Finally in the Building!

We were finally allowed to begin working on the new studio- we were supposed to be in by July!! Yes July '07!!
The building is over 100 years old so there were many setbacks with the city and with unforeseen problems with the structure- there were major issues with everything!

We had the concrete floors cut to make a cool diamond pattern that will be stained on Saturday. We got our sign ordered Saturday as well. See artists rendering below:
The "PHOTO" part was an idea we had to paint on the building- may be changing.

The security system is in, the electrician has been lined up, and the framing should finally start this week!

Keep you posted on the progress.

Skiing!!

I have been waiting to take the kids skiing since Bailey was born six-and-a-half years ago and finally got to go a little earlier this month.

Gone are the days of getting your stuff together and hitting the slopes now that there are two kids to take care of. In the time it took to get their gear, get their skis rented and over to the school I could've gotten to the top of the mountain and and been down a few runs!

We did get them in a class to let the pros start them out right. We dropped them off, watched for a few (reminded me when we used to spy on them in preschool), then we went off to get a few runs in. Jeni learned to ski in Colorado, where she's from originally, so she can go down anything but takes her time. I, on the other hand was so stoked to be in the snow after a few years off, just wanted to get some serious speed and some big air... woo hoo!!

So after about three runs (it was a Saturday so the lines were terrible- won't do that again!) it was time to watch the kids and see how they were doing. Bailey was on the bunny hill after taking her first chairlift and Caysen was taking a break after a rigid training session:)

We then picked them up and took them both on the lift for a few more runs after having lunch to refuel. They both did great with they're 'pizza' stance. I can't wait for them to get better so we can all ski together!

Terrible way to end a nice day of skiing: driving down the mountain (we went to Snow Summit) in stop-and-go traffic!!!

Yes, I did make the whole family stop to get a good shot of the frozen part of the lake at sunset:

Gabby and Yosio in Zamora, Mexico

This was my third wedding in Mexico in 2007... and it was still a totally new and exciting time for me. As any who know me understand , new and different is what makes me sing! (not literally, no one wants that!)

The town of Zamora itself is very cool, a lot of history and many friendly people- they kept asking us (myself and my good friend Mario) where we were from... like we stood out like a sore thumb!!

There were many things that made Gabby and Yosio's wedding day special to me.

First was the amazing church (see below). It was a mini version of a huge cathedral that is still under construction: Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Also, Gabby and the girls got ready at a house her father is building across the street from Abuelita's (Grandma's) that hadn't been painted so the walls were a great neutral grey. Another cool thing was that the church was right downtown amongst the historic old buildings and hustle and bustle so there were unlimited photo ops!

I just realized that of the few shots here, about half show Gabby's awesome vail! so cool!

Getting ready. See what I mean about the walls... and the vail?
Such cool light going on, this was a stairway that lead to the roof.
In front of the church:
Inside:
Out front again, I loved the texture of the old doors and the brick.

The band's tourbus! So RAD!

First Dance- the DJ had quite a setup!!
The reception was crazy. Mexicans are very hospitable: when you meet, they shake your hand... then offer a shot of tequila!!!
Want to see more shots: click HERE for a slideshow. Leave a comment if you have questions about anything. The first few shots are from the days leading up to the wedding...

Zamora, Mexico

Well the crazy holidays have passed... and it's back to work. It was great taking some time off to just enjoy family but I am excited to get back into photo:)

Just before Christmas I (my good friend Mario went along too) had a wedding in Zamora, Mex, about 2.5 hours South East of Guadalajara. The couple lives in The States but their families are from small towns near Zamora. Gabby and Yosio heard about me from guests at a wedding we shot in Guadalajara last January.

I will post again when the wedding images have been edited but here are a few I made while exploring this very cool place in the days leading up to the wedding.

Check out more HERE- enter 'zamora'

The people we met were super nice and both Gabby and Yosio's families treated us like family!

My New D3 Has Arrived!

Just got it! I gave the UPS guy a kiss when he said he had a package from Calumet!

I've had it in my hands for about 10 minutes and am already super impressed!

• dual memory card slots for simultaneously writing to two cards at once- the worries of corrupt cards is a thing of the past!
• I just took a shot at 6400 ISO in a dark hallway, zoomed in on the big 3" LCD display and could see no noise!! This opens up whole new worlds and new opportunities to make images never thought possible. Shooting by the light of a full moon is possible!!
• Nikon stoked us by upgrading the battery from the D2x while keeping it possible to share the old with the new in either camera.
• Live View is super cool for the over-the-head shots.
• All the controls are in the same place as the D2x so there is no learning curve!

The camera looks a lot like the D2x but it is a little beefier to hold and the shutter has a cooler, cleaner sound.

Christmas came early this year!!!! ... wait, that's a 'tool' for work, it doesn't count as a gift... right Jeni???

I will post some images after I take it for a test drive!

Caysen's Five

Yes, I have been a blog slacker lately. We have had such a busy Fall I had to give up blogging for a bit... but I'm back!!

Last week Caysen (my son) turned 5- we decided not to do big parties every year... just every few. So this year we had a few of his school friends over- along with family of course- to celebrate with us. It's crazy how when they're in school it's so hard not to invite his whole class!

Jeni had the whole thing planned like it was in a magazine of course... that's just how she rolls:) It does make for lots of fun and for good photos too! The kids started with a little visit from the Lizard Wizard who showed them some creapy crawlies and taught them a little about each creature- it was so cool I found myself intently listening!

They then went to the backyard to paint some flower pots to later plant their little plant in (this was the favor I learned later).

A few details:







Cayse with an


Caysen's cousin- a little distracted during the show:)

Nasty Bailey!

Cayse was so cool: he asked everyone to help him open their gifts with him- I love my little guy!

Halloween!! 2007

Halloween hasn't been this much fun since I was a kid running around the neighborhood like a crazy person!! Bay and Cayse are getting so big... and so much fun!! Check out some shots:

Pre Halloween:
Bay was totally grossed out!! ...then I took a bite of it!!:)
Caysen's parade at school:
Bay was a princess at school...

And an ape at night- a freaked out ape at that! She acts like she's never seen a camera before...
A neighbors:
All in all we, sorry, THEY got lots of candy and had a grand ol' time. Next year I'm going to get a crazy scary mask and jump out of the bushes at them. Last year they would've totally freaked out but this year they were OK with it.