The Hamilton Family

I know I know! this is looonnng over due! so let me just start by saying how much I love this family! I have known them forever and they are honestly some of the sweetest people I know. I am so blessed to know them! there are so many memories I've had at Mary Lou and Kirk's and I wish I could share them all but that would take foreverrr. let's just say they are amazing people, parents, and grandparents! Mary Lou and Kirk- you have a beautiful family! thank you so much for letting me be a part of it for a day!
Tracy, Bob, Luke, Nina, Cait, Keldric, and of course James and Emma- you guys rocked it out! it was such a pleasure to hang out with you guys and catch up.











I'll leave you with this picture because it says it all

Before and After and More!

So the other day I was meeting with a client and she asked if I would be willing to send some before and after's of my pictures. until then I hadn't thought of it but I am sure lots of other clients would be interested in seeing these as well. sooo I decided to throw some up on the blog for you guys and give my wedding advice.. not that anyone asked for it but it's just my opinion from the photographers point of view... but first thing's first! here are some of the very favorites before and afters


I try to shoot so that I don't have to do much editing. I don't usually care for all the crazy filters. I just want my pictures to look clean. so usually I just do some sharpening, a little color boost, maybe throw some black and white on there




once in a while if I'm getting the right vibe I'll add a little 70's effect :)


of course if a client wants something special I can definitely do it for them. but in general I like to keep it really simple!

which brings me to my next subject. picking a photographer... when picking a photographer (especially for your wedding) make sure to do a little research, check out their facebook page or read their blog. get a sense of their style and personality. find someone you think you will get along with and be able to talk to and be comfortable around. aaaand of course someone that you know will produce photos you will love.

now... just a few suggestions for the actual wedding day. please please please give your photographer enough time!! I cannot stress this enough! one way to do this is to consider doing a First Look.. I'll let the fabulous Jasmine Star explain it because I just can't do it like she does :) but basically it's when the bride and groom opt to see each other BEFORE the ceremony.. click on the link to read more. I personally think it's an awesome idea. but regardless if you do it or not just make sure there is lots of time between the ceremony and the reception so the photographer can get group pictures, pictures of the bride and groom, family pictures, pictures of the details at the reception... yeah and the list goes on...

now I know you're probably upset cause I haven't blogged in a while and this is kind of a lame way to redeem myself.. but I have been super busy and I promise I will be blogging about 5 shoots here pretty quick. so check back soon! also.. here is my e-mail if anyone needs to get a hold of me to set something up :)
chloeann527@yahoo.com

The Tranel Family

I don't even know where to start with these guys. April is Steve's sister, she and Matt were high school sweethearts. awwwww! Now they have 5 (yes you heard me FIVE) beautiful, amazing, sweet children! I could not love this family anymore than I do! Each one of these kids is unique and has their own amazing personality. They are so lucky to have Matt and April as parents. From the moment you meet these sweet, polite, helpful children you just know there are some pretty amazing parents behind it all. I am so glad I got to take their pictures (um because they are beautiful!!!) and so glad they are in my life! this shoot was so much fun! there were pumpkins, caramel apples, candy corn, taffy, reeses pieces, and birthday cake (for baby Ruth's first birthday!) needless to say everyone had a good time :)






















HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUTH!!! :)

Potato Dumpling Soup

It was my senior year of high school. I desperately needed a job. I started waitressing out at the golf course restaurant. That's where I met Kevin and fell in love.... with his soup.... seriously... you've seen Seinfeld right??? well the Soup Nazi... he doesn't have anything on Kevin... this guy takes soup to a whole new level. he's been making it since he was like 8 or something like that. I can't even describe the amazing deliciousness.. there was clam chowder every friday, french onion, cream of mushroom, PIZZA! he would just make stuff up too like beer cheese and they made some italian sausage with mushrooms and potatoes with a yummy creamy base. but my very favorite days were the days when Kevin made his potato dumpling soup... yup you heard me... it's like baked potato soup PLUS dumplings. well needless to say since I left Arrowhead I have been dreaming of and longing after this soup. Luckily I finally got the hookup. My friend Lexi went back to work at Arrowhead this summer and asked Kevin if he could write down the recipe for me. he basically just gave her a list of ingredients buuut it turned out better than expected. not exactly Kevin's but hey it was my first time!


start out by melting about 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot and saute some chopped onions, carrots, and celery for a few minutes
add 8 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of chicken base
add 4 oven baked potatoes cut into bite size pieces
season with garlic salt, sea salt, celery salt, pepper, and lawrys
bring to a simmer and let cook while you make the dumplings

for the dumplings start out with 3 eggs, some chopped chives or green onions, salt, pepper, lawrys, and garlic salt, and about 2 tablespoons of milk
add in flour until it is a super thick batter but do not over stir or you will end up with super stiff, hard dumplings!
add the dumplings into soup by the spoonful and cook for about 20 more minutes
milk to soup until it's a creamy consistency (probably 1-2 cups)
melt in 4 slices of american cheese and some chopped bacon if you're into that sort of thing
and you are good to go!! serve with some yummy bread and you're in heaven



and here are some pictures of my little love buglet for a week or two ago that I have been slacking on putting up



I have some fun family shoots planned for this weekend so make sure to stop back and check them out!
Happy Friday Everyone!!!

Jamie and Andy

I had the pleasure of shooting Jamie and Andy and their two boys on friday as an engagement/family session. I absolutely love them! They are sweet and adorable and felt like old friends. it was sooo much fun to say the least! Even if it was raining at first and my car did get stuck in the mud TWICE! ugghhh how embarrassing!
Jamie and Andy- it was so nice getting to know you guys! I am so excited for your wedding next year!








These last two are my favorites from the day!