A letter of thanks...

If I had a dollar for each time someone asks me what Derrick & I do in the "off season" I would be a rich woman.
Being wedding photographers, the summers and fall are crazy for us shooting, come December things start to slow down on the shooting front. (though we still have quite a few weddings dispersed throughout the winter)
I can certainly see where people think that shooting is our only responsibility. However, if life could only be so easy.
The last few weeks we have been feeling the blount of our work as it all piles up on our plates, and we strive to get it turned around for all of our fabulous couples.

The work consists of editing thousands of pictures that we shoot at each wedding, (we shoot about 50 weddings a year, so that ends up being hundreds of thousands of images.) Of course there is the editing of video as well. (each video takes about 60-80 hours to edit)
The laying out of albums, engagement sessions, initial consultations as we continue to meet with future clients, art-working of images for the blog, fulfillment of print orders, and who can of course forget the customer service aspect; returning emails and phone calls. Though I am not complaining that we are sooo busy, since it is obviously a great thing, but last night as I was still editing at midnight I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything. And then a letter from one of my brides, Jayme came in that to say the least made my night. I just had to share the letter that made me realize that the feeling of overwhelment is all worth it! As Derrick and I are truly doing something that not only do we love doing and get to do together, but that our couples truly appreciate.

Thank you Jayme & Steve, it's always nice to be reminded of these little things!


April and Derrick,

We just wanted to let you know that we love, love, LOVE our wedding pictures! As we looked at them again and again, our favorites kept changing. All of the pictures are so beautiful, and we just want to thank you so much. You truly captured the love, excitement and fun of our very special day in photographs we will have forever, allowing us to relive the day whenever we want. The time you took to tell our story is such a gift, as we felt like we were there again when we scrolled through the photos. You both are extremely talented professionals, and we could not have asked for better results. We are some of the first of our friends to tie the knot, so we are hoping to recommend you to them once they take the plunge. Thank you again and it was fun working with you.

Jayme & Steve

Worst Bestman ever...

Just thought we would share this funny video someone sent us!
Hopefully this doesn't ever happen to one of our brides!!!!
Have a great week!

April & Derrick

Worst Best Man Ever @ Yahoo! Video

Elan & Chris are Engaged!

With the year seemingly beginning to wind down (I'm actually not really sure where summer went), we begin looking ahead to next years schedule, and one of the highlights for us shooting wise will surely be Elan & Chris. Obviously because they are a great couple, but also because we will be shooting together and even though we love Madison, we also love any excuse to go someplace different and shoot from time to time with down town Milwaukee being one of our favorites. Traveling to the other side of the isthmus from our other shoots that day, the wind seemed to be more under control, and new backdrops in a familiar setting for us seemed to be popping up all over the place. Everything from a bright yellow bus dropping some act off at the Majestic, to a common wall on the courthouse that we've just always over looked. It's refreshing to find new inspiration in a place we've been so many times before. If this is the final out door engagement session we shoot this year, Elan & Chris were a perfect couple to spend it with as we begin closing the books on one season and opening them on another. Below are some previews from their session.

Ashlie & Scott are Engaged!

Ashlie & Scott will be getting married this January, and this week we had the opportunity to shoot their engagement session with the two of them. As with our other shoots on that day, the elements definitely factored in, but we were still able to make the most of the situation. Having had the opportunity to work with a fair amount of couples, Ashlie & Scott present us a total first; They already ironically have the same last name, so I guess lucky Ashlie as she gets to skip the whole legally changing your name step in the wedding process. It was great working with the two of them and of course we look forward to January. Hopefully it won't be quite so windy.

Katie & Dan are Engaged!

Last year we were fortunate to be asked to create a Wedding Film of Brooke and Dan's big day. So we were more than honored when Brooke's little sis Katie selected us to do photo & video for the day she'd be taking her own man Dan down the aisle. When I mentioned to Katie at their engagement shoot that it was now a little less than a year until their wedding, she corrected me with the exact number of days before laughing and saying "but who's counting?" The energy and smiles that surround these two is amazing as they prepare to make those important promises to one another. The day we scheduled for their session could have been better, but that's fall for you. The, what must have been gail force winds, tried hard to blow us all backwards. Fortunately we were able to find some great spots out of the elements, though they were adventurous enough to go out on the pier in lake Mendota for a few pictures, before being chased back by waves crashing over the sides. The truth is we could of spent all day with these two and truly look forward to working with them more as the days continue to count down until the big day.
Only like 330 days until their wedding, but who's counting? Below are some previews from their gusty session.

10.18.08 Jesse & Dan are Married!

Being able to pause and appreciate a moment before it's over is something not everyone is able to do. Too often we find ourselves chasing memories not realizing that new ones are forming right before our eyes. That's where we as photographers come in, though it's our job to also take cool portraits, it's the candid shots that often mean the most to those involved. It's the unplanned and unscripted emotion and interactions that transpire, that if captured just right in a photo, that truly can speak a thousand words. Jesse & Dan seemingly didn't let a single second escape them on their wedding day, and it wouldn't surprise us if they did remember every single moment in every photo we'll be presenting them with. They are truly in love and truly ecstatic to have found one another to share their lives with. From the moment they saw each other under the arbor at Allen Centenial (we did pictures prior to the ceremony) through our time with them at their reception at the Monona Terrarce it was obvious how happy the two of them were to be spending this momentous day with one another. In true story book fashion they road off from the church in a white horse and buggy (Dan's surprise for Jesse), and preformed (no better word to really describe it) the best First Dance we've ever been fortunate enough to see, as well as photograph (and we've seen quite a few). We really enjoyed covering their day, below are a few previews from their photos!













Since they didn't already have enough to worry about being the parents of the groom, Dan's parents, who own a green house in Minnesota, also were the florist for Dan & Jesse. Needless to say the flowers & arrangements were gorgeous!

10.17.08 Cyndi & Rich

Cyndi & Rich didn't let the rain and cold weather stand between them and saying their "I do's" After being spoiled by a week of above average temps the week prior, the shot of brisk fall air was a bit of a wake up call and I'm sure a preview to what Mother Nature has in store for the rest of the year. Along with cold weather usually comes the winding down of our shooting season, but with several weeks of weddings left yet this year we hope the weather can remain tolerable (at least by Wisconsin Standards) for a little while yet. Cyndi & Rich put together a great wedding that was enjoyed by all of their family and friends. Rich carved some mean pumpkins for an added personal touch in their harvest themed décor. We enjoyed sharing more of their images through 'Instant Photo Highlights" at the reception, and below is a smaller helping of some previews of their proofs.