Brad & Brooke

Brad & Brooke held their wedding at Brooke's parents property near Eagle, Wisconsin, a stone's throw from where I grew up. Brooke is a librarian; Brad is a historian, now pursuing a law degree They meet at UW-Madison, but have since moved to Boston to pursue their career/education stuff. My favorite thing about them is they never try to be cool. Which makes them awesome. Brad told the most awkward engagement story, knowing it was awkward, and he pulled it off with aplomb. I love it when people bravely, confidently, zealously do their own thing. Nothing is more beautiful than that.

North Woods Wedding at Lakewoods Resort, Cable WI

These two did their wedding their own way. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen. No cell service. No stuffiness of any kind. Just lots of love and joy. The bride made her own gorgeous dress, which the groom helped her put on (with duct tape) before the ceremony. I'm not sure, but I think the location was chosen primarily for its proximity to good mountain biking. Pretty awesome.

Thanks Lakewoods Resort (hosting skiers, bikers, and general outdoor lovers for over a century), Emily Balsley (see the hand-illustrated wedding invitations) and TechNoir (Madison's raddest 80's cover band) for raising the bar for this party.
 

Therapists and Dogs

A couple years ago, Madison psychotherapist Amy Collins told me people spend 2-3 times as much time on website if it has dogs on the homepage. Really? Because dogs? I was incredulous at first, but she went on to explain how she had done her Ph.D. research studying how and why therapy website works (or don't). One of her discoveries was this dog-loving thing... just feature a dog on your website, and as if by magic - BOOM - folks stick around longer. This concept seems too simple to keep secret.

Amy features her big German Shepard on her website homepage, and at client request, will bring him in to hang out during therapy sessions. That’s pretty cool.

Rhonda Reinholz and her cute pooch.

I was shooting headshots with Rhonda Reinholz, a Madison therapist on the near west side, and we made sure to include some shots with her adorable Standard Poodle. I don't think she's going to feature her dog on her website, nor does she offer animal-assisted therapy, but at least she'll have the option available in case things get slow sometime.

Ben Heinrichs was a Madison psychotherapist with Westside Psychotherapy, and now owns his own practice, Breakwater Psychotherapy, with his wife, Rachel, in Delray Beach, FL. We snuck his dog, Dr. Theodore McTubbins, into his photo shoot when nobody was looking. That’s one cute dog! And Ben has nice socks.

Rebecca + Matt - A Wedding at Fitchburg's "Art in the Barn"

This wedding involved so many things I love, including:

1. Charismatic megafauna (horses, in this case)
2. Lots and lots of party lights
3. Food carts (yes, plural)
4. A beautiful, well-loved, well-lit old barn
5. Really nice people
6. Charcuterie (with pickles and some sort of amazing cherry preserves)
7. A good breeze

Feeling lucky. And hoping to get out to Art in the Barn again for a show this year. Check out their schedule for more info.

Summertime at Olin-Turville Park

At the cusp of adding another member to the family, the Horibes met up with me at Olin-Turville Park on Lake Monona for a photo romp. We shared a great picnic, ran around, swatted bugs, found a frog, waded in the water. It was good fun. And I was reminded how fun it is to hang out with kids when my own aren't around.

We are so fortunate to have hundred-year-old city parks to enjoy in Madison. The big, fat oaks at OTP are so damn gorgeous. They are the definition of picnic trees. Olin-Turville is such a great resource... if the lake were not between it and downtown, it would get tons of foot traffic. It would be like Central Park. But for some reason, the spit of John Nolan Drive is enough to keep most folks away, and the paths through the forest and fields of Turville Point are some of the most peaceful in the city. Thanks to the folks with the foresight to create places like this for us. 

Kate & Tyler - A Wedding in Westby, Wisconsin

Maya took me on a birthday adventure to southwestern Wisconsin a few years ago, where we biked miles of rural roads chasing Amish buggies, woke up in foggy hollows, and found an novel mix of progressive politics and Norwegian heritage in the small towns we dropped into. I hadn't returned to Westby, WI since then, but Kate & Tyler brought me back with a down-home wedding at their family farm. When I arrived, the pig was on the spit, the groom was sweating out last-minute details, and there was a fine air of tranquility and excitement about the place. I don't shoot wedding often, but this one made me wonder, "Why is that?" Because this one was a lot of fun and I'm so gl

The newlyweds are traipsing around Europe currently, and I can't say I'm not envious. Here's a peek for them and you of what went down last Saturday. Please do enjoy.

Chris & Blain - A Wedding in Madison, Wisconsin

Our wedding was pretty small (I think we had 40 guests?), but Chris and Blain's was even smaller. A close-friends-and-family affair, low on frills but high on class. Chris got her hair done downtown, met up with her girls and me at the Concourse Hotel off the Square, then we beat feet over to her mom's house on Lake Monona for a beautiful lakeside ceremony. Dinner at the Great Dane's wonderful patio, then cake inside when a surprise shower called for a shift in plans. The newlyweds both looked incredible... lucky them and lucky me.

George, Two Weeks Old

Maya and I took Sebastian down to see Jon and Ann on Sunday, knowing we would get to meet their new little boy. The mystery man-of-the-hour turned out to be George Basil, a quiet, curious little guy who was constantly half-awake and quite easy to get on with. George has awesome hair - all those wonderful natural oils make him look like he just stepped out of a salon - and some gorgeous peepers, clearly a product of a top-shelf gene pool.

We passed the time hanging out lakeside, feeding the bluegills bread crumbs, frog-hunting, and discussing baby stories, until rain drove us inside for the evening. Thanks to the new parents for their gracious hospitality, which included ice cream, chocolate, and Jim Beam. A nice way to end a Sunday.