A Spot of Sunshine

As luck would have it, the day that we have waited over a year for was here, and the weather couldn’t have been nicer for the end of April. If you werent around the Milwaukee area this month, as I could tell you is that it was cold and rainy for the better part of the month. Spring almost seemed to be turned back into winter at time. However, this day Scott Machin and I were able to capture the lovely bride and groom as they begin their magical life together. This couple, like many we have seen, are perfect for each other. With every joke, mannerism, and grin, you can tell that Nick and Melissa are beginning a life together that is certain to bring joy and happiness to each for years to come. We had the chance to break away from the group to use the facilities at Strawberry Creek Country Club for some pictures with Nick and Melissa. With the warming sun, and light cloud cover, it made for some spectacular pictures with our newlyweds!

I have known Nick for a few years now, as he is the son of a former co-worker and good friend of mine. After hearing the stories about how these two met, I finally had the pleasure of meeting Melissa for the first time. The very first thing that I noticed was how these two interact with each other…they’re meant to be together. I’ve never seen personalties mesh so perfectly…they will have a terrific life together. We are shooting their wedding this upcoming April, and had the chance to take some engagement pictures of them at the Rivera in downtown Lake Geneva.

Friends, Laughter, Wedding…Minnesota

I was asked last spring to attend a wedding of a friend of mine that grew up with me. Once invited a few months later I was asked if I would take the pictures. If the first part wasn’t enough of an honor, the later really meant a lot to me. A really small wedding on the beach of a quiet lake made for quite the romantic little ceremony. With that backdrop, mixed with the fun of the “North Woods” we had a great weekend filled with laughter, crying, and a lot of shutter clicks!

Uncle Nick

My wife and I have been waiting for awhile for her brother and sister-in law to join the ranks of parenthood. In mid-July we were blessed with Clara Alana. We were lucky enough to be one of the first ones to get to see her, and naturally, I brought the camera gear. In the small area of their living room, I was able to capture some really fun pictures. We look forward to seeing her grow up….but not too fast.

Values and Traditions

I had the opportunity for the last 8 years to work for a truely inspiring individual. This is one guy that will accept the fact that you were doing your best, and make you achieve more. A man who lives and breathes education, and never shows any signs of wear. When he told me he was writing a book, I really wasnt too surprise since there are so many ideas and insights that needed to be documented. When he asked me to take the picture for the cover, I was stunned.

The cover of the book comes from a Flickr set I posted last year. We had gone to Wauwatosa, WI to the old Milwaukee County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy. The cover of the book works really well with the education idea that administration gets lost in many of the budgeting practices, poor management, and micro managing of schools, that they lock out all the good ideas, positive teachers, and most importantly…the kids.

Back to Common Sense, Joe Dawidziak.

A Solider and His Girl

I had the pleasure of shooting a co-workers daughter and her soon to be husband. He had just recently come back from Iraq, and we had a small window to shoot. Using the St Francis Monastery for a backdrop made for a romantic sanctuary for these two love birds.

Windy Wedding

As spring began to knock on the door, I had the opportunity to shoot a wedding at the South Shore Pavilion in Milwaukee. I had met Nick and Katie last fall when we took their engagement pictures at Minooka Park, and they are a treat to be around. The love they have for each other and the constant joy they have being together made it really fun to shoot their engagement pictures, and I expected nothing less than that on their wedding day. I was able to shoot with a good friend of mine, Scott Machin, who I had met about a year ago. The venue was old and rustic, and had a very welcoming appeal. The only issue we had was that the winds off of Lake Michigan were close to 30mph that day, making any attempt at outdoor shots lakeside a nightmare for a hair stylist. Needless to say, we had to make it work and with the help of some creativity, and some strobes, we were able to utilize the time limit given to us and produce some quality shots that Nick and Katie would enjoy.

During the ceremony we setup two strobes set at full power on either side of what would be called the front of the room. We both had a set of CyberSyncs set on both of the strobes. We both set our transmitters to the same frquency so that we could both trigger the flashes. It really comes in handy having the same equipment, as this would not have been possible if I had CyberSyncs and Scott had PocketWizards. The main challenge we faced was that the Nick and Katie were standing so close the wall that there were limited angles that we could get of their faces during the ceremony. Secondly, any shots taken from the back created a really harsh shadow on the wall directly in front of them.

Lastly, Scott introduced me to Totally Rad Actions and Filters, and specifically the Dirty Pictures filter set. I had been able to in the past add texture to my pictures, but many times they didnt turn out very well. Plus, it took a long time. With the Dirty Pictures set, it is easy to use one of the included textures, or use one of thousands found on the web, or any that I might design in the future. You can easily add a filter to an image, and adjust a few settings based on the style that you are going for and within seconds you can transform your picture into a textural art piece with depth and character that the image might have lacked. I enjoyed working with the textures as you can see below, and sometimes just that little bit of difference is all a particular picture needs to really set it off.

Wipe That Smile Off Your Face

I was given an opportunity to take senior pictures for a good friend. We were under the crunch on time and went out on a sunny afternoon…which made taking pictures a real pain. The sun was so harsh and bright that trying to get some fill light was tough. We came back a few days later to take some more, found a few shaded areas, and was able to shoot later in the day which made all the difference. One thing is for sure, taking senior pictures of guys is a little more challenging than girls. You have to find a way to show their artistic style, yet kept their masculinity in tact.

This was my first chance to use the long flash sync cable that I got recently, and remotely fire my flashes. I was looking to get some interesting light angles, as well as use the softness of the umbrella to help lighting the face. It worked really well…although I will be looking to purchase another one. Naturally the wind is strong when you need to use an umbrella…rain or photography. I will be looking to radio transmitters in the future, however right now the 32′ cable is working wonderful for my needs outside. At some point in time I plan to head to the Third Ward of Milwaukee to take a few more industrial shots. Most likely spring time…but who knows, Milwaukee winters are strange, it could be sunny and 50 degrees in December.

All in all, there were lessons learned from this experience. Take senior pictures well before the school needs them, find the right day with the right light, and most importantly have fun…since this is one time where many people will look at this picture this year, and many years to come as they reminisce high school years.

My First Wedding

I was asked by a friend to help shoot a wedding for a coworker. When the conversation started, this was going to be a real low key and casual wedding. This was our first attempt at a wedding, and the couple knew that. They were fine with it, as originally they were going to shoot the wedding from smaller point and shoot cameras. Nothing really wrong with that, but I think that we were able to outperform what would have occured. Since my friend was shooting primary, it was my job to try and catch all the small things. I was looking for vail, profile, small loving moments, hand holding, and so on. When it was finished and driving home I was pleased with the day. I thought that being almost incognito lurking around was more fun than having to stand around and call out, “Can we get the mother and father of the bride over here?” I had a blast, and look forward to doing this again.

I was able to use my friends Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L, and it was an absolute joy to use. I cant wait to get one of my own. I need to also get my hands on the 24-70 2.8 L, the little bit of zoom would be nice. For many of the wide pictures I was using either the 28mm 1.8 or the 50mm 1.4. There is something to be said for the speed of those primes that even a fast zoom cant get. Not too many chances to use a real low f stop because the light was very harsh outside…the sun was hot and direct. I was able to use it inside with a mural backdrop.

I found it a bit strange being at a wedding that was not one of my friends or family members. I still get choked up during ceremonies, and there was a few times that I caught myself listening to the sermon and taking pictures. Lesson learned.

Love is in the Air

Recently, I was given the opportunity to take some engagement pictures for a couple I know. Going into this, I was both excited and nervous. Taking pictures of a couple that you have met a few times is one thing, but working with people you have known for a long time makes it a little more difficult. I had thought it was going to be tough to balance friendship and the seriousness of the morning. I know that to many couples, this is a giant leap…and many times the first time they have professional pictures taken together outside of friendly gatherings. They live just off Lake Michigan, and downtown Milwaukee has many locations to take pictures. We choose just a few, Bradford Beach, the Art Museum, Discovery World, the Third Ward, and Lakeshore State Park. I had so many other ideas, and locations to visit, but I will save them for the next couple.