Kris and Ashley are “The Bomb” and their shoot was  pretty much “Off The Hook” (those are for you Ash!) Really though, everyone is so excited that these two are getting married. Although the wedding will most likely be next spring sometime, Ashley really wanted to do an engagement shoot before all the fall colors were gone. It was a challenge to make that happen due to all the terrible weather we have been having this year. After a rained out Monday shoot, we were all looking forward to a nice bright Tuesday morning. But, we were a little surprised to wake up to massive amounts of dense fog covering Beloit.  We held off as long as we could, but eventually had to start shooting due to time. I was excited to get some photos in the fog because I knew it would create a cool effect. But, I also wanted some NOT in fog.  I think everything worked out great and Kris and Ashley were awesome and flexible. Here is their sneak peek.

Nice Foggy Effect.

Just some good old fashioned portraiture in a foggy field.

Happy non foggy fall color.

They brought their dog Duncan with them. He was so well behaved. I don’t see myself ever getting a dog, but if I did, it would have to be one like Duncan. At one point, while I was shooting just Kris and Ashley, Duncan was running around and exploring. Suddenly he just stopped, walked right over to us, and posed perfectly in the picture. The photo below is not that instance, but it shows what a perfect “poser” he was.  I guess Kris and ashley did a good job too.

My favorite “artsy” shot from the morning.

Thanks Kris and Ashley!

This girl is about as sweet as they come. We had so much fun trekking through the woods and fields at Big Hil Park on Sunday. The first thing Jennifer said to me was that one of her favorite things about herself is her smile.  I agreed.  She does have a beautiful smile. But, she also had a nice variety of other “looks” as well, and she rocked all of them. Thanks Jennifer for a wonderful session. Sorry you had to wait for your peek, but here they are!

Jennifer is a runner, so we thought she should take some shots with her shoes.

Some of my faves. Jennifer is part of the Williams Tree Farm clan, so we had to do some shots on their property. That farm has provided me with many fantastic shooting locations over the years! The colors in this field were just beautiful!

Thanks again Jennifer for such a fun shoot!

Remember this awesome couple? What a priveledge it was to spend the whole day with them and their families and friends, photographing their wedding day. Seriously, I have the best job! I’ve known Josh and his family for lots of years and they are some of the most talented people I know (Josh and his brother Ben’s band TLOT is one of my favorites.) Kaia has a pretty amazing family too, and a really special relationship with them. I really enjoyed getting to know them all. The blending of these two amazing families, as well as all of the personality that Josh and Kaia  put into the wedding details, made it a special and fun day.  Here are just a few images from their day.

Kaia grew up in a log home by a lake with plenty of beautiful woods. It was a perfect ceremony location, and not too shabby for photos either. Can’t you just feel how crazy these two are for eachother?

Getting ready.

So pretty.

I love this next series of photos. Kaia’s mom Amy (who, BTW, has 4 published books and her own radio show) is so very sweet. Her love for her daughter was so evident at every moment throughout the day. The timing of these photos could not have been more perfect (and it was not planned.) As Kaia started down the stairs, Amy turned the corner and saw her daughter for the first time. This was her reaction. Priceless.

Josh looked pretty stylish in his Sean Jean suit (sorry Josh, had to spill the beans)

These guys had me laughing all day. In fact, it was hard to get a serious shot. But, I didn’t mind. I have known most of them since they were kids, and It was  fun to see them all together supporting Josh.  BTW, 2 of the guys are fellow band members with Josh.

The beautiful bridesmaids. I absolutely loved their dresses. They were all super brave too, as it was pretty cold (and they were in flip-flops.)

Beautiful flowers. Beautiful Dress. Beautiful woods.

The ceremony. Josh was pretty emotional.

Kaia was pretty happy.

This tree was just so cool. I used it several times throughtout the days portrait shots.

Thanks Kaia and Josh for letting me be a part of your day!

Jessica and Trent got married.  It has been so nice getting to know these two over the course of their wedding planning. I was always impressed with how calm and organized Jessica seemed everytime we met. It was evident last night that they put a lot of time and effort into all the details of their day. Everything was fantastic and I had a blast photographing it all! It really was a perfect fall wedding. And, I couldn’t have asked for nicer people to spend 8 hrs. with. Thanks Trent, Jessica, and Family for making my job so easy!

I loved the bouquets. So vibrant and fall like.

I loved all of the colors Jessica chose. Her bridesmaids looked fabulous. Their shoes were fabulous too!

I had to bargain with the boys to get a few more pictures. They agreed to get out of the limo if I let them take some photos with their beers.

The anticipation.

The Exchange.

Happy to have this tree as a beautiful fall backdrop!

Stunning.

Dylan is my first senior BOY to ever shoot. I was really excited because he had some definite locations and props that he wanted included. I love when that happens because It gets my creative juices flowing. Also, the only time I usually shoot boys, they are within a couple, and they’re in love, and I’m usually directing them to be all mushy and stuff. So, this was a nice change of pace and fun. Plus, Dylan was really laid back anddid a great job.

Dylan grew up at Pearl Lake and wanted it to be part of the shoot. It was really peaceful there (it was freezing and we were the only ones there.)

He’s a poker player, so I had this idea. This was the first time I’ve ever asked anyone to throw something at me. I’m tough, so it didn’t hurt.

Traded my “shots in a flowery field” for “shots on a big sandy dune.” I had to dig up my inner tomboy for some of these. What? I was a tomboy once when I was like 6. I do love how this series turned out though!!

More boyness.

I’ll end with this one just to prove that I can take a classic “smile shot.”

Thanks Dylan for a great shoot!!