Rachel and Gabe make the pages of the Tucson Lifestyle Wedding Issue!

May 5, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

Rachel and Gabe, who had one of the coolest “rainy” weddings I’ve ever been to, got this snazzy spread in the Tucson Lifestyle wedding spring 2012 issue that’s just hitting stands! I’d like to get in a quick shout out to riding buddy Andy Depew, whose Satyr Entertainment also got a mention in the same profile. His huge “old school” incandescent lighting set up is SO much better for classy dance floor photography than the more common cheesy laser madness you see everywhere, which can feel like a bad nightclub. It takes him longer to set up, and that stuff weighs a ton (I know, I’ve helped pack it up before!) but boy does it make for better lighting and ambiance. He’s the only DJ in town I know of who still takes the time to do it that way.

Normally I’m a bit sad about all the great photos that didn’t make it into the magazines when one of our weddings is profiled, but I think the crew over there did a pretty good job with this one, especially considering how many I photos love. (Thanks Debby!) You can see a few more of my favorite photos here. Congrats Rachel and Gabe – we’re working on your awesome album right now!

Posted in Published Photography, Wedding Photography

Justin and Kyndra’s Arizona Inn Wedding

April 30, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

Justin and Kyndra came to Tucson from Kansas City for an elegant destination wedding at the Arizona Inn this weekend. The weather was beautiful and the grounds on the Inn were in perfect riotous bloom. I knew it was going to be awesome from the start. They had a short, sweet ceremony by the fountain, followed by a cocktail hour and then a perfect evening of live music, great dancing and eloquent toasts.

Everyone had a wonderful time, myself included. With the help of ace co-photographer Jill Torrance, we made gorgeous photos in a relaxed fashion. Everyone was delightful to photograph, punctual, good-natured, well-dressed and well-mannered. Our slideshow at the reception was a hit, and we felt like friends of the family by the end of the night. Thank you both!

There’s something magic about the Arizona Inn – it’s a hidden Tucson gem. The turn-of-the-century grounds are beautiful without being flashy, and a the staff is top-notch. There’s a pervasive sense of gravitas, calm and grace, without a whiff of the stuffy, fake or impersonal. I suspect that’s why Justin and Kyndra found it such a good fit – and it’s precisely why Sarah and I picked it for our own wedding this fall. Many thanks to catering manager Diane Fausett there for making sure everything went off without a hitch. Ever-lovely Sauliz Flowers brought the gorgeous bouquets and centerpieces, and the Phoenix-based band The Connection kept the dance floor packed!

Guests, friends and family can register to be notified when the photos are ready (and score a sweet print gift certificate) at http://pictage.com/1243551

Posted in Wedding Photography Tagged Arizona Inn, Tucson Wedding Photography |

Kendall and Jim’s destination wedding at the Westward Look Resort

April 21, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

Kendall and Jim came all the way from Cleveland for a fantastic Tucson destination wedding at the Westward Look Resort this weekend.

With their family, closest friends and adorable canine ring-bearer Bowser (who’s clearly family too), they had a simple, heartfelt ceremony with a stunning mountain view. An large and probably well-meaning bee landed on the knot of Jim’s tie during the ceremony, but was quickly sent on it’s way by his dad. Good friend and co-photographer JP Connelly came along to help, and we all had lots of time for laughter, high-fives and great photos. It was a perfect spring day and the grounds of the resort were at their peak. An incredible mix of blooming plants and blooming cactus were doing just that with all their hearts – my hats off to the groundskeepers there. I love, love, love the golden paloverdes for great backdrops. All in all, a great day and a great couple to make some gorgeous photos – everyone loved the slideshow and portrait station!

Many thanks to Julie Day, with Westward Look, who never misses a beat, and cares about her couples with all her heart. My dear friend of many years, Georgeanne Fimbres with Villa Feliz Flowers came through with knock-your-socks-off floral artistry as always, and Village Bakehouse rocked some seriously tasty cupcakes. How sad that you couldn’t take the extras on the plane guys – Sarah was out of town and I had to eat them all (all) by myself!

Guests, friends and family can register to be notified when the photos are ready (and score a sweet print gift certificate) at http://pictage.com/1081463

Posted in Wedding Photography Tagged tucson destination wedding photography, Tucson Wedding Photography, villa feliz flowers, village bakehouse, weddings with dogs, Westward Look Resort |

Adam and Mariah’s perfect spring wedding at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon

April 20, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

Adam and Mariah had a joyous, beautiful spring wedding at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon this weekend, with a huge outpouring of love from both families. There were tons of wonderful moments set against a stunning Catalina mountain backdrop – who could ask for more? The last wedding I shot here at the Lodge happened to be during a fierce monsoon, so I was deeply grateful for the perfect weather and gorgeous light.

I hit it off so well with these two every time we get together that I knew we’d have a great time and make some really sweet photos. They’re as kind and thoughtful of a couple as I’ve met, with a playful streak and a warm sense of humor. They laugh and smile easily and often. And in a small-town-Tucson moment, we figured out Mariah and my fiance Sarah had been pals in elementary school, with some really funny stories from their friendship.

We arranged for a first meeting between Adam and Mariah early in the afternoon, to give us some relaxed time to make lots of great photos around the Lodge before guests arrived. They’d both worked there as employees years ago, and wanted some shots that really captured the feel of the place, with its gorgeous flower beds in front and mesquite grove/mountain views in back. I think we got it! The B/W infrared shot (from my trusty LifePixel 20D conversion) was a big crowd pleaser during the reception slide show – the stark dark sky against the pop of the “white” grass and trees is pretty spectacular.

The evening included a relaxed sunset outdoor cocktail hour, followed by heartfelt toasts, great wisecracks from the bridesmaids and dancing, dancing dancing!

It was amazing to see my good friend and florist extraordinaire Ferial Malaika of Nature’s Art Florists, who really loves each and every flower like they were her own children. She came back to the reception just to make sure the flowers were all still happy! Grant Hunker was there all day making video, doing a great job with the DSLR style footage like a video ninja. And of course, a tip of the cap to Tucson’s one and only DJ Tony G, who lit up the place like a laser light show, kept the hits coming all night, and ended the evening with the Looney Tunes theme music “That’s All Folks!”

Family and guests can register to see the wedding photos when they’re up (and score a nifty print gift certificate) by going here -http://www.pictage.com/1244986

Posted in Wedding Photography

Zack’s Senior Portrait Shoot

April 18, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

We covered a lot of bases with Zack’s senior portrait session because he’s got a lot going on. I’ve known him for a few years, and he’s grown up into quite the well-centered young man, which is no surprise considering how deep his family roots run. He brought along a variety of props and wardrobe changes, and we had an awesome space to work at the Port of Tucson shipping yard. His grandfather even showed up and rolled out a giant locomotive for us to use for a few shots – the biggest prop ever!

Posted in Senior Portraits Tagged Senior Portraits |

Jill’s family portrait session

April 13, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

I met Jill through my photography for corporate clients, and she liked my style enough to schedule a family photo session for the spring season months in advance (advance planning FTW!). We “borrowed” the gorgeous grounds of her friend’s foothills home, and made a whole variety of fun family photos in the beautiful late afternoon sunshine. Here are a few faves!

Posted in Family Portraits Tagged Family Portraits |

Jenny’s Portrait Session

April 10, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

Here are few favorites from a recent portrait session. Jenny has an awesome laugh and great smiling eyes, and she was relaxed, cheerful and self-possessed. She’s got a lot of hobbies and interests, but we stuck to simple prop-free portraiture with her and her sister, around her house and at Agua Caliente park - a great spot for photography that requires a permit to shoot at, curiously enough. When I found out a few days before the shoot, I wasn’t sure I could get one in time, but the kind volunteers over there fast-tracked my permit, which was awesome.

This was the first shoot with my brand-spanking-new Canon 5D Mark III, which was very exciting. I’m hooked on Canon full-frame cameras, and I’ve always sprung for the latest-greatest because I use ‘em pretty hard and pretty often. And hey, they’re a tax write-off because I do this for a living, so why scrimp? Along with my bag of lenses, they’re my eyes, really.

It’s been more than three years since a fresh new full-frame model, which is an eternity in camera time. The previous version, the Mark II, was a great camera (as was the original version before that), but I was ready for something even better. And cameras get tired – my original 5D camera had more than half a million shutter activations when it finally needed a rebuild, according to Canon Factory Service – and that was just one of a pair.

Because of some last minute hiccups (which don’t bother me in the least), they suspended delivery almost immediately, and I’m not sure if they’ve even started again. Not many got delivered – but one of the two I ordered made it out, so I consider myself quite lucky.

So far, it absolutely succeeds at helping me make great shots, with a better tonal range, better autofocus and better low light usability. I’m stoked. But no new piece of gear ever gets integrated totally seamlessly…it’s also meant a byzantine process of upgrading all the software I use to process the RAW format images I prefer, but that’s another story (and a boring one). Now all I need is a second one so I can retire both Mark II’s to the backup bin!

Posted in Family Portraits

Isaac’s first portrait session

April 5, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

Kathy and Brian were one of my favorite wedding couples from the fall of 2009, and I was delighted when they called about a family shoot with their 14 month old son, Isaac. We had a blast in the house and backyard, and just let Isaac call the shots. The photos of him and his beloved hat have kind of a “baby Mad Men” quality to them that I love.

Posted in Family Portraits Tagged Babies, Family Portraits |

Adam and Mariah’s engagement photo session

March 31, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

Adam and Mariah recently moved to Phoenix, but are planning their wedding for Tucson, this April at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon. I was up there for a family visit and met up with them at Tempe Town Lake for a great engagement shoot in a gorgeous new-to-me spot. I’m always drawn to the water out here in the desert – it really makes for some cool photographic options. Heeding my advice about a few fun props, they brought a hula hoop and gave it a whirl – in public – so awesome!

Posted in Engagement Portraits Tagged Engagement Portraits |

Laura and Nick’s spring wedding at St. Thomas and Westin La Paloma

March 24, 2012 by chris | Comments Off

Nick and Laura pulled off a great multi-location wedding this weekend, with a mid-morning ceremony at the picturesque St. Thomas the Apostle Church, followed by classy cocktails and dinner at the nearby Westin La Paloma.

The early start gave us lots of time for portraits between the two locations, at a relaxed pace, which is always a blessing, especially as it gets warm. Shoot a bit, cool off a bit and so on. We made the majority of the group portraits at St. Thomas, with it’s beautiful arches and coves, which worked out well, as the Westin was just hopping with weddings and assorted guests when we got there – we must’ve seen at least four other bridal parties on the move. At least one of them looked in good hands with wedding super-coordinator Anne Bryan! We found room for some lovely photos of just the two of them in a few gorgeous-but-quiet spots around the grounds. More arch motifs and a dash for sunset shots on that awesome balcony the have!

At the cocktail hour, they reunited with loving family and a big, fun group of longtime friends who all seemed to enjoy the change of scenery Tucson offered. There were cute kids, lots of laughter, a few tears of joy, and we all danced the evening away to Phoenix’s Radio Junket, who never missed a beat. Just for fun, we made the rounds for table shots – both the normal kind and the deeply silly kind – you’ll never guess which was more popular in the evening’s slide show

The two have know each other since high school on Long Island, and are obviously best friends as well as husband and wife. I’m not sure either of them were crazy about a day of being in the photographic spotlight, but our engagement session convinced them it was going to be fun, not painful, and they came through with patience and grace on the big day. Thanks you guys!

Family and guests can find the photos here, helpfully organized by category: http://pictage.com/1125833