Well, I am finally home from my visit to the East Coast, but only temporarily ... we leave again tomorrow for another week in sunny Florida for another destination wedding!  I actually made the trek back to Arizona to photograph Stephanie and David's wedding this past Saturday.

 

The ceremony was held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix and the reception was held at the Tempe Mission Palms.  This was a first for me.  It was the first one-hundred percent photojournalistic wedding I have ever covered ... that's right, not one posed photo in the bunch.  The couple was very clear on this point.  They simply wanted their wonderful day captured as it unfolded with no interference!  And by the way, the "napkin hats" everyone is wearing during the reception ... there is definitely a story and a reason behind it all, though it was not necessarily planned :-).

 

Stephanie and David were wonderful to work with and it was a pleasure serving as their wedding photographer.  Thank you both so much and I hope you enjoy Savannah (one of my favorite Southern destinations!)

 

I am so excited to say that I placed in two categories of the Wedding Photojournalist Association's (WPJA) Quarter 4 Contest.  Again the competition was very stiff with talented photographers from all corners of the globe participating, so to place at all is a real honor.

 

Even more exciting was taking second place in the "Cake Cutting" category.  The image was taken at Tishya and Greg's wedding this past October and was without a doubt one of those "once in a lifetime images" that could never possibly be planned or repeated.  It has quickly become one of my all-time favorite images and a big hit with everyone that sees it.

 

The other image took tenth place in the "Ring Details" category.  It was taken at Armanda and Jon's wedding in Monument Valley and has also become a favorite.  Thank you to Tishya and Greg and Armanda and Jon for giving me the opportunity to make these wonderful photographs!!

After leaving Florida, I headed to North Carolina to visit my family.  I have been here almost two weeks now and am not ready to make my departure later this week ... but alas, all good things must come to an end.  I have no family in AZ - they all live in NC - so it is always a joy to come home ... though I don't get to do it nearly enough.

Louie, my mom's Westie, has made appearances on the blog before, but it is time to introduce our new addition ... drum roll please ... Gizmo!!  Gizmo was in need of a better home than he came from (though not from lack of the previous owner caring, which is why she gave him up.)  He came to my mom's house in pretty poor condition, but is now beautiful and thriving ... and really, really sweet.  He was advertised as a Westie, but we don't really think so.  I personally think he is a mix between a Schnauzer and a Westie.  We will find out soon though when we have a DNA test done ... we are just so curious.  Here are a few photos we took of them for St. Patty's Day :-).

This is Gizmo.  What do you think he is?

We spent a week in Florida while there for Alicia and Michael's wedding.  Funny thing was it was colder when we got to Florida than it was when we left Flagstaff - go figure.  It warmed up quickly though, thank goodness.

I lived in Central Florida for ten years and sometimes I really miss it, so it is really nice when I get a chance to return ... which is also why I love booking weddings there (I have two more to go this year in FL) :-).  Plus, this is the first time I have been able to take Kevin there with me and it was nice to show him around the wilds of my old home.

The biggest thing I miss, besides old friends, is the wilderness and beaches of the state.  I used to do a lot of wildlife and nature photography in Florida and it was quite spiritual for me to go into the swamps or to the river or beach and spend time with the big birds and reptiles.  I especially love the big birds ... they are so comical.  We even saw a river otter chowing down on a fish on a river bank.  I have never seen one in the wild before so it was a real treat.  We also got some really cool shots from a controled burn down in Cape Canaveral.  It was really nice to return (and share it with Kevin) and these are some of the photos we got while there.  Enjoy!

Reflections of Florida in Infrared ...