Samantha + Greg :: post marriage engagement photos?

Sometimes, folks are already married and realize they never had the proper chance to have engagement photos taken. I’m always excited to hear from people in this situation… I very much enjoy working with couples and enjoy seeing love continue to be celebrated after the vows have already been said; whether that’s 5 decades later, or less than a year.

These two have only been married a short while…and Greg is in the Navy, stationed in Washington DC and here for only a week on leave. I was so honored to have been contacted to take up even a small fraction of the short time they had together for this.

To make things more interesting, I also decided to take my minivan off-roading that day and got stuck in the mud/ice. Alright, so off-roading wasn’t my real goal… I was actually location scouting and parked in a not-so-smart place to park. Samantha & Greg were very kind to come pick me up so we could do the shoot anyway, and were also brave enough to withstand the freezing temperatures and wind that day.

So thankful for clients like these. 🙂

experimenting in the studio with lance

I was setting up for a shoot the other day and had 45 minutes to spare. I knew my good friend lance schaubert was across the street at the coffeeshop and I sent him a quick text to see if he wanted to ‘model’ for me while I goofed around with some different lighting setups.

5 seconds later I received his ‘on my way’ text. Here’s a random sampling from the 98 final shots we got. As an explanation/warning: Lance has a past in acting. I guess that’ll be pretty obvious.

Lance’s versatility PLUS me seeing how many different ways I could light him. Ridiculous, chaotic fun… enjoy!

whew! Let’s end on something serious… I really love this one.

baby Jillian, session 2

Baby Jillian is back! Really enjoyed this in-home shoot with Jillian (now 6 months) & parents Casey & Amber. What a cutie!

those Eidson girls: shoot EIGHT

I realized after this shoot, that this was the EIGHTH time I’d worked with the Eidson family over the last 3 years. Olivia’s ‘baby’s 1st year’, then Caroline’s… and this session marks the last of Caroline’s first year. Crazy! But of course, it won’t be the end.

We went for more of a ‘lifestyle’ approach to this shoot… our setting was downtown Springfield, where delicious crepes & cool buildings are in abundance. I let the sisters explore the territory, and this is what we got!

my favorite…

Image

happy valentine’s everybody!

the Burgetts

Seems like maybe a year back, I took this picture of the Burgetts, expecting their first baby.

OH WAIT! That can’t be right, bc here’s that same family NOW…

I’ve said it before, and once again… TIME FLIES.

The Burgetts are old friends of mine… Levi & I worked at Starbucks together back in the day, and I still have memories of messing with people (harmlessly, just so you know) in the drive thru. Levi’s airport controller voice (‘ahhh…breaker breaker…we’re gonna need a latte…’) still rings in my ears sometimes…

This family has been in and out of the country over the last couple of years, and it’s nice to see them back for pictures when they’re in town. Last time they were here it was just little Laila… here she is now, posing with her ‘baby’s 1st year’ book that also serves as my studio sample.

Now there’s a new kid in town… Laila’s baby brother Archie.

I love this… but of course I WOULD love a photo involving a camera…

I’m ending this with a fun side note: Levi is also kicking off his acting career for me & lance schaubert… playing a character in our upcoming film noir project ‘cold brewed’. Read more about that here…

Til’ next time!

Beth & Nick’s wedding

First wedding I’ve ever shot at my own church…which is kind of crazy! Because it’s a pretty big church. So glad to have the privilege of working with Beth & Nick last month… and we got some super fun shots, so take THAT dreary winter day! Especially when it comes to this amazing evening SKY…

I’m putting my very favorites up here… you can follow the jump to see more from the day if you like!

I love the little guy in the middle. He wasn’t quite ready yet for the group shoot… I told them it was so much better this way.

How do I get around guys feeling ‘awkward’ during group pictures? GO WITH IT! (excellent expressions, by the way, gentlemen…)

joy! nervous joy, but JOY!

Beth & Nick had an awesome coffee/espresso bar, as hosted by the fantastic coffee-shop Coffee Ethic out of Springfield. I’m in springfield and drinking a delicious cup of single origin coffee at this very moment, made by the barista you see in the middle of this shot behind the counter (yes, you’ve got to look pretty closely…)

see more by following the jump…

good thing these ladies weren’t aware of the camera.

had the opportunity to shoot a different perspective of ‘the kiss’ for this ceremony… I think it’s so fun to be able to get the audience as well as the couple for this once in a lifetime moment!

the dj ROCKED it!

Cold Brewed

Alright. So if you follow me on facebook or twitter, you may know that I’ve been hinting around at a big project coming up. It’s time for the official announcement!

I haven’t done a ‘personal’ (non commissioned) project in at least 3 years. But in that time, I’ve been dreaming of having time to do a series just for the fun of it. That time has come…whether I have time or not, I’m doing it.

The idea stemmed from a series of photos I did 6 years ago for a ridiculous site called whiskerino (an online beard growing competition. don’t ask). I wanted to pay tribute to the old film noir movies, complete with seedy characters, lots of shadowy lighting, and a good mystery.

The first time I did it- well, for starters, I cast myself as the main character and that was a terrible idea… (yes, this is me…)

Now I have the opportunity to do it again, with a better idea of what I’m doing, and I’m beyond excited.

First and foremost, I’m excited because the series is a collaboration with the one and only Lance Schaubert, my good friend and the best author I know.I gave Lance my idea… a coffee themed film noir…and he ran with it, crafting a story better than I could have hoped for. You will gasp…you will laugh…it’s great.

The series will be created as a text and picture combo, released in weekly installments on this website. If all goes well, it will be released as an exclusive iPad app. We’re still smack dab in the shooting phase, so stay tuned for more info

To keep abreast of the most recent developments & to catch some fun outtakes as we go, I recommend you become a fan of the ‘Cold Brewed’ facebook page.

Can’t wait to show you!