

Jim already thinks I'm a liar because I convinced him I knew where I was going when I was driving (I really thought I did), and now just yesterday I told him that I no longer do the spot coloring thing, and I went on and on about how it's so over-done, and blah blah blah. And so then I go home and do THIS. How can I ever be trusted! ;)

Jamie, looking very elegant...

Amber, doing what she does best...

Thanks again Jim, Stephnanie, Jamie and Amber and Kelli, the hairdresser who really gave these girls a great look!! I hope we got some keepers here for ya!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!

I gotta give a shout to my mom this mother's day! I have to say, she's the hardest working woman I've ever met. Being a single mom with a couple of rugrats like myself is no easy task, even when your son is an absolute ANGEL like myself.

Here's my mom - she kind of looks like Celine Dion, but prettier. In fact, I remember in college, I was taking a spanish class and the Professora was all, "OK CLASS, today we're going to learn how to say the word 'BEAUTIFUL' in Spanish. Ready... 'LINDA'." I was like, "uh, tell me something I DIDNT know. My mom's name is Linda and she just happens to be beautiful. What a crazy coinkidink! My mom has taught me that nothing comes to you for free. You have to work to get things. And the harder you work, the more results you'll see.

Also, my mom gave me my first camera when I was like, 12 years old. It was a Canon AE-1. I loved that camera. She said, "if you can figure it out, it's yours". I wonder where I'd be now if my mom would have never given me that camera. Anyway, thanks mom, I love you and happy mothers day! Since I'm in AZ, I'm bringing you out to PF Changs next week when I get home!

When two Italians Marry...

Last night I photographed a long awaited wedding for Marie and Dan, of Scottsdale, AZ. It was everything I could have ever hoped for as a photographer. But that's no surprise because Marie and Dan are both Italian. Paisanos! I love a good Italian wedding. They were seriously the nicest people EVER.

Victoria Canada, as expected, did an amazing job, keeping things on track, and astounding everyone with her thoughtful decor and surprises throughout the night.

I met Marie at 9:00 AM at Sachi Salon in Scottsdale. It was a very cool place, and everyone there was super nice. They run a solid operation and I could tell that their stylists were top notch.
I love this wide angle shot of the salon. See if you can find Marie! I've been on a ceiling fan kick lately. I don't know why, but I love cool ceiling fans. I'm such a freak! :)

Speaking of freaks, there's that creepy guy again.

Then we were off to the Royal Palms Resort. Holy cow, is that place nice. Nice is an understatement. It's absolutely GORGEOUS (there I am, sounding MetroSexual again). Every time I mentioned to people from AZ that I was off to the Royal Palms and Troon (reception), people whould ooh and ahh. Now I know why!



We got some nice make-up shots and bridal portraits.
Next stop, the church. Beautiful ceremony. The church coordinator had some pretty hefty rules about where I was allowed to shoot. This happens occasionally because there are a lot of low-class photographers out there who don't know a thing about etiquette. They get all up in the faces of the bride and groom during the ceremony and are a total distraction. Therefore it gives the entire business of wedding photography a bad reputation and as a result we are set with very strict rules. Oh well, we still got some awesome shots!





After the wedding, a vintage Bentley was supposed to be awaiting for the drive out to the reception. Despite their good reputation, it turned out to be a no-show. I wish I knew the name of that company so I could EXPOSE them like my man, Tom Martino, but they pretty much didn't show up.

Most brides would FLIP OUT, but not Marie. I ended up their chauffeur for the trip in my Mitsubishi rental compact car! They laughed it off and Dan mentioned that we were just downgrading slightly to a "Mistubentley". He also reminded Marie, "See, I told you we should have rented a Ferrari". :)

Here they are, in the Mitsubentley! That's not so bad, is it?


And much credit again to Victoria Canada, who pulled off a miracle and got an even nicer vintage Rolls Royce to pick them up from the reception at the end of the night.
And finally some more miscellaneous shots.




I also want to make a real point to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the folks at Troon Golf Course. Anyone in AZ and any GOLFER in the world knows about Troon. It's one of the nicest courses in the US and very expensive if you ever want to hit a round out there. Some of the greats in golfing make it a point to hit up Troon when visiting Scottsdale, which is a golfer's mecca in itself.

But let me tell you a little about the great service and attention I got at Troon. Some of my packages come with a slideshow of the wedding images from the Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding Day Preparation shots, Ceremony shots, and even some shots from the reception. While guests are eating dinner, I'm picking out about 30-50 of my favorite shots, storing them on my iPod and then I plug it in to a TV or flatscreen or projector. Well the TV at Troon was not responding to my iPod. They could tell I was disappointed, so they actually sent someone out to get a new TV! 45 minutes later, they had a new monitor for me! We got it working and next thing you know, Dan and Marie's guests were enjoying my slideshow. They loved it and I got a ton of compliments. It's only fair that I say thanks to everyone at Troon. I have never been so well taken care of as a photographer in my life.

Oh and vendor meals were the most scrumptuous salad and Prime Rib. Awesome! Only at a place like Troon, would a silly ol photographer like me get a meal like this:

Thanks Marie and Dan for having me out to Scottsdale to photograph your wedding. I had a great time!

HOLY GUACAMOLE!

Tonight I went to Los Sombreros (http://www.lossombreros.com) in Scottsdale for Marie and Dan's Rehearsal Dinner. I'm going to post photos of the people in my next post, but for now I just have to talk about the restaurant! (will ya look at that Guac!)

You will never know the suffering I had to endure tonight. All these people eating this amazing looking and smelling mexican food! Marie and Dan are so nice, they kept insisting that I eat and Marie, who is one of the peeps should know from this blog that I am doing the Body for Life and I can only eat whatever I want on Splurge Day. But she insisted anyway. We made a deal and I walked out with enchiladas to go! I'm going to eat em on Sunday!!!! Thanks Marie! Bless her little heart!

Here's Marie holding a bridal gift.

And Dan is happy because he's surrounded by some amazin Mexican Food (and because he's getting married tomorrow!)

Just to show you what was tempting me all night: (Don't worry Dan and Marie, I got some GREAT shots of your guests, even though I was a little distracted).

I don't know what this was called but I want to eat it.

And I want to drink this.

And the people who are responsible for my suffering. The main chef and owner of the restaurant is third from the left. I didn't get his name but he was a REALLY nice guy and the other owner was there too, Juanita!

Chris Bliss, AMAZIN Juggler!

This may seem silly to you but I get really inspired by this juggler. How could anyone take juggling to this level? One word: Passion. This is the most passionate juggler I have ever seen. I think it's important for everyone to have a passion like that in some shape or form. If you have a free second, check this out! video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4776181634656145640

Thanks for sharing, Uncle Sal!

Pin Up Girl Got Married!

Well she finally tied the knot, and I am happy to announce that Amber's images are no longer on the editing table. Here are a few of my favorite shots of Amber and her wild man husband, Mike, who's a bassist for a punk band out there in Scottsdale. Their wedding was a blast. So far from traditional and a ton of fun to shoot. Meet Mike and Amber! The Mr. and the Mrs.!

AND... check out my new logo!!! Jenny you are AMAZIN! Thank's again for my cool new logo, girlfriend!

Buena Vista, CO!!

Last week, Jenny and I went out to what I consider one of my most favorite places in the world.

No joke, Buena Vista is the world's best kept secret. In college I'd move out there and live in a little two man tent, working as a raft guide.

This shot brings back memories. I remember these customers. When I first met them, I was nervous because they looked like a bunch of nerdy old timers. Then when I got them in the river they would paddle like maniacs. That's me in the back with the blue life jacket... yelling at my paying customers, "FORWARD HARD!!!!". I don't yell at my wedding clients.

Some of the best memories in my life are in BV. My typical day for about 6 months of my life was: Wake Up at 6:00AM. Brush teeth, rinse from whatever water I had on me. Drive out to Bongo Billy's for some coffee and a pastry of some sort. Drive to work, American Adventure Expeditions. I'd then look to see what kind of group I had signed up (5-load from Kansas, paddle boat or ore rig). Then I'd pray that my group of customers were in good shape. A college group would be nice!

Then I'd head out to the boat shed where all the other guides were and I'd grab my favorite SOTAR, which is a brand of raft. Some people say it stands for "Swim Over To Another Raft", but whatever. I'd roll it out, pump it up, strap on a spare paddle, pack rain gear, clip my Nalgene bottle that was most likely filled up with TANG! and I'd then wait for my customers. When they arrived, I'd give them a "paddle talk", teaching them (hopefully) my paddle commands. We'd get on the water, hit some good class 4 rapids, have lunch, finish it off and head back on one of our school busses.

I was so poor that I actually bounced a check for Ramen Noodles and had a warrant put on for my arrest because of it. (Don't worry mom, dad... it's been taken care of). So I would PRAY for a good tip, which was like, $40 bucks! Then I'd meet my friends for some evening paddling in our kayaks down the narrows or Brown's Canyon.

The sunsets were warm and beautiful. Buena Vista is surrounded by some of the most spectacular Colorado 14'ers, the Collegiate Peaks. We'd grab a beer at the El Duran and FREE chips and salsa for dinner! And soon it was back to our tents. Sometimes I'd just sleep under the stars. Because there are no cities nearby, the stars shine incredibly!

Anyway, Jenny and I went out to BV for a day and it was awesome. I had so much fun showing Jenny my special spots. We even drove out to where my camp site was for the 3 seasons that I lived out there.

Right next door to American Adventure Expeditions was this old truck stop... THE GUNSMOKE. I used to go there for snacks and to gas up my old Ford Ranger. When I didn't have to work, I'd go to the diner and order a "Mr. Ed", which was a plate full of hash browns, snausages, green chili, three eggs, cheese and I think country gravy too! It looked like a pile of something you'd never want to eat, but we LOVED the Ed! I wanted to buy a Mr. Ed for Jenny but it wasn't splurge day. They also have awesome cinnamon rolls!


Here's a shot of some aspen trees off of County Line Road 311. If I ever got sick of my permanent camp site, I'd head out here for a night to "get away". ha!

This is the actual County Road 311. Purdy, huh?

And one more shot of some cool looking clounds on our way back home.