LOVE IT: Ugly Sweater Decorating Party

Here's what I love about the Ugly Sweater Decorating Party:
- It's GREEN! Recycling old clothing and making it fun to wear again is totally awesome in my book.
- It's HANDMADE! If you actually turn around and wear your creation, you've just created a unique, one-of-a-kind, custom piece of clothing that NO one else will have. (I knot that was redundant.. so what!)
- It's CREATIVE! How many chances in our lives (unless you're an artist) do we get to be really creative just for ourselves? To create something new and interesting out of thin air without the pressure of someone else having to like it? It's a really rewarding and enriching experience at any age to simply create for yourself.
- It's a PARTY! It totally reminds me of my 7th grade birthday when we had a big cookie decorating party. Mine had so much frosting on it that no one would eat it, but we all had a ton of fun and we laughed hysterically while we were messing around.

I need to thank Katy Regnier for posting about her friend's fabulous Ugly Sweater Decorating Party! Click on Katy's image above to read more and find out where the original idea came from!

So- maybe there will be more Ugly Sweater Decorating Parties this year? I know I'd love to attend one! If you need inspiration for how to decorate your ugly sweater, you MUST check out: We Hate Sheep. We Love Holiday Sweaters. Sullivan Higdon, & Sink let you create your own ugly sweater right online! So fun!

Working.... Working.... Working.....

I know it may SEEM like I'm not working when I don't blog for a while, but that's usually when I'm working the MOST! I am very picky about my images and like to take time with them, which is why there are still projects lingering from last year. A lot of people comment about how natural my images look and how beautiful the color is, and while it may look effortless on the surface, I actually put quite a bit of time into making them that way. I spend the most time with wedding images. Wedding images are once in a lifetime moments that can never be restaged with any degree of authenticity. They are the first family heriloom and they may be passed on to future generations - I take that responsibility very seriously and since I only get one chance to get it right, I want to make sure it's the best. With that said, each image below represents a project that is currently in progress. These 10 images represent over 20,000 images behind the scenes. I am working quickly to take care of them all, but will not sacrifice quality for speed. (Note: these aren't in any particular order.)





















It took me 3 hours to put this post together (which could be spent working on 30 times the number of images in one project), so I hope this will soothe my blog addicts until my next post!! Worst part is, many of my blog stalkers are PHOTOGRAPHERS who just want to steal ideas!!! HAHAH!!! Just kidding - I love you guys and I'm equally inspired by your work. I mean that sincerely. Now go and post something on your blog for me to look at when I can't sleep tonight!! :-)

Yellow Rose Inn Wedding - Karen & Tim

Karen & Tim had a very romantic wedding with tons of casual elegance topped off with a dollop of fun! This couple just oozes joy and happiness in everything they do. When I first talked to Karen, she had so many crazy things happen to her that would make most people pull their hair out or sink into depression - but she always managed to laugh it all off and concentrate on the positive.. I really admire strength like that!!




When I first heard that their wedding and reception would be held at a bed & breakfast in Indianapolis, IN called The Yellow Rose Inn, I instantly knew it would be charming! Little did I know how much I would fall in love with the place once I actually saw it in person! Such a fabulous location with tons of photographic opportunities!!! After the ladies sat down for their breakfast at the Inn, they headed off to Studio 2000 in monument circle (just above the Starbucks). I loved the whole art deco feel of the building, and what a great view of the circle!



From time to time I get asked to photograph the guys getting ready, so what exactly do guys do before their wedding? 90% of them watch the game on TV, eat some food, and maybe have a beer. It takes them like 3 minutes to put their tux on and usually no one helps them with it. So... feel free to give him a few responsibilities on the wedding day... after all, you have to get up before noon... it's only fair that he should too!! (Sorry guys!)



Isn't Karen absolutely stunning? I swear she looks like she came straight from a victorian painting... just gorgeous!! And I loooove her bouquet with red feathers!! I love feathers with flowers- they add such an interesting texture and touch of whimsical to a bouquet!



The ceremony was held under the tent in the backyard and her brother walked her down the garden path..



After the ceremony, they had a cocktail hour on the porch while the tent was undergoing its transformation. What a bunch of happy, beautiful people!!





You have no idea how much I wanted to snag one of those chocolate covered strawberries as I was photographing this... they looked sooo good!! Luckily Karen & Tim beat me to it! ;-)



The band, The Noteables, were a really swanky bunch. They were really sensitive musicians always aware of what was going on and what the appropriate music and volume was... not to mention, they can crank out those swing tunes!



I love finding interesting lighting after the sun goes down. Even though I never had a chance to get Karen & Tim up to the rooftop, I still managed to grab a neat view of the downtown skyline while I was up there. Congratulations Karen & Tim!!! You deserve many, many, many more days of pure happiness!!!

Tracy & Jeff Engagement

Don't you just love how Tracy's hair has that windblown look in this picture? I had to wave my arms really fast to make that happen!! HA! Just kidding... it was perfectly lucky timing. :-) Tracy & Jeff are so cute! They were very nervous about the whole "getting their picture taken" experience, as many people are. I usually start the shoot off with just seeing how the couple naturally responds to me and each other, and then make adjustments along the way if they need more direction or less direction. So, I really appreciated Tracy asking me to give her & Jeff more direction when they felt like they needed it. I completely admit that it's hard to be "natural" when you know someone is always looking at you! However, I also have to admit that sometimes being nervous brings out the giggles... and the giggles are really cute on camera!



Tracy & Jeff scoped out this really cool place called Kerrytown in Ann Arbor, MI. My husband (a UofM alum) tells me as I write this, that Kerrytown is actually the oldest neighborhood in Ann Arbor, which explains the really cool brick streets and outdoor marketplace. Tracy & I had to really resist the urge to shop!




I love using different elements as a way of drawing focus to the subject...



... or just keeping it simple...



After Kerrytown, we looked for a park with some interesting elements and I wish I could remember the name of this park because it was perfect!! I'm actually pretty terrified of railroad tracks, but I think they are awesome locations for pictures so I get over my fear to get a great image. What makes railroad tracks so cool is that they create a forced perspective, with well-defined leading lines.



When I saw this scene, I don't think it could have been anymore perfect! The perfect lighting, the Monet-esque lily pads and rippling water, and an absolutely adorable couple!!!


Afterward Tracy & Jeff were so kind to take me out to dinner!! I had a long drive home and it was so nice to take the time to enjoy their company and eat something that didn't come out of a drive-thru window! Thank you Tracy & Jeff!!!

Nicole & Garfield Engagement

Are you ready to see a bunch of images?? I can't believe how many I took!! Nicole & Garfield had so much personality, I could barely contain myself from laughing the whole time we were shooting. I can only imagine what a blast their wedding day will be! They chose downtown Indy, specifically the monuments, for the backdrop of their images. I think we included almost all of the major monuments available downtown! However, a little birdie has mentioned that there may be a smack down on shooting around the monuments downtown. How crazy is that? Do you know how many tourists are there every weekend shooting their hearts out? I didn't run into any problems though, so I'll have to see if anyone else has problems before I assume we can't shoot there at all. On with the images! (Also, don't hate me, but due to space constraints I won't be posting slideshows for the engagements anymore, but I'll still post them for the weddings!!!)



Check out this killer ring! Nice!









More you say?? OK!!



Oh, this was awesome... we walked by a few jugglers in the park, and I asked Nicole & Garfield if they'd ever been in a juggling act before. Neither of them had, so I asked the jugglers if they would like a few people to practice on! I'm so glad I could be there to capture one of their firsts as a couple! (he, he, he) Do you know how hard it is to catch a good juggling picture?? Thank goodness for a camera with 6 frames per second!!



Nicole wanted to play up their team rivalry, so they slipped on some team t-shirts to represent!



This is where Garfield's cheesy side really started to shine. This is a proud member of our military! Too bad we didn't have any wind that day... they are both looking at the Marine's flag.



Nicole really wanted some fall pictures, however at the time there were only a few fallen leaves in the one small pathway. So... I made the most of the little collection on the walkway with the use of a nice wide angle lens and low perspective.



Congratulations Nicole & Garfield.. I can't wait to photograph your wedding!!