Pet Portrait Tour 2008 is underway!

We have our first tour dates:

Birmingham, AL on October 18 and 19
Dallas, TX on November 15
Houston, TX on November 16

I will be offering a few private sessions on-location (at your home or the dog park) in Birmingham, Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston. Give us a call if you're interested!

Click on image (below) to enlarge

40 mpg

I have always been a fan of small dogs and small cars. Everyone scoffed at my cute little Geo Metro in college, but I didn't care, because I got more than 50 mpg. Back then, gas was as low as a dollar a gallon (yes, kids, it's true!) so I could get to Detroit and back for a couple of bucks.

Now, I drive the smallest car I could find, the Toyota Echo, and it gets about 40 mpg, which is better than many hybrids! I love being able to maneuver into the smallest parking space and do a u-turn in two lanes.

The only time my car presents a problem is when a bride and groom get accidentally left somewhere with no ride. But more than once, my clients have squeezed into the trusty Echo. Here is a photo of poor Melisa and Derek, who didn't have a lot of extra room. But they look happy, right?

We love to travel

We love our usual NW Ohio and SE Michigan wedding venues, but we really love to travel for weddings.

Here's Micah and Tim at Put-In-Bay Island. Just an hour away, but still a destination wedding! You have to click on these to enlarge, especially the one in the middle.

Carly and Rob @ School

We so enjoy helping our clients get creative with their posed portraits. I thought this was a wonderful collaboration between Carly (the bride), Rob (the groom), and Joseph (the photographer). Oh, and a $10 DMP gift card for the first commenter who correctly guesses Carly's occupation.


This one is my fave:






Click on any photo to enlarge!

Is this not

Is this not the cutest thing you've seen all day? Finn, the German shepherd pup, is up for adoption, along with his three darling sisters. They were saved at the very last minute (literally) from being put to sleep in a shelter.

I just want to smooch that funny face!

Photo by my friend and Finn's foster mom, Michelle

September!

I have been waiting for fall since... well, winter! I am crazy-excited about the light, the leaves, and the smells that come with the season.

For you today, a special treat. One of my favorite songs, just as fresh today as it was in 1978, and my best fall recipe. You cannot have a bad day if you have some pumpkin butter on a toasted english muffin (also great in yogurt, or atop ice cream). It will also make your house smell amazing, and your spouse very impressed.

Pumpkin Butter

One 29-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1+1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup mild honey
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

Dump all the ingredients into a slow cooker and stir until well mixed. Don't worry about lumps of sugar, they'll melt into the butter during cooking. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the pot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and let cook on HIGH for an additional 30-60 minutes to reach the desired thickness.

Turn off the cooker and let the pumpkin butter cool to room temperature in the pot. Scrape with your spatula into jars or other air-tight containers. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks, or freeze (in plastic containers) for up to 3 months.

I often make a double batch in my big slow cooker, saving half for myself and giving the rest as gifts.

Also, click here for a music video that will crack you the heck up.

The canvases are going fast!

We already have orders for four canvases, and I expect more over the weekend. If you know you want one, get your order in soon!

I think this photo would look gorgeous on canvas... Best wishes to Sean and Leslie, who are celebrating this weekend at the Pinnacle, where they're having their at-home reception!

(Most of the photos of the Pinnacle and Central Park West are by DMP!)

Ooh! New art canvases on SALE!

Click on photos to see the texture of the canvas.

We just chose a new supplier for our art canvases, and we're really excited about them. We're offering a special price on 16x20 single-image canvases right now - only $195 (regular price: $350).

For a limited time only, $195 includes your favorite photo, printed directly onto canvas, which is then wrapped around thick (1.5") wooden stretcher bars, ready to display. Even the hanging hardware is included. We ordered three canvases for the studio and they're so beautiful I wanted everyone to have one.

Each canvas is treated with a UV-protective coating, the inks are archival, and rated not to fade under normal lighting conditions for 100 years. You can choose a black and white or color image (I prefer b&w), and the price includes simple retouching.

These make a great anniversary, birthday, or holiday gift. Call us at 419.243.2111, email, or comment here to order!

The fine print: Orders take 2-4 weeks to arrive in the studio. We can't do more than ten canvases at this price, so I can't say how long the offer will be good. Sorry, we won't be able to accept album credit for canvases.

Our "scene setters"

We spend a little time at each wedding photographing what we call "scene setters" - images that don't focus on people, but on things that help tell the story of the wedding day.

We love to document all the little details that the couple have spent time on, as well as the things they didn't even know would happen that add to the character of the day.

Here are two of my favorite scene setters from this year, photographed by Joe at Ashleigh and Jim's wedding. Don't these photos make you want to go to this party?


Click on any photo to enlarge

Michelle and Greg's fantastic flat

Wow! Proof that you can live well in Toledo. Check out this amazing abode that Greg and Michelle built almost from scratch.

I am just crazy for the wall-sized mural that Michelle painted - and she may be convinced to take commissions.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

My new chair is hiding...

Can you find it? I had my comfy old office chair reupholstered by my favorite upholstery shop, so it matches the new office. I love it.

In the Toledo/Detroit area, you must call Lucarelli for your upholstery needs. A very old-school business, their service and attention to detail are fantastic, and they've never let us down.

What the french, toast?

I had an extra few minutes yesterday (our "weekend" is Sunday and Monday, because we work Saturdays), so I made some french toast. I added vanilla and sugar to the batter, so it carmelized nicely.

Check out those Michigan blueberries, too! And the real Canadian bacon, not "Canadian-style" bacon.

Also, food photography is hard.

Sarah and Jason

Sarah and Jason had a gorgeous wedding, and we have an equally gorgeous album to go with it. Click here to see.

Melanie under her veil

This wasn't actually a blusher, it was just so pretty when the bridesmaids were adjusting the veil that I had to get a shot.

If I have another wedding (to Joe, of course!), I'm definitely doing a veil.

Doesn't my dog look like Dobby?

Dobby (from Harry Potter) on the left, Pablo on the right.


Click on image to enlarge.

Congrats to Katie and Leon!

Many of our DMP brides and grooms are having beautiful babies, but this fella's mommy is my BFF and college roommate. Congrats, you two! I am already calling him LT, and he can call me Aunt Bridget. ;)

I love Glendale Flowers and Gifts

Whenever we want to make a statement, we send flowers from Glendale.

Check out this amazing "tablecloth" they lent us for our dining room, as well as the gorgeous centerpiece. Those are real leaves, all individually glued to kraft paper! You can see lots more of our house (and Glendale's work) on HGTV in January, I'll keep you posted.

400!

Remember how I was going to ride 1000 miles this summer on my new bike? Well, I got a little too busy to do it all this summer, but I've set a new goal to finish it by the end of the year.

Over the weekend I hit 400!