{Spring in La Crosse} Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer

Yep, you read that right - it's finally Spring in La Crosse!  It only took about half a year to arrive but it arrived nonetheless.  And we're not complaining!  Before a shoot the other day, I had the chance to sneak over to a Friendship Gardens (near Riverside Park, La Crosse, WI) and capture some gorgeous images of the recent blooms.  With all that color, my eyes were totally overwhelmed - in a very joyous way!  Yes, La Crosse Wisconsin really has some gorgeous flowers this year.  Combine that with the lovely evening light and this photographer was one happy snapper!  We definitely want to share the season so make sure to let us know if you're in need some some of these prints to freshen up your home or office space (you can comment on this post or e-mail us at savanna@endlessimagesphotography.com).  

On a side note, we're also excited to be getting our photography courses off the ground soon!  After teaching photography at Western Technical College (in their Lifelong Learning program) for 3+ years, we are still so excited to share all that we know about camera operation, photography composition, and more!  Since WTC is no longer offering such courses, we'll be offering them to the community through Endless Images Photography.  The bonus is that we'll have a little more control over what the courses can cover and when/where they'll take place.  So, if you have an itch to learn more about how to operate your DSLR camera or have taken courses with us in the past and want to participate in our workshops, make sure you get sign up for our newsletter (you can do that here), follow this blog, and like us on Facebook to be the first to know when our course will begin!

And, as always, happy snapping!

~Savanna La Crosse Wisconsin Baby Photographer, Baby Photography, La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer, Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer, Holmen Wisconsin Photographer, West Salem Wisconsin Photographer, west salem WI photographer, west salem baby photographer, WI, Endless Images, Photographer La Crosse, Photographer Wisconsin, Wisconsin Photographer, Minnesota Photographer, Winona Minnesota Photogrpaher, baby photographer la crosse, baby photographer onalaska, onalaska wi baby phtoographer, la crosse wi baby photographer, la crosse wisconsin family photographer, onalaska wisconsin family photographer, wisconsin family photographer, family photographer, la crosse wisconsin photographer child, child photographer, childrens photography, high school photography, senior photographer, Trent Wilder, Savanna Wilder, Tomah Wisconsin Photographer, Sparta Wisconsin Photographer

{Flowers in the winter...} Tomah Wisconsin Photographer

What a beautiful way to spend a very cold (-40s) evening in Wisconsin!  My husband, Trent, and I picked up some flowers at a local retail store and set up our still life studio on our kitchen island.  It's always fun relaxing with some subjects that don't even blink (although, I do love the excitement of a portrait shoot)!  But, we decided to keep it simple with gorgeously controlled and manipulated lighting, posed blooms, and deep toned backdrops.  Trent normally shoots wildlife and nature scenes and subjects, so a still life was a nice little change since getting the camera gear outside in these temps is just not fun!  Now it's back to business after a bit of play...
~Savanna La Crosse Wisconsin Baby Photographer, Baby Photography, La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer, Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer, Holmen Wisconsin Photographer, West Salem Wisconsin Photographer, west salem WI photographer, west salem baby photographer, WI, Endless Images, Photographer La Crosse, Photographer Wisconsin, Wisconsin Photographer, Minnesota Photographer, Winona Minnesota Photogrpaher, baby photographer la crosse, baby photographer onalaska, onalaska wi baby phtoographer, la crosse wi baby photographer, la crosse wisconsin family photographer, onalaska wisconsin family photographer, wisconsin family photographer, family photographer, la crosse wisconsin photographer child, child photographer, childrens photography, high school photography, senior photographer, Trent Wilder, Savanna Wilder, Tomah Wisconsin Photographer, Sparta Wisconsin Photographer

Honeymooning | Wisconsin & Minnesota Photographer

What an amazing beginning of October we've had!  Not only did September bring many new clients to the studio, we also got to see a bunch of past clients as well!  So, we went into October in a daze, our minds filled with all the fun and happiness the busy days of September provided.  Then, on October 5th, I (Savanna) got married!  To add to the whirlwind, I travelled with my new husband to Duluth, MN for the few days of our honeymoon!  We had a blast taking photos together (he's also a photographer) and spending time together as newlyweds.  We found a magnificently gorgeous waterfall at the Duluth Zoo, MN.  We also visited the shores in Two Harbors, MN to admire Split Rock Lighthouse.  Now, we're back in the studio and back in the swing of things!  October is proving to be no different than September, with most of our days booked solid with shoots.  As crazy as it's getting, we aren't complaining!  We are loving the Fall! 
~Savanna La Crosse Wisconsin Baby Photographer, Baby Photography, La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer, Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer, Holmen Wisconsin Photographer, West Salem Wisconsin Photographer, west salem WI photographer, west salem baby photographer, WI, Endless Images, Photographer La Crosse, Photographer Wisconsin, Wisconsin Photographer, Minnesota Photographer, Winona Minnesota Photogrpaher, baby photographer la crosse, baby photographer onalaska, onalaska wi baby phtoographer, la crosse wi baby photographer, la crosse wisconsin family photographer, onalaska wisconsin family photographer, wisconsin family photographer, family photographer, la crosse wisconsin photographer child, child photographer, childrens photography, high school photography, senior photographer

The Butterfly or The Moth? | Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer

This fuzzy little guy (or girl?) was flying around the Zinnias we've been growing out back, so of course, I couldn't resist getting a quick shot!  Luckily, he was very cooperative and allowed me to snap quite a few shots before fluttering off in search of other sweet flowers.  But, as I was editing the images, I realized, I really have no idea what he was: a butterfly or a moth?  So, I putting the question to all of you out there, does anyone know?  (Curiosity always gets the best of me!) 

La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer, Tomah Wisconsin Photographer, Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer, Holmen Wisconsin Photographer, West Salem Wisconsin Photographer, WI, Endless Images, Photographer La Crosse, Photographer Wisconsin, Wisconsin Photographer, Minnesota Photographer, Winona Minnesota Photogrpaher, photographer sparta, artistic photographer onalaska, la crosse wi nature phtoographer, wisconsin art la crosse wi baby photographer

The Farm Experience | Onalaska Wisconsin Commercial Photographer

Recently, I began working with a local publication called Greens Coulee Life, a magazine exclusive to the neighborhoods in Onalaska behind Coulee Golf and Bowl.  As one of the assignments, I was asked to photograph a local community farm located in the middle of the neighborhoods called Clearwater Farms.  It was quite the cool experience!

Besides seeing all the neat animals, including Frosty the (very friendly) Donkey and a very ferocious cat (who was actually just sleepy and yawning quite frequently), I learned quite a lot!  There were fancy chickens that actually produce eggs (I was told nothing beats a fresh egg) and a wonderful garden area where huge, healthy plants were growing.  The farm even offers special activities for members and other groups to participate in.

 

If you live in the neighborhoods that Greens Coulee Life is distributed to, be sure to check out all the features on the farm inside the magazine!  If not, visit the farms website (link in the first paragraph)! 

The Doll Series | La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer

These two lovely young ladies are actually cousin's of mine who live in Ecuador!  I so rarely get to see them and they are, as you can see, absolutely gorgeous; I take advantage of their visits to the US to work on my latest series whenever I can!  You may recognize the first young woman from a previous series I did of Greek Mythological Women.  Her younger sister (to the right) is transforming into a beautiful young lady and this is the first time I've had a chance to get her in front of my lens for some modeling!  They also have a brother, but he preferred to stay behind the scenes, helping me set up backdrops, move lights, etc.  I'll get him to pose for me, one day!      La Crosse Wisconsin Baby Photographer, Baby Photography, La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer, Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer, Holmen Wisconsin Photographer, West Salem Wisconsin Photographer, WI, Endless Images, Photographer La Crosse, Photographer Wisconsin, Wisconsin Photographer, Minnesota Photographer, Winona Minnesota Photogrpaher, la crosse WI photographer, la crosse WI photography, child photographer, kid photography, Onalaskawisconsin photographer, onalaskawi baby photographer

The Art & The Updates | La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer

I have always had a place in my heart for successful diptych images (two images displayed side by side, cohesive in nature - as defined by me).  So, I suppose it makes sense that so many of my fine art images end up diptychs!  This one was no exception.  This was from a very short series I did a while back in which I was challenging myself to view my surroundings in black and white and all the lovely shades of gray in between.  Every now and then, I like to force myself out of my normal comfort zone for personal projects such as that.  Anyway, I think it was definitely a worthwhile way to spend a 6 hour drive (to and from) and a weekend in the Minnesota cities!

Speaking of artwork, I'm very proud to announce that I am officially an award winning, internationally published photographer!  That is a wonderfully fulfilling accomplishment for myself and my business.  For at least a year or so now, I've been able to hold the official title of award winning, published photographer, but, recently, one of my images was published in a British territory near Spain, allowing me the amazing opportunity of adding "international" to the title!  And, as if that wasn't exciting enough, the image was of the La Crosse's own Riverside Park eagle statue that's featured here!  Needless to say, this photographer is having a wonderfully happy 2012 so far!

One last note, as I've been doing for some time now, I'm still teaching photography courses (and, hopefully expanding with a few new courses in the Fall) at Western Technical College, through their Lifelong Learning program.  If you're interested in taking some of these courses, visit their website and look for the instructor named Westbrook (that's me)!  Hope to see you there!

La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer, Tomah Wisconsin Photographer, Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer, Holmen Wisconsin Photographer, West Salem Wisconsin Photographer, WI, Endless Images, Photographer La Crosse, Photographer Wisconsin, Wisconsin Photographer, Minnesota Photographer, Winona Minnesota Photogrpaher, photographer sparta, artistic photographer onalaska, la crosse wi nature phtoographer, wisconsin art la crosse wi baby photographer

The Recent Artwork | La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer

Though it has been a slow transformation into Spring, we are finally starting to see some of the all too gorgeous signs!  The beautiful blooms above not only photograph beautifully, they're also quite fragrant, which was a pleasant surprise while I was shooting.  Speaking of, does anyone know the name of this flower/tree?  If so, comment below please, I'm curious and definitely not a horticulturist!  Best part of it all, this tree is only a 30 second walk from my home in Onalaska, Wisconsin!

The beautiful birds above and below were caught hanging out by the Mississippi River in Riverside Park here in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  A friend from college arranged a day of shooting (shutter-wise, no bullets involved) and though we didn't track down any highly prized eagles, we did find many happy ducks and some very hungry seagulls.  Plus, we didn't have to work too hard running after the ducks, as quite a few children were having a blast tossing bits of bread to the glutinous waddlers!  That's when the rude seagulls would swoop in to steal the bread - it was quite a sight!

One April evening, my sister and I were driving to and from in Onalaska, Wisconsin when we noticed the stunning moon.  Luckily, I had my camera with me (which is actually a much rarer occurrence that you'd assume, considering my profession) and a nice zoom lens, allowing me to capture a wonderfully close shot!  Quite a satisfying end to the day!  All in all, it's been a really wonderful month or so, being able to shoot a bit for my personal portfolio.

    La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer, Tomah Wisconsin Photographer, Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer, Holmen Wisconsin Photographer, West Salem Wisconsin Photographer, WI, Endless Images, Photographer La Crosse, Photographer Wisconsin, Wisconsin Photographer, Minnesota Photographer, Winona Minnesota Photogrpaher, photographer sparta, artistic photographer onalaska, la crosse wi nature phtoographer, wisconsin art la crosse wi baby photographer

The Doll Series | Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer

Isn't this young lady gorgeous?!  I've had a blast working with her on various modeling projects before and she is so comfortable in front of the camera, it just really makes it easy to accomplish the goals of each session.  Really, having a model can be very tricky at times.  There's a vision each photographer has in their head and during regular portrait sessions, this vision gets meshed together with the client's personality to create the final image.  That's what makes each image so unique to each individual, family. etc. But, when a photographer uses a model to create an image there's a different type of session that occurs.  Models work with the photographer to develop the vision of the artist in order to create the final image.  It such a strange experience because, for as much verbal communication that's occurring, there's even more non-verbal communication occurring.  It can be really frustrating working with a model who doesn't quite understand this so you can see how exciting it is to work with one who makes the entire process so smooth!  Throughout my career, I've had the pleasure of working with a lot of models who give each session their full attention and effort and it has truly been a blast working with them all!La Crosse Wisconsin Baby Photographer, Baby Photography, La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer, Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer, Holmen Wisconsin Photographer, West Salem Wisconsin Photographer, WI, Endless Images, Photographer La Crosse, Photographer Wisconsin, Wisconsin Photographer, Minnesota Photographer, Winona Minnesota Photographer

The Doll Series | Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer

I've been exploring a new series to have a little fun for my personal portfolio.  It's based on antique dolls.  These two lovely ladies are actually sisters and they were awesome during this shoot!  Also, my sister did the make-up and styling for the shoot, which made it so easy to bring the vision alive!  The goal is to see the vacant looks of dolls, their pristine porcelain skin, and the subtle painted details that make these dolls so similar and yet so different.  My goal is to add a few male puppet dolls into the series as well as a few other ladies.  But for now, this small chunk of images will satisfy my photo itch! La Crosse Wisconsin Baby Photographer, Baby Photography, La Crosse Wisconsin Photographer, Onalaska Wisconsin Photographer, Holmen Wisconsin Photographer, West Salem Wisconsin Photographer, WI, Endless Images, Photographer La Crosse, Photographer Wisconsin, Wisconsin Photographer, Minnesota Photographer, Winona Minnesota Photographer, high school senior phootgraphy, central high school wisconsin, wisconsin highschool, aquinas high school

The Blurs Series | Wisconsin Art Photographer

Another diptych of my latest series.  To be felt rather than viewed.

The Blurs Series | Wisconsin Art Photographer

From a new series I've been working on entitled Blurs; a large collection of images that have no discernible details, but which are rich in tonality and movement which guides your eyes through the scene.  It's meant to be a tranquil look at the natural world, one in which no influences exist, just shades of light.  The colors of each image influence the mood during observation but the rest of the viewing experience is left to the observer and their own mind.  It's a quite enjoyable body of work to produce, albeit, somewhat frustrating at times.  I'm simply manipulating what I see to produce each image, but I cannot manipulate what is actually there.  It is in the choices that I make that will determine my final image, which is proving to be quite an exciting journey!

The Gentleman | Wisconsin Art Photographer

 While I was at my studio today, this gentleman (pictured above) stopped by for a little chat.  It was quite honestly a rewarding experience.  He had so many stories to share and it really kind of renewed my feelings about portraiture.  Not that I was doubting my passion, but I was once again reminded of why I love creating portraits.  It's because when I create a portrait I am capturing a little bit, a split second of a person's personality, who they are, in that specific time in their life.  I just can't get enough of everyone's unique story, their version of life, their experiences, everything that has shaped and defined them into who they've become at the moment they're in front of my lens.  I seriously LOVE my job!

Anyway, we chatted for quite some time and just before he left I asked if I could photograph him.  I'm not usually one who can ask someone to step in front of my camera so easily when it's not an adorable baby, child, or fun family, but I'm glad I did.  I would have regretted not having some sort of visual record of the brief piece of time I sat with this gentleman.  There is meaning behind every photo, a life-story behind every image.  Today I got a great reminder of that and I can only hope that the moments spent with this stranger enriched his life in some way, just as mine was enriched.

The Greek Reinterpretation | Wisconsin Model Photographer

I had a blast working on this project!  It's a general reinterpretation of women in Greek Mythology.  The model I worked with was so great too!  We put here through tons of wardrobe, make-up, and hair style changes and she didn't complain once!  I can't wait to work with her again, but I'll have to wait for her to get back to the US (she spends half her time in Ecuador)!

The Droplets

The snow is finally starting to melt and I've been seeing tons of little puddles with steady drops keeping them full all over the place (outside, that is)!  So I just couldn't resist getting in a few shots of this glass top with water!  I'm in need of a good night's sleep, but this little mini-project was well worth the time!  Plus, I got to play with the beauty dishes I made!  They turned out great, were quite affordable, and diffuse light beautifully!

The Photo Contest | Wisconsin Portrait Photographer

I entered this image into a photo contest through Photographer's Forum and received notice today that it was selected as a finalist!  It's going to be published in a limited edition book entitled Best of College Photography 2011!  I'm so honored and excited!  I thought all my readers and clients out there might like to hear the news as well!  (And a special thanks to Baby E and her family for their contribution - those little baby blues would win anyone over!)

The Holiday Greetings! | La Crosse Wisconsin Baby Photographer

The Birds and the Building

I was so happy to catch this shot one overcast day.  I love the look of this old building and the motion in the birds wings!  The funny thing is, they just kept circling from one rooftop to another, if I had had time to stick around, I probably would have captured a few more images of them above other buildings!  Another great thing is that this building is about 120 years old!

Also, on a side note, I'm going to be participating in a social media study through UW-L by staying off of Facebook, blog sites, etc. for ONE WHOLE WEEK!  So bear with me during this self-imposed break.  I'm hoping to use the extra brain power to dedicate a little more focus to getting a photography partnership set up!  So, until after the 17th...

The Pear and The Antiques

With the holiday season just around the corner, I thought that this image was a perfect fit!  I actually took it as part of a series for a course I'm finishing at UW-L, but it really lends itself to the feeling of the holidays (at least the wonderful feeling that I get)!  I think I'll continue to explore these images, slowly but surely, as I really do enjoy still life images.  We'll see where it takes me!

The Center of the Flower

This flower is now just a bunch of dried petals and an abruptly cut stem, but in it's glory it was just an amazing flower.  I came across it one day as we were walking around La Crosse.  It was part of a whole yard full of flowers growing just higher than the white picket fence that held them in.  It made me think of simpler times.  Ah...lovely!