Pictures AND A Thousand Words

Joey, Bill, & Missy

2009-11-07T21:16:00.005-05:00

Ooooooh you guys, I have been a shamefully bad blogger! But I'm about to make it up to you, because this post is full of some of my favorite people and a totally cute doggie, and then coming up I have a senior session for you (plus another that I'm working on), and the family portrait sessions are starting to roll in in preparation for Christmas. So it's busy, but I promise to keep you entertained and not leave you hanging again! Okay? Let's keep being friends.

Now, the fine fellow here on the right is my former boss Joey, who you may have heard me talk about and therefore know that I LOVE. On the left is his partner, Bill, and in the middle is the princess herself, Missy! Joey was leaving for a special project with our company in Florida for a couple months (SO jealous he's missing some of the Chicago winter), and I wanted to take pictures for them so that they could have them while they're all apart. Plus, sometimes your cuteness just needs to be commemorated, right?

I love when dogs get their lip stuck in their teeth. Flashy does it all the time and I call him Mr. Lippy. When Missy does it, they call her Fang. Hee!

SUCH a good looking family! And Missy was such an awesome girl about looking at the camera! Dogs can be a little touch and go sometimes, but Missy is a perfect model because she knows how beautiful she is. :)

Kisses!

I LOVE this one. Also, before I met Bill, Joey told me he looks like Morrissey. TOTALLY. Google it if you have to. (Full disclosure: I did. I knew who he was, just had no clue what he looked like. So I'm only like, 50% uncool.)

I just love how this looks like a stopped moment in time. Which it totally is, but it just looks like it's HAPPENING, if you know what I mean. Which you probably don't, since a master of words I am not. I should've just stopped at "I like it". :)

Missy is clearly the center of the universe (as all dogs are in their owners' lives, and as it should be!).

They're so cute and I'm so funny! I wish I could remember what I said! :)

OMG, she is a DOLL. Seriously, is this not the cutest ever? Missy (or Punkin' Pie, as Joey calls her) had just gone to the groomer, and she looks totally shiny and beautiful here.

This one and the next one are two of my favorites. I just love the color and the post and how good everyone looks and everything about them. Yay!

The closer view, for maximum hotness appreciation.

The whole day seemed a little overcast and we weren't entirely sure if or when it was going to start raining, so we started out inside while it was holding off and eventually made our way inside. Here's the pretty girl posing for us on the couch. She even know how to turn toward the good light! What an amazing model!

OMG, I LOVE this one. It's too, TOO cute. I love the pictures of Flashy kissing my face, since it's his favorite activity (plus, I can't get him to sit close to me for pictures without getting some kisses).

This is great. Also, Joey and Bill have some really amazing original art in their house, and this painting was one of my favorites. Joey had told me before that he was really into interior decorating, and I got into his house and it REALLY showed. Everything was gorgeous and beautifully put together, but it looked like a home and not a showroom (which I like). Someday I'm going to need to get rich and famous and hire him.

Now Joey is getting kisses while Bill gives an AWESOME smile for the camera! Seriously, I can't believe this was the first time I met Bill--I already felt like I knew him when we met, and he was just so nice and warm that by the time we left (which was FOREVER later, since I'm a talker and had no idea how late it had gotten), I felt like we'd been BFF for years.

Love this shot of Missy lounging on the back of the couch. Why do all puppies love that spot?

Okay, love this too--I swear I didn't force both of them to look over at her and smile like she's the cutest ever. They just did it on their own, because her cuteness is like a tractor beam.

FANG! Okay, everything from here on out is Missy glamour shots. She's VERY beautiful in all of them.

LOVED the colors in this one.

Apparently one of Missy's favorite things to do is to snuggle up on the pillows and occasionally bury herself ...

... like so! Joey said the little paw peeking over the pillow was totally "her".

Oh STOP, I LOVE this. She got very sleepy from all the hard work I had her doing, so she took a little nap with her chin on the arm of the couch. I just want to kiss her face right now!

I thought this was SO cute--I love pictures of dogs where you can see a little bit of the whites of their eyes, because they always have this look like, "Who, me?" This was me peeking at Missy from under a table, while she rested near her tennis ball.

Joey and Bill's house was AMAZING to take pictures in, just because of all the different colors and textures that we could use as backgrounds. And Missy posed herself on all of them! She's not just a model, she's also an art director.

Here she is on the same chair, but she's settled into some pillows for a nap. Which, by the way, I am totally jealous of right now. I'm going to take a nap the second I get home today. Dogs have the right idea.

And here's one of her same nap in black and white. It was so cute that I just couldn't resist being a tiny bit repetitive. I hope you'll all forgive me. But then, I know you will--cuteness lets you off the hook for all SORTS of things. :)

Speaking of, OMG CUTE CUTE CUTE! Missy was kind of over having her picture taken at this point, but I did manage to get this one, which I love (whites of her eyes!), and I think it's an awesome one to finish on.

Thank you guys so, so much for letting me come to your house and take pictures of you! It was SO much fun, and I loved getting to hang out and see where you live and meet your pride and joy, Missy. She's so cute and sweet that I had to take "dying of cuteness breaks" while I was editing and make Billy look over so we could awwww together about how cute the pictures were. Love it! Joey, I can't wait until you're back from Florida! Call us up and we'll make brunch happen!

Ashley & Kyle: After Par-tay!

2009-10-26T15:01:00.006-04:00

Man you guys, I feel like I have been a terrible blogger, but in reality I've just been working on things that I can't necessarily post. Still, it feels like it's been forever and I just want to say that I miss you all and I've got more stuff coming, so hopefully it won't be so sporatic around here in the next few weeks. :)

Alright, so you probably remember Ashley and Kyle as the cutest couple ever, and we did some shots around Indianapolis in their wedding finery after the big day, and we had a serious amount of fun AND we squeezed this whole shoot into ONE HOUR, which was insane! I'm not used to doing portraits in such a small window, but we made it work and I was so happy with how much awesome stuff we were able to get. Shall we?

Wow, could this get any cuter? LOVE.

Same scene but a totally different picture. Also, I love these weird little nooks and crannies that you find just by wandering around. I was thinking the other day about how much time I spend with clients just walking or driving around, waiting for something to jump out at me, but it's how I work most of the time. I just like the adventure and the inspiration in the moment, and the time that I get to spend with clients chit chatting and hanging out, which especially good for engagement sessions since we really loosen up with each other, but it's also a great way to get relaxed, comfortable looking portraits.

Somewhat similar place, but different. Also, this is one of the few morning shoots I've done, but I really like doing them. I usually shoot more in the late afternoon (since everyone--okay, me--likes to sleep in), but it's nice to switch it up and the light here is so lovely.

Oh, this was SUCH a fun picture. Ashley saw the misbehave graffiti and wanted to climb up that sloped wall (NOT an easy task, I can assure you), so she was posing all cute when her skirt blew up! (It's dark, but you can only see knees anyway, pervs!) She looked so shocked and cracked up, and I loved how the dress looked, so I was over there just click-click-clickin' away. :) There were several other really cute ones immediately following where she was still just cracked up by the whole thing, but seriously, how perfect is it that your skirt would fly up in front of the word "misbehave"? Sometimes, you just can't ask for better.

Love the mood of this. Anyone recognize where we are yet?

I think I posted this or something very similar as their sneak peek, but I loved it so much that I thought it was worth a second showing. :) Soooo cute and late summery!

I love this and something about it feels really old to me ... possibly because we were on the world's oldest and least stable rocking chair? Yeah, maybe. But I think it's more the pose. I really like it, and thank you Ashley and Kyle for totally perching on that thing precariously in the name of good pictures. :)

This is so great you guys--I love what the writing on the wall behind them says, but I especially love how they've got their hands. That's a totally natural moment--I had nothing to do with it. And as a photographer, I love that.

Beautiful murals all over the place--we had to wander through a couple alleys to find them, but they're there and they're awesome.

Gooooorgeooooous! You guys are so pretty, and Ashley, you have such sparkly eyes!

Ashley loved the diner sign so much that she wanted to go back and requested this specific picture (of the two of them walking away). Lucky for her, I love requests!

Here we went into the diner and took some cute pictures. Seriously, I love Ashley's face--she is ADORABLE here (and everywhere).

Posed action shots! Hee! I made Ashley look up at Kyle all cheesy and flirty-like, and I like the cheesy flirty results!

Definitely one of my faves, but then, how do you pick a fave? They're all gorgeous, and again wiht the sparkly eyes.

And this one is so good too! And look how dapper Kyle is looking! So many favorites to choose from! It's a good problem to have. :)

So we kept thinking we were done, and then I'd see something and be like, one more, one more! I just get excited. :) But we really did have to go back to this sign, because it's too perfect (and too true). There were a bunch of cute pics, but I liked this one the best--I like her hair in her face, and I like her "badass" face. :) Ashley was telling me about how she laughed at her cousin for having a bunch of pictures of her looking badass, so I think it's only fair that her cousin get at least one chance to return the favor. But seriously, she's rockin' the look and I'm loving it.

Thanks again for doing this with me, Ashley & Kyle! I love after party sessions, and Kyle, I'm glad you got to hold onto the suit. You lovebirds are some perfect models!

They "wanna rock and roll all night, and part of every day."

2009-10-14T09:53:00.006-04:00

I know, that's not how it goes, but I loved that scene in Role Models where Paul Rudd says it, and it's so fitting for The Relics, Evansville's Premiere Old Man Band. Not my words! I think that was the drummer's idea, if I recall, but I could be wrong.

At any rate, Billy's dad plays in this band and they do classic rock covers and are generally pretty awesome. The lead singer sounds very much like (and looks a lot like, in some ways) Kid Rock, and we all know how much I love Kid Rock, especially since Joe Dirt.

Anyway, these guys are in high demand lately and the Evansville News 4U is doing a story on them, which I didn't find out until I got there. Billy's dad had asked me to bring my camera when we visited, and I thought he just wanted some pics for Facebook or something, but it turns out they wanted pictures to go with that story. Yikes! It was DEFINITELY challenging, but in a totally good way--it's really good and important to stretch your photography and creativity muscles in different ways occasionally, and I enjoyed this.

I've been exceptionally busy lately (it's always feast or famine around here, I tell ya), so just a few pics of the highlights of the show. I know it's been a little sparse around here, but the last session I edited was a boudoir that was understandably kept private. But I promise you it was gorgeous. But there's lots coming, and for now, feast your eyes on all THIS gorgeousness!

Alright, now I loved this one. Billy's dad (also a Bill) is in the middle, and he's not really that short, he's just bent over or bending his knees or something. Brian is the lead singer, to the right in the photo, and I'm not sure of the bassist's name, but he's on the left and he was really entertaining. SUCH a bassist, and I know that all of you who either play bass or know someone who does or really enjoy concerts know what I'm talking about. The band has had a bit of shuffling around with their bassist and this guy was filling in--I haven't seen the regular one yet but I'm sure he's good too.

Cracked me up.

Now this ... is Joe. Joe Baby to some. And he is a CHARACTER. And you know I love me some characters. At any rate, he loves spinning his drum sticks (and he's good at it! I'd poke an eye out--mine or someone else's), and I was SO excited to get this shot. It's PERFECT Joe.

This picture is dark, but cool. And I'm sure with how dark it is, it'll show up differently in everyone's monitor. On mine, the focus is obviously on Brian, but you can see bits and pieces of what's going on to the sides. I just think it looks like a concert, and awesome.

This is Mac, who plays keyboard, guitar, and harmonica (and maybe other stuff I don't know about, but that's just what I saw at the show), and he can sing the hell out of some country songs too. He's very, very talented, and hates having his picture taken or people looking at him. I pointed out that most people don't join a band to be "not looked at", and he said he likes the music stuff but the being on stage takes some getting used to. Seriously though, you'd NEVER know it. However, he did keep himself shrouded in darkness, much to the chagrin of his friendly neighborhood photographer. Nonetheless, I got some good shots of him, including this one of him smoking. I did my level best to get shots of all the guys smoking on stage since it's so them ... Brian and Joe eluded me, but there are some of Bill smoking and playing guitar where Billy thinks he looks like Keith Richards minus heroin, so that's cool.

(I feel like I should say that I am not personally a smoker, in case anyone wouldn't want to hire someone who is. And also, in case any of you kids are reading this, smoking is bad! But if you're a rocker, smoking is probably the least of your concerns so carry on.)

Okay, now I love this picture of Brian. I know it's a little out of focus but it's so awesome that it needs to be shared. It LOOKS like rock 'n' roll, and I love it.

Whoa, speaking of looking rock 'n' roll!

I really loved this picture ... the tones are good and I think it has a really great mood, and I don't know if it's the glasses or the acoustic guitar or what, but it just puts off a different vibe than some of the other shots. Very cool.

Another really great shot--Bill was definitely in the best light. Anyone want to take a stab at who set up the lighting? :) I kid--it wasn't on purpose, I think he just happened to have the blue light pointed his way, and it was a little easier for me to tweak than some of the others, like red or green. But it definitely made for some cool pictures. And I loved how when he saw this one in the camera, he was like ... "This one isn't awful." I just laughed because I knew it was a compliment because that is EXACTLY how Billy comments on pictures of himself. He never just likes it, or thinks it's good, it's always, "I don't hate that one," and then it's like a compliment on par with, "This is the greatest thing I've ever seen and I must nominate you for awards and sing your praises from a mountain" or something. You've gotta take what you can get! :)

Bill kept calling this "the evil picture" and I suppose, especially with the green backlighting, but I really liked it and thought it looked cool. The coloring was tough, but it really lost something in black and white. I might keep playing with it a bit.

And finally, I loved this shot of Mac and the bassist. In fact, I told Bill that it would really be good for me if they could let this guy into the band because I like this shot of him lighting a cigarette and if he sticks around, the picture can stay.

Alright, that wraps us up for now. What do you guys think? Suggestions for improvements that can be made? This was my first concert shoot, so I'm totally open to ideas, especially if anyone has experience. But it was really fun and I think they have some fun stuff for their facebook pages if nothing else, right? :)

There should be more stuff coming up soon--I'm hoping by the end of the week, so come back and visit soon!

Janina's Senior Pictures!

2009-10-02T01:33:00.005-04:00

Alright, everybody! It's been a hectic couple of weeks since I moved and was without internet for about a week (THE HUMANITY), but I'm back up and rolling and today we have Janina's senior pictures! They were really fun to do--we hit up Navy Pier and then spent a good chunk of time at a beach, which is where we got most of my favorites, and then headed over to Millennium Park for a couple at the bean.

Janina's cousin came along with us, and the funny thing was that she was totally like my friend Amy, who always knows where she's going and helps me find stuff. It was SO helpful. And Janina's little bro came along too, and he was probably my favorite 12-year-old boy ever, including all the ones I knew when I was 12 myself. He and I bonded over Harry Potter, which I just read in the past year and which, obviously, was awesome.

Well, as you can see, this was a really easy job for me. Janina is completely BEAUTIFUL and about as sweet and mellow as they come.

I showed this pic as her sneak peek, but it was so cute I thought it warranted a second viewing.

OMG THE CHEEKBONES. In the words of Rachel Zoe, I die.

This was something we gave a shot at the stained glass museum on Navy Pier, and it did something kind of weird to her eyeballs, but I love the light and I thought it was a really cool picture. I showed it to Janina and she and the entourage that day, and they totally oohed and aahed over it and made me feel good. :)

Well, it probably goes without saying, but I would totally kill for that hair.

Man, it was a gorgeous day. And, so long as you're not judging by the past few days, fall in Chicago is gorgeous and it's not too late to get your senior pictures done! Hint! :)

Okay, now does this, or does this not belong in a magazine? (Hint: it does.)

Janina has probably one of the most gorgeous smiles to ever hit my camera.

I loved this--something about it seemed very European for me.

I know I'm not really commenting as much as usual, but it's because everything is just so gorgeous that it's speaking for itself. And everything with Janina and company was just so easy, and such smooth sailing, which is kind of rare, actually. :) Normally when you're out and about in public, at least one or two weirdos are requisite, but that day, Chicago was on its best behavior.

STUNNING. This is a GREAT example of a lot of expression being conveyed without a big, over the top kind of face. Tyra would be proud!

Another one that seemed European to me ... or maybe Mediterranean! (Funny that I say these things since I've never actually left the country. But I want to, and I will someday!)

Alright, seriously, she's SO FREAKIN' CUTE! But I'm going to shut up about it for a minute and just let you look at the pictures. :)

Unshutting up to say ... does this not look like the side of an American Eagle shopping bag? Loves it!

Unshutting up again, for good this time, because WOW. I love this. Most of these pictures look like they could be in a magazine, but this one looks like it belongs on a full-fledged billboard. AMAZING. Love the model wind, and love the expressions that she makes with her face. She was an absolutely perfect model.

Awww, I thought this was fun! Love that lens flare, too! But the bean is hilarious to take pictures in front of because it's always surrounded by people, so you're pretty much guaranteed a lot of random butts in your picture. But it's also SO fitting because that's what the bean always looks like, you know? So here I like it because it's her front and a bunch of backs, with a neat shot of the bean and the sun coming through, and she's just a little removed from the craziness! Very fun picture, I think. :)

And the last one! I full-on tortured this poor girl, and had her bouncing her ball on her racket, which yeah, she makes look easy, but it was not. Friendos, I can barely walk up a flight of stairs without incident, and here she is, smiling, bouncing a tennis ball on a racket, making eye contact with the camera, ALL WHILE WEARING A DRESS! It truly boggles the mind!

Thanks, Janina, for a very fun session! The full gallery is at my Instaproofs site, and the password is Janina's last name (which should be easy if you know her, and tough if you don't)! Online ordering is available, and enjoy the pics! They're super amazing!

Mary Ann & Phil's Wedding: Epic Part Two of Two

2009-09-15T08:56:00.009-04:00

Okay, so remember how I told you that Phil and Mary Ann had probably the prettiest indoor reception I have ever seen? Well, I was not messing around! Check it:

I LOVE THIS. The colors are great and the lantern balls hanging from the ceiling are INCREDIBLE. I really, really loved it.

I had a lot of fun toast pictures, which you can see in the gallery, but this one was my favorite. A little different than normal, I know, but you can still tell what's going on and I think it looks really neat. :)

The cake was just gorgeous and really went with the decor, and the flowers on top are flowers that were in her bouquet. (Hydrangeas? I need to brush up on my flowers, obviously.) I got to check out the ballroom early, and I got to be there when Phil and Mary Ann first saw it, and their faces just LIT UP with excitement. I think that even though they mentally knew what they asked for, seeing it was really beyond what they expected. So anyway, we went over to the cake and Phil pointed out that they got some of Mary Ann's favorite cupcakes made and I guessed red velvet. Phil confirmed my guess and said, "I think that's every girl's favorite." So what do you say ladies? Is it?

Billy took one of these and it was one of my favorite pictures of the entire night. She just looks so simultaneously devious and gleeful! You can tell that Phil totally knows what's coming, but I found out later that they'd agreed earlier on no cake in the face.

Well, you can see how that one turned out for Phil. :)

Phil took the mic to say thanks, and I can't remember what was going on that resulted in this picture, but I wish I could because it looks like it was hilarious!

Okay, now I promised you guys the greatest ring shot in the history of ring shots and while this one is definitely up there, it's not even it! Can you believe it? There's an even BETTER one! But this one was really special, because it's of the rings with the St. Christopher pendant that Phil gave to Nate, and I really did just love that. Also, whoever gave them a journal and left it unwrapped on the gift table, THANK YOU--it was a perfect ring shot backdrop. :)

Another shot of the amazing ballroom decor, with a nice view of the newlyweds at the sweethearts' table. Seriously, I am still not over this reception--GORGEOUS! I am in mad love and I might have to hang little ball lanterns from my living room ceiling just to recreate it. (You think I wouldn't? Then you don't know me! :))

And seriously, all the first dance pictures were this magical, because come on, how could they not be? Even the permanent chandeliers (with the amber colored glass hanging down) just fit in perfectly and added so much. They've done a GREAT job with this place. And seriously, having a happy, fun, spectacular couple as your subject doesn't hurt either! :)

Love this shot of the bouquet toss, and I think that the girl who caught it really wanted it! Call me for YOUR wedding, bouquet catcher! :)

And gearing up for the garter toss! Do you SEE this? I told you they were so so so fun, and this is irrefutable proof!

In typical guy fashion, I don't think anyone was QUITE as excited to catch the garter, but one of the groomsmen did come up with it eventually. :) Phil and Mary Ann had a little thing I'd never seen done before, where the garter catcher put the garter back ON the bouquet catcher! It was really funny and you could tell that neither of them expected that little twist, but the groomsman was a total gentleman and put it on her arm. :)

Very sweet.

Mary Ann and Phil got a photo booth, and once again, it was SO MUCH FUN, and such a big hit! I had fun too, sneaking up on it and taking pictures through the side curtain. Plus, the people waiting outside with the crazy hats on were totally entertaining. I've got to say, you guys, this is a trend I'm excited to see catching on, mostly because everyone seems to enjoy it so much. Plus, with the little photo strips that people get, I think that would be a great way to spend part of your favor budget. DEFINITELY something you should look into.

This pic cracks me up, because I think that this was the point where the DJ (accurately) announced that the bridesmaids had been unleashed. Seriously, they all descended at once and out of nowhere, and really got the party kicked into high gear!

Loved this pic of my bridesmaid friend, who is a fellow lover of photography! You know, it was funny--I've had a couple people snap pictures of me at weddings here and there, but this was the first one where someone actually took MY camera and took shots of me! And someone else got in to model! It was really fun (and cracked me up). I later took a picture of this bridesmaid with her husband, and she had me take one from each side of her, so we could figure out which was her "good side". Although judging from this pic, looks like we found it!

Now usually at a wedding, I don't get that much info about people's particular relationships, unless they're really obvious (like parents, the couple getting married--you know, the biggies). So I am just going to ASSUME (and yes, we all know what happens when you do that) that this is Phil's brother (okay, I know that's true) and his wife and kiddo. Hopefully I'm close. :)

Anyway, they were all really cute and dancing together all night, and I love how they're all doing the same dance here! So cute, and such a fun party!

Speaking of, this picture CRACKS ME UP. I snapped this one really quick (and I love how dark it is, actually), and then looked up to see his parents kissing each other. Ha! We all know that no kid wants to see that. Although I admit that it's kind of weird that people my age can have kids old enough to be grossed out by them kissing! Where does the time go?

Phil's mom was totally fun and such a dancing queen all night out on the floor. I'm pretty sure she was leading a train at some point!

And hello, crazy dancing! This groomsman tore it up with some of my favorite moves of the night!

Billy also took this one and I LOVE THIS SHOT. It just reminds me of an old 40's movie still or something, and I love the composition, the leaning on the bar, and all the glasses on the counter. It's all very glamorous.

And Billy strikes again! Another of those moments where I SO wish I knew what was going on here. :) And can I just say, on the subject of Billy, that he's been resisting me promoting him from assistant to second shooter, but the real fact of the matter is that he's been kicking so much butt (and taking so many names), that I really have no choice. I'll keep trying to convince him before I flat out overrule him, but he's been doing an AWESOME job, and he also continues to improve. In fact, I was showing him one day at home how to use focus points on the camera, so we were screwing around and taking each other's pictures, and there are actually some of me that are totally cute (and I'll show them to you once I finish up all my client pics!). YAY for the best assistant/boyfriend ever!

I just love this, with Mary Ann gettin' down and Phil just having a great time watching her and being there. (Phil got down too, of course--just not in this particular shot.) :)

Thought this was a great little grandpa/grandson moment. :)

And this is a great little father/son moment! Seriously, this is going on a wall somewhere, right? RIGHT? :)

More sneaking up on the photo booth! Do you see how much fun everyone is having? It really cannot be said enough--I even look back through the pictures and I get that feeling of just havinga really fun night all over again. Also, shout out to the guy in the picture--he emceed the reception, and I believe he's a friend, which made his color commentary really entertaining. :)

This is Mary Ann and her mom and a couple of her aunts, and you know, I was just feeling really sentimental about the aunts that night. I grew up being really close to my mom's sisters, one of whom is undergoing chemotherapy right now, and ... I don't know. I guess it just made me picture my own future (hypothetical--I'm not keeping any secrets from anyone!) wedding, and I don't know, it was weird because I don't think I've ever actually done that at a wedding before, because I'm always just so involved in the actual day, or in some task at hand, but this whole little group dynamic just felt very familiar to me and I kind of loved it.

Now this picture cracks me up because of the story behind it--I snuck up on Nate and his grandpa and told him to smile. He did, SUUUUUPER cutely (obviously), and I looked at my camera, SAW how cute it was, and said, "Man, Nate, you're so GOOD at this!" And in the most hysterical, exhausted, funniest little kid way, he goes, "I know, but I'm SO TIIIIIRED!" I mean, I really believed him because it had been a long day, but I still laughed pretty hard (and went to share that with Billy, who also got a kick out of it). But Nate was really not messing around, because a few minutes later ...

... this happened! Isn't that just too cute for words? Apparently Nate, like me, can sleep anywhere with no problem. And Nate, I hope that this is a skill that you maintain and learn to appreciate over the years, because some of the things I've slept through ... I've slept through a tree falling over right outside my window, loud roommates, sirens, storms, about every form of transportation a person can take, and perhaps most impressively, I once slept for like 12 straight hours right over the wheels on a charter bus coming back from Florida while people walked back and forth over me to get to the bathroom. My old college roommate Kelly once told me that I had been blessed with the gift of sleep, and she was so right. And it most definitely IS a gift. :)

Two things about this: first of all, I was really impressed with the endurance of everyone at this wedding, guests included. A lot of people had really small kids, and pretty much the kids just went to sleep in their strollers and the party went on. You don't always see that, but I think pretty much everyone was there until the last dance, which was awesome. Secondly, there were a lot of REALLY fun pictures from the reception and of a lot of different guests. I really wished I could include all of them in the blog but look at how long this thing is already, AND it's a two-parter! So definitely make sure to go check out the gallery--you could be (and probably are) in it!

I definitely felt like the Birthday Girl deserved a spot on the blog, though! And how fortunate was it that they had a birthday cake hat at the photo booth? And also, do you see what I mean about how everyone right on down the guest list looked like a supermodel? I'm still not over it!

Awwww, I really love this picture and I love the look on Mary Ann's face. (I also, in a very "photographer" way, love how the colors turned out. But that's just a little non-sequiter.)

And FINALLY, THE GREATEST RING SHOT OF ALL TIME! I'm not even kidding, I need to submit this bad boy for some awards. And yes, I took it, but it was really a team effort because Billy spotted their photo strip on the table and suggested that it would make a great ring shot and he was SO RIGHT. I am madly, madly, madly in love with this. Also, back to the team effort, besides my mad photo skills and Billy's awesome art direction, we also have to thank gorgeous jewelry AND OF COURSE, Phil and Mary Ann and their cute, fun facial expressons!

And that, my friends, does it for the prettiest, most fun, and all around best wedding Chicago has ever seen! Don't forget to check out the gallery (last time I'll bring it up, I swear), and CALL ME next time you guys have an event and need a photographer--I'll be beyond excited! And not just because that's my normal state, either! :)

Also, if you're getting married in Chicago, I DEFINITELY recommend having it at the Marriott on the Magnificient Mile. It was obviously BEAUTIFUL, but in addition, the staff was friendly, helpful, and the reception was very organized and ran according to schedule--those last two things aren't something you might think about much when choosing a venue, but trust me, it makes a HUGE difference.

And last of all, a big thank you to Mary Ann and Phil, for picking me, and for liking what I do and how I do it, and trusting me with all of your memories on your big day! I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend it with you, and you guys and your guests made Billy and I feel very, very appreciated, and we hope to cross paths again sometime!

Mary Ann & Phil's Wedding: Part One of Two Epic Posts

2009-09-14T09:10:00.010-04:00

And when I say epic, I mean EPIC. I LOVED this wedding. Beautiful hot summer day in downtown Chicago, gorgeous bride, handsome groom, outdoor ceremony, pictures on Michigan Avenue, and fun fun FUN! What's NOT to love?

The entire wedding happened at the Marriott on the Magnificent Mile, which completely exceeded all my expectations. Mary Ann & Co. got ready in rooms with floor to ceiling windows--can you say "photographer's dream"?!?!--and views of the lake. The ceremony was held on the 9th floor outdoor pool deck, so we were surrounded by beautiful tall buildings. And the reception was, hands down, the most incredible, amazing, MAGICAL indoor reception I've ever seen.

BUUUUT ... you're not going to see the reception today! Gotta keep you wanting more, and besides, there was just too much fun stuff that I wanted to share and relive with you, hence the two-parter! And it's gonna be a long one (or two, let's be honest), so let's get moving here, shall we?

Alright, I am just going to say straight up that this was a huge wedding party and I remember almost no one's names. So in the interest of fairness, I'm going to pretend like I don't know anyone's names. Don't be offended, I loved you all SO much, and I still want to make it official and be Facebook friends!

Anyway, this was the flower girl, daughter of a bridesmaid, and SO cute. She was a little camera shy, so when I caught her over on the stairs in photo-ready position (i.e., playing with her dress), I was SO excited. Isn't she a doll?

Dude, seriously, I loved this hotel room. It was so pretty and it actually even went with all the wedding colors really nicely, which is either great planning on someone's part or a happy accident that your friendly photographer thanks you for. :) Also, I want to point out that when you enter a room full of strangers, it's sometimes easier to start out taking pics of the kiddos, shoes, flowers, etc., just to get people used to the fact that, hey! There's a stranger in the room! And she's holding a giant camera! But trust me, everyone adjusts to it quicker than you think they would and all is well. :)

Now, I loved the bouquets and they were all gorgeous, and yes--I'm talking about the flower parts. So why the picture of the stems? I've just never seen such a pretty arrangement of stems, that's all. :)

What's this? We're getting closer to seeing the bride?!?! Heck yeah we are! Her bridesmaids were an incredibly efficient little assembly line who got her buttoned into her dress, not once but TWICE (because the first time, she couldn't breathe, and that will kind of put a damper on things), and they were SO fast.

Here she is! The gorgeous Mary Ann seeing herself in her wedding dress for the first time! I love her facial expressions, and Billy also commented on how expressive she is. It was VERY fun to photograph. :)

Do you see what I mean? Three people hard at work! And the other thing that I think you'll start to notice is that not only are Mary Ann and Phil supermodels, but so are all of their friends and family. Makes my job SUPER easy!

This is Mary Ann's son, Nate, and he wanted to see her before the wedding. Isn't he CUTE? And he is every bit as expressive as she is. I LOVE it. And can I also just say that Nate is one of the best behaved kids I've ever seen? He sat through our entire meeting like a champ, only tugging on Phil's sleeve once to tell him he was hungry (a problem quickly solved with some PB&J, which, coincidentally is what I'm having for lunch today--man after my own heart!). Seriously, he's awesome.

Mary Ann's room got to be a big flurry of activity sometime between when everyone was ready and when the ceremony started. People were dropping in, moms, aunts, friends, husbands picking up babies, and it felt really festive--just like here, with her happy smile and lots of loved ones in the background. :)

Well, needless to say, this is beautiful.

And seriously, pictures like these are a PRIME reason to consider getting ready in a room with a window. Just gorgeous, and so timeless. (As a sidenote, I love those earrings.)

Mary Ann gave all the girls little Coach wristlets as a thank you gift, which was super cute, and she picked out different ones for each of them. I think that this point, they all pretty much knew what was coming, so I told them to really ham it up for the posed action shot, and check out the bridesmaid in the middle! Someone hand that girl an Emmy!

Alright, here's Phil and his parents walking down the aisle, and I really liked that. And also, props to both the moms on their dresses. My own mom had a really hard time finding a mother of the groom dress, so now I have way more sympathy for that challenge, but they both looked totally smashing.

See? And look how cute Nate is here! Mary Ann's mom ended up with the flower girl basket because the flower girl had a little too much pre-game excitement and passed out for a nap before the wedding started. :)

Here's Phil giving Nate the thumbs up as he walks down the aisle. How freakin' cute is that?!?!

Love love LOVE this shot of Mary Ann and her dad. That dress is outrageously beautiful, and well ... I'm always a sucker for the dad pics. :)

SHUT UP. I am in absolute, total, complete love with this picture. I REALLY hope they want this one in the album, because wow. GREAT moment. :)

Speaking of things I'm a sucker for ... the groom's face when he sees the bride coming down the aisle!!!!!

And The Look. So basically, I'm a sucker for this entire wedding. OBVIOUSLY.

Is she not just one of the most stunning brides you have ever seen in your life? Seriously! I'm SOOOO glad you guys picked me. :)

Mary Ann's grandma! She's 97 years old and so sweet and cute! I just love the proud look on her face here. :)

I got caught again! Always fun, albeit accidental! :)

As if there weren't enough heart-melting moments, they had a small part in the ceremony where Phil gives Nate a St. Christopher pendant so he could remember that Phil is always there to love and protect him. Which is sweet on its own, but look at the look Nate is giving Phil! He loves him so much, and I love that!

Here's the flower girl! I think this is entirely how she spent the ceremony, but none of us can blame her because a.) being a flower girl is hard work and b.) I definitely felt like a nap toward the end of the evening myself, even if I WAS having a ball. :)

Mary Ann, I love your cute face! And I love how all of your thoughts are just right there for the world to see at all times. :)

I'm not sure what Nate's checking out here, but I thought this picture was way cute. Also, see all the smiley faces? It might seem excessive, but I've been smiling my way through this entire post as I write it, so I feel that my smileys are legit.

Also, do you see what I mean about the great city backdrop? HOT! Hot like that first kiss!

Now I don't mind telling you that their officiant was one of the coolest looking dudes I've seen perform a wedding. Look at that sash thing! So cool. And his beard! But if you can all just get a grip on yourselves for one second and focus on the bride and groom ... look how happy they look! Yay, they're married!

I always like seeing how people incorporate their kids into their ceremonies, because obviously they're really important and the wedding is the beginning of everyone's new life as a family! And it was so great that Nate had such a big part in this wedding and that it's obvious how much Phil and Mary Ann love him, and how mutual it is. He's a great kid and they're doing such an awesome job, and I'm glad they all held hands down the aisle! :)

In case I haven't made this point strenuously enough, I love outdoor weddings and I especially loved this one. You guys know I'm a city mouse and a bridal party in front of the buildings is such a glorious treat for me. :) But we can't just stop there ...

We had to get out on Michigan Avenue WITH the buildings! The wedding party was fabulous--all supermodel good looking, and so fun and cooperative. I am the luckiest girl alive! And before the reception started, I heard one of the groomsmen talking to someone at cocktail hour and saying that the group pictures "actually weren't that bad." WHAT!!! That's awesome--that's such a HUGE compliment in Groomsmen World! Seriously, though, we knocked out all the family pictures AND the group shots on the Mag Mile in just about an hour. I was barking out orders like a fun drill sergeant, so I'm just glad no one got to fed up with my bossiness. Seriously, I'm really glad I found a career where I can parlay my bossy personality into success. Childhood Sarah would be so proud.

I told everyone to throw their hands in the air (although I did NOT make them wave them around like they just don't care, believe it or not), and bear in mind, I'm yelling instructions at the top of my very loud lungs across like three or so lanes of traffic on one of Chicago's busiest drags, and it's already a little bit madness.

Now at this point, we're JUST outside the Marriott and I'm already starting to get a taste of what taking pictures out their is going to be like, and it's a busy weekend (the Air and Water Show), and it was one of the only really "summery" weekends that we had all year, so people are out in FORCE. Mary Ann is all, do you think it'll be okay for us to be in the crosswalk, and I'm like, girl, enjoy it, because you have no idea the things that people get away with while wearing a wedding dress, just trust me on this. And she did, which is why I love her.

So we're doing this, and having a really great time, and suddenly, whenever cars pass, there is massive honking, and the bridal party LOVES it. They're just really enjoying themselves, yelling thanks, getting attention, and it's so fun. And you know, I do a LOT of shoots out in public, and I've seen a lot of really crazy things happen, both really nice AND kind of bizarre, but there has never been anything like this. You know how in Sex and the City, the city is supposedly the fifth character? Taking these pics on Michigan Avenue was exactly like that--the city itself actually came alive and celebrated with us, and it was so funny and fun and odd and great, and so CHICAGO, you know? It was such a great and unique experience, and hard to describe, but I'll try. (You know me, of course I will.)

Alright, so this guy comes out of NOWHERE and does a dance in front of them, and you can tell from the outfit that he was kind of a nut but in the total good way, and it just cracked me up. Best part? Look at everyone's reaction in the background! They're shocked, loving it, and most importantly, just rolling with it. So thanks, dancing guy! You were memorable and made a whole bunch of bridal party members laugh. :)

I told everyone to strike a pose, and was there any doubt that they would rock it? Heck no! They were SO much fun.

Alright, this picture may seem weird at first, and this is the kind of thing that I'm really glad I felt comfortable with showing to Phil and Mary Ann, and with asking them and their friends to do, because I knew that they really trusted me and valued my work. And now, I know that people want pretty, happy wedding pictures and I also feel like I deliver on this. But I like to make some occasional art sometimes too, or at least take chances, and I feel like this one does that for me. I don't want to get into TOO much art school, self-important and self-indulgent blathering, but I loved how they were all smooshed into the train stop shelter, and I made them smoosh their faces on the glass, but you still get so much reflection, but really only here and there. And I think it's so neat that you see the bridal party all squished up and having fun and enjoying the moment, and you also see the reflection of the city in them, of what's going on at the same time, of people walking and stopping to look at them, and even of advertisements. Heck, I even love the advertisement saying they've arrived. So, there's my thought process, in case you were curious. :) (Did anyone even make it to the end of that? I probably owe you a beer if you did.)

I don't ALWAYS do a jumping picture, but it seemed like the kind of thing everyone would be game for and that Mary Ann would loooove. I only needed a couple tries to get a good one, and this one was amazing. Mary Ann is all the way off the ground and making a ninja face, Phil is like SO high in the air, there's a guy with his tongue out, and look at Nate! It was the only one where he actually timed it to be off the ground, and he looks so hilarious, like he's standing really tall, but just hanging in the air! I love it! Also, can you believe that all of those girls decided to jump in the air in high heels? Good lord, I can barely WALK in high heels, so I think we can safely say that they got skills.

So can anyone tell me how these girls all got so GORGEOUS?!?! I can't get over it, I feel like I was doing a magazine spread for Vogue or something. Also, the girl on the left end of the picture is Phil's sister, so you can see that hotness runs in the family (and I'll point out his bro in the next one).

Phil's brother is the one standing next to him on the right. Good looking bunch! And you already saw his parents, so they all come by it honest, CLEARLY.

Alright, so here we are all walking down the street back toward the hotel. Something that was pretty fun and awesome while we were out is that the street musicians were LOVING the opportunity to serenade the newlyweds. There was especially one guy who did an awesome bucket drum version of "Here Comes the Bride" with a really great beat while we were headed to the river. And when we got there, a saxophonist played while we did group shots--a nice rotation of "Here Comes the Bride" (what? It's a classic!), "Goin' to the Chapel", and of course, Beyonce's "Single Ladies", because if you liked it then you should've put a ring on it.

Anyway, on the way back, the guy on the bucket drums started back up, and since as a photographer, it's pretty much my job to provide you with a visual, I present for your consideration:

Okay, so he sees us approaching and goes straight into "Here Comes the Bride", and it was SO fun and festive, and I swear, he's VERY talented. So we JUST pass him, and he hits a beat REALLY HARD, and starts going on, "There Goes the Bride", and it was so funny ... I can't tell you how much happiness it brought, but trust me that it was a lot, okay?

Obviously, the bridesmaids who were near us agreed, because they broke out in a spontaneous dance (and those girls can DANCE--take it from one who cannot dance to save her life, but who has watched many a dance movie including the first two Step Ups and has another one in her Netflix queue). LOVE.

Well naturally, if you start a dance party and you're being followed by your friend in a wedding dress, she's gonna HAVE to join in. I loved that Phil dropped the guy a couple bucks because I had no cash on me whatsoever but I felt like he really earned it, and also, how was Phil with it enough to remember to get married, keep track of rings and people and key cards and still remember to bring ones? I'm not even joking, I've been to weddings where I forgot to bring decent SHOES. (Don't worry, Billy came to the rescue that time and I was in appropriate footwear before anyone even noticed.) Point being, he is ON it. You got a keeper, Mary Ann!

That was such a great moment, definitely one of my favorites of the day. Thanks bucket drum guy, and thank you bridesmaids for coming together and making it happen!

There is just something about this that really appeals to me, of Phil and Mary Ann walking hand in hand through a massive crowd of people on their wedding day. Really great.

Okay, so obviously, these are amazing, due entirely to the wonderful couple and their amazing friends and families. And this is just the beginning! Be sure to come back in the next day or two for the second half, which will cover the reception.

Also, the gallery is posted! Go to http://sarahbrownphotography.instaproofs.com and click on their wedding. As always, online ordering is available! I can't wait for you guys to COMMENT (hint, hint!) and hear what you think of them!

And y'all, I HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH YOU! So I'm really hoping that anyone getting hitched or having a party or a baby or anything else you can take pictures of will call me, because I'd love to see any and all of you again, and I'll travel near or far to make it happen! This was a great wedding in a great city with great people, and I feel really, really fortunate that you shared it with me!

(So to recap--check out the gallery, invite me back sometime, and come back in the next couple days for part two!)

Something cool to look at

2009-09-10T12:25:00.003-04:00

Hey peeps! No pictures to show today, but I swear it's because I've been working my butt off on Phil and Mary Ann's wedding (which I'll be finishing up this weekend! Woo!)! Still, I didn't want to leave you totally hanging for entertainment, and so I thought I'd share this very cool link with you:

http://www.thetoyzone.com/2009/blog/10-awesome-images-that-are-actually-paintings/

Seriously, you will look at this and think these are all photographs, but they're actually PAINTINGS! It's beyond insane. And I actually had a professor in art school, pretty cool dude, who could do this sort of thing and it just blew your mind. And, you know, it's quasi photography-related. :)

Also, I found it through my favorite place to get news, http://www.fark.com/. I don't know what it is about this site, but it's got some of the wittiest people on the internet frequenting it. It's a news aggregate, which means they collect all kinds of news stories and post links to them. The FUN part is that all of the stories are submitted with funny/witty/clever headlines to spice things up. Billy especially loves it. If you check it out and think it's as funny as I do, let me know, and I'll tell you some of my favorite all-time headlines. :) Also, if you see a tag that says "Florida", it's because so much weird stuff happens in Florida that they thought it needed its own category, which I think is hilarious. :)

Alex, Umbrellas, and the Parking Garage

2009-09-07T23:01:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I SWEAR I narrowed it down as much as I could but the honest truth is that I ended up with 187 pictures of Alex that I posted to the gallery (here), and I could've easily put 187 up on the blog. But I figure at least one or two of you reading this have lives, so I TRIED to keep it to a minimum. Did I succeed? Well, it depends. If you mean did I succeed at keeping this blog short? No. But did I succeed at getting awesome pictures of a totally hot babe? Heck yes I did!

Alex and I tried basically all summer to get together and take pictures, and it kept raining. We finally just said screw it and went out one day after work and took pictures entirely in and on a parking garage. Seriously, we never left the garage, and I'm so impressed at the variety we came up with. Check it--

Love this, up to and including the car in the background. I saw a discussion on another photographer's Facebook page about how they don't like including modern cars in any of their pics because they feel like it dates them, but someone else pointed out how glad they were for all of the cars in their old family photos for exactly that reason, so I'm just totally embracing it. And also, isn't Alex GOOOORGEOUS? YES!

WHAT?!?! This picture is totally stunning and I can't get over it, but then I have to try because there are a ton in here just as beautiful. Alex was a fantastic model, no question about it--I feel like I should go try to sell these pics to a magazine like ... now.

SHUT UP! Do you see what I mean?!?! She was so good at expressing with her eyes, it was just incredible. A lot of people take awhile to warm up during a session, but these pictures with the umbrellas were the first set we took and she was already killing it!

Aaaahhh, she's so cute! And she had trouble not laughing at me because I'm so funny. :)

This just kills me. Definitely one of my faves. And I love how the rainbow umbrella turned out--I keep it in my trunk and I've been dying to bust it out.

My big secret is that even though she's 21, I'm TOTALLY going to pass Alex off as a senior. She's so youthful and vibrant that it isn't even a stretch. And it's pooooossible that I've got a new senior picture site launching soon ... at least that's the word on the street!

Okay, so here, we were in a stairwell with a big window, and I LOVE how these came out, and besides, how bad ass is a girl with a guitar? Do you know ANYONE who doesn't love a girl with a guitar? Thought so.

A little tuning action. I just liked the mood. And the wet pant legs. :)

This one was totally Alex's idea and I LOVED it and wanted to make sure everyone got the benefit of her art direction. :)

Oh, this is so great, and SO a look that I regularly get from Alex. And do you know, I didn't even know until that day that she played the guitar? I mean ... how did I MISS that?

I remember loving this even when it was in the camera because everything is in such clear focus, except for her hand, which is strumming and you can just tell is rocking it out. I'm always saying dumb things like, "Wouldn't it be cool if they made pictures that moved, or that had SOUND?" and Billy's like, "Ummmm ... it's called MOVIES." Don't you just hate it when he's right? But seriously, I think this picture is as close as a picture gets to moving and having sound without actually being a movie. :)

So fun and GORGEOUS. This one I also pictured as a magazine shot. Love it.

She just looked so fresh and cute here, and I thought this was a great, natural picture.

Alex has probably never even HEARD of M*A*S*H, but in the words of M*A*S*H*--HOT LIPS! I am soooo jealous. And also, don't try to strike up a conversation with me about M*A*S*H* because I always turned it off whenever it came on TV when I was a kid. All I know about it is that there were characters named Hot Lips and Hawkeye, but that won't stop me from exploiting what little knowledge I have when it benefits me. :)

OMG, I am DYING OF HOTNESS here. Seriously? HOT. Girl has some attitude (in the good way)!

At this point, I'm just like ... WOW. These are amazing. I am like, patting myself on the back, tooting my own horn, giving my own butt a "good game" pat ... you name it. Although, I should probably give a little shout out to my newly upgraded camera, the Canon 5D. It's totally rad.

Although, I will also say that the person BEHIND the camera may have a trick or two up her sleeve as well. :) Alex posted this picture as her Facebook profile pic, and she was immediately flooded with comments about how they thought it was Shakira at first. TOTALLY. And I love Shakira--me and Amy once got in a huge fight about Shakira and whether she got enough play (my vote was no, she does not get enough play). We were totally serious and didn't talk to each other for like fifteen minutes after that fight. MAJOR drama! (Yeah, we were like ... 24. Judge away.)

Alex happened to have a change of clothes in her car, which was somehow not at all shocking. A single girl's gotta be prepared! But I loved this--loved the light, loved the scene behind her, and like I said, she's great at being expressive and yet also really subtle. Step 1: Call Tyra Banks. Step 2: Collect finder's fee. Step 3: Live it up. :)

Beautiful. Worthy of hanging in a gallery somewhere. I LOVE this.

And finally ... wow. I LOVED this session. Seriously, Alex was an incredible subject and it was the perfect thing to get the creative juices flowing for me, what with the insane weather and being limited to the parking garage. Those forced creativity situations, while obviously not ideal for all the time, can be so fulfilling and challenging and I was glad we got to do it. AND I'll be glad when we get to go out and see the sun for our "real" session. :)

Thank you so much, Alex! You're such a good friend and I had so much fun!

Ashley & Kyle's WEDDING!!!

2009-09-01T09:57:00.012-04:00

Now, I think that we can all agree that I am not known for short blog posts, but I REALLY went all out on this one, so just do yourself a favor, take a pee break now, find a comfy place to sit, and grab a beverage, because we're going to be here awhile! :)

This is Ashley, who is just the cutest thing in the world, and SUCH a beautiful bride. As I think I mentioned in their sneak peek, I knew Kyle since we were kids (I'm like 99% sure he was at the birthday party where some of my brother's friends tried to microwave my cat--Gremlins gave them ideas--but he wasn't one of the offenders. Still, memories.), but I just met Ashley for the first time on the day of the wedding. By the end of the night (and especially by the end of the next morning when we did their After Party session), I felt like we'd been friends for years too!

I love this picture for a couple of reasons, the first being that Ashley's eyelashes look soooooo cool. I want fake eyelashes so bad I can hardly stand it, but I can barely apply my own mascara and I'm sure that the fake eyelashes would be WAY beyond my skill level. The second is that she looks so thoughtful, and I feel like that's a classic wedding day shot, although she definitely didn't seem nervous at all (to me, at least!) and was probably just concentrating really hard on her hair (which looked great!).

It kind of cracks me up when I "get caught", and someone gives me a very "gotcha!" look into the camera, just like Ashley's mom is doing here. But I LOVED this picture, and I think her mom is so cute too, so you can see she comes by it honest.

Just loved this. So pretty.

This little lounger was in a great spot next to a window (we were at the Ritz Charles in Carmel, Indiana, for anyone interested), and it was BEGGING for some pictures to be taken on it. This one was my favorite because it was just so full of life, but I know sometimes people don't like pictures of them talking, so I compromised ...

... and showed this one too! Also beautiful. :)

The girls were really excited about getting a picture of everyone getting ready together in the mirror, and with good reason because I loved how it came out. (And, confession, I was totally impressed with myself for getting a picture straight into the mirror without being in the picture myself! Ninja skills!)

One of the (many) cool things about Ashley and Kyle's wedding was that almost all of their vendors had a personal connection to them. One of Ashley's relatives (I want to say her grandma, but it could've been an aunt) did the flowers, and I was MADLY in love with these arrangements for the flower girls. I don't even know what you call them--I always just refer to them as flower balls. But I thought this one was so unusual because of the texture and dimension, and how it had flowers poking out of it. SO cool.

Oh, speaking of flower girls ... I LOVED this shot of Kirsten and her mom.

Bridesmaid Tracy getting the candles ready and checking the levels. And by the way, everyone, I'm probably totally butchering the spelling of your names but I'm sorry! My name is Sarah Brown and it's the easiest name in the world, and it has left me ill-prepared for name-spelling. :)

Ashley and Kyle decided to go for seeing each other before the wedding, which I love, both for time reasons and because I get to be so up close and personal when they see each other for the first time. :) The Ritz had a cute little courtyard right near the ballrooms, so me and Billy had like a secret ops mission to get them both there but without seeing each other until we were totally ready with our cameras.

Awww, they were both so excited!

The Look! You know how I love that! :)

Billy took this one! And I love it! Billy took some of my favorite shots at this wedding and this is one of them--love the composition and their faces. This one is for sure going in the album. :)

Ashley told me specifically in the weeks leading up to the wedding that she wanted some fun shots of the bridal party, and this was by far my favorite. I love how it looks like a party in a speakeasy going on all around them, and Ashley and Kyle are like the queen and the king ruling over the place. This is one of those shots where your bridal party can really make it or break it for you, and I think we can all 100% agree ... these guys MADE IT!

The "seeing her walk down the aisle" shot, which I never, ever, ever get tired of.

The Look AGAIN!

Awww, now this guy is Sid, the greatest ring bearer probably ever. Sid was a CHAMP. He was perfect during pictures, did whatever pose I asked him to do, kept smiling ... I loved him. And I loved this picture--he had just dropped the ring pillow and this is him turning around to give his family a sheepish grin. HEARTBREAKER! I'm calling it now. Give this kid another 8 to 10 years and he'll be a legend. Also, I didn't think I caught a picture of the actual drop, but if you look REALLY closely in the gallery at one of the wide shots, you can see it falling to the floor. It'll be like a little game if anyone wants to try to pick it out. :)

Aaaaahhhhhh! One of my favorite recessional pics of all time just because they both look SO HAPPY! Yay!

Billy took this one and I have no idea what's going on here, but I love it.

This is the other shot that Billy took that I am in LOVE with. I don't know if he got bubbles on his lens or if it was just how the light got through them, but I think it's so pretty and great. Mark that one for the album too! I'm going to have to call that album "Billy's Greatest Hits". (Get it?!?! See what I did there? Album like ... a record ... Yeeeaaaaah.) :)

This is Audrey, co-flower girl extraordinaire, and her little sister. Their mom really wanted a picture of the two of them together but they were not having it. I have no idea what magic wand I waved that got them to sit down for a few seconds, but it must have been some pretty powerful stuff, because check out the cuteness!

Okay, now this is the top of the cake. It was a gorgeous cake, with tiers and the little dots that you can see on their, and orchids kind of spiralling down the front (good LORD, I'm terrible at describing things ... which is why it's good that I stick to taking pictures). Anyway, right up until I edited this picture, I just assumed those were real flowers. When I got really up into this and got a closer look, I realized that I THINK THOSE ARE SUGAR FLOWERS. What?!?! Can anyone confirm or deny this? Because if they are, we need to sign you up for some Food Network Challenge because those are amazing!

Bling!

Sid and his buddy in the photo booth! I definitely wanted to show the photo booth for two reasons, the first one being that this is something that seems to really be gaining in popularity lately (probably because it's so fun and awesome), and the second one being that friends of mine from high school own this one! I'm totally embarassed, I don't have their card with me, but if anyone wants to leave a comment with the contact info, that would be awesome, or if anyone wants to rent it, let me know and I WILL put you in touch with them! It was really fun and everyone enjoyed it so much.

These two were TOO much, in the total good way. Kirsten is totally a little budding photographer, running around taking pictures all day and night of everything from people to the cake to herself, and Audrey is an assistant/art director waiting to happen. She was making sure I got shots of various people and events and telling me how people should be posed, and it was really funny. They're going to have to call me when they're grown up and looking for jobs ... I would totally hire them. :)

Ashley and her brother. :)

And Kyle and his brother! Isn't that funny? I didn't even plan it! But yes, this is Kyle's brother Craig, who I have known since he was a tiny little kid. I kept telling everyone that in my mind, Craig had never aged beyond about five or so, and even seeing him as an adult, I was like ... Craig shouldn't be doing a toast! Five-year-olds can't drink! But as it turns out, Craig is all grown up and he gave the sweetest toast ever. Awww, Craig--I like him!

Now this is a sweet little picture after the cake was all cut and eaten and whatnot, but don't let it fool you, because ...

... Ashley was a cake smasher! Which, really, I think is the way to go. I had to show this pic though because it reminded me that before Kyle headed back to his seat, he snagged another quick bite of cake. And that just made me laugh so hard, because it was such a Kyle thing to do. I was telling Ashley my favorite Kyle story at the wedding, which is that when we were kids, my brother's friends were in and out of the house a lot. My mom, like her mother and her mother before that, is pretty good at baking and always cooks enough food for a small army, so I think that's what made our house sort of a draw for the boys. Anyway, one day she made the most god-awful batch of chocolate chip cookies you've ever tasted in your LIFE, and if you think that's not possible, I can just assure you that it is when you leave out the SUGAR. The sugar! Yeah, I can't believe it either. So we're all like, "MOM, throw those cookies AWAY, they are an abomination of the Lord!" (or something like that, I may be paraphrasing ... but not by much), and she's all like, "No! That's wasteful! I'll just give them to Kyle! He'll eat anything!" And I swear to you, hand of God, even Kyle spit them out, and it was both hilarious and satisfying that they really WERE that bad. Kyle has always been just as lean as he is now, and MAN can he put away some food. It's really impressive and has to be seen to be believed. :)

This was Billy's first shot of the bouquet in the air and he was totally proud (and so was I!). :)

Now this is funny because Kyle unexpectedly had to do a little dance for the garter removal, and he really rocked it out--seriously, it was the topic of conversation for the night. My mom was sick and didn't make it to the wedding, but when we all got home that night, it was definitely what we devoted the most time to telling her about because it was just so funny. My other favorite thing about this pic is that you can see my dad and brother in the background (to the left), and they just look so much like THEM when they're entertained, and it made me laugh.

The first dance ...

... and the dance with Dad (and NO, that is not my thumb--I think it's someone's head, but the picture is just so good otherwise that I didn't think it was worth trashing it over) ...

... and the dance with Mom! Don't you always wonder what people are whispering to each other in photographs? I love it--it's like a little mystery. :)

And of course, the dollar dance! I'm not sure what made Craig dump all the money on the floor, maybe he got confused for a second and thought that we were in a rap video, but whatever the reason, I'm glad he did because it made for some sweet pics!

And here's Craig and Cindy goofing around with the photo booth props! Seriously you guys, FUN TIMES. If you're getting married, you've gotta get one.

Alright, so it's totally out of order, but this was like The Shot of the reception. Kyle dipped her right at the end of the first dance, and I had no idea it was coming, so I was just glad I was in such a sweet spot to get it! Man, I love these two--I'm so excited with how the pictures turned out!

And if you want to see ALL of the pictures, head on over to my Instaproofs site to check out the gallery! Online ordering is available, and there are about a zillion to choose from (thanks to the magic of Adobe Lightroom! Seriously--SO much quicker and more efficient, so I can give more pictures to the clients! Yay! Winwinwinwinwin!). And be sure to leave lots of comment love for Kyle and Ashley! That's one of the best parts of the blog is the sharing of the love. :)

Oh ... speaking of sharing the love! Yeah, I totally had to sneak in a picture of my dad and my brother. I told them if I didn't take one, Mom would kill me in my sleep. Like I said before, this is my first wedding I've done where my family was around and I wasn't sure how it would go, but it was actually really fun! I got to chat with them for a few seconds here and there, and then they got to see me work my butt off (and then work it back on later with some Hot Box breadsticks .... MMMMMMM), so all around good times!

Alright ... whew! This was a pretty intense blog post, so if you made it this far, you're AWESOME! We're not even close to finished with all the pictures yet to come so you're going to want to venture on back soon. :)

And remember, comments are the blogger's gold! Bring it!

Carson

2009-08-31T10:37:00.007-04:00

Awww, you guys ... get ready for some SERIOUS cuteness. Carson just turned one and he needed some pictures to commemorate the event with Mommy and Daddy. And he's just SUCH a doll. You're going to love him, so I won't keep you waiting. :)

It took Carson a little while to get used to me and I think that here, he might have been plotting his escape through the glass door. But I love how the sun lights up his little hand, and it reminded me that his dad kept commenting that he was doing the Austin Powers/Dr. Evil finger to the mouth. It was really funny. :)

And here is the beautiful family, and that's no exaggeration. They were SO sweet, and they have the cutest little boy, and a lovely home, and they're warm and fun and you can tell there's just so much love there. And now that I've said all of that really sweet and sincere stuff, I can also say ... I'm TOTALLY jealous of Angela's hair. OMG, it's gorgeous. How does she make it look so beautiful while chasing a one-year-old around? I'm SO impressed. :)

Awwww, I love this, probably because one of the things I remember best about my own childhood is that my dad would carry us to bed on his shoulders every night. My dad is a tall dude (about 6'2"), and we didn't have super high ceilings, so I must have been pretty little but it had to have been seriously awesome for me to still remember it so vividly. And hopefully Carson will have those memories too!

Awwww, aren't they all CUTE? And Carson looks like he's got the beginnings of a "rock out!" hand going on!

Mommy was SUPER good at getting Carson to laugh and be happy, and one of his favorite things was being held up in the air (and the other one being spun around). It was so cute to watch them play together. :)

Having a little rest on Mommy's shoulder ... seriously, are they not THE CUTEST? I just loved how much of the affection came through the pictures.

And another in color. Again, I've said it before, I LOVE having water nearby. I never really realized how much it adds to your life (and pictures).

Oh, this. THIS! This is an interlude to show you what the beach looked like where we were in Winnetka. GORGEOUS. I mean, it really and truly looked like this--no crazy Photoshop on my part, just sparkly blue water and a gorgeous little row of clouds. And it was completely quiet (although the bacteria levels that day might have contributed, although that would sort of ruin the illusion). :)

Loved this too--father and son, a beautiful day, coordinating shirts ... what's NOT to love?

And for the big finish, we put him on the swings! Which, obviously, he loved, and my favorite thing about this picture is that if you look to the left, you'll see just a little bit of Gene's face and see that that big huge smile is all for Daddy!

So cute! (I am such a broken record, but it doesn't stop it from being repeatedly true!) And look at those little teeth!

LOVE. He is SUCH a doll, and so happy. And I think he finally started to forget that I was there, which is always the goal when you're the photographer--you want people to look as natural and happy as if there WASN'T a huge lens pointed at their face. :)

And one last little shot of the happy fam all together at the park!

Seriously, this was such a nice way to spend a Saturday morning--like I said, they were really a great family to be around and it was a beautiful day, and I loved getting to capture how they interact. This was SUCH a quick shoot, probably only about an hour (because, let's face it, one-year-olds have better things to do, like play and eat and nap ... I wish I was a one-year-old!), but I was really proud of all the great shots we got, which is totally a testament to my wonderful subjects. Carson was so happy and obviously well-loved, and Gene and Angela were so welcoming and accommodating and sweet, and I know they'll have so many more happy years ahead of them!

Thank you so much for inviting me into your home and your lives for the morning! I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them! :)

Alex is kicking it off for us!

2009-08-31T09:57:00.005-04:00

Oooohhhh ... it's going to be a MAJOR couple of days here at the blog. We've got a sneak peek of Alex now, pictures of a kiddo coming up later today, and Ashley and Kyle's wedding tomorrow. And I've got all kinds of stuff that I'm working on behind the scenes, including Phil and Mary Ann's wedding, so be sure to come back often! :)

But for now, we can't keep Alex (and her mom) in much more suspense. They're SO excited to see these. And as you know, I have a strict policy of NOT showing the best pics in the sneak previews, because otherwise there's nothing exciting to come back for. So keep that in mind when you see this gorgeous photo--THERE ARE BETTER ONES. Isn't that crazy? But it's true.

Alex and I worked together in the first office I was in when I moved up to the Chicago area, and we still talk every day at work, usually via IM. She's part coworker that I vent to, part little sister, and totally fun. We've been talking about taking pictures of her since last winter, which is completely insane, and we've been trying to do it all summer, but the weather has just NOT been cooperating.

Since Alex and I worked together, I've transferred offices in my company (and am about to do it again), and Alex took a position as a floater, so one day she was out at my office and I brought my camera, and we were determined to make something happen, so we spent an hour or two just running around the parking garage, taking pictures and playing around. And they're AWESOME. I was looking over them and I commented to Billy, this is just going to be too easy. I can't WAIT for you to see what else we got.

Full swing!

2009-08-18T11:01:00.006-04:00

Oh, MAN you guys this is the greatest sneak peek post in the history of the world. I have FOUR things coming at you, and they're all from the past ten days or so, and I combined them into one great superpost! (Superpost, totally a word.) I know you can't handle any more suspense and I don't want to be cruel, so here we go!

First up, Kyle and Ashley! Kyle and his family are long time family friends of ours, so prepare for stories from childhood as well as a picture of my dad and brother, who were in attendance (my mom was sick, which made her sad), and Ashley is the cutest in the world, so we had all kinds of fun, and she encouraged fun picture taking, which I love. :)

Next up ... Kyle and Ashley! Yeah, that's right. :) Since they're in Indianapolis, we didn't get a chance to get together for engagement pictures, so instead we went out the next morning for the after party. Kyle still had his tux, which was good, but they were leaving for their honeymoon in the afternoon, which was hectic, so we did the entire shoot in an hour. It was AMAZINGLY quick, but we got so much good stuff and I can't wait to show it.

This is the incomparably beautiful Janina, who googled around until she found me for her senior pictures. I can't BELIEVE how gorgeous the pictures are, and I can't wait to get them all done and share them. They're really incredible, some of my proudest work yet. You're going to love them.

And then Phil and Mary Ann, who you remember from their stunning engagement photos around Chicago (and trust me, it was ALL in the subject matter!), got hitched at the Chicago Mariott over the weekend, which just blew my mind with how beautiful it was. This was a great wedding, and I am in love with and future facebook friends with their entire wedding party. :) Also, I got a new favorite ring shot at this one, and it's amazing, and I mean AH. MAZE. ZING. I wasn't even tempted to share it with you, because it's so incredible that I need to just tell you about it first (tease you, if you will) and then have you come back for more when I do the full blog post. :)

I'm going to be taking pictures of a one-year-old tomorrow evening in preparation for his birthday party, so if you like the kid pics, that's coming too!

You guys, I am loving August. I've been SO busy, and it's so hot, and it finally feels like summer. I took a week off at the day job and traveled the land (seriously, it felt like it--I am so sick of the inside of my car and it is a PIT right now), mostly taking pictures but also having major fun, which I also took pictures of! It'll probably be awhile till we see those, though, since I have work to do. :)

Speaking of, my photographer friends will be SO proud to learn that I'm finally attempting Lightroom. I really felt last year that I was too busy to take the time to figure it out and learn it, but I think it's just going to be necessary to accomplish anything in a timely way. I went out and bought a Lightroom For Dummies book last night (because that's me if I've ever heard it), and then went home and promptly bought the wrong version of Lightroom to go with it. I should have that part at least figured out by tonight, but I did get a good amount of reading done and I'm anxious to get started. What this should mean for clients is that they get pictures FASTER! Woo! Who doesn't love faster? So I'm really optimistic that this is going to be an awesome thing to learn and use, and good for all of us! :)

On a happy, exciting note, my day job is transferring me into the city (at my request). I'm SO excited. Billy is getting ready to start his internship at the VA hospital and we're apartment hunting in Oak Park this weekend, and we're really excited about it. We'll be closer to the city, have shorter commutes, be on a CTA line, etc. etc. etc. Really, we're very much urbanites at heart and we've missed a lot of the conveniences of city living, so this is a really welcome change, and it's going to be GREAT.

September is going to be a busy month--I've already got a lot scheduled, and we'll be getting packed and moved. I do have some time open in my schedule though, so if anyone is wanting to schedule a session (I know September is a great month for senior pictures especially!), please let me know as soon as you can!

Alright, I think that's about it on the combined sneak peek/housekeeping post for today. If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with me. :) Things are going well here, and there's plenty of good stuff coming up, so be sure to come back for more!

Who's that hot piece?

2009-08-07T11:20:00.007-04:00

Oh yeah, that's right, it's me! Billy took this nice shot of me and Flash while we were at the dog beach, and it was actually kind of a revelation because I saw a picture of myself where I didn't cry or launch into a pit of despair and self-loathing. I've lost around 15 pounds, which is pretty major, and most of it is from switching to diet sodas*, which as everyone who knows me knows, is a MAJOR sacrifice**. So right now, I'm happy enough with how I look--I'm not interested in working out, and I actually don't eat too bad as is, and I'm still losing weight, just at a MUCH slower pace, so I'm not stressing about it or really putting much effort in right now, and it's nice to feel so good again! Billy is allowed to take my picture all the time now.

And do you not love my bangs in that picture? Seriously! Bangs were like, the greatest idea ever. (I can't wait to go back and read that statement in 15 years and be like, girl, what were you thinking?!?!)

Also, I like how I'm simultaneously a tiny bit chubby but also still a lot bit gangly/awkward. Hahahaha! I have the funniest body of all time. :) I like to tell people I'm built like Tweedle Dee (and thus set them up for the Tweedle Dum joke).

You know, there was actually a point to blogging today, besides just analyzing my weird body and weight loss methods, and reminding all of us that yes, I took Flashy to the dog beach and no, I still haven't edited the pictures. And that point was to tell you that I am going to be CRAZY busy for the next ten days, and I just apologize right now. E-mailing will take me a little while longer than normal, and if you place print orders, they'll be a little slow as well.

But you guys, there is SO much to look forward to this week, which will translate to things for you to look forward to on the blog. The next ten days hold for me: Kyle and Ashley's wedding! Kyle and the gang are family friends, so my entire family will be there watching me work, which is a first! You know I'm going to have to swat my mom away while she tells me how cute I look taking pictures. Maybe I can convince my dad to get her one of those bungee leashes they put on kids so he can keep it under control. And then the next day, we're going to do Kyle and Ashley's day after session the next morning before the hit the road for their honeymoon, and I am BEYOND excited about that. I haven't done one yet with a groom in his tux!

I'm taking a week off of work, which is awesome but it's going to be the most whirlwind vacation of all time. Me and Billy are going to go down to Evansville for a couple days to visit his fam and to take them some Garrett popcorn (seriously, it's like the easiest way in the world to be the most popular couple in town, and we are exploiting it for all it's worth), and then we're venturing back up to Indy to hang out, do the drive-in (they're showing Orphan, YAY!--we used our passes for Funny People instead, but it works out since I looooooooooooove horror movies at the drive-in!), hit the State Fair, and then coming back to Chicago for a senior portrait session on Friday, the wedding of the gorgeous/funny/fun/smart/sweet Mary Ann & Phil on Saturday, and then one-year-old pics on Sunday, followed by Sunday Funday! Whew!

All I can say is that I'll sleep when I'm dead. :) But I'm SO excited, I cannot wait. And there'll be plenty of blog excitement to keep you all entertained. YAY!

*(and some additional help from http://www.thedailyplate.com/, which I highly recommend and props to Mindy Cooper for introducing me to it).

**The only reason I think that this is still going on is because of Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet A&W Cream Soda. Otherwise, the only variety I would have is Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. Well done, my friends at DP and A&W. I would pour one out for you, but I am too busy drinking it and too selfish to give it up. :)

You're out of your element, Donny.

2009-07-30T10:10:00.006-04:00

So it was really hard to come up with a Big Lebowski title that didn't involve outright cussin'! Because while I enjoy the dirty words and have myself been known on occasion to swear like a filthy, filthy sailor (it's really fun, you should try it), I do try to keep the blog at a certain level of dignity. I probably ought to just start a different blog where I can be as crass and foul as I want, but I totally digress.

Me and Billy went into the city on Saturday evening with the intention of going to Venetian Night, which is apparently some sort of boat parade where they light up their boats ... I don't know, I'm not doing it justice, but it sounded cool, okay? And also, can I just say how much I love living by a lake? I think that anywhere we live in the future will have to involve water because it's a whole different world. And I like that world.

GOOD LORD, I am the tangent queen today. My high school chemistry teacher would start drawing this wandering line whenever someone went off on a tangent or derailed the class, and he called it a bunny trail. I've been on a few bunny trails already in this post, and now I'm doing it again.

Anyway, Amy thought it might already be crowded and blah blah some other stuff, we decided not to go. But Billy and I did not drag ourselves and our dog into the city from the depths of suburban hell just to sit on the couch, so an alternate plan was formed, and we decided to go bowling. Timber Lanes was described on its website as a place that The Dude would be proud to bowl, and more importantly, it was right around the corner and about half the price of anywhere else, so it was a no-brainer.

First things first, I LOVE BOWLING SHOES. And the older and crappier they are, the more I love them. I like their slick bottoms and their two tones and how they make your feet look. Definitely one of the greatest things about bowling, if you ask me.

On the flip side, keeping score. None of us really knew how, but Amy was brave enough to give it a shot. And now let me just say here that I am a TERRIBLE bowler. I'm not even that good at Wii Bowling, but in real life, it's like ... wow, how can someone be so bad at it? I think my high bowling score in my life is somewhere in the 50's.

Until this fateful night! I was on a roll! It was all spares and strikes and puppies and rainbows! I couldn't believe it, and it was so funny because Billy and Amy have been bowling with me before and know how abnormal this is. Amy totally screwed me on the scoring though (not her fault, really, but I'm blaming her anyway), so I have no idea what my actual score was. But it's enough for me to know how awesome I did. :)

I obviously had to get a shot of the bowling balls, because like the shoes, they're the best thing about bowling. (There can be two bests, like having two best friends or two best ice cream flavors--why limit yourself?)

The only thing was, I couldn't decide if I liked the closer version or the wider version of the pic, so I decided to take it to the blog for input. Which do you guys like better?

Here is Billy bowling! And seriously, will you look at that form? He makes it look so good. He took a picture of me bowling, and I make it look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. You should see it--I just kind of hurl myself toward the lane, bend over in half, and fling the ball in the most awkward way you've ever seen--it's definitely not an underhanded roll, but I don't know how to describe it better than that. Walter, Donny, The Dude, Jesus, Smokey ... they'd all be horrified at my form. :)

So the Hunchback picture didn't turn out, but this one kind of did--any guesses about how many pins I knocked over? Also, Billy took my camera a couple times this weekend and took pics of me, including one at the dog beach that I really liked (unlike this one, where I look a little crazy--but still, it had to be shared).

A little shot of the bar, just to give you more of an idea of the ambience.

I was going for that moment when the ball hits the pins and I was a little early on the shutter, but I still REALLY liked this picture, and especially in black and white it just looks so dramatic, and you KNOW what's coming. Also, I really like the noise of bowling. So that's shoes, balls, and noise, for anyone keeping score (which we all know is the hardest/worst part). End of review, be sure to eat breakfast before the test.

Oh, there's the shot I was going for! I was right on time, it's tricky! (Anybody?)

Now at this point, I had to pack up the camera. I had a beer when we got there, and not one of those crazy triple whatever beers, but we're talking like a Coors Light, okay? And I've told you all that I'm SUCH a lightweight and it is not a joke--I drank that beer pretty fast because it was so hot in there and I was starting to feel a little happy (which is probably also why I was bowling so well, although I can tell you right now that that's a bell curve), so I went ahead and got a second one. Well, when you're me and you drink that fast, it means that it keeps hitting you for awhile after you finish the beer, and about a beer and a half in, I realized whoa, I'm pretty drunk. And that's when I had to pack up my camera, because I can't drink and shoot at the same time. And also, that's why I love all my clients so much but if you offer me a drink at your wedding, I'll always have to turn you down because it's not like the whole "drinking in moderation" thing works when one beer does you in. And also because wearing a lampshade and dancing on a table might be funny, but probably not at someone's wedding. That you are being paid to photograph and capture memories for a lifetime.

Beer and a half not withstanding, we had no idea that they were going to go cosmic, and Daniel had worn all white and that was just TOO priceless to pass up. I love this picture.

Since I had the camera out anyway, I figured I might as well go ahead and take a picture of the cosmic pins falling, but once I got one, I packed it up packed it in and called it a day.

You guys are really just getting all of my adventures one at a time, instead of the marathon blog posts I usually do, but I'm sort of enjoying this instant gratification of sharing thing. I still have Flashy's dog beach pictures to work on, but I don't know if I'm going to get to it right away because tonight I'm trying to convince Billy to use our free Hollywood passes on The Orphan (MAN, I love a good horror movie), and tomorrow we're heading down to Holiday World in southern Indiana to meet our friends Carrie and Jeff, and this will be the last weekend before the true insanity of August is unleashed--two weddings, a bridal session, a senior, and a portrait session all in a two week period. Craziness! I can't wait!

So full of "et cetera".

2009-07-29T10:25:00.006-04:00

This post is so full of "et cetera" that I'm having a hard time coming up with a name for it, so I've put that part off till the end to see if I come up with anything awesome. Otherwise, I'll just stick to something vague and lame. :)

Anyway, these pictures are from two weekends ago when Billy's parents came to visit. On the first day, I was frustrated because I couldn't find the body cap for my camera and it looked like it was going to rain, and I didn't want to be lugging some big heavy beast of a wet camera around, so I just said eff it and took my point and shoot. I was totally mad at myself for a second because the weather cleared up and there were some really beautiful scenes, but then I got over it because Murphy's Law dictates that if I had in fact went ahead and brought my camera, it would've rained, and besides, at least I remembered my point and shoot, right?!?!

So anyway, we headed out to Navy Pier and it was gorgeous, and when we got there, I realized that the end of the pier was open. I could NOT believe it--that hasn't happened one single time that I've ever been there, because it's always closed off for weddings and events. So I'm all in disbelief that this is even HAPPENING, so I'm like motoring it to get down there before someone changes their mind and throws a huge quinceanera or something RIGHT AT THAT VERY MOMENT, because you know, that could happen. But I got there and it was real and it was magnificent. (Anyone catch the reference?)

So I wondered what I would see when I went around to the other side of the end of the pier, the side I've never been on, and I was SO not prepared for the gorgeousness. Not even close.

WILL YOU GET A LOAD OF THAT? The view was totally majestic, with the skyline and the Hancock right there, and the sun peeking out from behind it, and the clouds, and the WATER! I was so excited, and I'm just glad I had a camera at all.

On the slightly down side, I shoot entirely in RAW on my big camera and I've gotten used to editing as such, and the P&S shoots in jpeg, and I'm not going to lie, the editing was a little bit challenging. But I also had a really good time with it, using layers and layer masks and curves and all that fun stuff. I don't know that I'm entirely done tweaking this one, but I do think it'll eventually go on my wall, probably with my Indianapolis skyline. :) I'm going to have to start a wall with all the skylines of the places I've lived. And I bet you all can't wait for that glorious Plainfield, Indiana skyline. Or that stunning Muncie, Indiana skyline. Don't forget to breathe, people.

It was such a beautiful day and so the boats were out in full force. Like I said, I was playing around in actual Photoshop, just experimenting, and this is how this picture turned out. I have no idea how this picture actually ended up coming to look like this, although I have a suspicion that it was by adjusting the blue and green curves. Anyway, it obviously doesn't look anything like reality and it doesn't even look like anything I normally do, but it kind of grabbed me and I let it be. I like how it looks like an illustration almost, or a rendering, and it's good to branch out sometimes. :)

And here's a black and white of the same basic scene, and I have two things to say about that. First of all, I think my grandpa would have really liked this picture and I probably would've made him a print. He liked transportation about as much as I do (and probably more, in the case of trains), and sometimes I see pictures I've done and think about him. And secondly, this boat was moving SERIOUSLY fast. Billy pointed out to me when it was coming in to dock (or whatever--you guys KNOW I suck at the boat lingo), so I had to almost run (not my favorite thing) to catch a few shots, but it was so worth it. I loved how this came out. I think it's a pretty well known fact that I started photography on black and white film in a darkroom (and I swear, it was 2006, not 1925 or something), and working on this picture kind of took me back to it with all the dodging and burning I was doing. Maybe I should've turned all the lights off and set up some tubs with chemicals around me for the full effect, but I probably lost enough brain cells in the real darkroom as it is, so perhaps not.

Okay, so here we are at the horse track (Arlington Park, for anyone who is interested), and I had my big camera back with me--better for close ups, obviously. I had another version of this picture where the horse was actually looking right at the camera, but I didn't like it as well--I like how the horse and the jockey are just kind of one unit here, facing the same way.

And can I just tell you all, I did awesome at the horse track? I just make little two dollar bets since I'm not much of a gambler and I don't consider myself all that lucky anyway, but the horse track really treated me right. In fact, this race that I photographed is the only one that I DIDN'T win anything on, a fact that was making Billy's dad a little insane because he was making informed and knowledgeable bets, and I was picking the names that I liked (i.e. Drinks to Go, which is obvious to anyone who knows me at all, since I love a good gas station beverage, Hong Kong Superstar, since it reminded me of Billy's Hong Kong Phooey pajama pants, Hug It Out because of Entourage, etc.). It really cracks me up to beat Big Bill at stuff he knows more about, such as horse racing and also such as music trivia at BW3's, since he has a very deep knowledge of music. However, I have a very wide and shallow knowledge of music, and that comes more in handy for trivia. And he gets super pissed. It's awesome.

And finally, this one. It's my favorite of the horse pics. I love it, love the action, love the dirt being kicked up, and love how pretty the horses look. Sigh. Makes me happy.

I'm working on another set of pictures (from this last weekend), so we might actually get a bonus blog post in this week! It's a fun one, with the bowling and dog beach and lake action that I mentioned in the last post. And then we're gearing up for a MAJOR August! Stick with me, peeps!

Photojojo

2009-07-27T12:44:00.003-04:00

So, I started my day as I do with Google Reader (which OMG, if you love reading blogs, and hello, you're here!, then you should SO be using this thing), and there was a post from Photojojo that I found pretty cute and useful and wanted to share. (Click me!)

In case you're like me and get annoyed when you click through to things you don't really want to read, let me cut and paste for you the opening lines, which sold me:

"So, you want to start a photo business…

Excellent! Will it be a mad whirl of fame, fortune and glitterati?

Or will it be a money-suckin’, nail-bitin’, cuss-mutterin’ festival of frustration?"

Ha! I love Photojojo--it's a great site and they have some fun little projects you can do with your pictures, which is fun for a crafty-type like myself. Plus, I just thought this was such a good, timely post because I know a lot of people who are thinking of getting into photography--the cost of digital cameras has come down, especially at the beginner level, and I think that the economy has people considering ways to make a little extra money. I obviously enjoy my photography business, but it most definitely is not easy, and I thought this post did an awesome job of showing a balanced view of positives and negatives.

No pictures this time, just a little link sharing, but I had an AWESOME weekend and I took a ton of photos! We saw Harry Potter at the Hollywood Boulevard on Friday, which you Indianapolis folk will know as the Chicagoland counterpart of the now (sadly) out-of-business Hollywood Bar and Filmworks, and we did like it, although it was highly condensed and probably would've been hard to follow if we hadn't read the book. On Saturday, we went to Target and had Rock Bottom for lunch, and then headed to the city to hang out with Amy and Daniel--we went bowling (pics of that!) and watched True Blood. And on Sunday, our friend Tony came in and made us breakfast (no pics, unfortunately), and then we took Flashy to the dog park and went to the lakefront (pics of both!). We had some Dairy Queen and later some Mexican food and watched yet more True Blood. Seriously, Sundays in the city are becoming about my favorite thing in the world--if only I'd remembered my swimsuit! So start getting excited--I should have those up in just a couple days! Woo!

Random Chi-Town

2009-07-21T11:17:00.003-04:00

You know, I've gotten to take so many fun pictures this year that I actually had forgotten to edit and post these until the other night when Amy reminded me about them. We ran around having a totally boss (my new fave word) time in the city before doing Phil and Mary Ann's totally hot engagement shoot, and can I just say again that it's been sort of nice to have a lazy summer? I'm looking forward to my busy August coming up, but this has been really fun, just doing all kinds of fun stuff and taking pictures. I like it!

I rode the train into the city, which I still really love doing. I guess it's still novel, or maybe I just really like the train. I hate driving, and I like being able to do something else while I travel, like read or play with the internet on my phone (phoneternet, as me and Billy like to call it), or space out. Plus, the craziest crazies I've seen in this city ride the Metra, so that's always a good time. I won't say I never get annoyed (ask me about my annoying train stories sometime, I promise at least one that you'll love), but I even kind of like getting annoyed because it makes such a funny story later. Kind of the story of my life, actually. :)

It always kind of boggles my mind, getting off the train, how many people there are. There are people as far as you can see, which this picture doesn't really do justice, but I liked it anyway. I like the "The Future Is Here" sign, and the kids under it, and the Jonah Hill-lookin' dude, and just kind of the busy-ness of it all (as opposed to "the business", which is not the word I'm going for--creative spelling is my friend).

This was so interesting, and weird. It was hot as a mofo that day, and I feel like you can sometimes more easily identify the genuinely crazy homeless people by how bundled up they are in the summer. Anyway, I just took a quick picture of her and she didn't see me, and I didn't really see her face. But I was so fascinated by what a good painter she was. I just wonder what the story is here ... I have no idea but the possibilities are endless.

We made our way over to Navy Pier and part of the reason was because I wanted to take pictures of the rides. I liked this one. And I really want to go on these someday. And also at Holiday World, which I'm going to in a couple weeks. Yay! I love that place. Anyway, Navy Pier was awesome that day because everyone was down at the Taste of Chicago, so it was super uncrowded and pleasant. Also, I didn't take pictures at the time because I didn't know if I could (I now think you can), but there is also a really huge stained glass museum inside that is VERY cool. And free. I totally recommend it to anyone. It's got a great Tiffany collection and some windows taken from houses in the Chicago area. Super awesome, and props to Amy for introducing me to it.

I love birds. I don't really know why, I just think they're really pretty and at one point, Billy was pointing out how many t-shirts I had with birds on them. You know how t-shirts are, they come and go, so I don't know if I still have that many bird ones, but I'm always on the lookout because the bird shirts, they are awesome. But anyway, I loved this little bird and this little picture--I thought the colors were really pretty and I was down with the composition, and it made me happy. And that's the whole point of pictures!

Hahahaha! This totally cracks me up. This sea gull was ridiculous. It kept walking around squawking and it sounded like a baby crying, and of course it wasn't afraid of people, so it let me take like a zillion shots of it until I finally got one of it facing me with its mouth wide open. So now that I have it, I'm thinking about putting a caption on it (a la http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/ or http://www.failblog.org/, two of my favorite websites) and turning it into an internet meme. So far, my favorite idea is "O no you di'n't", but I am currently accepting other submissions. Ideas, anyone?

This was just a random shot from some bridge, but I liked it. I've got a secret craft project on the way involving my pictures (probably in the fall/winter when I'm more homebound and cabin-fevery), and I think this might lend itself to that. I guess you'll find out later, right?!?!

Now, I really love this picture and I love all the boats. Boats, trains, old cars ... maybe I'm just into transportation as a subject, but anyway, that is SO not the point I was setting out to make. I cleaned this picture all up so you can't see it, but this is the picture that made me realize that my sensor was FILTHY. It had dust and fuzzies and crap all over it. I mean, it's not a HUGE deal and you can still Photoshop it out (which I did, and on Phil and Mary Ann's pictures too), but it's just one more step and more time that you take doing something tedious instead of focusing on the actual photo. So the next weekend, I took it down to Indianapolis and had them clean it at Robert's. You guys, I cannot give this place enough love and I know there are occasionally newbies or hobbyists who read my blog, and so if you don't already know, I recommend them for everything. I've bought most of my equipment from them, gotten stuff cleaned there ($35, EASILY worth it), rented equipment, asked questions, taken a lighting class ... this place is BOMB. And if you're noticing little dots showing up on your pictures in the same place every time, regardless of which lens you're using, you could probably use a sensor cleaning too. It makes a huge difference.

Amy spotted this funny little tug boat called The Commissioner, which we thought was too cute for words. It got a call and left to go pick someone up while we were watching, so we got to watch it go, too. What do you call it when boats go? I always just call it sailing, but that probably only applies to sailboats ... right? You guys, I swear I'm not dumb, but I grew up in a landlocked state, okay? Give a girl a break.

LOCKERS! Can you believe it? I love lockers, and if I could have one right now I totally would. And then I'd shove a nerd into it! (Kidding--everyone knows nerds are my fave, AND that it takes one to know one.) But seriously, lockers remind me of high school, Saved by the Bell, and every awesome John Hughes movie ever made. In fact, given my love for numbers 2 and 3 on that list, it really is a wonder that I never slammed a locker door shut and ran away crying. How awesome would THAT have been?

Okay, up next, Billy's parents visited last weekend and we did some totally fun stuff, which I will keep you in suspense about for now, but I got a couple of really good pictures that I think you'll be excited with me about. People get ready (one love)! (Bob Marley shout out, what!)

The Drive-In ... Take One.

2009-07-14T09:47:00.004-04:00

Okay, I'm just going to super disclaimer the heck out of this post because I DO use my blog to show my work to potential clients. This isn't the usual--there's a couple of "weird" pics on here because I was feeling like I needed a creative outlet last night so I busted these out to work on them. If you're a first time blog visitor (hi!) and want to see the hottest hotness on the face of the planet, skip down to the next post and you won't be disappointed, I PROMISE.

End of disclaimer!

Alright, so everyone knows how much I love the drive-in, and so far, the Tibbs Drive-In in Indianapolis is BY FAR the greatest one in the universe. They have four screens, you can watch three movies, they have a great variety, the food is awesome and CHEAP, and we can bring Flash. So I decided when we were in Indy that I would take some pictures when we went. (By the way, we saw Public Enemies and Year One, both of which get a resounding "meh" from me.) But I don't know, I just never really got that into it so I didn't take that many, and the place REALLY cleared out after the second movie, which was when I started taking some, so it just wasn't really doing it for me. Plus, I seriously needed to break out my tripod to get the kind of clear, properly exposed pictures that I was going for. So, next time!

But this time, I still ended up with some I was pretty into, much to my surprise. They're not all "normal" by a long shot, but I liked them anyway and everything doesn't have to be perfect all the time. Life's not like that and neither is photography, and I can embrace it.

These are the poles that you park at (or, if you're Flash, these are the poles that you sniff and pee on). The radios would've been on there years ago, but the audio comes through your car radio for as long as I've been going, and sure, the ripped out wiring may not be the prettiest thing in the world, but I think it adds a certain je ne se quois (or however you spell that).

Interestingly, this ended up being my favorite picture of the bunch. I feel like it really says something about the drive-in, although I don't know what--maybe something about the crowd, or about how long it's been around, maybe it's in the gravel, I don't know, but whatever it is seems appropriate and I could see this on my wall.

I think that the graffiti on the wall is a new thing this year, or at least I don't remember it from last year, but I thought it was nice that it at least said the name of the drive-in in readable letters. The only graffiti that I really can't handle is tagging. Seems like a waste of paint.

I'm not sure what the "Indianapolis will miss you" is all about, since as far as I know, the Tibbs isn't closing. There was nothing on the internet (the be-all, end-all of information), and besides, they just bought a new sign and who would do that if they were that hard up for money? So I'm pretty sure we're safe.

I BELIEVE that this is some light coming through the fence slats on my way out, and I was surprised by how much I liked this. There's not much to it, but I'm always such a "more is more" type of person that minimalism is pretty novel to me. :)

This is a shot of the new sign on the way out, and it was DARK. I lightened it way up in RAW, but it came out with this weird, grainy, sort of otherworldly look and I kind of loved it. And this one probably more than any of the other ones made me more determined to bust out the tripod next time. I love the drive-in and I need more pictures of it.

I don't know what I'm going to take pictures of next! I have some down time before my next wedding, and then things will get a little crazy (in the good way!), but it would be nice to get in some fun stuff before that. I'm sure I'll think of something and keep you posted! :)

Phil & Mary Ann in Chicago!

2009-07-07T10:18:00.010-04:00

By far, the hardest thing about blogging is narrowing down the pictures. And when you have Phil and Mary Ann looking like freaking supermodels in every picture, they are certainly not making it any easier. But it's a good problem to have, and even Chicago showed up to grace us with its gorgeousness. Can I get a woo?

Billy had class the day I did this shoot, so I went into town by myself and hung out with Amy all day, taking pictures and wandering around. We seriously walked like a zillion miles, but that is totally irrelevant to this post. I'm just really impressed with myself. Anyway, Amy stayed with me during the shoot as my assistant, and you know? She was amazing at it. She carried my bags, held onto shoes and purses and earrings, kept us hydrated, and made hilarious jokes. And she had the best assistant skill of all--she was totally attentive. Amy, I would hire you again any time, and I think we're an awesome team. :)

Now, on with the hotness, shall we?!?!

Obviously, if you're going to be doing engagement pictures in Chicago and you're meeting at the Bean, you've gotta take pictures with it! There are always tons of people around it, but it relatively cleared out for a few seconds so we could get this shot. And again, I know it's not for everyone, but the red tone was totally my favorite. And I love her shoes.

And since we were already at Millennium Park ... ! I don't have any idea what this little area is called but if you live around here, you probably recognize it. It's where the stage is, and there are always people lounging on the lawn and playing frisbee and soccer and so forth. And you know, when Amy and I were on our marathon walk that day, I kept thinking about how many people there were just lounging around, and how European I felt the whole thing was. I wanted to take a lounging picture and here it is, and thanks to my gorgeous subjects (doesn't THAT sound royal?), it's even better than I had imagined.

From Millennium Park, we hopped in a taxi over to the museum campus(es?) near the Shedd and the Field Museum. This was all Phil and Mary Ann's idea, and it was a great one. We hopped out of the cab and saw this weird little round sculpture that you could get in and had a little fun with that. And you know what? I'm just going to say it. I love these two people's faces. It might sound weird, but I do and I don't care who knows it.

This is SO CUTE. I love it.

This is Phil's supermodel picture. Easy. And don't get me wrong, Mary Ann looks amazing here too, but Phil is like Mr. GQ. Mary Ann claims that he's always striking poses, and all I can say is, keep it up! Their wedding pictures are going to be outrageously gorgeous and I can't even wait.

I loved this so much, because it was such a genuine moment. And Mary Ann has the cutest smile in the world. And also, this was one of my favorite Amy moments, because what they're looking at/laughing at is her getting all girly and crazy in the background. We're just going along, and I'm snapping pictures and Phil and Mary Ann are chatting and looking hot, and all of a sudden, I hear this excited voice in the background going, "TWEAK HIS CHIN AGAIN! THAT WAS SO CUTE!" And it was so funny and for me, surprising. Billy is, obviously, not a girl, and Jessie, who is my go-to alternate assistant is pretty quiet (though hilarious), so having some crazy girl behind me squealing like we were watching The Notebook was hysterical and refreshing and fun. Plus, it was kind of fun for me that Phil and Mary Ann got to experience one of my closest friends in the world and the insanity that she brings.

But, like all good professionals, they got right back into romance mode. I've realized that I really like face touching, and I think it's very romantic and intimate. I've had people slap me on the butt and not given it a second thought, and if that same person had touched my face it would've been completely weird, and so I think it's kind of special. As a sidenote, when Flash gets up on Billy and tries to lick the inside of his mouth, he sometimes puts his paw all tender and lovingly on Billy's face, making it extra funny.

WOW, there was a lot of weirdness in that last paragraph. But life in general and my life in particular is full of weird, so I'm going to let it stand.

A lot of times when I'm doing sessions with people, I'll stop in the middle and take random shots. I've learned to just embrace this and not feel awkward about it, because it just means that the creative juices are flowing and everything is looking extra beautiful, and that means the shoot is going well. Plus, these are things that were also going on at that moment, which I think is cool. This is a shot toward Navy Pier from the museum campus, not long before dark, and I love the boats and bird.

This one, again, was just so sincere. I don't know what they were laughing at by this point because we were all just having such a good time, and I love that. I'll say it again: I cannot wait for their wedding. It is going to be awesome.

Phil and Mary Ann, by now, you both know that I think that you're completely beautiful, and this picture is no exception. But I have to take a moment to say something to someone else.

Dear Chicago Skyline,

Now that I know where to find you, you are mine. I own you. You are magnificent and I will be back for more.

Love, Sarah

Seriously, I was working on these pictures and I kept thinking that they couldn't get any more amazing, and they just did--over and over. Beautiful.

I loved this too. Wow. We were walking over to a little beach near the museums, and this ledge was the perfect height. Also, I think this may be the stop where Amy delcared that "this will be the picture they screen print on a pillow". I might be messing that up a little bit, but not by much. And all I'm saying is, if you think I'M crazy ...

We did make it to the beach, and this was one of the many cute pictures of the happy couple, but get ready, because my favorite one of the entire session is next.

Are you ready?

Okay, deep breath ...

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! There are no words.

Whew! Have we all recovered? Okay then!

It started to rain and it was getting late, but we found a bus really close by and as Amy pointed out (because she is one of my biggest fans), I do sort of LOVE pictures on public transportation! And I really liked this one, including the pole running through the middle of it. And the black and white just really suited the mood.

And let me tell you, I don't think you can see it on their faces here, but we were all SO happy to be sitting down. Phil and Mary Ann were troopers--Mary Ann in her high heels and Phil with a hole in his shoe, and we did do an awful lot of walking. They probably would've gone on as long as my slave-driving ways kept up, but it did eventually get dark and rainy enough that we were forced to call it a night. And it's probably a good thing--I was totally that kid who would read under the covers with a flashlight way past my bedtime, and it carries over into my photography sometimes. :)

BUT ...

We didn't call it before this awesomeness happened!

I love this shot. Billy was watching me process this one and he didn't love the color, but I like it. It WAS really yellow, and cooling it off makes it look less "nighttime", which I wanted. There's a black and white version too, but this one was my fave.

And you know, getting this shot took some doing. The rain was really starting up at that point, and people were scrambling to get under any cover that they could. We were under one of those sidewalk walkway things that they build up during construction projects, right near a corner. So every time the light changed, a flood of people came through, and we'd have to squish up and make ourselves tiny to let them through, and then frantically assume the position again to snap a few frames.

But this was PERFECT. Amy told me when she saw this one in the camera that it was totally worth getting in the way of pedestrians to get it, and that's high praise from her, since she is very high strung and that's the kind of thing that might stress her out. But I am really used to being in the way, and also to being patient with crowds, because it's just one of the hazards of shooting in public, and I think totally worth it--I wouldn't trade it in for a Wal-Mart portrait studio ever. :)

These are two amazing people, beautiful and fun and funny and interesting, and I am SO excited that I got to spend time with them and that there's more to come! Show the comment love, y'all!

My First Taste of Chicago

2009-07-01T23:23:00.010-04:00

So I don't make that many personal appearances on my own blog, but are you ready for me to unleash the hotness?

Me and Billy, looking gorgeous before Taste of Chicago. Amy took this picture while we waited on the train, and I think she did a BITCHIN job. She insists that it's because of me bossing her around (which, you know, is kind of my M.O.), but even how she framed the pic is awesome. It's TOTALLY getting printed and going into a frame.

Anyway, this was our first year going to the Taste and we were totally prepared for the worst in terms of crowds and so forth, but it was really great. Word is, the city took a lot of lessons that they learned from the Obama rally and applied them here, and I thought the whole thing was really awesome--very open and even though there were a ton of people, it didn't feel crowded at all.

I made it my personal mission to take a picture of all the food that I ate so that I could blog about it. Bear in mind, I used my point and shoot, which is awesome for detecting faces but gets confused about ... not faces. At least it does on whatever setting I have it on right now. So some of the pictures are pretty fuzzy, but you'll get the general idea. Ready? Let's eat.

The first thing I went for was the cornbread with honey chili butter from Blue Bayou, which is a restaurant that I have eaten at a couple of times, but I've never seen this on the menu. Well, and the last time I was there, I had had two beers, which everyone knows will do me in, and I was yelling at Amy for not just letting me eat at Taco Bell. So I may not have been looking at the menu that closely. But everything we've had there is good, especially Amy's nachos, which I just started eating right off her plate.

These are the sweet potato hashbrowns from a restaurant called, appropriately, Hashbrowns. I was really excited about these, but they ended up being my least favorite food of the day. Which isn't to say they were BAD, I totally ate them, but they just weren't awesome. I was hoping for crispy and they were not, although the onions in there did kind of add something. But ultimately, the texture was just weird and they were cut like spaghetti. I don't know. Not awesome.

OMG, though, these were incredible. INCREDIBLE. What you see here is a taste portion (so littler and cheaper), minus one potsticker that I already ate--GREAT deal, and you know I love a bargain. They were from Star of Siam, and they were chicken potstickers, which I hadn't had before. Seriously, I need to go to this restaurant. They actually tasted like chicken! I hate when chicken is questionable, and it has resulted in me dismissing more than one Asian restaurant. This was perfect, and so spicy. Great texture ... my mouth is watering again thinking about it. It was TOTALLY messy though, and I spilled a bunch of the sauce right down my boob and arm almost immediately. Completely worth it. They had little sinks set up so when I was done, I wet down some paper towels and gave myself a bath in a park. Mission accomplished, delicious food discovered.

WHAT?!?! My food experience really picked up after those hashbrowns. This is a southern fried tilapia fillet from Polo Cafe & Catering. I am in LOVE with fried tilapia, and it's actually kind of difficult to find--everyone seems to just grill it. So when I saw this on the menu, I knew it would be my "big" thing. And it was incredible. The cornmeal batter was so good, and it was so crunchy, not greasy at all, and this is the point where I realized that all the good food is on the south side. You know I'll be heading over to this one next time the fried tilapia craving hits, but thankfully, this satisfied me for a little while at least.

Alright, so just ignore the crisp, clear strangers in the background and focus on the blurry babe closest to you. This was from Garrett Popcorn, and was probably the thing I was most excited about during the entire day. I made sure to save room for it since their stand was at the very end. What is it, you say? It's a POPCORNSICLE. Glorious.

They take their popcorn, make it into a ball on a stick, and dip it in liquid nitrogen before handing it off to you, so it's smoking (like dry ice, not like cigarettes) when you get it. I think it's supposed to be the popcorn and cheese mix (my fave), but the one I got was all carmel corn, I believe. But it was super delicious and so cool--it's kind of hard to describe, but it was just like popcorn, but really cold. The texture wasn't any different though, was the cool part. I'm pretty sure they're selling them in their stores right now too, so I recommend checking it out if only for the experience.

Okay, after the popcornsicle, I was so excited that I forgot to take pictures of the rest of my food, so this one is from http://chicago.timeout.com/. It's a picture of the Original Rainbow Cone, which is also apparently a south side institution. I just got a taste portion of this too, all the flavors in a cup, because I wasn't sure I'd like it. But we'd seen it on Food Network, and since trying food that we see on TV is something that we can kind of uniquely do in Chicago, I went for it. And you know, it was really, really good.

The flavors are layered in a really specific order, which is (top to bottom): orange sherbet, pistachio, palmer, strawberry, and chocolate. As a rule, the only one of these ice cream flavors that I ever eat given the choice is orange sherbet, but they went so well together, and the sherbet tasted great with everything, and the chocolate really anchored it all together. I was super impressed.

And finally, I had like three more tickets to use, so I got some fries from Chicago Joe's. I couldn't find a picture online so I went with one of the sign (from www.yourareacode.com), but do you know what they actually reminded me of? You Ball Staters will appreciate this--they reminded me of the seasoned fries in the dorms, those ones that are really thick and crispy with some seasoning on them? Good lord, I loved those fries. I'm actually considering moving back into the dorms right now, just thinking about them. But yeah, they were like that, really thick and crunchy outside with an inside so squishy it could barely be called a solid. I sort of wish I'd gone with these alongside the tilapia and finished off with the rainbow cone taste, but these were still really great, and this place is really close to Amy if I ever want to recreate the experience. Sweet!

Alright, so bottom line, I really enjoyed this. It was like going to a fair to eat food, only more gourmet and without the pretense of rides and animals and stuff. You are there to EAT, and we did, so mission accomplished. If the crowds are scaring you off, definitely don't let them--I hate huge crowds and wall-to-wall people, and this was totally manageable for me. Not even uncomfortable. And if you read on the internet that people get sick from the food at the taste ... I mean, I'm sure they do, but there's also a huge amount of people that go who don't get sick (me and my entire party included--that's five people, if you're keeping track), but you don't read about that because the internet is for complaining. :) Seriously, it was awesome. I totally want to go back, and at the very least, go visit some of the restaurants I tasted. Success all around!

Flash's First Trip to the Beach

2009-06-23T10:12:00.003-04:00

So this past weekend, we took a trip to the beach and camping (and back to the beach!) for Amy's birthday, which was so fun, and me and Billy brought Flash along. He's never been in the water before (besides bathtime, which he hates), so we weren't sure how it was going to go. But I think he had a lot of fun, and we have some helpful ideas for next time.

It's really hard to take pictures at the beach, you know it? This may come as a shock to you, but the beach is so SANDY. I didn't want it getting into my camera, and I didn't want the camera bumping into my swimsuit and getting all wet. I didn't even bring it down to the beach until the second day we were there, because I just didn't want to mess with it, but then I realized it was Flashy's first beach trip and must be documented.

Y'all, we wore this dog OUT. The look you see here on his face is a much milder version of the "I hate you people and hope you die" look that he gave us all night Sunday. He did a LOT of walking in the sand and up the dunes, and we made him swim too, which he did pick right up but isn't naturally built for. The terriers aren't so much swimmers. But it was VERY hot out, and he liked laying right there in the surf where he could cool off his belly.

Flash later made friends with a little beagle/basset hound mix puppy who didn't want to get in the water. Her tie-out was close enough that she could, but she just wasn't into it. So Flash laid right down in the surf (we think to show off), and she started howling. He turned around to her, all Mr. Cool Guy, like, "What? I thought everyone did this. It's no big deal."

Here's the baby swimming and looking miserable. He was so cute though, and fast! And he got better and better at swimming, even though he always turned straight around and headed for the shore. Next time we bring him, we're going to make it a one day trip so he doesn't get so worn out, and we're going to get him a doggie life jacket. We think that'll make swimming easier and less scary/stressful for him.

That's a little bit of Amy that you see there holding his leash. Flashy LOVES Amy, and with totally good reason. She's like the best doggie aunt he could ever want, because she totally spoils him and takes him outside whenever we have sleepovers, and she plans activities for him in the city, and while we were on the beach, she rigged him a little tent out of a blanket, some bags, a kite (!), and some shoes so that he could get in the shade. She pointed out to him that he could dig in the sand, so he jumped right in and helped her out by digging himself a cool trench in the sand. It was all too cute for words.

And speaking of Flash, and digging, and sand ... You know, I told Flash before we left that this was going to be a fun weekend and he could get as dirty as he wanted, and he took me all the way up on it. This is my sandy puppy, and this is how he got that way:

Oh yeah, really get it worked in there, don't leave one inch of fur uncrusted! (Semi-related, we took Uncrustables with us in the cooler to the beach, and I have to say, they were the perfect beach food. No chance of anything spoiling and making you sick, and you can have PB&J without getting sand in it. There's my hot top of the day.)

And then there was this. Oh yes, that's my little terrier. I think we have some pictures of Flashy doing this exact thing in the snow, too. I believe it was Amy that called him a dog for all seasons, which made me chuckle. He seriously wanted to roll around in as much sand as possible, and he succeeded pretty admirably. He did this EVERY SINGLE TIME he got out of the water. And then he went and laid on our towels. Because that's just the kind of guy he is.

I don't know what it is, but I really like those red tone pictures. I know I might be alone on this, but different strokes, ya know, and it's totally my blog! Get your own! (Seriously, do, and then tell me about it so I can add it to my Google Reader.)

But this one was my "Hello, lover!" pic. You guys, I love the beach. And Lake Michigan isn't an ocean, but for living in the midwest, it's a really close, really good substitute. The water is a little cold, but the sand is pretty soft and the sun shines and it's nice. We couldn't go to one of the busier beaches because we had Flash and dogs aren't allowed there, but they do have areas where you can bring your dog and this is one of them. We actually discovered this little beach last year and it was truly a treasure of a find, completely free with parking and a bathroom, and almost deserted. It was busier this time around, but the weather has been so atrocious that I think we've all had cabin fever and everyone hit the beach at once.

And this is the view from the other side. I loved the foggy day and how it got misty as you got further away on either side, but I also sort of LOVE the smokestacks here. I think it adds a certain something, don't you?

I'm in love with summer. It's major.

Faux Vintage

2009-06-19T10:28:00.013-04:00

You have never met a person more excited for the weekend than this girl, and this is an extra awesome weekend coming up because it's Amy's birthday and to celebrate the occasion, we're going camping at Indiana Dunes State Park! It's supposed to be really nice on Saturday and Sunday, and I can't wait to take pictures. We can't go to the main beach because Flash will be with us, but we did find a really outstanding quieter beach just a few miles away last year that we'll be returning to. I'm thinking about sneaking off to the main beach for a few crowd snapshots, but we'll see how motivated I actually feel after playing in the water and baking in the sun for a couple hours.

Meanwhile, I guess this is just a pretty major week for posting, but I had a couple fun shots laying around and I thought I'd share. Plus, it's Friday, no one wants to work and maybe you're here on my blog killing time, so we'll also have a little story time too. Eh?

I actually took this picture while I was shooting Kylie, because it really jumped out and grabbed me. I realized the other day when I was hanging out with Amy that it reminded me of something, and that is the infamous duck shirt.

When I was in college, I lived down the hall in the dorms from some girls who were super fun but also got into some shenanigans here and there. One night, they got a little on the drunk side (and by that I mean totally hammered) and stole this shirt off of someone's clothesline. It was one of those old school looking nature shirts with a couple of ducks in a marsh, sleeveless, and it looked like someone had modified it to make it more form fitting. While I didn't (and don't) approve of stealing clothing off someone's clothesline, there was no denying its awesomeness. The girls couldn't remember where they were when they took it, so there was also no giving it back. Just to be clear on that point.

So one day, I took my trash down to the trash room and there on top of the pile was the duck shirt. There was no way, NO WAY, I was letting this thing become garbage. I salvaged it and gave it a good home where it could be properly loved and worn.

Fast forward a couple years and I'm living in Indy and Amy is undoubtedly at my house looking for something fun to wear, most likely during Best Summer Ever, since we had all kinds of fun things to get dressed for that year, and she pulled out the duck shirt. It looked magnificent on her and I hadn't worn it in a couple years, so I told her to keep it. Because honestly, that seems to me at this point like the spirit of the duck shirt. Its happiness is meant to be shared.

So anyway, she came out wearing it again last weekend and I was so excited, and then I remembered this picture. Is there a point to this story? Not really. But it happened, and that's probably as valid a reason as any for sharing it with you. :)

I am more than a little in love with this picture, and at first glance you'd think it reminded me of my friends Lynn and Andy, which it does, but mostly, I just think this picture looks like friendship. And I didn't notice when I first wrote that last sentence, but the orange one even says "Buddy" on it, so that even more illustrates my point.

And this last one is a picture I took last weekend at RibFest up near Amy's house in Wrigleyville/Lakeview. I realized at this point that all my favorite pictures of things I take just out and about lately have a sweet vintagey feel. And who doesn't love vintage, by the way? I'm a very "more is more" kind of girl, and I like kitsch and retro and "charming". I always ooooh and aaaah at the appropriate places for modern design, clean lines, and minimalism, but in my heart, I'd always rather have a giant hot dog wrapped in an American flag and squirting itself with condiments sitting in my living room. Which may actually tell you all you need to know about me.

The other thing I really like about this picture is that it reminds me of the drive-in, which as we all know, I am in love with. Every drive-in I've ever been to has that old snack bar video with the hot dog doing flips and then jumping into the bun and I LOVE it. And if you need a reference point, it's playing behind Danny Zuko in Grease when he's singing that Oh Sandy song. I even have it as a piece of flair on my Facebook, so you know it's serious.

Alright, that does it for Photo Fun Day Friday! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Future Horror Movie Superstar Michael!

2009-06-18T23:21:00.003-04:00

Alright, you guys, you're gonna love this. I think it's pretty well-established how much I love, and I mean LOOOOOVE the horror movies. It's serious.

Michael here needed some headshots, so we planned a time to get together and that's when I started asking him what kind of acting he was wanting to do and he told me he wanted to get into HORROR MOVIES! How unbelievably cool is that? I am so for it, and you know I'll be all huddled up in my seat, breaking Billy's hand with one hand and pointing at the screen with the other, yelling, "I KNOW THAT GUY!" I'm so excited for that day.

I don't know if anyone believes in signs, but let me just tell you a couple things that may be interesting coincidences, or may be omens of success. First of all, his name is MICHAEL MYERS. Michael Myers, people! For those not into the whole horror movie thing, that's the scary dude in the Halloween movies.

Secondly, we did the first part of the shoot at a forest preserve, and we had the weirdest moment with this little blackbird hovering in the air and squawking at us. I've never seen anything like it in my life. I gave Billy an account of the story later, and as you know from the babies, when I do voiceovers, everyone gets a little ghetto, so it pretty much turned into a turf war between us and the bird. But I TOTALLY digress. The point is, it was all very Hitchcockian. More horror royalty! Good signs, I'm telling you people!

I got so wrapped up in horror nerding after that last pic that I didn't say much about it, but I think that it probably speaks for itself. This is obviously a variation of the same shot.

Michael has very pretty eyes, as I think you'll get a better view of in some of the coming pictures, and I loved the outdoorsy look. Not very scary, of course, but you have to have a wide range so that you can fool the heroine into thinking that you're a nice guy so that it's SUPER shocking when you turn on her with a chainsaw or whatever.

Also, fun common interest sidenote, Michael is the only person I know besides myself and Billy (who I basically forced) who watched Scream Queens on VH1. Man, I loved that show. I think it's time for the Scream Kings version, and I nominate Michael Myers.

Michael's super cute, super fun girlfriend Kim came along and kind of acted as my impromptu assistant--she ran after my bag when I forgot it, and she stood behind me entertaining Michael and making him feel good about himself.

And aren't they CUTE together? He is majorly giving her The Look. I can only hope that this doesn't end up in scary rubber masks and blood and guts! (I really hope I'm not taking this all too far and coming off like a complete weirdo who's making people uncomfortable. I just REALLY love horror movies and get REALLY excited about them, and I'm happy that someone else loves them too and I get to talk about it. So hopefully everyone is just enjoying it with me and not thinking I'm a sociopath.)

This picture is really interesting to me, actually. I shot Michael from a lower angle because he's thin enough to get away with it (usually shooting from below is unflattering, almost universally, in my opinion--you have to have a very strong jawline for it to work, at least in my experience). And even as I was taking it, I LOVED it, and I knew it was incredible. I joyously announced that it was The Hot, and Kim agreed, and I never chimped it, I was so sure. (Chimping, for those not in the nerdy photographer know, is looking at the picture on the back of your camera--monkey see, monkey do, if you will.) I totally should have, because they were really blown out. I played around with them and decided they MAY be salvageable in black and white, so I told Michael that and it ended up being one that he chose. I consider it a very beautiful photograph although with a bit of an experimental look, but I love how his eyes really jump off the page at you.

Speaking of, Michael did choose all of these photos from our shoot to use. I loved this lens flare pic, but I was a little surprised he chose it, and I don't even know why. I mean, who doesn't love some lens flare? I guess I thought maybe it was something that photographers like more than clients, but I am proven wrong! But anyway, his choice is my gift to anyone curious about how I got some lens flare (and it was my gift from the internet, so, you know, very rare, valuable, sentimental, etc.). Apparently, the trick is a smaller aperture. Awesome, right? And so easy. I tend to shoot with a pretty wide aperture, so this fact didn't really present itself to me, and I had to read it. Maybe someone out there is the same way, and now you know the secret to crazy lens flare. Woo!

I've been wooing an awful lot lately.

Thanks again, Michael, for choosing me to do your headshots, and to the beautiful Kim for all of her help! I hope to work with you again, and wish you a bright future of blood, guts, gore, monsters, ghosts, vampires, hopefully some 3-D, but no mummies, because those are lame. Break a leg!

Kylie

2009-06-16T10:30:00.003-04:00

Oh man, you all are in for it today! I've been telling everyone that I don't want to blog these pictures because then it'll be over, and I love this shoot so much that I don't want to let it go! It's kind of like when you buy some cute new clothes and don't wear them right away, because then you have something new and cute to look forward to. I CAN'T be the only one who does that, right?

Anyway, Kylie is my cousin and she's the middle child in her family, and she's the only one I haven't taken pictures of yet. Her older sister, Chelsea, helped me in one of my student projects as a scary person who appeared in the mirror behind me (which was very fun and actually pretty cool, and she was AWESOME at being terrifying), and I took pictures of Izzy when she turned one. Kylie is super cute, and I was going to be back in Indy (to shoot the puppies from the previous post!), and I wanted to do some portfolio work so I called her up (actually, Facebooked her up) to model for me.

And oh, she worked it.

We found this weird little back road that ended up leading to a train yard, which I was beyond thrilled about, because everyone knows how much I love trains. We didn't actually go very far back there but I'm totally going to go back ... there is some serious untapped potential there.

ANYWAY. We started out the shoot and I loved this picture of Kylie biting her lip, because I think she was still a little nervous with the start of the session, but it looked so model-riffic that I was in love.

And here's the same basic picture with a different facial expression that I also LOVED. You know, I didn't think that Kylie was looking much like Chelsea, but in some of these pictures (like this one), you can really see it. Also, this picture convinced me to try to let my hair go au natural, since we have about the same amount of wavy. The difference, of course, is that Kylie's falls all beautifully and perfectly and mine is kind of ... uncooperative, but I'm hoping that one day it will learn. Now, if I have the patience to make it that far is a whole other story (read: unlikely).

We took a couple shots out at the park in Avon, but mostly I just wasn't really feeling it (although I did get a sweet picture of some ducks that I'll post up later this week), but this picture was cute and I think it's how I mostly picture Kylie in my head.

Anyway, like I said, we weren't really feeling it at the park, so we went to downtown Danville to take some pictures around their square, and I LOVED how great this wall turned out to be as a background. I liked the hood up, and her eyes (well, eye) looked so pretty. I thought about cropping this to be more centered, but I liked the slightly off-center thing so I kept it.

This one is for my mom, who liked it because Kylie's eyes look pretty and you can see her dimple. And, you know, gotta keep the moms happy. I was talking to my mom about how Kylie and her sisters are pretty much my mom's grandchildren, since my grandma isn't as mobile anymore as she was when I was a kid, and my mom takes them out shopping and hangs out on their birthdays and they do fun stuff. She agreed, and Kylie did too. Plus, according to my mom, Kylie is sweet and smart and perfect and good at everything and beautiful and talented. If that doesn't sound like a grandma, I don't even know what does.

This is kind of a classic senior picture shot, and it's weird to think about how much different she'll look when it's time for ACTUAL senior pictures. (She's going to be a freshman this year, which I don't think I mentioned earlier.) I mean, I know that at the ripe old age of 28, with one foot in the grave, I'm getting worse at judging ages and all the young whippersnappers look the same to me, but I totally think these shots can serve as examples of the bad ass senior pictures I take. Woo!

(I don't know why I just wooed. It seemed appropriate.)

Loved this B&W. Isn't it amazing how even when you're smiling, you can have so many different expressions?

OMG, one of my absolute favorites. I love everything about this.

And here's what I had her perched on. I thought this one was so cute and youthful, and I am IN LOVE with her shoes. I swear, every time I see cute shoes that I am in love with, they are made by Rocketdog. These, naturally, are no exception. Some people have Jimmy Choo's, I have Rocketdog. What can I say?

You know, sometimes I think I'm over brick, because it's everywhere, but it does occasionally make really nice backgrounds and I love how rich it looks here.

Essentially a different shot of the same basic set up, but I couldn't pick so you get both. Trust me, I did a lot of narrowing down for this post given how in love with it all I was, but I am not a miracle worker, people, and I only have so much willpower!

Alright, now this marks sort of a turning point in our story. I ended up with this picture, I think, because it reminds me a lot of stuff I see on my friend Erin's design website (http://www.designformankind.com, total plug, go check it out, it's AWESOME). But Kylie and I were driving around kind of aimlessly and we were about ready to throw in the towel. I told her, you're an awesome model and I have great pictures of you, but I'm just feeling kind of uninspired by what's around, so what do you say we get some drinks and go home? And also, when I say drinks, I mean of the variety appropriate for a 14-year-old and a person driving a car, so no one freak out on me.

Anyway, as I was trying to get all turned around and going the right direction, we spotted this building, and it was empty and for sale, so I drove through a minefield of potholes in a gravel lot so we could trespass on it. And that's cool, what self-respecting Hoosier doesn't like a little mud on the tires, but I didn't want to push the car too hard so I thought I'd take an actual road out of there. But when I tried, all I kept ending up on were dead ends.

AND THEN.

Oh. Oh oh oh. We ended up on a dead end with a junk yard, and sitting right out in the middle of the road like a gift from God Almighty Himself, at the perfect time of day with gorgeous sunlight, was the most majestic, rusty old tow truck you have ever seen. I squealed my car to a stop and actually clapped my hands like a little kid. This was the find that made the entire trip out of control perfect for me. And here are those shots.

Every single one of these shots is magic for me, so much so that I didn't even offer commentary. I am in LOVE. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I know, I'm in love all the time (also, I have a song on my iPod called "I'm Always in Love" by Wilco, and I totally recommend it), but this love is SERIOUS. It is MAYJAH. It is ... so, so perfect.

Asha & Kate

2009-06-11T15:04:00.005-04:00

Are you guys ready for some cute dogs? I know I am! My friend Sarah from high school contacted me via Facebook to have some pictures taken of her parents' dogs, Kate and Asha, as a Mother's Day gift from her and her sister, since the dogs are kind of the children now. (We all know how that goes!) It was such a great idea, so we worked it out and I headed back to the hometown last weekend to meet the puppies!

Seriously, you guys, how am I going to do this? I have SO many good pictures of Kate and Asha, and I want to show them all to you, but if I do that we'll be here forever. I'm going to have to pick and choose some favorites, which will be the challenge (and torture) of my day. And, as promised (if you're my Facebook friend), they are so cute you might actually die. But it'll be a good way to go. Ready?

Okay, this gorgeous girl is Asha, and she is a stunningly beautiful dog. Very soft ears and much, much better at catching a frisbee than me. (Which is to say, I don't. I don't like what is essentially a plastic plate whizzing at my head, especially when I can't catch to save my life.)

And this is Kate, who decided to be my BFF when she realized I would rub her tummy!

So we started the day outside and it was really hot, but we thought it might be fun to get some pictures of Asha retrieving, since she's so incredibly good at it. Witness:

I'm nearly positive she caught that in her mouth, which I'm so impressed by, because I can't catch anything with two hands and opposable thumbs. I know I already said this, but truly, it cannot be stressed enough. I am a KLUTZ. Asha? Not even kind of.

And she's so proud of herself for catching it!

Meanwhile, Kate's not actually THAT into the ball, except that she knows Asha gets attention when she has it, so ...

... in a very little sisterly way, Kate makes a game of stealing the ball and trying to eat it. But she's SO cute, so you can't really hold it against her.

It was pretty hot (for the dogs AND the people), so we took it inside, and I loved this picture of Kate with the shoes in the shot. The people didn't want to be in the pictures, but I did sneak in their feet. I'm so BAD! :)

While Kate lounged at her master's feet, Asha cuddled up with Joanna (hopefully I came close on the spelling there) on the floor, and hammed it up for me just a little! Asha was definitely the more timid dog, but she came around a little once we got her into some air conditioning. Trust me girl, I know the feeling!

Here's another shot of Asha in the same basic position that I thought was so adorable that I couldn't resist posting. She's a very photogenic girl!

And speaking of, OMG, you have got to be kidding! This is Kate after she started really loving me and throwing herself in front of me for scratches. I saw this picture while I was editing and it made me so happy all over again--she is SO CUTE.

Next, the puppies had treats (Greenies), which apparently they get on Sundays. They had already had one, but they got another since I was there, so I like to think that they got something out of the deal. Kate scarfed hers down so fast that all I could get was a picture of her licking the floor.

Asha was much daintier with her Greenie. :)

And then everyone just sat around being cute for awhile! (Me included.)

The family had this great little room that we were in--it was a split level that led out to the backyard, and it was lined all the way around with built-in bookshelves that went halfway up, which had been built by Sarah's dad. Fun fact, my first job ever was at the Plainfield Public Library, where Sarah's mom worked and continues to work! Sarah is now a librarian in Florida and Joanna works at the Plainfield Public Library also, so naturally, this is a family that loooooves books. My kind of people! I keep hauling around boxes and boxes (and boxes) of books every time I move because someday I want built-in bookshelves and I think books are just the greatest decor item in the history of ever. Oh, and reading them isn't so bad either. :)

And Asha took a little nap with her tennis ball! I wonder if this is the doggie equivalent of a teddy bear?

And one more beautiful shot of Asha before we head outside again!

Okay, this one I love because their tails are just so perfect for the composition of the shot. I was really happy that we managed to eventually get some of the two dogs together (accomplished by showing them a new frisbee).

But this one, you have to see because Kate's face looks SO CUTE, AGAIN! She is such a doll--of course, I have a shaggy terrier myself, so I may be a little bit biased. :)

A little play time! Asha likes to chase the frisbee, and Kate likes to chase Asha. I told you she was the little sister!

And finally, to end our narrative, a sweet action shot! That poor frisbee, it maybe lasted five tosses, but it was very well loved while it was with us. :)

I had SO MUCH FUN doing this shoot. Honestly, I would run around and play with dogs and take pictures of them all day every day. Dogs are awesome.

The family and I got into a great discussion about adopting dogs from shelters and just about how many dogs there are out there that really need good homes. We all have dogs that came from shelters and I felt like it was something that was important to all of us talking, and I just really wanted to take a minute to encourage anyone who might be thinking about adopting a dog to consider going that route. I know it's not always possible, but it's a really good thing to do. Some of these dogs have really sad stories and you could be the person to turn it all around and give them a happy ending! And I think that's what we all really want in life, and it's so special to be a part of that for someone else. Shelter animals are really near to my heart, since I have a couple, and they're full of love for you too! (Well, except my cat. She's kind of coming around, but she still sits around plotting my demise. But she's a cat, you know? You know what you're getting into.) So I'm just saying, think about it. :)

Double the fun!

2009-06-01T10:15:00.005-04:00

So Andy is my friend from way back, and I was really excited when he got married and I met Marlene and I LOVED her immediately. It's always such a huge relief when your friends marry someone you really like, you know? And then I got excited when I found out they were moving from Seattle to Indianapolis, even though I'm not there anymore, because Chicago isn't that far and I visit all the time. And then there was MORE excitement when they found out Marlene was pregnant, and AGAIN when they found out they were having twins! It's almost too much good stuff to handle, but I'm managing.

Their babies names are Miriam and Adelaide (so cute, I totally approve, so now Andy and Marlene can sleep at night), and they were born early. As far as I can tell, everything is fine now and at four months old, they're just now about the size of newborns, which is super tiny. I think it's weird that actual people can weigh less than a sack of potatoes, but they're proof that it's possible.

This is Miriam, and I love her pretty lips. It was a little hard to get everyone together, which you'll see, because the babies still need to eat and nap a lot (they have it MADE), and out of necessity, they're on sort of staggered schedules. So when you see a bunch of one baby all in a row, it's not because I have favorites. They are equally sweet and adorable.

This is Marlene (I am completely jealous of her hair, don't even get me started) and Miriam. Miriam is in the green flower outfit and Adelaide is in the pink strawberry outfit. I'm trying really hard to keep everyone straight, but Andy and Marlene think the girls are identical so when they get older, if they can't tell which one is which in the pics, they're just going to divide them in half and assign them to each girl anyway, so I feel pretty okay about the whole thing. :)

Here's Miriam's pretty eyes (which she totally gets from Marlene), and she was keeping it together really well for someone that had just had her pacifier ripped from her mouth. I know when you take mine away, buddy, watch out.

This one is especially for Andy. He was talking about how much he loves their eyelashes.

Adelaide makes an appearance! I love this--it just looks so documentarian.

Adelaide waking up and preparing for cute mode, and seriously, get ready because here it comes:

What?!?! I love this, and it's so hard to pick a favorite but I think this might be it. I love how she's holding her little hands. :)

And here she is again, with Daddy's finger. We were looking through pictures from when they were first born and they were kind of using their hands as scale, so hopefully this continues the tradition, along with the girls' tradition of being completely cute and precious and photogenic.

We got them together for a minute! Miriam wasn't especially thrilled with the whole thing, but she managed to squeeze in a few frames. Adelaide was totally looking at her like, "Girl, what is UP with you?" And I find that it's really fun to talk and make up captions for babies and what they're saying. I totally get why someone thought Look Who's Talking was such a good idea and why it did so well. You should try it. Also, I find that when I voiceover for them, Andy and Marlene's babies are kind of ghetto! Who knew?

Oh WOW, I love this one too and it makes the short list of favorites. I'd have to look at the color file to tell who it is, but maybe it's best left as a mystery so the girls have something to fight over when they get older. Because seriously, who WOULDN'T want this picture to be of them with their dad?

I snuck one in of just the two of them, although the babies are totally implied. One of the things I was really hoping to do for Andy and Marlene was get a picture of all of them together, but it just kind of wasn't happening. That's the awesome part about being friends with your photographer though--we'll have lots more chances. :)

Ooooh, I love this too. I picked up a basket at JoAnn Fabrics and then asked permission to put a baby in it. And let me tell you, Adelaide was totally down. I'm pretty sure she was willing to adopt it as her new bed.

A classic shot.

An equally classic shot, but in a different way.

Oh, Miriam was so not having it. And I love how adult her expression is, and how you can just tell exactly HOW irritated she is. And I totally know that look--it's the same one I get when I'm in crowded places and people stop in the middle of an aisle or walkway to like, send someone a text and there's no other way around them and I'm like, can't you make different choices? And Miriam is SO not down with the choices that we're making, and we are cramping her style.

Marlene and Adelaide, and again, I love how they're such proud parents and how you can see the love.

And I just thought this shot was so beautiful. Marlene is the prettiest mom in the world. She's going to be picking the girls up from soccer practice (if they take after Dad) and she'll be looking all cute and perfect and all the other moms will be looking all ragged and wearing sweatpants with hair falling out of their ponytails and bags under their eyes and stuff, and they'll be like, "I hate Marlene! How does she always look so gorgeous?" But that's like an okay kind of hate to be on the receiving end of, and then they'll get to know her and they'll be like, "Man, I want to hate her because she's so pretty but she's just so nice, I can't help it, I love her!" And the other moms will still be slightly jealous when Marlene makes the best cookies and brings Capri Sun to practice and the kids like her the best, but you won't even be able to tell because they'll just like her so much.

And finally, I think this is a hilarious picture to add your own caption to. Miriam is so funny--you can totally tell what's on her mind at all times because she's so expressive with her face.

Andy and Marlene brought the girls out for lunch with me and Billy once we finished taking pictures, and it was like ... a revelation for me. They said they were bringing the Baby Bjorns and I was like ... okay! But I had no idea what a Baby Bjorn actually did. So I got us a big table with room for them to sit baby ... seats? Holders? I don't know anything about babies, I admit it. Anyway, turns out Baby Bjorn is like wearing your baby as a backpack on the front, and aside from Miriam having one bottle, they slept the entire time and didn't make a single peep. It was like they weren't even there--so crazy. I didn't even know babies could chill out for that long.

Obviously I don't have a TON of experience photographing babies, but I did enjoy it so much and I was pleased with the results. I hope Andy and my Marlene love them too! And I can't wait to do it again--they're perfect little models. :)

Indy 500 Parade

2009-05-28T15:26:00.003-04:00

Oh MAN, you guys. The Indy 500 parade is an epic event in my life every single year. I'm not really sure why we decided to start going in the first place, but from that first year when Amy got tipsy cooking us breakfast and realized that the people in the parade could hear us, we were all sold. I don't know if getting the attention of celebrities and having the parade watch you sounds as fun as it actually is, but trust me ... IT IS.

We didn't have a ton of celebrities this year, but the ones that we got were super awesome and had the best reactions. Shall we?

Why yes, that IS Mario Lopez, aka AC Slater, pointing at us! Happy accident, I didn't realize that the building we were across from had the address "500", but I was excited to see it pop up in the pictures.

Anyway, as many of you know, Billy was an advertising copywriter for several years and he's very funny, and he told me to make a sign that said, "The parade is cooler with AC". This was, obviously, an awesome idea. Mario showed us the love and I was impressed that he was a good sport about still being known to people of a certain age as Slater. He made all the people in his car look at us, which was totally exciting.

Now yes, this picture is blurry but I so don't care, because doesn't it look like Slater just saved The Max? OMG, I LOVE HIM. There was a lady next to us, and she was like, "Oh, I just got the best picture ever because of your sign! Did you know he was going to be here?" Ummm ... well, yes, because the only other option is that I carry around giant posterboard signs with said verbiage just in case AC SLATER HAPPENS TO SHOW UP. But I was totally excited for her, and I admitted that we stalk which celebrities are coming for weeks in advance on the 500 festival website.

Also, speaking of Slater saving The Max, if you are a Saved by the Bell fan and haven't seen the clip of Mario Lopez on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, OMG, you must Hulu it. It was so, so hysterical.

Something that's awesome about the parade is that I bring my massive lens, and it's damn near impossible to miss. The celebs totally recognize it, so they'll usually pose for me or pay a little extra attention, which rules.

Also, I should tell you now that we basically demand two thumbs up from everyone who passes, so that we know that they're specifically acknowledging us, and not just anyone. Mario apparently only gave one, but he gave us so much other attention that he is CLEARLY off the hook. :)

This hot babe is Kate Flannery, and I take special pride in how cracked up she got because that was at my sign. You may recognize her as Meredith from The Office, and if you watch that show, you may also recognize what I put on the poster I made for her, which was, "Meredith, where are your panties?" I LOOOOOVED her reaction, AND she put on a little show for us!

This is what I would call her "ow ow!!!!" look.

Also, it's INSANE how pretty she is in real life. They really do a good job of downplaying her looks on the show, because she's a super hot babe in real life.

Notice the guy in the passenger seat taking pictures of us? That's pretty much a slam dunk in our parade lives.

I know I'm showing you a ton of pictures of her, but Kate was probably the highlight of the entire parade for me. And now we're on a first name basis, and I love her.

Here she is reenacting hiking her dress up ...

And one more for good measure.

And the point as she's leaving us. She was so fun--they should bring her back every single year.

You may also notice Melora Hardin (a.k.a. Jan from The Office) in the car beside her. We did have an I Heart Jan sign that Amy made, but I didn't get as many pics because I was so busy with Kate and because Melora was on the other side of the street, but she also is incredibly pretty in real life, which seems impossible since she's so gorgeous on TV you think it must be magic.

And here she is giving us the I Love You sign, but mostly I just loved how much fun these two were having. I should've totally followed their cars and stalked them until they had girly cocktails with me, but alas, my work was not yet finished.

Our friend Megan needed pics of Josh Duhamel and her camera was getting ready to die, so naturally, I was all over it. Now Josh isn't looking particularly excited in these pics, but keep in mind that we were at almost the very end of the parade route, and it was HOT out there. He looked like he was really wilting and possibly feeling a little nauseous, but he was hanging in there and being a trooper anyway.

Now, I didn't realize this, but this was Megan's first parade. I guess it just felt like she had always been there, because it seemed so appropriate that she would be. She brought a sign along instructing Josh not to "phunk w/ her heart", but he was so out of it when he passed us that he didn't see it. But was Megan going to accept that? NO! Hell no! She straight up took off and sprinted four blocks after him until he saw her sign and she got the reaction she was looking for. He was all touched and happy and she felt good about the whole thing. And that is why Megan is a champion at life.

I included this one of Dario Franchitti and Ashley Judd because I love her every single year. She's never on the list as a celebrity attending and she doesn't get any special billing because she's just there being a supportive wife. And she always looks like such a beautiful, charming southern belle, and they always seem happy together. Oh, it's almost just too much romance for a parade celebrating a car race. :)

And here is our Helio! Someone (I think Natalie) made a sign saying that they heart Helio with a little heart dotting the "i" in Helio, and he gave us such a good, sweet, genuine, cheerful reaction. And we were all totally excited when he won. (Funny sidenote: Billy's mom told him "that dancer won" the 500. Billy was like ... "Ummm, I think he was a racecar driver before he was a dancer." Hilarious!)

So you know how I said double thumbs up is our thing? We finally made a sign this year telling people specifically what to do--it said "DOUBLE THUMBS". And we got totally excited when a float came down the parade that had one thumb up ... we think it's just a matter of time before double thumbs up becomes the symbol for the entire parade.

And one last one of Helio! I think he wants to hug us!

Back Home Again in Indiana (and now that's in your head)

2009-05-20T11:56:00.006-04:00

So, you know how I've been out and about taking pictures in Chicago? This past weekend I was back in Indianapolis and decided to take a crack at it. The results were, as I'm sure you (might) agree, pretty bitchin! I'll be back again this weekend for the 500 parade (one of the highlights of my year!), and I have a few more things in mind that I'd like to get so stay tuned, all you Indy fans! (Also, I thought about spreading this post out over the next couple of days to work up to 500 weekend, but I am entirely too much about instant gratification to roll that way.)

These flowers were so, SO vibrant and right out in front of the Murat. And the bees were posing for me! You know, it's so weird--I'm not afraid of bees at all. Wasps yes, bees no. But I am HORRIFIED of bugs in general, particularly june bugs and things that make their way into my bathtub. Guh-ross.

So pretty I can hardly handle it. I love spring and I LOOOOVE summer. :)

I was actually really, really happy with how this one turned out. I love all the sculptures in Indy involving tires, mostly because people manage to get pretty creative with them, but I just felt like this was the perfect meeting of the Indy 500 tradition and art. It was right outside the Chatterbox on Mass Ave, so if you make it over there, check it out.

This picture wasn't doing much for me until I tried it in black and white, and then it just exploded off the screen at me. I love it, especially the raggedy edges. Billy said it reminded him of a Johnny Cash song. (It's something about a ragged old flag, but I'm too lazy right now to look up the name. It happens.)

This one also appealed to the city girl in me, because I like the street and Riley towers in the background, and again, that flower really was that purple. I don't know if I've ever seen irises looking so lively and so deeply purple, but I'm into it!

This one wasn't necessarily my favorite, but I had to include it because as soon as I took it, I titled it in my head--"The Back Side is the Best Side." It was just too good of a title to waste.

This ended up being my favorite shot of Wheeler Mission. I tried to get some with the people in front of it, but they just weren't working. I think I might need to try again later with a wider lens and possibly at night, because I am serious--Wheeler Mission is one of the most interesting places to look at in the city. I purposely used to drive past on my way home from work because you were guaranteed to see something ridiculous happen, and I love a funny story. And it's just ... never dull.

This squirrel was posing for me! FIERCE! But seriously, he's the cutest little thing ever and when I left, I told him what a good squirrel he was (seriously).

LOVED this shot of the fountain ... I forget which park it is, but you know--it's over there on Pennsylvania across from the Indianapolis Star building? Anyway, I thought this turned out great and I even tried it in black and white, but I felt like it lost all the depth of those greens and blues, so this was the big winner.

I snapped this one from a parking garage, and granted, everyone knows I love derelict buildings, but my absolute favorite thing on this one was all the stars. Super perfecto. I hope to one day live in a building covered in stars. Hopefully not derelict, but, you know, I'll take what I can get.

This one was a total dark horse and wound up being one of my very favorites of the day. I am in LOVE with it, and sorry if the tooting of my own horn is giving you a headache, but I totally want it on my wall. I think that, first of all, I love all the different building facades and how there is so much to look at. And I really like the composition, too. I like the trees peeking into the bottom and the stoplight totally rocking the rule of thirds, and how the streetlamp adds interest to the top left hand corner. But mostly, I just like how I finally feel like I'm getting better at taking wider pictures, and pictures without people, because that isn't what I've been historically great at. I mean, don't get me wrong, people and animals are still my favorite subjects, but I just want to be more well-rounded and I feel really rewarded that the practice is paying off. :)

And I liked this one too. :) I've been a big fan of that clock since day one--it adds some interest and it looks so classy, but in such an interesting, vintage way. And the way the windows are distorting the building across the street gives it just enough interest and color for me.

This shot just kind of grabbed me, probably because the light was pretty good around that time and everything looked interesting. This was on the corner of Delaware and Market, right outside the Subway and across from City Market. People who work (or spend days) downtown will recognize this as the corner that the Have a Great Day Guy stands on. I hope this isn't impeding him. He's seriously the best--he's an old war veteran with probably not all his teeth, and he is the happiest, sweetest, cutest thing you can imagine. He never asks anyone for anything, just tells everyone that walks past to have a great day (hence the name), makes sure his corner is swept up, and I am telling you--he is the most cared for homeless person in that city. Someone got him a chair, people bring him lunch, he has a snowsuit and coat that would pass the Chicago winter test (which is major, let me tell you) ... and I just think it's awesome that by being a happy, nice, good person, that will come back to you and you will have the things you need. Great job, humanity. :)

Speaking of the City Market, I got this pretty good shot of the sign, but the real action there is inside. I have next Tuesday off, which will be a work day for most people, so I think I'm going to have to go hit that. I loooooove the market. It actually seems a little out of place in Indy--it seems like something you'd find in New York or something, but it's so great and adds so much character to the city that I can't wait to go back and take some pics. Oh man, I'm getting so excited just thinking about it!

I almost walked right past this, and I have no idea what made me stop and do a double take, but I'm glad I did. I was on my way back to my car on Alabama, and I passed this pole out in front of the Salvation Army. "What are you waiting for?" is totally a question I feel like I should always be asking myself, and I felt so inspired by it. Not to even mention that the ragged, disintegrating label is completely gorgeous and perfect. More for the wall? Maybe. :)

Good for you, Person in Fountain Square Responsible for This. You're awesome. And I think I kind of love you.

And since I was in Fountain Square anyway, I thought I'd take a shot of the Duckpin Bowling signs. It's totally one of the most awesome things to do in Indy, if not a tiny bit expensive and, okay, they're sort of nazis about making reservations, but as long as you make sure to do that, it's SUPER fun and the place is a feast for the eyes, no joke.

This was taken on Pennsylvania, right across from the Abbey. I love how it distorts the buildings, and how the buildings reflected are so old school and that metal is so modern and space age. It's like the best juxtaposition ever, and I wonder if the person who designed it thought so too.

And finally, because I can, some garbage! I was headed back to Plainfield on 40 from downtown and this was the last thing I felt really inspired to take a picture of. And why not? Trash can be pretty too. (Insert your own joke here.)

I'm really REALLY looking forward to this coming weekend and there will be more to come, including (hopefully) some shots of one of my favorite places in the entire universe. If you know me, there's a good chance you already know what that place is, and if you don't, whoa buddy. Strap yourself in. I'm also going to take a picture of the world's cutest twin babies, and with any luck, some serious B-listers! You won't wanna miss it. :)

Sunny Spring Weekend in Chicagoland!

2009-05-04T10:27:00.006-04:00

Another gorgeous weekend of kickin' ass and taking pictures! (See what I did there?) I had some fun with my camera, although I did notice that it is in serious need of a sensor cleaning. I think I might take it to Roberts when I'm home, since I trust them to do a good job.

I'm hoping for some sun next weekend to head into the city and do some portraits, or maybe hit the beach with my camera! I'm totally working out all my cabin fever with photography!

The clouds were pretty, and I like the idea of this picture, but I'm not sure how much I actually like the picture, if that makes sense. I just can't decide.

I finally got to take some pictures of cattails! I wasn't really happy with them in the camera, but with a little split toning, I was much happier with them. And I've been wanting to take pics of the cattails for so long that I was NOT going down without a fight!

And a black and white version. It was hard to get very close to them, because apparently cattails grow best in swampy puddles full of trash. :) But maybe next time I'll bust out the big lens and see what happens.

Flash came along for this picture adventure (as did Amy and Billy), and he was being very cute, and his muzzle is at maximum cuteness (which is to say, long enough that he looks scruffy and not too pointy/poodley, but not so long that he looks like a ragamuffin), so he got his own photoshoot.

This one, I included so you can see how he has Ewok lips.

Cute scruffy puppy in black and white! You can kind of see (especially if you're used to looking at him all the time) that he has grass and whatnot in his hair, which is because he scooted headfirst on his back down a hill. It was SO funny and cute, which is kind of Flash's M.O.

Happy doggie gazing into the distance! I'm telling you, Flash should be a doggie model. He's cuter than all the dogs on TV (although somewhat less well-behaved).

And this is the last one and my fave! Doesn't he just have the cutest little face you've ever seen?

And back to the cattails! You can totally see how I took a little photography detour and then got back to work. :) This was definitely my fave of the cattail pictures, and I finally felt like I got it exactly how I wanted it.

A black and white that I was actually really pleased with of a traffic light and its chipping paint.

I ended up LOVING this one, mostly because I took some (obvious) liberties with the color of the sky. I took a lot of pictures of flowers and flowering trees, and it's so fun because I really think flowers are one of the only things that like ... DEMAND to be photographed in direct sunlight. And I think that's appropriate!

More flowers! I obviously enjoy split tones, but I especially am enjoying it on flowers right now. It brings out their color.

These tulips were GORGEOUS.

And another shot!

And one last one with more red in the background, and I swear, no more pictures of this tulip! :)

One last flowery pic--I included this because I've recently caught on to the concept of layer masks and I used one here, since the background was like a weird gray color. So I put a blue layer on top and essentially erased all of it but the very edges, and I liked how the colors turned out. I get all excited about learning new things (and eventually figuring out how to use them right). :)

Yay for sunshine!

Pictures in Chicago with James!

2009-04-27T10:20:00.005-04:00

So James is one of my friends from college, and he's been into photography for awhile now, but recently decided to upgrade his camera and take a class, which I think is awesome. He's from Chicago and his parents still live here, so he's around fairly often, this past weekend he made a special megabus trip up for an afternoon of hanging out and taking pictures with me! And it was so awesome!

You can check James blog out here--I don't think he's put his Chicago pictures up yet, but I'll try to let you know when he does. I think it's so beneficial for photographers to shoot together, because you can learn so much from each other and because it's really interesting to see how different two people's pictures of the same things can be.

So, here's a picture looking down the subway (that's the Red Line, for you locals). I love the perspective and shadows, but I think I might like to shoot this again. I can't wait for you to see James'--he was looking the other way, and caught a great one of the train coming around the bend in the tunnel.

We started out in Chinatown, both for pictures and for lunch, and this hilarious sign was on the door and begging for its picture to be taken. The sweat drops and the crazy mouth really complete the effect for me. If anyone is curious, we ate at The Three Happiness, which was really good and reasonably priced. Although James did get something with potatoes in it, and we're pretty sure those potatoes were frozen crinkle-cut french fries. Funny, but still tasty. :)

James actually caught this and commented that it would be a cool picture, but I think he was a little shy about taking pics of strangers. I was like, "I'll do it!" I think he did end up taking a couple too--this was the only one I shot, but I love it. I feel like I need more of this.

Just a little snapshot of a butcher shop--these drawings of animals are cuter than what was hanging in the windows, I can tell you that! (Just to avoid confusion, I'm a total meat-eater and in no way a vegetarian, but I do prefer to just see it when it's cooked ... and headless.)

A bike ... I'm not sure how much I'm loving this, but I do like bikes (especially my own, a bad ass '73 Schwinn Breeze, green) so I think I'm going to have to keep exploring the possibilities. Also, I did a lot of black and whites in this shoot, which reminds me of being in school. Fun!

WHAT?!?! I LOVE this sign. It's so 70's. The only thing that could make it better is if the lights were on, but I still love it like this. :)

Oh, and speaking of signs--I love old, rusted out, turned off neon signs. This was actually a really tough picture to take--the angle was odd, it was a long sign (it actually said "Overseas Art & Travel", but since I like art and travel both so much, I decided that I could take one of just those two words), there was no good way to get into the street to take it ... but I think it turned out pretty well in spite of the challenges.

This is the Winter Garden in that big fancy library downtown (I totally forget the name of it--help?). James set off an alarm by walking down a hallway, which made me laugh because I am ALWAYS setting off alarms and getting my own private security guards in places like that. But we could take pictures in the main room, and I loved the shadows.

This was on a bridge ... I think on Roosevelt? We were around Roosevelt and Congress. I remember looking down over train tracks when we were in the (miles long) line to get into the Obama election-night rally in Grant Park, and I was glad to see them again and get a shot. I think I'd like to get one going the other way at some point, but this was the best view from this bridge.

This is down by the lake, which is where we were heading when we were on Roosevelt. No significance to the 58, it just happened to catch my eye and I liked the cracks.

We found this SWEET little row of boats ... I know nothing about boats, actually, so I have no idea what kind these are, but I am SO excited for it to get warmer and to see all the boats out on Lake Michigan (and take pictures of them!). Having a giant lake here is almost as good as an ocean and it makes me happy every time I see it.

You could definitely see the storm clouds rolling in, and I loved the one lone boat.

And a similar shot in color.

This one was my favorite, though, with the little boats in the foreground. I'm in major love.

It was starting to sprinkle by this point and most people were clearing out, but I had to stop and take this picture of the two couples walking there. And I love how the people in the shot totally put the whole thing into perspective, because without them, you'd have no sense of scale whatsoever. Also, I really enjoy cropping with the 1 to 2 ratio and think I might have to do that more often.

James and I ended up hanging out under this bridge outside the Field Museum (it's just a pedestrian walkway, not a road or anything), and obviously plenty of other people had the same idea. And I loved the silhouettes of people trying to wait out the rain.

And this is the same thing on the other side of the bridge. I like the bike there, but really my favorite part of this picture is the misty museum in the background. I thought both these pictures were really fun.

I had THE best time with James on Saturday! And he's going to come back so we can do the architectural tour with Amy and Billy, which James will kick butt at (since he's awesome at the architecture pics ... I try to keep up). And we always have a good time together!

I've been enjoying my camera so much lately, especially as it gets nicer out.

Still waiting for some sunshine to get the cattails, but hopefully it won't be long!

My cute little pets!

2009-04-26T23:46:00.002-04:00

So, some photographers post pictures of their kids but I don't have kids, so pets it is! I love them so much, and I may be biased but I think they're the best models in the whole entire world. :)

This is sweet little Ricker laying on Billy's homework.

We left for a little while to run errands and when we came back, she had eaten the corner off of it. And in true cat form, she didn't even pretend to be sorry.

And this is my cute little Flash! We were on a walk and I asked Billy to run around with him, so he did, and look how happy Flashy looks! That dog looooooves running. :)

And here's his cute little face from the front! He's loving spring--sometimes we'll be moving around or getting ready to take him out and he'll just sit there and smile at us.

Yay for spring, and yay for me having such cute animals! Woo!

J4F

2009-04-21T13:00:00.005-04:00

J4F totally means nothing to anyone unfamiliar with Plainfield, but it stands for Just4Fun, which is the go-kart and putt-putt place where my good friend Maggs worked through high school, and I also took these pictures just for fun. So there you go.

Anyway, I made an effort not to take any pictures in focus the other night--a few snuck in, but mostly not, and it was really fun.

This is the creek that runs through my apartment complex, and I like how it looks like a painting. Also, Billy has been taking me around and doing vision experiments on me for school (nothing major, just like ... can you read this sign from here) and a couple nights ago I had to walk around without my glasses on, which was kind of bizarre, actually. I realized that I recognize a lot of things I can't actually see, which is cool, and it's totally weird when I suddenly realize there's someone coming toward me. But anyway, the point of all this is just to say that I think this picture is not entirely unlike how I see without my glasses or contacts.

Some school buses! This is actually one I'd like to try to reshoot, or some variation of it. The flare is a LITTLE fun, but I don't love the blown out sky, and I think I might want a smaller aperture. You don't think aperture is going to matter much when you're shooting out of focus, but you can start to see where it makes a subtle difference.

It's Flash! My little golden sunshine puppy! This isn't actually my favorite picture ever of him, because he usually looks happier and more thrilled about life, but he was just NOT in the mood to model for me and this was about as good as it got with the sitting still. But he's still the cutest puppy in the universe, so he can be on my blog.

This is where the sun started going down behind the trees behind my apartment, and I liked it. I'm going to REALLY like it when those trees grow some leaves. Any day now.

Blurry lights at Chili's! Yeah, I totally took my camera in. I had been having a mad craving for this fried tilapia that I'd had there a few weeks ago, but they didn't have it and in hindsight, they probably were only serving it for Lent. So I went for a blackened tilapia instead, and seriously, if you are trying to watch your calories (as I am, and I've lost six pounds, so yay for me!), that is the thing to eat. It was so spicy that I didn't even finish it, nor did I eat probably more than a cup or so of the rice that came with it, and I was STUFFED. I had leftover calories galore that day. And now I'm getting hungry again. I always start talking about food right before lunch, and I've gotta stop doing that.

This is Portillo's, which, if you don't live up here in the Chicago area, is a hot dog place. This one also has pasta, which I'm into. But it's so funny and kind of amazing--until we moved up here, me and Billy had never really seen just a free-standing hot dog restaurant. But anyway, I love this pic and I took it from the car, and that's another I might like to revisit sometime. The colors are so fun, and again, it's not unlike my uncorrected vision. In fact, I can look at this and see blobs of light and be pretty sure which one is a streetlamp, which I think is kind of weird.

This is also Portillo's, just with a different split tone on it. I thought some of the nerds out there might be interested in seeing how different split tones change a picture, and as for me, I just liked them both and I'm the boss of this blog.

That's me! I don't make appearances in my own blog much, but I figured while I was taking blurry pictures, I might as well take one of myself in the mirror too, right?

This one, obviously, is more or less in focus. I can't decide if I like it or not. This tree is outside my apartment complex and there's a light that shines on it and it's like entirely yellow against a black sky, and it's really stunning. But in the picture, the yellow was like ... blowing out. So I adjusted the color temp in RAW (just space out if this is all jibberish to you, I'm sorry), but in hindsight, I maybe should've just adjusted the saturation. Maybe I'll try that tonight.

Anyway, I totally took this picture squatting down, with Flash's leash around my bicep while he tried to yank me over in hopes of getting a closer whiff of goose poop, or whatever it is that he does. So it's a miracle that I got such a clear shot, under the crazy conditions.

And finally, this is one I took of the lights reflecting off the creek, and it's one I'm kind of interested in trying out again with a different lens. But I LOVE the colors, the blues and golds, and I'd like to give it another shot. And that was the really fun thing about the shoot--I felt like I got in some good experimenting I had a lot of fun doing it, and it made me want to take more pictures. Yay!

Blue Heron

2009-04-13T11:45:00.006-04:00

So Billy told me a couple days ago that he had seen a heron down by the creek that runs through our apartment complex, and I was so sorry that I'd missed it. We were out again yesterday and he spotted it (I swear, I am so unobservant), so I ran up to get my camera and I ended up following this bird around like a crazy person, just snapping away. In fact, I am probably going to go on to bore you with how many blue heron pictures you're about to see, but totally whatever, I'd doing it anyway.

So I know that some of the people who read my blog know that a couple years ago, I lost my friend Ginny Buehler to breast cancer. She was one of the most beautiful and special people I have ever known, and I still miss her like crazy. She loved blue herons and just thought they were the prettiest things around, and especially after she died, they became kind of a symbol for her to the people who knew her. Her team for Race for the Cure is called Team Blue Heron, and while I'm sad that I won't be there in her memory this year, it was still really special for me to get to see the heron and think of her and feel connected to her in a small way.

Fun Day in Chicago!

2009-03-30T11:39:00.004-04:00

You guys, something is happening that I swear, I never thought I'd be able to say again. I am almost entirely caught up on everything, AND I've started updating my website, which I should be done with by the end of the week. Amazing!

I've had a little bit of time for fun pictures, both taking them and editing them (the trick is always to be able to do both), and I think I may actually try to open an etsy shop for photography prints (and, let's get serious, other little arts and crafts) in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

In the meantime, here are some fun shots from a day I spent in Chicago a few weeks ago (the day I did Kristin's headshots ... I got in a few sweet ones of Lake Michigan while I was with her also).

I hadn't really thought about such a huge lake freezing, but that wood is most definitely where water should be. And all that white stuff on the horizon? Ice. You know how I hate winter but it was all just so PRETTY! So I briefly forgive you, winter.

Loved this one even more. Love the colors, love the ice chunks, love those two gulls that almost blend into the background.

I am really into blurred out pictures of lights right now. I love how moody and abstract they get. This particular one was taken at the Chicago Brauhaus in Lincoln Square, which, as far as I can tell, is one of the most awesome restaurants in town. We actually went on St. Patty's Day weekend, but this place was so, SO German. Our waitress was an older German lady, the band was German (with sparkly vests!), people were coming in wearing lederhosen ... THE WORKS.

Basically, Billy put it best with the observation that it was like we were in an episode of the Simpsons. People were drinking out of boots, and I don't mean the cute little Texas Roadhouse-sized ones, I mean like Das Boot from the movie Beerfest. Some Irish dancers came in and did some clogging, they were playing the Chicken Dance (which Amy and I did in the waiting area), there were some kids dressed like Hummel figurines, and seriously, we looked over at one point and there was someone dressed as A SEA CAPTAIN. It was magnificent. And the crowd was so funny, too--there were a lot of people our age, but also a lot of super old people. The hit of the dance floor was an old dude that looked just like Mickey Rooney. I declare this place glorious and can't wait to go back.

And speaking of Billy, this is my cute boyfriend! He NEVER agrees to let me post pictures of him but he agreed to this one, and I'm glad because he looks awesome. We were on the train and he let me take his picture (he also never lets me take pictures of him in public--he's such a tyrant!), and I loooove how it turned out. Something about pictures on public transportation just works for me.

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted on the status of the website update, and if we can get a weekend out with rain, I'll keep the pictures coming! :)

Future Superstar Kristin's Headshots!

2009-03-30T09:48:00.005-04:00

You guys, Kristin is like ... the coolest. Ever. And we met in the most entirely ridiculous way.

I subscribe to a couple of feeds on Craigslist that post creative jobs, so that I know when someone is looking for a photographer and I can get in touch with them. People on Craigslist can be kind of touchy if they feel like people aren't paying what the job is worth, and I totally get that, but I also try to keep in mind that different people have different needs and different budgets, and in general, I'm not one of those "reply posters".

Except for this one day.

Someone had posted some really rude post about how he needed headshots but how headshot photographers were too expensive, but he would buy someone lunch to do it. WHAT?!?! And the whole thing was just so snotty and rude that I couldn't handle it. So I uncharacteristically made a reply post and it's possible that I called him a turd. And by possible, I mean ... I totally did.

So anyway, Kristin sees this and sends me an e-mail and is like, "Yes, I totally agree, and I need some headshots, so what do you say?" And naturally, I was all over it. I told her later how amused I was that she responded to me in smackdown mode, and after I called some kid a turd, and she said that she could just tell that I meant business. Ha! I love this girl!

Plus, she's totally gorgeous and photogenic!

I was letting her flip through the pictures on my camera when we were in the car, and she stopped on this and was like, "THIS IS MY HEADSHOT." I was so excited! I love it when people are happy with their pictures and get something they're truly in loooove with.

I just think this is too cute and I love the headband. We went out to the beach near Rogers Park, and it was still cold so it was fairly deserted, which was awesome. The ice and snow on the lake just made a perfect backdrop. I was BEYOND thrilled to get to shoot at the lake, because I consider a nearby beach one of the great perks of moving here. :)

And a smiling shot! I can't remember if this one was taken at the beach or if we were at the Baha'i temple in Evanston, which has some cool gardens but is really just an amazingly impressive building. I had no idea that something like that existed, so in addition to a photoshoot, I felt like I got a little field trip too!

For these last two, we were in Kristin's apartment, which was like ready-made for some pictures. She had bright paint on the walls (which perfectly coordinated with the outfit, I thought) and north-facing windows. And the camera just loves her.

And finally, this one! Great angle, great light, great model! Kristin was telling me about the kinds of acting opportunities there are in Chicago ... there's theatre, of course, and also a good amount of film, but something I didn't know was that a lot of commercials are shot here. So I'm hoping I get to see her in a national commercial soon! Plus, I graciously offered to let her buy me a car when she hits it big. :)

Thanks again, Kristin, for being so much fun and for finding me in the most unconventional way!

Faith & Corey's Wedding

2009-03-23T11:13:00.005-04:00

First wedding of the year, friends! And it's of friends! Oh, it all works out. :)

This is the first wedding I've shot for friends since my very first one (shout out to Matt & Kim!), and I was SO excited. I was also so nervous, but I really shouldn't have been. I had such a good time and the pictures came out so pretty, which of course always happens when you have good looking and/or fun people to shoot. (Faith and Corey were, of course, both.)

I love these guys so much and I can and probably will write a novel about it. We all went to high school together, although their relationship is a fairly recent development (in terms of when we all were in high school--ten year reunion on the horizon, baby!). Faith was like my long-lost soulmate. We went to school together for like a zillion years but only discovered each other pretty late in high school, maybe our junior or senior year? I feel like it was some combination of English and journalism classes that brought us together, but the details are fuzzy. We lost touch after high school but were reunited a year or so ago through the magic of Facebook, when we discovered that we were, at the time, working across the street from each other. Can you believe that? Life is so funny that way. So we got together and had a delicious lunch at Rock Bottom, which I am in love with.

Corey, on the other hand, was the drummer in my high school boyfriend's band. Even in hindsight, they were surprisingly awesome for a high school band, playing a lot of rock covers at high profile venues such as the homecoming dance, After Prom, and Mongan's (which means nothing to you if you're not from Plainfield). I spent my entire junior year in Corey's basement, and it was probably one of the greatest years of my entire life.

And with that, let's jump in, shall we?

This is the gorgeous Faith right after she'd gotten into her dress. I believe she was smiling at her daughter. And seriously, I love that moment when a bride gets into their dress and they feel all pretty and bridal. AND don't you love this dress? I thought it was so unusual--I hadn't seen anything like it and it's so pretty.

Everyone knows how I love the mascara pics.

How cute is this? That's Mackenzie (fingers crossed on the spelling/capitalization of that!), Faith's daughter and bridesmaid extraordinaire. I love this shot of them getting ready together. :)

And speaking of getting ready, here's the Mother of the Bride, fancying up the flower girl! (Fancying up: totally a legitimate phrase.)

These shoes are amazing! Faith loved them and went with purple shoes for her wedding, a decision that I am all for. And if you can't tell here, they have an ankle strap. Love!

Oh, just a beautiful bridal portrait for your viewing pleasure. We got lucky because Indianapolis actually doesn't get that much snow (ESPECIALLY when you talk to the girl who's been living in Chicago-ish all winter), and it snowed for their wedding! So it was all snow and trees and a little winter wonderland backdrop for their wedding. Someone commented that all we needed out there was a baby deer and it would be complete. Word!

Oh good lord, this is going down in history as probably my all-time favorite flower girl/ring bearer shot. The combined cuteness here is just STAGGERING.

Jeff! Jeff was the bassist in said high school band. He and Corey have been friends since they were small children and it was so fun to hang out with him and his family at the wedding. Here, I snuck into the men's restroom (don't worry, I called out first) and made Jeff give me his best James Bond impression. Not bad, I say!

The groom! He's pretty important, I'd say, and I bet you were itching to get a good look at him, right? Here he is getting his flower pinned on and listening to one of the kiddos. Me and Faith's sister (and bridesmaid extraordinaire) were looking through the pics before the wedding and not letting Faith see (because we're mean), and we were ooohing and aaahing over this one.

I admit that I put this picture in for purely sentimental reasons, but seriously, I love it when friendships can last throughout the years, and Jeff and Corey both look so happy here, and I'm excited that I'm on the other side of the camera. It's like we're having a happy, old friends moment, and it's like ... if growing up I'd pictured how Corey's wedding day would be, I think this would've been it. Happy.

Mackenzie is totally an up and coming photographer--she was snapping away all evening!

OMG, that is the best face ever as he sees her coming down the aisle. I love it! And also, that's Chad, Corey's brother and best man. He was a senior when I was a freshman, so he was like cool and scary, and by the time I was at their house all the time, Chad was off at college. So we weren't as tight, but we also have become friends through the magic of facebook, and here's what I know--he's very nice, very funny, and loves some soccer. Also, funny sidenote, Chad and Corey's dad is some sort of real estate developer (I can never keep it all straight) and my parents actually live on Chad Ct., named after this guy right here. Corey Ln. is just around the corner. Pretty awesome, huh?

I think I'm going to have to declare this one my favorite. It's perfect.

And look at this! I love the cute scrunching of Faith's shoulders, and how Corey has an extra hand holding her arm because just holding hands wasn't enough. Seriously, these two are making me die of cuteness right now. I am SO excited that they found each other.

Can't you just feel the happiness radiating out of this photo?

All I'm saying is, THANK GOD this thing was not an actual part of the wedding. It was just a doll or something (I can't imagine that it has any real use, although I also can't imagine why anyone would want something this horrifying sitting around for show) that sat on a shelf in the pro shop. It is SO CREEPY. I swear, it looks like a real life nightmare. So, of course, I took a picture of it to share with all of you fine folks. I think for me, possibly the creepiest thing about it is its uncanny resemblance to Dustin Hoffman.

Cute cute cute cute cute! (By the way, I know I use that word a lot but I feel like there's no reasonable substitute for it. So if I want to communicate cuteness, I have one option and one option only.)

Alright, so I know the focus is soft here but who cares? It's such a great entrance. Seriously, the joy at this wedding was just so present it was almost physical. I want to go back and do this wedding again because it was just so happy. And because I got two pieces of cake. (I almost never get cake at weddings, one of the job hazards.)

This was taken during Chad's toast, which was probably one of the best Best Man toasts I've heard.

The first dance ... I believe they were trying to convince Mackenzie to come and join them, but she wasn't having it.

I don't usually love pictures of backs, but this one, I totally do. I think it says it all.

The father of the bride dance ... I was really into the composition of this one.

And finally ... a double fisting pic! New year, same love for people with two drinks at a time. :)

And there you have it! That was so fun, such a good wedding and fun to go back through and look at again. :) The gallery is up on my Instaproofs site. Congratulations, lovebirds!

Nene's Birthday Party!

2009-03-23T10:14:00.006-04:00

So a couple weeks ago, I went out to take pictures at Nene's birthday party. She just turned four and she's so cute--her grandmother (who hired me for the party) is my former boss, and Nene occasionally would come into the office, like on holidays and stuff, and she liked me because I had the most fun stuff in my desk, AND it was on the bottom drawer, right where she could help herself. I mean, we're talking a tea pot (SO cute, it's totally picture-worthy so I should get on that) AND the most incredible Chinese food menu you have ever seen in your life, and I am SO not exaggerating. It is MAGICAL. Fortunately, Nene agreed and now we're BFF.

So I was ultra-thrilled to go to her birthday party, which was at Pump It Up in Elmhurst. I can't post a lot of pictures from it because I didn't get parental permission and I wouldn't feel right about it otherwise, but trust me when I say, these people know how to throw a party for kids. I totally recommend it--they run it like a well-oiled machine. There's no downtime, the kids are free to be loud and run around, and then they go to a room for pizza, cake, and then home for a nap. Because after using that much energy, they do get a little grumpy right at the end--it's perfectly timed. So with that in mind ...

This is gorgeous, cute Nene with her princess birthday cake (and princess shirt--I think she may like princesses). I know, I know, it's a little soft but it was dark, so shut up, and I just want you to see how happy she looks, until ...

HA! OMG, this cracked me up SO SO SO much. I love the look of outrage and the pointing of the finger. Hilarious! She was so distraught because someone helped blow out her candles. It was okay, of course--it's easy to distract a four-year-old at a birthday party, especially when cake is about to be cut. But I just thought this picture was such a riot that I had to share.

Seriously, y'all, this was SO much fun. I had no choice but to get into the bouncy toys to take pictures since the nets were too thick to shoot through. So I got to bounce around a little bit too, like a big old 28-year-old kiddo! It was the best. :)

What I Got

2009-03-13T16:06:00.007-04:00

Do you guys remember when I said I had some extras from Morgan's pictures that I wanted to post separately? Well, here they are!

Everything about this screams "Indiana Summer" to me. I'm in love.

And then I saw this, and I thought ... man, those two shots pair well together. And then I decided that I really need to do a summer in Indiana series this year when I go home to visit. I don't know what'll be on the list, but I'm guessing corn will be non-optional.

I think this is a good time to catch everyone up on what life is like my photography world, since I can say without hesitation that it's going to be much different than last year. The economy has hit everyone hard and photography is a luxury market. Combine that with me moving to a new market, and I am going to be doing much, much less wedding work this year.

That is actually really okay with me. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the weddings I did last year, and I had a spectacular time doing them and will take whatever comes my way, but there are bright sides too. I'm excited to have weekends back, all to myself to be completely selfish with, to explore a new city (with my camera hanging around my sweaty neck!), to bust my tent out of my trunk and go camping, to ride my bike to infinity and beyond, and to have time to sit on my balcony and paint, which I haven't gotten to do in so long that I've almost forgotten what it's like to inhale paint fumes for a couple hours. (You'd never know that I haven't been around fumes from reading this blog though, now would you?)

Of course, that said, I also thought things would be much, much slower, and that's not happening at all, which is awesome. I've still got a couple weddings, some headshots, a few family portraits, and some seniors either coming up or in the works, and I expect that when the weather gets a little nicer, things may pick up there too. And, as I have been talking about for the past year, I am just about to do a MAJOR website update. It's been such a long time coming, and so necessary. I am going to "pimp it out", as the kids say.

I'm also going to try to spend more time, especially this summer, on art photography. In a selfish way, I want fun stuff for my walls. In a more productive way, my good friend Erin, who is more marvelous than you can imagine, has been encouraging me to open an etsy shop and sell art prints, and that's something I think I'd like to do. Over the last couple years, I've had some fun images that don't necessarily fall into a category and I think it would be fun to share them.

So that's sort of where things are at right now, and I'm sure that everyone knows how plans go. Still, you have to have them and I think that the best thing you can do is point yourself in a direction and start out that way, and then just go with the flow and see where it takes you.

So, there's my philosophical take on life and goals, I suppose, and the preview of what's going on and where the year is headed. I'm excited about it, and I think it's going to be a good one.

Morgan's Quasi-Senior Pictures

2009-03-11T10:24:00.004-04:00

So I took these pictures like a million years ago (in August), and I call them quasi-senior pics because Morgan was actually entering her junior year at the time (and now she's in the full swing of it, and also, my junior year was awesome, possibly my favorite of high school, so hopefully hers is going well too). I looooove doing portraits and wanted to do more seniors in high school, but I just don't know that many teenage girls these days. Thankfully, my mom hangs out with Morgan's mom (because our brothers played football together, and this is how relationships form in the midwest, as I am well aware--around sports), and they agreed to let me guinea pig on them. And yes, I just used "guinea pig" as a verb.

So anyway, one of the things I was wanting to do (and would maybe like to do a little more of) was Morgan, who is like a multi-sport athlete which is SO far out of my comprehension, because hello, I am easily the biggest klutz on this earth, and did I tell you about how I fell down at Friday the 13th (the movie) on Friday the 13th (the day), and wound up with the cutest little heart-shaped bruise right on my kneecap? And what was I talking about? Oh, right, Morgan, the athelete. I wanted to get some pictures of her being sporty but in girly clothes, so we did this basketball in a dress stuff, and it came out awesome. Plus, I think it really helped loosen her up, because playing basketball in a dress is just kind of funny.

Also, there were two outtakes from this shoot that I want to post separately, maybe tomorrow, and one of them was from the basketball time, so keep that in mind.

Two things here, the first of which being that I love taking pictures of people on swings. It's a little challenging, actually, because of the movement, but it always comes out awesome. Secondly, I want you to look at this picture and think I'm hilarious, but the truth is, Morgan was cracking herself up here. Whenever her face would start to freeze, I'd say something to that effect and so she'd make a crazy face (which I have several outtakes of) and that would make her laugh again for real. Made my job real easy!

Now, I just think this is the hottest picture ever. I want to put it in a magazine or on a Billboard or something. Also, pause here to discuss where we're at (because what fun is it doing senior pictures of someone who goes to your alma mater if you can't reminisce a little about high school?)--this is Hummel Park, where I spent untold hours of my life growing up, especially as a teenager, because in Plainfield, like many towns like it, everything closes early and you don't want to go home because your parents will be there, and UGH, parents, so you end up doing things like knowing all the waitresses at Steak 'n' Shake, wandering aimlessly around Wal-Mart, or when it's nice, hanging out at Hummel Park, sitting on the hood of your car, or testing out the range of remote-controlled electronic fart devices. Hey, I'm not necessarily proud of it, but it's my life.

This one wasn't preceded by a funny face, so I may actually be that funny after all! (Oh, come on--you KNOW I think I am.) :)

A nice, pretty face shot with the gorgeous summer glow ... Summer! Come back to me!

Okay, now I can't remember what I said (possibly for the best), but this one WAS all me. Toot toot! There goes my own horn again!

Oh, you guys, I love these, and I mean looooooove. For those of you familiar with Plainfield, we were in the weeds out by the Thornton's gas station on 267. Morgan's mom, Tammy, was with us for the entire shoot and sometimes when I make people do things like stand in weeds, moms get a little nervous. Tammy, however, did not bat an eyelash, which was awesome. Also, Tammy had the most righteous bruise on her leg you have ever seen, and take it from someone who lives in a constant state of bruising due to aforementioned uncoordinatedness. I asked her what it was from and it was from sliding into a base during a softball game. Dude, I have never and I am thinking WILL never slide into a base EVER, so I'm extra impressed that one of my mom's friends did. That is beyond awesome.

This picture makes my life. I LOVE it, and I love the slightly grainy look and how sort of 70's it came out.

And one last one because I was so enamored with that set. Also, fun story, when Morgan and I were standing in the weeds (because yes, I did too, and in shorts, no less--although I did make use of the Deep Woods Off that I carry in my car all summer long), we heard the absolutely unmistakable sounds of a mouse, and it had to be like RIGHT THERE. Morgan got a look on her face that I can only describe as horrified-amused, but she managed to stick it out for a few more frames (and I'm really glad she did, the pics were great). You can believe that every time there was a rustle though, she jumped. :)

For our next adventure, we headed to Franklin Park, which is where I watched more baseball games than you can shake a stick at. I swear, I spent more hours watching Little League baseball in the summers than I spent in my own house. Well, and by "watching Little League", I of course mean escaping to play at the playground, complaining to my mom about how hot it was, being embarassed when I saw cute boys my own age at their games, and counting out change to buy Fun Dips and watered down cokes. Oh, good times. I just got a little nostalgic.

Anyway, Morgan knew about this rock, which just looks like a big old rock from the other side, which is how you approach it, but on the back side is some sweet Plainfield graffiti, and I swear, if I could go back and do my senior pictures again, I would be ALL OVER this. I'm so excited that she thought of it.

And because graffiti does often call for black and white, there ya go!

Oh my gosh you guys, I had so much fun doing this shoot. It was such a good time and I thought the pictures came out spectacularly. I put them up in a gallery at http://sarahbrownphotography.instaproofs.com/. As with all my seniors, there is a password on it, and it's Morgan's last name, which should be easy if you know her, so go check those out. And you know how we love comments around here, so don't be shy!

Carrie & Mike's Post-Wedding Engagement Session (Subtitled: We Make Our Own Rules!)

2009-02-25T11:24:00.004-05:00

I think you'll remember Carrie and Mike from their absolutely gorgeous wedding at the Indiana State Museum. It was the one with the incredible long veil that was blowing lightly in the breeze ... ah, that was a nice wedding. And I miss summer.

Anyway, I really loved all my wedding clients, but Carrie and Mike were one of those couples that I just SUPER hit it off with. We could never make an engagement session work before the wedding, so we got together later in the fall, and it was really, really nice to see them again.

Now, on the slightly downside, it was the day after my last wedding of the year and I'd had a VERY full weekend of driving and taking pictures and not sleeping, and so I remember almost all of the shoot, including where we went, that it was fun, that we walked past a maybe bomb (turned out it wasn't, someone just forgot their backpack), and most of the little details. I do not, unfortunately, remember their dogs' names. So until someone comments and reminds me, I'm going to call them Boy Dog and Girl Dog, because I believe those are their appropriate genders. And if it's not, I'm sure both Boy Dog and Girl Dog are most secure in their sense of self and I won't be giving either of them an identity crisis in the meantime.

Don't you just love all the blue and red here? (Also, possibly, I have been watching Smallville on DVD recently.) Girl Dog is in the red collar, Boy Dog is in the blue collar, and this jaunty little red door is on Mass Ave, right near the Starbucks where Carrie and I first met and knew it was true love 4-ever. I always think it's funny when people are so in synch that they blink at the same time in all their pictures, but I can't really show those, because no one really seems to be into the blinking pictures (can't imagine why not), but this one is equally fun because all the people and pets are in synch looking at someone passing by. I'm guessing, because everyone is still sitting, that said passerby wasn't carrying steak or something.

Aren't the bushes here just too gorgeous for words? It was prime fall real estate right there.

I have a bunch of pictures in front of this window, but my favorite was the one where they were both talking to the dogs, and maybe only dog owners can understand. But it's just one of those things that you spend so much of your life doing, talking to your dog, that is, and there are so few pictures of it.

And also, I know I say it all the time, but I really do love it when people bring their pets to shoots. It just adds an element of chaos, which is kind of fun for someone who really likes candid shots, and I think that sometimes it helps people forget that they're in front of a camera. Plus, you get to know an entirely different side of people, and it's a bonding experience for the animal lovers.

And, I can usually convince Billy to come and be my dog wrangler/dog attention getter, which is fun and novel too, because he doesn't usually accompany me on engagement and portrait shoots. He wasn't on this one, and I can't remember why ... my best guess is that maybe he was having a filet-with-lobster-hollandaise hangover.

We found this great little alley off Mass Ave (and I tell you, I shouldn't give away my secrets but if you want some fun pictures, go find yourself an alley in a city ... but only in a safe area with two guard dogs) and we totally worked it.

Also, for the record, this entire shoot took MAYBE an hour. I usually go closer to two and sometimes up to three, and I had planned for a longer one since there were dogs involved, but the dogs were awesome and Carrie and Mike were just like, "That's good!" so we called it a day. I figured I'd get a couple good shots but there were SO MANY good ones that I was truly amazed, and it's all because of how gorgeous and fun and gorgeous Carrie and Mike and the puppies are. Yay for Carrie and Mike and the pups!

Alright, now about this picture--I truly think that of all my "stand and smile at the camera" pictures, this is maybe my favorite of all time. Carrie looks beautiful as always, and Mike is looking down (I think at one of the dogs), and I love the effect. You know how I usually talk about funeral pictures, and how this picture of so-and-so would TOTALLY be at their funeral? No, not this one. This is one that I totally picture at their 50th anniversary party. I LOVE it.

This is a shot that took some effort, because as you can see, Girl Dog is sort of not having it and trying to escape (which I think is funny and sort of adds something to the picture). So I asked Carrie and Mike if they minded getting dirt on their butts and they graciously said that they did not, and sat down with the doggies. Boy Dog was happy to lounge and relax, and we got some really fun shots.

Now in case you're interested in any of the "photographical" aspects of my shooting, something I've been trying to challenge myself to do is to shoot wider sometimes and get more of a setting in a picture. One of the things I read early on as a photographer was that if something isn't adding to a photo, then it's taking away. But I was pleased with the composition here, of the alley and some of the feel of it, with the drain pipe, fence, cinder block, and most notably to me, the tiny little green plant popping up. I just think the whole thing has a vibe, and I like that vibe.

And of course, adding some hot babes to your pictures never hurts either.

I had forgotten about this until I saw the picture, but this is outside Yats, and the tables beside the building. I was just going to have them sit across from each other at the picnic table, but Boy Dog took matters into his own hands (paws?) and got right up on the table. We did a quick rearrange and I loved how this came out, and with everyone, human and canine, giving me such genuine big smiles.

Since I've been discussing landmarks in this whole post, I'll just keep on with it and say that this is that little wall by the Mass Ave Starbucks. One of my job duties as a photographer is to carry on a lot of one-sided conversations, but thankfully I have a lot of stories and there's one I always tell by this wall. I don't think it would necessarily translate to writing very well, but sometime when I'm in town, take me to that wall and I can almost guarantee you'll hear it.

And last but not least, a picture of just Mike and Carrie. We had loaded the dogs into the car at that point so they could take it easy (they had done a LOT of walking and were ready for a nap, as was I ... but then, I love naps and could almost always go for one), which was probably the main reason we hurried a little. Anyway, this was in one of the parks over on Pennsylvania with the fountains, and you can't really see it but I have them sitting on a tree root, and I always think that's so cool when there's big huge tree roots coming out of the ground. Probably because the magical trees in movies (like The Princess Bride!) always have those. But seriously, don't they just look incredible? I'm sayin'!

And that brings us to the end! Carrie and Mike, I really hope to see you again one of these days! Well, you probably will. I'll be the crazy old gray-haired lady sneaking that picture into your 50th anniversary party. I can see it now. But maybe before then too! :)