Catch up.. Ketchup... What?

Just thought I would catch you up on what we have been up to. :)
I'll make it short and sweet though
Like I said in the last post.. I have been getting busy.. which Eden does not like

But she LOVED Christmas

especially the tasty ornaments... wait.. those are definitely not for eating.. oops

and loved all her fun new presents
like her alphabet books

and her ball pit!

and of course... her panda pillow!



My mom's friend Kim came to visit last weekend and introduced Eden to art


this will be a little rudolph picture for christmas next year when Kim is all done with it :)


this is Eden asking for more paint on her hand


this is Eden after we told her we were all done


Kim made us Tikka Masala... yummm





like I said Kim introduced Eden to painting.. and then she gave us this great idea to mix milk and food coloring to paint our toast :) we tried it out today and needless to say Eden loved loved loved it!



that's all for now guys!



**keep in mind these pictures are all SOOC.. I haven't had the time to go through and edit them all... so go easy on me :)

Mark and Megan E-Session

Um.. happy new year?? haha! I promise guys... my new years resolution is to get on top of this blog!! anyway... things have been getting busier for me and it's super exciting! My wonderful sister/best friend has kind of taken on the roll of my assistant and second shooter. back in November we had the chance to go to Madison and meet Megan and Mark for their engagement shoot. It was soo much fun! Megan and Mark are so funny and kept us laughing the whole time! We are totally stoked for their wedding this fall! here are some of the favorites from their shoot.

love Meg's bling

Chris and Gina

ok, so no.. this one isn't technically an engagement shoot... but like Hannah and Andy's shoot, from a while back, this is what a typical engagement shoot looks like... that is, if you are as fabulous as these two ;)
Chris recently joined the air force so his mother (hi susan!) thought it would be a good idea for him and his girlfriend Gina to get some photos before he left. and boy am I glad they did! I had so much fun hanging out with them! they are my favorite kind of couple- up for anything, always laughing, and totally, absolutely, crazy in love! Gina told me she was awkward in front of the camera.. but uhhh I am not seeing it! These two are beautiful inside and out! It was such a pleasure to work with them. I am already dreaming of another shoot (possibly an engagement? nudge nudge, Chris) with Chris in his uniform and Gina in pearls... ahhhh... but I am getting waaay ahead of myself.. let me show you the pictures I do have of them!

Gina- could you be any more fierce?



loooooove!

The Delaney Family

Once again... I'm a slacker.. I really need to get on top of this.

but here are the Delaneys. I absolutely adore this family! and I am super lucky to have them in my life! Steve's Aunt and Uncle have always been so supportive and loving towards us and I can not express how thankful I am to know them and to call them family. I had so much fun hanging out with them! Brenna and Bremen are a riot! I seriously think I almost collapsed in laughter a few times (sometimes it feels like my legs will give out when I laugh really hard.. no big deal.. I'm not worried about it) Ryan and Melanie- I love you guys! you are amazing people and your children are beautiful!

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