Gabby turns 5 today! My baby is really not a baby anymore….

I look at this picture and a flood of emotions overcome me. I could cry. I remember that day (2.1.07) like it was yesterday. The delivery was quick. The doctor handed me my little girl just after this image was captured. She was so warm, so wet, so beautiful. This photo takes me right back to that special moment. I have a lump in my throat.

When I look back at all the photographs Keith has taken of our children – I can easily say that my favorites are of their births. I have documentaries of both our girl’s births that are so beautiful, so thoughtful, so unbelievably special.

I am so fortunate to have such a fabulous husband, my girls have the best dad in the whole world and we all benefit because he also happens to be an amazing photographer.

Thank you Keith. I love you.

I love my kids, but every once in awhile I feel overwhelmed raising them. There are times when I am impatient or tired or think life is challenging. But then I try to put it all in perspective and realize that these frustrating moments are fleeting, just growing pains for Keith and I as parents and Isabella and Gabby as kids.  This is stuff every parent goes through at one time or another. And some parents go through much more.

A recent email reminds me of how lucky we are. These tiny little blips in our family life are so inconsequential to what some family’s grapple with on a daily basis.

A few years ago, Keith arrived at a family portrait session – 3 children and their parents. The kids were just adorable. As he was having fun photographing them – the parents mentioned that their little one, Henry had a debilitating condition called mitochondrial disease. The little guy could not eat solid food – he was fed through a feeding tube. “In his first three years, Henry had 12 surgeries and procedures, dozens of diagnostic exams, over one hundred doctors’ appointments (with over a dozen specialists), hundreds of physical therapy sessions, taken several medicines, and the list goes on.  And, of course, he had (and has) gear.  He has a feeding pump, a nebulizer, feeding tubes and other stuff, an IV pole, bags that depressurize his stomach, a back pack to carry his pump, leg braces, and . . . .  You get the picture.”

That’s about the time Keith took the above photo of Henry.

Since that time, Henry’s older brother has also been diagnosed with the same disease. Yet somehow, the parents have found the strength to start a foundation called Henry’s Hope, adopt another child (2 of Henry’s siblings are adopted), write a book called Three Candles and help other family’s with children that  have life-threatening conditions.

The email was from Henry’s dad – just keeping us up to date on the family and sending us a link to the Three Candles website.

Talk about putting it all into perspective.

Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.  ~Seneca

Truer words were never spoken. We have BIG plans for the summer.  Hint, hint, the above photo (taken by Keith in 2004) might have something to do with it. Stay tuned.

“Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it”. – Theodore Roosevelt

After a very busy wedding and portrait season, we decided to take a few days off and explore. A family trip to Utah was the answer.  We packed the kids in the car and off we went. The Polar Express near Flagstaff was our first stop. Second stop was Zion. A stay at Zion Mountain Ranch was the perfect location for exploring the area. As you drive towards the park entrance at Zion, the scenery just unfolds right in front of you. A meandering drive through the park, a stop here, a stop there, each view different yet equally impressive, a white tailed deer walking along side the car, a pack of rams climbing out of the scenery. Simply gorgeous.

Next stop was Bryce Canyon. Completely different scenery. A couple feet of snow eliminated the hiking option but we were still able to take in the majestic snow capped view and be in awe of nature. A must visit in warmer weather so that we can explore all the trails that I imagine lead to all sorts of great stuff.

I had always heard of the Vermillion Cliffs – but for some reason they have never made it on our sightseeing radar. On our drive back into Arizona, we chose a different route to return and all of a sudden as you drive down from the North Rim entrance of the Grand Canyon – the Vermillion Cliffs are right there. Just right out in front of you. The scenery changes from a forest to a scene out of a Hollywood western. Stunning.

The whirlwind National Park Tour of 2011 came to an end at The Grand Canyon. It’s hard to say what Park was the most beautiful but what is so remarkable is how different each park is. Only a couple hundred miles separate all four parks and the diversity was incredible.

Keith decided to bring only a rangefinder on this trip. No digital, no auto focus. The above pictures were taken with a manual camera, nothing auto.  The good old days of film, relying solely on your judgement to take each photograph. This is just a handful of some gorgeous photos taken of some really gorgeous scenery.

The ages have been at work a long, long time – the result is true perfection. (Just like film and a good camera!)

Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast. -William Shakespeare

This couple embodies why weddings are so special.

I just want to share two small stories. Last New Year’s Eve at their engagement party, I overheard a guest (one of the groom’s close friends) talking to the groom’s mother. He thanked her for raising such a special son, such a genuinely kind and grateful person. He went on in great detail and it was quite possibly one the kindest tributes to a mother I have ever had the privilege to hear in person. It brought tears to my eyes. I remember thinking, “Wow, I hope one day someone says that to me (about the way I raised my children)!” So touching.

And then a few months ago at their engagement session, we asked the couple why they chose to get married Thanksgiving weekend. A heartfelt answer that discussed family, love, thanks and togetherness and how important that was to them. What better weekend to have a wedding than Thanksgiving weekend?

Two words come to mind when I think of Thanksgiving: gratitude and family and that was definitely the common thread of this absolutely lovely and loving wedding.

……………..

No detail was overlooked on this beautiful wedding day.  A special thanks to all the vendors that make photographing their hard work so easy!

Venue:  The Royal Palms Resort

Coordinator:  Imoni Events

Videographer: Cinezona Films

Makeup:  Sarah San Marco

Flowers:  Blume Events

The Gorgeous Linen:  Southwick Linen

“In the end, it’s not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away” – Shing Xiong

After spending time with this couple I get the distinct impression that they live each day to its fullest and love each other like a beautiful love story with many, many moments that are breathtaking!

They have been together for the better part of a decade (click here to see their engagement session at Lake Arrowhead for more of their story) and seem as easy going around each other as you should be after all those years together yet they maintain a sense of excitement, like they just started this fun adventure together.

The genuine emotion of the day displayed itself through intimate moments alone, tears, kind words, laughs, and lots of humor.  A couple so happy together. Another moment, another day in their lives together that took their breath away.

The day started at The Sanctuary. Ollie the Trolley transported everyone to The Paradise Valley Country Club. The bride chose this venue for their stunning view of Camelback Mountain. Such a gorgeous backdrop for the ceremony and wedding celebration. Lauren Crump of Victoria Canada Wedding and Events overlooked no details in making the day just perfect.

{enjoy the digital preview – a sneak peek while we wait for the film!}

Venue: Paradise Valley Country Club

Coordinator:  Victoria Canada Weddings and Events

Flowers: Petal Pusher

Photo booth: The Live Photobooth

Video: Serendipity

Transportation: Ollie the Trolley

DJ:  DJ Slippe

“Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life.” Leo Buscaglia

Last week Keith had the good fortune of photographing an absolutely lovely couple. The day was glorious. A Sikh wedding ceremony in the morning followed by a Jewish wedding ceremony in the afternoon. An eventful day dedicated to colorful tradition, love and marriage.

To wed is defined as becoming united in a formal ceremony. When you unite two religions, the end result is a day steeped in traditions accompanied by lots of love.

The Sikh marriage ceremony was performed at the Gurdwara – the Sikh Temple in Glendale.  From the lively Baraat, the groom’s wedding procession to the colorful bride’s Chunni to the groom’s Sehra – exciting Indian wedding rituals that together paint such a joyous and festive wedding story.

Two lovely families joined together through love and tradition.  A blissful union.

Coordinator:  Amina Michele of  Some Like it Classic Wedding and Event Design

(Stay tuned for part 2, the Jewish wedding ceremony at The Phoenix Art Museum)

“True love stories never have endings.” - Richard Bach

While it may certainly be true that a true love story doesn’t have an ending, a true love story most certainly has a beginning.

Even though this couple has been together for a while and have a busy life together in California, there is always something about a wedding that defines new beginnings.

A magical afternoon and evening, a couple head over heels, an oh so gorgeous Arizona day that makes you wonder why the whole world doesn’t live here, the perfect venue, in fact a moveable feast of sorts all brought together by Lauren of Victoria Canada Weddings and Events.

The commencement of the rest of their lives together – day one! Beautiful.

[Thank you to all the wonderful vendors that make it so easy for us to take lovely photos!]

Second Photographer:  Amy Fraughton

Coordinator:  Lauren Crump of Victoria Canada Weddings & Events

Ceremony & Reception:  Montelucia Resort & Spa

Videographer:  Bright Bokeh

This is the thing digital cameras can never take away from film cameras… they can age well. The shot on this page was taken with a camera that is very special to me. My Zeiss Ikon Contina IIa. It was built in 1956 as an exceptionally well made point and shoot. It is all manual and has a selenium cell light meter (NO batteries required). It is not a range finder nor an SLR (looking through the lens). To focus it you have to judge the distance to your subject and turn the lens scale to match your guess. It helps to be able to convert to meters as it is a German camera. It has not had a roll of film in it in as long as I’ve owned it until last week (shame). Despite it’s lack of modern conveniences  it is capable of adding beauty to the world when given the chance. Imagine how well a 55 year old digital camera will hold up. This camera will be able to work alongside it then too.

The reason this camera is special to me is not because it is old or beautiful (even though it is both of those). It is because it was given to me by a beautiful German lady named Helga. Helga lived in the Bronx when I met her and she was in her mid 70′s then. That was around 2000 or 2001. She lived in a house behind my mother’s that had been built by her husband when that part of the Bronx was still farm land. I used to periodically talk to her over the adjoining fences and it was always a treat. One day she asked me to come around to the house. When I arrived she said she was selling the house and moving since it had become too much to handle after the passing of her husband John (John by the way was a wonderful painter, a kind man and the subject of one of my favorite photographs I have ever taken). Helga handed me this camera and said that it was a gift. She had purchased it when she was leaving Germany as a sort of insurance policy. If things did not work out in America then she could sell it and buy her way back. Things did work and she stayed.

I have looked at this camera for years. Last week I decided to run a roll through it on our swing out to California and I got this photo. I love it. It is old and new all at once. It is new beauty in a changing world and it was placed here by a camera that is as gorgeous and functional at fifty-five as when it was new. Thank you Helga for one of the best gifts that was ever given to me.

Pacific Beach, San Diego, California taken with Zeiss Ikon Contina IIa on Kodak Tri-X

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