Stretz Labinski Wedding

Last Saturday was my official start of the summer wedding season and I had the honor of spending the day photographing Christie and Jason's weddding. It was one of those perfect spring days that we long for all winter - sunny and 72 degrees, puffy white clouds and blue skies.
Jason and Christie and their whole wedding party were awesome to work with. I have to thank them for their cooperation while I dealt with some tricky lighting conditions and our different portrait locations. Having some time in the winter away from weddings is great because I get to recharge my creative batteries, but when it's over there's always a little rust in the gears that needs to get worked out.
My favorite photos are the ones of just Jason and Christie with the hill and trees in the background. I stole them away from the reception for a few minutes as the sun was setting - we had some great light and colors to work with.

Cheers!

My Newest Niece - Clara Mae

Clara Mae Lindley was born at home at 1:49 a.m. on Thursday, April 19th. She weighed 8 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long.
My sister is a doula so with her third child she decided to give birth at home, which is definitely a unique experience for a family. I admire her strength and enthusiasm as a mother and doula.
Clara was so great to photograph. She was so calm I couldn't believe it, but if her older brother and sister are any indication, she probably won't be quite so calm for future photo shoots! It was great for Valerie and I to meet our new niece and spend some time with her. Enjoy the photos - and let me know what you think of them. I could use a good critique!

Lisa & Dean

What a great way to spend a Sunday morning. It's a fabulous spring day - one of those first nice warm days of the year. Lisa and Dean and I headed out to the Pheasant Branch Conservancy to shoot some engagement portraits. I've never been out there before, so it was a new experience for me, but I'll definitely be going back. We hiked up to the top of a hill where there's a spectacular view the of surrounding area - you can see the whole isthmus and the Capitol! We even saw some baby snakes on the trail too! The area made for a great photo backdrop too. There were big open fields of prairie grass and nice tall oak tress that looked really craggly because they haven't leaved out yet.
Lisa and Dean are so easy to work with too. I'm looking forward to their wedding, which is less than a month away! Enjoy the photos!

Dawn & Greg

I've been so occupied with "backroom" stuff lately that I haven't really shot very much. Marketing and advertising and accounting are important stuff, but shooting pictures is what I love. All that made it extra nice to get out and shoot an engagment portrait for Dawn and Greg at the Overture Center. They're both so laid back - natural smiles and a great sense of humor - that it made my job really easy. Enjoy!

Last Blast of Winter

As usual we had a spurt of nice weather in late March, then we get a last blast of winter weather in Aptil before it warms up for good. We got about 5-6 inches of wet, heavy snow, plus a driving wind to go along with it. We had our winter gear all packed up to store away for the season, but Val and I couldn't resist going out one last time in the boots and hats. We stomped around the UW Arboretum Wednesday evening and saw some amazing sights. The wind blew the snow sideways in the trees, making stick in places that seemed to defy gravity. It was really cool! Enjoy the photos, and let's hope the snow is melting for good this time! I want some warm weather!