Love is in the (chilly) air...

Well Hello Hello there, my neglected blog.  I have been doing a lot of photography lately after about a month off from clients so I guess you deserve some attention.

I'm very excited to show you some of the pictures from my wintry engagement picture session last weekend.  This couple, Amber and Mike are taking me with them to Mexico for their destination wedding in April.  They are awesome people.  They have two black cats and a black dog (all rescues.) I am a fan of matching sets of pets, and I do declare that black cats are the best of all the cats.  The dog--Regis-- starred in some of their pictures.  I enjoy all good dogs, but I think my favorite part about Regis is that he is always making that cute HRM, HRMMMM whiny noise as he is trying to convey his excitement at being outdoors, in the snow, with the people.

Here's the pictures I have edited so far.

I can't wait to photograph them in sunny, warm (hopefully not HOT) Mexico this spring. :)

My second client last weekend was super secret!  I might be able to say more after Valentine's day, but if you've been following my pins I think you can take a hint!!

That's it for now.  Peace out my chillins.

it's beginning to look a lot like xmas...

Had a very busy week and weekend with Holiday pics.  

First up is the Daniels family.  Abbey was referred to me by my brother-in-law, Colin-- who will be my assistant photographer at some weddings next season.  They went to art school together!  The husband is Joey and their adorable little girl is Zooey.  We started at Olin Turville Park where the light was awesome and everybody was in a great mood!  We had some trials and tribulations at our next stop-- the Capitol building.  The lighting was atrocious and my flash had nothing to bounce off of because of the cavernous nature of the building.  Between that and the crowds-- because of a Christmas singers performance that was not listed on the Capitol's events page-- we aborted that part of the shoot and headed back to their house.  I got some great shots there!!  Abbey is a wedding planner and is also going to be kind enough to suggest me to her clients!!  Thank you!!

Next in line is one of my bead partners in crime, my co-worker Cathy!! Had a fun shoot with her son Airik, her boyfriend Brad, and his two sons Kevin and Brian.  Of course, it's always a riot with Cathy around.  We got in line and moseyed on down to the Overture Center on State Street in Madison-- which is only a couple of blocks from their awesome, nearly-lakeside apartment downtown.  The wide open spaces, barely any right angles, and vast expanses of white walls made for a great lighting arrangement.  Since it's already pitch-black nighttime at 5:30pm in December in Wisconsin-- I was a little worried!  After some great group shots there, we stopped by Brad's work where they have this awesome vintage looking wood paneled hallway.  I had some photoshop fun making composites and making some of the photos look even more vintage-y.

Third on the roster was a kill-two-birds with one stone, a trip to a Christmas tree farm with my family, where we chopped down our own tree. I also planned a couples shoot for my sister Laurel and her husband Colin (the aforementioned assistant photographer.)  We were so lucky to be able to go today, during the first snow of the Winter.  Specacular natural light (1/400th of a sec at ISO 400 and F/5) and the snowflakes in the air (though a nightmare for lenses) are a magical touch that is so hard to fake in photoshop well.  This pic is the crown jewel of the day-- and maybe even the peak of my photographic endeavours!!  I absolutely love it.  I saw something similar on pinterest a few days ago, and had tried to recreate it during the Daniels' shoot but it didn't quite work the way I wanted it to.  I knew it needed to be outside, with just the right size candy cane.  This one is even better than the inspiration and I am just pleased as punch!!  There are tons of great pics from the shoot today -- I couldn't wait to edit this one and get it up-- so it's the only picture I have finished from this shoot.  <3 <3 <3


And last but not least is this adorable passel of kids from the Holum family.  Their mother, Sara, is the sister of Abbey from the Daniels family pictured above!  I visited their home this afternoon and had a very fun, very informal shoot in their living room and front yard.  The youngest is Ila Grace and she warmed right up to me and sat next to me on the floor and couch as I photographed her brothers, Keegan and Lucas (from youngest to oldest).  Luke (in blue) had on the most awesome Christmas sweater with skulls on it.  Right on!!

I'm looking forward to editing the rest of the photos from today.  I've gotten really efficient at editing-- what used to take me a couple of weeks now only takes me a couple of days.  Of course, as my shooting technique improves, very little work goes into touching up anymore.  Sometimes an image speaks to me and I want to jazz it up a bit but I have been generally happy with what's been coming right off the camera!!  It's a great feeling.

I might actually get my annual letter and xmas cards done!! Woohoo!

take a hike

Visited the cabin this weekend with my family for Thanksgiving.  Apart from my husband (pictured right in the fire pics below) and myself coming down with colds-- it was a splendid time.  The womenfolk did the preparing and cooking of the meal while the men chopped wood for the wood stove and outdoors fire pit.  How very traditional of us.  Of course, after dinner the guys had to do the dishes while we snuggled up by the fire and napped.  Many laughs were had through the night as we all stayed up late playing Uno. The following morning was spent bird watching and cleaning up the cabin and getting it ready for winter.

I am very blessed to have a drama-free family that all gets along and enjoys spending time with each other.  It makes the Holidays not just tolerable, but actually enjoyable!  Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend.  Mine was extended by a sick day today!

giving thanks

It's Thanksgiving, and I'm glad to see people on facebook this afternoon talking about all of the things they are thankful for this year.  It's a great holiday in that aspect-- we should all learn to give thanks every day.  We get caught up in our every day activities and forget just how truly lucky we are.  I'm thankful that we live in a country that is free; even though sometimes I feel pessimistic about its future, I feel thankful that it appears we have taken steps in the right direction as a country and we are now on a better path.  I am thankful that the nation's eyes are opening to the dangerous hate and polarity that threatens to divide us once again.

I am thankful that I have a superb relationship with my wonderful husband who over the past year has proven to me that we have a relationship worth fighting for and a bond that is unbreakable.  I am so happy that I have found my partner in life, someone who stands next to me and we face our problems together, side by side.

I am thankful for the happy accident that is my photography business.  I really didn't mean to do it, but less than a year after starting my facebook page-- which I consider the beginning of my photography career-- I have booked 3 weddings for next year and have another in the works.  I am very thankful for the opportunity that facebook and all of you, my wonderful clients, friends, and family that I rely upon for word-of-mouth reference have provided me.

I'm thankful for my motley crew of cats (Muse reminded me not to forget about them by jumping up onto my desk and giving me a brief snuggle).  Star, though she is 23 years old and equal parts decrepit and annoying--she is still a lover and probably the sweetest cat I'll ever know.  I'm thankful for her companionship, especially through my angsty teenage years.

Katsumoto (pictured), who is now 9, is my sweet boy and my first "baby."  He is smart, sweet, an excellent  and efficient mouser (no blood or guts, ever!), and though some might accuse him of being fat and lazy, he still plays and jumps all 4 paws off the ground to catch toys.  He makes "melancholy biscuits" on the bed and sleeps on my head almost every night.  He is adorably tolerant when his younger sister attacks and bunny kicks him in the head-- which brings us to Muse.  She is 3 now, but still small and very kittenish.  She jumps 5 feet into the air to catch her favorite toy with absolutely no regard for where she will land.  She is obsessed with paper grocery bags and barely lets us get the groceries out first.  She loves to lay on her "grammy's" chest (my mother) while we watch TV.  She is everybody's favorite cat and we are truly blessed to be her humans.  (Don't tell the other cats!)

I am thankful for my mother and the home we share together.  I am looking forward to having some more space I can call my own (the attic studio!) I am thankful that she hasn't kicked us out for being messy roommates who fail to do their dishes in a timely manner. :)  I am thankful that I have a relationship with my mom that is healthy enough for us to live together!  I lucked out in the mom department for sure!!






I could go on forever but let's limit it to those, the most important things in my life!  Happy Thanksgiving to all.

cobwebs

Well the blog bug has bit again. I thought it might be kind of neat to share my ideas and experiences here as sort of a photo-journalistic view of my life!

So we'll dispense with back story and pleasantries and just get straight to it!

My mother planted a seed in my noggin today and it's been blossoming quite ferociously all evening. Remodel the attic into a space for me-- of course my immediate thought is to transform it into a photography studio and workshop for creative endeavors. Ideas and visions of grandeur are running rampant-- but in reality I'd be happy just to get it cleaned up, insulated, and painted white.

One step further would be to add some storage and workspace like these ideas from pinterest: check them out here 

Of course, wouldn't it be lovely to install some skylights and a picture window-- we have to have the roof redone soon anyways.... and money grows on trees afterall!! :)

Other goings on this weekend include the gem and mineral show, the madison bead society show, and tomorrow-- the women's expo and one of a kind rubber stamp and scrapbook show! Exciting weekend in craftyland!

I did newborn pics on Friday with Megan and Marty's 6 day old daughter, Samantha. She wouldn't fall asleep for us, but I got some good shots anyways. I was hoping for a pliable, poseable baby-- but she is who she is!! :)

See more of my work including the rest of Samantha's newborn pictures on my facebook page.