Head, Heart, Hands, Health

Our daughter, Anna, has been really active in 4H this year. She's showing our dog, Sadie, at the fair/dog show next week and she'll show Commanche the following week. I'm new to the whole 4H thing so this is a big education for me, too! Apparently the kids are supposed to decorate the horses' stalls, and part of the decorations are pictures of the kids and horses working together. So I've been taking photos like crazy the past two nights, trying to get enough pictures together before we leave for vacation tomorrow.

Should I be packing right now? Yes. But these are too cute to leave neglected in the computer!

Anna has learned so much at 4H, from how to feed and groom a horse...


To how to ride...


And most of all, she has developed such a sweet relationship with Commanche...


And I'm re-discovering why I loved horses so much as a kid :-)


Off to pack, and then off on a roadtrip tomorrow morning! More when we get back home!

Kids session

Wow, we've had a busy summer! I can't believe July is almost here.

Here are a couple of pics from a recent family session in Lake Mills -- these sisters were adorable!

I'm looking for studio space here in Fort Atkinson but I still think that nothing beats meeting kids at their own home, where they feel comfortable, and just letting them play and laugh....

Kelly and Dale

Here's a sneak peek from Kelly and Dale's wedding on Saturday :-)

Update: .... and here's Kelly and Dale's wedding slideshow! Eric and I had a great time, and as usual Eric's help was invaluable -- if it looks like we were in two places at once, that's because we were! Many of the shots in here are his, and he also helped me carry gear, scout locations, and get the lighting just right. And then he took me out to dinner afterward :-)

What a beautiful day! Congratulations, Kelly and Dale!



(If you can't see the slideshow above, click here to watch it)

Spring!

I love this time of year -- the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing... and my phone is ringing like crazy! Our first wedding of the season will be on May 16 at Olbrich, and I can't wait! I'm also planning a portrait fund-raiser for my daughter's 4H group in a couple of weeks, discussing some fun family reunions this summer, and taking calls from last-minute brides.

I'm catching up on work since we took two weeks off to go to Utah -- seems like an entire month's worth of work was waiting for me when we got home. We have lots of trip photos up on Facebook so friend me if you want to see them!

Enjoy the season while it lasts....

Off to Utah!

We'll be back sometime around April 20 with lots of photos to share :-)

St. Louis

My mom and my little niece Sophie celebrated their birthdays last Friday, so we went to Missouri for a visit. We spent most of the long weekend at my parents' home in the country, but we also went to St. Louis to see my brother's new house. He and his wife are buying (today!) a house near Forest Park. While everyone else was inspecting the house, Anna and I played outside with Sophie and met some of the neighbor kids...

Casting call: Spring warm-up

As you might already know, I generally don't do winter weddings or portrait sessions. The weather here is too unpredictable and I need the winter months to fulfill print orders, work on wedding albums, and prepare for the coming year.

I have lots of great ideas to try out, but of course I don't want to experiment around on someone's wedding day -- so I decided to offer a free bridal session to help me get warmed up and ready to go!

Here's the deal: Help me find a bride-to-be or a recent bride who's willing to pose for about an hour in her wedding dress. We'll go to at least two different locations but this will not be a "trash the dress" session unless she wants it to be.

She will get a proof CD of some gorgeous photos in her dress, as well as 2 free 8x10s. You'll get a gift certificate for a portrait session!

UPDATE: And we have a bride! I'll be photographing our winning bride in early June. Stay tuned for the pics!