It was fabulous, fantastic, incredible, beautiful & hot!

Incase you were sitting on the edge of your seat, the wedding was great. Just as I predicted; perfect first wedding shoot.



Just one sneak peak for now. Will have a slideshow to share at some point during this coming week.

We're taking a leap (a big one!!)

This Friday, June 26th 2009, John and I are doing our first wedding!!

Are we nervous? Are we excited? Are we ready? Yes, yes, and yes!!

The couple that is getting married are our perfect match for a first wedding. They are very laid back, casual and cool. We met a week ago to talk through things and get an idea for portrait locations. I think it's going to turn out wonderfully.

One tiny part that makes me nervous is that the sun will be behind them during the ceremony, at 5:00. During the ceremony lighting could be tricky, but we've got our Alien Bees and flash units. We're preparred for it!

This weekend I will be busy editing photos. A follow up blog with the results will happen at some point next week. I can not wait to share my first wedding experience!

Rupa and the April Fishes

Over the weekend the Marquette Waterfront Festival provided entertainment for myself and hundreds of other Madisonians.

It's rare that I like a band that I'm seeing/hearing for the first time enough to buy their album. That is exactly what happened after I saw Rupa and the April Fishes perform.



The band is based out of San Francisco. Their music is not easy to define; it's a mixed influence of French chanson, Argentinean tango, Gypsy swing, American folk, Latin cumbias, and Indian ragas. But let me tell you, it's quite the experience to dance to this music. In a single song it can go from a tempo that has you jumping like there's no tomorrow, to a slow staggering sway back and forth.

They are definately worth a listen:

Pirate-fest - Port Washington, WI (FUN!!)

I remember a time, when I worked crappy part-time jobs at restaurants...And worked every weekend, and every weekend was beeeeeautiful outside, and every customer was kind enough to let me know how beautiful it was outside and it's a shame that I'm working...

Now that I have my weekends free, it's just my luck that the weekends have been cloudy, rainy, windy, and just not beaaaautiful like how it was when I had to work.

The point is, is that my two good girlfriends and I went on a day trip to go hiking at a state park, and then to Pirate Fest in Port Washington. It sprinkled rain most of the day, and everything was gray. Even my outfit was gray. Gray sweats, a gray hoodie.

On the positive side, it was good that it was cloudy. The hiking trails at the state park were not in a forested area, they were through sand dunes. Had it been sunny we could have been badly sunburned being exposed like that. And being with two girlfriends who I don't get to see very often is always a good thing!

So Pirate Fest!! I had never attended this event before, but anything with pirates has to be fun. There were vendors with pirate gear galore, live music, pirate skits, and it was in a setting along beautiful (but windy) Lake Michigan.





Attendence seemed small to me, and I blame the weather for that. I'm going to give it a second go next year and bring my husband John, who I know would love it. Perhaps next year I'll have to get a 2nd job at a restaurant to ensure that the weather is nice on the weekend!

Baby Sam

I was fortunate to get a chance to shoot a 3 week old newborn. His name is Sam, and oh so adorable.



I really would have liked to get creative with him and do stuff like Kelley Rydin, a contact that I follow on flickr does. Sam is the first born child from the mom, and the most unique shot I was able to get was this;



This was a very quick shot, we were outside with Sam for no more than 2 minutes. Literally, only two shots were taken before mom wanted Sam back inside. Which is completely understandable. A new mom should be protective of her newborn, I probably would be too.

Hopefully the parents will invite us back for more, I really would like to get more creative with Sam, the possibilities with a newborn are endless.

Engagement session with long time friends

In May I had an engagement session with two very good friends of mine and John's. In fact, they were at our wedding three and a half years ago. She stood up in my wedding, and I will be standing up in hers -- which reminds me I better get on ordering that dress from David's Bridal!

It was a chilly and windy day for our outdoor session. The location was along a river, so the wind was ferocious. With the conditions, and it being with some close friends of mine, I don't think I did as well as I would have liked. I realized that doing this sort of thing with close friends can allow for some slack.

This was her favorite (also a favorite among flickr friends):



This is a favorite of mine:


Though, I do think to fully appreciate it, you might want to view it larger.
I have a few other gems of them saved on my laptop. I may do a short slideshow of them and add it to this blog at a later point.

So congratulations Justin & Becky! They have been together longer than anyone I know and deserve utter happiness with each other. I can not wait for the wedding next summer. It may be the last wedding I ever stand up in.