Metropolitan Imageworks

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?

While I was in Phoenix a couple weeks ago, I fit in a great portrait session with Mel & Zach at the Desert Botanical Gardens.  The DBG was actually on my to do list and although I missed the Chihuly exhibit (both in Chicago and Phoenix) there were still a couple pieces left for me to oogle.

Mel and Zach met me bright and early as the DBG opened and we had fun cavorting around the different gardens and walking the different paths.  Their portrait session was a wedding gift from Mel’s sister-in-law.  I know I had fun with them and I am positive Mel and Zach had fun too.

View entire gallery here.

This photo, taken at my December 31, 2008 wedding in Arizona, placed 9th in the Venue or Location category of the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers Spring 2009 contest.

www.ispwp.com

March 23, 2009 marked the end of our five month stay in the quaint, mountain town of Strawberry, AZ.  Both Vic and I were ready to hit the road and make the long drive back to IL. Back to our home.

We were very lucky this past winter to find a nice, cozy and fully furnished vacation rental to meet our needs – in a small town near Payson, Az, no more than a two-hour drive from the valley and furnished with enough comforts to make our stay enjoyable and homey.  This ended up working out well in the end, as I was much busier with work this past winter and we did spend more time indoors.

When I was in AZ for the Bridal Fashion Debut expo last June, I stayed an extra day and made appointments to see a few rentals in the Payson area.  I took the lead with finding the rental as I was the one who pushed for 13+ years about adding a puppy to our family. I needed to find a suitable rental that most importantly allowed dogs!  Surprisingly it was easy to find a few dog-friendly options on Craigslist.  I rolled into Pine, another small town about 3 miles south of Strawberry on the Beeline Highway, earlier than I needed to be for my first appointment. I ended up checking in at a real estate office to see if they had any rental listings. While they did not deal with rentals, they informed me of the real estate office who did AND that I should check out the Post Office bulletin board as well.  I didn’t make it to the next real estate office, as right smack dab in the middle of the bulletin board at the Post Office was a new flier advertising this cute, small, 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath cottage for rent. I immediately dialed the number on my cell and tripped over myself asking if I could come see the place and that I was interested in renting it for 5-6 months during the wintertime.  I think Jim and Katy Drab, the owners, tripped up just as much during the phone call. I could tell they were extremely excited for the opportunity of a long term rental!

As soon as I pulled up to the Blue Olive and saw it nestled between huge pine trees on a full acre, I knew this would be the perfect place for us. Then I noticed the fencing around the front and side yards had chicken wire added – this would be perfect for Mater and keep him within the confines of the yard!  Then I saw the seasonal creek in the backyard, even thought it was dry.  As soon as Jim and Katy pulled up into the driveway and stopped their truck, out jumped their dog, Shrek! PHEW! Because I had completely forgot to mention Mater on the phone! But they are dog people and were cool with us bringing Mater (for an extra pet deposit of course.)

So we spent 5 lovely months in this humble abode and enjoyed it immensely.  Seriously, Katy has thought of everything in terms of comforts. The cottage can comfortably sleep 6 and there are linens and blankets galore. The kitchen came fully stocked and I was able to cook almost every meal and try my hand at some new baking recipes. They even supplied us with a crockpot!  It was awesome!

I do however think Jim and Katy are disappointed that Vic and I didn’t use the ping-pong table once during our stay.  They even have lawn bowling and decks of cards available. Everything you might need for a getaway!

Check out their listing on Vacation Rentals and hopefully you’ll experience the delight we did!  One small note, if you are there during the winter, pack clothes that can be easily layered. The trees, even when bare, provide lots of shade and the cottage is colder inside than outside in the sun!

March 21, 2009 was my sixth & final wedding in Arizona for the 2008-2009 wedding season. And I must say it was fantastic!  I met Maureen and Jason at the Bridal Fashion Debut last June and we had a great first conversation in my booth. I was very excited to learn that Jason grew up in Deerfield, IL, which is not far from my youthful stomping ground in Skokie, IL.  Like-minded North Shore folks tend to get along well.

Maureen and Jason opted to see each other prior to the ceremony to get the wedding party and family photos done and shorten the time needed for photos during the cocktail hour.  I loved being able to capture that special moment during the first glance they had of each other.  The wedding party was able to look on from a distance in the hotel lobby and share in the emotion as well.

The weather was typical Phoenix in March, hot with the afternoon sun shining!  I was excited to work with the backlit bride and groom while the sun was setting during the ceremony.

I have been asked by other wedding professionals how weddings in IL differ from weddings in AZ and my initial response is many of the AZ weddings have the ceremony and reception at one location, with the ceremony & cocktail portion outdoors. No traveling from location to location or limos or trolleys needed. In IL, Chicagoland to be more specific, most of the weddings take place at a church and then I get to romp around Chicago with the wedding party for a couple hours of photos. In my opinion, the differences are awesome. Each time presenting a different perspective and mentally challenging for me.

In all, it was a fantastic day without any exciting stories or mishaps.  Perfect, if you will.  I had a blast with Maureen and Jason’s friends and family and hope to see more of them in the future.

Vendors:

Ceremony & Reception Location: McDowell Mountain Marriott, Scottsdale AZ

Florist: Flowers by Jodi , Phoenix, AZ

DJ: Andre’s Music, Phoenix, AZ

          My awesome husband, amazing puppy (I can say that for one more week until his birthday), a couple of great friends and I attacked the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness this past weekend.  Our friends, Mike & Chad, flew in from Illinois.  Vic aka Get Out N’ Do It -  planned a multi-day backpacking trip in the gorgeous and overwhelming high desert in North Central Arizona.  Gorgeous because the scenery changed with every mile and elevation change, and there were many of those.  Gorgeous because of the blue skies and red rock and dirt and green foliage. Yes green foliage in the high desert and riparian areas!  Gorgeous because we traversed the terrain on our own two (or four where Mater is concerned) feet.  Gorgeous because the outdoor splendor never failed to amaze.

Overwhelming because this was my very first multi-day backpacking trip. Overwhelming because the temps reached the mid-80’s and we were in the mid-day desert sun. Overwhelming because we ran low/out of water on day two and day three prior to our destinations. Overwhelming because of the distance we traveled.

But we did it and I didn’t cry once! That is momentous! We did almost 22 miles on foot with loaded packs. And we have the pictures to show!!! Here is a small sampling.

130 lbs of gear. That’s equal to a person!

We walked all the way around this bad boy! First it was a rock, then it was a rock with an opening, then the opening got progressively bigger, then it got small again, and then it was once again just a rock.

Sycamore Creek is a seasonal creek, fed from snow runoff via the mountains. This was our water source.  We had to cross it twice and to say it was cold would be an understatement.  Mike was kind enough to make multiple trips and help get Mater across. He almost sacrificed a Croc. Almost, but not quite.

Taylor Cabin built circa 1880.  We believe this cabin was the cattle ranchers’ seasonal hang-out. Very cool to explore and well worth the trek. We left our campsite and hiked almost 5 miles just to see the cabin AND replenish our water from the creek just past the cabin. Running out of water 7/8 of a mile before the creek was a little scary.

Finally, back at the car where we left additional water, could drop our packs and take off the boots. AHhhhhhhhh.

(L-R, Mater, Vic, Rachael, Mike, Chad)

These were all taken with my small point and shoot. In the world of backpacking, smaller is better. I love my Olympus 1035 Shockproof/Waterproof camera.

View full gallery here.

Congratulations goes out to Susan and Scott of Phoenix, AZ as the winners of the Metropolitan Imageworks Unique Proposal contest!!!

“Christmas truly is a magical time for me, and always has been. I make a fuss over hanging lights, decorating trees, listening to Christmas tunes (especially Elvis), and adhering to the advent calendar. Growing up in Pennsylvania, Christmas was ever present between the snow storms, cutting down your own tree in the woods, and the crisp cold weather. Since moving to Arizona, I have sometimes felt the lack of the Christmas spirit due in large part to the warm weather and it just not feeling like Christmas without the cold weather, snow and my family. Because of this, I had created a journal to document one thing daily throughout the month of December that made it feel like Christmas. Whether it be the first time the weather got cold enough to turn on the heat in the car in the morning on my way to work, putting up the Christmas tree, or even just a fun Christmas movie I watched that day, I was documenting “My Christmas 2008.”

Scott and I have a tradition every year of exchanging Christmas gifts alone on Christmas Eve and watching It’s A Wonderful Life. It is our own private celebration of the magic of Christmas, knowing that Christmas day is spent traveling from one relative’s house to another to enjoy the day with family. On Christmas Eve, after eating dinner and enjoying a nice bottle of wine we sat on the dining room floor with the glow from our Christmas tree as our only source of light and turned on some festive music. I gave Scott his gifts: a shirt and a DVD of his favorite HBO series. Then it was my turn. I opened them all until there was only one small box left. Before opening the box, Scott said to me “Where is your December journal?” When I asked why he said “because I think you might want it for this next one.” I was confused, but I smiled and got my journal and then sat back down and placed it on my lap. He then said “go ahead and open it to today” When I opened the journal to the 24th, the page was already complete. The page was decorated with a black and pink glittery letters that spelled out “will you marry me?” and completed with a smiling Santa staring back at me.

Scott later told me that he and his mother had gone to the local arts and crafts store stayed up all night on the 23rd laughing, talking, and decorating the “will you marry me” page of my journal.

I began to cry uncontrollably. After several minutes of holding each other and sobbing, he reminded me there was one last gift for me to open. The box was small…..I was sure it was a ring.  As I slowly unwrapped the package, Scott explained to me that there was no ring in there but that we would have to pick it out together. Inside the box was a beautiful crystal ring holder. As I opened the last package, Santa Baby was playing throughout the house and the part when she says “forgot to mention one little thing, a ring” played as I opened the box which contained the glass ring dish. I told you he always remembers the details.

Not too much later in the evening, Scott reminded me that we had not yet opened our advent calendars for the day.  He brought my calendar over to me as I still sat by the tree. I opened day 24 on the calendar and the ring fell out. I began to cry once again and hugged Scott so hard and he began to cry as well.  Scott purchased my ring from Bailey, Banks, and Biddle which is the same jeweler that my paternal grandmother and aunts in Philadelphia have purchased all of their jewelry from since the early 1900’s. With everything Scott does, he continues to amaze me on how well he knows me, how much thought and purpose he puts behind all he does for me and quietly reminds me that I will always be his number one. It was the perfect proposal for someone like me who absolutely loves the Holiday season and all the hope and joy that it brings. ”

This proposal story gave all of the judges chills and a few tears as well!!!  We’ll highlight images from Susan and Scott’s wedding on April 10, 2010.

I’m excited to see what Scott comes up with THIS Christmas to top this one!