Last week, wedding planner Amina Michele of Some Like it Classic Wedding & Event Design helped organize The Scottsdale Wedding Walk at The Venue Scottsdale. There were all sorts of great vendors including beautiful flowers, photographers, local wedding magazines, delicious cupcakes (21 Cakes, their tiny little mouth sized cupcakes were so delicious!) and of course The Live Photobooth. There was also a fun fashion show featuring wedding dresses from Destiny’s Bride and other local stores and designers, an assortment of beautiful dresses sashaying down the runway.

Angie from The Wedding Chronicle asked Keith if he could take a few shots of the models styled by Ramon Bacaui Salon. A quick trip upstairs at The Venue made for the perfect backdrop. It’s a good thing that lately Keith does not leave the house without his Zeiss Rangefinder hanging off his shoulder. That proved very convenient.

The result: an impromptu bridal shoot with Black & White film.

Here’s a digital sneak peek – I can’t wait to see the film! (just a few more days!)

An absolutely lovely afternoon spent at The Royal Palms. We enjoyed ourselves so much.

Looking forward to their amazing wedding in November.

This past Friday, Kirstie and Nelson’s wedding was featured on the AZ Central website’s Wedding Spotlight.  Thanks again to all the amazing vendors that made this day so special:

Venue:  The Royal Palms Resort

Wedding Coordinator:  Rhonda Rush/Impact Events

Florist:  Avant-Garde

Videography:  Serendipity Videography

Guitarist:  Gaetano

NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Hi All,

Here is a nice easy Sunday post that happens to be informative. I had nothing to do with it of course (other than to find it and think it a good idea), but it is worth posting none the less. Time interviews have been known to be good at times so why think otherwise now. The subject is the legendary Annie Leibovitz. Sit back, relax and get to know Ms. Leibovitz a bit better.

Sincerely,

Keith

P.S. I love her work

Hi All,

That’s right. 100 percent of our Wedding Chronicle submissions have made it to print. The fact that this is the only submission we have made should not diminish the perfection in any meaningful way. We will most likely thumb our noses at caution and try it again and again. I can’t say how long our perfection will last but it is something to revel in at the moment. Grab a copy at any AJ’s Fine Foods or better yet, go into Bright Event Gallery and ask for a copy from any of the outstanding ladies that greet you. Tell them Keith sent you. I don’t know what, if anything that might do for you but I am pretty sure it will not kill the conversation (they like me there). So without further hyperbole I ask that you look at some photos (of photos) and comment away.

Sincerely,

Keith

Hi All,

We have FINALLY done it. Our first newsletter is in the books and queued for sending. If you haven’t already, please go to the bottom of this blog and sign up to receive it. For the first issue I will be staggering the delivery. From the Feb. issue on I will only be doing monthly mailings so get on board quickly so you don’t have to wait too long. As a bonus to subscribers, there is and will be specials that are only available through the newsletter. 

Please comeback and give us some feedback regarding the newsletter. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Keith

The purpose of this entry is to keep to something I mentioned a while back. That something is to note other photographers who I feel are notable. In this case it is Nick Brandt. Until I ran into his book “On This Earth” in a Barnes and Noble one day I had never heard of him. The book blew me away. It is a collection of his work with African wildlife. The photos are the best I have ever seen on the subject. Every image stands on its own as a work of art. If you have never seen his work then you don’t know how majestic any of these animals can look. Do yourself a favor and acquire a copy. I say all this while not being a big fan of nature photography. Look for yourself. I can’t imagine that you would not be impressed. 

Sincerely,

Keith

If you are the parent of a young child (or now have grown children) then you have had to ask yourself this same question – what do we do with all this artwork?  Our 4-year old is loving her pre-K class (and her 1 1/2 year old sister loves her class too!) at a fantastic Co-op preschool in Phoenix..every day they bring home a lovely, creative art project…one that I can not bring myself to throw away.  Eventually, some make it into the trash, but not all…so what to do with these treasures?

This issue of Wondertime Magazine tries to address this question with several options for “giving your kids’ art proper display space…so you don’t have to save every masterpiece”.  They suggest tat “the art should go up and down fairly regularly, keep very little but display it beautifully.”  Great advice…here are a few other tips from the article:

Get Digital

Memorialize selected works— your child’s blue period, say, or her armless bodies phase— by scanning them into your computer and creating cool keepsakes. To make a glossy poster, scan 4 to 16 pieces, then visit shutterfly.com or snapfish.com for the poster design and printing (about $20 to $25). If you’d rather not handle the technical aspects, try a print shop— just call first to make sure they do scanning. Once the items are scanned, all you need to do is decide how you want them to look on the poster and choose the background.

Live Large

FedEx Kinko’s will turn PDFs of artwork into large-format prints 1 on foam core (around $80 and up).

Go Mobile

Commission your artist to cut up her old art and create a simple mobile with a wire hanger and thread, or use Fotofalls’ mobile photo clip. ($21, umbra.com)

Make It Magnetic

Updating the artwork on display isn’t difficult if you create a magnetic gallery. Use four coats of magnetic primer (Magic Wall, $36 for 32 ounces, kling.com), then cover it with the wall color of your choice. Mount artwork with super-strong magnets (regular fridge magnets won’t hold). Shape-Up! magnets from Three by Three Seattle ($8 per 4-pack at fridgedoor.com) are too big to swallow and come in a variety of colors and shapes such as stars, birds, and arrows.

Blow Up

The hardest part? Inflating the frames — so let the artist do it. Then slide the work-of-the-week in the pocket and hang. (Instant Masterpiece Blow Up Frame, $10, Brooklyn5and10.com)

Tape It Off

If your child should happen to draw directly on the wall, don’t panic. Incorporate it into the gallery by surrounding it with Do-Frame Tape. It works for pieces he made elsewhere too. ($15, chocosho.com)

Frame It

Lil’ Da Vinci frames ($29 to $37, dynamicframes.com) swing open and store extra artwork (can you say spacesaver?). Or showcase your rotating collection in tried-and-true acrylic box frames. ($2 to $23, archivalusa.com)

I read a lot of magazines every month..one in particular that I look forward to receiving and reading cover to cover is Cookie Magazine.  As a mother of two small girls 4 and 18 months there are usually a few tips that I jot down and a few products that I make a mental note to either buy or buy later.   Here are my notes from this month:

Item to buy:  Blank Bound Books $3.50 each, Treetop Publishing, www.sonsanddaughtersinc.com – my oldest daughter loves to draw while she is in the car…I have lots of loose pages or notebooks full of her drawings, but this is such a great way of collecting her art…and sending a volume to her great grandmothers!

Mother Trick/Tip:  Julie Alvin writes about how fashion designer Cynthia Rowley keeps her 3 and 9 year old entertained while traveling.  

1. For the car:  ”turn the volume up on the radio and play along to the songs with tambourines or other kid-friendly instruments.”  
2. For the plane:  ”Rowley increases interest and distraction time by wrapping (the toys) them in paper.  The littler one doesn’t know I just wrap her old, regular toys” she says.
3. For the restaurant:  Rowley averts meltdowns..by playing three-card monte with sugar packets.  ”We mark the back of one, and they have to follow it – that really keeps them quiet for awhile.

I was just flipping through the fall/winter 2008 issue of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style and I came across an article written by Kim Knox Becklus about wedding planning featuring Mindy Weiss. I realized that I could have certainly benefitted from her new organization items when I was planning my own wedding several years ago! What a novel idea – keeping everything TOGETHER in one place where it could have been found when it was needed! Her wedding planning book looks VERY comprehensive…but the “Ultimate Wedding Organizer” Planner Book and “Keep it Together” Expandable File Organizer look like must haves for any bride to be that wants to keep herself organized!

Anyway, I enjoyed the organization tidbits…but I especially enjoyed this:

Weiss advises couples to remember what’s truly important. “It doesn’t matter in the end how many flowers you have,” she says. Envision a hurricane sweeping everything away, she tells brides. “All you’re going to think about is: He’s still there.” (and the photographs of course! – I added that part!)

- Melissa