Beautiful Morning in the Park

Even though we had never met, Tiffany and Waleed and I didn't take long to get to know each other. What a beautiful couple! We rescheduled our session from last night to early this morning and we were so glad we did - it was about 20 degrees cooler than last night.

I can't wait for their outdoor wedding in September - here's a slideshow of some of their amazing images:

Tiffany and Waleed

Amanda and Shaun's Engagement Session

We decided on my college campus for the location of their session and I'm glad we did - the grounds really look beautiful this summer. We travelled around looking for various spots where we could get some fun interaction between the two of them. I find the engagement session allows the couple to become more comfortable with me taking LOTS of photographs and to learn what they like and don't like.

We were fortunate to have good, evening light which makes them look better than ever - here's the preview slideshow:
Amanda and Shaun

Tutu 2

tutu-2
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography

We had to coax her into wearing this for the photos and then she didn't want to take it off. She wore it to dinner at Cannova's and afterwards rode the merry-go-round. Why, or why, didn't I take my camera to the park.

We had just been reading her new book, Puff the Magic Dragon, and listening to the music. This book is beautifully illustrated to describe the text which is the words to the son. The exclusive CD features songs performed by Peter Yarrow, his daughter Bethany, and cellist Rufus Cappadocia.

Anyway, Paige is very into this book so we had to visit the "magic" dragon in our park. She called the secluded area of the park, "The Dragon Cave" and insisted that we whisper while we were there. She also wanted us to circle the dragon while singing the Puff song. She's three - we did it.

Siblings

Siblings
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography

I got several cute shots of Kelby and Erin while we were in Iowa City last weekend for Dawn's birthday. The guys got their hot tub running, put up a clothes line and installed a door bell in their new house. I mostly took pictures - what a deal.

garden-07

garden-07
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography

It's good to be back home and out in my garden. Bogie and I took a walk on the golf course about sunset and I didn't hear any traffic or jets - just the birds. Sweeet.

It was a very informative workshop, though, and should make me more efficient with Photoshop.

All Tied Up

img_6664_bw
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography

This is one of the shots I love from the wedding on Saturday. I think these details are missed by many and are a part of the day that needs to be captured.

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Chicago this evening after my first day of Photoshop workshops. Since I didn't get to see Paigey and her parents, I made a quick trip through IKEA and the Container Store and found a couple of cool chairs for photography props. Then another bee line back to the Holiday Inn Select to watch The Closer, one of my very favorite shows on TV. How many times do you see detectives cry when they find their victim? Of course, in this case, the detective is a woman played by Kyra Sedgwick.

Anyway, I haven't stayed in a hotel room by myself for quite a while. I don't do much travelling for school any more. Since my last trips were to our timeshare in Aspen (a modest studio) and a Disney resort, I was surprised to walk in and see a very large, flat-screen, high def TV sitting on a marbe-like counter top.

We're using CS3 in the workshop and I've learned quite a few new things and I'm sure will learn even more tomorrow. I was disappointed when they cancelled the two-day Advanced workshop but I'll be glad to get back home - and keep working on those wedding photos.

The drive back made me totally miss my camera. Almost all of the sky was very overcast but the last bit of horizon where the sun was out and setting. The sun shining into all the lights on the planes coming into O'Hare looked pretty surreal.

My First Wedding is History

It finally came and went. So much anticipation by me and lots of other people. The day was quite hot, although not as hot as today, so folks didn't really want to get back outside very much but retreated to the cool sanctuary as quickly as possible. I loved being part of this event, though, and wish Jon, Heidi and Ava so many happy years together.

My biggest snafu was being locked out of the church and everybody (including the minsiter) had taken off for the reception. Yes, my equipment and my car keys were in the church! Thankfully, a custodian came and let us back in so we were a little late getting to the reception.

Here's a link to the slideshow of a few of my favorite images. We had beautiful, pregnant bridesmaids, a super helpful bridesmaid, a slanky maid-of-honor and a stunning bride. She made the unique programs and there were lots of special touches to the wedding. Her gown, veil and shoes were just to die for. Enjoy!

Heidi and Jon's Wedding Slideshow

Pretty Sophie

Sophie recently turned three months we I got to capture some smiles and this beautiful expression. Her big brother, Dillon, joined us in the studio for some shots, too, and liked playing with the old train but I think he wondered why it didn't DO something.

 

Morning Sun

Morning Sun
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography

I haven't taken many photos of our yard (or any other flowers) yet this summer since I'm so much busier with portrait photography. I got out early this morning, though, and caught a little back-lighting on these lilies with our bed of geraniums in the back. These were taken with a wide open f/stop to get the smooth bokeh in the background. Bokeh is the Japanese-originated concept of the difference between out of focus areas of an image due to lens design. You get the best bokeh with back-lit images.

Nic and Friend

Nic and Friend
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography

Nic has been with me for a week so I've had a couple of opportunities to photograph him. He did a great job with these yesterday but alas, my camera was only set on medium jpeg - I wanted to make this into my very first gallery wrap.

Sun in her Hair

Sun in her Hair
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography

Taken of Paige close to sunset. The sweet light at just about sunset only lasted a few moments but it caught the back of her hair just perfect.

Cradled in the Arms of Love

Cradled in the Arms of Love
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography

This is from a recent session with Eden and her parents. Eden is such a perfect name for this little girl as her Daddy is an Old Testament expert! What a tiny little squirt with teeny, tiny toes and BIG blue eyes,

Erin Beads

Erin Beads
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography

Erin and I were talking this weekend about a specific toy that happens to belong to Uncle Andy. I said, "Do you like Uncle Andy?" She said, "NO." I said, do you like Uncle Mark?" She said, "No, I like Paige."

too funny -

First Interior Assignment

A young man that I've known since he was about five, is now refurbishing older houses for rent/resale. He asked me to take some shots and create something to commemorate his hard work. The call from him came last minute, on Monday of this week, and I already had two sessions scheduled so it has turned out to be my busiest week ever. Anyway, I took quite a bit of time with my light/flash setup so I could get a very pleasing mix of ambient light. My goal was to capture the nice, late afternoon sunlight coming in through the windows. I knew that my 24-70 wide-angle would work well here. I used one off-camera strobe bounced into a white umbrella and sometimes I used it as a shoot-through umbrella.

Here's a link to the photos that I took:
Interior Assignment

Last night I also finished the design of the inscribable guest book for the upcoming wedding, proofed the Monday night session and finished the interior project proofing. We had ALL the carpet cleaned in the house this week so, of course, I had to get my studio back in order. My first 105" role of background paper came yesterday (wheat) and we got that installed. This will be much better for the family shots that I've been doing - it was HUGE!

Tomorrow I'm off to LaCrosse to finally visit my niece in her "new" home. I think she's lived there for at least three years. I'll be shooting her family while I'm there.

Memorial Day Weekend

Yesterday was my first Friday off of the summer. After commencement, at my community college, we work four, ten hour days. So, this Memorial Day weekend means four days off - sort of like a mini-vacation. On Friday, I got my Tsubo shoes (they were NOT attractive) UPSed back to Zappos, washed our sheets and hung them out, image editing (of course), washed and walked the dog and various other odds and ends. It's so nice just to take it slow and enjoy our home - not having to rush.

We got some rain today so I was able to finally put a wedding book together to take to a local wedding venue and then we went to Spider Man 3. Three kids sat next to us, all by themselves. I think the Mom must have had other kids at another movie, or something. She set them up with popcorn and then left. I think they were about eight.

Then, afterwards, I stood at the counter working with some more pictures until the sunset called me. We have bluebirds making a nest in the house in the backyard and they have the sweetest, most gentle song. I put the dog hair that I comb out of Bogie in back of their house for nesting materials.

Hilarious First Wedding Dance

YouTube can be so entertaining, can't it? I'm doing constant research (well, almost constant) on wedding photography and came across this link on one of my forums. Weddings are so much more fun than they used to be.

First Engagement Session

I did my first couple's session last Saturday. It was a beautiful evening so we met at 5:30 at their home to get some shots there, first. Then, we finished up at a State Park. It took a while for us all to loosen up but they did more and more kissing toward the end!

Here's a link to my first ShowIt video:
Heidi and Jon

Evening Walk

There was some beautiful light and flowers tonight on the Jane Addams Trail. Bogie and I were all alone - that is, there were no people. We heard Sandhill Cranes and pheasants and saw a Baltimore Oriole, a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, catbirds and flickers. The sunset was spectacular.



phlox
Originally uploaded by NmB Photography.

New Actions

I came across this photo taken before Easter. Paige is holding one of the Easter cookies made by Cole's Confectionary in Freeport. Yummo - they are awesome bakers. I applied my new black-and-white action. I think I like this. I was looking for something in between brown and black tones. Something that I can quickly use to show proofs on the web. The border was recently purchased from Itty Bitty actions.

It's Here - my first L series Lens

I couldn't wait for the UPS man to come tonight to deliver my new 24-70mm Canon lens. We took a stroll on the golf course and I shot a few of the dusky sky. This will be the perfect lens for a couple of upcoming jobs - an interior/exterior for somebody that renovates houses and for Highland's graduation. It has to be indoors this year due to continued construction at Krape Park. This is a wide shot of my living room -


Molly spent two nights in the hospital last week with a Strepp infection - probably caused by her central line. She had a raging fever on Wednesday upon admission. That same afternoon, my 31-year-old son found out that he has mono. How weird is that? So anyway, they both are sick.

We helped Dawn's family move and I took a bunch of new house shots as well as some hilarious ones of Kelby posing apres bath. Erin even posed good for me this time.