In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d publish a mini post   Sofie (my dog) I am home in Atlanta visiting my family for Thanksgiving.  We have taken a few photos with the family, but some of my favorites are from the family dogs

Sofie (all the way from Idaho) with our good family friend Lucielle:

My Mom’s dog, Jake:

My dad’s dog, Tootsie:

Christine Gelb is a GREAT friend.  She had a GREAT idea for a birthday present for not one, but TWO of her close friends this month!  She hired me to photograph their dogs!  She borrowed her friend Lydia’s dog, Betty and other friend, Cameron’s dog, Farris for a lunchtime photoshoot!  I think this was such a great gift idea and soo incredibly nice of Ms. Gelb (also, both dogs were soo sweet), I just HAD to share!

Betty:

Farris:

I LOVE my dog, Sofie.  She goes wherever I go, which includes skiing!  I moved to Idaho three years ago, having only skied once as a child.   Moving to a ski resort town from the deep south was quite a challenge!  I have, however embraced skate skiing over the past two years, and am very much looking forward to this winter’s ski season!  Sofie and I received our nordic trail passes last week and are ready to go, all we need is snow!

Ciao everyone!  As you read this, I am either boarding a plane or in the air, or…either way, I’m en-route to Italy for the EICMA tradeshow in Milano!  I am returning Sunday, November 15th…  Don’t fret, however, as you will still see blog posts, as I plan to edit photos on the long plane ride(s) on my way!  The past few times I’ve been to Italy I haven’t really taken many photos   HOWEVER, this time I’m bringing my camera arsenal, and will have something to show upon my return!  In honor of my trip, I have decided to blog a few photos from the FIRST time I visited Italy during the summer of 2000.  This was when I was first starting to really get into photography and was shooting with a FILM Canon Rebel camera…enjoy!

This shot is taken from my apartment in Montepulciano, Italy…my neighbor would often just pass out in the sunlight, for several hours…he was really sweet!

This shot, also taken in Montepulciano, is one of my favorites…

Ahhh…the CLASSIC gondola shot in Venice!

Another shot of Venice…

And finally, a self-portrait of myself…yes…quite embarassing, but why not?

This summer, while photographing Jolie’s Bat Mitzvah, her parents requested to have instant photos taken and printed on-site  in addition to having professional photographs taken.  I had never done both duties at a function, so I enlisted the help of my friend Vanessa.  While I photographed the event with my Canon 5D Mk II, Vanessa photographed each guest as they entered the party with my Canon G-10 and instantly printed the photos to the Pogo Polaroid printer.  The Pogo is a great little printer that prints out photos that are credit card sized, and have an adhesive backing.  The photos print fast, are instantly developed and dry, and easy to peel and stick!  Jolie had a scrapbook made with each page dedicated to Pogo photos where guests could stick their photos and write a special message!  What a fantastic idea!! I just HAD to share!

Just use a USB key to connect your camera to the Pogo, and instantly print photos!

On each page of Jolie’s scrapbook, there were place holders for each guest’s photo:

Here’s Miss Vanessa grabbing shots of guests:

Here’s a look at the guests writing something special to Jolie next to their photo in her scrapbook:

Maria Forsberg, the toughest off-road woman racer I have ever met, has just completed the International 6 Days Enduro with a second place overall finish!!!  I got to know Maria when I photographed her for Maxxis Tires’ 2009 autograph poster last fall.  She is an absolute sweetheart, is beautiful and is faster than most males I know!  Check out Miss Forsberg in the photos I shot last fall:

Tonight I decided to finally take a look at the photos from the vacation I took to Playa Del Carmen in September.  I met my mom there for a week stay at Shangri-La Caribe.  It is a quaint resort featuring the cleanest rooms and most friendly staff I have ever come across!  I am already planning on returning to the exact same resort next spring!  I left Ketchum carrying very few electronic devices…among them however, I carried my Canon EOS 5D, Canon 50mm 1.2 lens, Canon 70-200 2.8 lens and my Canon G10 outfitted with an underwater housing unit that Craig Wolfrom so generously let me borrow!

Here’s a look at our palapa:

Here’s the main pool:

Just past the pool is the main bar where I spent many hours playing ping-pong against some of the staff waiters and bartenders

This is the view from our palapa

When we booked the hotel stay, I was really looking forward to hanging out at their bar which features swings…however, since occupancy was so low while we were there, this area of the hotel was closed…

Next spring when I return, I WILL be sitting on a swing, with drink in hand…

The volleyball area was also quiet…but I have a feeling I’ll be playing some ball when I return…

This is mom and I in our individual hammocks on our balcony…

Before we headed out to the beach on our first day…mom stayed very busy blowing up the float she dragged all the way from Atlanta!

Most days, if I wasn’t sitting in the ocean, I was sitting on the comfy chairs on the beach…

Or I was sitting in the pool, reading my book!

I really loved watching the Iguanas!

When presented with an Iguana to hold, I was a bit scared at first…

But it wasn’t so bad

On our third day in Playa, we went on a snorkeling trip.  This is the view of our little resort from the boat:

Jose was our guide during the snorkeling adventure…

A lovely self-portrait, ha!

Toward the end of our tour, Jose swam down to pick up a shell for a souvenir!

Later in the week, mom and I drove south to check out the Mayan ruins of Tulum:

Here’s mom standing in one of the entryways…

We also came across a protected area for Sea Turtle hatching…

It was a HOT day when we visited Tulum…and many of the tourists decided to take a dip in the ocean halfway through…but mom and I had snorkeling on our brains!

On our way back from Tulum, mom and I stopped at a lagoon in Akumal for some snorkeling

During our last day on the beach I attempted to get a shot of the waves breaking…but this was the best shot I got…

Goodbye Playa!  See you next year!

A while back, I had the great pleasure of photographing Jennifer and Michael.  They are siblings who wanted to have their portraits taken together as a Christmas present for their parents.  What a great idea!  They were such fun to work with, and I hope their parents LOVE their Christmas gift

What a great looking duo!

Jennifer brought her dog along for a few shots as well…

Hello Friends!

I’m home from my vacation, and what a great time it was!!! I’m already planning on returning to the same exact spot 6 months from now…

In the meantime, I have a LOT of work to catch up on, and am back at the grind!  Wedding and family photos to be posted soon…in the meantime, here’s a look at the place I called “home” for the past week:

If you are reading this, I am sipping on a beer and lying on the sand, in a hammock or swimming in the ocean   I am leaving tomorrow, the 19th for Playa Del Carmen, and I am NOT taking my computer.  This will be the first time in my life (since I’ve own a computer) that I have NOT stepped on an airplane without it, even on vacation!  This summer has been the busiest of my life and have been working 12 hour days, most everyday, in front of my computer.  So I am going to go through an intense digital detox (with the exception of my camera…can’t go to Mexico without it).  So look for new posts starting Monday, September 28th.  In closing, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite photos I took during my last vacation to Mexico over two years ago!