Gift Certificate Sale

Beginning "Cyber Monday", December 1st and continuing through Christmas Day, we will be offering "Buy One, Get One Free" Gift Certificates or "Double Value" on one certificate. The gift certificates are for new sessions only and will be valid from December 26th, 2008 through May 31st, 2009. The certificates are good toward sessions and product orders. We also have our standard gift certificates which do not have an expiration date at 10% off our regular studio pricing.

Midtown Madness

Yesterday afternoon I went in to Midtown Manhattan with my family. What better time to go Time Square than the busiest shopping day of the year? My brother brought his camera with him and here are some of the results.

My brother Rich outside of a restaurant we ate at in Harlem.

One of my all-time favorite buildings is the Chrysler Building. I love the Art Deco style. We tried to go in to it, but it's all corporate now and we're not allowed past security.

Rich took this shot at Rockerfeller Center.

He also took this shot of me risking my life in NYC with a Red Sox hat on. I swear I'm a Yankees fan. I borrowed the hat to stay warm.

After all the walking we did, the kids just about fell asleep on the subway back to Harlem.

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and the wish that you are blessed to have wonderful things to be thankful for. I am with my family at my sisters place down in Harlem. We didn't dare fight the crowds to see the parade, much to the kids disappointment. Instead they spent their time watching it on TV, helping out in the kitchen and shopping on 125th Street.

Caren heard that the turkey cooks quicker if you yell at it. Actually, she discovered that touching your skin to a flaming turkey hurts.

Sarah with my Aunt Gloria.

Caren's cat "Fish" that she got from Fish's Farm Market in Manchester while up visiting me.

My sister, Caren, the host of our visit, makes a pre-dinner toast.

Ultimate Fighter

I did a cool senior a week or so ago from Spencerport. He was a kick boxer so we did some cool images to show that.

Playing in the Kitchen

I was playing in the kitchen sink like all full grown adults do, reminiscing of my childhood baths in the sink. The only difference was when I as little I wasn't playing with macro lenses and wireless flash units.

Sarah Shoots, She Scores!!!!!!!!

It's been two years in the making and the stars finally aligned today for Sarah to get her first career goal in a game vs Olean. She switched over to left wing for her last shift of the game. She came in to the offensive zone, picked up a loose puck by the left face off circle stepped in and took a wrist shot, beating the goalie through the five-hole. She got leveled just after shooting so she never even saw her own goal go in. She looked up, saw the puck in the net and raised her arms in disbelief. She skated over to the bench with me waiting there with my arms in the air. She thought I was going to pat her on the head as she skated by and I thought she was going to hug me which resulted in my clothes lining her sending her flat on her back with her feet flying up in the air. It was one of the greatest celebrations in hockey history. Congrats Sweetie Peetie, or as her teammates call her, "Nacho".

Brianna and Colin's Winter Wedding

Today, Amanda and I, along with her husband Mark doing the videography, photographed the wedding of Brianna and Colin in Geneva. The forecast was for frequent, heavy lake effect snow showers, but we escaped with just a dusting today. It was cold though. We were only outside for a few minutes, but every one's noses were red and my camera kept focusing on the goose bumps. The wedding was at St. Stephen's with the reception at Club 86.

My Favorite Things

Everyday we deal with dozens of products. Some of them just exist, others fail miserably (ahem, cough, PC, cough), and then there are those items that are a pleasure to use day in and day out. Here are my top 10 favorite things.

10. My iPod Touch. This thing is amazing. I will be trading it in soon to my wife for an iPhone, which is identical just with a phone built in.
9. The Fuji S5. This camera is basically a Nikon D200 at half the speed. It is frustratingly slow at times, but the colors and image quality are amazing. Fuji is discontinuing this camera so the price has dropped dramatically. Grab one if you can.
8. Element TVs. These are inexpensive small HD TVs that we got from Wal-Mart. We have a 20" and a 22" and they perform amazingly well for the price. We have one out at our camper in the Southern Tier and we pick up 7 HD stations with the antenna that are crystal clear with an amazing picture.
7. My RBK 5K goalie pads. These pads were under $300 and far out perform my older $1,000 Vaughns. I'm sure the current $1,000 Vaughns would be a world of difference from my old ones, but these RBKs rock!
6. My son's PSP. So much fun in such a small package has to make the list.
5. Bass Pro Shops White River Classics fly rods are awesome. I have a 5' 3wt rod that is great for the small creeks and small Rainbow's near the campground.
4. My 14' Lund fishing boat is close to the top of my list. I love it. It's perfect for two adult fishermen, but a third puts the comfort level over the edge. The same boat as a 17' version would be perfect.
3. Finao Albums. Our wedding album company has proven to be one of the best. The quality and presentation is amazing and the customer service has been fine also.
2. I'm going to guess at this next one. The iMac we bought a few months ago has been great, although I don't have all the software I need to use it on a daily basis. Everything I've used so far has been great and very intuitive. I love the Apple Store also for their contemporary atmosphere and customer service.
1. My all-time favorite toy is my car, a Mazda 3s 5-door. It could just as easily be the 4 door, but it has to have the 2.3 liter engine and the 5-speed manual transmission. I rented a 3i automatic in Florida once and although it was competent, it was not the same as my car. My car is so good that I'm on my second one. I had to trade in my 2004 a few years ago for something that could tow the camper, but I missed it so much that I got a 2008. When the lease is up my next one will no doubt be the 263hp Mazdaspeed 3.

So there you have it. I guess the common theme here is bang for the buck. I love getting things of high quality, especially when it didn't break the bank to do so. Don't get me wrong, I will spend the money for high quality vs. low price and poor quality, but there are a few things that perform well beyond their price. At $18,000, the Mazda 3s is on top of the list.

Did You Miss Santa?

If you missed our Santa sessions at the studio, we will be on tour with the big man at several locations around Western New York. All of these are walk-in opportunities with no appointment necessary. Here is the schedule:

• November 22, Highland Park in Geneseo from 10 a.m.-Noon.
• December 7 at the Mobil/Dunkin Donuts on Route 20A in Geneseo from 10 a.m.-Noon.
• December 12 at the Cuba Cheese Factory in Cuba, NY from 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
• December 13 at the Outdoor Store at Toomey's Corners in Bloomfield 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
• December 24 at Sprague's Maple Farms in Portville, NY from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
  

Sunday Santa

Here are some of the images from Sunday's shoot with Santa. I was happy with the overall turn out for the weekend. If you didn't get a chance to make it out this weekend, we are leaving the sets through Christmas to take advantage of without Santa. We will also be doing a few other shoots with our Santa at various locations throughout Western, NY.

Santa Rocks!!!!

We held the first of our two days with Santa today and had a blast. We started the day out with our new beach photos with Santa. Then we shifted gears to our four other stations for the rest of the day. We had a lot of fun although, as you can see below, not everyone was thrilled to see the big man. We start again at 11:00 tomorrow with walk-ins from 3:30-5:00.