Perfectly Trained

3.30.11

I have always had wacky ideas for training animals. You see I am 100 percent convinced I can train a cow to play fetch. I know, I know, it's a great idea. Believe me, I tell myself this over and over but everyone thinks I’m crazy or laughs in my face--I don't know which one is worse.

So two years ago when we first got Dozer, I was bound and determined to train him in a way that I have never done before. I wanted him to ring a bell so he would tell us when he needed to go outside. Everyone laughed at me and said “Good Luck” because there was no way Dozer was ever going to do that--Oh and they just so happened to mention the cow playing fetch idea just to add salt to the wound.

So out of spite and pure drive I had to prove them wrong. I worked with Dozer day and night and it was proving to be pretty difficult. Until.It.Happened. He started to ring the bell and everyone was amazed—including myself. Dozer is now the bell-ringing champion and all I need now is a pasture, a frisbee, and a cow ;)

Poke The Box

3.30.11

I have had a nice break recently and I’ve actually enjoyed some personal time to do the things I haven’t done in a while. Case and point—reading for personal pleasure. I don’t necessarily think I had cabin fever but I certainly felt drained and unmotivated to get my booty in gear to make some changes.

So I decided to pick up a little book about getting things done and starting new projects. It has been a great help in getting me motivated. I have been working on getting a new website and blog now for somewhere in the neighborhood of five months now. I’m so excited to say that within the next few weeks—I’m keeping my fingers crossed—I might me able to launch it.

So here’s to Seth Godin and his motivational ways. Thank you.

Shamus' Senior Session

3.29.11

When I got the call about Shamus’ session, I knew it was going to be amazing. Shamus is an athlete and is involved in a variety of sports. We headed to the new football field that Vestaburg built, then we then headed inside the gym and took some basketball images, and finally we headed downtown.

I couldn’t believe how well everything went and especially how photogenic he is. It’s so hard to not post more images but here’s a sample of his session:

Duck Duck + Goose

3.28.11

Saturday was an entirely different day altogether. A day I will forever remember because I just couldn’t say no.

After a day of shopping and eating, we decided to make a pit stop at our local farm supply store. Why is beyond me but this leads me to introduce you to our new members: Duck Duck (the yellow one) and Goose (the black one).

These are the impulse buys I mentioned on facebook. Duck impulse buys. In all my years I’ve purchased some pretty random stuff; however, I never thought we would purchase ducks. Their cute little chirps, their adorable waddles, and the way they look at you saying, “take me home” .....now how could we say no.

Look at Goose being all diva in front of the camera.

I just LOVE Duck Duck's face in this picture. He's probably thinking, "Whhhaaaattt!"

Duck Duck is the older, wiser, and protective duck.

I will leave you with my favorite pic of the day :)

Luckily our intentions are clear and we purchased them as a gift for Todd's parents. They have several private ponds which will make Duck Duck and Goose the happiest ducks in the world. Until then, they are just hanging out soaking up their time in front of the camera :)

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Cody's Senior Session

3.25.11

Cody’s session was unique because I was not only photographing Cody, but his best friend at the same time. Although this was my first attempt shooting a dual senior session, working with such fantastic, easygoing guys made it pretty easy for me.

We had to reschedule a couple different times because he was in the middle of his wresting season—and a black eye would not be fun to fix in photoshop :) So even though there was snow on the ground, Cody pulled through.

Here are some images during his session:

The Sassano Family

3.24.11

Photographing families has quickly become one of my favorite categories and luckily I had a good practice last fall. I agree sometimes it can be difficult and challenging—having everyone looking at the camera and smiling, but there was no challenge with the Sassano family.

They are such a beautiful family and I could not believe how quick their session flowed from one move to the next. I could have posted every single image of their session but as much as I’d like to, I had to choose just a few. Here are my favorites:

Fawn's Senior Session

3.21.11

When I first spoke with Fawn, her voice was so soft and sincere. She talked with such poise and sweetness, it was so refreshing to hear. I could tell she was a little nervous, but when we started getting into the zone, Fawn came out of her shell.

We met in Mt. Pleasant and she was one of my few seniors who opted out of a studio session. I love it when my seniors focus their session outdoors because the possibilities are endless. Fawn was also my first senior from Chippewa Hills High School.

Here are just a few of my favorites from Fawn’s session:

Brandon's Senior Session

3.17.11

It was cold. That's the only thing I remember. I think it was around the 24 degree mark and I was trying my best to convince Brandon not to think about the cold. Cold is temporary however these pictures will last forever. We went to several different places from abandon buildings, to state land, back to the studio. It was great to get out in the snow...but we were also glad to head inside for a warm up.

Here are a few of Brandon's session:

Lauren + Jacie's Portrait Session

3.16.11

If there was ever a time I wished I had a sister, it would be during sessions like these. Lauren & Jacie were absolutely amazing and obviously beautiful to say the least. They came to the studio for a quick session to update their wall photos and just listening to their conversations about preparing for the shoot me made wish for a sister even more.

We laughed, giggled, and even busted out the cowboy hats just for fun....all in all, their session was a blast and here a just a few. Enjoy!

Hoaglin's Family Session

3.15.11

Oh Yes I’m that lucky. I not only get to photograph my clients on different occasions, but my clients have these amazing locations in their own backyard. I LOVE their rustic log cabin and photographing there is a dream.

I had the privilege of photographing their entire family and of course Tara’s senior session last summer. I was so excited I got the chance to meet their family and have great conversation with everyone. I felt so comfortable being around them, it was hard to say goodbye.

This is part one of three and The Hoaglins were absolutely amazing.

Here are just a few….Enjoy!

Ashlee's Senior Session

3.14.11

We met for the second time, but this time it would be entirely different. Different time of year and a different setting. Ashlee was my Senior Rep and she was hands down the best rep I had to date. For her session, we traveled north and got to have fun downtown and see different parks. I honestly think we walked for 5 miles…but with all the stories and the laughing, no one was counting.

Here are a few of my favorite images during Ashlee’s session. She’s one beautiful person and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to photograph her. Thanks again Laura and Ashlee!!