Monday, September 28, 2009

Margaret and Kent
















When the very chic but not too trendy Kent annd Margaret roared up to the Marketplace in DC ranch in a cute little silver Mercedes for their phots shoot and asked me if they could be photographed in the tailgate of my Suburban, I just started giggling...and pretty much didn't stop the entire shoot. These guys were a laugh a minute, culminating when the 6'1" Margaret picked up Kent and gave him a piggy pack ride outside of Eddie V's! Thank you to all who honked. It was a knock out moment in time!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Remi




























I shot Remi in and around his palatial mansion in Mc Cormick Ranch last week. It's located in THE prime corner of the lake out there. Remi's car is nicer than mine...ummm, a LOT nicer, and when he came down the stairs to meet me, he looked like he just walked off the set of Gossip Girl, and given that most teenage boys hate hate having their pictures taken, I was happily suprised to realize how very fun and cool he was. His vibrant, outgoing, and equally beautiful mom and sister Maddie helped out with lighting and outfit picking, and the shoot just rolled along. Remi wanted "edgy", and I was prepared... I whipped out my new radio poppers...it gives everything such a new, edgy look, don't you think?

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Angela








I have been wanting to photograph Angela for her senior pictures ever since the day, when she was seven, and we were in Destin, Florida. Our family and her family, who are the closest thing to family I probably have, and I love them all, madly, rented a boat to go out to shell island. I barely knew the Skowroneks at that time, and as soon as we set sail, a virtual hurricane overtook us, the first of many weird, zany, disasterous, and absolutely fantastic vacations between our family and theirs, but that, of course, is another story...anyway, there I was, a new mom, with a nursing baby, all flustered and utterly drenched, silently cursing everyone and their brother for not giving me the good sense to stay home with little Zoe, freaking out at the awkwardness of trying to hold a conversation while trying to stay covered up in gale force winds while nursing under an umbrella that dad John just happened to have, and feeling really just uncomfortable and weird about the whole thing, and then who should crawl under that umbrella, but this teeny little slip of a girl, Angela, saying, in this sweet little voice, "Would you like to have a tea party?" Well, I fell in love with the girl then and there, and swore that I'd do right by her by the time her senior pictures came. We even have super secret names for each other...how often does that happen?! And now, here she is...isn't she glorious? I'd have a tea party with her any day. If you would like to see her video, go to http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Anthem-AZ/Barbara-Stitzer-Photography/45325794506?ref=ts. Enjoy!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Da Boyz






I shot Jake, Kyle and Cole for their fun and bubbly stepmom, Maureza to give to her husband for his birthday. While I don't shoot a lot of boys, it's always fun for me...maybe because they are just SO different from girls, always beating on each other, hitting, punching, socking, tackling, whatever they could manage. The violence was so...ummm, violent, that I pretty much giggled nervously throughout the entire shoot. The shot on the rocks was taken at the end of the day, when the boys discovered a massive dead fish, bloody and mangled, and cast aside on the edge of the Anthem park lake. It was so stinky and smelly that I almost passed out, but the boys loved it! They considered holding it for a while, but a couple of groin punches and an Indian burn or two later, settled in and got into this position... to me, it looks timeless, fierce, full of intrigue and love and fun...kind of like the kids in "The Outsiders". I love it!!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Our Newest Addition


Ok, ok, I was sad the other day, about two weeks ago, and my sweet little hubby noticed. I'm never sad, so when I was sad, this was a big deal to him. Three hours later, we had a puppy! Aaaargh! But I must say, he's a great dog. His name is Dewey, named for the youngest brother in the "Malcolm in the Middle" series...Buzz is a namer. He always names our children and dogs for movie or sports stars. We've had Jordan the chow chow, named for Michael Jordan, Mugsy, the bulldog, named for Mugsy Bogues, the shortest basketball player in the NBA for quite a while; TT, our daughter, whose actual name is Tenley, was named for a character in the very forgettable movie, Summer Catch, starring Freddie Prinze jr. and Jessica Biel, and Zoe was almost "Sloan", the female lead in Ferris Bueller's Day off. I drew the line at that one. ;) Come to think of it, I was named for Barbara Stanwyck, whom my dad was majorly enamored with...the only person in our family who wasn't named for anyone famous is Buzz! He's a 3rd, so I guess that's ok!
I know that it feels early, because it's so darn hot, but it's definitely time to start booking your holiday pictures. I have a ton of new, cool ideas, so give me a call at 480.861.4529 before the best spots are taken up.
In late breaking news, I'll be shooting all over the nation in the next couple of weeks: Chicago this coming weekend, Reno next weekend, and Nauvoo, Illinois October 3rd through 6th. Nauvoo has a huge amount of LDS history, which I find absolutely fascinating. I will also be shooting up and down the California coast in June and July, and am currently booking family shots, weddings, and high school seniors for next summer. The response has been amazing, so please book early to get the best times.