Travis & Fiona's Maternity Art Piece

Travis & Fiona are friends, clients, community business owners (Fit4Life), and a couple of our favorite photo subjects! We've had the privilege & opportunity to photograph their business, their wedding, their maternity session and next week, their BABY! Molly Nicole Monday (aka, M&M), born 4 days ago! Congrats to the Monday Family!

PORTRAITS in the PARK. A Photo Contest to Benefit Easter Seals Kids!

We are so excited about this fund raising project and to be partnering with Independent Living Pediatrics (ILP) Director, Aleisha to accomplish Portraits in the Park where all kids SMILE and WIN!

When our son Eric, born with Down syndrome, was a baby teetering on the edge of life, Aleisha, a speech therapist college student and employee of a local daycare for children with special needs, would babysit for our son. Few people had the training or heart to take care of our son, but Aleisha had both!

Fast forward 14 years of not seeing her, and in the studio she walked! Not only did she finish her degree, but she also got married, had two children and became the Director of ILP. Together, our commitment and heart for kids with special needs prompted this idea for Portraits in the Park! This handsome guy is our son!

These sample photos will give you an idea of the portraits we will be taking. If you are interested in submitting a photo of your child, please read the specifics below.

Happy Holidays!
Kim & Bob


PORTRAITS IN THE PARK is a photo contest where ten kids will be chosen to participate in a professional photo shoot in which the selected gallery of images will permanently hang in the Independent Living Pediatrics clinics in New Tampa and Westchase.

To ENTER, simply mail a photo of your child's smiling face to our PORTRAITS IN THE PARK Photo Contest. The contest is open to children ages 10-10 from all walks of life, with and without special needs.
Your child's smile-ability will give a child with a disability a better opportunity in life.

On in five households has a child with a special health care need, yet with early intervention, half of these children will go to school without needing special services. Your $20 entry fee will go directly to Easter Seals Florida, Tampa Bay Region helping children with disabilities hope, dream and succeed.

Winning smiles will be announced in February 2010. The top ten winners will participate in a professional photo shoot in the park in the spring time by Tampa's award-winning photography studio-Thompson Studios.

The winning portraits will be displayed in the local newspaper, announced through the Thompson Studios' e-newsletter, displayed on the Thompson Studios BLOG and on the ILP web site. The final art pieces will be showcased in a one-night gallery opening honoring all contest participants, before permanently hnging in the park-like lobby of Independent Living Pediatrics specializing in physical, occupational and speech therapy to bring out the BEST and the SMILE in every child!

Each winner will receive an 8-image portfolio of the photo shoot!

Enter now through January 31, 2010.
It starts with a smile. When children smile, everyone wins!

Mail a 3x5 color photograph, a parent's e-mail address, telephone number, and home address. Please include a $20 entry fee to:

Thompson Studios
10329H Cross Creek Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33647

Photos will not be returned. Entry fees are tax deductible.
Check payable to: Easter Seals.

Awesome Pizza & Wine Bar!

We've come to LOVE the pizza & wine bar that recently opened up in Tampa on the corner of Bearss & Bruce B. Downs called Wood Fired Pizza & Wine. Frequented not only by authentic Italian Pizza lovers (like us) and wine enthusiasts (like us), but also by local health & fitness gurus! Why? Because the herbs are authentic, the toppings are organic, the dough is freshly made & gluten-free, and the wine is always fabulous! These are photos Bob took of the owner, Peter, his 'paws,' and our wine in front of the wood fire grill that Peter hand-crafted.

Enjoy!
Kim

Ricky P's Po Boy Shop Food Shots

So, anyone know of a truly authentic New Orleans Po Boy shop in the bay area? I do!!

Check out Ricky P's (www.rickyps.com) at 6524 4th Street North in St. Pete, but only if you want to have a party in your mouth!! We had the honor of shooting a few of their flagship items one Saturday night after they closed recently. OMG!! The best part? Eating all of the photo subjects as we went along. My faves? Well, let's see, the Muffaletta was Deeelicious, well wait, the gumbo made my mouth dance. But then again, the Shrimp Po Boy made my pants shrink, while all the while the jambalaya made me say things I couldn't control. But then there was the Bread Pudding after it was all said and done. Yes, the Bread Pudding and I had a very special moment. Ahhhh.... As Ricky P hears all day long from his loyal cajun fanbase: "Dang, that's good!"

Go check 'em out for yourself and tell them Bob T sent you!

The man, the legend!

The Bread Pudding... be careful not to lick the screen!

Here's a crabcake, jambalaya with Ricky P's famous slaw. Mmmmmm....

9/11

Eight years ago on the morning of 9/11/01, I was taking pictures of the Executive Leadership Development program Kim was leading at the Embassy Suites in the financial district of New York City, a stone's throw to the World Trade Center. While the CFO for the company she worked for started the morning off with a keynote talk about the current global finances to the 150 employees in the room who had come from all over the world (as far as New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands), the group was interrupted by a panicked sounding woman over the intercom informing us that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center.

Mayhem hit soon after.

The room dispersed, people scattered. Most cell phones stopped working, so the bank of pay phones were crammed, people stood immobile, staring at the news on the large screen TV that hung in the lobby, racing outside, racing to their rooms, racing around not knowing what to do or where to go. I ran upstairs to our room (the elevators stopped working) to collect my belongings when a good friend called my cell. She was watching the news from Tampa and was adamant about our getting out of there now!

Kim, the CFO and I were the last three people out of the hotel. Kim had her laptop in a backpack and dragged her suitcase by the handle (for the next 75 blocks). I had my camera bag over my shoulder and my suitcase. I couldn't carry my set of lights, so I left them in the ball room where the program was being held thinking I would come back later to pick them up (it was more than a year before I ever went back and everything left in the hotel was damaged and irretrievable).

The debris was falling like a blizzard of gray snowflakes blanketing the ground and clinging to the clothes and skin of all the people running. The SWAT team, in their full regalia (black masks, on piece suits and boots), guided us by waving a forceful arm swing pointing toward the Hudson River. There was no thinking at this point. We followed their direction and ran like hell across a grassy field (I think it was a soccer field), through a ripped open chain link fence, down a few stairs and on to the wide sidewalk that paralleled the river. We must have run for 15 minutes and then everyone just stopped and turned around. We followed suit and in a moment, we witnessed the second tower implode and collapse as we felt the energy of thousands of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters float upward in the morass of billowy black smoke.

Against my better judgment, in a moment of mass destruction, I reached for my camera and with tears in my eyes, snapped off a few, while silently blessing all the people who just lost their lives.

We spent the night at Kim's boss's home outside of Manhattan that night, where it was eerily peaceful and quiet, rented a card the next day and drove home. We heard the guy from New Zealand spent nine days getting home (to a wife and new baby) via Canada, Alaska, and so forth, and arrived to a hero's welcome full of the press, family, friends, and the community at large!

To have the dubious distinction of having eye witnessed such a world tragedy is something I haven't quite resolved for myself. However, what I have resolved is that I am more grateful than ever for my family and my life, and every 9/11 for the rest of my life, I will whisper a prayer to the families of those who lost their loved ones on that day.

Until next time,
Bob

By the way, the photo of the twin towers was taken on the evening of 9/10/2001 from a dinner cruise on the Hudson just as we passed the Statue of Liberty.

Buddy's Beach Bash with the Band with Bob and the Boys 16th Birthday Party Celebration!

All a parent ever wants for his or her children is to give them a good time, then watch them enjoy the experience. Kim and I are no different. I present to you a brief photo-documentary, (all photographed by one Mr. Mike Ossola, associate photographer and post production manager, and on this particular evening part-time shooter and also guest of Buddy), of one Mr. Buddy Thompson's 16th Birthday Bash, held at the Palm Pavilion on Clearwater Beach over the August 15th weekend. Huge thanks to Cindy, GM at the Palm, and long time friend of mine (I've been playing there since '95) who really made us feel welcome and took great care of us (round of drinks on arrival, preferred Bud-seating, open arms, etc), and to Debby at the hotel who took great care of us as well. Kim and I couldn't be more proud of our miracle boy, and what a blast it was to watch him just have a blast. Enjoy!!

"A Man Boy on is 16th Birthday" or "The Calm Before the Storm" (Note the slight presence of a Matt Garza-like beard on the southern tip of his chin) Great portrait Mikey!!

I mean really, who doesn't want to see their name in lights? This was one of Cindy's surprises. Nice touch.

A moment between sets. Bud has been talking about this day and this gig for at least 2 months. This is one excited dude.

This is where Bud spends most of his time during our gigs. He truly has been one of the band for years now. We added the electric guitar this particular day for the first time, and it was a smashing success!! He knows the words, and he sings his little heart out! (Cable, what cable?)

Bud's backup vocals come complete with personal gestures. What a dude. This boy has got the moves. (-:

A piece of Mike Ossola beach art. Nice shot and nice edit Mikey!! (I told you guys he was good...)

Buddy goes Hendrix crazy among the crowd in a spontaneous explosion of rock and roll fury during a John Mellencamp tune. That's from the right, Ricky P (rickyps.com), Victoria, Kevin, Bud, the Boys in the Band, Kathryn, Noah, Ken and Kim's clapping hands.

One of the finest bass players in the universe today, (because as you can see, he's not from this planet) Mr. Chris Ryals. It is my distinct privilege to play with this guy, and we've been doing it since '96. Bud, the man, the legend, singing his way through his 16th. Rock on...

This is Mr. Mike Massaro, a craftsman of a percussionist, and very cool dude. A tad on the serious side, but only while he's playing. He's a teddy bear inside... Mike and I met 20 minutes before I did a TV appearance on Ybor Live at the Columbia Restaurant back in the early 90's, and we've been friends and playing together ever since. He's scary good at what he does too. His hands hurt a lot.

Haaappy Biirrrtthddaaayy Toooooo Yooouuuuuuu!!!

Great Location Portrait Shoot and a Cold One!

Meet the Davis family, who we connected with out of our relationship with Carrollwood Day School. (We do the school photos and senior portraits for CDS) They live up in Odessa on a couple of acres, and they wanted to use their gorgeous country spread as a backdrop for some rich family portraits. As will happen with families with dogs or pets, they wanted to know if I would be willing to add their dogs to one of the poses, and of course the answer was yes. To brag, I've had tremendous success integrating pets into family portraits, and we managed to get a great shot with both dogs and the family. My record continues unblemished!

One of the things I enjoy most about what I do is the intimate relationship building that comes with being in a photo session. Come to find out that Mr. Davis is in the Navy, and in an intelligence field not too different than the one that Kim and I were in while we were in the Air Force. A little more conversation and we find out that we all used to live in the same area of Germany. Wow!! Now we've got some great material for nostalgic conversation.

The portraits are gorgeous, as we were fortunate to have literally perfect light outside. Can you believe that it was storming only 2 hours prior to shoot time? The Davis' made some beatiful portraits, and afterward, seeing that I was sweating it up pretty majorly out there, invited me in and offered me a cold one, where we continued our getting to know each other.

Thanks to the Davis family for their hospitality, great conversation, and oh yeah, some great location portraits!!