Monthly Archives: March 2009

Soul Portraiture Continues with “Electro-Light”

The Dry Heat Gallery is proud to host this series of juried fine art photography exhibitions.  Soul Portraiture is a journey into the essence of life.  In a series of four shows we will explore the energy and spirit that defines life through a variety of subject matter.  In “Electro-Light” both professional and amateur photographers are invited to submit up to five images illustrating the ambiance found in the night life.

____________________

Rules For Submission

Jury fee of $25 may be paid via Pay Pal or by check. To pay by Pal Pal click here. You will be re-directed to a secure page. If paying by check please make checks payable to Dry Heat Photography.  Please note that we are not able to consider your work for this show unless the jury fee has been paid.

Artists may submit up to five digital images sized no larger than 485 pixels in any direction.  Please include image titles, format, and finished sizes for each image.  Send images with artist’s bio and resume to info@dryheatphotography.com.

Deadline for submission is  May 31, 2009

All accepted artwork must be delivered to the gallery no later than June 5, 2009.  All artists are responsible for the matting and framing of their own images and all artwork must be ready to hang when delivered.  Works selected by the jurors will demonstrate excellent composition, technical skill, and a strong sense of presence.

All participating artists are invited to attend the shows so that they may be present to represent their work. In addition, there will be prizes! At each show gallery directors DeAnna Dimmitt and Rick Meiers will conduct a “People’s Choice” poll in which everyone who attends the event will be able to vote for the piece they like best.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

1st Place – $100 Cash

2nd Place – $50 credit towards framing services at Dry Heat Gallery

3rd Place -  $25 credit to be applied towards the jury fee of the next Soul Portraiture show

An artist’s reception will be held Tuesday June 9, 2009 at the Dry Heat Gallery

For more information please contact:

DeAnna Dimmitt

info@dryheatphotography.com

The Dry Heat Gallery is located at:

4685 Corrales Rd. Ste 4

Corrales, NM 87048

(please do not mail checks to the above address)

It is a full on blog-a-thon here at Dry Heat Photography. Last night I fell asleep on the couch working on Shannon and Wes’ images and watching Jimmy Fallon.  I love my job, really, you can’t get away with that at most work places.  I shot Shannon and Wes’ engagement session last September at the UNM duck pond.  Looking at these photos I sure do miss summer.  It is SO green and sunny.  I am looking forward to Wes and Shannon’s wedding.  They are getting married in July at the Prairie Star golf course, a great time of the year at a great location.   Thanks a lot for a fun session you two, I can hardly wait for the wedding.

-Rick Meiers

It’s so green, I miss summer. 

Iphigenia and Keith were married on March 7, 2009.  The ceremony was at the UNM Alumni Chapel and the Reception at the Hotel Albuquerque.  You’ve all seen them before in their Enagement Session that I shot a couple weeks ago in the Bosque.  I have to say that these guys seem to be part of what is really an exceptional group of people.  They were referred to us by some previous clients, Elizabeth and Arlen, and just like them, Iphigenia and Keith are such kind and gracious people; they practically radiate love.  I always feel so blessed to be part of events like this.  Their families are good sports as well, standing outside “in the good light” even though the temperature was somewhat less than ideal.

To Iphigenia and Keith, Thank you so much for making me a part of your Special Day!

-DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography

Flowers by Christine Longthorp at Something Special With Flowers

A candid moment during the license signing

After the ceremony I walked back into the sanctuary and saw these kids on the balcony playing the organ.  I don’t know how it is that they were allowed to do that because the balcony is usually locked up like Fort Knox but it was such a rare moment that I had to get it.  Ironically I was already moving my tripod to get the shot when I hear Iphigenia yell from the other end of the chapel “DeAnna, you must get a shot of the kids playing the organ!” Apparently  great minds think alike.  Don’t you love the rear view mirror?  I suppose it’s so the organist can see when the bride has made it all the way up the isle.

Gotta love spring!

Fireplace Room at Hotel Albuquerque

Look at that, a session not in the bosque.  Here are Atsuko and Conrad.  We shot around Old Town for this session.  It was pretty cool, I always get a kick out the tourists gawking at us when we shoot here.  Atsuko and Conrad are getting married in April Hyatt Tamaya and having a second ceremony in Tokyo for her family.  I would LOVE to go to Japan to photograph the wedding there but alas that is just a bit out reach.

Thanks a ton you two for a great afternoon in Old Town.  I am looking forward to the wedding.

-Rick MeiersThis is my favorite shot from the session.

There is a lot a wrought iron in Old Town, this happens to be an old door we found. 

The well that Atsuko and Conrad are sitting in front of used to be the city water supply for Albuquerque.  Personally, I’m glad my water comes to me from a faucet and happy to not have to gather it myself. 

This is such a special little spot in Old Town, it is so peaceful and quite in here. 

Yet another wonderful session in the bosque and another wonderful couple.  This has been an absolutely perfect winter, we have been able to shoot almost every session outdoors. I have grown quite partial to the bosque, (as if you couldn’t tell).  It’s just one of those amazing places all year round.  I found out that Vanessa is just getting into photography.  I think that is so freakin’ cool, I really hope she develops as strong a passion for photography as I have.  I love seeing people getting into it, it reminds me of my early days shooting and how inspiring it is.  Still to this day I am inspired every time I get behind a camera.  Good luck with the shooting, Vanessa, I hope you have fun.

Vanessa and Stephen are getting married in August, let’s hope things green up outdoors by then.

Thanks a lot you two, I had a great time,

-Rick Meiers

Yeah, I really dig this one.  I got a bit kookey on the Photoshop but it all came together just right.

I like the classic old feel of this one. 

I was really drawn to the old sunflower stalks.

Thanks again you two.

Now, that’s our slogan, but what does it really mean? Is it some fancy sounding jibber jabber that we just made up to sound cool?  No, it’s not.  It seems to me that with the current economic climate many brides are left not knowing what to do.  They are trying to plan a wedding on an uncertain budget, everywhere they turn wedding vendors are having sales and specials and deals and doing everything short of back flips to command the attention of the stressed out consumer.  I can’t help but feel the need to make a statement.

What I have to say is actually not meant to come off as a sales pitch, or a critique of any other business, rather it is meant to calm the waters and to remind everyone that somethings will always be true regardless of the economy.

Some important, and universally true things, to keep in mind while planning a wedding:

#1 – Price should absolutely not be the primary determining factor in your decision making process.

In my many years as a wedding photographer I have found that the most expensive is not always the best nor is the least expensive necessarily the worst.  Your best bet as a consumer is to find the best value. The thing that gives value to the money you spend and the service a photographer provides is, in the end, your happiness.  While it may seem to be over simplifying things, the bottom line is that if you are happy with your images then you spent your money well and, if you weren’t, then it was money down the drain.  This is true across the board with all photographers in all price ranges.   Selecting one photographer over another based on a nominal price difference is unlikely to increase your happiness with the final product when all is said and done.

#2 -  No substitute for experience.

I can’t speak for everyone but at Dry Heat Photography, we want to help you and we take our obligation to our clients seriously.  Your photographer is, with the possible exception of a wedding coordinator, the only vendor that is actually with you all day on the day of the wedding.  Therefore, it is vital and I can’t stress this enough, vital that the photographer you select has the skillz to pay the billz as it were.  What I mean by that is that your photographer absolutely must be sensitive to your needs, have a game plan, maintain a time line and be mentally organized at all times during the wedding.  This person must have the technical skills and the creativity to deliver the goods, the decision making skills to figure out what to do if something goes awry, and the people skills to bring it all together.  Most of all they must possess a passion for their craft that drives them forward.  Everyone has to start somewhere, and we’ve all had a first day, but in the end there is just no substitution for experience.  At Dry Heat Photography we absolutely do not take on inexperienced amateurs and attempt to pass them off as professionals in the name of high volume. We take pride in ourselves and in the photographers that work with us.

#3 - Make your decisions with a calm mind

There is no doubt that planning a wedding can become very stressful.  All the decisions can be overwhelming and especially so if budget limitations are looming in your mind.  My best advice is to resist the urge to just go and hide under the bed, or to blindly make decisions just for the sake of getting it done.  Your wedding deserves the best and you owe it to your self to make sound decisions when selecting your wedding vendors.  Don’t let anyone pressure you, this includes well intentioned family members who may be helping you do the planning and it also includes vendors.  A high pressure sales pitch is the first sign of desperation and a major symptom of things to come.  Take several deep breaths, clear your mind, and follow your heart.  Make the decisions that feel right to you.  Remember, your gut is usually right.

We at Dry Heat Photography wish all of you the best of everything for your spectacular, once in a lifetime, wedding!

We’re here to help, give us a call at 505.730.8576.

We have a saying at Dry Heat Photography. It goes like this “Dreams are only as cool as they are real”. What we mean by that is that sitting around saying “yeah, that would be cool”, about any given idea, really doesn’t mean anything unless you actually do it. The Crow Session is something that has been talked about and envisioned and on Wednesday, March 4th, became a reality when Kristin Madden from Hawks Aloft was kind enough to bring their educational crow, Indigo, to our studio for our first ever crow session.  The idea doesn’t stop here! We have developed the crow session into a theme for an art show to benefit Hawks Aloft.  The opening reception is October 13 and will feature not only these images but also fine works of “crow” or “raven” art from many of our gallery artists. In addition, representatives from Hawks Aloft together with Indigo the Crow will be on hand to answer questions and speak to the public regarding conservation and avian research.

It is important to note that, although Indigo is quite friendly, crows are wild animals and are never intended to be kept as pets! Indigo was rescued by Hawks Aloft from some people who picked her up off the ground as a chick and then proceeded to raise her in a parakeet cage. Obviously these folks were well intentioned in their actions but crows have specific dietary needs that they were unaware of and the last place a crow should ever be is in a parakeet cage. Indigo was not happy or healthy when she was turned over to Hawks Aloft and because of her domestication she can never be released into the wild.

Should you find yourself rescuing a wild bird please contact Hawks Aloft immediately!

-DeAnna Dimmitt and Rick Meiers

Dry Heat Photography

Megan and Raul were married on January 31, 2009 at the Hotel Albuquerque.  You’ve all seen them before in their Engagement Session. I just have to say that Megan has the most amazing skin. Seriously, it looks like porcelain.  Anyway, this is the second wedding that Kristina Zidon has shot with me while continuing to build her portfolio. As always she has done a steller job and I have included several of her shots in this blog entry. Her initials, kZ, are under the shots that are hers.

To Megan and Raul, thank you so much for making us a part of your special day!

-DeAnna Dimmitt and Kristina Zidon

Dry Heat Photography

kZ

kZ

kZ

kZ

kZ

kZ

kZ

That’s Ms. Bobby

These shots are also from Day 2 of the road trip to Vegas.  Second stop on the Route 66 tour: Seligman, Arizona.  To view the complete Mother Road collection click here.

-DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography

Here are some of my shots of Day 2 of the road trip to Vegas.  First up on the Route 66 tour; Ashfork, Arizona… what’s left of it anyway.  To view the complete Dry Heat collection of images from The Mother Road click here.

-DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography