We’re very pleased to have met Chris and the next time we’re in Germany, we’ll get together again. Thanks Chris! View more pictures here.

Beginning April 1, 2007, Burdick & Lee Photography will offer bridal couples the chance to win a week-long cruise to the Southern Caribbean on Princess Cruise Lines or an American Express gift card for $1,000 or $500. Just schedule a free in-home no-obligation wedding consultation, and you will be entered in this national photographic sweepstakes contest. 
Don’t miss your chance to win this romantic getaway in paradise!
This sweepstakes is sponsored by the Professional Photographer’s Association.

The fine print.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Promotion ends December 21,2007. Must be a legal US resident of the 50 US states or the District of Columbia, who is 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. See participating PPA or SEP photographer for Full Official Rules, or send a SASE by January 1, 2008 to: PPA or SEP Sweepstakes Marketing Co-operative Contest- Specify Rules Request, PO Box 10505 Rochester, NY 14610. Subject to full official rules. Void where prohibited.

It’s not very often that one has the privilege of having a person in one’s life who is both a friend, a mentor, a role model and an inspiration. I have been blessed with such a person…Monte Zucker. Monte is a legend in the photographic world. Not many people can be called legends…Monte can.

Monte passed away last night after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

I’m sitting here typing this with tears streaming down my cheeks as I remember that funny old man who could run circles around any of us, his beautiful smile and infectious laugh. His loss to us in the photographic community is immense and will be felt for decades. I will consider myself blessed if I can become 1/10th the photographer and person he was. We will miss you Monte. You taught us not only to see the light, but you left a bit of your light in each of our hearts.

Thanks Monte for the way you touched our lives…save us a spot on your team when we are called when it’s our time.

John and Jeff

When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
~Kahill Gibran

During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives. Our services are available to all parents experiencing the death of a baby. There are no fees for the memories that we can capture.

Further information is available at http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/

After a moment’s reflection, I thanked Monte for the honor and asked him, next time, if he could please crop everyone else out of the picture and put our studio name somewhere in bold in the article. He tousled my hair and said “easy, young man, you’re not THAT famous.” Good ol’ Monte.

Jeff

The stuff we’ve learned, though, is fantastic and invaluable.

We waited for nearly 20 minutes before one of the curvy waitresses took our order. Probably best to double up, because who knows when she’ll be back? “I’ll have a double vodka tonic”, I said. “The same”, Johnny said.

When said curvy waitress returned with our drinks I gave her a $20 bill, expecting change. “Thirty-two dollars”, she said. My expressions– surprise, distaste and horror– well, they didn’t faze her in the least. “Thirty-two dollars”. For four shots of vodka? Then I remembered the Casino Gift Shop. I excused myself, trotted over to the gift shop and bought two Smirnoff Vodka minis for $3 each, returned to our table and poured them in too. All secretive like. They were good cocktails, but really. Viva Las Vegas indeed!

And there are no more $10 buffets– unless you go way off the Strip. The $24.95 Dinner Buffet at the Paris was excellent. Great food, kinda French-like and a bistro-type atmosphere despite the hundred people dining there with us. But no chocolate mousse! So I swiped a few extra chocolate cookies at the Dessert Bar to make up for their oversight.

There’s a huge three-day photography tradeshow in the Paris Hotel ballrooms. All our favorite photographic and software vendors are here– Canon, Adobe, GraphiStudio, Successware, etc. GraphiStudio is an album company from Italy and produces incredible leather-bound wedding albums. John and I are eager to use them because the things they can do– amazing.

Now, John loves to spend hours strolling among the several hundred vendors, chatting with reps, and getting information. I don’t. I tend to lose interest in these activities in about five minutes and get impatient and irritable. (Hey, I admit it). So John attends the tradeshow to research vendors and stuff, then I rendezvous with him on the tradeshow floor later.

At right is a photograph John took during our time with Yervant.