David, father of the bride (Lisa & Matt), via email

Even in my humblest moment, I can't help but beam about Elijah and the intaglio prints we offer clients because we're proud to offer more than the expected as part of our packages.

As such, it seems appropriate to give a shout-out to someone else who also merges fine arts into her offerings: TwoFoot Creative.

Ana, who helms TwoFoot, is an event planner, so she coordinates all those little details that make each event special and unique. We've only had the opportunity to work with her on one wedding thus far, and she was just lovely, keeping everything on schedule, helping us gather guests for a big group picture, and stepping in to assist in bustling Susana's deceptively tricky (albeit gorgeous) dress. But her work doesn't stop after the wedding gifts are safely packed away at night. Ana's mother is an artist, so Ana coordinates with brides to use flowers from their bouquets in a one-of-a-kind painting.

To see examples of the work, go to Ana's Web site at http://twofootcreative.com/blog/?cat=8. In some cases, Ana's mother's business (CurlyArt, for those taking notes) mixes other elements with the flowers, such as lace from the wedding dress. In Susana's case, however, the bouquet was actually origami, so the end result is a straightforward painting that Susana intended to give to her parents.

Here, I've posted two photographs that include Susana's flowers, as well as two images of the painting Susana received via TwoFoot. Yay for creative keepsakes!

Amber

Some images just beg to be turned into intaglios. At least, that's how we felt about this picture from St. Peter Catholic Church in Mt. Clemens, which Elijah turned into an etching. I shot the picture of Liz and Chris kissing from the organist's balcony, and everything from the crucifix to the tender moment between the couple just seemed to work as a scene-setter.

Though Liz and Chris hadn't ordered a print as part of their package, they had been fantastic about singing our praises on The Knot and Wedding Wire, so we felt a thank-you gift was in order.

Without further ado, here's the final product. Up next: a drypoint from Sarah and Matt's wedding!

Pretty much every excursion I've taken in the past 10 years can be summed up with five simple words: part vacation, part business trip. (For proof, Google "Amber Hunt" and "Belize." Man, I loved it there.)

This week's jaunt to New York City was no exception. I headed to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice for a two-day journalism seminar, but there was no way I was going to hit NYC without taking in some sights. So I packed up Elijah (smuggled him as carry-on), hit up my friend Alexa to make use of her shoebox disguised as an apartment (love you!) and hauled my Canon around town for purdy pictures.

Naturally, we snapped our share of goofball tourist shots, too. And -- in the spirit of the photojournalism mantra "If you didn't shoot it, it didn't happen" -- I'm posting a couple here to, y'know, prove I was there. Or something.

Enjoy!

Amber

So a few weeks ago, Elijah and I made an appearance at our first-ever bridal show. It was an experience, to say the least. I'm not entirely sure how brides' heads don't explode upon seeing all the options facing them as they're planning, no matter how pretty and fun everything seems!

One thing that caught our eye, though, was the obvious popularity of photo booths -- those carnival-style setups that spit out four-count images in a single sheet. Sure, they're cute, but we took one look and thought, geez, we can do you one better! This weekend, we began solidifying the plan -- and our latest service offering was born! Ta-dah!

(How's that for dramatic??)

Instead of a stuffy, enclosed photo booth, we'll set up a real, quality camera that guests can fire remotely. The picture will be shot and stored in all its fun and goofy glory. For couples who want it, we can even project the images either on a laptop or external-monitor slide show, and if you want to get really fancy, we can print on-the-spot for night-of keepsakes.

We're really excited!! If you're interested, simply ask. We'll be getting things under way by spring.

Amber

We are very proud to announce that Amber Hunt Photography has been voted The Knot Best of Weddings 2010 by local brides. Honestly, we don't know exactly how it is that we got such a great Knot reputation without being advertisers there, but we know several of our brides have been amazing when it comes to promoting us to others. (You know who you are!)

Seriously, thank you so much to the brides and grooms who helped make last season our best yet. This spring/summer is gearing up to be even better. Beyond the business side of things, Elijah and I are just thrilled that we've been part of so many special days. Thanks, everyone!

Amber

There's nothing like using artistic talent for a good cause.

Case in point: Elijah's dad, Bryan Van Benschoten, who's been hard at work for the past several months creating pieces to sell at three Adrian-area Empty Bowls events planned over the next few weeks.

Bryan, an Alfred University-educated ceramicist, retired about a year ago after 39 years creating pieces as Greenfield Village's master potter. Now he teaches ceramics and sculpture at Adrian College (where Elijah teaches 2D design and printmaking) - and he's pretty much been throwing bowls ever since.

That's throwing - as in, y'know, what potters do. When the clay's still wet. On the wheel.

You know what I'm getting at.

Empty Bowls is an international project that aims to end hunger by selling bowls created and donated by artists. The bowls are sold for between $10-$20 with donated food inside, and the money raised will be forwarded to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen.

Adrian College is sponsoring three local events:

* 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 21 at Evans Street Station in Tecumseh
* 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 4 at the college
* 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 21 at the First United Methodist Church in Adrian

People with ties to Amber Hunt Photography might want to take special note: Bryan's next project will be to create prototypes of fruit bowls and wedding plates that we'll begin offering to clients.

The idea is still in its infancy, but we're thinking he'll customize the pieces to include couples' names and wedding dates as the next step in our fine arts offerings.

In the meantime, to see his work, consider swinging by the Empty Bowls events. He's made amazing pieces that would be beautiful buys for anyone with an eye for ceramics.

Amber

Two intaglio etchings finished in two weeks!

OK, so the first one took a lot longer than two weeks - it was Elijah's most intricate to date, and it was for the lovely Stephanie and Peter, so he took pains not to rush it. The second one, meanwhile, was a prototype to display at this weekend's bridal show (Brides To Be Expo, Jan. 2 & 3, at the Hyatt in Dearborn), to offer potential clients an additional glimpse at the work.

I'm so happy with both of them, though, and I love that we're offering something that throws back to centuries past, before the days of photography. This was one of the mediums used when royalty and the higher class wanted portraits done. With the proliferation of digital cameras nowadays, we think it's completely appropriate to begin offering it again - because while our photos blow that wannabe photographer uncle of yours out of the water, we recognize that people are fancying themselves adequate shooters. It isn't true, but with these prints, we can offer something that Uncle Joe can't even pretend to replicate.

But I digress.

I recently shot Elijah as he inked the plate he had etched for Stephanie. I thought the etching process itself was grueling enough, but the inking is an hours-long endeavor. It's fascinating to see how the ink must be "charged" and mixed with a small amount of clove oil to slow drying time, giving him more time to work. After the plate is inked, the excess is wiped with a tarlatan. That alone is a lengthy and subjective process, as wiping too much causes you to lose detail, while not enough means there's too much ink on the print. After the plate is wiped, the paper is placed on top and it's run through a printing press. Then the inking/wiping process begins again. That's why each print is unique, with variations in the inking.

Thanks for reading! This is our first blog entry; no doubt there will be many more to come.

Amber