A Beautiful Day for a Wedding

Congratulations to Tyler and Alicia on tying the knot on Saturday Aug 30th. The couple’s ceremony was held outdoors in Solon at “The Barn”. The weather was beautiful with bright skies, cool temperatures, and a light breeze. The main round barn is not quite finished but where the ceremony took place, an arch made of limestone blocks stood as a picture window looking over the large pond surrounded by small woodland. The area stands as a natural amphitheater with a brick deck surrounded by limestone ledges and steps that lead to the large round barn. There are four other barns just down the road. One is an old red round maintenance barn and 3 limestone round barns. Torches lined the path to guide you to the one of the three barns is where the reception took place.
I felt that I witnessed a truly blessed event. With their family and friends at their side they took their vows and pledged their love before all to behold. From the moment they first saw each other dressed and for the rest of the day until I left you could see that they were in love. You could see they had a hard time refraining from smiling or gazing at each other. They were truly a happy, loving couple for all to see.
I really enjoyed myself while I was taking the portraits. Early in the photo session one of the bridesmaids found a small frog. I got a photo of the frog and the bridesmaid together. I don’t think she kissed the frog because we did not see a prince that no one could account for. We later discovered that we were surrounded by the small amphibians as they made their way through the grassy field to the large pond. The bridesmaids and bride had parasols for the portraits. The bridesmaids had lavender while the bride had white. The lavender made a great background on a portrait of the bride and really stood out against the red barn in another.
I would also like to take this moment to give a big thank you to Dawn for helping me out on this wedding. Not only did she give me the use of her camera, but was my “Patsy “to me. It would have been very hard for me to get the portraits I got if Dawn did not lend a hand. Thank you once again.
I would like to thank Tyler and Alicia for the privilege of taking your wedding portraits. Best wishes for the two of you and have a wonderful honeymoon. We will see you soon with the prints from your special day, I can’t wait.

The Big Day

Today is the big day for Tyler and Alicia. I attended their rehearsel last night and had a great time. It was a beautiful night with temperatures holding around the upper seventies. The bugs surprisingly scarce and I hope that this trend continues. I am so excited about taking the portraits and I am sure they are too. I extend my best wishes out to you, Alicia and Tyler.

Around the Bush

This past Saturday I was outside washing my wife’s car when I noticed that these butterflies were persistently hanging around our butterfly bushes. So quickly I got my digital PHD camera and returned to take their portraits. I was not entirely sure that once I returned that they would be there but there they were, still flying around the bushes. If anyone who has tried to photograph butterflies knows that once you have spooked them from their flower they rarely return. So with the camera on and the lens extended out I began to stalk the winged creatures. I was again surprised on how long they put up with my presents around them. I shot a dozen photos of each butterfly. After they had their fill of nectar and my shenanigans they took off. Later that night I edited the photos and created what you see here.

Besides taking portraits I am love to just pick up the camera and photograph something that catches my eye. I feel that it gives me a new challenge and a new way of looking at things, which only sharpens my portrait skills in the end. I hope you enjoy the portraits and if you have any questions about them, feel free to e-mail me or comment on them.

This weekend I will be taking Alicia and Tyler’s wedding portraits so keep an eye on the blog for their wonder portraits. I can’t wait!

My Nephews

My sister and nephews come to Iowa from Washington State last week to visit. Like a good uncle I took their portraits while they were here. I went out to Marion and used some of the alleys and store fronts as backdrops. I normally like to venture down town to take portraits in the alleys, but with the flooding that had occurred earlier this year I have had to venture out to find other area to use. I am glad I did because it pushed me out of my comfort zone and I think we had a great session because of that. Here are some portraits that came out of that session.
If you are looking for something different then look around to places you have been before. What I mean by that is; parks and studios are great places to have portraits done but they are not the only place. If you are looking for something different then look around at the places you spend time at or pass by each day. The store fronts in Marion were just the place for us, but maybe you prefer some of the shop fronts in down town Cedar Rapids. Perhaps your family spends some morning time at a little java joint with a warm atmosphere? Just remember anywhere could be a great place to use for a family portrait, all you have to do is ask your portrait photographer. If they are up for a challenge and the store owner is ok with the portrait session then be ready for great portraits.