Allison and Luke

I just got back from fantastic wedding at Artisan Works on Blossom Rd. What an amazing place. I could shoot there for 50 weddings and still not do the same thing twice. It is massive with more art work than I've ever seen in my life. Amanda and I had the pleasure of working with Allison and Luke. It's official, I'm old. I photographed Allison's senior photos way back when my studio was still out of my house. I used to work with Allison's mom Nancy at the Daily Messenger. The whole family was just a blast to hang out with. Here are some images from Artisan Works. Congratulations Allison and Luke.

Santa is Coming Early

With the success of our Santa photos year after year, we are doing something new this year in order to accommodate everyone. First, we are having two days of studio sessions instead of one. We have decided to do the photos in mid-November this year. The dates will be November 15th and 16th at the studio. Now for the fun part. For the first few hours on Saturday, we will be doing beached themed Santa photos with Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses. Later in the day we will be back to winter with multiple different set ups to add variety. We will have our traditional sleigh scene, a fireplace scene, an all white winter scene and a Victorian doorway scene.

We will also be doing appointments in 15 minute increments with a set package of 25 4x5 Christmas cards with envelopes, 2 5x7s and an 8x10 for $75. Prepay your session when you book your time slot and you'll also receive a gift certificate for an additional half hour studio session.

For those not interested in a full 15 minutes session, we will have a limited amount of time for a walk-in visit with Santa and our a-la-carte pricing.

The schedule will be:
Saturday, November 15th from 11:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.
-Beach photos in the morning and Winter photos in the afternoon with walk-in time from 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 16th from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. with Winter scene appointments through 3:30 p.m. and walk-in appointments from 3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

For more information, call the studio at 585-393-9242. Here are a few of our favorite images from past years with the best Santa ever.

For those of you who want more time than our Santa sessions are, or have kids that are just not into sitting on someone's lap, we are running a promotion through Christmas.

30 Minute session with 25 4x5.5 folded Holiday Cards, 1 8x10 and 2 5x7s for $125.
or
1 Hour session with 25 5x7 folded Holiday Cards, 1 8x10 and 4 5x7s for $199.

These can be on one of our holiday themed sets, a traditional set or a rustic setting in the attic. Location sessions are available for an additional charge.

Call the studio at 585-393-9242 to book your session early to insure you have enough time to get your cards out to family in friends.

Syracuse Program

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of sharing my presentation with the Central New York chapter of the Professional Photographer's Society of New York in Syracuse. The program was on blogs, websites, slideshows and of course, Trash the Dress sessions. We did a very short session with two models and a Harley Davidson. What a great group of people. I'm looking forward to hanging out with them some more at the state conference in Albany at the end of March.

Fall Foliage Photos

Despite the wind and rain overnight, there is still plenty of color on the trees. We are running a Fall Foliage package for as long as Mother Nature allows. We will do a one hour location session (reg. $150) and a mounted 16x20 wall portrait (reg. $295) for a package price of $199. Think Christmas!!!! Also, watch for our new custom Christmas Card designs that Amanda has slaved over for hours creating. We will have samples of those on the blog in the next few days.

Staying Positive

I'm all about being a positive thinker. I would definitely consider myself an optimist. It's pretty much a way of life for me. This week however, I have bitten my cheek or lip so many times I want to throw something. Honestly, who do you get mad at when you bite yourself so hard your hear the skin crunch? So I've decided to rant a little, more for the humor value of it all than anything else. Here is my top ten useless annoyances, some of them dating back to college when I was writing a book on them.

10. Tongue paper cuts while licking envelopes.
9. Sneezing so hard I pull a muscle in my neck.
8. When my wheeled luggage starts walking like R2D2 until it rolls over and plays dead.
7. Door dings.
6. Slow computers.
5. Slamming my toothbrush straight into my gums while brushing my teeth.
4. Public bathroom toilet paper that rips in finger print size increments.
3. Stepping on a wet spot with my socks.
2. Walking in to the edge of a door when it hits my foot and stops.
1. Biting my cheeks and lips. I hate that more than anything. You do it once and it sets the stage to bite the swollen nugget for the next week.

There, I did it. I feel better now. Have any of your own? Add them to the comments section.

Not So Trashy

Earlier today I headed down the west side of Canandaigua Lake to meet up with Gina and Dan at their family property for a Trash the Dress session. The location was spectacular. As I tell most people who are a bit apprehensive about doing a Trash the Dress session, you don't have to actually trash the dress. Gina was very willing to go to some fun locations that she wouldn't have done the day of the wedding, but they were not super risky. We used a shallow creek bed, a canoe and the families 100+ year-old cabin on the lake. The photos came out great and the dress is no worse for the wear.

Tom and Stephanie

Amanda and I put the finishing touches on a spectacular weekend for weddings with the wedding of Stephanie and Tom. We were back to St. Mary's today with the reception at Steamboat Landing. The wedding featured some very talented individuals. Tom's mother sang during the ceremony with a voice that should be in an opera. At the reception, Tom's brother Ben played the guitar and sang "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", to the bride and groom.