Here’s a few images that I’m working on: Laura & Joe were recently married in an outdoor ceremony and had a “barn” wedding reception. More images to come soon!
Month: August 2016
Less Is Better
Everyone hates getting too many emails.
Maybe you signed up for something, you wanted updates or a coupon, and now your inbox is overflowing with emails you don’t have time to read. Weeding out the real correspondence from the spam sucks the joy out of reading the emails you really wanted in the first place. I get it. My own email inbox is too full of messages I’m always digging through.
To help out, we have cleaned up our newsletter email list. In an effort to send messages that are relevant and wanted, we have cut a few thousand emails off our list. It has always been our intention to send information that is both useful and entertaining and we want to make sure we are reaching those that like the newsletters landing in their inboxes.
If you are no longer receiving our newsletters and would like to, drop me a note so I can get you back on the list.
Pregnancy Session | Jessica & Ryan
Documenting a pregnancy is a beautiful way to remember that exciting time of expecting a new little one.
I was excited to document Jessica’s pregnancy because we had also photographed Jessica and Ryan’s engagement session and wedding several years earlier. I love being included in these special milestones. Jessica wanted a session that was low-key, natural and not overly “cutesy.” Here are a few images from the location maternity session we did at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison.
Painted Canvases For The Wall | Family Art Project
Walking into an art supply store is kind of like walking into a candy store. You want to get everything!
At the beginning of the summer, my four kids had worked together to create a list of art projects they wanted to do and needed items. I then took them to the art supply store, with the list in hand. Our shopping trip would fill out the craft cabinet at home so they’d be ready to create.
Walking down the first aisle, it was obvious that following the list was going to be a problem. There are so many possibilities waiting on the shelves, for so many projects we hadn’t even thought of yet.
The aisle of painting canvases stopped me in my tracks. The blank white material was stretched over wooden frames in tons of sizes and thicknesses, looking fresh and ready to be used. My eight year old saw this. “Can we get these?” he asked, picking up several.
Canvases were not on the list. “What would you do with a canvas?” But I understood the appeal. I saw the possibilities. Like a new notebook that could be filled with smart and wonderful words strung together in ways you haven’t even thought of yet, an empty canvas is filled with the colorful potential of designs just waiting to be painted.
I added six of them to the cart.
The canvases became a “family night art project.” I selected six paint colors and set the ground rules: The colors could not be mixed into a crazy mess on the canvas and they had to have their handprint included into or onto their design.
I wanted the limited palette so that the canvases would coordinate together on the wall, regardless of what each person painted. I wanted the handprints because I thought it would be a fun way to tie the canvases together and as a way to remember the sizes of the kids as they are now. When they were done, I had everyone sign their canvas, so their own handwriting would be preserved, as well.
I now have our family art on the wall and everyone is happy with how they turned out. The collection is perfect.
Engagement Guest Book | Kristen & Nick
Kristen and Nick were able to show off their gorgeous park engagement session to all their wedding guests with a Guest Book album. We put almost 30 of their favorite images within the pages, leaving space for guests to answer cute little questions, write their own congratulations or just sign their names. The best part about a guest book like this is that they get to flip through and see all the fun images of the couple. These images really let Kristen and Nick’s personality shine through. Plus we did the session at a location that was important to them, so it gives the guests more of a peek into who they are.
Check out more of Kristen and Nick’s engagement session here.
Volterra, Italy
I love Volterra, Italy because it remains fiercely loyal to its Etruscan roots.
We only had one day here, so we had to make the most of it. The views were stunning and the stories about this city made its past come alive for me.
Volterra’s history goes back further than the Roman Empire. As the oldest of the walled cities in the Tuscany area, it dates back over 2,400 years. You can still see one of the stone arches from the old city walls built by the Etruscans in the 4th century BC, which inspired Roman design.
Even after the city was conquered by Rome and later taken over by the Medici family, Volterra has kept its independent thinking and proudly shows off its history. We got an amazing tour of the town and learned about its past from Annie, an American who now lives in Volterra with her Italian husband. I recommend her tours: volterrawalkingtour.com.
All posts in the Italy series are here, arranged by city we visited:
Venice, Italy
Florence, Italy
San Gimignano, Italy
Volterra, Italy
Siena, Italy
Montepulciano, Italy
Positano, Italy
Pompeii, Italy
Rome, Italy: Part 1
Rome, Italy: Part 2
Pope Farm Park | Middleton WI
For years, I’ve meant to take my kids to Pope Farm Park in Middleton, Wisconsin when the sunflowers were in full bloom. I have done client sessions there, both with sunflowers and at other times, and we have taken the kids there to geocache (it’s kinda like “Pre-Pokemon Go”). But, for whatever reason, it always slipped my mind when it was time to get my own kids there for photos with the fields of sunflowers in the background.
Finally, this year I decided I was going to do it.
But, oh my gosh! I was shocked at how many other people were there! Pope Farm is usually a quiet park that most people don’t even know about. It doesn’t have a playground and is mainly fields and trails. The day we went, they even had event parking in the grass and police directing traffic– just so people could look at sunflowers!
We took a few photographs, but the park was too full of people to really enjoy. We decided to wait a week. The sunflowers were past their peak, but the park was back to its quiet, peaceful self. And, I finally got images of my kids together.
Doors Of Volterra Italy
While visiting the ancient walled city of Volterra, Italy, I spent a lot of time enjoying the old buildings. The doors and doorknobs were especially interesting to me. The texture and shape just begged to be photographed. I loved the worn wood and intricate stonework.
More images from Volterra are coming soon!
Kristen & Nick | Location Engagement Session
It’s fun for us to do location sessions when the spot has special meaning. Kristen and Nick asked us to photograph their engagement session at F.W. Kent Park. This was an important place to them because it’s where they first became an “official” couple. Plus, they loved to visit the park and beach.
It was a very warm evening, but the lighting was amazing. We walked with Kristen and Nick on the trail around the lake, using the historic county road bridges that were relocated there. We then finished up with sunset photos on the beach. It was great to capture a variety of looks and to see Kristen and Nick interacting with each other. We are so excited to photograph their wedding soon!
