Did you get our newsletter?

Did you know that our images are being showcased at the March of Dimes event on Friday? Did you know that we have new albums and cool new images boxes? Did you know that we even have jewelry and totes? Did you know that you will get a bonus $25 gift card when you buy $150 in gift cards at the Madison Women's Expo? Did you know that newsletter readers get special offers and incentives? 

Well, if you got our newsletter, you already knew all that!

If you haven't gotten our newsletter yet, please let us know! We want to keep all of our faithful readers up to date!

We want to hear from You! - Testimonials

Did you love your experience with Appleby Photography? Love your photographs? We want to hear from you! We love to get feedback from our clients. And if you are willing to let us share your comments, let us know!

Here's a note from a recent wedding couple:
Hello Chris and Becky,

Adam and I wanted to thank you both so much for your professional, organized and discreet way of capturing our day. You were both so relaxed that the whole picture taking portion of the day (which I was not very excited about) was perfect and easy. Everyone was very comfortable and you made the experience fun.

Adam and I also really appreciated never feeling like a camera was in our faces; you captured the day without us even noticing it....THANK YOU.

We will definitely be recommending Appleby to anyone we can and please let us know if we could ever be of assistance as a reference.

Cant wait to see the pictures!

Melanie and Adam

Checking In

I can't believe summer is over. It was bitter-sweet today as we sent our oldest off to school. It's amazing how fast the summer flew by! Here is a peek at what we have been doing- lots of weddings! By the way, Madalyn is feeling better, though she is still healing. Also, we got our own family portraits taken this summer- check out our About Us page to see the new images, which now include Henry. Thanks Merrilee!

First Trip to E.R.

We had to do it. We had to make our first trip to the Emergency Room last night. Actually, with three kids, it wasn't a question of "if", but "when". Madalyn had the honor of being our first child to do so. She had the misfortune of riding her bike into a parked car (which, I hear, is not all that uncommon). Luckily, she was wearing her bike helmet and her head was fine. Unluckily, it was her knee that took the brunt of the crash. With a wound deemed "too big for stitches", she is now happily resting at home. All in all, the trip wasn't too bad and Madalyn was very brave- though she still hasn't actually looked at her wound, and I can't say that I blame her!

New Contemporary Album Options

We are happy to announce our new expanded options with the Contemporary Album line! We now have 12 beautiful colors to choose from for your cover, which allows you to pick the perfect shade to show off your photographs. Also joining the Contemporary line-up: matching parent albums! The parent albums have been such a hit with the Storybook Album line, that we are excited to be able to offer them with the Contemporary Albums, too! As with the Storybook Albums, exact matches will be at a special price, but will also be available to order separately.

New Display in Windows

We have updated the display windows! I think this is the first time ever that we have had all color photographs in the windows.

What's New

We had the summer bridal show on Wednesday and it went well! This year was busier than it's been since the Wedding Planner & Guide started the summer show, so it's neat that word is getting out about what a great show it is. Plus, it's a bit easier to manage than the huge winter show! This is the first time in all the years that we have done bridal shows that we forgot to take a photograph of our booth, so you'll just have to take our word that it looked great.

We posted some May sessions & weddings (a couple of these were seen at the bridal show) to enjoy, and will be updating our display windows very soon. Also, our Contemporary Albums have gotten better! We now offer more color selections and matching parent albums! And because we love to add new things to our line-up, be watching for a new album line in the next few weeks. The options with this new line are a lot of fun!

On the home-front, Henry has started to crawl! Actually, last weekend was busy for him with milestones: he clapped, crawled, and sat up by himself. He doesn't understand that his mother needs him to spread out the milestones so she can enjoy them more.

Recent Sessions

What The Duck!

I just received an e-mail from Aaron Johnson, a Wisconsin man responsible for creating the on-line comic "What The Duck". The comic is about a duck who is a struggling professional photographer, and the e-mail is his simple way of advertising his strip. A few newspapers have picked it up, but it's popularity has grown mainly by word-of-mouth. Some of the strips are only funny to us photographers, but others hold universal appeal. The thing that makes these comic strips so interesting is that Aaron takes suggestions from his readers, not only for the content, but for the title of the strip, which is named the day after it appears by the best reader post to his site. You can check it out here.

Flooding in Cedar Rapids

Many of you know that both of us are from and have family in the Cedar Rapids, IA area. Our hometown, as well as the town where we went to college to the north, has been hit very hard by the flood waters from the Cedar River. Our families are safe and dry, but are shocked by the current state of the city. Becky's mom says that places you never thought would flood are now under water. There are updates and some amazing photographs on The Gazette's website.

Bridal Show Time Again!

We are excited that the summer bridal show is quickly approaching! It is such a good time to show off new albums and connect with couples that are getting married. Stop by our booth, which is #202, by the main entrance, to see what new offerings we have. We are really excited about the new Proof Books!!! You have to come check them out!

The bridal show is put on by The Wedding Planner and Guide (the same people that do that really big one in January), and it's next Wednesday, June 18th. The doors open at 4pm. You can check out their website to purchase tickets early, or you can purchase them at the door. Be sure to sign up for the prize package! There are a lot of good things included in it, and best of all, an engagement session by us, with an 11x14 portrait or guest book.

I'll update soon with a recap of May weddings!

Half-Marathon

This year, we once again did the Madison (formally "Mad City") Marathon half-marathon. Again, we had our friends, Becca and Tim, joining us. Training was a lot harder this time around. Having three children now, finding time to fit running into our schedules was next to impossible. We also did our part to help break the record for most brats sold at the Brat Fest. And, I think I may not need to eat another brat until next year!

Henry at 6 months

I can't believe how fast the time is flying by! I am already missing all the baby stages with Henry, and he is only six months old! He is acting like he could crawl any day now, but as any parent knows, that doesn't mean he will. Here are two images from his session. I love the close-up because that is a smile I see a lot.

May is always our "busy" month!

I don't know why, but May is always crazy for us, both with the studio and at home! Our schedule is looking full already, and we are only a week into the month. In April, Madalyn celebrated her First Holy Communion and turned eight. The image of her is from her eight-year session. The image of Lydia finishes her two-year session (only a bit behind) and shows off her HotSling, with Baby inside. We kicked off our wedding season in April. Congratulations to Dave and Angie! Angie put so much work into all the details of their big day! Here are a couple teasers.

Tonight, Madalyn has her dance recital, with ballet, tap and jazz dances. Chris makes his "dance recital debut", as fathers are included in the ballet portion. He's feeling a bit nervous, but I'm sure they will both do great!

Spring Cleaning

Okay, it's actually more like a "Honey Do" list than a "Spring Cleaning" list, but we have been busy making improvements around the studio! We have created more seating in our entry area, with Chris building another alcove seat (which we both tend to call a "window seat", though it lacks a window). We now have a larger viewing area in our meeting room. The leather couch is a comfy addition to the room, too. And my favorite, we now have a mini coffee bar! The world wouldn't be the same without coffee, and now we can share the caffeine with all of our friends!

Booking Weddings for 2009

Wow! We are amazed at how many brides and grooms we have met with that are already booking weddings for 2009. We are excited to see so many organized couples! It appears that some of those prime dates will be filled earlier than usual for next year. We do still have a couple dates for 2008, so feel free to call to check availability.

NILMDTS on Today Show

There was a great story on The Today Show this morning about Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, a non-profit organization, for which we volunteer. Here is the link to check it out: Today video

Henry's Baptism

Henry was baptized today. He actually seemed to enjoy having the holy water poured on his head! Here he is, in his 3 month photograph, which shows his Christening gown. It took us a bit of work to find a simple gown for a boy, as we wanted something traditional that could be passed on in the family. We found this beautiful gown at Goo Goo Gaa Gaa in Brookfield, WI. They were so helpful!

Diaper Fluff!

We made the switch to cloth diapers, which are much better for the environment than disposable diapers. So far, things are going well! We are using a Madison business, Mother Nature's Diaper Service. So, good for the earth, good for local business. Three month old Henry and twenty-three month old Lydia show off their diaper covers!

On-line Ordering

To streamline on-line orders, all orders placed through the website will now be shipped directly to you. This will allow us to get your order to you quicker! Orders over $400 will receive free shipping! As the ordering website is separate from the studio, there is no option for special requests when ordering on-line. Special requests, albums, collections, etc. are still available however, and will need to be ordered directly through the studio, by appointment.

2008 Bridal Show

We had a great time at the 2008 Wedding Planner and Guide bridal show this weekend! This was our 7th year at the show, and it just keeps getting better. We meet with a lot of happy brides and grooms and look forward to chatting more! Thanks to everyone that stopped by to say "hello"!