Alex

Alex is one of those free spirits who you know is just going to take on the world and win. She wanted to get funky, so we met in Tempe, and hung out on the railroad tracks. The light was amazing, Alex was totally confident and knew exactly how to move, and before she and her sweet Mommy Pat roared off into the night in their superfine convertible jaguar that I totally want to lift, we got some very cool and fun shots! We met up where she was helping out through NCL at the Happily Ever After Leaue Ball, for whom I shot a calendar (see happilyeverafterleague.org), and we had so much fun looking at her pictures together!

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?

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!!

Nuri's Senior Pictures!

Nuri is one of those kids who you know is going to change the world...and you better get out of the way now. I loved her on sight, but was slightly intimidated...she was nodding and smiling at me, but I could tell that she was having her senior pictures taken under duress...a fact that she confirmed within five minutes, which made me like her even more...I value honesty, what can I say? We started at the Cave Creek Coffee Company, then moved on to a funky part of Carefree, my new favorite spot, except for the fact that a guy in a junky car, with a filthy shirt and reeking of...well, to be precise, the funk that collects from not having bathed in a very long time came careening up, begging us to take Nuri's pictures with his "really cool saxophone". I was getting ready to tell him what to do with his saxophone when Nuri's mom, Nadine Shalaan, editor and publisher of our local fave magazine up here, the In &Out, roared up in her fab new Mini Cooper. That guy ran like a lamb when he sees mint jelly. The rest of the shoot was filled with great light, and beautiful Nuri. What else can you ask for?

Bailey

I had the supreme pleasure of photographing Bailey Katz ths afternoon at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch. Her mom, Colleen, who I loved on sight, is a photographer, too, so I was kind of shaking in my boots, but they were both so cool that I forgot my freakout and just had fun. Bailey was an excecptional quick change artist, and made me feel young again, because we both buy our clothes at the same trendy store!! (she looks a LOT better than me though, that's for sure!!) We had a really nice time, and she was such a great girl. Beautiful, too! Yay!

Lily

I had the opportunity to shoot the glorious Miss Lily today for the Happily Ever After League calendar at Creative Castle Preschool here in Anthem, AZ. She was absolutely adorable. I just wanted to gobble her up. Lily hadn't been to the preschool before, and loved all of the fun colors, turtles, and, of course, the awesome castle that they had in their lobby, so naturally she wanted to run and play instead of hanging with me and my boring lights and camera, but when she came around, she came around in a BIG way!! Her daddy helped a ton, too...he took her wand and was booping her on the head with it, and she's just laugh and laugh. Thanks, dad!! If you ever want a job booping kids on the head, I have a spot just for you!! Kids respond to the darndest things. I'm reminded of my dear friend Julie Widman, who brought her handsome son Bennett into my studio many times, whether for portraits or calendars, or stock pictures. Bennett had a great face and an AWESOME smile, that absolutely lit up the room, so much so that he was my preferred baby...when I had anything that could use a boy baby, he was my go-to guy... but he would only smile if Julie flipped her hair over her face and back. Then his face would light up, and he'd absolutely chortle until the flipping process was complete, then he'd go back to his Cheerios, or whatever else he was doing, until the next flip...and the next...Julie must have flipped her hair 50 times a sitting. Now that's dedication! I think I enjoyed watching her flip almost as much as I loved watching Bennett's smile, and they were both up for anything...one time we took about a thousand baby food jars, opened them, put baby food all over him and and let him go wild. That was a great shoot. Lily, I'm going to be calling you again, woman. And don't forget to bring your booper.

Why I'm in this Business

my business is all hearts and flowers and baked goods. It really is. That's why I'm a photographer. People cry. They hug me. They send me cupcakes. It's like good people just find me. Case in point: My kids love going to our season seats at Childsplay, a local children's theatre group in Tempe, so when I got a fundraising call from them, I was happy to help. I also offered to shoot the ladies' families who called me, so that they could see what I do. They didn't take me up on it, but instead, asked me to shoot their boss and his partner, which I was happy to do, but Steve's partner was sick, so they wanted me to paint their dogs, from Steve's pictures, which I did and when I called to ask how he liked it, this is the answer I received: "Well it's kind of a long story.We intended to give the photo to my boss Steve for his 50th birthday.Steve has been in and out of the office tending to his partner who is hospitalized due to complications stemming from chemotherapy.On the big day Steve was called to the hospital because his partner's condition was rapidly becoming worse.We didn't hear from him for 24 hours. So... the birthday celebration was canceled because it didn't feel right to celebrate. But lo and behold, Bob (Steve's partner) is out of the woods again. He hasn't been taking visitors but one actor from Childsplay. So we ended up giving it to Bob in the hospital since he can't see the animals. His sister is in town from Ohio helping take care of him and she said that when he saw the photo his eyes lit up and he started crying (tears of joy). Steve sent the office a message saying he hasn't seen Bob's eyes like that in weeks!Thank you so much for helping us make that happen. --Michelle Hargrave"
That's why I'm in this business. Pictures ARE relevant. They DO make a difference in people's lives. And those people that I touch with my art make a difference in my life right back. I think I'm going to go make some baked goods.

Graduation Pictures Models/Ambassadors

Fabulous things are happening here at Barbara Stitzer Photography. I am looking for my senior ambassadors for 2009-2010. Senior pictures are so important. It's the last gigantic pampering and fussing and all about you day that you'll be in before your wedding, and we like to make a really big deal of the whole day. I have sooooooo many new and different things I'm doing with my seniors, and I like to take one or two juniors from each high school and shoot them for free in the spring of their Junior year, highlighting all of my newest looks. All of my ambassadors get to come back and shoot again when they're full blown seniors. Then I give them a brag book that they can show to all of their friends, and the seniors get fame, free pictures and cold hard cash for sending their friends over here, instead of those "big box" guys that everyone has the same senior pictures. If you're interested, take a look at some of my seniors at http://www.barbstitzer.com/, and then drop me a line. I'll be shooting in April and May, and I want YOU to be a part of it!

Barbara Stitzer Photography First Blog

So, Hi, here, I am, Barbara Stitzer, technophobe, starting my first blog. I have owned Barbara Stitzer Photography for 14 years. I live in Anthem, Arizona, which is near Phoenix and Scottsdale, with my husband and two children, Zoe and TT. My husband took that picture of us over there. He was so proud that it came out that I put it up, but that will be the only photo on my site and blog that isn't mine. The things you do for love.

I have to tell you that, despite having won more than 400 local, regional, and national awards, including a piece of the Pulitzer Prize, I don't have any photography training, with the exception of Marilyn Sholin, Painter Goddess, who taught me everything I know about painting. I am too mortified about looking like a dork to ask for help, so I have learned everything through good, old fashioned trial and error, and I have always maintained that if you give me an eyelash curler, fishing wire and a piece of aluminum foil, I can pretty much take on any photo assignment, because I have done it and the first one that I used those tools for ended up in Vogue, so I guess I know what I'm talking about in a very non-knowing what I'm talking about kind of way. Good God, I'm articulate.

I do commercial photography of all kinds, from fashion to lifestlye, advertising and products to food. I love shooting models and senior pictures/graduation pictures, because teens are just so totally cool and have a unique way of looking at life.

Anyway, I'm going to be talking about what I do, how I do it, how you can learn to take better pictures, how to have a successful photo shoot, and more, and I'll have links to examples of what I'm working on, what works and what doesn't if you would like to see them. .. Here's a bunch for you to get started. See you soon!