5th-Street Photography

the bLog has moved...

2011-03-04T09:41:00.004-06:00

As of March 1st, 2011, our bLog has moved to its new home. You can now reach us any of these ways:

Our Site: http://www.5th-Street.net

Our bLog: http://www.5th-Street.net/blog

Our Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/5thstreetphotography

Hope to see you around! : )

It's coming...

2011-03-01T12:39:00.003-06:00

One of the best outlets for any small business - especially photographers - is having a web site. All versions of our current and past web site has always been done by yours truely using Notepad and our knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScripts. I have always prided myself that I had the technical programming know how to do this and always preferred to write it out on my own instead of paying for pre-packaged sites like Blu Domain or ShowIt.

But this last iteration of our site took me longer than normal to create due to not having enough hours in the day to do that and the editing of sessions from one of our busiest years. So after doing some research and weighing the pro's and con's, we have decided to make one more change to 5th-street.net by going to a blogsite route. Essentially this means using a blog as your web site. This will allow for all our latest work to be viewable and will require less upkeep as I won't need to code in Notepad anymore. : )

So stay tuned. The debut of the new 5th-street.net will be coming any minute!
^Cardboard boxes = great framing

Tales from Vegas

2011-02-24T08:08:00.006-06:00

Every year, WPPI holds a convention for photographers from all over the world to come and participate in workshops with some of the top names in the field as well as check out the latest products available. This was our first year attending and we had a blast! The following post is the story of our journey...

The Saturday before the morning we were supposed to fly out of Madison, the weather reports started saying a Winter Storm Warning starting at midnight. We immediately attempted to try moving our flight up to that night in fear we wouldn't be able to go to Vegas due to weather. Unfortunately there were no further flights left for Saturday, so we had no choice but to pray the weather would be good.

Sunday morning around 3:30am (30 minutes before our alarms were set to go off) the carbon monoxide detecter started going off. We woke to shut it off and discovered there was no power in our town, which is why the detecter was going off. Waking up 30 minutes early was a good thing as our flight was moved up 15 minutes earlier than previously scheduled. So with flashlights and toy night lights in hand, we woke the girls and finished packing in the dark.

We met up with my father who was coming with to help with the girls and went to the airport. Thankfully none of the snow or ice rain that was being reported earlier had started yet here in Wisconsin or in our connecting flight in St. Paul, MN. We ended up making great time!

^This was Aubrey and Ella's first plane ride. Aubs has been so excited for this moment for the longest time. Both of them were fantastic and we received so many compliments from others amazed at how well behaved they were.

^Toys, crayons, snacks, and silly parents helped keep Aubrey entertained for the long flight.

^Ella loves that toy Giraffe that seems more like a dog toy than a baby teether.

^Grandpa Dave was along on the journey with us to help with the munchkins. Thanks Grandpa!

^It was a super-long flight, but Nicole and I are very proud of our girls for being so well behaved.

After we landed in Vegas around 11am, we took the shuttle bus to the MGM hotel to check in. They informed us our two seperate rooms were not ready yet and wouldn't be until 3pm. This is not the thing to tell a family with two small children who have already been awake since 3:30am. But we made the most of it by having lunch in the food court (average McD value meal = $8). After we were done eating I ran off to my first MasterClass workshop while Grandpa, Nicole and the girls searched for the lion exhibit in the casino.

My workshop with Gregory Schrader was very inspiring. He provided insight on how he ran his very successful business in Michigan as well as his 7 secrets to how he approaches photography.

After the class, I was led on a treasure hunt via txt msgs on how to find our room which the rest of the family was finally able to check into. After taking the elevators to the 16th floor, I found the hallway to room 341. There was a long hallway... very long. And I feared our room was the last door at the very end. It was. It can be very discouraging to be so tired from walking all over vegas only to think you are about to get to your room only to find you now have to trek the never-ending hallway.

However, seeing that instead of a single door, there were double doors, with a security camera above and a doorbell perked my attitude right up. Turns out, they upgraded us for free to a suit (aka, big apartment with mini-bar, two full master bedrooms, and a jacuzzi! This was pretty freakin cool as we are not used to such expansive accomidations. Our view from the 16th floor covered all the way from the airport to the strip!

^Unless it is for advertising, I hate taking pictures of a room, building or landscape unless there is someone in the photograph to give it that meaning or personalization. So this called for a photo session with the girls!

^Sisterly love! Aubrey is the bestest big sister. Whenever Ella starts to fuss, Aubrey will dance for her which turns her cries of woe into histarical laughter and smiles.

We pretty much ate McDonalds the entire time we were there. It was by far the cheapest, quickest and one of the only things Aubs would eat (she is in the phase of not wanting to try new foods).

^To help keep Aubs entertained, we let her take some photos with the point'n'shoot. Here she demonstrates the best way to photograph a hot dog bun in her mouth.

^And the resulting image showing off Aubrey's artistic side of 'hot dog bun in mouth'.

^When the camera wasn't photographing chewed up food in her mouth, she would eventually take shots of us.

^Even with the stress of travel with kids and only being there a short time, we still managed to make memories and have fun together as a family.

Vegas isn't really for kids. There isn't too much to do for them as they can't gamble and we had sheild them from any Sin that happened in our travels. However Vegas does have one store that seems to have been made for Aubrey... ^Aubrey was smiling ear to ear when she saw the huge M&M store with its four floors of merchandise and chocolate yummies.

^Ella slept a lot of the time while we walked. Here she is giving her sleepy look having just woken up before we were leaving the M&M store.

^Mmmm, Krispy Kreme's...

^I loved being able to spend time with both my wonderful daughters! The trip alone is worth the memories it creates.

Even though Vegas was good bonding for our family, we were also there for the photography convention. On Monday, Nicole took Andy & Angie Wood's business class. She said it rocked. And on Tuesday before our flight I took a workshop on Lighting with Claude Jodoin - that rocked and was full of information I just soaked in. Thankfully we were smart and purchased a digital voice recorder before our trip, so we caught audio on all three classes and both can listen to what was presented.

^The convention had booths setup from all different vendors in the industry showing off their products, showing live demonstrations, and overall just sharing knowledge.

^My wife caught a glimpse of Jerry Ghionis, a very well known Australian photographer who is huge in the industry. He was super-cool and was happy to do a photo with Nicole and Ella (see facebook page for more photos)

Alas, Vegas couldn't last forever though. We were only there for a short two days. And the girls were getting tired. So we packed up everyone and started our journey home.

^Goodbye Vegas, thank you for the memories!

Note:
*All photographs were taken either the Rebel xti w/a Tamron 17-50/f2.8 or Canon point'n'shoot SD1300 (easier to carry these smaller camera's around w/the kids).
**Additional photographs of our adventure to WPPI can be found on our Facebook page.

Weigh In Wednesday: Week 2

2011-02-23T12:51:00.002-06:00

Welcome to Weigh In Wednesday Week 2:

Every Wednesday I am going to dedicated the blog to my goal to losing 30lbs

^Family shot on the plane heading to Vegas for the photography convention. You can tell I have some weight to lose in my face as my chin has disappeared!

I 7lbs lost this week thanks to Las Vegas! We did Vegas for two days for a photography convention (full post coming soon) where we brought Aubs & Ella with. Little did we think to bring a stroller so there was a lot of child carrying all over. But this worked to our advantage as our bodies got a really good work out. And even with eating overpriced McD's & Krispy Kreme's these two days, I still lost 7lbs!

Now, I just have to figure out how to keep this trend up while at home...

Leaving for Las Vegas

2011-02-17T09:32:00.003-06:00

^Getting the kids all packed up for our trip to Vegas...

In three days we will be boarding a plane in Madison and heading out to Las Vegas for the WPPI (photographers) convention. This will be our first year going to the convention and we are super-excited to discover new things and meet other photographers from all over the world. Nicole will be taking a business class focused on photography and Mike will be taking part in lighting and wedding focused classes.

This will also be the first plane ride for Aubrey & Ella. Aubrey is super-excited for it and has her backpack all ready. I can't wait for to see her reaction to the M&M store (where they have tubes of M&M's seperated by color from floor to ceiling) as that is her reward for going on the potty.

Other items we are super excited for:
-Lions inside the MGM
-Krispy Kreme
-tons of photographic opportunity
-really good and tall Margerita's
-warm weather
-the inspiration we will be flooded with by all the talent we meet.

We'll update the blog when we get back from our travels mid-week next week. In the meantime: "Stay classy... Planet Earth" - Ron Burgandy

Weigh In Wednesday: Week 1

2011-02-16T09:56:00.004-06:00

Welcome to Weigh In Wednesday Week 1:
Every Wednesday I am going to dedicated the blog to my goal to losing 30lbs.

^Retro picture of myself as a teenager. This is my goal for my 30's.

Well, I'm not sure if this week was a good week or bad week. I didn't lose any pounds, but also didn't gain any. I attempted to work on portion control with some days not having much success. I'm not sure what it is, I just feel the need to eat more than I need sometimes. For example, I made meat loaf the other day with mashed potatos. I ended up having seconds cause it tasted so good, but regretted it afterwards cause I was so stuffed!

I did do one work out with weights this past week. My goal is to do 3 days a week on weights and 4 days a week cardio. The hardest part for me and work outs is finding the time. Though I have started a habit of walking up and down stairs once a day for about 10 minutes. Enough to generate heavy breathing and a slight sweat.

This week we are gearing up for our Vegas trip with the girls for the photography (WPPI) convention. I expect to do more walking around during the trip - so let's see if that helps jumpstart my road to health.

^Photo from Nicole's Blackberry at night time. It is showing how Aubrey is excited for a plane ride as we started packing our bags. I, however, am using it as my new desktop wallpaper to remind myself to get healthy. Can you figure out why? : )

Osiedacz Family - Sneak Peeks

2011-02-15T08:32:00.003-06:00

^Meet the Osiedacz family

It was a warm Sunday afternoon when I pulled the car up to the house. Dan was clearing off the sidewalk from melting snow and Heather stood at the door welcoming me inside where I was introduced to Stella and Augie.

Augie is 10 months and starting to crawl though he will probably go straight to walking : ). Stella who is 2 going on 3 was slightly shy of me at first - but I later found out she talked about me that night. I received a facebook post from Heather saying Stella told her 'Mike fell in the snow and took our picture'. (yes, I do some silly stuff at times, like stick my toosh in the snow or smash a snowball on my head. And sometimes I do it when I'm not even taking pictures - just ask Nicole : )

Thank you Osiedacz family, it was great meeting you and I'm honored you asked me to capture your family's personality... And now for some sneaks ->

^Augie loves to wave which caught on to everyone waving - even me : )

^Augie showing off his skills at chewing plastic soccer balls wows the crowd.

^Heart this one, Augie is holding a cherished ornament.

^Stella got this really cool wooden doll house for Christmas. She was very proud of it.

^Stopped traffic for some mom & dad time - they still got 'it'

^Two of my fav candid shots of the day

^I love that the kids are totally into their parents with this image - it shows the love.

^Mom hearts Augie

^You know you live in Wisconsin when there is still snow on the ground, it's 45 degrees and everyone is wearing short sleeves and no socks.

Derek & Jamie: E-Session

2011-02-14T09:58:00.002-06:00

^Democrate + Republican = Love

His profile must have read: Computer Programmer, Hunter and Republican looking for love. Her profile probably said: Artistic, Photographer and Democrate looking for love. Match.com made the calculations and decided these two should meet.

Jamie & Derek jokingly chose the word 'Boring' as the theme for their Enagement shoot. I think it was everything but boring. These two seemed like polar opposits as they shared with me their individual interests, but when they came together it was like they completed each other.

A week or two before their session, they called to suggest we do the shoot at Derek's work. In my head, I'm thinking ok we can make a computer programmers building work - after all the images are mostly about capturing the personality and interaction of the couple. Upon arriving at Epic, I was amazed at the size of the environment and the Willy Wonka-style funhouse that was inside. I think I'll be fine tuning my programming skillz and updating my resume soon!

Thanks Jamie & Derek for choosing us to shoot for you. It is always an honor when fellow-photographers like your work enough to capture their big day. Enjoy some sneaks...

^Epic has a slide in one of the buildings. You go as fast as Clark W. Griswald on a greased up sled.

^He may be a hunter, but he is also a lover of animals.

^Left: Wacky Fun mirror; Right: Bling!

^The... chairs... were... Awesome!! Very Mork form Ork.

^I believe my direction here was 'staircase seduction'

^So many different cool area's to shoot in these buildings. This yellow corner shot is one of my favs.

^'She knew he was a bad boy, but she loved him anyway'

^Another fav location for me was the starry hallway connecting buildings.

^Derek's suggestion for a location - letting the personalities pop out.

^Another fav of mine as it reminds me of Degobah

Aubrey's Imagination

2011-02-10T09:08:00.002-06:00

^"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." ~Albert Einstein

She wears a orange and pink tutu over her pants and on top her head rests a plastic purple crown encrusted with several shiny gems. In the morning it is the first thing she puts on and at night they are the last to come off. She is my daughter... my imaginative angel... my Princess Aubs.

For the past 5 days or so, Aubrey has been wearing a crown and tutu all day long and anywhere we go. Walking down the isle at the grocery store, people see her and smile. She holds her head up high so proud of her tutu and crown. Aubrey's imagination has been on a high lately and I'm loving watching it shine. She definately inspires me to think outside the box.

^After she got dressed and put her tutu and crown on this morning, I took her downstairs for a couple quick shots. I'm almost thinking about starting a photo project centered around her and her new Princess every day theme.

Health kick in 3, 2... 1 1/2...

2011-02-09T10:54:00.003-06:00

The hardest part about losing weight isn't the decision to lose weight or the two weeks after you already started dieting and working out. It is the initial changing of the diet and getting on the treadmill. The body and mind are resistant to this change in everyday life. This is usually the time when I fail - the after the decision to lose weight and before the two weeks is up.

I came to a realization last night that I think is going to change things for me and get me in the right mindset. Nicole and I watched Perfect Couples on tv (great show). The middle-aged man got dressed in work out clothes, turned on some groovy music, and went down to the weightbench and treadmill where he found a magazine that distracted him from his goal. 5 minutes later he is sitting on the weightbench reading the magazine and eating chips. This was hilarious and sad for me as I have been in this position before. This along with coming up behind my wife last night to hug her and finding I'm hugging a lot less of her; this was the final bit of my realization that I need.... no, I want to get past the two week hurdle.

Nicole has lost over 50lbs since having our second child and all she has done is adjust her portion size and the type of food she puts in her belly. I am so proud of her for this weight loss! Now it is my turn. And I'm going to hold myself accountable by sharing my journey with all of you.

My goal is to lose 20 lbs. My plan to do this is portion control, cutting down the sugar, and doing some exercise a few days a week. Wedding season is fast approaching and I need to be ready. Expect to see updates on my progress every Wednesday here on the bLog. I'm not sure if I am ready to take 'fat' pictures of myself and share them, but I'm sure I'll share a photo of some kind to go along with the updates.

^Eventually, maybe, I can look like I did as a teenager in this retro picture of me in the early 90's. Yup, that is me standing back there - and I had that figure for most of my 20's.

Random Point'n'Shoot action

2011-02-08T08:34:00.004-06:00

^Sophisticated Fun...

It is blue and silver, light and portable; and unless it is daylight or you use a flash, the picture comes out shakey or blurry - and we love it! Inside our diaper bag or sitting deep in a pocket, you will find our canon powershot point'n'shoot camera we take with us everywhere. The poloroid-style images which are produced from how we use the camera are some of our personal family favorites.

Here is a collection of some random shots taken with our trusty blue wonder. Some are taken by us, others by our 2 yr old Aubrey who is becoming quiet the photog of her own...

Remember Bert & Michele's Maternity session from yesterday? Here is a small sampling of Aubrey's viewpoint:
^We had turned the flash off the camera so it wouldn't distract or interfere w/the session - hence the shakey look. You can't deny though that Aubs has great eye for composition!

^I think if we gave aubs a camera that could shoot in low-light, then a lot of these shots could be used in our the final selection!

^This was our Sunday trip to the Children's Museum downtown madison - the place we will be having professional family shots done by Mr. Sam Hassas who will be coming up from California.

^The children's museum just speaks sophisticated fun!

^Random Aubrey shots

^Sisters! i HEART the one of Aubrey & Ella holding hands in the top-right corner. Makes me smile ear to ear.

Bert & Michele: Maternity Session

2011-02-07T09:09:00.002-06:00

^One of these two is pregnant.

Bert (short for Robert) lived across the street from me when growing up in the small town of La Crosse, WI. We have always had that friendship where we can pick up any conversation like it was yesterday when in reality years have gone by when we last spoke. Growing up we used to play kickball in one of our yards, walk down to K-Mart to get the latest GI Joe toy, or have pull-up competitions where the winner got a quarter from his dad. These days we have bills, house payments, and starting families.

Nicole and I last saw Bert & Michele at their wedding a couple years ago. To our surprise and joy, we discovered they were pregnant with their first child late last year and wanted us to take some maternity photos. We happily loaded up Aubs & Ella and made the trek to Eau Claire for a visit. As always, talking with each of them was like no time had passed. We also had tons of fun taking photos - especially with Aubs who assisted me.

Bert & Michele - Thank you both for your hospitality and great food (bert has mad-cooking skillz). Enjoy some sneak peeks....

^You could tell by the amount of gifts from their recent baby shower that the child is going to be loved by not only mom & dad, but all family and friends. Bert and I 'cleaned' by moving the boxes to the other wall so we could do some crib shots.

^That is a Happy Bear (inside joke).

^Can you guess when she is due?

^Bert & Michele are definately going to be awesome parents.

^Bert being a comedian at heart is 'realizing' she is pregnant for the first time.

I would like to throw out a HUGE thank you to my beautiful and wonderful assistant who also happened to be my daughter - Aubrey! She took our Canon Powershot point-in-shoot and covered a lot of the setups also in a serious and professional manner - which caused Bert & Michele to crack up histarically.

^Aubrey getting the close-ups : )

Stuff in our heads

2011-02-04T08:36:00.002-06:00

The following is a list of thoughts which have been cycling through our heads the past few weeks:

1) Our goal this year is to start writing a blog post every M-F starting next week.

2) Ella (our 5 mo old) is now eating baby food for the first time!

3) Aubs (our almost 3 yr old) has doo doo'd in the potty twice now - YAY!

4) We will be trying out a new vendor for our dvd's which has eco-friendly printing/labels soon.

5) Nicole is almost done with her most recent wedding album design.

6) Our house got covered in lotsa snow this week.

7) We have a list of new toys we wish to purchase this year.

8) Currently pondering redoing our site (again) & blog to a completely different format.

9) Doing a maternity shoot tomorrow for one of my best buds from childhood.

10) On February 5th, my gorgeous, incredibly funny and highly talented wife Nicole will turn one more year younger. My birthday is at the end of the month. Our presents to each other is taking the family to Vegas for the WPPI (photography) convention. Whoo hoo!

and now for the pic of the day. One of these lenses is not what it seems:

Snowpocolipse - 2011

2011-02-03T08:17:00.002-06:00

^Don't adjust your screen, that really is the color of our house. : )

Snowpocolipse 2011 hit most of the midwest the last couple days. We were lucky as we were only on the northern edge of it. Our small town only received about 15 inches with snowdrifts several feet high thanks to the strong winds. Chicago and places more south of us received close to two feet with high winds.

Most of Madison was shut down , which meant we had a snow day and time to take some snapshots...

^This is about all I shoveled - just to show how high the drifts were. Nicole did the rest with the help of our neighbor and their snowblower.

^We do have a sidewalk here... somewhere.

^Nicole working away with a little help from our daughter Aubs.

Nichole & Aaron: ESession

2011-01-23T20:57:00.003-06:00

"Stop licking the slimy stick." - Aaron
"Your button is poking my eye out." - Nichole.

It was a chilly Saturday morning. Only 15 degree's outside, which was still 30 degree's warmer than the day before. I pulled up to their car and could tell they were ready to go.

Nichole & Aaron met in High School. Having just finished college, they are headed north this summer to get married in Canada, eh. Then it is back to Wisconsin for a huge reception which we will be photographing.

Thanks you two for being such great sports in the chilly winter wonderland! Fun was had. You can tell by checking out the sneak peeks:

^Taken just after they tossed snow up in the air, which is the whiteness you see behind them.

^Notice the amount of snow quickly disappear from his hands compared to hers.

^Yes, we either sat on ice or icy rocks literally in the water.

^"Cheesy" picture request in front of their old High School. : )

Little Star

2011-01-19T11:06:00.003-06:00

Normally Mike is the one who writes up the blogs, but since there hasn't been one in a while (life has gotten busy, sorry!) I've decided to write one :O)

When I put Aubrey to bed is one of my favorite times of the entire day. Not just because it's alone time for Mike and I, but because I get to have that one-on-one moment with Aubrey. We take turns singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to each other a few times before it's hugs and kisses and night, night. The way Aubrey's head sways back and forth, looking at me, smiling, as I sing so off key is priceless. In her mind, I'm sure I'm the greatest singer on Earth, next to Beyonce and those Single Ladies. But I mind you, I am not ;o) I decided to capture Aubrey singing "Twinkle" to her baby as she was rocking her yesterday. But I didn't get to my phone until she was at the end of her song... She did sing another verse for your viewing pleasure! Grab your tickets, buckets of popcorn, and beverages and enjoy the show :O)

(shot with my blackberry, sorry the quality isn't that great)

Stay tuned for more 5th Street Photography images coming soon! We have an engagement session this Saturday :O)

Wedding Planner & Guide Special!

2011-01-03T15:13:00.002-06:00

Rae: Child session

2011-01-01T21:56:00.003-06:00

^Rae, meet everyone. Everyone, meet Rae.

Rae is a super-happy and smiley 6 month old. Especially for not having napped yet before I came over. She worked the camera while pulling apart her pearl necklaces, petting her dog Jake, and having several wardrobe changes. Here are a few sneak peeks from this mornings shoot...

^Seriously, adorable!

^We re-created an image from her older sister that was taken 3 years ago using the same clothes and rug! It's truly uncanny how similar the both look :O)

^puppy lovin.

Thanks for having us out! Rae is an absolute doll :O)

Heather & Josh - Engagement Session

2010-12-31T21:32:00.004-06:00

^Josh & Heather have 'it'.

You can tell when two people are deeply in love and made for each other. Josh and Heather are one of these couples. Both played off each other so well that I hardly gave any direction on how to pose for the entire session. It is times like this that really make my job the best in the world, when I can capture real moments between people. Thank you both for having me out and showing the love. Can't wait for the big day!

Big props also goes out to the bed and breakfast they stayed at in downtown Madison. Mansion Hill Inn was a smorgasbord for photo-magic! Plus they had chocolate covered raisins! It is my weakness.

^It's all in the hair : )

^I must be a hypnotist as when I asked Heather to crawl into the small window on the floor of the room, she did just that!

^I do believe if the light hits it right, you can see it from space.

^How cool are Heather & Josh? They can go from this ^... to the next photo in a blink of an eye.

^This shot makes me think of Paris.

^At the end of the session, they brought in Devon and their dog Mavrick.

And I have to give mad props to Devon for snapping off this behind the scenes shot of yours truly...

I need a home, can I join yours?

2010-12-24T14:01:00.005-06:00

Hi! My name is Hope!

Let me tell you a little about my story... I'm about 15 weeks old black lab mix that hails from a farm on Illinois. The farmer did not want me or my brothers or sisters and was threatening to 'rid' of us if someone did not come and get us. Just our luck, TLC (The Labrador Connection) came to our rescue. We were all picked up and taken to foster home to foster home being separated as we went. We now all have foster homes but are now in search of our forever homes.

About me:

I'm seriously the sweetest puppy ever! If you've ever met a lab puppy, you know how crazy we can normally can be... but not me! I'm the most mellowest lab puppy on the planet. I get along really well with my foster dog family. They have 2 black labs that I love to play with. They also have 3 cats :O) I've just recently discovered one of them and I do like to playfully chase that one. I'm really awesome at fetch too!! We are working on house-training. I'm getting pretty good at using the potty outside! I will be spayed very soon and I'm already dewormed. Please consider giving me a chance of a life time to be your best friend and an addition to your already wonderful family <3

If you would like to know more about me, feel free to contact my foster mommy & daddy: photography@5th-street.net. Or if you would like to find out how to adopt me, please contact my rescuers:

http://www.labradorconnection.org/

Please don't buy a puppy from a store, rescue a puppy instead! There are also plenty of adult doggies available if a puppy isn't your cup 'o tea! Happy holidays....

Nicole

Holiday cookie time!

2010-12-21T10:58:00.003-06:00

^Mmmmm coookies!

It is that time of the year again where the holiday's come around and we begin our adventures with extended family. This past weekend we headed over to Nicole's side of the family to put our sugary creativity to the test by making Holiday Cookies. Aubrey had a blast as there were kids her age there, and I had a blast as Ella fell asleep on me for the first time ever!

Only 3 more days till Christmas... Which means many more family get togethers yet to come!

^Ella and her Great-Grandma

^4 generations of girls!

^The holiday's tend to make Nicole a bit wacko!

^Aubs got a cool apron and snowman cup.

^One of aubrey's favorite things to do is color and draw, she takes after Mom & Dad.

^licking the frosting... Can you say sugur rush?

^The good = ella fell asleep on me for the first time ever. The bad = she slept for 3 hours!

Deal of the Year!

2010-12-17T08:04:00.002-06:00

Editing is almost over

2010-12-15T05:25:00.005-06:00

My editing is almost over! One of the things which makes us stand out from the rest is we still provide a disc of all the images to everyone we shoot. Each one of those photos are edited for contrast, tones, lighting, and blemishes. I only have a couple more sessions left to complete and then it will be a short holiday for Nicole, Aubs, Els and I.

This also means I'll have a little more free time to start posting some fun blogs I have been meaning to get to. Such as: Cooking brats in winter, our family xmas photos, behind the scenes from 2010, photos by a 2yr old, and what is on the table for 2011. So check back soon...

In the meantime, every post needs pics...
^See how I cradle the camera? I learned to do that after that very lens dropped to the ground during a 2010 Engagement shoot in Chicago. That is a moment when time seems to slow down as you watch it fall thru the air to the pavement, but yet still can't move fast enough to save it.

^Nicole missed some weddings this year due to the birth of our second daughter. We had great backup photographers who I worked with, but I was glad to finish the last wedding of the season with my partner in crime. Love ya cole!

2010-12-09T14:56:00.003-06:00

Looking back through the images captured this year, when I thought "these need to be shared again!"

2010 has been an AMAZING year that I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for us too :O

We would like to thank all of our AWESOME clients who help us live our dream! Without you, none of this would be possible. We love hearing your feedback which gives us more and more reasons to keep pursuing what we love!

I've only posted a few on our blog, but a bunch on our Facebook Fan Page

Now grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy some pretty pictures :O)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

2010-12-07T11:08:00.003-06:00

It is that time of year again where we go out and bring a little piece of nature inside our home and shoot eletricity through it with glistening ornaments. This year, instead of cutting our own tree down, we decided to just pick a pre-cut one as it was a bit cold for our 3month old. Aubs had a great time decorating it with mom & dad. However she was a little sad to not see Alvin, Simon or Theadore living in it like in their first movie.

^Used the point'n'shoot for this one. Aubrey on her tippy toes makes me : )

Kloee - Child session sneak peeks

2010-12-06T10:15:00.003-06:00

^Everyone, meet Kloee. Kloee, meet everyone.

We have actually known Kloee since she was a itty bitty tiny tot. As most of you know, Nicole does child care during the 'work week'; Kloee used to come and play with her cousin (Vito who we also watch) and Aubrey. So it was a no-brainer when Sindee & Jason called asking if we could take some Kloee winter photographs!

Enjoy the sneak peeks ->

^Dad's black sweatshirt made a perfect backdrop for this candid close-up!

Vest Family: sneak peeks

2010-11-29T09:11:00.003-06:00

^Wisconsin welcomes the Vest Family from Kansas City!

Meet the Vest family who hail from Kansas City. Last week Holly called asking if I had any openings the Friday after Thanksgiving for some extended family shots. Typically I keep my calendar clear around the holidays, but it is so hard to turn down people who have family visiting from a distance! So I hoped in my car and headed over the river and through the woods to the Vest Family household.

Thank you for having me over guys. Your family was wonderfully warm and inviting to me and I loved that everyone was completely into having their photo taken! Enjoy some of the sneak peeks...

^All the grandkids...

^Welcome to Wisconsin!

^Mom and daughter are so adorable together!

^visiting from Kansas City

^Cousins!

^First thing Sophia asked me when I came in the door - "Wanna see my playroom?" Smiles! : )

I'd love to say a big THANKS to Miss Maria of Miss Maria's preschool (their facebook page here) for referring the Vest family to us! We do so very little advertising only because we have such great friends and clients who keep talking about us!

So Very Thankful

2010-11-24T11:01:00.003-06:00

With Thanksgiving approaching tomorrow, I thought I would share some of the things that I am thankful for:

My girls

My girls are happy and healthy. They inspire me everyday in more ways then they will ever know.

My husband

^Yup, that's my husband, Mike! He's fun, kooky, outgoing, artistic, and if I don't say so myself, pretty darn good looking ;o) But another thing I am thankful for the most is his heart.

My career

I am so thankful I get to do what I want to do in life. What else could be better but capturing and witnessing beautiful moments in time! I love my job :O)

All of you!

I am thankful to all of you that we have met and soon to meet. We have the coolest clients ever and I am grateful for every opportunity!

I've also networked with some really great people that have helped enhance our business with information and ideas. Looking forward to seeing many of you next month!

Of course there is much much more, but this is a great start :O) We'd like to wish you all a Happy Turkey Day and safe travels!

Michaud: Family Session

2010-11-22T11:47:00.005-06:00

^Check out the Michaud Family Tree.

Mary was referred to us by one of our favorite wedding couples from this season Zac & Kristin. She was looking for some fun family shots as well as a few headshots for herself as she is a highly talented artist!

The whole family was awesome! Everyone was very open to idea's such as climbing tree's and piling into a Fiat convertable. I always enjoy doing what I do because of people like the Michaud family. Thank you guys for inviting me over to capture some moments in time. Now, enjoy some sneak peeks!

^Thankfully I didn't have to demonstrate how to get in the box. I don't think I'd fit!

^The lovable furry family member Ruby!

^Candid shots rock!

^Sometimes I do a random hold the camera over my head and press the button technique. Most of the time it doesn't work, but when it does, it brings awesome!

^Mom & Dad did not hesitate when I asked if they wanted to climb into the tree.

^Dad was super-excited to bring the car out into the cold to bring it into some photos - and yes, it is a two seater. : )

^a sample of one of the many head shots we took.

Jon & Sacia: Engagement Session

2010-11-18T23:17:00.005-06:00

^Sacia [say-sha] & Jon [j-on]

Even though it was in the mid-30's, Sacia & Jon were heating it up for the camera!

When I first met these two, they claimed they would most likely need guidance on posing and coming up with idea's; It turns out that was not the case here. Rule #4: Typically I start my engagement sessions without giving much guidance, just to see what the couple can come up with. This way they come across as more comfortable in the photos and it helps make them more their own rather than me telling them where to go or how to bend their thumb. Sacia & Jon definately owned this shoot as they kept coming up with fantastic idea's and spots.

Unfortunately Nicole wasn't able to make the first meeting or the engagement shoot itself. So after the shoot, I went home to pick up Nicole, Aubs and Ella and we ended up meeting up with Sacia & Jon for dinner. It is so very important to us that the people we shoot get a chance to meet with both of us. I always say, your photographer is going to be there by your side for one of the biggest days of your lives, so it is best to want to get to know them! : )

Thank you Sacia & Jon for bringing the smiles & idea's! Nicole and I are looking forward to your big day! Enjoy some sneaks...

^does this shot seem a little wavey? Hmmmm... : )

^This was definately a candid shot, but I love it as it shows off a lot of their happy/silly personality

After spending an hour in nature with frigid temperatures, Sacia came up with the idea of going to the Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo where she used to dance. We ended up meeting the owner who gladly let us in and assisted us in more ways than we expected! He helped showed us the hot spots for photos, turned on spot lights to help light up the stage, and even played some Charlie Brown on the piano while we shot. It truely was magical and inspirational!

If you don't know, Al Ringling Theatre is an historic theatre which is going under a long restoration back to it's early 1900's look and feel. If you haven't been there before, go. They are still a working movie theatre. I garauntee that you will be awed by it's beauty and history. And feel free to help donate to finish the restoration! I cannot wait until they finish!

Starting a Family Tradition - Great Wolf

2010-11-16T12:41:00.002-06:00

^Point'n'Shoot family shot @ Great Wolf Lodge

There are two things I've realized while holding a point'n'shoot camera out with one arm to take a family shot. 1) I have the best family ever with the most amazing wife and photography partner and two wonderful girls who bring smiles to my face every day; and 2) I need to work on that double chin of mine!

Nicole, Aubrey, Ella and I have decided to start a family tradition. Every year after the shooting portion of our wedding season is over, we head up to the Dells for a one night getaway. Most of our weeks (especially the summer wedding season) are filled with work and activities that pretty much keep us grounded locally to the Wisconsin area. The last out of state vacation we actually had was Vegas right before Aubrey was born. This will change as Ella and Aubs get a bit older. We already have plans for Vegas this coming February and also DisneyWorld in 2012. But this new one night getaway tradition will be just for our girls - to let them know mom and dad will be spending more weekends taking their pictures. : )

^They had story time at Great Wolf every night where kids come down in their pajama's and listen to a book, then get to say hi to their Wolf Mascot. Aubs was super-excited to give this guy a big hug!

^There is something magical about touristy fun hotel rooms. This night it was the magic of sleep for everyone. We didn't wake up till 9am! (first time in years for me)

^Aubs enjoying the Clock Tower show that goes on before story time in the lobby. Something about mechanical animals singing and dancing to bring a smile to a childs face, then a smile to mine as I see her so happy!

No Caveties

2010-11-15T11:30:00.004-06:00

^Aubs first visit to the dentist in over a year.

Last week Friday we took a trip to the Children's Dental clinic for aubrey's first appointment since she was 1. The week before, Nicole had done a 'learn about teeth' week during child care to help get her excited about it. I think between that and the super dental assistant letting aubs play with all the dentistry tools right away made the whole thing go super-smooth. Aubs was a rock star and loved getting her pink toothbrush and bath toy at the end.

Keeping it Personal

2010-11-11T23:58:00.002-06:00

^Ella all snuggled up when she was at the hospital after being born.

A lot of photographers typically use their blog to show off their work, and they should as it is a great way for people to see their most recent work. Seldom however do you see anything about their personal lives. Usually because work is work and personal is none of anyone's business.

Nicole and I have always mixed business and personal on our bLog. I think we do that because in our head no one except our family and close friends really pay attention to it. But after reading a Jasmine Star bLog post today, I realized why we have been so lucky in finding such fun and wonderful people to photograph. It is because we mix the business with personal.

Let's face it, there are a lot of great photographers out there. But just taking great photos is only a portion of what really matters on the wedding day or family shoot. Being able to get along and enjoy your photographer is the other half of it. You are going to want someone who can make you smile naturally, laugh hysterically, and trust them to help guide you through the day.

This is the number one thing almost all of the people we have photographed have complimented us on. All the smiles you see in our work are natural ones caused by me telling a bad joke, standing on one leg, or me smiling back at them. A grandmother at our last wedding said 'I haven't ever had that much fun having my picture taken before.'. Compliments like that where family members go out of their way to tell you that they enjoyed how you did your job is a great feeling.

I think it all starts with the blog and the sharing our personal lives. It gives people a chance to get to know who we are as people and as photographers. And yes, we really are that down to earth, friendly and goofy. If you don't believe us, just ask any of the people we have photographed before. : )

As always, every blog post looks best with photos. Here are some never before seen shots from when our second daughter Ella was born just a little over two months ago (wow how time flies!)...

^Aubs loved playing with the curtain to our room.

^Ella, getting ready to leave the hospital for the first time.

^I chased aubs around the maternity ward trying to take her picture. I have about 20 more like this one. : )

^Aubrey has the potential to be a doctor or nurse. If she does, then I will say it all started when her little sister was born and the nurse's let her use their equipment.

Crowley Family Sneak Peeks

2010-11-09T22:20:00.004-06:00

^Meet the Crowley Family

I was invited to the Crowley home to capture some fun family shots - and fun family shots we did! We went nearby their home to a covered bridge, found an old rusty tractor and hung out on the front porch. Thank you Crowley's for inviting me out to capture the smiles... Enjoy the sneaks...

Marlia & Larry: Wedding Sneak Peeks

2010-11-09T08:29:00.004-06:00

^The chronicles of Marlia & Larry.

Marlia & Larry's wedding was an historic event in the making. Not only was it the day that these two were married, and not only was it also Marlia's birthday, but it was our last wedding of the 2010 season! And we couldn't have had a better time.

Marlia & Larry were so happy and care-free; which I believe is the secret ingrediate in order to enjoy your wedding day. Their family was very generous and all smiles for the entire day. I have also never seen so many people of the older generation shaking their booty to songs by 50 cent or Black Eyed Peas!

Marlia & Larry - Nicole and I wish you much happieness in your future. Thank you for finding us and allowing us to capture all the love. Now, enjoy some sneak peeks....

^Marlia & Larry are active in many sports, especially basketball.

^Did he make it? Only the people in the room will ever know... : )

^Triple bling!

^The ceramony & reception were at the gorgeous Warner Park Community Center.

^A dip for the kiss! Awesome!

^Some of the kids hit the dance floor early. I caught this freeze action as I was setting up my lighting.

^The happy couple enjoying some dance floor alone time...

The dance floor was filled. Then the macarena came on. Some attempted to remember the dance moves, but were having trouble. Nicole turns to me, takes her camera off and asks me to hold onto it.

See, Nicole was still in school when this song was a big hit. So she strolled onto the dance floor and began teaching how to do the macarena. Way to go cole! (and can you believe she had a baby about 2 months ago?! She has lost over 40lbs! So proud of my wife!)

Purcell Family: Sneak Peeks 2010

2010-11-05T10:09:00.004-05:00

^2009

^2010

It always means so much to us when people ask us to capture their moments in life. It means even more when they come back for more!

The Purcell family called us up a few months ago asking if I might be able to stop back out almost one full year later to capture their family photos again. I happily said yes! I remembered the Purcell's because of their welcoming hospitatily, little Ethan & their dog Radar. They also have this cool skylight in the roof of their home that is in the shape of a heart! How awesome is that!?

Anyway, thank you Purcells for asking me out again. Maybe we can do the same thing next year? : )

Getting skooled in Vegas

2010-11-04T23:41:00.003-05:00

5th Street Photography (Nicole & Mike along with our girls) will be getting skoooled in Vegas at the WPPI convention this coming February. WPPI is an national organization for photographers to come together as a community and grow. The Vegas convention is an annual thing where some of the top photographers around come to speak and host workshops.

Nicole and I are excited as the last vacation we had for ourselves that was more than 20 miles from our house was about 3 years ago. And it just so happened that place we went to was Vegas, which is where we say we got lucky with our first daughter. : )

Every post needs pics, here are some from today of my girls while mom was away...

^I see it, how do I get it?

^Ohh, that's how...

^Ella is quite the smiler, though with our busy schedule we have yet to get a full on shot of it yet - but this one comes close!

Dustin & Amanda: Engagement Sneak Peeks

2010-11-02T23:16:00.003-05:00

^Meet Dustin & Amanda

We hopped in our car and headed to Greenway Station in Middleton last Saturday to meet Dustin & Amanda at the local Starbucks. Nicole had met them prior at the initial meeting, but this was my first time getting to know them. Right off the bat, I knew the two of them were made for each other. They laughed together, played together, and kept each other warm as the fall evening came around. Dustin & Amanda were naturals in front of the camera, because they were so comfortable and into one another - making my job as the photographer easy. : )

Onto the Peeks of Sneaks...

^A Greenway Station security guard kept close watch on us, it wasn't until we were done shooting that I found out we weren't supposed to be in the decorations - oops!

^I loved the mural

^Nicole knows how to shoot bling!

^Sunset walk

^As night came upon us, we stopped in a local establishment where Dustin showed Amanda how to shoot some pool.

Shane & Amanda: Engagement Sneak Peeks

2010-11-02T11:53:00.002-05:00

^This picture is corny - ha! : )

Shane and Amanda will be getting married at Chula Vista in the Dells and I am stoked for it! I had fun with both of them as we walked around Treinen Farm this past Saturday. I had them lay in corn, go down slides, jump off tires, and trek up a mountain. The end result is what you see here in their Sneak Peeks... Enjoy!

^The difference between Nicole & Mike: Nicole had them sit on a tire and gaze into each others eyes; Mike had them jump barefoot in the air off the tires onto the cold, hard ground.

^Another awesome Bling shot by Nicole

Jeff & Krystle: Engagement Session

2010-11-01T06:31:00.003-05:00

^We grow memories in 40 degree morning weather. : )

We met up with Krystle and Jeff at Trienen Farm off hwy60. Nicole and I have enjoyed taking our daughter there every year for the corn maze and thought 'this would be a great place to take photos at'! Krystle & Jeff agreed and were happy to play for the camera. We started off in the newly created tunnel under the highway, mosey'd our way by the pond, had a barn dance, and

Jeff even roped himself a lovely lady!

Thank you Jeff & Krystle for braving the chilly morning for the sake of awesome photos! We cannot wait for your big day next year! Now onto some Sneak Peeks...

^Nicole's brilliant idea of using the tunnel under the hwy made for a nice James Bond-type look.

^Bling!

^he he, funhouse.

^Something new this year at the farm was the rope lasso, I think Jeff caught himself a winner!

^After unexpectedly meeting with the owner, we ended up getting exclusive access to the loft in their barn.

Happy 2010 Halloween!

2010-10-31T23:51:00.004-05:00

^Yeah, we get a bit crazy during Halloween.

2010 was Ella's first Halloween. I don't think she knew what she was getting herself into when she joined our family. : ) We love this holiday! Last year we were a family of 3 pirates. This year, we went as patrons of Neverland. Mike was Peter Pan, Nicole was Wendi, Ella was the nanny dog (from the disney cartoon version), and Aubs was Tinker Belle.

I would say this year was a huge success and mom & dad have already been rummaging through Aubrey's loot! : ) From our family, to yours - Happy Halloween!

^Ella made a cute 2 month old pup!

Larry & Marlia: Engagement Sneak Peeks (mega-post)

2010-10-26T00:17:00.004-05:00

^Meet Larry & Marlia

Nicole and I made our way to downtown madison to meet up with these two to meet in-person for the first time and take some engagement photos. Their wedding is in a couple weeks at the gorgeous Warner Park. Both were care-free, happy and totally in love!

This will be a mega-sneak-peek post. With the wedding only a short while away, there was no way I was going to be able to finish editing the huge files which I provide to people - and they requested one or two photos which they would be able to use for a slideshow they are putting together for the wedding. So I thought I'd expand my normal 3-6 sneak peek shots (where I downsize the image and work some pixel magic to see what looks good - much faster) to a mega 22 image sneak peek.

Please sit back, relax and let the mouse do the scrolling.... : )

^I love some of these candid moments where they interact with each other 'between' photos.

^Marlia actually works in the building behind her. We have used this backdrop before for one of our favorite other couples a couple years ago.

Halloween draws near

2010-10-24T23:55:00.002-05:00

^I am almost 2 months old now, but I'm still not used to that camera dad.

Halloween has always been a fun time in our family, even before we were a family. Dressing up in costumes and going around consuming sugar - what isn't to like? But it is definitely more enjoyable now that we can share this holiday with our children.

Last year we went as a band of three pirates parading around the town. This year, we will be doing a bit of magic from Neverland. Aubs will be playing the part of Tinker Bell, Mike is Pan, Nicole will be Wendy, and Ella is going to be the nanny dog. It is going to be a fantastic time!

What do you and your family do for halloween?

^We didn't carve pumpkins last year, so this was a new thing for Aubs.

^Pulling the pumpkin innards was one of aubrey's favorite parts.
^Introducing, Tinker (Aubrey) Bell. How did we decide this costume you ask? The lady at the Disney store put the wings on Aubs when we went browsing around one day. Aubrey never took them off. Good selling tactic.

Matt & Amanda: Engagement Sneak Peeks

2010-10-21T08:32:00.003-05:00

^Matt & Amanda have infectious smiles & humor! : )

The skies were blue and the leaves were on fire when we met up with Matt & Amanda at the Madison Arboretum for their engagement session. When I met them a few weeks ago, I knew I would be LOL'ing all the time. Both of them have the goofiest sense of humor which Nicole & I fully appreciate. We had a blast following them around. Both are naturally in love as I hardly ever had to tell them to snuggle or kiss. I cannot wait to see them next year for their intimate outdoor wedding and to see what else they are willing to do for some fun shots! ; )

And now, drum roll........ Sneak Peeeeeekssss ->

^I asked if they could get closer, they got real close.

^The name of the building makes me giggle - 'Pump House'

^One of my favs from the day, I think it fully expresses how happy and in love they are.

WARNING:

I use Engagement Sessions as a way to get to know a couple and for the couple to get to know us. I feel it is super-important to do this so when it comes time for the big day, everyone knows what to expect. Sometimes I ask my couples to do something a little crazy or outragous, just to see where their comfort level is. I've had people jump off walls, climb out onto tree branches over a lack, stand in busy streets and even did the upside down spider-man kiss.

But Matt has topped them all when I asked him to lay on the ground and get hosed by a high-pressured water pump. It was near the beginning of the session when I suggested it as more of a joke, but he said ok. I then felt a need to talk him out of it and said 'let's save it for later as you will get wet'. I was hoping he would forget about it towards the end of the session, but he remembered. Seeing that I wasn't going to be able to talk him out of it, I set up the shot... Thank you Matt for being a brave and outgoing soul!

Jason & Leah - Wedding Sneak Peeks

2010-10-19T12:23:00.002-05:00

^Roger is back

This past Saturday afternoon I drove to Milwaukee; excitement for what the day was about to bring made my foot press the gas pedal down further. I was on my way to capture Jason & Leah's big day.

Jason & Leah rocked it along with their fantastic and hysterical wedding party! After a brilliant ceremony which was held in a church filled with gorgeous religious art, we met up with their dog Roger at a local park. Next came the Art Museum where phone calls were made, smiles were shared, and a bride-fight broke out. The occasion ended at the distinguished Resonance building where there were toasts, dancing, and family seeing each for the first time after years apart. Everyone shared their joy and happiness for Jason & Leah...

Before the sneak peeks begin, I want to throw a shout out to Erin for helping 2nd on this day!

And now... bring on the photos ->

^There were so many details at this church, I kept finding myself staring at all the symbolism. Probably brought on by my listening to Dan Brown's audio-book: The Lost Symbol on my drive to milwaukee.

^Even Roger was dressed for the occasion

^It was a battle for the Art Museum which is a popular wedding spot on Saturday's.

^Bride war! Actually this was the idea of the other bride who asked if Leah would be up for some silliness. Silliness ensued.

^The bride & groom don't always have time to go from table to table, but your photographer does : )

^These three are sisters who live in different parts of the country. Occasions like this are a great time to catch up with family.

^Elegant and graceful on the dancefloor. Later I saw Jason doing the sprinkler and lawn mower.

^Dance off!
^Jason & Leah sharing the spotlight together.

^One of Erin's many fabulous shots...

^Erin also grabbed some behind-the-scenes shots of me laying on the job again.

^I asked Erin to take over a portion of the shoot - so then I could secretly take some shots of her at work...

^Here I am attempting to give Roger some inspiration for the shot.

^You can tell that I usually try to make people laugh with my hip thrusts and corny sense of direction...

Senior: Nick

2010-10-19T11:37:00.003-05:00

I'm sitting at home one night when the phone rings. It was Patrick's mom. Patrick was a Senior I shot last year and it turns out he has a brother one year younger than him - Nick. Apparently we did such a good job with Patrick's photos that they wanted us to photograph Nick's senior pictures as well! I absolutely love it when families come back to us asking for more photos! It means so much to us when we can keep in touch with people.

Nick is similar to his brother Patrick when it comes to their love of cars. Most likely this stems from their father who is a mechanic himself. Nick requested some Devil's Lake scenery, so we took a stroll across the park finding a mix of natural backgrounds... I could tell you more about it, but I think the sneak peeks do a better job of describing it... : )

Pumpkin Patch time!

2010-10-13T10:29:00.002-05:00

It is that time of year again where we go to a local farm and take a horse (or mule) drawn hay ride to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. Couple interesting things happened this year -

First:
I am trying to get back into working out, in one of my first attempts to start jogging again, I didn't stretch enough and pulled some back muscle that causes me to walk like the hunchback of norte dame. So when we went looking for pumpkins in the patch, I requested we find small pumpkins and just get the big ones up in the front by the car.

Second:
For those who follow and don't know, we live in Wisconsin. A good way of knowing you live in Wisconsin is that you can have the air conditioning on one day and the heat on the next. This year it was 82 degrees outside while we did our pumpkin patch. I believe this is a first as almost every other year it is almost about to snow or has snowed.

This was Aubs third year of doing the pumpkin patch and the first for Ella - who like Aubs did on her first time was asleep the entire time. I didn't get a chance to shoot all that I wanted due to my back being a bummer, but I did manage a couple shots which should hopefully satisfy those family members who watch the bLog and refuse to get on Facebook (wink : )....

An Update: on Everything

2010-10-12T09:00:00.005-05:00

The following post is just a general update on where we are at in life...

Family:
Ella is doing awesome! She keeps growing and gaining weight every week. And her smiles are the best. Last night I got the biggest smile from Ella as I leaned over her bassinet. For me, that was the first true smile I have received from her where she didn't follow it up with going to the bathroom (which is typical of most newborns). I actually teared up a little I was so overjoyed at that moment which I will remember for a very long time.

Aubrey is a potty machine! We began the potty chart method where she gets a sticker every time she uses the potty. If she has a sticker for every day this month, she gets to go back to swimming lessons - which she is WAY-SUPER-EXCITED for!

Nicole - What can I say about my beautiful wife who inspires me in more ways than she will ever know? Since giving birth to Ella about a month ago, she has dropped over 32 lbs by just changing her eating habits. She has inspired me to stop drinking soda and start eating smaller portions. She is also very much promoting and responding to any emails to photography. Nicole is definitely the heart and soul of our business as well as the best mother and wife anyone could ever ask for!

Mike - Been really super-busy with editing photos. My typical day is working the 9-5pm job and then coming home to spend a little time with the family before heading into the murky basement sprinkling magic upon photos until roughly 1am! I love doing photography, and this has been our busiest year to date. My hope is to take a break here soon and take my family on a small get-away. They deserve it!

5th Street Photography - As I mentioned, this has been our busiest year to date. We are very thankful that so many people enjoy our work and ask us to capture their favorite moments in life. This is the main reason I got into photography - to capture those moments in life. Images are just so powerful in telling a story or looking back at how little your kids used to be. We have some new stuff coming on the horizon. Our logo is in place, new business cards have been ordered, we will again be in the Wedding Planner & Guide next year, and the web site will get published after some of my time free's up. Exciting things are in store. Thank you everyone for your support!

And remember, we are totally open to those destination weddings to Paris, Italy, Australia, .... : )
^Every post needs a pic - Shot by Ingrid who helped second shoot Andy & Jeana's wedding.

Infant Session - Gianna

2010-10-10T22:05:00.003-05:00

^Born to be a model.

Baby Gianna was able to reach way deep down to find her inner model for our shoot this past weekend. I think she might have let out a small cry only once when we attempted to place her on a cold dish. Other than that, she was all about mom and dad, and the camera!

Nicole and I know Gianna's parents since we started watching her cousin a couple years ago in our child care. We also helped them out by putting on the Benefit for Rocco event last year. So we were honored they asked us to take some newborn photos of their precious Gianna!

Congrats Angie & Rocco, she is gorgeous!.... Now onto some sneak peeks ->

^tHe bLing!

Tip #342 - It's your day, pamper yourself!

2010-10-06T06:48:00.005-05:00

To all the brides and even the grooms -

It is your big day! You are allowed to a little pampering and letting people take care of you. You will actually find people will freely ask if you need anything all during the day. Take them up on their offer. Chances are they have less going through their head than you will on this day. Which is just another reason to pamper yourself and let others take care of you.

^Lachele being attended to before entering the reception for the first time. - Ladies Room, Masonic Center - Madison, WI

Richard & Lachele - Wedding Sneak Peeks

2010-10-04T09:24:00.006-05:00

^Magic Jazz Hands! (the added flare was a special request, will have to edit it out of the final cut)

Here is a recipe for a great wedding: Family, Love, Singing and Personal Contributions. Richard & Lachele nailed it with what I think is one of the best weddings I have ever been a part of! It was Magically Awesome and full of Heart!

Richard and Lachele pulled on my heartstrings during the ceremony with thankful words to each of their families for bringing them to this point in life. Being a father to two beautiful girls myself, I almost lost it when Lachele's dad played a tune on the guitar during the ceremony. Love was definately in the air on this day!

The reception was also magical with more singing! Instead of clanking on glass to get the bride and groom to kiss, people had to sing a song about love or share some words on the mic. Typically this will deter most people from getting the spotlight shined on them. But not this bunch! Group acapella's popped up from almost every table! It was spectacular!

I want to throw a shout out to the fab Ingrid of Ingrid Laas Creative Services for helping out on this one! Nicole wasn't able to make it due to little Ella and Aubs being pretty sick. Nicole was so bummed as she was looking forward to seeing Richard & Lachele again! They are great friends who we hope to keep in touch with as time passes. And who knows, maybe Lachele's brother who is getting married next year might hire a couple awesome photographers for their wedding (wink, wink : ) Seriously give us a Jingle, you won't regret it!

Enough chitter chatter, onto some pictures!

^I love Frank Lloyd Wright buildings! This church perfectly embodied the spirit of the day. -First Unitarian Society - Madison, WI

^Lachele is a true Wisconsin girl! We were by the lake, it was in the 50's with a good wind.

^Sneaking behind Abe for some 1:1 time...

^Saturday afternoon + capital = weddings on each side! Shout out to Pierre for warming up our spot before we got there. : )

^Lachele's train was a good 6 feet in length, so once that wind from the lake caught it, it took off!

^A candid moment caught during the reception.

^All I gots to say is Wow! Thriller came on and there ended up being a dance off between Lachele's brother (right) and the little guy on the left. Both had some sweet dance moves that would make Napoleo Dynamite jealous!

(Pssst... I may be doing a few other sneak peeks later this week, so check back soon. : )

Steve & Kristina: Engagement Session

2010-09-29T20:46:00.002-05:00

^When a Lion loves a Zebra... the proposal.

Nicole and I couldn't be more excited for Steve and Kristina's wedding next year! We met these two lovebirds at the Bishops Bay Country Club in Middleton for their engagement session - the same place they will be having their reception in 2011. Kristina is a personal trainer and Steve coaches football in IL. You may notice a Lion and Zebra in some of their shots - That is because Steve is known as the lion and they are going to be having some zebra prints with some awesome colors for their wedding. It will definitely remind me of Disneyworld!

Here are some sneaks from this past weekends shoot... enjoy!

Double Family session: Thao & Xiong

2010-09-27T20:23:00.004-05:00

Double Whammy!

This past weekend I had the privilege of shooting not just one family, but two! Both families were a blast! We spent the early afternoon walking around Devil's Lake State Park finding just the right spots.

The Thao family drove down from Wausau, WI. Chao actually works with Nicole's mom which is how they discovered us.

The Xiong family came from Milwaukee, WI. The young man is in 6th grade middle school and was a huge help in being my temporary lighting assistant. Thank you everyone, I had fun!

Work and Play

2010-09-26T23:28:00.004-05:00

^We are lurking out there in the shadows... Nicole during this weekend engagement shoot.

If you know us or at least follow us on Facebook or the Blog, then you are aware we have been low-key for the month of September due to the recent addition to our family. I say low-key because we are still hard at work behind the scenes - plugging away at changes for the upcoming web site and also trying to play catch up on all the wonderful weddings we were a part of earlier this summer.

But you will start to notice some new work coming out soon. This past weekend was a whirlwind of family sessions and an engagement session (sneak peeks coming later this week). You will also get to see some of our play time shots of Aubrey and Ella. Gotta keep the grandparents happy : )

^Self-portrait at a family session showing how to give a proper goofy face.

^Aubs rocking the pig tails as we met with clients to talk about their big day next week!

^Car seats = sleep time. Too bad they don't make an adult version.

No Sleep Till....

2010-09-14T19:37:00.004-05:00

^Welcome to life at home in front of the camera Ella.

If you check the blog out on a weekly basis, you may have realized we haven't been updating it as much as usual. That is because our newest addition to the family - Ella - is still thinking night time is wakey wake time. So even though we are physically awake more hours of the day, our brains are not.

But the tide is starting to turn. Ella is starting to sleep a good 3 - 4 hours at a time which means we are feeling more refreshed! So what have we been doing other than spending some family time together? Mostly editing photos and working on getting the new site coded out (yes I program web sites in what little spare time I have : ). So stay tune for changes that are a coming. We start back up with engagement sessions, family sessions, and a few more weddings starting in October.

In the meantime, please enjoy what we do with our daughters dressed in tutu's, a sombrero, and our living room ottoman in the backyard...

^I think aubs eye's are even more blue than dads.

Welcome and Happy Birthday Ella!

2010-09-02T06:38:00.002-05:00

^The newest member of our 5th Street Photography family - Ella!

Weighing in at 6lbs 13oz and at a length of 19 1/2 inches, Ella is born! It is so hard to believe it is actually here. But sure enough when we heard the first little cry of her entering the new world, mom and dad had teary eye's of joy as the doctor started to sing happy birthday. We are so incredibly happy and thankful to be so blessed with another healthy baby girl.

As I am still a bit sleepy, I will keep the rest of the wordy portion of the blog short. So onto the first pics. Ladies & Gentlemen, Nicole, Mike & Aubrey would like to introduce you to Ella!

^First family photo took place only minutes from Ella being born.

^First there is footprints, next is the mug shots : )

^6lbs 13oz, 19 1/2 inches long

^Dad and sister checking out baby Ella

^Grandma giving Ella some lovin

^Grand-'poppi' even turned his hat around, a rarity.

^Grandpa Dave getting a turn to say hi.

^yes, there will be much sleep for the first 24 hours, then cat naps.

^Aubrey showing everyone how to take pictures. Can you tell she is our daughter? : )

^And if photography doesn't work for Aubs, then it looks like she would like a career as a doctor.

Thank you everyone for the well wishes!

Love,

Mike, Nicole, Aubrey & Ella

Brian & Molly: Wedding sneak peeks

2010-08-29T23:03:00.003-05:00

^Congrats Brian & Molly!

I spent this past Saturday in beautiful Appleton, WI for Brian & Molly's wedding. These two cracked me up all day long. They were both all smiles from the time I said 'hi' until the time I had to leave. If Nicole wasn't about to give birth at any time, I definitely would have stayed off the clock to just chillax and hang out. Thank you Brian & Molly for finding us and letting us point our camera's at you. : )

Mad props again go out to the one and only Ingrid for 2nd shooting with me while Nicole is sidelined!

Now onto some sneaks... (catch the new watermark logo; and the new site is coming soon...)

^The First English Lutheran church was amazing! I loved the lighting and natural look

^You may ask how Molly gets her man to smile so naturally? The answer is....

^Grab his rear end!

Purpose - a nonsense-babbling blog post

2010-08-27T08:45:00.002-05:00

1) What is your purpose in life?
2) Whose lives will you interact with and influence today?

3) Do the little nagging things really matter in the grand scheme of things?

^After a storm - Prairie Du Sac, WI: 2009

These are some of the questions that go thru my head most days. Being a husband, father, photographer, and an IT person with not much time for myself (aside from the 35 minute drive to work and and another 35 minute drive back home), I find these questions help get me thru the muck that gets tossed around. Let's face it, everyone has bad days and there are some people who like to share their bad days by tossing some your way. You have to be quick to avoid these traps, cause if you don't and get caught - then you can bring others with you (I'm totally thinking of that old 80's game Pit Fall while I write this : ). It isn't easy to stay on top and take a positive route, and it definitely wears you out if enough bad attitude is tossed your way. But the outcome if you succeed, is tremendous and uplifting - and that positiveness can also spread to others around you.

What is my purpose in life?

Honestly, I have no idea. It seems to change every so often. If I try to plan it out, then I lose focus on the magic that happens around me that I didn't expect to occur. If I had a plan, I probably wouldn't have met my wife, Nicole. So I try to live my life by enjoying the journey of life itself. I think my purpose is to learn, enjoy and teach all that I know - especially to my own kids.

^Memorial Day Celebration - Cottage Grove, WI: 2010

Whose lives do you interact with and influence today?

I feel like my life is more influenced more by others than me influencing them. I can tell you the number one person who inspires me to be a better person is Nicole. She has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. (Example: While dating we were at the grocery store in check out lane. There was a young teenager in front of us with a baby who wanted to buy some baby food and cereal, but was using food stamps. The cashier said if she used the food stamp, then the rest of the money on it would be forfeit. The young mom said to never mind as she couldn't afford to give up the extra funds. That is until Nicole stepped up and offered to pay for her groceries. This is just one tiny example of the good nature my wife has.)

^At Nicole's parents house - Merril, WI: 2008

My daughter is also a huge inspiration in my life. I believe almost everything I do these days is for her and her soon to be sister Ella. And I hope I influence some positivity in her as she grows into her own independant person.

I also try to influence anyone I photograph. 99% of people who get in front of the camera do not know what to do so they sit there stiff and not themselves. It is my job to break them out of it and have fun. This is actually the number one thing people tell Nicole and I, is that they actually had fun doing photos with us. And this makes me happy and is the reason I continue taking photographs of others. I love capturing who they are.

Do the little nagging things really matter in the grand scheme of things?

No. It can bug you, and if you get enough nagging, it can build and drive you nuts! I always try not to let it. I try to stay positive and let the little things slide off. Usually something happened to a person to make them grumpy. If you can think of that while they sling mud at you, then you know the attitude isn't directed at you personally. Try staying on the up and up, find the reasoning behind someone being grumpy and ask them about it. Typically it will help put them in a better mood cause then they have an outlet.

^Self-Family shot - State Capitol: 2009

Sorry for the long post. With the birth of our second child coming next week, I am feeling a lot of 'what is the meaning of life' and wanted to get some stuff out there. Not sure how many folks even read our posts or if this one even makes sense : ) If you are reading this, then go out and make it a great day!

^Fun with sparklers and slow shutter - Our Back Yard, 2009

Missy & Keith: Wedding Sneaks

2010-08-25T06:35:00.004-05:00

^The peace symbol charm holds a special place in Missy's heart.

Greetings and welcome to a sneak preview of Missy & Keiths wedding day photos from this past Saturday at the Overture Center. I had an absolute blast with the two of them and their wedding party (But who couldn't have fun when they had such awesome nicknames as Fish, Double-Stack, and Fred. : )!

The gorgeous ceremony was held on the rooftop of the Museum of Art and was officiated by Keith's close friend Cory who recently came back from Iraq. We then traveled up a block to the capitol for some shenanigans before heading back for the reception at one of the Overture's beautiful halls.

This is also the first wedding where I didn't have my partner in crime with me as second/primary shooter. My wife, Nicole is due to give birth any day now. So even though she wanted to see Missy & Keith if only for an hour, I made her stay at home by super-glueing the door shut. In her place was the fabulous Ingrid Laas of Ingrid Laas Creative Services. Thanks Ingrid for helping fill in!

Now enough words, let's get down to the sneaks...

^Ingrid shot of Missy getting ready. I always love how focused the girls are on getting the dress on. : )

^On the rooftop of the Museum of Art- such a gorgeous venue!

^I got the lady's to start singing Sweet Caroline during our 'formals' - "ba ba baaaaa..."

^I loved the reception hall they were in! The best man - Nick - along with the rest of the wedding party turned his toast into a Family Fued game show on the fab couple... it was hil-ar-ious!

Aubrey is officially a Blowfish!

2010-08-24T07:57:00.002-05:00

Our proud little girl finished her last swim lesson of the season last night. She started out as a a Little Snapper - where they try to ween the child off the parent to trust the instructor (dad got booted on day one) - and graduated ready to enter Blowfish, which is two levels up!

Aubs can now monkey crawl along the side of the pool unassisted, jump into the water on her own and can go underwater for several seconds! Mom and Dad are super-proud and best of all aubs is super-proud of herself!

We would like to thank Mike's dad for helping contribute to Aubrey's swimming adventure! We plan on getting her signed back up for spring lessons next year!

Way to go Aubs!
^Can you tell her swim lessons are at night by the tired look in her eye. Never stopped her from wanting to go though!

Kerri - a Birthday Bash

2010-08-22T22:35:00.002-05:00

^Happy Birthday Kerri...s feet? (I joke, I kid. I just loved the ink on her feet)

Last Friday evening I was asked to photograph Kerri's birthday where there was a gathering of friends and good times. This birthday was special to Kerri as she lost an incredible amount of weight! Way to go Kerri! I am honored you chose me to capture all the laughter, love, shenanigans, and Rock Band action! : )

Now onto the sneaks...

^I stole Kerri & her husband right away for some couple shots outside while the rain let up.

^It' time to start getting real, the Real World with Kerri & her close friends.

^I could not resist getting a shot of Jason's shirt - Thundercats Hoooooo!

^We're getting the band back together!

^Kerri ripped the vocals during one set

^There had been severe storms most of the day, but it cleared up for Kerri & Jason to show a little sunset lovin!

Andy & Jeana - Wedding Sneak Peeks

2010-08-16T22:40:00.003-05:00

^Say hello to Andy...

^and let me introduce you to Jeana.

Andy and Jeana hail from a tiny and unknown little place called Chicago. They came up to Madison to say their vows to each other amongst family and friends by the shore of Lake Monona. Everything about the day - from the bride to the hand made flowers - was exquisite!

On with the peeks of sneak:

^There wasn't a single flower at this wedding. Every single thing you see was hand made from paper by the bride and her sister! Every table setting, bouquet and boutonniere - gorgeous hand crafted paper. Jeana would like to thank Martha Stewart. : )

^The fabulous hairdo is brought to you by Millennium Hair Salon.

^Andy & Jeana met at the Plaza bar off of state street many moons ago. So it was only natural we return to the scene of first sight.

^The brother of the bride (right) was the officiant for their wedding. He did a super job seeing as how his day job is a full time rad photographer (enter plug to Yuppy Photo : )
^Ah, the golden hour on the shore of Lake Monona, Madison - East Side Club.

Brian & Kate - Wedding Sneak Peeks

2010-08-10T21:37:00.002-05:00

^Arizona came to Wisconsin

Brian and Kate came from Arizona to get married at a small church in Middleton, Wisconsin. Everything about the day was intimate, fun, and loving! The church was beautiful and the reception had a real family feel to it.

^The day had started highly overcast, but after the ceremony we had gorgeous blue skies!

Brian & Kate - Engagement-Family Session

2010-08-10T06:40:00.002-05:00

Welcome to a fun Engagement Session with family.

Brian and Kate live in Arizona and came all the way get married in Kate's home town of Middleton, WI. We met up at Pope Farm Park for their engagement-family session. It was a blast getting to know them and their three kids.

Because they lived in Arizona, we took these engagement shots the week of their wedding. I always encourage everyone to meet with their photographer before the big day,. That way it isn't just some stranger showing up with camera's strapped around their neck. Stop back later today or tomorrow to see their Wedding Sneak Peeks. : )

Project: Collecting Cars

2010-08-09T22:58:00.004-05:00

An idea formed in my head as I photographed a family one day last year. They wanted to get a few shots with a collectible car the dad had been fixing up for a long time. You could tell how proud he was with the work he put into it. So I thought to myself, why not photograph a story of people and their cars?

This will be probably be one of those long-term projects when I'm not taking rad (80's term) pictures of awesome people. But it is something I do plan on doing and putting together an album or book which tells story of a car and its owner.

If you have a car that you have put a lot of love and work into, drop us an email to talk about a possible photo shoot. And be sure to tell me about the story behind the automobile.

^From the collectible car night at Quaker Steak & Lube, Middleton - 2010

Loved this custom grill, Middleton - 2010

Happy Anniversary Mike!

2010-08-05T12:29:00.003-05:00

So I thought I would hijack the blog to wish my husband a very Happy Anniversary! 4 years ago today I not only married my best friend, but my partner in crime, I mean life ;o) I'm proud to call you my husband and I love you Mike, always have and always will <3

“I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance,
A church filled with family and friends.
I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for,
He said one that would make me his wife.” - unknown (but smart man ;o)

Being a Parent is an Adventure

2010-08-04T08:33:00.004-05:00

I love being a parent!

I sometimes look back at the sample shots of the photos I have taken of aubrey since she was born and I think of the many adventures she has already been on in life. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I see her experience something for the first time. Nicole and I get so proud of our little girl and cannot believe how much she has grown already!

This past weekend, Aubrey had her first ever haircut. She did awesome! I have been seeing my friend Leia for haircuts since I was a teenager (with hair that went past my neck). She has since invited us to her home for haircuts. So we went over last weekend for me to get a haircut. Then we asked if Aubrey wanted one and she jumped right in my lap and let Leia comb and trim her hair. She seemed very proud to have here hair cut!

Later that day we took Aubs to the Splashpark in Middleton. Man I wish we had these when I was growing up. A splashpark is essentially public park where water gets shot out, dumped out, and splattered out of all sorts of holes in and out of the ground. Aubs had a blast, being blasted by water! : )

Diana - Senior Session

2010-08-01T22:59:00.002-05:00

^Smile. Smile Big. : )

Diana will be graduating high school next year and looking to the medical field with her CNA. I met her, her mom, and her friend Megan over in Lodi to begin our shoot. We found some nice brick walls behind the stores of main street (which we later found out was a funeral home!) as well as a very nice antique store (where the owner let us use her merchandise in the shots). We then traveled towards Prairie Du Sac, stopping along hwy 60 for some impromptu scenic farm field photos. I had a great time with all of them and wish Diana the best with life after high school!

Now onto the sneak peeks:

^This was in the back of the funeral home, looks like it could be a staged set!

^Diana's a country girl at heart. Here she is on the back of their '93 chevy.

^Found some hay by the side of the high way at one of the few farm fields we stopped at.

Quickie: Love

2010-07-29T09:03:00.002-05:00

If you read the title and are giggling, then we have a similar sense of humor. 8^)

While editing photos last night, I came across this photo I took while crossing a bridge in a park for Jason & Darlene's wedding. It really makes you think about the beauty of life and love. I sometimes have to remind myself to slow down and not worry so much about the destination, just enjoy the journey of life and love. Else you will miss the signs along the way that make you smile.

^A little sign of love for Jason & Darlene on their wedding day

a Colorful time of year

2010-07-27T08:32:00.003-05:00

^The Great Hunt for a Flowery Picture.. (from Monona Terrace - Madison)

It is one of those colorful times of year where most flowers are blooming with bright reds, yellows, pinks, and purples. And that means it is time to hunt for that one shot of a flowery field which we can print off in canvas and hang in the new baby's room. A few of these are contenders, but I'm not sure there is a solid winner yet. The hunt is still on!

^Pope Farm Park - Middleton

^Monona Terrace - Madison

Oh No, look out! It's Monday!

2010-07-26T06:34:00.002-05:00

^Don't you hate it when Monday's sneak up on you?

This past weekend was one of those rare times for Nicole and I where we didn't have any shoots. So what does 5th Street Photography do when having a weekend off?

Saturday:

Mike helped a co-worker move while Nicole & Aubs had a morning breakfast and play time at Toys'R'Us. After nap time we took a stroll thru a park, where we had a picinic and then hit up Waun-a-fest.

Sunday:

Woke up to a power outage, so loaded up the car and headed to the Milwaukee Zoo for a three hour stroll seeing lions, tigers, and dinosaurs (fun, new exibit). Then it was back home for steak & corn on the cob.

Sprinkle in many hours of editing and there you have it.

^Sunflowers from Pope Farm Park in Middleton

^Love this shot of mom and daughter walking the path in the park!

Geoffrey & Kristin - Wedding sneak peeks

2010-07-23T11:37:00.006-05:00

^Geoffrey & Kristin = Awesome!

Nicole and I had the distinct pleasure of photographing the marriage of Geoffrey & Kristen this past weekend. Both are from Colorado who came up to their old stomping grounds to be with their friends and family. We started the day getting ready at the Hilton downtown, then hitched a ride with Tom (a shuttle driver we flagged down) to the capitol for some fun shots before heading to the ceremony at Bethel Lutheran Church (gorgeous building!). The festivities concluded at the Monona Terrace for where there was fantastic food, great toasts, and dancing fun!

Thanks to Geoffrey, Kristin, their family and friends for letting us be there to capture all the memories. Have fun in Hawaii!

Onto the sneak peeks:

^Inside the Hilton for an spur of the moment use of the dining area. Love the decor, though I wouldn't want that carpet in my bedroom : )

^Heat index was above 100 with the humidity, so we made use of the shade at the capitol.

^I love when I ask people to go crazy and do a fun pose!

^You can tell by the shadow that the sun was almost directly above us. But the heat didn't keep the smiles away!

^The church was gorgeous, fitting for a fantastic couple creating a special memory in their lives.

^Bling

^Geoffrey & Kristin performed a special dance they had been practicing for. It created cheers from the audience.

^Hitting the Terrace rooftop at dusk for a special moment alone.

(be sure to check back this weekend. I have one more sneek peak I want to share of everyone from the wedding together for one big group shot!)

Stormtrooper Photographers

2010-07-09T09:53:00.004-05:00

^Lady walked up to one of the stormtroopers and asked him if he knew how to work her camera.

Last night I attended the Star Wars in Concert show with my father. There is a live symphony orchestra and chorus that plays original scores from all six Star Wars movies while special edits of the film are played on a large screen with lights and lasers. Anthony Daniels (C3PO himself) hosted the event. He was a very charasmatic and well spoken individual. Plus it was C-freakin-3PO!

I had a blast and want to thank my dad for taking me to this event. Star Wars has been in my life for a long time. My earliest memories was playing lightsabers in the basement while playing the movies on my uncle's tv. I also remember seeing Return of the Jedi in the theatre back in 1983, which meant I was only 7 years old!

Now I'm tempted to go into the basement and break out all the toys from their blue bins....

^The stage is set for the concert. I don't have shots during the concert as I was asked to take my camera back to the car (it was too professional for them).

^I have always loved & appreciated artwork. Here are some original concept drawings from the recent movies.

^Yup, we are buddies.

^Some of the coolest props for me was the relics from the original films.

^Yoda life-sized scupltere.

^Some of the coolest characters from the Star Wars universe are the Imperial Guard.

^Would love to have Han sitting in my living room...

One for our parents

2010-07-08T08:53:00.002-05:00

^Such a quizzical look aubs as on her face while seeing the Monkeys.

We haven't posted much family stuff in the last few weeks. So I thought I'd do a post for the parents who always ask for pictures. : )

This past Monday, I had off from the 9-5 job and Nicole only had one child for day care. So we decided to head out to the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison. The zoo is a fantastic and cheap way to entertain kids while also educating them about life. I also see our trips to the zoo as a way to see how much Aubrey has grown. We have been taking here there several times a year since she was born. One day it will be neat to look back on how much she has changed and the animals have changed over the years.

^Something new at the zoo this time around were these art sculptures. Aubs & Vito loved seeing them.

^Aubrey's favorite animal seems to be the Giraffe. Whenever we say we are going to the zoo, she starts yelling out 'dadda, momma, zoo. Giraffe!'

^Aubs & Vito have known each other since they were about 3 months old. So cute to see them holding hands while strolling thru the zoo.

^This is in the reptile exhibit. No flash, so using a super-high ISO on the 5d2. Love this shot for Nicole's pregnant profile with future baby Ella at about 8 months.

Next up on our parental thursday blog post is a few snapshots of aubrey at her swimming lessons. We first took aubrey for swimming lessons when she was about 10 months old and she loved them. Now that she is over 2, she loves them even more! This class is designed to ween the child away from the parents and start trusting a teacher. Aubrey ditched me on the first day and is already exceeding at all the tasks the class is designed for!

^Aubs & her teacher playing with tupperware - designed to get kids used to their heads getting wet. Aubs surpasses this as she already loves taking showers at home!

^Practicing getting out of the pool.

^Kicks and arm scoops!

Zac & Kristin - Wedding Sneak Peeks

2010-07-05T15:38:00.002-05:00

Zac & Kristin served up a wedding of a lifetime!

Our day started with meeting the wedding party at the Overture Center in downtown Madison. From there we mosey'd on up State Street to the capitol for a few quick snapshots before heading to the ceremony and reception which were both being held at Olbrich Gardens. The venue was breathtaking; the wedding guests were in high spirits; and the couple was perfect!

Here are a few sneak peeks from the day:

^We always love getting idea's from the people we shoot. Look how good Zac's balcony idea turned out!

^Another idea from the wedding party!

^The happy couple.

^Here is a sample of one of our formal family shots.

^Zac & Kristin rocked the first dance!

Workshop: Lift-Off with Pierre

2010-06-28T07:49:00.003-05:00

Lights, Cameras, and Action!

This past weekend - aside from editing, shooting a fabulous senior session with Ashley, and Nicole doing consultations - Mike attended the Lift-Off workshop hosted by Pierre Stephenson of Pierre's Portrait Art Co. This workshop covered many of the foundations such as lighting, posing, and post-processing. But the biggest goal was to find the 'unique you' and get your creative juices flowing. Overall it was a great time shooting, learning, and meeting up with old friends as well as making new ones.

If you are in the Madison area and interested in photography, I would recommend attending one of Pierre's classes. There is usually something to learn whether you are first getting started or a seasoned pro. Thanks Pierre for hosting another great class!

Here are some samples from my adventures yesterday (more on 5th Street's facebook page)...

^Sarah was our main model for the day; she had about 4 wordrobe changes!

^Softbox lighting on the right helps bring out the dimension across her features. Actually I ended up using my own lighting today (notice the bright light : )

Ashley - Senior Session

2010-06-26T23:08:00.003-05:00

Meet Ashley, a future Senior from Minnesota.

Nicole and I first met Ashley at her fathers wedding which we photographed over a year ago. Actually Michael & Lynn have been one of 5th Street Photography's biggest fans! Since meeting them, we have photographed their wedding, his sisters family, and now his daughters senior photos. We had a blast walking around downtown and eating at Ian's Pizza off state street. It is always a treat when we see them and we really appreciate all the support they give us!

P.S. - Thanks to Ashley for playing with Aubs, she really liked hanging out with you & Megan!

Enjoy the sneaks:

^Held the camera super-steady for this shot. Even got Ashley's parents & her friend Megan in there.

^Peek-a-boo! Stopped at Olbrich Gardens for some nature.

^Ashley and her best friend Megan having fun shaking their heads back & forth.

^There was an Amazing Race local event downtown. One of the stops was at Ian's Pizza where contestants had to try tossing dough in the air. Ashley had a chance to give it a whirl...

Jason & Darlene: Wedding Sneak Peeks

2010-06-22T06:46:00.003-05:00

On a small island in Waupaca, Jason & Darlene wed...

This past weekend we had the honor of capturing Jason & Darlene's wedding vows and the party that happened after. Everything about their day screamed fun! After a sweet ceremony which was officiated by Jason's Uncle, we gathered everyone around the park for 'formal' shots. Formal, yes; Fun, absolutely! Then it was off to the local bar with the wedding party for some dancing and celebratory drinks. Finally we topped it off at the reception where there were toasts, childhood to coming together slide show, dancing, and happiness sprinkled with love.

We had such a great time with these two, their friends and family! Thank you Jason & Darlene for having us out and we wish you many years of happiness and laughter!

Enjoy the previews:

^ Get a load of this guy!

^ I asked for sassy, I got sassy. : )

^ I am teetering on a couple small rocks in the middle of the raging river. Ok, maybe not raging...

^ Jason & Darlene = FUN

^ Thank you to the random golfer who supplied us with a Tee for this ring shot Nicole envisioned.

^ Give me Tiger!

Behind some recent scenes

2010-06-21T23:16:00.004-05:00

Summer has started, and so has the wedding season for 5th Street Photography! It seems like almost every weekend has a wedding in it from now until November. And mixed in between are engagement sessions, senior sessions and family photos. Busy busy and fun times!

Here are a couple of behind the scenes shots from this past weekends wedding in Waupaca. Notice that Nicole's baby-bump doesn't slow her down one bit! And Mike's sympathy baby weight bump doesn't slow him down either : )

Jesse & Kristy: Engagement Session

2010-06-18T15:41:00.004-05:00

Varoom, Varoom.....

Jesse & Kristy asked us to take some Engagement photos last Sunday. However it didn't happen as the rain deciding to come as well. But I am glad it did as weather and sun was awesome for our make-up date earlier this week! We shot at Olbrich & the local beach where Jesse proposed. Both of them are car nuts and brought their 2007 Mustang to the shoot... What happened next was... well, you can see for yourself in the sneak peeks...

Lynsey & Casey: Wedding Sneak Peek

2010-06-15T09:47:00.003-05:00

Gather around kids, I've got a story to tell about two amazing people who these rings belong to.

This past Saturday we kicked off our wedding season at the historic Orpheum Theatre on State Street for the marriage of Casey & Lynsey. You couldn't have asked for a better setting to have an intimate wedding at. The lighting and feeling you get when in the Orpheum is spectacular and when you throw Lynsey & Casey in with all of their family and friends, it was magical!

Here are a few sneak peaks from the big day:

^ The first dance, music courtesy of their friend DJ T-Rex!

^ The people called for a kiss via the clinging of silverware on glass.

^ I have heard of the old ball & chain, but never witnessed it. Apparently this ball & chain has been in the family for other weddings. What a great tradition to pass down!

^ Everyone who was at the wedding & a UW Alumni! They broke out into song, it was awesome!

^ Cheers Casey & Lynsey! We wish you many years of happiness and good fortune!

Cooper is turning 1

2010-06-07T22:26:00.002-05:00

Mini-Cooper is turning 1.

I met Cooper and his family during the Benefit for Rocco event we put on in 2009. We were delighted when they called us asking if we could take his one year photos! Cooper brought his blue eyes and wonderful personality to the shoot...

Enjoy the sneak peek and all that is Cooper!

The past couple weeks...

2010-06-02T06:25:00.006-05:00

^I think I've been gaining weight with this pregnancy, except I'm not the one who is pregnant.

It has been a couple weeks since we have posted anything on the blog. And it isn't because we haven't been busy. On the contrary, you can rest assure that when we haven't posted anything, it is typically because life has been super-busy for us. Both in our personal lives and with photography.

So here is a short run down of what has been happening lately, with pictures:

^Good-bye old car. This shot was taken a few weeks ago when we decided to trade in the old Lexus for one of them there mini-vans. The Lexus kept having things go wrong with it, and with a growing family we figured it was that time in life to go the soccor-mom route. Actually we very much enjoy the new vehicle, but that will be a post in itself coming soon.

^ A couple weeks ago, a beloved family member passed away. She will be greatly missed and never forgotton. When Nicole was pregnant with Aubrey, she volunteered to put together a fun baby shower which we have a ton of pictures from. Her husband had asked if I could take a couple respectful shots, something I have done before for other friends in the past. I debated on whether to post anything, but it has been a great part of our lives lately and probably will be for some time to come as we will always remember her.

^Nicole & Aubrey going thru some of aubrey's old baby clothes, seeing what we might be able to re-use when daughter #2 comes. Aubrey helped me put together that white dresser you see in the background with her toy tool set. She was so proud to have helped dad and was amazed at how we took some nails and pieces of wood to make a dresser.

^Mmmm, Superman ice cream. Earlier this day we attended the annual World Brat Fest where there is live music, games, and yup - brats. This year it was super-hot out when we went with Grandparents in tow. However I think the heat and sun was getting too much for aubs as she wasn't looking too great when we finally sat down from standing in line. So we left and headed to Ella's Delli for ice cream instead.

^Outside Ella's Delli (great place for kids & adults w/all the toys), they have a Carosal ride. So of course we had to take a spin!

^On Memorial Day, we went to a couple cemetaries to pay tribute to family members who have passed away by laying flowers by their graves. While at the Cottage Grove cemetary, we noticed a couple VFW gentlemen playing the bagpipes with a crowd gathering. I love the look on Aubs face when she heard bag pipes for the first time.

^After the bag pipes, we found out there was a memorial service for fallen service members with a raising of a flag and a 21 gun solute. It was very nice tribute and something we might attend to again next year.

^Finally we had a small family shoot by a local lake on Monday night. Afterwards, we went into the nearby bar with the family for some dinner while the kids played around. Literally, they played around - me! Yup, that's me in the middle and aubrey is on the right. Apparently all the kids thought it would be histarical to run around me for like 10 minutes. I guess I'm the next best thing to a playground. : )

Restoring Hope Bike Ride

2010-05-18T08:13:00.003-05:00

RestoringHope.org = A home away from home for patients who are in the Madison area for organ, bone marrow or other transplants.

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine from High School called me up and asked if I wanted to volunteer to take some photographs of a bike ride benefit they were putting together to help raise money for their Restoring Hope Transplant House. Of course I said yes, how could I turn that down?!

The event was a huge success! Many bikers came out as well as some local celebraties to help raise money. Here is a small sneak preview of the many shots I took as I chased bikers on foot carrying camera gear (great workout!)...

Local NBC news anchor Leigh Mills with Cindy the director of the Transplant House.

E-Session: Jason & Leah

2010-05-11T23:09:00.005-05:00

I have a secret: Jason & Leah are in love!

All you have to do is spend a little time with these two and you will notice it yourself. Nicole and I had a fantastic time walking around downtown Madison getting to know them. Even their dog Roger was awesome and had plenty to say!

Enjoy the sneak peeks:

Yeah, my idea - but they jumped at the opportunity! Proof of how fun they are!
Bah-Ling!
Somewhere, they are still standing, stranded on Lake Monona - kidding!
Thanks Jason & Leah for an awesome time! We are looking forward to your wedding in October :O)

Grace: 1 year photos

2010-05-11T06:33:00.005-05:00

It was a dark and stormy day....

So we rescheduled our shoot with Grace for the next day! And it was magically delightful with blue skies and puffy clouds. It was a perfect backdrop for Grace's 1 year photos. We got to watch her take some steps between mom & dad, play on the swing and show us her dog - Bailey.

Big thanks to Sarah & Jason getting in touch with us and being big Facebook supporters of 5th Street. We were honored to take Grace's photos again and hope to continue the tradition as she grows!

Enjoy the Sneak Peaks:
"If I don't hold their hands, my mom & dad will get lost" : )

Grace showing off her dog Bailey.

Got my feet wet to get some of these shots. It's not the first time, & won't be the last. : )

Meinert/Minette: Family Session

2010-05-05T07:54:00.005-05:00

Josh & Missy asked if we had camera's.
We did.
They asked if we could photograph their family.
We did.

Lillian's Birthday Bash

2010-05-03T22:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Lillian!

We were asked to capture Lillian's 1st birthday bash this last weekend, and we had a blast! It was like walking into Willy Wonka's with a huge candy buffet and colorful cakes! Lillian is a very adorable and super-happy girl who had many family and friends come celebrate her big day!

Please enjoy a small, colorful sample of some sneak peaks:

Cake Smash!

We had our Ultra Sound - IT'S A ....

2010-04-28T08:38:00.002-05:00

It's a Girl!!

After a super-long wait, going thru morning sickness, and receiving punches from inside the belly, we finally had our ultra sound last night to find out the sex of baby. We are proud to say we are having another baby girl!

Aubrey did an awesome job telling momma it was "ok, momma" as the strange person rubbed on her belly. It is hard to tell if she knows what is happening or not. We haven't had the birds & the bee's talk yet. : )

So now we need to start thinking of girl names (of which Nicole already has a couple good ones), and I will have to get started on painting the baby room. I love my family and enjoy being a dad! And I am very excited to meet our newest daughter when she gets her in early September!

Baby Jack

2010-04-28T08:14:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the world Baby Jack!

A good friend of ours who we hadn't seen in a long time asked if we wanted to take pictures of her newborn baby Jack. Of course we jumped at the chance to see the new baby and play catch up with mom!

Here is a small preview of some of those images captured...

Happy Birthday Aubrey!!

2010-04-19T20:31:00.003-05:00

It is so hard to believe our little girl is 2!

This last weekend we celebrated Aubrey's birthday by inviting family and friends over for some food, drink and cake. Aubs had a great time playing with her friends and running around. Thank you all to who came out! Now onto some sample photos (as always more shots found on our facebook page).

Balloon girl! We went with a Wow Wow Wubbzy theme - awesome kids cartoon on nick jr.
If you are interested in knowing what Aubs is looking at, scroll down a bit...

Paparazzi!

Aubrey vs. the birthday cake. Aubrey won! Happy Birthday baby girl, love you!

Happy Easter 2010!

2010-04-05T08:38:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter 2010 everyone!
Yes, it has been a while since I have updated the blog. I guess I fail on my goal of a M-F from Feb - Nov goal I thought I could do. How about we settle for starting with once a week to a few times a week? : )

What is new with 5th Street Photography? We are prepping for wonderful summer full of weddings, children portraits and other events! This looks to be one of our biggest years yet! As always check back with the blog once in a while to see what the latest is.

As every post needs a pic, and we have family wanting updated family pics - here are some from this past weekend... Enjoy and have a super-fantastic-wonderful week!

Our Family is Growing: 09-09-10

2010-03-09T06:38:00.002-06:00

Nicole, Aubrey & I are excited to announce that we are expecting a new member to our family coming this September! So don't be surprised if you start seeing some baby themed posts coming soon!

Andy & Jeana: Engagement Session

2010-02-22T07:16:00.003-06:00

Andy & Jeana live in the heart of Chicago. So it was no question that we were going to do a road trip and make use of the city. Though I would have to say the main attraction was the connection Andy & Jeana had with each other. During the session, we took a walk in the park, got scolded by local CTA authority, and took the El train down to Millennium park where ice fell from the sky & lenses were thrown to the ground. It was action packed!

Andy & Jeana's wedding is this summer in Madison and I cannot wait to capture more fun with them! In the meantime, I downsized some shots and sprinkled some pixel magic. Enjoy the sneak peeks!

-----------------

Unfortunately Nicole wasn't feeling the greatest and didn't want to pass along her sickness. So I took a last minute assistant with me, the man who let me use his film camera as a kid and originally sparked my photographic flame, my father! Thanks dad for coming along and helping carry everything as well as take some pretty nice shots himself. (For those who don't know, my dad took some of the best pictures at our wedding, must be where I get it from : ).

Casey & Lynsey: Engagement Session

2010-02-10T20:48:00.002-06:00

"We're on a mission from God." Casey & Lynsey are so cool, they named their dog Elwood from the Blues Brothers! We met up with these two in downtown Madison at the Union. Nicole and I had a great time getting to know both of them and taking their photos. And we cannot wait to photograph their wedding at the Orpheum Theatre on State Street this year!

Enjoy the Smiles! : )

We found these logs on a frozen Lake Mendota and thought, Photo Opportunity!

Posing Workshop

2010-02-09T16:00:00.003-06:00

One of the many things we do to stay on top of our game in the photography world is participate in local workshops. I attended a posing workshop put on by Pierre's Portrait Art Co. here in Madison weekend. In the class we learned different posing techniques to help 'Wow' your subjects. They also had a few models there for us to shoot and practice with.

I didn't get to shoot too much as I missed part of the class due to another engagement. So when I came back in the afternoon I volunteered to be a model. This way I was able to learn some of the things I missed by having other photographers instruct me on how to pose. Sometimes it is fun to be on the opposite end of the camera (if you want to see shots of me as a 'model', you will have to add me as a friend on Facebook).

Here are a few shots I took at this event.
Sample of perspective posing.
Sample of using Short Lighting for posing.
Pierre & Anna discussing group posing techniques

If anyone in the Wisconsin area is interested in photography and would like to learn more, check out Pierre's Portrait Arts Co. Pierre and his wife Anna are super-friendly and provide very valuable information while having fun!

Celebrating a Life

2010-02-09T15:33:00.003-06:00

It is with great sadness that I heard a former coworker and friend lost her battle with cancer this past week. Jodi was a source of inspiration for me, she was always positive at work and had a solid head on her shoulders. You could always go to her with anything on your mind. Jodi is survived by her husband Steve, daughter Clare and son Will.

I was honored to be contacted by Jodi in October 2009 to photograph her husbands 40th Birthday party at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. This was my first outing with our Phunkybooth where I brought props and let everyone play to the camera. Here are some images of Jodi, her family and friends from this event.

It's Feb 5th: Happy Birthday Nicole!

2010-02-09T15:16:00.004-06:00

Ok, so first, I know I had said that my goal was to do a blog post every M-F from Feb to Oct; and I have already missed a few days already, but all for good reason - really! In order to make up for a few of the posts, I am going to be doing a few posts today...

IT'S FEB 5th: HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE!
Every year on the 5th of February, Nicole has a birthday - weird right? This year Nicole wanted to head to Chucky Cheese. I took the day off from my 9-5 job and we loaded up the car with the child care kids to head to the Cheese. It was a fun time, if you count chasing two almost 2yr olds around a maze of arcade games and pizza booths. : )

Aubrey showing momma how to work the skee ball
Aubrey going on her first mechanical horse ride!

Pepsi love...

2010-02-03T19:45:00.002-06:00

At the Hope for Kasia event we were at last weekend, we had brought our daughter with us. Aubrey loved watching the bowlers, getting her face painted and this pepsi machine! It is kind of funny because Nicole's first word she ever spoke was 'Pepsi'! So when I saw Aubrey pointing up at this machine, I had to take the shot for Nicole...

Simply Stainless - Product Shoot

2010-02-02T22:04:00.002-06:00

This past Sunday I did a product shoot for Simply Stainless (http://simplystainlessproducts.com). They make stainless steel products such as some of the ones shown below. I highly recommend them if you are in the market for something sturdy and looks beautiful!