Beyond these two girls as my muses, so are water, glowy ethereal light, and shapes of any kind that I can shoot through.  What a lovely night of inspiration.  All I could have used in addition was some wind (and food … I love shooting food).  But it was a sticky hot mess outside.  Thanks, Suzy and Jenna, for dealing with the mosquitos and mugginess.  xoxo.

Lately I’ve been reading some books about vision by David DuChemin.  This has really helped me to define my own vision and pay attention to what makes me overjoyed/ecstatic when shooting.  What makes you overjoyed when shooting?  What are your muses?

Anyone who knows me or follows this blog will see why I loved this session.  Glowy light, moments of overcast, a mix of industrial and natural, water, a couple with personal style, and wind blowing hard at the end of the evening.  Nothing beats glowy evening light and some wind.  But I’ve said that 100 times before, I know.

Madison had the most perfect of perfect weather last night.  We rescheduled this session 5 times due to thunderstorms, but it was worth the wait for the low humidity and breeze we were finally given. Matt and Amy were truly up for anything.  Matt has 3 or 4 broken ribs and despite the rigor (his word, not mine, haha;)) of the session, he was a complete champion about it :)

Something I really love about Amy and Matt is their down to earth nature.  They are simply nice people and a joy to be around.  I love how they compromise in their relationship.  Amy goes to his games despite not loving sports, and Matt goes to see the bands she likes even though he doesn’t like them so much.  Love that.

Can’t wait for your wedding next year, Amy and Matt!

This week has been crazy.  This coming is crazier.  I’m leaving at 4am to shoot a session in Chicago — hours from now … and I’m still up editing photos.

I was editing photos late Friday evening when I thankfully glanced outside to see an awesome orange sky.  Troy asked if I wanted to go to the park and watch the storm roll in against this unbelievable sunset and opposite a double rainbow.  I almost said no.  I’m so busy.

But then I went.  And it was so amazing.  I need to remember to take the time.  To take in beautiful moments.  To keep shooting personal work alongside work for my clients.  To continue thinking like an artist first, and a wedding photographer second.

The night was unbelievable.  People lined up across the shore to watch it.  None of these photos are edited … they are straight out of my point and shoot camera.  I want to always remember to be amazed by this world.

The ice was bumpy and the temps were frigid, but Andrea and Cyrus kept smiling throughout their engagement session at Tenney Park.  I was sooo excited when they told me they decided to have an ice skating themed session.  We started-out on the ice and these two were pros — sliding all over without falling — even twirling.  I figured they got some inspiration from the Olympics, but Cyrus pointed-out that he was missing the U.S. men’s hockey game for the session … what a nice guy :)  I could tell that Cyrus was a former player — so easy-going on skates … (when I was nearly falling on my face wearing flat boots) … and Andrea looked like a natural as well!

Something I really love about these guys is how laid-back they are.  Their wedding will be super chill … a gathering of people they really care about.  I think it’s perfect for them and their easy-going demeanor.

Toward the end of the session, Andrea pulled-out some hats for them to wear and I loved it!  Seriously, props and extra accessories can never be bad.  We might not use them all, but it’s never a bad idea to come with extras.  I was so glad they did — they looked so great!  Thanks, Andrea and Cyrus, for spending time with me on the ice.  Can’t wait for your wedding this summer!

PS — I absolutely adore Andrea’s hair.  I’ve never seen curls like that and I wanted to photograph them all day long.  Fa’real.