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!

The Light Spots

I'm pretty sure that no one will be able to guess what I photographed here in this image!  If you have an idea, let me know!  Until then, just enjoy the image!  =)

Sneak Peek - T Family | La Crosse Wisconsin Family Photographer

I had the chance to photograph the T family today and had so much fun!  They're definitely a MidWestern family; cowboy hats, guitars, lassos, and all!  Mom & Dad were great to work with and the kids were too fun!  Too bad we couldn't bring a few of their horses along for the session, but that may have been a bit too much the park!  All in all, it was a fun afternoon and I even got to put in an order of Girl Scout cookies (which I'm horribly addicted to)!  Thanks for the laughs T family! 

(Tip: Click on the photo for a larger view - just ignore the low resolution to keep the blog loading quickly!)

The Beauty in Death

This is a small sampling of my latest project (finally one that I'm working on just because I want to, not for any specific reason).  I wanted to capture the essense of fall, but I wasn't satisfied with what I was getting from the normal scene of fall colors on the trees.  As my mom and I were out walking one day, I saw a gorgeous leaf that had fallen from it's branches.  It was slightly dried up and at the end of it's life, but it was too beautiful to pass by.  That essentially how I got started exploring this idea of "beauty in death" and so far I've been happy with the results.  They're actually scanographs which I'm having fun with since I don't do them very often!

The Leashes

I love the way perfectly normal items can look so old fashioned with the right lighting and toning.  The way these leashes are haphazardly hung; the way the blues blend so well together; the way the flat lighting interacts with the material; I think it all came together to create a unique shot.  Maybe this is something that I need to explore further...we'll see!

The Vines

Sometimes there's this feeling in La Crosse that these vines are swallowing up the town, tendril by tendril!  There are a ton of houses that these vines cover (which I'm hoping to do a series on soon) and other buildings in town.  I thought the contrast of green against red was too gorgeous to pass by without grabbing a quick shot.  I'm thinking I might like to do a large print of this for my wall, but first, I have to find the space!  For now, it'll grace the pages of my blog!

The Sun's Faces

Sometimes some of the best images come from these abstract, high contrast situations.  I absolutely love finding these situations!  I'm working on putting together a course called Black & White Technique all about learning how to "see" in black and white and how to post-process specifically for black and white.  I almost wish there were some sort of contact lenses out there that would allow a person to only see in black and white (and shades of gray).  I think that'd be awesome to try for a day (although, I absolutely freak out just putting eye drops in my eye, so I probably couldn't enjoy them anyways)!  For now, we photographers just have to settle with teaching our minds to view the world in monochromatic colors!

Sneak Peek - A Family | Onalaska Wisconsin Family Portrait Photographer

I had the opportunity to photograph the A family again and what a blast it was!  The little guy was bursting with energy and his older brother did a great job keeping him entertained!  Mom and Dad even came prepared with snacks and toys!  We meant to keep the shoot to an hour, but ended up taking the full two hours.  I think it was totally worth it because we got some great shots!  (This one was towards the end and it's quite possibly one - of many- of my favorites!)  We even caught a great break from the gloomy weather Wisconsin has been getting.  Not only did it NOT rain once during the session; the clouds even parted enough to see a little blue sky peeking through!  Although, the park we were in was completely flooded on the opposite side of our location!  Thank you A family for the fun session!

I also brought along a new assisstant (Nikki T.) today and she was a great help during the session!  She was moving things out of my frame that I wasn't even noticing, keeping everyone's attention, and even entertaining the little guy with some bubbles she found from a earlier wedding in the park!  She's a newbie to the professional photography scene and it's been great having another photographer helping me out!  Thanks Nikki!