Monthly Archives: June 2009

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The ‘flu fog’

June 30, 2009 – 5:02 pm

How many times have you been sick but not sick enough to miss that day of work? No, just sick enough that you spend the entire day at your desk miserable, feeling like the volume’s been turned down on the world, your brain is in a vice and if you turn your head too suddenly, the floor might become the ceiling.

I’ve so been experiencing this over the past 48 hours, an infuriating kind of grogginess I’ve dubbed the “flu fog.” The worst part about the “flu fog”? The fact you can still get things accomplished. It just takes you twice as long because, you know, you feel like you’re in quick sand while doing them.

So why, Internet, am I sharing my sniffles with you? Because I’m hoping you can commiserate with me. Who hasn’t had a day where all they want to do is curl up on the couch and catch up on Oprah between naps while nursing a glass of O.J. and a swollen throat?

I’m also hoping all my amazing clients who are so patiently waiting for me to finish editing their photographs can remember this mea culpa-esque entry when I’m running a few days late on their delivery because somewhere along the way I  passed up the computer for a few hours of sleep and a chance to recharge under a blanket on the den couch.

In the meantime, I’m taking two of these and hoping nobody calls me before morning.

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Alyson and Matt: The Engagement

June 25, 2009 – 6:56 am

Who knew that when I started this photography business, I’d have a class reunion client by client? :)

Alyson and Matt both graduated with me from Woodlan High School (what up Class of 2000?!) and have been happily living, working, and basking in the Florida sunshine for the past five years but were back in town for a little wedding planning earlier this month. Alyson also happens to be BFFs with my good pal Jodie (also an ‘00 alum) who let her know I was into the picture-taking these days (Jodie, I love you SO much for being my super fan :) )

I always tell clients that I like to spend at least 10 or 15 minutes at the start of their session getting to know them a bit more before I stick a camera in their faces (because let’s be honest here, getting your pictures taken CAN make for an awkward experience — I’m ALLL about making it less so!). For the three of us, it was a fun game of catching up before we started the session.

I also had forgotten just how RIDICULOUSLY good looking this pair was until I had that camera up to my eye. So on that note, let’s get to the pictures. And if you want to see more of this session (aka: my favorite ‘yummy light’ session EVER), then make sure to watch the SLIDESHOW!

I love catalpa trees about as much as I love this photograph — which is a LOT!

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Alyson, that dimple of yours KILLS* me (*and by kills I mean it makes me really, really jealous I don’t have one)

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I really like how Matt is looking at Alyson in this one. Can you blame him? :)

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So Matt’s a pretty shy guy. But I remember in high school, when he had his senior photos taken, all of us gals had a bit of a Joey-esque “WHOA” moment. And yeah, I had another one of those when I came to this photograph. Alyson’s a lucky gal, eh?

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Of course, I could say the same for Matt with any of these next few images. Alyson, you are STUNNING

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You hold my hand and it’s better than love

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FAVOORRRRRRRIIIIITTTTTTTEEEEE (for those of you who are Midwest photogs, you know how much we covet this kind of light. The kind that apparently bursts from the sky like Skittles rainbows west of the Mississippi. All of which is to say, I’m really proud of this photograph and having SO been in the right place at the right time)

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Alyson and Matt, thanks so much for sharing an evening with me and for being up for my ideas (’I found this big tree …. :) ‘). Can’t wait for your wedding in September!

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Love in a parking garage

June 22, 2009 – 10:23 pm

One of the best things about my job at Ball State is getting to oversee a handful of INCREDIBLE students. I get so gosh darn lucky with the kids who come through my door that it makes every day a blast to hear what they have to come to my office and share with me (ranging in topic from actual work to the merits of, say … Rob Pattinson over Ryan Reynolds :) ).

Last summer I was incredibly blessed to bring the newly graduated Hillary on to my team and all I can say is WOW. This girl is wicked smart (she’d come in every other day expounding the latest international crisis or political scandal), wicked gorgeous (ahem…this you’re about to see) and has the work ethic of someone twice her age.

On top of all this, Hillary is an incredibly talented musician. I mean, CRAZY talented. When she told me she sang, I thought, “Oh, that’s neat.” But then she shared with me her MySpace page and I was all, WHOA, WHERE IS YOUR RECORD DEAL? So take a few minutes if you will and check out her mighty pipes. And maybe some day, when she’s famous and touring with her idol, Sarah Bareilles, she’ll remember little ‘ol me for that album cover :)

Until then, Hillary, whatta ya think about this image for promoting those local gigs of yours? YOU ARE HOT!

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So Hillary and her adorable boyfriend John (who I love to tease about looking so much like this handsome Hollywood star) were kind enough earlier this month to be my models for some off-camera lighting techniques I’ve been working on. After we wrapped up that session, I told ‘em I’d love to repay them in kind with some images of the two of them. Guys, you better post this cuteness on Facebook. It needs to be shared with everyone on your friends list.

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You didn’t think a parking garage could be this sexy did you? :)

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Let me just quickly note here that this past April Fool’s, Hillary and John played an awful, awful prank on all of us. A prank that extended to Hillary sending me a text message wearing a VERY believable rock on her left hand. Needless to say, gullible Gail bought it HOOK, LINE and SINKER. Then started getting excited about shooting their wedding photos (I mean, look at them?!) only to be profoundly disappointed upon learning I got punked.

So for the record you two, just remember there are two things you never joke about: babies and marriage. That might just come back to get ya — HA!

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Alyson and Matt: Sneak Peek

June 17, 2009 – 10:29 pm

I am a sucker for big, beautiful trees. The kind of trees I DREAM (I’m not even kidding) of taking pictures of. Maybe this is weird, I don’t know, but’s a love affair of mine.

And until Sunday, I don’t think I could have said I’d gotten to photograph one of THOSE trees.

Not anymore. Take one majestic tree + one hot couple and you’ve got the recipe for an image that takes my breath away, every time I look at it.

I LOVE THIS JOB! :)

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LOTS more of this fantastic engagement session to come next week, so stay tuned!

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Gaylena and Kevin: The Wedding

June 15, 2009 – 7:25 am

There’s just something about capturing images of people like this that makes my heart soar.

It’s that moment when I’m editing a wedding for a bride and groom when I’m filled with such joy thinking I DID THAT. It’s because I was blessed enough to be asked to get behind the camera that this couple gets to remember these exact moments for the rest of their lives. The cake dries up, the flowers will shrivel, but what remains are the photographs to remind us all of just how beautiful was the day two best friends became one.

There was just something about this wedding in particular that left me on THE biggest high. To the point where — if I didn’t know how much this couple wanted these images back — I would have stretched out the editing process because I enjoyed seeing their smiles THAT much!

Gaylena and Kevin, you have a love so real and true that even little ‘ol me could see — and feel — it across the room. And for the past few weeks, I’ve had some great reminders on the monitor in front of me. :)

Thank you for trusting me to document your wedding day. The bond you two share is palpable and I have a feeling that yours will be a wedding I remember for years to come.

And if you think this couple is gorgeous, then do yourself a favor and definitely WATCH THE SLIDESHOW. (True story: I’ve already watched it a dozen times myself and I STILL get goosebumps when I watch it  — ha!) Gaylena and Kevin, may you always be one another’s “best thing” :)

If you are friend or family of the bride and/or groom and want to see all the proof images from their wedding day, click here.

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Gaylena and Kevin got married on a beautiful Saturday morning at the Morris Butler House in Indianapolis. It made for some beautiful locations to shoot — both inside and out!

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I am still blown away by how BEAUTIFUL Gaylena was on her wedding day.

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Did you think I could blog this wedding and not mention the fantasticness of these shoes once more? :)

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When I opened this image on my computer, I was struck by just how handsome Kevin looks here. Gaylena, are you glad you married this man or what? (wink wink)

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And you thought he couldn’t get any more handsome :)

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Oh those cute groomsmen. They were so eager to please and had much fun in the process …

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I love EVERYTHING about this photograph, but especially Gaylena’s adorable grin here. That girl knew how to WORK the camera (made my job a breeze)

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S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G

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Gaylena and Kevin had an untraditional kind of intimate wedding day. After a brunch with their family and guests, they chose to spend the rest of the afternoon just as man and wife. And I think that is so sweet, because how many of us truly remember much about our wedding day — let alone spending more than five minutes with our spouse? Gaylena requested we meet up again in the evening on Monument Circle for more photographs and I happily obliged. When she showed up with those beautiful peacock feathers in her hair, I kind of wanted to ask her if we could be best friends :)

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Gaylena, you take my breath away in this photograph and remind me again of how much I love to do this, all at the same time

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An enchanted evening for sure …

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Gaylena and Kevin, you two are the best! Best wishes for a beautiful marriage!  — Gail

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If you ever wondered why people own pets

June 12, 2009 – 5:08 pm

It’s because of moments like these.

This morning, as I was blowdrying my hair, I turned to see my pup at the entrance way. Giving me this look. I mean, seriously, how could you not fall in love with this face? It makes me look past every awful thing this god-forsaken dog has done in the three years Nick and I have called her our own. This includes annihilating coffee table books, DVDs, and dog beds of which I’ve lost count.

But one look at this mug and all is forgotten.

I imagine this is what parenthood is like. Only, you know, TIMES SEVEN MILLION.

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Kristen and Billy — A Family Session

June 10, 2009 – 7:07 am

I feel like I’ve strung these two along long enough, waiting for these sweet images to hit the blog! I think what I loved most about this shoot was how much Kristen was willing to just go with the flow and trust me and my crazy instincts. We started our session with a little play time at the park in Monroeville, then headed to the ice cream stand, the Whippy Dip, that Kristen’s mom has owned since we were kids. The stand’s yellow wall made for a great backdrop AND I think Kristen’s mom, Mary, will get a kick out of these photos!

Lucky for us, these two have an old barn on their property that made for a great backdrop for the rest of our “country”fied session (I so just coined a term with that one!). And leave it to Gail … while Kristen and Billy were showing off a new pet in one of their garages, I spotted a set of red metal chairs and cajoled them into carrying them out in the yard and letting me take a few more photos. I TOTALLY think the grunt work was worth it, don’t you?

Kristen and Billy, thanks for sharing an afternoon with me (and staying patient as I uttered, “Just one more shot…” ooh…about 123 times!) And watch out world, because their little girl Cyenna is a cutie-patootie who I’m guessing is going to be a little heartbreaker when she grows up! :)

And folks, don’t forget to check out the slideshow. It makes my heart happy to watch it so make sure to CLICK HERE!

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This photo just makes me think of lots of memories of my own childhood … waiting at some Formica booth for my parents to bring me back a hot dog or slushie or a Blizzard …

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A cute little girl in an ice cream cone tank with an ice cream cone in hand. Does it get any more adorable, people? :)

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This shot is just so precious to me. Kristen, if your interested, your pal Gail thinks this would make an AWESOME stand-out print for your living room! :)

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I’m a big fan of the classic b&w and well, I’m not gonna lie … I LOVE this shot!

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Remember what I said a minute ago about whether this tot could get any more adorable? Yeah, I take it back now. ‘CAUSE SHE JUST DID.

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Kristen you look so genuinely happy here that I love it!

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Yeah, I know, I know … they’re cute :)

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We were dealing with some pretty ferocious winds by this point. They were troopers!

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Not even going to lie … this is my personal favorite from the session. And it’s guaranteed to be a favorite photo of mine in 2009. I just love it!

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And last but not least, the red chairs make their debut. Now come on, wasn’t that worth it? I believe Kristen was overheard saying, “Who knew we had so many props at our place?” You got that right girl! :)

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Thanks again guys and I’ll see for your ‘I Do’s’ in August!

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Gaylena and Kevin: Sneak Peek

June 9, 2009 – 12:08 am

We all know how the old saying goes on your wedding day: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue …”

When I showed up for Gaylena and Kevin’s wedding, I about purred “Hello lover” did a little dance when I saw that her something blue just happened to be THE Manolos that Miss Carrie Bradshaw christens her enormous closet with in the Sex in the City movie. It was this unspoken sign from the fashion gods that let me know that this wedding? Yeah, this wedding and this beautiful creative bride and her teddy bear of a groom … we were all going to get along juusssttt fine.

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Speaking of that beautiful bride, this is one of my favorite images of her with her FABULOUS bridal party. I should note that Kevin’s cousin Leah (on the far right) played the role of best “wo”man for Kevin, but we wanted to make sure we included her plenty with the ladies (and do you see a theme going with those blue shoes? I LOVE CREATIVE BRIDES!)

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And one more I couldn’t resist sharing (I am DYING to put up their full post but I still have a little ways to go with editing…oh man, I can already tell it is going to be a BIG post because they gave me SO much to work with on their wedding day!) I mean, seriously, how gorgeous is this couple? When I zoomed in on this photo, Kevin’s eyes were the most brilliant shade of green. Gaylena, your husband can rock the sexy pose!

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More to come soon, I promise!

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Coldplay rocked my socks off!

June 6, 2009 – 11:59 am

To say that I love this band would be putting it mildly.

It’s a love that extends to knowing every song on every album, being a part of their mailing list, Twitter feed and fan club, and sometimes pretending that I’m Gwyneth Paltrow and that Chris Martin is singing ‘Fix You’ about me and not her. Okay, that last one may be a stretch, but my excitement at seeing them in concert was as close to feeling like a kid on Christmas Day that I’ve felt since … well, I was a kid on Christmas Day.

Ever been to a concert SO incredibly great that you kind of want to pinch yourself before, during and after? Yeah, that was my experience seeing this band last night. When I woke up this morning and saw the butterfly confetti I picked up on the way out (which rained down on us during this song and easily made for my favorite concert moment EVER), I still felt like pinching myself.

If they come anywhere near you and you haven’t seen ‘em yet, GO. And invite me along. Because after last night, I’m pretty sure I might be one of those fans who buys a Winnebago just to travel the country to follow their favorite band. Don’t worry … if it comes to this, I promise I’ll keep the tattoo I’ll have gotten of Chris Martin’s face well covered. After all, I wouldn’t want to embarrass you! :)

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And if you’re a Coldplay fan and you haven’t seen this 60 Minutes interview yet from Grammy night back in February, you MUST WATCH IT. Because seriously, Chris Martin is so adorable in it that I’m pretty sure puppy dogs and rainbows are going to sprout out of the piano he’s playing on. Yes, I find him THAT appealing. (If you go there, make sure to click on the video titled “Mysteries of Coldplay” to find what I’m talking about. The text of this interview does not do those blue peepers of his justice!)

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Kristen and Billy: Sneak Peek

June 4, 2009 – 1:14 pm

Pint-sized cuteness. That’s what I was wanting to show you guys with this sneak peek from Kristen and Billy’s session.

Kristen and I have been friends for too many years to count in this math-befuddled head of mine (seriously, I struggle to do multiplication tables sometimes — isn’t that sad?) But let’s just mention that when she was the “new” girl in my second grade class, I knew I instantly wanted to know her because SHE HAD BOLD MARKERS.

We’ve shared a creative love for the arts ever since and Kristen and her family have been big supporters of this photography business of mine (as evidenced here and here).

When Kristen got engaged and asked me to shoot her wedding, I was elated. It’s so much fun to be the person who documents your friend on their wedding day (you get the all-access pass that extends beyond being a guest in the pew).

I have SO many fun shots from this session — including many with this couple’s ADORABLE little gal, Cyenna — but for now, I just had to share my love of this one.

Pint-sized cuteness. Yep, that’s Kristen in three words. :)

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