Metropolitan Imageworks

Many of you follow Metropolitan Imageworks and Victor, Mater and I on Facebook. We all have accounts so be sure to find us and Like/Friend us.  You might already know of the exciting times and happenings going on right now, but if you don’t, please take a seat and read what I have to share.

We’re going mobile and hitting the road in an RV to live, work and travel. How’s that for a doozie!? EVERYTHING is status quo for Metropolitan Imageworks – Chicago will be the major base and I am available for weddings and portraits and commercial work. It will be seamless. Just like the past winters we spent in Arizona, I will make plans to travel back every so often to work with my Milestones portrait clients and anyone else who needs to book me during those months. I also have awesome associate photographers available to shoot when I am not available (or for a different price point for weddings, hint hint inquire via email for more details.)

The next part of the update is we will be back in Arizona again this winter! So Arizona clients, please pass on the word I will be around from November through March and available for weddings, portraits, commercial work, IM Marathons and photography tutoring sessions. Victor starts a gig at an RV resort in Hope, AZ west of Phoenix October 1st and I will join him in November after my last Midwest wedding.

We have another blog, Roadsteader, where you can follow along on the RV adventure from the comfort of your brick and mortar homes and offices and laugh along with us as we learn the day to day of living in an RV and our antics of course, because humor is a big part of our day to day as it is.

I am also working on a calendar for the blogs, so you can anticipate where we will be and when we will be in certain areas.

I have a shooting gig in Telluride on August 1st and we plan to be in Denver for a while afterwards so I am putting out the call now for any interest in the Denver area for your photography, web, graphic and multi-media needs. Send me an email and let’s get it scheduled!

Without further ado, I am spending the next few days getting caught up on blog teasers and getting back into my blogging groove!

Honk if you see us on the road!!!

Not one to sit around idle, even when in a vacation spot like the great state of Arizona, I like to pack as much shooting in as possible.  When I was in Phoenix two weeks ago I photographed two portrait sessions, two weddings and found time to work on a shoot for one of my commercial clients, TuffWriter Tactical Pens.  If you haven’t checked these out yet, you really should.  TuffWriter Tactical Pens are fully functioning writing implements complete with Fisher cartridges (just like the astronauts use) but are also designed as a tactical tool. A self-defense pen if you will.  If you want to see one in person, ask me and I will gladly show off one of mine.  You can see more colors and styles, and of course more of Metimages product photography at www.tuffwriter.com

I met Allison at one of the bridal expos I exhibited in last year in Phoenix. She was lured into my booth and awed by some of my specialty portrait sessions. We hit it off right away and continued correspondence and planned her wedding day photography coverage.  I was also able to schedule a visit to Arizona last October to work with Allison on a photo project as a wedding gift for Steve. By the time their wedding day rolled around it was as if Allison and I were old friends!

Seeing them surrounded by family and friends of many decades warmed my heart.  This was a very special day for Allison and Steve and I was very honored to be selected as their wedding photographer.  They had an intimate ceremony in the amphitheater in the Desert Botanical Garden followed by a lovely reception in the Wildflower Pavilion.  The Desert Botanical Garden was indeed the perfect backdrop for a very sweet and meaningful day.

Ceremony & Reception Location: Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ

Caterer – Heidi’s Catering, Tempe, AZ

DJ: Mancini Entertainment, Scottsdale, AZ

Florist: Amy’s Floral Design, Ahwatukee, AZ

Susan and Scott’s wedding day was perfect – the weather, the wedding party, the locations, the family & guests and of course my favorite part – the Gelato station during cocktail hour at the reception. The entire day was filled with emotion, colorful shoes, fun parasols and of course a candy buffet bursting at the seams.

I’ve been waiting a long time to work with Susan and Scott as the winners of the Metropolitan Imageworks January 2009 Unique Proposal Contest that we hosted in conjunction with our booth at the wedding expo in Phoenix.  Susan submitted their story and the staff at Metimages voted on their proposal as most unique. To see more detail on the contest visit the blog post.

Ceremony: Saint Maria Goretti Catholic Church, Scottsdale, AZ

Reception: Scottsdale Country Club, Scottsdale, AZ

DJ: Ray the DJ, Tempe, AZ

Gelato Stand: Gelato 64, Chandler, AZ

Florist: Fiori Floral, Scottsdale, AZ

Be warned this post includes a lot of teasers!  I have been waiting to photograph Abby and Zach since last fall and we were finally able to get all of our schedules matched up while I was in town last weekend.  Abby and Zach are the dear children of a friend that I have known for 20+ years.  I met their mom one summer at overnight camp and we became fast friends – growing up in the suburbs close to Chicago, on a swim team together and of course life-guarding at the community pools together for a few years as well.  I was excited to learn they lived near Phoenix and even more excited to be asked to take their family portraits!

Abby is an adorable four-year old with a typical four-year old vocabulary, although she is fluent in American Sign Language, she is a bundle of energy, fast to make friends and steal your heart. As soon as Abby saw my camera she was quick to primp and pose and even try to take a few pictures on her own.  Zach is her giggly two-year-old brother who greeted me with a huge smile, brotherly antics and his awesome head full of curls!

We had a blast playing near the desert flowers in bloom and along the path that leads to Poopa’s house!

Thank you for having me out. I think we should make this an annual event!

Michelle and I met up last Friday morning in the outskirts of Phoenix to shoot some portraits of her on her bike.  You might recall Michelle was one of my 2009 Arizona brides and now I am helping her with a new project.  She has recently gotten back into being an avid bicyclist and spends her mornings peddling, coasting, enduring and sweating along the roads north of Phoenix. We spent a couple hours together with Michelle racing around and looping back while I photographed her in action. And repeat. One more time. OK a couple more times. Circle around again. One more loop. Etc, etc, etc. I still think she had the easy part, just ride like the wind, while I got to dodge cars, crawl around, lay on the pavement, pick gravel out of my knees and so on.  Working on new photography projects is definitely exciting and challenging.

I mentioned in previous blog posts that it was hot in Phoenix last weekend. And the 100+ temps were not the only reason . . .

I’m not 100% sure what this sign was for in Adrian, TX but I like it.  I’ll find a way to work it into everyday conversation from here on out.

My favorite photographer in action.

One of our tourist stops was at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Fortunately for us and for Mater, they have a kennel on site in a modest but air conditioned room. This further encourages visitors not to leave their dogs in hot cars while visiting the caverns. It was a great $5.00 investment and allowed Vic and I to take a one and a half hour tour of the Big Room and enjoy the attraction of the caverns.  I’m not so sure Mater enjoyed himself, but at least he was comfy in the AC and had food and water and a place to lay down.

We spent a night in El Paso, TX and visited the missions in the morning before rolling out of town. It’s humbling to experience these structures that were built in the 1600′s and 1800′s and they are still around and in use today.

Socorro

San Elizario

Ysleta

We made a side trip to the Hohokam ruins of Casa Grande in Coolidge, AZ, just south of Phoenix. Of course it had to be 104 on Saturday, so we didn’t stay too long. Besides, I had a photo session to get to that afternoon.

Mater has outgrown his puppy bed so we stopped into PetSmart and got him a new big boy bed, he spent a LOT of time snuggled it on on the trek home.

Monument Valley looked impressive as the storm clouds rolled in, unfortunately it was raining and pretty gusty by the time we got to Arches National Park, so we did our version of Hit N’ Run Sightseeing ™ and drove through for a few miles. We’ll come back another day. It’s good to have a National Parks Pass.

San Juan River just outside of Mexican Hat, Utah.

The Mexican Hat. Personally I see more of a robot than a dude in a hat.

Along the way we stopped to get some cool storm photos. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time!

Close up of the lightening strike in the above photo.

More of my project in the works . . .

About seven years ago I had the honor of photographing Jessica and Josh’s wedding in the Chicagoland area.  We had all grown up in the north ‘burbs and attended the same high school.  It was great fun working with them on their wedding day, and it was fairly close to my own wedding as well so we had a lot in common and a lot to talk about and shared some of the same vendors.  Then about six years ago Jessica and Josh moved to Phoenix (those smart, smart people!)  They’ve since added a dog and a son to their family.

I was delighted to meet up with them this morning at Papago Park in Phoenix and meet Evan and take portraits and do a little hiking on the trails. Well, as much hiking as you can doin 98 degree weather and an almost 3-year old in tow!

We’re off to Phoenix for a few portrait sessions and visits with friends. This time we decided to take the Southern route and hit the road on Monday as soon as Tom Skilling made mention of snow flurries in his weather report. The road trip south through Illinois and Missouri and one tiny corner of Kansas was a blur, one we had done many times previously. By day two we made it to a quaint stop in Adrian, Texas which is the halfway point on Route 66 between Chicago and Santa Monica, roughly 1,1,39 miles in each direction!  The landmark at this particular locale is the Mid-Point Cafe run by the awesome Fran Houser.

(Side note: Vic and I stopped here in January 2007 on our first Route 66 road trip heading east from California. The Mid-Point Cafe was closed, unfortunately due to a winter snowstorm. We stopped anyways and were taking pictures of the building and the sign from the parking lot when a lady and her dog walked up through the snow. Turns out it was Fran, the cafe’s owner, and she let us in to look around.  We spent about 45 minutes hanging out and chatting and learned some very cool tidbits about Route 66 and even more about the movie Cars and the factual Route 66 information contained within the storyline and animated imagery. Flo’s V8 Diner in the movie was actually based on Fran and the Mid-Point Cafe and two of her waitstaff were given characters and did the voices for the movie as well.)

We wanted to stop by again, on a nice weather day, and say hello to Fran and have lunch and of course introduce Fran to Mater, whose namesake is in Cars and will be “telling some tall tales” in Cars 2!!! After a brief re-introduction, Fran did remember us and we got hugs and thank-yous for coming back again. Lunch was yummy and their ugly pies may be ugly but sure are delicious.

Some of you may wonder what a photographer does on vacation. Do I shoot with a point and shoot? Sometimes. Do I shoot with a dSLR? Sometimes.  How do I decide what to take pictures of? Whatever strikes my fancy and of course my closest subjects – my husband and my dog!

After being a professional for so long, I was scared to take pictures for myself. Scared that I would be judged for taking pictures of sunsets and abstract inanimate objects. But who cares.  My photography is part of me and helps define me as a person. My art is my ability to capture images with visual appeal and unique perspective. And if I throw a few snapshots in, that’s ok too. I am on vacation after all!

This is Texas. Big huh?

Sometimes he sits nicely and looks out the window like a little kid.

And sometimes he needs to catch a little breeze.

Evidence of aliens in Roswell?

In the Southwest most locals use signs for target practice.

Yes, even pro’s take photos of sunsets. We found a nice spot next to the Roswell Airport and hung out for a while.

There’s always time for self-portraits. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.

Long hours in the car sleeping followed by running around in the fresh New Mexico air has Mater pooped!

Until he sniffed out this leggy creature.

And here’s a few teasers from a new project I am working on . . . like or dislike?