Michael & Lynn: Connection Session part 2

(I'm doing Tuesday's post before going to bed on Monday! So don't forget to check out our vacation pics below this thread!)

Finished editing Michael & Lynn's connection session from the end of July. These two newlyweds were headed to Wisconsin for a friends wedding. We chatted with them thru facebook and decided to get together for a quick session. These are some of the pics we shot as we took them around downtown Madison for their first time.

Sunset at the Union South

I need an IPhone, very jealous...

From the Monona Terrace with the capital as a backdrop.
This circular window is located right outside the Overture Center off State Street.

Nicole loved these three buildings and thought they would make a nice backdrop - and they did!

One night family vacation!

Ever since Nicole and I had found out Aubrey was coming, we haven't had a vacation. Most likely because the last vacation we were on, aubrey happened : ). Alas, we figured it was time to brave the touristy world again and headed up to Wisconsin Dells to stay at the Copa Cabana hotel which had an indoor/outdoor waterpark. It was a lot of fun to get away, and we know Aubs had a blast based on one of the photos below : )

Most photos this trip round were taken w/our point'n'shoto canon, a couple others were w/the 5d2.

Best face ever!

Can you tell she is used to dad pointing a camera at her?
I love this shot not only because it chronicles how big aubrey's feet are, but the shutter picked up a splash from a drop between her feet.

Little one-on-one in the pool anyone?

Normally she naps for 2 hrs a day, but she only got 15 min this day. So no surprise she didn't make it thru dinner.

Nicole practicing her creepy stalker-with-camera-outside-the-hotel-room skills.

Our hotel room seemed to be themed with 1960's decor.

5:S:P loves the Earth

We are super-excited to display our new 100% eco-friendly packaging which our clients will receive going forward. In the past we used hard plastic cases and printed out a personalized photo label which went on the DVD itself. Our challenges with the old way was always finding a compatible photo with the hole in the middle and having the text show up clearly with the background image.

Now everything is super-simple and really pleasing to the eye. Plus it is Earth friendly; made from all recycled materials. We have to give a shout out to Orange Turtle Photography out in California for sharing their knowledge with us and helping spread the eco-friendliness!

A final product displaying the DVD of images for you to own.

A sample of our recent business cards with images from Michael & Lynn's wedding we did in May.

Sample of one of our Thank You cards we typically send with the final product. We really appreciate the people we meet and hope to stay in touch with everyone!

Paint with Light

Jeff Newsom is another one of my favorite inspirational photographers out of California. One of the many things he is known for is photographing people with lighting added during the exposure. So Nicole and I thought we would break from the norm and have some fun after Aubrey went to bed.

These first few shots are of us playing with sparklers and a long exposure...

Nicole is the better writer of the two of us, clearly shown in flaming sparks here:

This was my attempt, which reminds Nicole of 21 Jump Street.

"Nicole, stand still while I run around you with the sparks!"

Our second night playing around wielded better results. We knew sparklers could only do so much. So we picked up a couple supplies at the hardware store and put more thought into how best to light the photograph during the exposure. Again, nothing here is photoshopped (aside from a little de-saturation and sharpening for the web).

Nicole came up w/the great yoga idea. I think it worked well. We added Aubrey's cars to add depth to the photograph:

This was my nutso idea towards the end of the night. I asked Nicole to run around me w/the LED while I went nuts with sparklers.

More shots can be seen on our facebook pages. We'll most likely do more in the near future and possibly with any willing couples who are interested in this type of photograph.

~mJc

Happy Anniversary... To Us!

Three years ago today, Nicole and I tied the knot at Olbrich Gardens in Madison, WI. And though we may look older (and wiser : ) than in our wedding photos below, we love each other just as much as the first day we met, if not more. To Nicole, my wife and love, thank you for the joy, the laughs, the happiness, and for always being there with me. I love you.

Now on to some of our wedding photos from August 5th, 2006. Yes, we did have a professional photographer who did a decent job setting up shots, but the end results were not what we hoped for. This is part of the reason why Nicole and I decided to turn our hobby into a business. The photos below were taken by my father, who has mad camera skills, with my old canon.

Ah the wedding party. Three of them have parted ways over the years, the others we still keep in touch.

Nicole took my breath away when I first saw her walk down with her father.

Sealing the deal with a kiss... in front of 100 or so of our closest friends and family.

Not a wedding picture, but if there was one photo that I feel sums up who we are, it is this one which was taken in Door County about 3 months after we first met.

New Thank You Cards!

So I've been on the look out for some really awesome thank you cards to send our friends/clients when we mail out their DVD's. I was about ready to buy some Vera Wang cards until I crossed these at the Greenway Station Art Fair. I saw them and fell in love with them. They are so adorable and cute and the best thing is they are created and packaged using recycled or biodegradable products! What could be even cooler than that? They lady who prints them is right around the Madison, WI area! I feel like I won the lottery!!!! Here is the link to the wonderful site who I used a picture from until we get ours :o) http://www.printpatternpaper.com
Nicole

Mary Bridget & Brian: Wedding Sneak Peak

Wow, two blog posts in a day. But it feels like two days as I'm not used to being up this late.

But I just couldn't help it! After seeing what we captured from Mary Bridget & Brian's wedding from yesterday, I had to hammer out three of my favs to post in a sneak peak! This was an awesome wedding and I was astounded by the terrific weather they had after hearing all week it was supposed to storm. Nicole and I had an outstanding time photographing their wedding. The bride and groom as well as their wedding party were positively wonderful to work with! Enjoy the honeymoon in Thailand!

Mary Bridget & Brian had talked about this beautiful barn by the reception site. They were totally right and I am going to have to mark it down as a top spot for future sessions!

Nicole had the ladies do Charlie's Angles
Love this shot!

Michael & Lynn: Connection Session

A few weeks ago, we offered a free Couples Connection Session on Facebook to the first person to reply back. Michael & Lynn must have been online at that moment as they responded back almost instantly. Nicole and I had photographed their wedding earlier this year in in scenic Caledonia, MN. This was their first time downtown Madison, so we took them on a personalized tour while stopping at a few hot spots for shots.

Here are a few sneak peak pics from Michael & Lynn's Connection Session:

1st time in Madison? Need to have the mandatory capital shot!

IPhone + Photosession = Goodness

Nicole, Aubrey and I stopped at Sonic after our late night photo shoot

Prepping for the weekend

This weekend is filled with epic photo events!

Michael & Lynn are coming into WI from MN to attend a wedding. We photographed their wedding earlier this year and thought it would be fun to get some more shots of them in Mad-Town. So they are making a special stop into Madison tomorrow for an early evening downtown couples shoot. Super fun!

Saturday is Mary-Bridget and Brian's big day! We met these two, who flew up from AZ to do their engagement session, a little over a month ago. Nicole and I had such a great time with them and introduced them to our little towns Blue Spoon (A ridiculously good Tuscany-type-feel deli/bistro). We are highly looking forward to their wedding and meeting the rest of their family and friends!

Sunday is going to be recovery for us as well as spending time with the parental units as we watch them play grandparents to Aubrey. Aubrey loves when her grandparents visit; She soaks up all the attention with a twinkle in her eye!

As every blog needs a pic - here is another shot of Riley from the recent family session. Happy Thursday everyone!

Stormy Weather Monday

Last night there was a couple severe storm cells which ended up merging into one gigantor storm that hit most of southern Wisconsin. It ended up producing a couple tornado's and large hail from what the weather folks on the television said... for over two hours of live coverage. It is funny sometimes to watch the news during times like this, cause they have to come up with something to say during that time. And unlucky for them, this storm moved by slooowly.

We were lucky however and were able to watch the storm float by the outskirts of our town. We maybe had a couple sprinkles, but that was it. The best part is when the storm was almost passed, the sun was setting. This made a great sunset! So of course I grabbed the camera and went out to take some shots!

This was taken at a playground near a school.

I love the colors and the tree silhouettes.
I tried racing over to this bridge where I had earlier seen lightning still shooting down from the tail end of the storm. However it had passed behind the bluff after I got there. The clouds still looked epic though!