Behind The Scenes At A Wedding

As photographers, we usually try to stay BEHIND the camera. Like a lot of people, we'll shy away from being photographed.

Especially during a wedding, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves and we certainly don't want to become the focus of the photography.

And during a wedding, we are usually concentrating so much on the details, activity and excitement of the big day for our bride and groom, we barely have time to notice what each other are doing.

Luckily, we don't have to. That is a perk of working together for so long- we already know what the other is probably doing so we don't have to give it any thought.

So, once in a while, as I'm editing a session or a wedding, I'll find extra images. Ones where we were hesitating with composing our own shots long enough to catch the other one of us composing their shots. (But I always, always edit them out...)

First Day Of School: The End Of My Littles

Today marks a very big day at our house. Our youngest has started kindergarten.  For the first time in forever, I no longer have a Little at home. I'm now the mother to only Big Kids. And I would be lying if I said I didn't cry.

People who don't understand--other parents even--say, "He's ready," and "He'll do fine!"

And I know this. But that is not the point today.

Yes, he is ready. Yes, he will do fine. He can read at almost the same level as his older brother. He is a social kid who loves to be around other kids. He loves to talk and is quick with funny, quirky one-liners that make adults laugh. He follows the rules, even if he scoffs them at home.

I know he will do "fine."

The tears are more for me than him, anyway.

After FIFTEEN years of busyness: working out of the home and coordinating childcare, having my office at home and shuffling meetings, dealing with doctor appointments, preschool parties, playdates, everything.... It all just... ENDS.

When you're busy with babies, toddlers and preschoolers, the days feel like they may never end. Crazy mornings stretch into long afternoons with bedtimes that can't come soon enough. You can't even think straight through all the chaos. You wish for a day without clinging kids, or at least just a little quiet. 

And then you get it. 

And you realize, even if you don't want to go back to those hectic days, even though this is a good thing, those days are gone. You can't wish them back. 

I know this.

So, I have to dry my tears and get ready for this new chapter. The one where I'm the mother to only Big Kids.

Wedding Day Wish: 1,000 Origami Cranes

There is an ancient Japanese legend that promises a wish will be granted by a crane to anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes. Dana and Pat folded a thousand cranes for their wedding day. These paper cranes decorated the ceremony and reception, roped as garland, on tables, at place cards and in bottles. They even presented one to each of their parents during the wedding ceremony. 

And they made their their wish. They wished for a happy, healthy marriage.

Brianne & Steve | Wedding

It's the height of summer and the middle of the busy season for weddings. This is just a quick peek at what I'm working on now:

Anna & Atit | Wedding

Sometimes, it can feel like wedding festivities go on for days. And when you have two religions to honor, the wedding really CAN go on for days.

Anna and Atit's Catholic wedding ceremony still showed signs of the Hindu wedding ceremony that took place several days before, while definitely having elements of it's own. The combined effect was beautiful, meaningful and personal.

Engagement Session | Governor Nelson State Park

Most wedding couples opt to do an engagement session before their big day. We love being able to do engagement sessions, as it allows us to get to know the couple better. We see how they interact together and in front of the camera. We also get to learn more about them, as a couple. We find out if they are reserved or playful, outgoing or a little shy. They will often tell us if they are nervous about being photographed and this gives us the chance to show them that the process of a portrait session is a lot easier than they think!

Nicolas and Laura picked Governor Nelson State Park as their location for their engagement session. The 422-acre Wisconsin state park in Waunakee sits on the shore of Lake Mendota, across from downtown Madison. 

Parenting Is Exhausting: Lessons From Home

Just when you get one problem figured out- or even before that problem is fully taken care of- the next one comes at you, stealing your attention and robbing your sleep.

Being a parent means life is always filled with chaos and messes, both big and small.

Recently we were on vacation when my daughter had several seizures, which is a heart-wrenching experience for a mother to witness. This started a round of hospital visits. Monday afternoon we finished up an MRI and EEG, done for the purpose of diagnosing Lydia with epilepsy. It felt like a relief to have jumped that hurdle and for us to be able to move forward.

But no sooner had I gotten messages out to family that we would have to wait several days for the final test results than the next thing happened.

The burgers were not even off the grill for dinner Monday night when panicked screams came from Henry in the backyard. He had fallen from a swing and broke his arm, snapping both the ulna and radius forearm bones. He had to be sedated for the doctor to set the bones and put on a cast, with the warning that he may still need surgery for the arm to heal correctly.

So, Monday had me sitting in hospitals for nine hours, first with Lydia and then Henry.

You try to be a good parent. You want to sacrifice a part of yourself to protect your kids. You dream of putting your kids in a magic bubble to keep them safe.

You try to not make the same mistakes twice. You try to teach your kids the lessons you had to learn the hard way. You want to make life easier for them.

As parents, we freeze. We stop living. We think that if we can do this or control that, we’ll keep the bad stuff away, our family will be safe and happy. But the only thing it really does is keep us from truly being happy ourselves.

And, like all parents, I am reminded that I can’t stop life from happening. My youngest will go off to kindergarten this fall, whether I want him to or not. My oldest will be taking driver's ed as she gets ready to get her license, even if I'm not ready for her to drive.

Things happen. Things change. Wounds heal, pain goes away, life goes on.

You realize there is never a good time. There is never a time when you can count on everything being calm.

And if I try to make things easy or think I can stop my kids from hurting, life will step in to remind me I’m not in charge. It’s not up to me. I can’t control life.

You can’t wait for the right time for things because it never comes. There is not a perfect time. You can’t hope to keep things easy or neat. There is not a magic bubble.

Life is messy. And hard. You can’t protect your kids from everything.

And the real kicker is: They don’t even want you to.

I can’t prevent my kids from ever feeling pain. No one can. And we all need to embrace that.

Living in fear of the next big disaster only stops us from living. We have to move forward even if it’s with just the hope that everything will be okay, that it works out in the end.

We owe it to our kids, to ourselves.

So I hug my babies and keep them close while I can.

I tell them I love them.

And I promise myself I’ll catch up on sleep later.

Make Your Own Wedding Bar: From Candy To Popcorn!

Everyone loves options. Especially when it comes to what they eat.

What is a Food Bar?

A trend at wedding receptions is to have a food or dessert buffet (or commonly called "bar," as in "candy bar" or "baked potato bar") as an addition to the meal being served.

The idea is to let your guests pick what they want. 

Couples like to include a food bar as a way of entertaining their guests. It gets people up out of their seats and mingling at the reception and lets them make some decisions around a menu that is already set.

I've seen this done with everything from pasta to mashed potatoes served in martini glasses with topping to dress them up and with an array of desserts that go far beyond just wedding cake.

The Ever-Popular Candy Bar

Candy bars are popular and can be a lot of fun for both kids and adults. It might surprise you that I often see more adults get all giddy over filling up a bag with sugary treats than the kids- and trust me, the kids love it. A candy bar seems to bring out the nostalgia in adults and grant them permission to enjoy those childhood favorites because everyone is at a party and enjoying the evening.

Sometimes the couple will match the candy to their wedding colors, but, in my opinion, the best candy bars just go for the good stuff, without regard to wrapper colors.

Beyond Candy

But what if you are looking for something beyond candy, something different?

Easy: pick anything that can be customized and run with it.

If you can easily change ingredients or add toppings, it will be perfect for your guests.

• Set out seasoned tomatoes, olives and cheeses for a bruschetta bar;
• Skip the formal meal and do a taco bar;
• Casual barn weddings would work well with a casual sandwich bar;
• Help guests stay up late with a caffeine fix at a coffee bar;
• For the daring, set up a mixology station and let guests create their own cocktails;
• A s'mores bar could mix traditional and sophisticated into one dessert; 
• Serve ice cream and toppings for a sundae bar (I really wish brides and grooms would serve ice cream with the wedding cake-they were meant to be served together! This is a trend that needs catch on...)

Recently, I saw a popcorn bar. This was completely new to me, but made total sense to do as a bar. (I loved this! I now want to have a party, just so I can have a popcorn bar!)

There were flavored powder seasonings, like ranch, buffalo wing and bacon cheddar. There were also peanuts, m&ms and reese's pieces to sprinkle in.

When you give your guests to ability to choose what they get to eat, it adds a little interactive entertainment, they mingle with other guest and they have a great time. It's a win-win.

Wedding Planning With A Beer Theme

I love when a couple takes the time to personalize their wedding style with the things they love. And when they love beer, it makes for a very fun theme.

Andy Sparhawk, over at CraftBeer.com, shares his ideas for his own beer wedding - and encourages you to steal them for your own.

Check out his article, So You're Marrying a Beer Geek.
While you're at it, take a look at a wedding we did last fall: 
Cheers to this Brewery-Based Big Day.

Sarmi & Zach | Madison Wedding

Sarmi and Zach's wedding was split over two different days. First, they had the traditional Hindu ceremony, complete with all the traditions. It was fascinating to listening to the priest's chanting as the words flowed into a melody. All of the various parts of a Hindu ceremony are rich with symbolize, like the varmala (a sacred string) that was placed around Sarmi and Zach's necks to protect them from evil influences or when Zach put sindoor (a red powder) on Sarmi's forehead to symbolize their union and his love and promise to protect her.

For their American ceremony, only the henna on Sarmi's hands and the holy threads on their wrists showed a hint of their Hindu ceremony. They choose a very western-world location: a golf course country club. Even though the rain kept the ceremony indoors at the last moment, the day turned out beautifully.

We loved being a part of both ceremonies. It was a riveting look inside another culture's traditions, which was both educational and entertaining.

Rain on the Wedding Day

Rain on the wedding day is considered good luck. The rain washes away sorrow and gives the couple a clean slate, a new start. The Italians even have a saying for it: "Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata," which means "Wet bride, lucky bride."

Joe and Ashley had the good luck to be prepared with umbrellas and a rain storm that didn't last all day.

Wedding In The Garden

Outdoor weddings are fun when the weather is good- and for Caitlin and Josh, the weather was perfect. Here is a peek at what I'm working on:

What To Wear For A Portrait Session

I have 4 children. It's hard to pull together outfits for an entire family and have everything fit well, look good AND coordinate.

All at the same time.

So when it happens, we have to take advantage of it.

Here's a popular post with a tip on how to get more milage out of your clothes.

Race Day- with a few fans!

I have now completed my 6th half-marathon! And I had fans!!!

This was the first year that the kids were able to come to a race and cheer me on, mostly because Chris has had some injuries and did not run this time. It was such a fun experience to have cheering fans on the sidelines. Chris was great about getting to several places on the course. I looked forward to seeing their smiling faces.

And those signs! People loved those signs.

They made the signs the night before the race, keeping them a secret until we saw them at mile 2.

When the miles drag on, its nice to have a little humor to keep you going.

Chris and kids did a great job cheering, not just for us, but for a lot of the runners that probably needed it most. And it was sweet to hear those runners express their appreciation. People started calling them "the sign family."

Some even stopped to get a photograph with them.

It was definitely fun to have fans.

Bridal Show in Madison

We had a great time at the bridal show on Wednesday evening. There is always a lot of excitement with engaged couples as they work on their wedding plans. We were happy to chat with so many people and enjoyed the whole show.

It was amazing to be reminded by Dana at Wedding Planner & Guide that we have been a part of this show for 10 years. That is a lot of booths and brides!

The winner of the bridal show's big prize package (we included an engagement session in the give-away) will be announced soon! 

Bre & Steve's Reception Book & Why You Should Have One, Too!

We did Bre and Steve's engagement session downtown earlier this year. When we sat down to look at the results, they had many, many engagement images that they loved from their session. This is certainly a wonderful problem to have!

The solution to keeping and sharing all those favorite images was for them to put them into a Reception Book.

A Reception Book is a modern twist on the old guest book, like what your parents had at their wedding. Guests would sign the lined pages, creating a list of those who attended the wedding.

And then people would store that book away and never, ever look at it again!

Now, the better way is to use a Reception Book. Your guests get to not only see all your fun and favorite engagement images, they get to write a sweet little note for you to read later. This creates a wonderful keepsake that you will love looking at and sharing with family and friends.

Trust me, these books do NOT get hidden away!

Upcoming Spring Bridal Show In Madison

April showers bring May wedding plans!

Okay, maybe the saying doesn't go quite like that, but this is certainly a good time of year to work on those wedding plans!

We are excited for the upcoming bridal show that is happening is less than two weeks. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 20th. We have been a part of the Wedding Planner & Guide spring bridal show for years. I think it hits at just that *right* time, perfect for couples starting their 2016 plans and those finishing 2015 details.

This year, the show has moved from the west side of Madison to downtown. The Monona Terrace is great because it is centrally located and there is plenty of parking. The beautiful view is wonderful, too!

Again this year, we are a part of the prize package that is valued at over $5,000. Make sure to register for your chance to win! Tickets are available online and at the door.

Wednesday Evening

May 20, 2015 | 4:30-8:30 pm

Monona Terrace

Make sure to stop by our booth and say "hi!" We look forward to seeing you there!

Save The Date: All Your Questions Answered

Have you ever struggled to find space on your calendar to get together for dinner with your best friends? You all check through the dates on your phone, hoping to hit on one where no one has a conflict, until you finally give up, just vowing to get together soon? It's not that you don't want to get together, it's just that you are so, so busy.

Welcome to event planning in the modern age.

Save The Dates for weddings have become almost a necessity with today’s busy schedules. (I have talked about Save The Dates before here.)

How to "Save The Date"

For many people, weddings are the first big, formal event they plan. And like many events with long, traditional histories, etiquette is a huge concern. Today, I will answer some of the biggest questions.

Do we even need to send Save The Dates?
The short answer is no. But there is a reason Save The Dates have become so popular. With everyone’s schedules getting more full and complicated, having advance warning of your wedding date helps your family and friends plan their time so they know they can be there for you. The further your family is spread out across the country and the busier the weekend of your wedding (i.e.: holiday weekend), the more necessary those Save The Dates become. Small, intimate weddings with only very close family and friends certainly wouldn’t need Save The Dates.

When do we send them?
Six months before the wedding is a good target, with 4-8 months being the range. This may vary if you are having a destination wedding since guests need to make travel plans. Also, check what events are happening at the same time as your wedding in the city where it’s taking place. If hotel rooms will be scarce, earlier is better.

Do we send one to everyone on the guest list?
While you certain may send Save The Dates to everyone who will be later getting a wedding invitation, it is not necessary. Every guest list includes names that receive invitation as more of a way to announce the wedding, even though you know they won’t be able to make the trip. Save The Dates are for the people that you really want to make sure are able to attend.

How much information do we include?
The date and location are the most important pieces of information to include on your Save The Dates. Other information can be added to help the guests plan, such as your wedding website or hotel information. All other details can wait until the formal invitations go out.

How do we address the Save The Dates?
Save The Dates are the more casual cousin to the wedding invitations. As such, the rules are a lot more relaxed. I’m not Emily Post, so I may catch some flack, but it’s okay to put away your pen. Return address labels are perfectly fine to use. For the guest’s address, pick what you are comfortable doing: hand write, address labels or home printer.

Do my Save The Dates need to match my wedding invitations?
Not at all! Save The Dates can set the tone of the event, but also are a great time to show the couple’s personality. While video, email or texts would certainly pass on the information about your wedding date, they don’t have the lasting qualities of a printed card or magnet. Use this opportunity to let guests know a little more about your personality and your wedding style.

With the help of your Save the Dates, everyone important to you will have enough warning to put your wedding on their schedules and reserve that time for you. And that is really the biggest point of Save The Dates- to make sure your family and friends are able to join you to celebrate your big day.

Wedding Wednesday | Lake Mendota, Madison WI

Not even rain can dampen wedding photography! Luckily, it rarely ever rains for the entire day, so we still can find spots of time for outdoor photographs. And the results are often striking.

Jill & Mark | Wisconsin Wedding: The Kohl Center & UW Badgers

Jill and Mark are big UW Badgers fans. And since Jill works for UW Athletics, they were able to incorporate the Badgers into their wedding big-time! 

Jill and Mark were married last spring at Union South on the University of Madison campus. Since they had an April wedding, the Kohl Center, where the Badgers play basketball worked better than the football field at Camp Randall for photographs. The whole wedding party had fun out on the court. 

The fire alarm only caused a slight delay, and otherwise, the day went off without a hitch. Both the UW Marching Band and Bucky himself made appearances at the reception. While they hadn't planned to celebrate their wedding during a March Madness Final Four game, they made sure to have TVs in the room for guests to cheer on their favorite team. The Badgers didn't win that night, but Jill and Mark had a wedding they will never forget.

Design & Printing Services: Custom graduation announcements are easier than you think!

Spring is just now finally here and already we are thinking of high school graduations. Where did the year go?

Do you have your open house or party planned? Now is the time to finalize those graduation parties for your 2015 senior.

Luckily, you still have time to get custom cards and postcards to announce your open house or party.

Even if we did not photograph your senior, we are still happy to create your cards. We can help you if:
   --you have a usage or copyright release for professional photographs
   --you have images you took yourself (kindergarten photos are always fun to use!)
   --you prefer no images and would like a nicely designed layout

Emma & Sam | Wedding

More images from Emma & Sam's wedding, which took place in Madison, Wisconsin last summer.

The locations we used were perfect, especially Allen Centennial Garden with all the summer flowers in bloom.

Snow Day Portraits!

It seems like I'm always a little behind.

This year, I'm really behind.

I do a portrait session for the kids every year around their birthdays, and I'm usually pretty good about staying on top of it, even with four kids. But, this year, time keeps running along and I chase it. I still need to do both the boys' sessions from their birthdays in November and December, and now March has slipped away without getting Lydia's session done.

The one request Lydia had was to have a few photographs done in the snow. Luckily, we had a beautiful snow storm roll through in February. So, while it was still snowing and they were advising everyone to stay home and off the roads, we tromped out into the snow for a few quick shots. I decided to take full advantage of it and made all the kids join in. We even had friends visiting that I made come outside for the session.

Lydia was happy with her photographs, but she asked that the rest of her session be done either inside or when it was warmer outside. I quickly agreed. I swear I'll be caught up soon.

Emma & Sam | Wedding Album

Emma and Sam were married last summer in Madison. They were such a sweet couple. Emma carried herself in such a dignified way that she had this royal, elegant air about her. She really seemed like a princess on her wedding day. Their families were so nice and loving, it was wonderful to see them celebrate Emma and Sam's marriage. And the Greek dancing was entertaining and exciting to watch.

Emma and Sam's wedding album was finished up this week. I love wedding albums because they are a wonderful way to share your favorite images from the day, while telling the story of the wedding.

Emma sent me this note:
"Hi Becky,
We got the album today and it is BEAUTIFUL!!! We are so so happy!! We cannot wait to show it to everyone :).
Thank you so much for everything! You guys did such an amazing job and we are so happy to have these wonderful pictures to remember our wedding by!!
Thank you!!
Emma & Sam"

I'm thrilled to know they will enjoy reliving and sharing their wedding memories!

My Own "Urban Decay" | House Remodeling

I have always loved old buildings. That was why we picked an old, downtown location when we had the store-front for the studio in the "aughts." And I especially love run-down and neglected buildings, as anyone might know from my favorite photo locations. The photo essays of "urban decay" and abandoned buildings, in places like Detroit, are fascinating to me. The history and stories that they cling to holds my imagination.

So, as I strip wallpaper from my living room walls, finding rough, scarred walls that have to be repaired underneath, I can't help but see a little bit of beauty in the chaos around me. And, of course, my own "urban decay" just calls out to be documented.

Flowers to Help You Think "Spring"

I feel a little responsible for this weather. So, I'm sorry.

You know the thinking that if you wash your car, it will rain? Well, the sun had been shining and I tempted fate as I cleaned the kitchen. I put away all of our winter coats, snowpants, boots, hats, and mittens. I was so tired of having them clutter up my kitchen, where the kids come in from the garage.

I wanted to reclaim my space. I wanted to have order. I wanted winter to be done.

When the calendar says it's spring, it feels like a mean joke to see fresh snow on the ground. But I'm not going to let winter win. I'm just going to bury my head in the snow and pretend spring is already here....

Kiss Me- I'm Czech! (And pass the red beer!)

A fine beer may be judged with only one sip,
but it's better to be thoroughly sure.
- Czech Proverb

Now that your green beer is gone, are you ready to drink some red beer?

Having a Catholic Czech-Bohemian grandmother, it seemed natural to celebrate St. Joseph's Day, a prominent and predominately Czech holiday for those that lived in Cedar Rapids' Czech village area, on March 19th. It's now sometimes likened to a milder St. Patrick's Day. So, while we wore green on St. Patty's day, we also wore red two days later.

Our family has always enjoyed a party with food and drink, maybe from our Catholic-Czech heritage (Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption per person in the world). Far from being teetotalers, when my sisters and I were kids, we were allowed to drink Slow Screws (an alcoholic drink made with orange juice and Slow Gin) at family get-togethers with no one getting uppity. We always knew we were getting away with something, but it didn't feel like that big of a deal at grandma's house. That was our family culture.

As a kid, we didn't think too much about our Czech ancestry, even though I don't remember other kids wearing "Kiss Me- I'm Czech!" buttons. I do remember my father making kolaches, fruit-filled pastries, for my grandmother. I also remember my father flipping on the radio to a Sunday morning polka station to tease and annoy my mother. "You're Bohemian, you're suppose to love this," he would tell her as accordion notes filled the car. I was probably the only kid to secretly have a favorite polka song, Mickey Mouse Polka by Marv Herzog. And maybe that's why I now enjoy when a wedding reception dance starts up with "Beer Barrel Polka." I think it adds a festive atmosphere to the dance.

So, whether you plan to eat a kolache, drink red beer, dance a polka or just enjoy the St. Joseph's Day parade, feel free to claim the Czech title for the day. Cheers!

“Wherever beer is brewed, all is well-

wherever beer is drunk, life is good.”

— Czech proverb

Marriott Wedding Tasting Event

We were happy to be invited to Marriott's Wedding Tasting Event. The hotel was able to show off their space and food to their clients, while other wedding professionals, like us, were able to do a little showing off of our own.

When a reception hall has a large dinner menu to offer their bridal couples, it can be hard to decide what you want to serve to your guests at your wedding. The Marriott is no different, having a wide array of dinner options. They offer individual tastings for their brides and grooms, but since they can't serve every dish, the couple may still want to taste more. 

The Marriott offers a bi-annual event to the couples that have booked their receptions at the hotel. At these events, they cook and serve all the options on their catering menu. This is a great opportunity for couples to bring their parents and check out which dishes they might like to serve their wedding guests.

We took the Cheeky Booth photo booth to this tasting. The couples had fun using the props and checking out how the booth worked. The photo strips were a great way to remember their wedding-planning night, too!

It's a Wisconsin CHEESE cake- 1st grade style!

“A party without cake is just a meeting,” are wise words from Julia Child.

Henry, my Wisconsin-born 7-year-old, has always been a connoisseur of cheese. When offered a regular Kraft "sharp" cheddar cheese from the grocery store, he declined it since it wasn't aged at least 18 months. And right now, he says his favorite cheese is a 5-year smoked cheddar, followed by a fudge cheddar, which he says is "yummy."

So I wasn't surprised when he decided his first cake needed to look like cheese.

Henry made his very first cake for a Cub Scouts auction. Henry's Cub Scouts pack uses this cake auction as a fundraiser, with the proceeds to be used within the pack. Each boy makes a cake for the event and then they are able to bid on each others' cakes.

He discussed a few ideas, including using black frosting to make swiss-looking holes or writing around the edges, like a stamped cheese rind. In the end, we decided the cut wedge with some circle impressions looked best. Henry made a sign that read, "100% Wisconsin cheese" to put on top.

The vivid yellow frosting made us think of Green Bay Packers cheese head hats, which was totally a bonus for Henry.

Albums for Portraits: How to have them all and take them with you!

You probably wouldn't be surprised if I told you that I often hear parents gush over their child's images from the session with such phrases as, "I love them all!" And, I completely understand that it's so hard to say no to images you love.

Sometimes there are so many great images from a session that you don't know what to do with them all. You only have so many blank spaces on your walls or desk. And no matter how many portraits you hang up, it's not always the easiest way to show off your favorites from the session, unless you throw a big party to invite everyone you know to your house.

The answer to the "I-Love-Them-All!!!" dilemma  is to get an album. Portrait albums start with 20-30 images, so you are sure to have all the ones you can't live without. Also, the popular 8x8 album is a wonderful size to carry with you everywhere. It's easy to take to work, school, family get-togethers or anywhere you want to show off your beautiful photographs!

Featured above is Morgan, a high school senior session. These sessions are especially great for albums because we often use multiple locations and outfits, so there are many amazing shots to choose from! When you get an album, you don't have to say no to favorites just because you decided on a different image for your living room wall. It feels so much better to say yes to all the ones you love!

Collin | Senior Session

It's nice to have high school seniors that want to personalize their sessions. Collin, like his dad, is a car-enthusist. Including the restored Shelby Mustang in the session made perfect sense. Collin has been running cross country throughout high school. We used Wickiup Hill Natural Area, a location he often goes to run, for some of his session. The fall colors made a perfect backdrop!

Morgan | Senior Session

I had so much fun photographing Morgan for her high school senior session. She was excited to share some ideas she had and was up for any suggestions I had. Her enthusiasm for our locations delighted me! We had a beautiful day to walk around downtown and were able to use spots as we found them. Being able to discover neat, little areas to photograph without having a checklist of places we "had" to get to made the whole session laid back, easy and fun. And, best of all, we got some amazing shots!

Corridor Wedding Professionals

We spent the evening at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, mingling with area wedding professionals. We thought it was nice that they asked us to capture a few images from the night. Chris was obsessed with the chandelier. He was amazed that there haven't yet been any wedding couples to hold their dance out in the hall, under the chandelier. He's already hoping to photograph a "first dance" with it in the background.