Good and Neighborly

First off - We want to say a BIG Thank You to all who have signed up for the Rocco Benefit. We seem to sign up a family or child session almost every day for this great cause! But don't worry, there is still a couple spots on the weekend and more on during the weekdays, so there is still time to sign up!

This weekend was Good & Neighborly. Why? Because Middleton, WI holds the Good Neighbor Fest during this time of year. I remember attending this weekend long event when I was in elementary school. It is usually the place where you see all your old friends from school. This year though we didn't see anyone from school, but we did run into a blog stalker! As Nicole was taking the shot of Aubrey on my shoulders, a lady walked by and introduced herself as Julie who occasionally visits our site. It is fun to meet new people who recognize us and the work we do. If you ever catch us in public, feel free to stop and say hi!

This year was more fun in my opinion, mostly because of aubs of course! It is so much fun being able to share the things you did as a child with your own children. Here are a few quick shots we took while there...

Family shot under one of the covers from the carnival games. This shot proves we need to start working out too! : )

Aubrey's first carnival ride at 16 months - Monkey Mayhem!

Daddy showing Aubs what Mini Donuts are all about. (Mental note - see shot above & start diet.)

Time out for a quick portrait amongst the craft fair shoppers

Mary Bridget & Brian: Wedding

Mary Bridget & Brian are wicked awesome newlyweds who we had the honor of photographing on their wedding day. They reside in Arizona but came up to Madison, WI as most of their friends and family still live in the area.

They had their ceremony at the beautiful St. James Church downtown, then we hit the Memorial Union for some shots by the lake and to take part in a local brew. After that it was off to the reception site at the Lussier Center where there was this gorgeous tree and rustic barn that really made for some radical backdrops.

Please enjoy this small sampling of my favs from the day... (more can be found on the 5th Street Photography facebook page - become a fan! : )

At the Memorial Union

My favorite candid

This tree was absolutely phenomenal.

We were still in the process of setting up the shot when we took this fun candid.

Bling!

A few of the details...

Update on Benefit for Rocco

Hey everyone! I just wanted to give a quick update on the Benefit for Rocco we are putting together for the week of Sept 7th - 13th.

Nicole, myself and the day care kids went running around our neighborhood today handing out fliers. I actually worked up a sweat as I was the one running up to each door putting the flier in as Nicole and the kids kept walking. It made me realize I need to get in shape!

Anyway, we have had an outpouring of support from friends, family and other people in and around our area who heard about the benefit. It is really fantastic to see people come together for a good cause.

If you haven't read about it yet, please see the post for the Benefit for Rocco HERE. I have also posted links on our main site and intro page. Until tomorrow's post... have a wonderful wednesday!

Before & After Tuesday #2

Welcome to another Before & After Tuesday. This is the day where I pick out a photo I am working on and show you the before - or straight out of camera (SOTC), and the after - everything I've done to the image on the computer.

Today's photo is from Mary Bridget & Brian's wedding earlier this month. This image was taken down by Lake Mendota at the Memorial Union. Nicole was taking the primary shot here and I was off to the side (which is why they are not looking directly at the camera in this one). I was using the 20d with the 50/1.4. This is the SOTC shot...

And now for the After. Starting out in Lightroom 2, I boosted the exposure on some dark shady spots, then increased saturation and sharpening. Next up is Photoshop. In Photoshop I cloned out the bird flying in the sky on the left, as well as the individual who was sitting by the lake on the right. Next I darkened the sky a bit to bring out the blue. Then I ran a series of actions to adjust the tones and colors to get a slight faded look to the photo as well as added some slight texture. Finally I blurred the left and right sides so the eye is drawn more to the subjects. I know it isn't for everyone, but I love the faded/blurred look to photographs. The end result is below.

Let me know if this is helpful, or if anyone is interested in seeing something else for Before & After Tuesdays. Leave a comment or facebook us where I also post the Before & After's in an album.

-mJc

2 years of Corn-Fest

It was around this time last year when we started doing stuff after having Aubrey. Corn Fest is a local event in Sun Prairie, WI where you can buy a whole bunch of cooked, buttered, and salted corn on the cob for very little change. Then you sit on a grassy hill overlooking the festival and watch local acts on stage. Overall it is a good time to spend a pleasant and sunny Sunday afternoon.

Here is Aubs at about 4 months in 2008 in Grampa Dave's lap.

And here she is a year later in 2009 around 16 months. It is amazing how fast kids grow!

Then on Saturday, we visited the Henry Vilas Zoo. We think Aubrey had the most fun this time than any other before because she was able to walk on her own, wave at animals and talk to them. Another thing I love about our little Canon point'n'shoot is its ability to take video. So here is a clip of Aubrey the Animal 'Whisperer' (whispering = talking loud in her book) saying 'Hi Tiger!'.

Uncle Jim

So late last year to earlier this year, my uncle jim had thrown out his back. When he went to see a specialist, they noticed several places where his spine had to be fixed. But what they also noticed was that he had some cancer cells which were attacking his bones.

Around July he underwent a bone marrow transplant and I am happy to say he is doing wonderfully according to his blog setup by the hospital and written by his wife Tammy. I am thankful for his quick recovery and also for the hospitals who set up free blog sites for patients so they can keep families up to date on their progress

This is a photo of my Aunt Barb, Uncle Jim, and my father. Yes, I strategically placed my uncle under a set of antlers on the wall.

Point and then Shoot

Out of all the camera's we own, a couple costing about as much as a car, one of my favorite ones is our little Point'n'Shoot canon. As a photographer, you spend a lot of time thinking about the shot you want to capture and setting it all up - especially when it comes to formals and portraits. I find it really refreshing to sometimes whip out the little point'n'shoot and just take the shot without even looking thru the viewfinder. Some of my favorite shots come out of these just because its a surprise when you see what you captured. Sort of like old Polaroid's.

I thought about this as I was digging thru old photos today looking for some new shots to put up of Nicole and myself for the About Us page on the site. Here is a sample of some snapshots from the point'n'shoot which may or may not make it to the page...

I remember taking this when we were visiting Nicole's parents. Nicole was chilly and was using Aubrey's blanket for a little warmth.

This was taken just after winter of this year, I was walking ahead and just snapped the shot backwards without looking. Aubrey likes 'driving' the stroller with her toy wheel.

Here is Aubrey drooling over all the delicious pies from a local restaurant in Middleton

Another quick snap without looking. Usually I don't like using the flash on the p'n's because of the harsh light, but this turned out nice and 'blacked' out the background.
Aubrey with her mom, and Nicole with her mom. 3 generations, waiting to be seated for lunch.
For Aubrey's 1st birthday this year, we took aubs to Build'a'Bear - where you pick out your animal and clothing and they stuff it for you. She picked a panda bear.
Quick shot of Nicole at her parents house. Nicole's father is a hunter and real outdoors-man.

Introducing Pets: Jake

Doing a quick blog today so I can keep cramming on some editing. But one post I thought of creating is an introduction to our pets. Nicole and I both love animals; and Nicole used to work at a veterinary clinic. So together we have three boisterous cats and two loving black labs.

Today's introduction is Jake. Jake is one of our two black labs who we rescued thru The Labrador Connection when he was a puppy. Jake loves people, kids, dogs, cats, grass, dirt, and pretty much everything. He is the one who listens the most and always wants to be by your side.

and he likes to sleep a lot...

I will be introducing our other pets, Molly, Alley (boo), Tailer and Oliver over the next few weeks...

Before & After Tuesday

I am inspired by many photographers, one of them being Bobby Earle out in California who travels internationally for weddings. One of the things he occasionally blogs about is a Before & After section where he gives a brief description of how he turns a great photo into a spectacular photo thru the use of today's digital technology.

So, I am going to try creating my own Before & After Tuesday post to share with everyone the work that goes into making a great photograph from the camera, into a picture that shines with awesomeness after it leaves the computer. As I believe creativity not only comes from the click of the shutter, but also the pampered touch each of our photos receive when doing post processing.

Now onto the first example...

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This picture was one from a recent wedding we did for Mary Bridget & Brian. They had wanted to do a 'Thank You' picture which they would send out to their guests after the event. This shot is the one straight out of the camera:

Overall it is a great picture. I used a 430 ex II flash directly on them with having the sun naturally light them up from behind, giving a nice glow.

Once on the computer, I used Lightroom 2 to darken and lighten certain area's that I wanted the eye to be drawn too. I also boosted saturation and contrast as well as a little sharpening. After that, I exported the shot into Photoshop where I used a series of actions and curve adjustments to change up the tones and colors to make it really stand out. The end result is below...

Please leave a comment if you enjoy these types of posts and want me to continue, or if there is anything else you would like to know about.

Josh, Missy, Riley: Family Session part 2 - sneak peak

Saturday was part 2 of the Josh, Missy and Riley Family Session we agreed to do in order to include their one year old puppy Camo. So we headed to their house to take some shots at a park near by, then enjoyed some steaks Missy made up on the grill.

Here are a couple sneak peaks from our time in the bush...

Sophie & Parents: Family Session - sneak peak

(Note: We have been blogging one, sometimes two times a day now, so I just wanted everyone to remember to read the post below about the benefit for Rocco as it is very important to us and Rocco's family!

~Now onto todays regularly scheduled post...)

Sophie and her parents are related to one of our past wedding couples from MN. We found out they were visiting Madison when they got in touch with us wanting a family photo session. Of course we said 'YES'! :o)

It was quiet difficult to pick out my favorite couple photos to post as a sneak peak, so I am tossing up my fav-four!

So much love!

Sophie was such a happy camper for the entire time! I heard she had a very good nap before meeting me!

I love the look on her face with the one eyebrow raised!

Olbrich is such a great spot for children to crawl around and explore.

Benefit for Rocco - Sign up for a session!

Benefit in memory of
Rocco Sylvester III
arrived August 6, 2009 & passed August 11, 2009

We are encouraging people to sign up for a Child or Family Photo Session the week of September 7th-13th. All but $5 from each session will be donated to the Meriter NICU on behalf of Rocco and his parents.

Photo Sessions:
$50 for children (30 min. session)
$75 for a family (45 min. session)
*Each package includes a DVD of edited images mailed to you.

(see web site for regular prices)

Not only will you be getting great photos of your family, but you will also be helping the awesome people and staff at Meriter NICU.

If you have any questions, please contact us by phone or email! Or if you can't make it out, but would like to send a donation, please contact us.


Phone : (608) 643-2487
Email: photography@5th-street.net
Website: www.5th-street.net

Life is Good

I sometimes get surprised when people we talk to know what we are up to. When I ask how they knew what we were doing, they would say 'because you blogged it'. I forget at times that this blog is not just for our friends and family, but anyone who comes across our site.

So that made me wonder, how many people follow our blog on a routine basis? If you do, could you leave a friendly comment below; even if it is something as simple as 'Here' or 'Present' or 'Help, I'm in the African bush and need you to send me money to save the rare albino penguin'?

And if there is anything photo related you would like to see, let me know and I'll try posting something...

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Took some shots of the Child Care kids in the back yard playing. Did some downsizing for quick edits and posting below for the photos of the day.

Now I'm getting ready to head out for a child/family shoot in Madison. This family hails from MN area also and happens to be related to Michael & Lynn who we have done a few shoots for. It also sounds like we have booked a couple more family shoots and a Senior session this year, and a couple more weddings for next year. And all of this from word of mouth or coming across our site!

Our backyard is a jungle gym of play equipment, of course everyone wants to play with the same thing.

Aubs was in heaven getting pushed everywhere in her 'Tuna 1' car.

Not sure why all kids want to climb up on the slide instead of using the steps?
Looking thru the telescope.
Traffic jam under the clothesline.

Child Painting

For those who don't know, Nicole and I watch kids during the 'work' week. This gives us the opportunity to both stay at home with our daughter as well as bring a little extra money in. The other day, Nicole turned our sun room into an Art Room for the kids. Nicole loves to spread her passion of art and this was a great way for the kids to have fun and be creative. Keep in mind though, these are 1 year olds, so creativeness was spread everywhere! Thankfully it was washable paint they were using. : )

3 little painters

All of them stayed on the paper in the beginning, but soon after they were painting each other
Kids + Paint = Paint Mustache