I got a call the other day from this fine young man who needed a portrait in his Navy uniform. We got to talking and I found out he had a brand new rescue puppy named Bear. Since we love doing Pet Portraits, I invited him to bring Bear along. We got some great shots of the frisky young Black Lab/Rottweiler mix. And while I was photographing George, the pup got a chance to play with old Henry. :-) Many thanks to George and ALL our military men for their courage and service to our country!
While visiting with Uncle Gordon & Aunt Lois, I found out their daughter, Cindy also lived in Phoenix. She works for US Air so Cami & I got to the airport early for our flight home and had a really nice visit with her. It never fails to warm my heart when I run into old friends from the Congo (DRC).
Another highlight from our trip to Phoenix was visiting with an AMAZING couple who were a HUGE influence on me in high-school. I call them Uncle Gordon & Aunt Lois, even though we're not related, because of the special role they had in my life as a young man. While growing up in The Congo (then known as Zaire), my bothers and I went away to boarding school at The American School of Kinshasa. While at TASOK, we stayed at a hostel known as CBZO. There, Uncle Gordon & Aunt Lois were my "hostel parents"...teaching, guiding, and caring for us while we were under their wings. Uncle Gordon was also influential in developing my interest in photography! It was great to see them after all these years. They were the BEST role models I could have ever hoped for!
Cami's FAVORITE speakers at Imaging USA was Kay Eskridge. Her list of awards and accomplishments is a mile long, including Arizona Photographer of the Year! :-) Since Cami & I had planned to hang out in Phoenix for a few days after the conference, we stopped in to visit with Kay and see her GORGEOUS studio. Not only is Kay an incredibly talented photographer, but she's a very kind and super generous soul. It's always so nice to meet fellow photographers of a similar spirit! Thanks Kay!!!
The final day of Imaging USA has come and gone. We're sad it's over but excited about getting back and implementing all the great new ideas and creative techniques we've picked up! We bumped into some of our favorite colleagues throughout the day. I enjoyed meeting Jerry Ghionis who's work I've admired for quite some time. He's the only Australian Photographer to be named one of the Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the World by American Photo Magazine! Cami & I had a lot of fun chatting with legendary portrait artist Hanson Fong (left) and iconic pet photographer Michael Joseph (right). Later I ran into the extraordinary wedding photographer and Photoshop guru Kevin Kubota...which was kind of funny since I was wearing one of his Kubota Tools t-shirts! Running into fellow photographers who's work and artistry we admire is just as much a part of coming to this conference as attending the many lectures and keynote speakers. We're already looking forward to running into more of our colleagues next year when Imaging USA moves to Nashville!
I didn't think it was possible, but day two of the conference was EVEN BETTER! Cami got to meet none other than Anne Geddes!!! (If you don't know who she is, you can't tell me you haven't seen one of her famous baby-in-a-flower-pot calendars!) Cami first learned about this amazing children's photographer when she was an exchange student in Australia, which is where Anne is originally from. Anne was kind enough to autograph a book of hers for us. And later that evening we joined with THOUSANDS of photographers to hear her story and be inspired by her message of purity, integrity, and excellence in our craft. It was THE highest attended keynote presentation in the HISTORY of the Professional Photographers of America!
Imaging USA 2009 started off with a BANG today! My friend Robbin Knight (left) and I (right) bumped into none other than Joe Buisink...TWICE! If you don't know who JB is, he is THE photographer to the stars...shooting all the huge high-end celebrity weddings in Hollywood that you only hear about but never get a guest invitation to! We're talking folks like Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey, Brendan Fraser, Kelsey Grammer, Hillary Swank & Chad Lowe, Christina Applegate, Jenny Garth & Peter Facinelli, and Christina Aguilera. ;-) I've heard JB speak many times and love his passion, his art, and his down-to-earth personality.
