Happy New Year, Happy 2012 to you all. Where did 2011 go? All I can say is, if you are like most people I have talked to, we were ready for 2012 to get here. I wish you the best for a prosperous, healthy and happy new year.

I find myself in the same exact location that I was when I rang in 2011, in San Diego, Ca. visiting with good friends and celebrating the passing of another year. I feel somewhat like a stepchild when I come to southern Cali because I get to spend time with two sets of friends who eventually exchange my luggage and me much like two sets of parents. Luckily for me I was able to introduce them to each other a few years back and now they have become great friends. It has lessened the “social anxiety” I was experiencing!!!

San Diego is one of my favorite cities to visit for all of the obvious reasons. I have had the great fortune of meeting allot of wonderful people during my many visits and now they are not so unwilling to welcome a southern boy into their hearts and their homes. Like most places I visit I attempt to spread my time between business and social commitments, photographic road tripping and just recharging the batteries after the holidays. San Diego is in my all time top ten list of most beautiful cities to photograph. There are so many places to visit and so many wonderful vistas to capture the beauty of the cities skyline.

I was extremely fortunate to have each set of my “step-friends” to allow me to get around the city during their “scheduled time”. The weather for San Diego has been unseasonably cold and with the inland hot air masses meeting the cold air from the ocean breezes it has, on occasion, created a heavy fog bank that rolls in and engulfs the city. On two of my outings I encountered the fog but with two totally different outcomes.

The first is a skyline view of the city shot from one of the marinas. You can see the fog rolling in and starting to overcome the tops of the buildings.

In the second view you have a sailboat approaching an extremely ominous structure, the Coronado Bay Bridge totally engulfed by the fog.

I hope that you enjoy the first of Blog entries for the upcoming year and will stick with me through out the year for new Miss-Adventures.

If you have any upcoming photographic assignments for 2012, please keep us in mind. Our vast collection of stock imagery can be found at one of two locations –  http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com.

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best Regards ….
Happy Holidays!!!!
~ dennis keim ~

I trust this email finds you in Post-Santa bliss and now gearing up for round 2, the New Year. This year has been one of significant change for me and I look forward to next year and the many positive things I “feel” are to take place. I wish you a pleasurable and enjoyable New Years Eve celebration.

When I visited Arizona over the Thanksgiving holiday, I spent a little bit of time road-tripping around the outskirts looking for things to photograph. One of the areas I had the pleasure of going to was Fountain Hills, Az. It is a developed community some 45 minutes from Phoenix. It is surrounded my mountain vistas which include the Superstition Mountains, Four Peaks and the McDowell Mountains. It is, for visitors, most likely best known for its park in the heart of downtown, The centerpiece of the 64 acre park is the worlds tallest fountain, which rises upward to a incredible height of 562 feet (171 M) once an hour. The view is breathtaking for the 12-minute show.

I wanted to get my father out of the house and give him a little out door time, which is hard to get these days. So I took him to a late lunch at Chick-Fil-A and had our photo taken with the “Santa Cow”. From there it was a beautiful drive through the desert to catch the 5 O’clock show!!! Lucky for us the sunsets around 5:22 here in Arizona and with the mountain range in the background, Mother Nature provided the perfect setting. At the height of it majestic beauty, I give you the Fountain Hills fountain.

If you are in need of an executive portrait of have an upcoming photographic assignment, please keep us in mind. In addition, if you find yourself looking for stock imagery or art for corporate or private collection, we may have that perfect image. Take the opportunity to look at http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com.

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best Regards … Happy Holidays!!!!
~ dennis keim ~

Just a few days and counting before the Jolly Roger of Red and White arrives to spread his joy and cheer. I would imagine that quite a few of you are in the panic mode to make sure his arrival is a welcomed success for Christmas morning. I have a few more days here in Huntsville, then like many of you I will travel to be with family and friends during the holidays.

There is nothing like a good old fashion Christmas parade filled with marching bands, fire trucks with sirens blasting, trucks pulling boats filled with children tossing candy and Santa. Well that is exactly what I was able to enjoy during my visit to the Outer Banks last week. It was heartfelt to see all of the villages come together after all they have suffered through after Hurricane Irene. I wish them the best during the holidays!

One of the Christmas traditions I have each year is to create a holiday photo of one of Santa’s many beautiful Christmas helpers or elves. This year we decided to do a little different take on the subject and looked to the North Pole and found an Ice Princess. As is always the case, many thanks to Ms Sylvia Smith (the makeup artist) for her wonderful artistic talent and to our very willing subject and model, Ms April Johnson who endured the 4 hours of shooting in various outfits and white face paint.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!! Be Safe and Enjoy!!!!!

If you are in need of an executive portrait or have an upcoming photographic assignment, please keep us in mind. In addition, if you find yourself looking for stock imagery or art for corporate or private collection, we may have that perfect image. Take the opportunity to look at http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best regards ……….
dennis keim

I hope this email finds you doing well after another week of the Christmas ad onslaught. The good news is we only have a week and half to hold on and then the Jolly Roger himself arrives, taking care of business.

I write today from the eastern seaboard of North Carolina, my home away from home, the Outer Banks. It has been almost 4 months since my departure due to Hurricane Irene. Getting back on to the island had proven to be somewhat of a  difficult task, after the hurricane, due to the destruction and my designated status as a “non essential”! It was not until late mid October that they were able to fix the breach in Hwy12 and allow non-residents back on the island. Even months later there are still tail tale signs of the damage Hurricane Irene did but nothing shows more than the lack of tourists and residents. The once vibrant island is left to the residents that live here and those few tourists, mainly fisherman, that have
found their way back. What I left in August is a far cry from what the island is experiencing today. Almost all the businesses have shut down for the season, if not locked their doors ands moved on.  I am sure it will take time for the vibrant nature of the island to rekindle it self. The one thing I know for sure is the individuals that call the Outer Banks home are a very dedicated, resilient group of villagers. It will take more than a hurricane(s) to alter their loyalty.

One of the “many” things I enjoy most about the islands is Mother Natures’ nightly show and the beauty of the setting sun. Each night has it’s own pageantry and “she” has done all she can to continue to rejuvenate my love affair.

This is a photograph of the “greeting” I received on my return to the island. No wonder I fell in love – with the Outer Banks. Enjoy!

If you are in need of an executive portrait of have an upcoming photographic assignment, please keep us in mind. In addition, if you find yourself looking for stock imagery or art for corporate or private collection, we may have that perfect image. Take the opportunity to look at http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com.

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best Regards …..
Happy Holidays!!!!
~ dennis keim ~

You know I woke up the other morning and said, “ Where did November go? Matter of fact where has 2011 gone?” With less then one month to go in the year, can you really put a finger on what all you did in 2011. I try to look back on the year but it just seems to be hidden in a cloud of the unknown. How time Fly’s!!

I came home to a beautiful week in Alabama but knowing, I had left a beautiful week behind me in Arizona. I made the huge discovery that, after all my years of visiting my sister, there are actually a great number of local, as well as, one very well known national park within a short drive from her house. After all these years, who would have thunk??

On my last day I raced out to Tonto National Forest, which covers almost 3 million acres, is the fifth largest forest in the US and has a rich history. The wilderness is best known for Four Peaks Wilderness, Superstition Mountain and the tale of the Lost Dutchman’s mine. Did I mention it was only a 25-minute drive from my sister’s house?

My Brother in law had mentioned a river and a lake. So off I went to catch another beautiful sunset in a rare desert setting. Note to self: “Next time look at a map before you head out. But “NO” I was a man with a mission with no directions but the one instinct … follow the hood of the car and see where it takes me. Luckily for me that gets me through a majority of the hard times.

With little time to spare and on a mission of chasing Arizona sunsets and cacti I raced down the highway. What I leave you with are two of the more memorable captures from that beautiful evenings adventure:

A reflective moment of mountain and river just as I entered the park:

And remnant’s of a setting sun as a Saguaro Cactus stands guard over a rising quarter moon:

If you are in need of an executive portrait or have an upcoming photographic assignment, please keep us in mind. In addition, if you find yourself looking for stock imagery or art for corporate or private collection, we may have that perfect image. Take the opportunity to look at http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best regards ……….
dennis keim