Okay, I’ll admit that doing an engagement session in a dog park could have launched me way out of my element, haha.  I am by no means a dog photographer.  But I do love to photograph people … and I especially like to photograph people when they find a way to make their session unique and personal.  For Jess and Erik, personal meant their two beautiful dogs, Keira and Lola.  And as soon as we started shooting — I fell right back into my element.  Stars aligned with the lighting, the location, the people, the dogs and the super crazy itchy trek we took through the weeds and up a steep hill to stumble upon a surprise — wildflowers!  It was the hottest day of the year so far, but even the weather was great by the time we began.

I really enjoyed being with and shooting Jessica and Erik.  They are sweet individually and definitely together.  They are cuddlers and kissers and just plain nice and thoughtful.  They actually made me a mix CD for my drive home!  How awesome is that?

Here are few from their session.  And Jess, you can never say you’re un-photogenic again.  You are gorgeous :)

I returned from a trip to Southern California last week and I’m still settling-in to this fulltime photographer routine.  The hardest part is knowing when to stop, ironically.  Now that I actually have enough time to do everything, I just keep going and going anyway!

While on the west coast (my favorite), I got to spend time with some of my favorite people, including my brother, Nate.  It was awesome to see everyone … we had a great time despite the terrible weather.  My final night there Nate and I just drove up the coast toward Los Angeles — it was so neat to see the huge port and all the little beach neighborhoods and houses late at night on Tuesday … nobody was out.  We ate at Taco Surf, but mainly, we drove and drove.  Turns out we both love driving and driving … sometimes for hours.  Sometimes when I’m just feeling restless inside late at night … I’ll ask Troy if we can just drive.  And we do just that.  Good music and an endless road in front of us — love that.

There’s something about California that just gets to me every time.  The energy, laid-back and cool, is amazing.  Here are 24 frames from my little trip.  Of course, there are plenty of food photos:

An awesome thunderstorm with insane lightning, client meetings, a walk to the bookstore, the record store, and the smoothie shop.  This is what my Tuesday morning was made of — and it was perfect.  Damien Jurado’s new record, Saint Bartlett, was released today and I got to the record store as soon as it opened.   I’ve been buying Damien’s albums since 1999 and every time I play one, it takes me straight back to the day I bought it.  That’s why I still buy my records from the physical record store — I just love the way that buying a tangible record creates an experience, and can therefore reconnect you with a point in time over and over again. And no matter how amazing technology is (I really do love it) … I won’t give-up my real, physical records or books until I’m absolutely forced to do it.  Just sayin’.

Speaking of books, today I also bought Stieg Larsson’s final novel, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.  Have you read his books?  I love them.  If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I try to read a book each week.  I think I might finish this one in a single day though.

I hope you all have awesome Tuesdays, friends :)  And if you don’t know Damien Jurado, please check him out.  He’s so talented and his music is so moving.

Sarah and Roger are sports fans through and through.  Right now they are redoing their basement to be sports-themed … so we made sure to get some wall-worthy sports images during their session at Olbrich Park.  But first we started the session near Lake Monona and up in the near-by neighborhoods.  They both looked stunning and knew exactly how to work the smiling eyes and wind-blown hair look (my fave!). They were also full of laughs and sweetness with each other — which I just adore.

After that we did quick clothing change and headed to the old ball diamond for some more personalized, sports-themed shots.  I loved all the old baseball props they brought along.  This made for a session with tons of variety and lots of laughs and fun.

Thanks for being so awesome, unique, and fun, Sarah and Roger.  Can’t wait for your August wedding!

I recently attended Life {as an Artform} … a workshop where I learned more in-depth about a new movement … a new form of photography initiated by my amazing new friend, Jesh de Rox … called Beloved.  The sessions involve “invites” — little scenarios that set the stage and create a space for discovery to happen.

While in California this past week my friends Gladys and Chris mentioned they’d love to have a Beloved session with me.  I admit, I wasn’t sure how things would go.  These sessions involve complete and 100% trust between everyone involved.  They delve straight into the heart; the emotion is strong and beautiful.

And so we experimented with my first Beloved session at Laguna Beach (I have been slowly incorporating elements of Beloved into my engagement sessions, but this session was entirely composed of experiential invites).  And it was beautiful.  Emotionally charged at times, joyful and whimsical at others. These two are so so dear to my heart. Their connection is pure and deep … they are so in tune.  I am so grateful that they stepped out in faith to trust me and each other completely during this session.  What we discovered and captured was beyond my imagination.  And I know every single Beloved session from here on out will be unique and outrageously amazing, full of its own discoveries.