Monday, November 23

Friday, November 20

as promised



Okay, folks, the day has arrived! This might be way more exciting for me than it is for you, but that's alright. Today I am sharing with you my official "store" for prints. For those of you who have had a session with me in the past, you'll be able to find your private gallery (I will be emailing passwords shortly) and have prints made and shipped straight to you. With just a few clicks of the mouse, tangible, glorious prints can be yours! Maybe it's just because I like getting things in the mail, but when I receive my orders via snail mail it's always so thrilling to open the envelope and see the prints inside.

Also, in celebration of this grand opening, I am offering pictures of Italy for sale, for a limited time. If you dreamed about the water of Capri or drooled over Ponte Vecchio, now is your chance! Snatch them up while you can. So without further adieu...

Monday, November 16

| a freshman again

[I debated over writing this post. I wondered if it would be better to not say anything, to make it seem like I had my act together, like it came easily for me. That was until I realized that I'm a horrible liar and the artists (and their blogs) that I respect the most are the ones who are willing to be vulnerable and share.]

{sigh} No, I'm not going back to school. But I feel like a Freshman all over again. Starting out on a new venture will do that to you. There's all the excitement of "the new" combined with the nervous butterflies (and slight urge to hurl) knowing that everywhere you look are people who are doing it better and longer than you.

This past weekend we drove up to Madison, WI to visit with some great friends who we hadn't seen in a while. They're an awesome duo with an even awesomer (totally not a word but I'm using it anyway) kid - she's way cooler than I'll ever be. He does videography and she's a photographer so together they're a one stop shop for documenting that special wedding day. So, of course our conversation often turned towards photography. I tried to glean as much of their professional wisdom as possible in a 48 hour period.

This is where feeling like a Freshman comes into play. I had a 300 level class my freshman year of undergrad that was probably a bit premature, but I did it anyway. I remember feeling so intimidated by the upper class men who understood the material and could ask in depth questions, all while I was still trying to figure out what page we were discussing. But every now and again there would be moments of "I get it!" where something would click and I'd actually feel like maybe just maybe I could hold my own if I was called upon. Welcome to my world. This is how I've been feeling lately. Immensely intimidated most of the time, with short bursts of confidence sprinkled in to keep me going in the right direction.

So... all that to say, the ball is rolling. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but it's rolling. I'm going with it as best I can. There are some important things in the works this week. I hope to share a new online gallery with you, which will allow you to order prints and have them sent straight to your very own door. I'm going to put together a price list for sessions. I need to pull together forms for all the legalese which needs to be signed off on. Basically, the little things that can't be overlooked but often aren't thought about when conjuring up that "big picture" plan.

Stay tuned!

[Shameless plug: if you're in the Madison/Chicago area and have that big day coming, book Primavera Studios. They're great. Seriously. Go, call them, now.]

Tuesday, November 10

Monday, November 9

Double your fun : twins edition

I promised I'd share more and here they are. I love editing sessions like this because every picture is just so dang cute - it's hard to narrow it down to a few favorites.

A special note of thanks to their mom who was a great assistant, fully equipped with toys and books and blankets. And just props to her in general for raising twins and managing to look great at the same time. I sure couldn't do it. I can barely get out of my pajamas as it is...

She had something to say about it all

Those blue eyes!
Hello, baby feet!
That lower lip is just so sweet.

If only my belly looked this cute.



It was at this point that I considered grabbing one and making a mad dash for home,
but she knows where we live, so it wouldn't have lasted long.



Getting their fiber... couldn't seem to keep them away from the leaves.


Friday, November 6

babies!!

I still haven't edited this session yet, but these little twins are just too cute not to share. So here's a sneak peak at what's coming up next week...


Wednesday, November 4

Tuesday, November 3

halloween cocktails


This is Dhey, playing both hostess (helping someone navigate to the correct party location) and bartender (mixing up a haunting brew) at the same time. Dhey asked me to be the photographer for a Halloween cocktail party she and a few friends were throwing downtown, on a roof top, in Chicago... um, yes!

It should be noted that when she's not moonlighting as a party hostess with the most-est (yes, I did just say that) - she's helping fight for the cure as a Clinical Research RN at Children's Memorial Hospital. Anyone willing to spend their days joining that fight gets extra stars in my book.