Reagan the Bellydancer?

Julie has this Turkish coinskirt that her sister brought back from a trip to Istanbul last year; Reagan got hold of it and started playing dress-up and dancing around. The jingling was cracking her up and I couldn't let this pass without a few shots!

Norma and Josh wedding

This was a really fun wedding that happened in early September. I was referred by Heidi's Events and Catering for about the 7th time this year. Heidi is an amazing event planner and caterer and really is one of the best in the valley; I appreciate that she keeps referring her clients to me when they need photography so I try to return the favor every chance I get. I try to send her clients plus any time she needs photography done for her business I am happy to volunteer to say "thank you." Heidi has a great space the she has made available for weddings and events that will hold up to about 80 people; she calls it "La Petite Maison." That is where I shot Norma and Josh's wedding and really had fun. Both of them have such personality and make a really cute couple.









I really thought her body art was amazing; I've never photographed a bride that had so much cool work done and it made for some really amazing non-traditional shots.

Last-minute event gig.

I got a call from a great photographer I know, Gordon Murray, with a last-minute crisis: a big catering company had a photographer cancel at the last minute for an important event at the Convention Center and needed someone almost immediately but he was already booked. Fortunately I managed to re-arrange my schedule and cover the event. It turned out it was for Aventura, a very prominent catering and event company. I met briefly with the coordinator, Michael Stavros, about what he needed: "capture everything!" I started with the people shots of everyone having fun and networking, including their chef who had a lot of personality.








The food at this event was amazing; I brought my portable light rig and got some great food and detail shots. I was thrilled at the feedback because they were really happy with how everything turned out; especially for shooting on the fly with no preparation. I love challenges like that!

Specialty Graphic and Imaging Expo in New Orleans

This was the fifth year I've worked with SGIA ever since they came to Phoenix in 2005. It was great to be back in New Orleans and they were really excited because they were supposed to be here in '05 but it was two weeks after Katrina hit. They threw together a smaller expo in two months and came to Phoenix and that was when I first got to work with them. Their whole staff is a wonderful group of people and I love seeing what they do with my images. Since they are graphics/visual media oriented they are really picky so I feel very fortunate that they keep calling back every year to cover the expo. Next year is Las Vegas!








I really have a lot of fun with this event because there is so much to see and l always learn something new about printing technology. It is amazing what they are coming out with every year. Some of these printers are the size of an SUV and cost about $500,000. My job is simply to capture all of the demonstrations, networking and technology throughout the show.








This next shot was just for me. I was above the convention floor headed for the catwalk so I could get some overhead shots. As I walked through this dark area I could see the light coming through the translucent floor and it really caught my eye. It reminded me of a lava pit and had this really erie glow.



Here is one of the shots I went up there for.



Another cool thing is that SGIA recycles a ton of the material used at the show: paper, foamcore, signs, etc. There were 8-foot stacks of this stuff waiting to be picked up by the recycling company.

Tina and Mike engagement session

This was a fun engagement session we shot before leaving for New Orleans. Im shooting Mike their wedding in January and they wanted a good pic for their invitations so I took them to Papago Park for the sunset. We started at a ramada and worked our way through the park and wound up getting some amazing shots even without a dramatic, fiery sunset. This one was cloudless and boring as sunsets go but under-exposing the background really helped make it more dramatic. I used a slower shutter speed so some of the shots even look like they are in front of a fake backdrop.

Visiting Mom and Dad in Mississippi

I have a photo shoot for a big event in New Orleans this week so we decided to squeeze in a trip over to Mom and Dad's in Diamondhead, MS. Reagan LOVES playing with grandma and grandpa! Mom has a bunch of Mardi Gras stuff around so we decided to make a cute photo op out of it. I guess this is Reagan's official 17-month portrait.









Dad wasn't feeling so hot so he and mom stayed home one night to watch Reagan so Julie and I could go out. There isn't a whole lot to do in Diamondhead (about an hour from New Orleans and half an hour from Gulfport/Biloxi) but they told us about a cool roadhouse in Kiln, where Bret Favre grew up. It's called the Broke Spoke and boy does it have character! Derek was the bartender and he is the cousin of Favre's wife. The bar was decorated for the Packers the first 16 years of his career but last year they became Jets fans and now they all pull for the Vikings. However, the Packers decor is still everywhere and there is one big Vikings flag hanging below one of the tvs. I guess it would be a pain to change everything completely; what if Favre goes back to the Packers for his final year???

This was one cool place and Derek was a great guy; he gave us all the inside scoop on the whole Favre saga. We wish we could have stayed to watch the Monday night game but we had to be in New Orleans to meet with my clients that night. I'm shooting the Specialty Graphic and Imaging Association's annual expo for the 5th straight year. Since we have to be in New Orleans the rest of the week Mom and Dad insisted on keeping Reagan for a few days so Julie and I could have some alone time and go out on the town after my work day is finished.


Anyway, here is a look at the "Broke Spoke."