After spending the weekend on Mackinac... eating chili, seeing friends, riding on the ice bridge... and taking LOTS of photos (will be posted in the next few days)...  I am now sitting (on this day for love) in a LOVELY coffee shop.. called LOVELY  in Chicago, getting a little work done before meeting with an old friend.



Which brings me to my shout out... this dear friend of mine is 1/2 of the awesome duo Boutros... they just finished this video... and it ROCKS!!  If you get the chance check them out... they just make you want to smile and tap your foot...

Click HERE  to see the video... guaranteed it will make you smile!!

Wow.. in all the traveling I've done over the past few years I have never gone a whole week without wireless...  even in Macedonia I had it every night...  Florida really is a vacation spot (whether you mean for it to be or not).

Now I say "semi" vacation because I still have my computer and my camera and my iphone... AND MY FAVORITE WEDDING MAGAZINE... which means I'm still always working a bit...  but the whole emailing and blog thing.. I've got some catching up to do!!  SO ... here I am.

First... my favorite wedding mag... this one comes out once a year... its by Real Simple Weddings ... and it is AWESOME.  it covers everything... and has no ads. Beautiful design, easy layout, and fun to read!!  GO GET IT!!! 



Over the past week... I've flown from sunny California where the weather was a perfect 75 degrees  ... to Florida where it was 80 and humid... to Mackinac where I am currently sitting... freezing my batooty off with a temperature of about 1 degree!! 

So,  let me just take you back to the sunny beaches of Florida...  here are just a few pics:  (more to come)




Next week its off to Chicago, Detroit, and Lansing...  portraits tour around the state!

Have a wonderful weekend... and may you stay warm and cozy where ever you may be!

Love
A


Keep your eyes open I am going to be shooting a bunch of Island winter shots.. including THE ICE BRIDGE ... and writing all about that soon.

It is about 8 hours before my flight leaves ...  my bags are finally packed...  and I think I'm ready for another little adventure... 

Tomorrow morning I fly out to NOLA (New Orleans) for my favorite photography conference of the year.. Pictage's Partnercon.. about 500 super cool photographers converge on one of my favorite cities in the world, time for some new lectures, new products.. and reconnecting with photog friends from all over the country and compare stories from our 2010 wedding seasons.

Should be fun... 

So I'm now back in the states.. on a rainy island...  slightly missing the Tuscan sun and my 80 degree day in Florence.

On my last day in Italy I wandered the streets of my favorite town... Florence.. I studied there when I was 18... again when I was 20... and I actually photographed my first wedding under my own business years ago. So obviously, I not only have an attraction to the beauty of Firenze but its much deeper then that.

What I did realize this trip is how difficult it can be to capture a city you've visited for many years in a new light.  So, all of a sudden I found myself photographing the different things...  tourists, graffiti (which  I was quite surprised and a little sad to see), and of course food... my favorite thing to do in Florence is to go to Mercato Centrale and make friends with the butchers!!  Too bad the customs officers DID NOT appreciate my cinghiale (wild boar that is cured old world style)...  but some reason they were ok with my pecorino...  

Then it was off to aperitivo with my awesome assistant Lily who is in Florence studying for a few months!!  I then ended the evening with my dear dear Florentine friend Nadia (who's wedding I happened to photograph in Ibiza Spain just a few months ago)..

Until we meet again my sweet sweet Firenze!!

Love
A