Wedding Bells for Tim & Stacy (or was that sirens?)…
The fun of being a second shooter for Brandy and Bill (B&B Reflections Photography) is always different. There’s always something different to shoot, a new location to visit, and a sometimes even an obstacle or two to plow through. On Tim and Stacy’s big day there was all of that and more.
Before the ceremony I was able to run off with the rings and borrow a few groomsmen in the process to help set up a few different ring shots. During the ceremony not only did we get to hear the loving wedding vows being exchanged, we also got to hear tornado sirens going off. Yup, that’s right, I said tornado sirens. You should have seen the faces of several sitting in the back of the church. When the bride was asked if she wanted to proceed in the sanctuary or head to the basement, everyone laughed because they knew the answer to that question… a wedding holds off for nothing… they wanted to be married already!
After there ceremony we headed for downtown Madison and took some shots at the Monona Terrace. When we realized the rain just wasn’t going to hold off we scrambled to a couple of other locations to snap a few shots and even managed to get kicked out of the Overture Center. Did you know you have to pay to shoot in the Overture Center? Well neither did we! I’m glad we got a few shots before we were kicked out into the rain again. 😉 After our minor obstacle at the Overture Center we headed over to the UW Madison Memorial Union for a few more shots of the group. This was my first adventure into the Union and I have to say it was definitely a fun time. Thanks to Tim, Stacy, their wedding party, and Brandy & Bill, for a fun-filled day of shooting!
Congratulations Tim and Stacy… may the love you have for one another only multiple through the years together!
Maternity 101 with Martie & Jeff (and a Pooh Picnic)
Last Sunday I had the wonderful opportunity to visit with Martie and Jeff, participate in a Pooh Bear and friends picnic, and capture memories of a wonderful pregnancy. Meeting the couple at their home was a wonderful way to make an intimate shoot just a wee-bit better. After working with Martie for her wedding last year, I knew she’d have some great ideas for her maternity shoot, and she surely didn’t disappoint. When she asked me what I thought about doing a Pooh picnic in the front yard, I was a bit apprehensive knowing the road out front was somewhat busy, but I never turn down an opportunity to shoot something different. So, after shooting a few shots in the baby’s room, we took some items from the room down to the front yard and started our fun.
Oh no… she can’t be on the way just yet… we’re just getting started with the shoot!
Aren’t they adorable together?! It never fails, every time I see these two, I’m amazed by how in love they are. Not only are their current kids lucky to be in such a wonderful, loving home, but so is the little one, and she doesn’t even know it yet! Thanks Martie and Jeff for a wonderful early afternoon of shooting; I hope ya’ll enjoy the moments captured together!
Krysta and Josh (and even little Masyn kicking the entire time) were wonderful to work with yesterday. We started by traveling to the location and after a bit of erratic driving (thanks to the GPS’ short notice and a non-working back blinker), we finally made it to the shoot location. Upon our arrival we realized just how much we were going to be battling with the sun. It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day just waiting for someone to do a photoshoot. We started by doing a few photos by some beautiful wood buildings, and slowly made our way down the hill. Things were going smoothly until we ran into a bit of snake trouble. There were kids in the area yelling about snakes and how they were trying to catch them, but we didn’t think much of it, that was UNTIL we realized just how close they were, and yes, there was more than one.
Even though I’m a big fan of snakes (the non-poisonous kind), after the first snake sighting, we were all on alert. If you had been there, you would’ve been laughing at us for checking the ground and our feet constantly after that. We didn’t want the snakes crawling around us and we really didn’t want Krysta going home with one in her bag of goodies, so we kept a watchful eye out for them from then on.
After relaxing a bit, but keeping the snakes in mind, we were approached by a couple of girls wanting to know if we’d be interested in using their puppies for some of our photos. At first we weren’t really sure, but we warmed up to the idea, besides, it was a great opportunity to play with super cute puppies… what animal lover could pass that up?! 🙂
All-in-all, throughout the couple of hours of shooting, between the snakes and the puppies, it was a wonderful shoot. Thank you Krysta and Josh, for being so willing to do the poses I recommended, regardless of how “mushy-gushy” they may have been at times. 🙂 I look forward to working with ya’ll again soon!
Maternity 101 with Sara, Jon, and McCoy
What a weekend of maternity shoots. Saturday was a practice run to test lighting and backdrops, and Sunday was the real thing.
How can a shoot go wrong when you have a wonderful couple and the cutest puppy to work with… that’s right, it can’t! It was a great day to do a maternity shoot, after-all it was Mother’s Day. A day of different lighting setups, lots of different silhouettes, and shots here and there of the sweetest puppy I’ve met in a while, all produced some wonderful photos! Sara really worked to get into some of the positions, and I appreciate all of her hard work. Jon and McCoy were wonderful shooting with Sara, and even during the intermissions/wardrobe changes. Sara and Jon were full of smiles and laughter, and were wonderful to shoot. These two are going to be wonderful parents!
Check out the products of this wonderful shoot below…
Happy belated Mother’s Day to all of those mothers out there!
Caribbean Cruise
When I got a call in January asking me what I thought about taking a photographer on a free cruise, I really didn’t know what to say. As a photographer I thought it would be a great opportunity for the model to get some great pics while on a free trip. As we discussed the opportunities that would present themselves on a trip such as this, I tried to keep my potential excitement concealed (after all I didn’t want to get MY hopes up). Later in conversation, I was quite surprised when Allison asked if I wanted to go and shoot her. I’ve never been out of the country and I never would have guessed photography would be my ticket to venture such places! After a little discussion with my husband, I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity so I jumped feet first, proceeded to get a passport, and began preparing for the trip.
On April 15th we shipped out on a wonderful trip to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and George Town, Grand Cayman.
After a 5 night cruise these are the images that will always remind me of the great time we had.
Wow… what a wonderful photography trip to be invited on! Thank you Al for inviting me along, on such a fun trip. I tried things I never would have before (Lamb, lobster, crab-cake, scallop, escargots, frog legs, and a whole slew of new alcoholic beverages) and I loved every chance I got to do so. Who would have thought the frog legs would be the best part of that list, haha.
“Totally 80’s” Shoot
This past Sunday I had the opportunity to take a road trip to Green Bay, WI and shoot with the STUN Photography Group for a “Totally 80’s” style shoot. Our group had the West High School all to ourselves to shoot in many great locations, including the old gym, the library, a classroom, and outside on the sports fields. The group was so well done it made headlines with the local news. Check out the video and article of the event here: Fox 11- Totally 80’s Shoot
My day started off with quite a bit of technical difficulties. First I had lighting issues, then I had setting issues, and boy was it a tough morning (well afternoon) for me. After I got my act together I have to say my shots didn’t turn out half bad. I didn’t do as much as what I’d thought I would at the shoot, but I did what I could and I’m okay with that. After all, shoots like these are for fun and practice, and I had my fair share of both. 🙂
Here are a few shots from my day:
Pets Galore
Pets, pets, and more pets… boy do I love shooting pets! My latest interest all started with me shooting the beautiful chicken on Thursday night. I’ve always loved shooting my pups, especially when they’re naughty (Bulldog Riots), but I’ve never really taken it to heart and attempted to shoot pets of all different shapes and sizes, that was until Saturday night. Saturday was a day all about animals and when I asked my friend Angie to get all of her pets together from various places so that I could do a photo-op, she was more than willing. I’ve never shot a cat before (click, click not bang, bang) so shooting four in one night was a bit of a challenge, but was so much fun!
First we had “Nero” a beautiful Bengal, just a little scared of having his photo taken, but once we let him into his own element, he definitely warmed up to the idea.
Next we had “Remmy & Zeke” who are gray Domestic Short Hairs and a fan of the camera. Well, maybe not “Zeke” but “Remmy” sure enjoyed the attention.
Here’s “Remmy” smirking…
Next we shot “Lola” a beautiful Siberian Husky, such a happy girl.
We took a short break before working with the final few pets. After all we had to take a break for the Funfetti cake, how could we continue smelling it throughout the house and not have a bite? 🙂
“Lincoln” an Anatolian Shepherd and “Bunny” a Cadbury Bunny were the next couple I shot. Aren’t they cute together?!
After a little fun with “Lincoln” and “Bunny” we shot the last kitty for the night… Miss “Sasha” a beautiful Short-Haired Silver Persian. It took a bit of persuasion to get her to cooperate, but it worked out and here’s her relaxing beautifully.
Thanks Angie and Chase (for entertaining my husband) for a great night of photography fun, and lets not forget the great intermission for a little Funfetti Cake!
JCC Model Shoot
As a member of the Janesville Camera Club, the Spring Model Shoot is definitely something you look forward to. It’s a chance to get out of the normal meeting atmosphere and shoot something.
Last night’s shoot was a great opportunity to not only shoot senior portraits, maternity photos, but we shot a chicken too! Who does that? It was by far the most diverse shoot I’ve attended to date. What a great opportunity to practice shooting various subjects!
I never thought I’d enjoy shooting a chicken as much as I did last night. Here are a couple of my newest favorite photos in my portfolio.
If you’re a photographer and interested in joining the Janesville Camera Club, stop by the website and learn a bit more about our great group!
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