Last week, My travels took me to Phoenix Arizona for our annual DWF convention at the Carefree Resort. I was so excited to go because I was traveling with friends this time.
Kris, Krisha and I left in the wee hours of the morning to fly out. We arrived in Phoenix pretty early and rented a car so we didn’t have to rely on a ride. It was a nice 45 minute drive to the resort where we were staying, but since none of had ever been to Arizona, we took a few detours, ate lunch, got our nails done and then checked in and met up with Chelsea. We had a room the size of a small apartment, full kitchen and patio. I was in heaven! Plus, the weather totally beat the 15 degrees we have now. It was a very relaxing but educational trip. We made new friends, reminisced with old, sat by the campfire every night and roasted marshmallows with Lance and swam under the stars.
I didn’t shoot as much as I would have liked to, but I was taking a much needed break. I went out our last day there with my friend Joe G. We drove up the road a bit and stop at the Indian Village. It was a roadside taco stand and shop. I had the best Guacamole and Chimicanga’s and only have a few marks left from the attack of the Cactus. I am so surprised none of us came home with too many battle scars. Enjoy!

Off my patio

Our Villa

Sorry ladies for the horrible quality iphone photo, but this is one of the only ones of all of us together….

Oh my goodness, where do I even start? Let me first start by saying Happy Birthday my dear friend! In these past few months, you have been my right hand man. I don’t know how I would have gotten through it all without you. You are there for me whenever I call for anything! You keep me on track and organized. You make me laugh so hard I almost wreck my car from crying! If you didn’t introduce me to sushi last year, I probably wouldn’t have an addiction and the lady at Blue Pacific wouldn’t think we are crazy. (I am working in VIP seating BTW) You are always in the mood for Starbucks and feed that addiction as well, even if it is killing me. 🙂
Liesa, you are one of the most amazing, kind hearted, funny, strong, tricky and crazy people I know. Thank you for everything!!! Happy Birthday!!!!!!
Here is a little something special for you!!! and….this song would not be stuck in my head everyday and make me pee my pants when I think of playing it at the most inappropriate times.

We will be out of the office Saturday, January 10 – Friday January 16th. I will be checking emails periodically and get back to you when we return. Sorry for the inconvienence.

We had the privilege of photographing a brand new wedding venue in Lancaster County about a few weeks ago. The Mansion at River Bend is located off of 441 and Rt 23 in Marietta and is run by the same folks as Cameron Estate. It sits overlooking everything! When you drive up, the house takes your breath away! We walked in the huge double doors and were greeted with a huge stair case and 3 sitting rooms. The stairs go up 3 flights to numerous guest rooms which includes a Bridal Suite. Each one very uniquely decorated keeping with the Victorian feel of the whole house.
The Mansion can be reserved for a day or for the weekend for weddings, reunions and other special events. You will have full use of the facility which includes 7.5 acres of land, a swimming pool and kitchen privileges. There is also a room that can hold up to 40 people for dinner. Wedding reception catering will be provided on site.
Here is a sneak peak of the inside!!

What a year! We started out in January still as Sullivan Studios. After going to a convention where I sat down with Jen and Steve Bebb, we decided it would be beneficial that I totally re-brand myself. I had been debating it for a while before and they solidified it for me. After that we started the change to Leslie Gilbert Photography. It wasn’t a hard change at all and people seemed to pick up on it pretty quickly. Fast forward to April when I traveled to Atlanta for another seminar, again with the Bebbs. There were about 9 of us in the seminar and we became fast friends. It seemed that we were all at the same point in our lives where we knew something needed to change. In my case, it was the studio. We have had it at our new house for about 4 years and no one really knew it was here because the outside didn’t look like anything. I was also tired of working from 7 in the morning until I went to bed. That was no life for me or my family. Over the next few months, we worked with the contractor to get everything the way we wanted. It took longer than we anticipated, but now, it is done! A completely redesigned studio! My office will be in there now and we also added a natural light studio. There are a few more finishing touches to be done and a bit of furniture to be delivered, but it is fully functional and we are ready to start a new year!! I have also been referring to WE a lot. Liesa is now going to be in the office on a regular basis to take care of administration and editing. This way we can both focus on shooting. In the spring, be on the look out for our Open House announcement as well.
This will be a long post of images from the old studio, construction and the finished product. I will have more once it is fully furnished.
Thank you to everyone for you inspiration, patience and encouragement throughout this whole process. I am truly grateful for all of you. Enjoy! Have a safe and wonderful New Year!!
Leslie and LiesaOutside before

Inside before

This was the garage we had left. We decided to use this to add on.

Making room for a huge window

Adding a display window in the front

took out the closet and added a bathroom

Making some progress

My favorite piece!