Valentine's Day Boudoir Photos - Last minute special

Being a procrastinator myself, I can empathize with people who wait to the last minute to buy gifts. That's why I'm offering a Valentine's Special, in which you can get a 1 hour boudoir photo session for only $195. The shoot will take place on Wednesday Feb 6. I still have about 4 openings in the schedule, some daytime, some evening - so please email me to set up an appointment or if you have any questions.

You can view a few samples of my boudoir work by clicking this link. Remember that I don't show anyone your boudoir photos unless you grant permission so you don't need to worry about the photos showing up anywhere. You're also free to bring friends along to the shoot if you want.

Model Shoot - Heather

Yesterday I had another modeling session, this time with Heather. In her set, she was playing a "hunter" so we started off the shoot in camo and hunting gear. I'm so thrilled with how it came out and wish I could share more photos, but I need to keep everything "PG" for the blog. I'll try to get some profiled on my art site as soon as possible and I'll post an update then.

100 - 26

During the model "shoot out" on Friday, I found time to make a new portrait for "100". Jason's wife was one of the models and I thought he had a great look. During some downtime while the girls worked on make-up, I told Jason about the project and we did an impromptu shot.

Shoot out - 5 models and one tired photographer

A little while ago I had a model shoot with Gidgette. At the time she mentioned that she had several friends who wanted to attend a shoot so we started work in setting everything up. Initially, we were planning on having 1 or 2 other photographers attend to make the best use of everyone's time, but on such short notice no other photographers could make it, so I ended up shooting for 5 different models over a period of 6 hours.

At the end of the shoot, I was exhausted. I shot as many images as we do at most weddings, never mind hauling all of the gear from location to location, up and down staircases, through the snow, etc. Whew, I'm still sore. That said, the shoot was a lot of fun and I met some really, really cool people and I wanted to share some of the photos.

Jim's 80th Birthday party

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, last Saturday Sharon and I took candid photos at a surprise birthday party for Jim Spangler. It was a fun evening and I wanted to share a few of the photos.

Random

It's about 8 degrees outside. You've gotta love Western PA in the winter.

Last night Sharon and I shot candid photos for Jim Spangler's 80th birthday party. It was a surprise party and I think his family actually pulled it off. I'll try to post a couple shots this week.

The other day, Luke and Laura sent me a photo that Laura's uncle shot at their wedding. It's a photo of me taking a photo of the newlyweds and I think it turned out pretty neat so I thought I'd go ahead and post it. Boy, do I have a lot of gray hair.

Thanks to Jim Coulson for sharing the photo!

The Hunter

New site design

After a fair amount of work, I was able to finally get the new website design "live" last night. The image galleries are a little weird. The program I used to make the flash galleries did some kind of strange compression to the images and created some image distortion, like the images are slightly squished vertically. I'm still trying to figure out how to "undo" that problem, but aside from that the site is pretty much finished. I might have a few tweaks, and tonyurbanart.com isn't finished yet, but the main parts of the site are good to go.

Gidgette's modeling photos

Tuesday I met with Gidgette and her friend to shoot some modeling photos. It was snowing and freezing cold, but Gidgette was a real trooper and we took some terrific photos. I'm only posting a small sampling here as I know I have blog readers of all ages and I try to keep everything as "PG" as possible. When I have my art site redesigned later this month, I'll post some more shots from the session. We're also planning a big model shoot next Friday so I know we'll have tons of cool new shots then.

100-39

This morning I was scouting locations for an upcoming modeling shoot when I saw a gentleman with a great look walking beside the street. I turned the car around and pulled into a nearby business to wait for him. Once he arrived I introduced myself and told him about "100". His name was Michael and smiled somewhat shyly as I told him I loved his look and would like to make his portrait. He agreed and I made the best use of the light from overcast sky as I shot several photos.

Afterwards, we chatted for a bit. He was new to town and was hoping to find work here and he is currently homeless. Micheal felt he was led to Somerset for a reason and seems optimistic for the future. As we parted ways, he left me with "God bless", a smile and a wave. It was truly a joy to meet him and share his company, even if it was for only a few minutes.

Michelle & Brian's Wedding

Saturday Sharon and I kicked off Wedding Season 2008 with Michelle and Brian's wedding in
Pittsburgh. It didn't take long for our photography season to begin and what a great start it was. We began the day at Michelle's apartment before heading to the church. It was so nice getting to meet Michelle's family and chat with them. Her dad especially was so fun and friendly. After the ceremony, we did some outside shots but since we had to contend with the darkness and snow (yes, it was snowing a bit) we didn't spend much time outdoors. With that finished, we moved on to the reception which was held at the Twentieth Century Club, a lovely venue that we also shot at last year.

I loved how original Brian and Michelle's wedding was. For instance, instead of having a traditional, huge wedding cake they had individual cakes at each of their guests tables. And their bouquets were amongst the coolest I've ever seen! We had a blast working with this amazing couple and I can't imagine a better way to start the new year. I also have a new favorite photo - a shot Sharon took of Michelle and Brian embracing after the ceremony. I just love the emotion and the tenderness of the photo.

Mikel & Katie's Engagement Photos

Yesterday I had the chance to shoot Mikel and Katie's "formal" engagement photos. Since it was about 10 degrees outside, we decided to do a shoot inside the studio and hopefully we'll be able to fit in an outdoors shoot before their wedding this July. I had a great time working with them and getting to know them better and I know their wedding is going to be terrific.

Luke and Laura's Wedding

Surprise, surprise - Blogging for 2008 begins with a wedding.

Yesterday, on New Year's Eve, Sharon and I had a somewhat local wedding - that of Luke and Laura. Their ceremony was here in Somerset and the reception was at the beautiful Ligonier Country Inn. We lucked out and had great weather (cold, but no snow) and the day was pretty much perfect. This was actually the third wedding we've worked with this same group of friends/family (the others were Mike and Danielle in 06 and Sheena and Ben in January of 07) and I always have so much fun with them.

After the ceremony, Luke, Laura, their Best Man and Maid of Honor stopped at the center of town in Ligonier to shoot some photos. It was well past sunset when we arrived, so with Sharon's help, I broke out some off camera lighting to be able to light the subjects and capture the gorgeous scenery that makes up the town square this time of year. It was a great wedding and the perfect way to cap off 2007. We have another wedding on Saturday so "Wedding Season 2008" is only a couple days away.

PS: Laura and Luke had tons of wedding photos from their friends/family on display at the reception hall. Intermixed with all of those was a wedding shot of a fairly famous "Luke and Laura" and I couldn't resist grabbing a photo of it. I love their sense of humor.