Alex | Two Years Old

You might remember Alex from his One Year Old session. I had the honor of shooting with him again this year for his 2 year old pictures. He has grown so much, I don't even know if I can describe it.




One thing is for sure, chasing a two year old during a shoot is way harder than when they are one! He is so willful and full of his own ideas now, I had to just follow his lead and see where he took me instead of directing him.




There was one common theme to our shoot though: Ball. It was the one word Alex really knew well, and it is his one obsession. Seriously, the kid loves balls like most love their security blankets. We played golf, tee-ball, watched some tennis, but all Alex would say was "Ball". If we tried to distract him from the balls, he would look at what we were pointing at, think a second, then look up at us and say "Ball". This shot, where he is hugging a ball he found, I think demonstrates the depth of his love:


And just to show how much he has grown, here is last year's walking away shot, and then this year's (below):



Let the cuteness begin:








The quintessential "I'm 2!" shots:


Alex "hung" for the first time from these parallel bars on our shoot:


Alex, I'm really looking forward to being your annual photographer. I had a blast, I hope you did too.

The Barbers | A Family

I squeezed in this family shoot right after a double whammy weekend in Madison and right before an engagement shoot. The Barber's were super understanding about my fatigue because well, they are my cousins. And they were so kind to let assistant Jamie and I spend the night at their house after the wedding that doing a quick family session for them was a no brainer.



I do wish we had more time, it was less hot (it was like 90 degrees that day) and that I hadn't been so tired. Zach and Morgan had more than enough energy to make up for the rest of us though:













Thanks Guys!

Miscellaneous Monday

GO BREWERS! GO BREWERS! GO BREWERS!
Please configure your playoff wins and losses so that you are playing on Sunday - that is the only day that Hubby and I can use our playoff tickets.

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I don't get it when people don't use the word "and" or the symbol "&" while blogging. Why is this cute? For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, say you were me blogging about a couple. Instead of writing Sue & John, you would write Sue...John. I don't get it, and actually I find it quite annoying.

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As the weather turns colder (curse the words) the mice are back in our stove exhaust fan duct. This year though, we have Ringo to bark incessantly at their arrival. (A joy we don't fully appreciate for sure) I think Hubby and I might have finally found how they are getting in, so hopefully we can put a stop to the invasion. In finding the possible solution, it is clear that something is living under our deck also. >sigh<

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I shot at the infamous Gesu this last weekend - gorgeous...gorgeous...gorgeous. And not all strict and particular like I had heard. It was really interesting seeing a full-blown serious catholic ceremony. Very different from what I usually see at weddings.
A lot of sitting.

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I've been watching this artist's work for awhile, and it always brings a smile to my face. Check out the daily street installations for yourself on his blog: Little People
One day when I go to London, you can bet I'll be trying to find one of these little installations.

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That's all I've got today - I'll be spending the whole day editing, as per usual these days. :0)
Watch for two weddings this week!

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Happy Monday!

Krista & Ray | Engagement

Looking out the monorail window, he watched the scenery of the themepark slide by. Snow covered mountains, screaming rollercoasters, twinkling lights and floating balloons. Not the most sophisticated of locations for sure, but definately fun, and a little surreal. Kind of like the last couple of years had been. With a couple of clicks of a mouse he had found her on the internet. A few conversations had led to their first date on New Year's Eve. That had been brave, he thought to himself now - kind of a big night to possibly ruin with a sour first date. Ahh, but it had been sweet he recalled, smiling to himself. The road from there had been so obvious, they started dating, bought a home together, adopted a dog...now what? A few minutes later they were strolling up the main street towards the castle. The warm light of dusk illuminated their faces and she pulled ahead of him in a half-run to get to the castle. He pulled back on her arm, and she spun around, wondering why he was stopping her. In one smooth motion he went down on one knee and pulled out the ring they had chosen. The people all around them stopped in their tracks and paused to hear her answer. "Yes!" she cried, and he swung her around in a big bear hug. This was no fairytale ending, it was only just beginning.









Krista & Ray brought their dogs along for part of our shoot, Miles and Kobe. I can't believe that I actually caught Kobe making this face at Miles:








Krista & Ray are another successful Match.com story. We had such a great time on their shoot - we hit more locations and they changed outfits more times than any couple I have shot. When Krista told me about their ideas for the shoot - I warned her that we might be biting off more than we could chew. She said Ray's motto is "go big or go home" and I knew instantly that I was going to like him - Hubby and I embrace that motto whole-heartedly. They were awesome to shoot with and I'm really looking forward to their wedding next year - it is sure to be a fun-filled, relaxed backyard affair.





Enjoy the Slideshow:

Amanda & Curtis | Engagement

The chug, chug, chug of the ski lift left an echo hanging in the air above them. She hit her fist against the palm of her other hand, trying to encourage blood flow and warm them up. He swung his skis back and forth below them - a move he knew made her nervous. She looked over at him playfully, fully aware he was trying to get her going with the ski swinging. He smiled and adjusted his gloves. She reached over and squeezed his arm. It had been thirteen years since they first made the trip up this same ski lift on their first date. He had changed so much, and so had she. They had grown together and apart, and then back together again. They jumped off the chair and onto the top of the mountain with a soft swish of the snow. There weren't many others out here tonight. They had made a tradition of coming back year after year to ski this mountain. He looked over, she was adjusting her boots. So much is the same, he thought. The air, the cold, the place, the time of year. And he was about to change it all. She scooted over to where he was and looked up, smiling impishly. This little spot was also part of their ritual - it was where they had their first kiss, and year after year, they had kissed again and then plunged down the mountain, racing each other to the bottom. She really wanted to win that race this year. He smiled at her, and then he took off his gloves. In his hand was a ring, hanging in the air above them now was a question and an answer...










Amanda and Curtis were an absolute pleasure to shoot. We had such a great time chasing light all over Lake Park and the beach.
And the light - it was a particularly great day for light. These two were so great to work with, so open, so comfortable with each other and such a delight to talk to. I think we could have sat on that beach and talked for hours if it hadn't started getting a little chilly. I can't wait for their wedding. It will be such an honor to see such a solid couple come together officially, and Amanda is going to be a stunning bride.










Enjoy the Slideshow!