Travel Diaries: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

When your best friend asks what you're doing a certain week in January and asks if you want to go to Mexico, you say, yes! Every time. It didn't really matter where or what we were going to do. I would be leaving snow and 5 degrees for sand and 85 degrees. What do we always say? YES!

I didn't actually take that many pictures on this vacation, (very strange for me) but I thought I would share a few of them and a bit of what we did. We were staying at a resort in Puerto Vallarta and enjoying the all inclusive lifestyle. We did leave our beach chairs and margaritas behind for some snorkeling, horseback riding, canopy zip lining, hidden beaches, lots of boat rides, and whales and dolphins as we were boating to our destinations.

I am always hoping to book more destination weddings, and I hope looking through these images it might give you some inspiration to have me photograph your beach destination wedding! Just remember I'll always say YES :)

Senior Session: Madison, WI

Senior portrait sessions are a blast! It's a chance for a high school senior to really express who they are and their interests, and I like to think of them as a lifestyle or editorial session. I want to make each high school senior feel like they have been picked to be featured in a national magazine and this is their photoshoot to tell their story.

When I was going into my senior year of high school, I got the traditional studio portraits taken, and then some with my horse (no, sadly he didn't come to the studio with me. He is though one of the most photogenic horses I've seen! He was definitely meant to be owned by a photographer) but I wish we could have gone to more unique locations or made more of a story out of it.

I will spare you any flashbacks to my senior portraits, but I'm taking my experience and what I love to do now and hopefully making a more unique and less traditional senior experience!

Engagement Session Ideas: Sailing Lake Mendota, Madison, WI

I always tell my couples that I like to plan engagement sessions that not only reflect their personalities and interests, but I get really excited when we can do something truly unique, adventurous, and different! I will climb mountains, travel to exotic locations, and even sail the high seas of lake Mendota to get you the unique portraits you want. Lets dream together and make those dreams come true!

Wedding Day Timeline: Hair and Make-up

What causes your wedding day timeline to get behind? Hair and make-up! I always recommend to have your stylist come to you if possible, but I would take their recommendation on how long it will take and add extra time. We all know it always takes a little longer to get going in the morning than we think, so I always allow extra time.

What can you do with that extra time? Relax! A stress free bride is a happy bride. You'll have more time to think through your last minute details, actually take a second to eat before we get going (super important), and you'll have more time to have fun with your girls and take more fun photos with them!

I take pride in keeping your wedding day on time, but the key to that is starting on time and not being rushed. Do yourself a favor and plan for more time than you think you need :)

New Branding, Site Launch

Hello, and welcome to my new website and blog! I am incredibly excited to share my new website, logo, colors and blog with you all. It feels like I’m completely re-launching my business!

I decided it was time to give by website and brand a facelift and knew that hiring a professional to do it was the way to go. Katrina Wollet is the genius that pushed me to try new things and start new projects (like this blog), and I can’t thank her enough for all that she has done for me. She went above and beyond in creating a whole new look for my business, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

So what is this blog going to be about? A lot of things! ☺ Obviously, showcasing the awesome people and things that I photograph, but also helpful information, tips/tricks for getting the best portrait session possible, featuring other businesses doing awesome work, and then just fun and interesting things on my adventures. I want to keep it pretty relaxed and informal. So please excuse my bad grammar (and overuse of random side-notes in parentheses), but I like to pretend we’re just sitting down and having a conversation.

I hope you’ll stop by regularly and see what I’ve been up to! Thanks for visiting and here’s a to new fun adventure in the world of blogging!! (You can’t see it, but I am holding up a glass to clink. Cheers!)