This is what happens in the wedding off-season...

Michael and I got a little punchy when we discovered the photo booth application on my mom's iMac while visiting the family for Easter...and we got even punchier when we discovered the "fun mirror" setting. Ladies and gentlemen, meet your Vantage photographers.

We consider ourselves *professionals* in the strictest sense of the word. Ha ha.

Has spring sprung?

I think spring might be upon us! Today I took Chloe (our lovable beagle puppy) for a walk and I survived with a light jacket and no mittens. Now, being a Wisconsin girl born and bred, I'm not holding my breath. Anyone worth their salt in Wisconsin knows that March is anything but predictable. But, it's been over 40 degrees three days this week and the snow is almost gone from the ground. And the sun has been out, which means Chloe has been in heaven. She loves curling up on the couch in the sunlight, falling into a deep sleep and snoring away. Yes, she's a "snorer". She sounds almost human! Hmmm, you know, a nap sounds like a pretty good idea right now... :)

Favorite 2007 Image

This morning, as I was perusing the posts of an online professional photographer forum, I came across the thread "what's your favorite image from 2007?". So I got to thinking....and going through all the Vantage photos from the year...wow, it was tough. But I came up with my favorite.

Why this one in particular? Well, I love the juxtaposition of a beautiful, done-up bride and a street scene, particularly the young boys she's passing. The image places their lives in context and speaks to life's stages--adolescence and joining in partnership with another person, all happening at the same time for different people. And I chose it because 2007 marked the year that I tried really really hard to create more images that didn't just capture great moments, but told a story through the image. In essence, to be a true wedding photojournalist.

Snow snow and more snow...

Who knew one winter could produce SO much snow?!?! A couple days ago, Mother Nature broke her own record for most snow in one winter in Wisconsin. Old record: 76.1 inches in 1978-1979. I think we've broken it already by a few inches and, guess what? More is on the way tonight and tomorrow: 5-7 inches of it! Anyone up for making snow angels with me?? :)

Business cards and a winter wedding...

With our new look for our websites, OF COURSE I needed to design new business cards, too! Ok, we probably could have used the cards we already have....but any excuse is a good excuse for me to play graphic designer... Here's a sneak peak of the cards from our commercial site for Vantage:

On a wedding note, Michael and I had a WONDERFUL weekend: we attended the wedding of Michael's college roommate, Bridgette, to her husband Kevin in Milwaukee, WI. It was a really beautiful and emotional ceremony and a fun reception at the Performing Arts Center. Bridgette was glowing! It was also so great to be able to hang out with some old friends for the evening and catch up. And since we were guests, we got to kick back and dance the night away. I love dancing with Michael--we end up being such goofballs on the dance floor and we always have a blast! Sorry, no pics...Michael would never forgive me! :)

I love slideshows!

As one of Vantage's first purchases for 2008, we invested in some really cool new software that allows us to put up beautiful slideshows up on the web. Of course I immediately got addicted to playing around with it--I love this stuff! So of course, I just had to create a slideshow of Ann Marie and Jared's engagement shoot we did back in October--we created some really beautiful images that day.

I love this program, because it really breathes life into the photos and increases their emotional impact. And it's a fabulous way to share your images with family and friends--just by sending a web link. We're going to now be offering an online slideshow with our 2008 wedding packages, so everyone can get in on the fun! Check it out:

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We've got a new look!

Hallo everyone! I'm really really excited to be writing this post....because our updated websites are finally live! Once again, we got to work with the fabulous Jon Wohl from Alchemydia Designs (thank you Jon!) to give our websites a look that's more in line with our work and style. So, I present to you the NEW www.weddingsbyvantage.com and www.vantagephotography.com.

As you can see, we've got a range of things we work on with our primary focus being on weddings. I love this set-up, because it allows us to keep "fresh", which only benefits our wedding work. Some folks say that to be really good, you should only focus on one. But I think that the breadth of our work helps us be really really good at weddings. I mean, there's not really any other event where you have to be really good at photojournalism, portraits, food photography and location photography, is there??

So anyway, have at it, and enjoy. I'm really really proud of these "new" sites. Yay for websites! :)

Happy New Year!

It's the eve of New Year's eve! We hope you're able to celebrate with friends and loved ones--Michael and I will be spending our first New Years as husband and wife dancing up a storm in downtown Madison. We may not be the best dancers, but we have a ton of fun. Some of you know that already, though right? (After we put down our cameras at a wedding, it's not unusual for us to join everyone on the dance floor for a song or two!)

We're really excited about this upcoming year for a variety of reasons. As you might already know, Vantage has been a side gig for both of us for several years now. But I've been doing so well and enjoying it so much that I'll be taking the business full time at the end of Summer 2008. Michael will continue to work on Vantage, but he'll be more of a "behind the scenes" guy, working on things like business development, accounting and marketing. But we're both pretty sure that he won't be able to fully shake his photography addiction, so you'll probably see him at weddings and shoots now and again. :)

Another exciting thing for this year is that we've fully revamped our packages and added some cool new options, including gallery canvas wrapped prints, custom guest books and thank you card inserts. Check out the website for more information. Also, as of 2008, we'll be offering CDs of the high resolution images in each of our clients' packages. You'll still get a credit towards prints, too. Pretty cool, huh?

Once again, happy new year to all of you! We hope that your new year is even better than the last!

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!!