Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Kitchen Sink Studios

We have the great privilege of now working in the same building as Kitchen Sink Studios, an amazing local 2D & 3D design group. I recently shot some images of the building to help them showcase the great architecture and design done by my officemates, Plus Minus Studio.



The courtyard is inviting and calming with a water feature and sculpture.


Kitchen Sink's conference room is adorned with a foosball table and a wall-sized screen so employees can play guitar hero on their lunch break.


The orange powder-coated desks were custom designed just for this office.


One of my favorite parts of this space is the amazing bathroom. The concrete sink mixed with the frosted glass and small blue tiles showcase the industrial elegance represented in this unique modern architecture.


Three dogs wonder free in the upstairs office, keeping the atmosphere relaxed and homey.



This door/wall is super funky. It swivels closed to create a flush wall. The wall is feather light and yet strong enough to hold you up if you were to hang from it.


To see more images from the shoot, check out the Kitchen Sink Studios slideshow!

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Meet Rebecca


Let me introduce you to Rebecca, our super studio manager. Rebecca has been a part of the Eyes 2 See family for over a year. She has become an integral part of what we are doing on every level. The addition of Rebecca to the team has allowed us to expand our wedding coverage both nationally and internationally. Rebecca has kept the gears turning as my travels have taken me on assignment for weeks at a time. We have also been fortunate that as more and more Corporate, Advertising & Editorial projects develop, she has kept our clients happy by delivering our images, albums and prints quickly and efficiently. For her efforts and her friendship I am extremely grateful!


Rebecca is vegetarian so her favorite place to get lunch is at That's a Wrap in downtown Phoenix near our office.




Here is a little Q&A with Rebecca:

1. What is your favorite childhood memory?
Playing manhunt with all the kids in my neighborhood, almost every night after dark, every summer from when I was maybe eight until I was twelve or thirteen. My neighborhood was absolutely huge, and it connected to two other huge neighborhoods, so there were easily 100 kids playing.

2. If you could be any Superhero, who would you be?
I can honestly say that I've never thought about it before. I've made the mistake of googling "list of superheroes" and I want to be several of them. I mean, Mighty Mouse? That's a double whammy... you get to be just like Superman, but also be an animal! QUAILMAN... from Doug. Quite possibly the best name, and without a doubt, the most hilarious costume. Underdog... obviously the best catchphrase: "There's no need to fear... Underdog is here!!" Is there any Superhero that can fly and turn invisible? Those are always the two superpowers I can't decide between, so I pick the Superhero that can do both of those.

3. If you could visit only one place on Earth, where would you go?
Back to Tuscany. I lived in Tuscany for four months, studying abroad during college, and I absolutely loved it. My mom's family is Italian, so it meant a lot for me to go to there. Going back there is always going to be number one on my list of places to go.

4. What inspires you to be creative?
The color orange. Black and white portraits. Macro filters. Friends. Reading. Antique cameras. Buddha statuettes. All things Italian. Travel. Venetian masks. Gerber daisies. Eyes. Rock and roll. Indie music. Great movies. Interior design magazines. The list could go on.

5. How many pairs of shoes do you have?
25. I counted. That makes me both really sad, and absolutely amused. Do I really need that many pairs of shoes? No. Do I love each and every pair I have? Aaaaabsolutely. I have cool shoes.

6. If you were color blind, what color would you miss the most?
Orange! I love it. Favorite color, hands down. And it's been my favorite for a long time. I remember being quite fond of the Robin's Egg Blue Crayola crayon as a kid, but orange definitely tops the list now. It's so happy!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Corey's Senior Portraits

I had a great time shooting senior portraits for Corey. We wandered around downtown Phoenix, and then headed out to Papago Park to take advantage of the beautiful landscape and desert views.













For more of my session with Corey, check out his slideshow!

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Sunday, May 18, 2008

Studio Photography Magazine


We were featured in the May issue of Studio Photography Magazine!

Emotion Media and Studio Photography Magazine approached us to help with an article about the growing trends in DVD proofing. Studio Photography Magazine is a monthly publication reaching 50,000 professional photographers each month in all segments of the professional photography market. They focus on photography business practices, marketing strategies, techniques and workflow as well as products & services. Emotion Media has harnessed new DVD technology giving photographers options when it comes to offering their clients proofing products. Whether in the comfort of your own home or in the photographers studio, DVD proofing is a fantastic choice alone or paired with online options or traditional prints and proof books. To read the article online visit CLICK HERE!


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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Surprise Civic Center

I recently did a corporate architecture shoot for D.L. Withers at the new Surprise Civic Center. The new buildings that will hold the police, fire and courts were really interesting to photograph. I loved what the architects were doing by combining the raw material feeling in the design with modern contemporary clean lines. My favorite part of the day was when I got to check out the shooting range and the jail.



Surprise, located in the Western Suburbs, is one of the fastest growing communities in Phoenix. Take a drive through their town, and you will see new buildings everywhere.






To see more images from this shoot, view the slideshow!

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Sunday, May 11, 2008

ISES Award Winner



I was really surprised that I won this award from the Arizona Event Industry Awards night. What an honor!

The 2nd Annual Zonie Awards were sponsored by ISES (International Special Events Society) and were held at The Venue in Scottsdale. I was voted Best Event Photography, for “A Night in Old Havana.” The pictures were from the 10th Anniversary Party that the Wedding Chronicle held at The Bentley Projects in downtown Phoenix. Thanks to Angie VanDaele of The Wedding Chronicle for allowing me the opportunity to photograph this wonderful event!

To view our winning entry CLICK HERE!


Congratulations to all the amazing vendors that won awards this year. Here are a few of our friends that also won awards!

Victoria Canada of Victoria Canada Events won for Best Social Event, Budget Over $25,000 for “Modern Mediterranean” and Best Multi-Day Event, Budget over $25,000 for “Texas Panhandle, Arizona Style”.

Karen Doan & Melissa Lewis, Karen Doan Events & Table Tops, Etc. won in the
Best Non-Profit Event, Budget Over $25,000 category for “Beach Ball South Beach Nights.”

Dianna Samuels & Rene Showalter, Table Tops, Etc. & Celebrations in Paper won for Best Event Décor for the event “Celebration of Life Birthday.”

Thanks to FotoCabina for the photo booth pictures.

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Saturday, May 10, 2008

The Flower Studio

Over the past year we have had more and more calls to photograph advertising, corporate, and architecture projects. One of those recent projects was an advertising shoot for The Flower Studio, showcasing their amazing floral arrangements. The theme for the florals and the shoot was "Hello Yellow," a spin off a growing trend in weddings. The creations made by Christine Siegel at The Flower Studio were absolutely incredible!









To view the slideshow that will be featured on The Flower Studio's website, click here!

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Worth Reading!

I recently stumbled across this message on David Jay's blog and thought it would be worth sharing!

I resonate with Carlin's statement that people are making a living but not a life. This is something that I want to work on more in how I approach my life. Finding a healthy balance seems to be more and more elusive. Part of the problem is that we give less attention to training how to have healthy children, marriages, and friendships than we do to preparing someone to drive a car. We would never give over the keys in our relationships if we thought that crashing them would have an even bigger impact than crashing a car.

The Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

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Friday, May 9, 2008

Sean & Brooke's Engagement Session

Sean and Brooke were an absolute blast to shoot an engagement session with! Both Brooke and Sean, and their cute puppies, have so much personality and spunk. I am really excited to work with them on their wedding, as they are very playful in front of the camera. Sean is a hockey player, so it was a rare day that we could get on his schedule. My favorite part of the day was when we took out their bikes and cruised around the Scottsdale Waterfront. I can't wait to document their wedding in June!!















For more great shots of this couple, check out their slideshow!

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Thursday, May 8, 2008

Satyen & Sheema's Wedding

Satyen & Sheema's wedding at The Castle at Ashley Manor in Chandler, AZ was absolutely gorgeous. Sheema is such an amazing person with a smile that is pure gold. Both families had emotion filled weeks with ceremonies that spanned over three very full days. Indian weddings are so fun to photograph, as they offer a ton of visual stimulation. Each day is full of many ceremonies which keep you on your toes. I also love the vivid and saturated color which always makes for very dynamic images!


Sheema and her parents pray during a cleansing ceremony at her family's house.



Satyen's family is greeted with hugs and laughter by Sheema's relatives as they arrive from the Phoenix airport.


The Castle at Ashley Manor in Chandler, AZ is a great place for a ceremony. It is very cool inside, with high ceilings and beautiful sculptures in back.




Satyen is welcomed with a special ceremony where both families come together and prepare the groom for the wedding.



Sheema never stopped smiling!



Kids make the best pictures at weddings! These two little guys were so fun to hang with and became my fast friends.


All of the guests started crying as Sheema's father said goodbye after the wedding ceremony. This was one of those moments that take your breath away and you hope you can capture it on film. Sheema's father had to be pulled away from his daughter after several minutes. Beautiful!


Sheema's sisters and friends did a traditional dance after dinner.


Satyen gets the party started!


For even more beautiful images from Satyen & Sheema's wedding, you can view both of their slideshows: day 1 & 2 and day 3.

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Monday, May 5, 2008

Vendor Spotlight: Bright Event Gallery


This month I am starting an exciting feature on the blog. Every month I will feature a new vendor that has been an inspiration to me and my business. Our featured vendor for the month of May is Bright Event Gallery! Bright was founded by Victoria Canada, an amazing wedding coordinator here in Phoenix. Victoria and her best friend and business partner, Kelly Gill, are a high-impact team that bring enthusiasm, style and talent to everything they do. I have been so impressed and inspired by how these two have built such huge buzz around their new creative endeavor.

Bright Event Gallery is much more then just a wedding vendor gallery. They have also created a hip retail store nestled in Downtown Scottsdale. Launched specifically to give discerning brides a one-stop shop for wedding planning, Bright acts as a living magazine where clients can interact with vendors face-to-face after receiving a planning consultation. The boutique also offers specialty items for brides-to-be. The Butler Bag, handmade jewelry from Claudia’s Pearls, one-of-a-kind ring pillows, or hotel welcome bags are just a few items that can be found by browsing their upscale shop.

We were one of the featured speakers at their Guys Night. This was a time to educate grooms-to-be on the finer details of their role in the wedding process. Another fun night of education was the Dare to Dance Night. This was an awesome night where I got to share the stage with Ray, of Ray the DJ, as a speaker and event photographer. I even brought my wife along to do a little dancing as well.

Each month they feature a new table with creative floral and fun details. The Bright tables are always fresh and trendsetting. Check out the table that I photographed: Glam Tables 1 ,Glam Tables 2. Photography is all about timing and so is visiting The Bright Gallery. One day I just happened to stop in and was surprised by an amazing lunch catered by Mi Catering: Food Coma.

Check out what they had to say about Eyes 2 See when we were the Bright Vendor of the Month.

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Thursday, May 1, 2008

BBJ Linen Website

BBJ Linen, a national linen company, just updated their website which features a lot of my photography. BBJ's Phoenix Senior Sales Manager, Laurie Southwick is one of the coolest ladies you will meet in the wedding business. She and I have worked on so many weddings and special projects together. The linens she brings are always creative and fun. Make sure to give BBJ a call if you want your event to pop!


We shot the opening images on their homepage gallery at Villa Siena for the Phoenix Bride & Groom Magazine cover.


The Pink Flamingo Party was especially fun as the NACE 2007 national convention kicked off at the Valley HO!


I shot the Ad campaign for Corte Bella. The sunsets at Corte Bella are amazing and worth checking out for yourself. I hear the golfing is not bad either.


The cake pictures are also from the Phoenix Bride & Groom magazine shoot. The amazing Andrea Blaut from Sedona Cake Couture makes the most visually arresting cakes.

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