WPJA Contest Winner

Four times a year, the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) puts on a contest for WPJA members. This quarter, the contest was being judged by some pretty big names, including several photographers from the famous VII photo agency. And hurrah, one of my photos placed in the top ten of the "details" category! This is a huge honor for me, seeing as I am regularly amazed and inspired by the other photographers' images on WPJA. And many thanks to Robbin and Jeff, since it was at their wedding that I took this photo! :)

To see more contest winners, go to the WPJA website: www.wpja.com

Doggie Heaven

As our wedding season winds down, I got to spice things up a bit with two very energetic and impossibly adorable models: meet Casey and Stanley! These lovable pooches were the stars of their very own shoot (complete with their owners, Sara and Kerri) one fall afternoon. We gathered at one of my favorite dog parks in Madison and spent an hour shooting away. Stanley and Casey weren't exactly willing to pay attention to "tilt your head this way, put your paw a little to the left" but they were more than willing to beg for treats and play ball. I had a blast!!

E-Session: Ann Marie and Jared

What a perfect day for an engagement shoot! Ann Marie, Jared and I met at a beautiful park in Lake Mills and we spent the crisp fall afternoon creating beautiful portraits. I had so much fun working with them. They're a photographer's dream: fun, photogenic and in love. I can't wait to shoot their wedding!!

Thanks you two for a really fun afternoon! Enjoy your sneak peek!

Jill & Brandon

We shot Jill and Brandon's wedding three weeks ago (yes, we're behind on our blog, we know...) in beautiful Madison, WI. They were a really fun couple to work with--and Michael and I got the added bonus of being able to hang out with my cousin Barb, too, since she was *in* the wedding! Thanks for a wonderful day!

Our recent weddings

Hi all! Vantage has been busy busy busy in the past few weeks, either shooting weddings or actual guests at weddings (congrats Dana and Joe!). The last week in September, we shot two weddings:

We had a lot of fun with Diane and Tom--their happiness was contagious! Diane's son was recently called up to Iraq and even though he couldn't physically be present in her wedding, they saved a place for him...The "guy" on the right is a life-sized cutout of Diane's son! :) Congrats to the two of you!




The next day, we shot the wedding of Robbin and Jeff. What a beautiful and heartfelt ceremony--I don't think there was a dry eye in the house....and Robbin and Jeff are such a special couple. We really appreciated being able to share their day with them.

WE GOT HITCHED!!!

Yes, it's true! We're officially husband and wife!!

Michael and I tied the knot last Saturday, September 8th. It was a perfect day and will be a tough one to beat. We couldn't have asked for better weather for our outdoor Wisconsin wedding (it's always a gamble!) or more supportive and downright fun wedding guests surrounding us on the day. Absolutely perfect. And wow, do we have a better understanding of what our clients are going through now!!

Marc Williams and Ed Bennett flew in from Michigan to do the photography for our wedding. They were wonderful to work with and we cannot wait to see all the photos. Marc sent us a sneak preview (thank you Marc!!) which I've added to this blog for all of you, too! If these two photos are any indication, we're going to have a tough time narrowing down our choices for the album!! :)

Jena's been accepted...

To the Wedding Photojournalist Association! This is really very exciting for Vantage. In their own words from their website, "Leading the way in Wedding Photojournalism, WPJA represents the most discriminating talent around the world technically, creatively and visually. Qualified members hold industry-leading standards, skills and business integrity." Yeah!!! That's us!!! :)

I'm really honored to be a part of the group--I have a lot of respect for the folks that are a part of it, and look forward to learning a lot and contributing a lot.

Photoshop Love

In mid-June, I shot the promo pics of a local Madison band, Sound Byte Society. They had asked me to play around with the images in photoshop and here's what I came up with:

Greeny


Creamy Love


Eerie


Old Blue

Used sparingly, these effects would look great in a modern, hip album. I can't wait to find a bride that wants to try some of this! I had so much fun creating these looks!

Jeremy and Kristi (June 16th, 2007)

What a joyful day! Kristi and Jeremy were married on the 16th of June in the courtyard of Old World Wisconsin and although the weather was hot and sticky, everyone had a wonderful time, thanks in large part to the gracious and fun attitudes of this beautiful couple. Our friend Stacy Hareid, a very talented photographer, stepped in as a second shooter for Vantage (Michael's still in San Diego). Stacey was a BLAST to work with!

Check out some of my favorite images of the day:

Robin and Travis (May 5th, 2007)

We're back and finally able to post some of our favorite images from Robin and Travis' wedding. Aren't they just the most beautiful couple?! And so amazingly fun to work with, as you can see from these images.

We really did have a wonderful time working with the Robin and Travis and their families. We all just clicked from the beginning; it was like making a good friend in the course of a day! Good luck to both of you from the both of us at Vantage!