Arizona Society of Glass Beadmakers Postcard

The Arizona Society of Glass Beadmakers (ASGB) asked me to photograph their beads for their annual postcard again this year. It always fun to see such a variety of incredible lampworked glass designs! To see more of their work, visit their website at: www.azsgb.org . You can also visit with the artists and even purchase their work at the upcoming fall Best Bead Show in Tucson, September 11-13, 2009. The beads pictured, from top to bottom, were created by: Lucinda Rave, Nancy Pilgrim, Celeste Sotomayor, Carol Saker, Adiel Garrison, and Jane Praxel.

Tatum and Cory Wedding, Viewpoint Golf Resort, Mesa, AZ

We first met Tatum at the Bridal Fashion Debut show, and photographed her and fiance Cory's engagement session this past March. When they told us they would be getting married in August (our first August wedding in the Valley of the Sun) we knew we'd be in for a warm day! Viewpoint Golf Resort in Mesa provided a beautiful backdrop and comfortable setting for their vows and reception. Personal touches included lavendar and white bridesmaids dresses and a 4-tier fondant cake frosted with romantic script!

New Jewelry by Diane C. Smith

I recently photographed some beautiful pieces for artist Diane C. Smith for her new website. Many of Diane's necklaces feature intricately carved Japanese netsuke (animal figurines carved from fossilized mammoth ivory, naturally shed hippo tusks or ebony wood), semi-precious gemstones, and silver components from Thailand Hill Tribe villagers as well as from artisans in Tibet and Bali.

Diane donates a large portion of her sales to various animal rescue organizations. You can see and purchase her amazing work here: The Artist's Eye.

Borosilicate Glass Bracelets by Kevin O'Grady

Here are some beautiful borosilicate glass bracelets I recently photographed for artist Kevin O'Grady. Kevin creates each bracelet by hand by working glass rods over a propane and oxygen torch. You can see more of his incredible work here: Kevin O'Grady
All designs are Copyright ©2009, Kevin O'Grady.

So Long 4x5"

The time finally came to sell our large format 4x5" film camera. I remember when we first got the camera in college and couldn't wait to try it out. We had set up an elaborate shot of broken glass and cut flowers on the bed in my dorm room. We had a light meter to tell us what exposure was needed, but no lights! After much calculation, we determined that it would take about 40 flashes from a regular 35mm handheld flash while the shutter on the camera was left open for around 3 minutes. Those were the days!

I thought it would be fun to share a couple of images we shot on this amazing piece of equipment. The 4x5" took large sheets of film (only 10 sheets to a $50 box), that were several times larger than a 35mm negative, and thus allowed us to create images that could be blown up with great clarity. When composing an image, the scene was reflected backward and upside down on a ground glass screen. The only way to see the image on the ground glass in bright daylight was under a dark cloth draped over the back of the camera. We used a magnifying loupe to check the focus and details of the composition, and then proofed the scene using black and white polaroid film! Taking photos with the 4x5" was a very meditative process, allowing us to really immerse ourselves in the landscape, as a typical image would take an hour or more to create.

Nelson Reservoir, White Mountains, Arizona


San Francisco Peaks, Arizona

Mandy and Dan Wedding, Fiesta Fountains, Mesa, AZ

Mandy and Dan had a cozy and intimate wedding ceremony at Mesa's Fiesta Fountains. We were only there for an hour, but found plenty of great image making opportunities! Their unique ceremony included a traditional Celtic handfasting, performed by Reverend Crystal Lloyd. We wish Mandy and Dan a lifetime of happiness!

Fourth of July Weekend in Flagstaff, AZ

Amanda, Rocher (our french bulldog) and I took advantage of the 3-day Fourth of July weekend and headed up to Flagstaff for some rest from the Phoenix heat. We tried out two new dog-friendly hiking trails--Bismarck Lake and Walker Lake--both of which are small seasonal water holes that have formed in collapsed cinder cones. They were quite beautiful and Rocher enjoyed frolicking off-lead in the grass and water! We were also treated to a good soaking rainstorm which brought out the fresh scent of the ponderosa pine needles.

On Saturday we drove up Mount Elden in the hopes of seeing Flagstaff's fireworks from overhead. We learned two things; Mount Elden has two peaks, one of which blocked our view of the fireworks, and fireworks don't go up that high. We were maybe 1700 feet above Flagstaff and the fireworks didn't clear the hill in front of us. Still, we had an exceptional view of the city lights and Route 66, and even caught the tiny bursts of fireworks at distant Lake Mary and Winslow!