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I think we have finally sprung into spring! April showers are done, and we’re all ready for some May flowers. Cheers!

A change of scenery for today’s work day. Because work days (when you are self-employed, that’s *every* day, right?) need coffee.

*How To Get Your Negatives Before We Must Get Rid Of Them*

I went to my grandmother’s funeral this spring. The most important thing I left with were just some old photographs.

At the funeral, there was a large poster board covered with old, random family photographs. They were like a timeline of my grandmother’s life and everyone who loved her. Those photographs triggered forgotten memories. I cried a lot that day, but it made me feel better to reminisce with my family.

Photographs have always been important to me, even as a young child documenting our family vacations. Photographs allow me to stop time and to share fleeting moments. They remind me of past Christmases and babies’ chubby cheeks. They let me remember people and details that my memory blurs over time.

I hate to throw out any photograph. Even when I have a bad one of my kids, with a goofy expression or not as sharp as I’d like it to be, I hate to get rid of it.

We must clear out old negatives and digital files

So, it’s with a heavy heart that we must clear out old Appleby Photograph client negatives and digital files.

As a photographer, I capture so many special milestones and significant events that happen in people’s lives. I understand that they have trusted me to record their family history.

However, we have simply run out of storage space for those precious old negatives and files. At the end of this year, all sessions older than 2012 will have to be thrown out.

We want to first offer past clients the opportunity to have those old negatives and digital files for their safe keeping.

Please contact us by phone or email to discuss your pre-2012 wedding or session. There will be a nominal fee for recovery and shipping. A Usage Release will be provided so you may make prints from your negatives and/or files.

Please don’t wait, as the end of the year will be here before we know it. I would really love for you to have these for preserving your own family history.

It’s hard to keep up with old emails accounts and addresses. If you know someone who was a past client, please forward this on them. I’d love for everyone to have the opportunity to claim their negatives and files.

For those of you who enjoy your own old family photographs, savefamilyphotos.com is a great resource for preservation.

Here is a quick look at what we are working on. More images from this fall wedding will be coming soon!

Eight years ago, I was completely surprised that I gave birth to a baby boy.

I come from a family of five daughters. Chris comes from a family of three sons. My older sister has four boys and my younger sister has three girls. When I was pregnant for the third time, I hadn’t bought a single piece of boy clothing. I didn’t shop for blue bedding. I had barely even bothered to think of boy names before I went to the hospital.

I was absolutely positive that my third child was going to be a third daughter.

And then came Henry.

That huge 9 pound, 2 ounce boy was different from my daughters from the moment I met him.

Before I had a son, I always thought parents just didn’t try to control their wild and rambunctious boys. I’m sure it’s like those people that are “perfect parents” before they actually have children of their own. I thought solid rules and good disciple was all it took to keep kids reigned in.

Once I had a boy, I realized raising boys is just different than raising girls. As much as I’d like to think that it’s nurture over nature, boys have a wild streak in them that they are born with. Henry has that mix of high tolerance for pain, low level of fear and a whole lot of energy and curiosity. Large amounts of food are consumed, toys are taken apart, bikes are rode without holding on, walls are climbed, arms are broken….

Not all surprises have been rowdy. Before I had a son, I thought it was ridiculous that mothers would tell me their sons were always more cuddly than their daughters. How could a whole gender want more hugs from mom than the other? Perhaps they were spoiling their sons more, I thought.

And yet, it’s true. When Henry was a toddler and I was seven months pregnant, he wasn’t satisfied to just sit on my lap. He wanted me to stand and hold him, so he felt completely embraced. (And any pregnant mother of a toddler knows you just want to sit down!) Even now, though he refuses band-aids and can shake off the pain of a scraped knee in three seconds, he clings to me at bedtime and wants hugs to last forever.

Eight years ago, I was completely surprised by my son. And I love every ounce of him.

It’s good for our creativity to use new locations, so when our engagement couple wanted to head to Paradise Springs, near Eagle, Wisconsin, we were excited. It was a special place for the couple, who actually got engaged near there. The mix of history and old ruins made the perfect combination for me. I love old architecture and the contrast it makes in a portrait session. And this session was a lot of fun!

Images from the session to come!

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

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 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.