What's a-happening, hot stuff?

Does anyone even know what that's from anymore? Hint: It's Sixteen Candles, and bigger hint: if you haven't ever seen it, you are SERIOUSLY missing out.

So the big news is this: I am officially moving to Chicago. I found an apartment over 4th of July weekend so I'm going public with the news. I've been totally nervous about sharing this information with people (especially client people), but everyone has been so great about this.

How this will affect clients: Really, you shouldn't notice a difference in anything but my address. I will still have e-mail and a phone, and I have plenty of family and friends around here to stay with and it's not going to cost you anything for me to travel, since I've already committed to being here. I will be back at least twice a month through October, so if anyone still has sessions that they need to schedule, it should be pretty easy to get those in. Yay!

If anyone feels like referring me to their friends or family in Indianapolis ... PLEASE DO! I will still be available for weddings, and because of the ties here I've already mentioned, possibly even portrait sessions of someone is willing to work with my schedule. We're still fairly early in the season and I have already met so many people that I adore at the weddings I've done that I would hate to miss out on anyone's future wedding (if they'll have me!) just because of a little car time!

I know it's both cat AND human nature to be curious, and since I'm not posting any pictures in this one, I'll just go ahead and offer up some personal information instead. The reason that we're moving is that Billy is going back to grad school at Northern Illinois University. He's doing orientation and mobility, which is a special education program that focuses on the visually impaired. Obviously, quite a change from advertising! I'm totally proud of him and I know he's going to go make a difference in the world.

We are actually splitting the difference between DeKalb and Chicago and have landed an apartment in Naperville, where we will be the resident hobos. (Not really, but ... okay, really.) If you think I talk about Jamba Juice an annoying amount of the time now, just wait until I am in the same town with one. It's gonna be out of control.

If anybody has any questions or worries or wants to talk to me about this, PLEASE don't hesitate. I'm going to do everything I can to make this transition as smooth as possible for all my clients, and I really don't foresee any problems.

In much, much more minor news, I am definitely experiencing little growing pains here and there with the business! The computer I am using has been very trusty and faithful, but I have SO bogged that thing down and it's not exactly what you'd call lightning fast. It's possibly not even what you'd call turtle fast. It's like ... glacial fast. Anyway, to combat this, I have ordered a shiny new Mac but I don't expect it until next week. After that, my speed will hopefully pick up significantly. Thank you to everyone waiting on pictures for your patience. I love you guys and totally feel like I have been the luckiest person in the world with my clients!

Along those same lines, I don't want you guys to get bored with my blog or to stop checking in, so I'm going to try to post little random bits here and there just for entertainment (like my SnoCone post!). I am also going to be offering a few special deals, possibly in the form of contests or something, for past, present, and future clients, so check back on those, hopefully in the next week or so!

And finally, don't be alarmed if you see my logo changing here and there. I've got something right now that is workable and slightly better than the arial font I've got going on now, but at some point I would like to hire a professional to design something more graphic and more "me", so no worries, I'm not having a total identity crisis or anything. :)

Thank you guys so much for sticking with me through this blog post and all the other stuff going on. It's a really exciting time!

Hello, lover.

I'm a tiny bit obsessed with SnoCones. I blame Billy. But they're beautiful, delicious, and special, because you can't really get them from anywhere other than a stand. I mean, technically, you CAN, because I have a SnoCone maker at home and it does a pretty good job, but it's just not really the same. It's not as fluffy and snow-like, even if it IS delicious (Target has some great syrups out right now). And your dog can't sneak behind the SnoCone shack and lick up discarded blocks of ice mingled with cigarette butts unless you actually go to the shack.

Mindy & Chris: Engagement

I have to say, this engagement shoot had the biggest entourage I've had so far! It was really, really fun, though. We had the couple, Mindy & Chris, who we packed up and took to Broad Ripple (where they've never been before! Can you believe it?), Mindy's mom Tammy, the two kiddos, Kendall and Ellee (who slept like a log the ENTIRE time), Billy (to entertain Kendall) and I. Whew! Needless to say, it was a party! But it was a quick party, since it was INSANELY hot, and with two small children ... you've gotta go quick! :)

Okay, now that's Mindy & Chris, and can I just get an amen on how freaking cute these two are? Hello!

This is baby Ellee, and this is her only picture since, like I said, she was passed out the whole time. But she had to get at least one picture of her first big photo shoot, right?

And who is this gorgeous babe? (Get it? Pun!) It's big sister Kendall, and I LOVE this picture. Kendall was a little camera shy all day, but she did agree to let me take this one, since I made a deal with her that if she'd let me take just one, she could go blow bubbles with Billy. What can I say, I know how to negotiate with the almost-three crowd. :)

(Also, notice Kendall and Ellee have on matching dresses? SO CUTE!)

Alright, back to the regularly scheduled hotness. :)

So Chris was a little shy about having his picture taken, which I totally understand since I am really (REALLY) uncomfortable in front of the camera, and we were in a VERY public place, which I'm sure was nerve-wracking, but all I'm saying is that if I were this photogenic, I'd be running up to strangers and demanding that they take my picture. And by the way, people totally do that. I'm never really sure why, since they're never going to actually SEE the picture, but I just realized that maybe it's because they think they're totally hot in pictures. Hmmm.

Alright, so if you've ever been on the Monon, you probably remember that there are a lot of murals along the way. I don't know why this picture cracks me up so much, but like one lone Indian canoeing along behind the kissing couple just makes me laugh. Maybe it's because I have a thing for "one lone Indian"--I always joke that it's the one lone Indian in the family tree that makes me get so tan. (But seriously, it probably is.)

HAPPY FAMILY! I love this picture--everyone looks so happy, and Kendall is chasing bubbles (seriously, I've already said it, but bubbles are like the best $3 a photographer can spend)--so cute!

Oh, this picture? Just BARELY happened. I have such a hard time getting serious pictures because of how hilarious (read: ridiculous) I am. Like I'll tell people to look serious and they will, and then I'll go and ruin it by saying something absurd like, "Just look into the distance and really think about your life!" and it's so stupid that people can't hold in the laughing. I think I have one of Gail laughing at the exact same thing. I need some new material. :)

Okay, finishing out with one of my favorites. We totally plopped down on a bench next to some people enjoying their SnoCones (and yes, I did have one later, and yes, I did take a picture of it, and yes, you probably will see it one of these days) who just had no idea what was happening. I love the weird interactions of photography in public.

Noticing a lot of vertical pictures? It's not an accident! These guys are getting married at the Fountain Square Theater, which I am HUGELY excited about. But they need a few shots to put in the poster holder things (there's gotta be a better word for that), and those are vertical, sooooo .....

You guys, I can't wait to do this wedding! I love the whole family that I've met so far (and I've met more than I usually have at this point!) and I love shooting in Fountain Square, and I know we're going to have a blast!

PostSecret

So I kind of assume that everyone knows what PostSecret is, but in case you don't, it's a website that gets updated every Sunday, and people mail in their secrets on homemade postcards. The best description I ever heard about it was that it's a little funny and a little sad, which is a lot like life. So true!

Anyway, this week, there was this little gem:

WHAT!!!!

I felt the need to tell all of you that ... IT WASN'T ME!!!! :)

Sara & Marshall: Engagement

Sara & Marshall! Like that movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall! Yeah, I totally did not notice that until Sara pointed it out to me, but in case I haven't mentioned it, I really enjoyed that movie (I've seen it twice now) and I do recommend it. It's hilarious.

Meanwhile, this Sara & Marshall are also a totally good time! Their wedding is this Saturday, which is fun because I still have the lesson fresh in my mind that as soon as you tell them you're "done" taking their picture, Marshall does something totally goofy. Now I'm prepared!

So you would never know it from this pic, but we only had about an hour to do the engagement session because it was threatening rain the entire time. We made it to our cars just as the first few drops started to fall. Meanwhile, our little whirlwind session was awesome! And it started here, which is (approximately) where these two crazy kids got engaged.

And then on to the canal! One of the things that I have a love/hate relationship with the canal about is the fact that there are just always gonna be people in your shots or walking through your shots. But I like the ones here over Marshall's shoulder--I think they really add something! Also, as you can see, still loving the black and white!

Awwwwwww! Too cute!

Even cuter than too cute!

Laying on the grass ... they had a soccer game after the shoot (which they tried to recruit me for, but my athletic skills top out around ... ZERO). You may wonder how this relates, so I will tell you that in my mind, soccer and grass apparently connect enough to form that sentence. :)

Awwww, what a pretty girl! And Sara's not bad either! Heeeeeeeyyyyyy-ooooohhhhhh! See what I did there?!?! But just kidding, I really was talking about Sara even though they're both super gorgeous. :)

Marshall giving our girl a flower. Also, can I just say how great he is at making her smile? He is just right on top of the perfect joke or doing something funny or cute to make her happy--I know their wedding is going to be so fun and they're going to really love their pictures because of that. :)

See how genuinely happy they look? You just can't fake smiles like that!

Ah, so here is where we started to do a serious one. I'm not actually sure how that started. All I know is that Marshall really had the badass, intense stare down, and Sara could not hold it together. This is about as "serious" as it got (but of course, I still love it). Meanwhile, all that concentration was totally worth it because it resulted in this next one:

OMG, I am in love, in LOVE with this picture because, once again, it is like the camera isn't even there and those are my absolute favorite kind.

Alright, tiny confession, I did a little work to the sky (burning), and it was a little bluer and a tiny bit less ominous. But still, this was toward the end, and the rain was definitely coming, and don't you think it made for a fantastic picture?

Oh, like we could go without a silhouette picture! You guys know I freaking love them. :)

Alright, y'all, the unthinkable has happened and I am all caught up on editing. Of course, this will only last until Saturday and in the meantime, I have a TON of other stuff to be working on, so please allow me at least 24 hours to respond to e-mail. I promise I still love you and would never forget about you. But it's officially June, and wedding season is underway! Yay!

Brian & Dawn Marie: Engagement

Are you guys ready for the longest blog post in the history of the world? Seriously, it is so hard to narrow it down with anyone, and it's harder with friends. Brian and Dawn Marie (here on out referred to as DM, mostly because it's easier to type and there is a LOT of typing that's going to happen!) are getting married in August and one of my favorite photographers in all of Indy (Tosh Troglen) is going to be shooting it. Brian and DM decided not to mix business with pleasure for the wedding and ended up going with a stranger (and it don't get no stranger than Tosh!), which is an idea that I definitely support, but they still decided to involve me in the engagement pics, which I really enjoyed and had a good time with, and I think they did too. Now on with the show!

DM needed a picture of the ring to show off to her friends who haven't been able to see it yet, and this was my best shot of both the diamond and the engravings. Meanwhile, we got the big idea to use this tree with little oranges on it (may or may not be oranges, I don't know), and ya know ... it was harder than you might think to find ones that didn't look like, well, anatomy.

I ended up with a lot of black and white for me on this shoot, especially considering that it was outdoors, but I REALLY enjoyed it.

On the other hand, amazing color like this is why I usually don't have much black and white! I could not get enough of those flowers.

Brian was into getting some fountain pictures, and I've seen some like this that I've liked so I gave it a shot (camera pun!).

See? Fountain! Also, DM was complaining that they have tons of pictures of her looking at the camera and Brian looking at her, so we tried to switch it up a little on the shoot. Pretty successfully, I thought!

Also, everyone looking at the camera!

Also, no one looking at the camera! (I'm so versatile!)

OMG, this one makes me laugh so hard. DM had to tell Brian that he was putting her in a headlock. Which, yeah, he totally was. But look how serene and happy he looks while putting her in a headlock!

Ha, okay, these next pictures CRACK ME UP. This is the shot we were going for ... the happy couple blowing bubbles. (Also, bubbles are like the perfect all-occasion thing to bring along for pictures because sometimes you need a break, or need to be entertained, or need to distract kids, or pets, or whatever, and they are age-appropriate for everyone. You wouldn't think so, but they are.)

Meanwhile, this is what we started with. The good thing about shooting pics of your friends is that you can say, "Brian, stop looking into the camera! You're creeping me out!" But I was laughing so hard that this is the only picture I got of him doing it.

So next, of COURSE, DM had to do her Brian impression. Again, I was laughing so hard that this is the only one I was able to snap. Thankfully, it was a good one. Oh, man. Me and Billy got the biggest kick out of this entire like ... five minutes. Good times.

Oh, look! I think they were having fun too! Seriously, does it GET any cuter?

Oooooh ... maybe it does. This is pretty cute, but also, this is pretty HOT. Also, DM had just gotten new highlights, and I would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU because they look freaking glorious in black and white.

This reminds me of like ... several different commercials, actually, but the one that most comes to mind is the one for Geico where the pretty girl is swinging the gecko around, and that song plays ... you know, "Sometimes when we touch, the honesty is too much ..." I can't remember the rest of it offhand, but I can tell you that whenever I hear that song, I sing along, and when I say sing along, I mean that I BELT IT OUT, with FEELING! And I am NOT a good singer.

What were we talking about again? Pictures? Not me? What?

Anyway, I loved how the light was somehow coming through here to make it look both blue and gold. Also, I feel like this is a good time to comment on how awesome DM's dress was. Nicole was looking at pictures with me and also said several times how much she liked it.

Back to those gorgeous flowers! The funny thing about this picture, though, is that Billy was pretty much the posing coach. He kept showing Brian how to sit, and I kept moving Brian around and then telling him to strike the "cool guy pose" (which was this, and I feel like it really worked!). But sometimes when I'm shooting I have to pause and laugh when I really think about what's happening ... like here I am, making people sit in front of flowers and then telling them to look like a "cool guy". Come on, that's funny!

Oh, yes, FAVORITE. I love this picture, and again with the black and white. The color just didn't quite get the emotion there, and I just love how like ... GENUINE it is. It's really like there wasn't a camera right there. And I kept trying to crop it, but it really just wasn't working for me any way other than how it was. Love!

Awwww! Plus, hotness! Plus, DM-looking-at-Brian-Brian-looking-at-camera!

Oh, this one is just nice!

Another fave! That dress is just magnificent. I think this one is going on my website. (I keep saying that, don't I? But I swear, I'm getting to it!)

SQUISHY FACES!!!!!!!!!!

OMG, so this one is last for DM's mom. Apparently, Dawn Marie has a picture of herself doing this for every major milestone occasion in her life. Apparently, her mom keeps thinking she's going to outgrow it and she never does, and her mom is always surprised when it gets snuck in at the very end of pictures that DM sends her. I love it! Traditions are so important. :)

Okay, so that's seriously the condensed version. I am just not a brief person! (I'm also not a boxer person, before some smart ass goes and asks.) But I had so much fun doing these. Thank you guys for such a fun time!

Gail

Okay, so, rather than nerd alert you every time I start a sentence, let me just post a sweeping nerd alert for this entire post.  Gail and I got together to talk shop and take pictures of each other, and let me tell you ... this was a totally new experience for me.  First of all, I haven't been in front of the camera that much in several years, and secondly, if there are any photographers reading this, I TOTALLY recommend shooting portraits sometime with another photographer.  It offers a lot of insight into how your subjects feel, posing, and whatnot.  I feel like I actually came away from this a better photographer, lame as that may sound. :)

Oh, and if you want to see Gail's pictures of me, go check out her blog, linked above.  The last one is my favorite, but there are several good ones.

Okay, so anyway, I had an awesome time in the post production of these.  I really felt liberated to do whatever I wanted to them and to try some new things, so there's kind of a variety here and I'll tell you a little about them as we go.  Ready ... okay!

Compositionally, this was one of my faves.  But then I kind of rethought the ... ummm ... verbiage... on the door and thought, I hope there aren't a lot of sick perverts reading my blog, although it is the internet so I've gotta think there's at least one or two.

This is Gail trying to hold it together in spite of how hilarious I am.  If you ask me, she did about as good a job as Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sans, but she's still really cute.  On this pic, I ran a retro action.  I don't think Billy was a huge fan of the coloring, but I liked it so WHATEVER! :)

Alright, so it's not a picture of her face which kind of WAS the whole point, but there was nonetheless something about this one that reached out and grabbed me.  Also, seeing as how this is the first black and white I'm posting, I would just like to tell you that I really feel like I rocked the black and white in this session.  That's right, I just tooted my own horn WHILE patting myself on the back.  Can you stand it?

So I know this picture is pretty dark but I felt like such a badass facial expression deserved something dramatic and I love it.  I call it my Sin City picture.

Similar but lighter, which totally changes the mood of the picture.  I love the black and white tones here.  It seems like ... I feel like it looks like a scene from a rock video, but one with a lot of emotion.  Can anyone think of an appropriate rock song for this picture to be in the video?

This is not my normal picture ... the composition is pretty different than stuff that I usually do and I have to kind of wonder if it was an accident.  There' s a lot of negative space in there, but I feel like it totally works and I love it.  It's pretty much opened my eyes to exploring negative space a little further.  Good homework for me!

This picture and another one that's coming up were kind of ... well, an exercise in getting over mental hurdles.  I feel like one of the things that is totally drilled into your head in photography school is how terrible fluorescent lighting is (not that anyone who's ever tried on a swimsuit doesn't know this).  As a result, yellow and green tinted pictures have become kind of a no-no in my mind, especially since I spend so much time color correcting for fluorescent lighting.  But like ... what's really so bad about yellow?  I kind of like yellow.  It's the color of the sun, and dandelions,  and certain t-shirts that I have really enjoyed over the years.  So I added some gold (the classy word for yellow) tones to a couple of the pictures and I love them, so I might have to try this more often.  This particular effect was achieved with a gold overlay.

This is the second gold-toned picture.  Here, I just adjusted the color temperature.  This one is my American Eagle ad. :)  Actually, Gail was trying to show me how she wanted me to pose, but she was MUCH more successful at it than I was (a model, I am not), so unfortunately for her, I reaped all the benefits of her good ideas!  

Do you guys ever notice how I totally lead up to a grand finale?  Yeah, I do that a lot and I'm totally doing it here.  Anyway, I have really made a point of not swearing in this blog since I use it for work, but I really effing love this picture.  And the WALL!  Oh, the wall.  I am hoping that it's a secret I can keep to myself a little longer because I love it so much.  But I thought between beautiful Gail and the amazing rainbow in the background that this picture was absolutely magical.

Best for last!  This was my favorite picture and I think really captured The Essence of Gail.  Can I tell you guys a secret about myself?  I know it seems morbid, but a lot of times I think about pictures that would be shown at someone's funeral.  But really, it's not TOTALLY morbid, it's just that I really want to make something that people will have and enjoy for the rest of their lives, and that really say something about who they are.  So if I think a picture is "funeral worthy", then you know it's good!  Maybe my ego is getting out of control here, but I totally think this is one of those.  

Something that I usually say is that I feel like I get about one REALLY GOOD picture for about every 30 that I take.  I only took 36 pictures total of Gail and I was really happy with three or four of them, so this was a pretty satisfying shoot for me!  Thanks for playing with me, Gail!  And as always, comments and critiques are appreciated! :)