Lou and Nikki

My wife and I have known Lou and his daughter Abby for many years, they was part of our bible study almost a decade ago and we have stayed in touch since. So when Lou asked me to photograph his wedding to Nikki, I jumped at the chance. Seeing how nervous he was before the first look was so much fun (in a friend sort of way) and seeing how his daughter has embraced Nikki was heart warming. (You can see it in her speech in the second to last image.) This is why I love photographing weddings of people I know, you get a front row seat to all the behind the scened emotions that are rampant throughout the day.

Congratulation all!

Brothers Wedding

The hardest part about being in your brothers wedding, is not photographing it. Although, I am not saying that I wanted to be the primary photographer, because then I would not be able to enjoy the wedding, but more so that I wanted to photograph it because that is how I sometimes remember things better, or experience them fully. (Yes, I know, my wife also tells me that I need to get over this.)

I was able to grab my camera for a little bit though, especially after the kids were asleep.

Congrats little bro, had a blast and it was an honor to stand next to you. What a way to ring in the new year!

jeannie and jason wedding

wendy and ed wedding

"Are you here for the Carnival Wedding?"  That is what the museum attendant asked me upon arriving at Ed and Wendy's wedding (they were married at a small Art Museum in Milwaukee.)  I think it was in response to the fact that they had lawn games, face painting, a costume filled photo booth, and a charactercher artist for their reception.  Even with all of that, this was one of the best locations I have shot a wedding at; with lots of character in the building, and great settings like a terrace, gardens, and big rooms...plus (since it was outside) I had a great quantity of light, that's good if used right.

Figuring out how to use the harsh noon light was something I have been working on for a while.  Proof that practice before pays off when you need it.  I knew that I needed to keep my subjects in the shade as much as possible.  To do this, I utilized parasols, garden foliage, and overhangs.  It was also helpful that by the the time we got the the reception, the balcony that we were using was in open shade (shade created by a building, but nothing above.) 

Some more great light came in the evening, when I could use back light to create drama.  Below is natural back light from the setting sun, and for the dancing I used my flash for a similar effect.

You may remember their pre-wedding portraits: their first "fun" set here, and then the "serious" set here.  These two are a joy to photograph, and a joy to spend the day with.  "Carnival Wedding" probobly doesn't explain it right, but it was a lot of fun!

Thanks again Ed and Wendy.

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sarah and wayne's wedding

Outdoor weddings can be beautiful, but they have an inherent risk to them.  The morning of Sarah and Wayne's wedding, that risk was becoming a reality.  After a full night of heavy rain, and a morning that didn't look any better, the clouds parted and gave way to a great day to have a wedding.

2011 weddings and portraits

Some of my favorite wedding and portrait images of 2011.

Well, OK, here is my favorite portrait of 2011: