Mike Maez Photography

brittanie - May 13, 2013 - 5:29 am

Where was your ceremony? I am looking for a ceremony site in parker

02.25.12

WPPI 2012 | Jerry Ghionis, Jesh de Rox, Bludomain, and the Cell Phone Photoshoot!

Every year in February or March we venture off to Sin City for what is simply known as the Photographer’s version of the Grammy Awards – WPPI. Surrounding the awards show are countless opportunities for networking, new product introductions, and the chance to meet some of your favorite vendors and companies face to face. We were looking forward to this year’s show not only for the opportunity to catch up with our friends at Bludomain, Zenfolio, Photoflex and many more but also to demo some of the photography industry’s most incredible new toys. The D4, D800, and 1DX were all high on the checklist and after shooting with all three variants, we were most taken back by the D4. For anyone who might be asking (and we do receive this question often) I will just come out and say that there is no better DSLR on the planet than the Nikon D4.

Once we came back down from gear nirvana we were presented with some amazing opportunities from the fine folks at Bludomain. As one of the first photography template companies on the market, they have consistently built some of the most amazing Flash and HTML portfolio sites around, and we cannot recommend them highly enough. As a longtime customer of Blu (Site 1, Site 2) we met Aundrea and Harold at the craps table in the MGM Grand not even an hour into our trip and they promptly handed us each $100 to play the table. Although the table was icy cold, we couldn’t help but be overcome by their hospitality! After counting our losses over drinks we were later invited to a private dinner with some of photography’s biggest names the following night. A great way to kick off WPPI for sure!

After we found out that we would be dining at Scarpetta inside the Cosmopolitan, all of us were pretty excited to find out who we would be sharing dinner with. When our fabulous marketing director Amber Gordon spoke with Aundrea and informed us that we would be joining none other than Jerry Ghionis and Jesh de Rox that night, I was nearly speechless. There are very few photographers in the world who I actively respect more than Jerry (who is also a magnificent teacher), so to share such a phenomenal evening with him was like a dream come true. Furthermore, I had long heard about Jesh’s Beloved, and was tremendously excited to hear some of his thoughts on connecting emotionally with clients. That night all of us had a reason to be truly thankful for the opportunity, and I would like to personally extend a huge thank you to Bludomain, Jerry, and Jesh for an evening that none of us will ever forget.

Dinner that night at the Cosmo was so inspiring that after meeting with a past bride & groom downstairs, we decided to do an impromptu photo shoot just outside the restaurant with nothing more than a camera phone light!

The next day we wrapped things up at the show by taking in some content produced by Joe McNally in the Nikon booth and later listening in on Cliff Mautner’s presentation on the D800. After shooting all of 2011 with Canon we are happy to announce our return to Nikon for 2012. WPPI was an amazing experience as always and we look forward to meeting and more industry friends and potential clients in Vegas. See you all in March 2013!

Just wanted to show that it really was all lit by a camera phone!

Tags: Beloved, Cosmopolitan, Jerry Ghionis, Jesh de Rox, MGM Grand, Mike Maez Photography, Mike Maez Workshops, Scarpetta, Scottsdale Wedding Photographer, The Ice Society, WPPI 2012

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Tags: Arizona Wedding Photographer, Arizona Wedding Photography, Estrella Star Tower, Phoenix Engagement Photos, Phoenix Wedding Photographer, Star Tower Engagement

02.14.12

Michelle + John | Star Tower Engagement Session | Mike Maez Photography

With the obvious exception of the sweltering summer months, Arizona is actually a pretty amazing place to live. We have glorious sunshine nearly year round and some of the most scenic desert sunsets anywhere in the country. When I first met with Michelle and John at an open house, they seemed like a photography savvy couple who actually mentioned that they were impressed with my use of lighting techniques to create unique images. This is something that is typically critiqued by other photographers, but I was happy to finally hear that potential clients were also taking notice. When I had started discussing locations for their engagement session I was delighted to hear that they were interested in doing the session at the Star Tower at Estrella in the far west valley. This would not only provide a unique and scenic desert backdrop, but if we timed everything correctly we would also be in position to get some fabulous sunset shots just as the sun passes over the mountains.

As we packed up and headed out to the location we were greeted by some rather intimidating clouds and a small wall of dust. Not to be easily deterred we jumped out and snapped a few shots before it started raining and blowing dust. We discussed postponing the shoot for another day, but decided to wait it out and hope for a break in the weather. Exactly one Blue Moon in at the local bar, a break in the weather came and we were right back at the Star Tower, hoping to utilize some of the lighting gear we brought with us. The wind was still in full effect although the wall of dust seemed to pass, so we were glad that Michelle and John were feeling a little adventurous! We were able to get some fantastic shots on and around the Star Tower, and our stay was rewarded with a very dramatic and colorful transformation of day into night.

For some of the last shots of the evening we were in near total darkness and I was looking to capture just the right image to compliment the twinkling lights on the side of the Star Tower. I thought for a moment about how I would like Michelle and John to look and I decided to tell them to embrace each other like they hadn’t seen one another for months, or even years. The result was a spectacular photo and a reminder that an amazing place is even better when you are in the company of amazing people. Special thanks to Dax Rodriguez for braving the elements with us and thank you to Michelle and John for being awesome. We can’t wait for March 9th!

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02.08.12

Ashley + Michael | Tre Bella | Mike Maez Photography

Sometimes you never know where your referrals might come from. For this reason, I try to do my best to refer my favorite vendors as much as possible, but beyond this I try to be open and honest with my fellow industry pros. Ashley and Michael first approached us following a rather unexpected referral source that I normally keep completely separate from my wedding business. But as many of my close friends and acquaintances know I have a wide ranging background in many other forms of editorial and commercial photography, including a specialized focus on automotive photography. It just so happens that one of Michael’s groomsmen is none other than Arizona’s own Joe Haven, and I happened to photograph his car for the cover of Import Tuner one year prior. Ashley and Michael were confident enough in my photographic abilities around a car that they went ahead and booked me well in advance of their big day!

When we first arrived at Tre Bella there were a few notable surprises, namely the smaller size of the venue and a number of customer cars from surrounding businesses that were parked in front of their famed “fairy tale” wall. Ashley had mentioned she wanted to do some of their formals there, but those would have to be put on hold while we tracked down the owners and had them moved. It turned out that this was a blessing in disguise, as we took to the areas around the venue as alternative shoot locations and we couldn’t have been happier with the results! What Tre Bella lacks in outright square footage it more than makes up for in location and feel, as it is nestled in a wonderful stretch of downtown Mesa just around the corner from the Mesa Arts Center and various other downtown attractions. Even the main street in front of venue proved to be a fantastic setting and we managed to get in some awesome shots without (really) disrupting traffic.

By the time we were set for the ceremony the ambient lighting and linens throughout the venue added a lovely and luxurious feel to the entire event. Ashley did a phenomenal job crafting a custom bouquet and their green color palette ensured that everything from the cake to the guestbook was appropriately colored and lit. Time seemed to fly by and we were able to get some fabulous images (including finally shooting in front of the fairy tale wall!) leading right into the reception, where we were pleasantly surprised once more by the house lighting setup right alongside the dance floor. As you can see from the images below, the indoor lighting really made a huge difference and we cannot stress the importance of this enough to our bride and groom’s to be. Everyone had a fantastic time dancing the night away and even as things wrapped up, we asked the happy couple if they would be willing to take a few nighttime snaps right outside the venue. They happily obliged and we captured some of our favorite nighttime shots to date. Thank you Ashley & Michael for allowing us to share and preserve the memories of your special day!

Tags: Arizona Wedding Photographer, Arizona Wedding Photography, Mesa Wedding Photographer, Mesa Wedding Photography, Mike Maez Photography, Tre Bella AZ

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