5-9-09 Kathy & Evan are Married!

Being relaxed and laid back on your wedding day is something most couples say they want to do, but few are able to pull it off, at least as well as Kathy & Evan did. We’re sure deep down somewhere they were feeling some stress and some nerves, but they managed to hide it (even from us). On this breezy spring day, we both had the opportunity to photograph their wedding. Which not only makes for far more photoas, but different angles and perspectives of the same moments. Plus, we always love shooting together! Kathy & Evan were married in Portage and held their reception at Chula Vista in the Wisconsin Dells. In between the Ceremony and Reception we stopped off and shot against some really cool walls in down town Portage, and Kathy and Evan were even brave enough to climb the fire escape with their entire wedding party, barely even hesitating when we asked them if they would. Kathy was definitely a trooper when it came to photos even though it was a bit on the brisk side. The combination of them being so relaxed, having fun with photos and of course being in love added up to what we feel are some really great shots from their wedding day. Below are samples from their collection. Congratulations again guys and thanks for have us document your day!

Photo Guestbooks...

Photo Guests Books are something we’ve been doing for years now, but it seems like they’re becoming ever so more popular lately. And we think they should be, they just make more sense than a plain book that everyone signs and then you toss in a box somewhere in the attic (we’re speaking from experience on this one). Photo guests books are personal, guests like looking through them, and best of all it’s a convenient and tasteful way to bring together and display a lot of your favorite shots from your engagement session. In the past we haven’t taken the time to show off some of the cool albums and books we create for our clients like we probably should, and we wanted to start doing that so here’s some shots of Kathy & Evan’s book in action from this past weekend.

Sawyer is 7 months Old!

No this isn’t Brandon (from the previous posting) living a double life, it’s his twin brother Nathan along with Brianne and their now 7 month old son, Sawyer. It’s crazy how quick kids grow. Before long he’ll be running around with our son playing crazy games, imagining amazing things in one of our backyards. These guys are also long time friends of ours and we’re honored they continue to have us take their photos, especially considering Nathan has an art degree and a critical eye for this sort of stuff. Here are a couple of photos from their session.

Brandon & Sam are Engaged!

When I got the call from Brandon last year I was both excited for him and amazed that he was going to be ‘settling down.’ Sam and him have been together for some time and she’s great, so that wasn’t the surprise. But having lived next to him in the dorms during our time at college, and sharing an apartment with him for a year after that I had gotten to know a very unsettled and crazy side of ‘Brando’. And I guess it’s fitting seeing as how I was the one who got to shoot all of that embarrassing video of him during that time, that now I get to shoot this important moment for him and Sam. All kidding aside, we’re excited to be shooting both photo and video for their wedding at the end of May. We had a chance to get together to shoot a couples session with the two of them this past week. Below are some photos from their session. -Derrick

5-3-09 Sara & Cameron are Married!

From time to time we get to document weddings where the groom’s father is the best man, but never before have we seen a bride’s mother also serve as the Maid of Honor in her daughters wedding. Sara and her mom obviously have a very special bond, and in her speech, Sara’s Mom spoke of how Sara used to say how she’d never get married, and how her response to Sara was always that she just hadn’t met the right guy yet. Enter Cameron and the rest is pretty much history…When Cameron came home from the orientation for his Masters program, he called his brother and told his roommate that he had just met an amazing girl and that she was going to be his future wife. He might have been a bit a head of himself, but none the less Cameron knew from the moment he met Sara that she was the one for him, and eventually friendship did blossom into much more and here we were documenting the two of them say “I do” against the beautiful backdrop of the Overture Center where they held both their ceremony and reception. Sara and Cameron had us documenting their very personalized day with both photography and HD video. We hit up some great spots for photos in and around downtown Madison. We wish Sara & Cameron all the best, and since the Cubs won on their wedding day (they’re also big fans) we know they’ll have it made. Below are some shots from their day and soon to follow will be a sample from their Wedding Film.

Stopping to smell the roses….or tulips, which ever bloom first

Judging by our blog we’ve been MIA.  Not having blogged in a little over a month you could assume that we’ve either been extremely busy or hiding out.  The truth is actually somewhere in the middle.  Though we haven’t been shooting much in the last couple of months, we have been very busy editing Wedding Films, laying out Books, taking care of book work, and meeting with new couples.  We’ve also been taking a little extra time to do the things we won’t have as much time for once things get really busy shooting wise for us again (starting last week).  Like taking mini road trips to Chicago, Indianapolis, Springfield, Chicago again, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Rapids, Berlin (Wisconsin), yes lots and lots of driving.  We’ve been to seminars on different aspects of Photography by some of the best Photographers in our industry, we’ve visited a few Zoo’s (a major highlight of the trips for our son), took our son to his first Cubs game, To the Danny Gokey concert (yes we watch Idol this season), and visited a couple of different children’s museums.  We’ve been planting our garden, landscaping, facing our front porch, building a white picket and stone column fence, planted 75 trees, hunting for morel mushroom’s (if you haven’t ever had them you are missing out), and played with Matchbox and Hotwheel cars for hours and hours while watching Dumbo over and over again.  All while still getting a ton of work done, but while taking some important time to reenergize before returning full blown to our favorite part of our job, shooting new pictures.  We’re excited for what’s to come and all that we’ll get to create.
                      

 

SALE!!!

$500-$1000 Off + 16x20 Fine Art Print

We have a great promotion that we are offering on the dates that we still have availability on for 2009, and extending it to couples planning 2010 weddings and making decisions prior to May 1st. 

All of our photography or videography packages are $500 off for this promotion and our Photography & Videography packages together are $1000 off.  Plus all Photography packages include a 16x20 fine art print in addition to other elements already included in our packages.  To see a full list of our offered packages visit our website ( http://www.creativelookimagery.com ) and click on 'investement.'  And remember we can always customize or build a package to fully fit your needs if the ones we have listed aren't 100% what you're looking for.

We've already had quite a few couples take advantage of this offer, but wanted to post it in our blog as well.  Contact us to check availability as well as to answer any questions or to set up an initial consultation.   

1-24-09 Ashlie & Scott are Married...First Wedding of the Year!

What started out as a cold January day, soon turned bright and sunny for Ashlie and Scott. Ashlie and Scott's wedding was the first of the new 2009 year for Derrick & I. And what a great wedding to start the year out with! Derrick shot their full day, for their wedding film documentary, and I shot a portion of their day photographically. 

We met up with Ashlie and her girlfriends at her parent's fabulous vacation condo in Wisconsin Dells where Ashlie and the girls had a great time getting their hair and makeup done and Ashlie had a good time spending her last hours of being single with her very best friends. (meanwhile Scott and the guys were having a good time at the Kalahari amusement park riding some go-karts!) When we arrived, I immediately knew it was going to be a seamless day with Ashlie being extremely calm & collected.  After snagging some great getting ready shots we traveled to the ceremony & reception site at The Kalahari. 

Ashlie & Scott met up with one another on the staircase there to do some pre-ceremony shots. 

As Ashlie floated down the staircase, it seemed that the world stopped for a moment as Scott locked eyes with her and then embraced her ever so tight. Though we understand why some couples opt to keep things traditional and wait until the ceremony to see one another, it really seems to work great when couples do decide to see one another prior. Not only does it help create some extra time for pictures, it also seems to ease nerves, and helps the rest of the day run extra smoothly. 

The time we had for portraits ended far too soon, as there were still tons of great locations at the Kalahari to shoot. But without further "a do" it was time for Ashlie and Scott to say "I do."

Just before Ashlie came down the isle a great acoustic guitar serenade came on with beautiful vocals. As I turned to snap a few shots of Scott's expression, I saw he was welling up. 

It seems that the beautiful song was one that Ashlie had recorded for Scott. The ceremony went great, although there were a few minor bumps including the fire alarm going off, and a wheelchair tire popping, Scott and Ashlie however held their composure and showed that little bumps aren't going to stand in their way!

The rest of the evening went great as guests transitioned from the ceremony to cocktails in a beautifully decorated ballroom.

Congrats Ashlie & Scott, we are so happy for you both and really enjoyed working with you guys!

Ashlie & Scott were able to get the ferris wheel all to themselves!