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. 

Spring Scootin'

View fullsize

When it's finally warm enough to go outside and scoot with abandon... that's joy. Nice to feel spring approaching, slow but steady.

Freezing

There was a buzz about the neighborhood about legions of tundra swans off Yahara Place Park, so I took a late afternoon break to go look. There were probably 300 swans and some tagalong ducks on the small pieces of open water, resting on their way to warmer climes. Not being much of a birder, I was distracted by the soup-thick sky and the incredible blue tones the fog and snow were creating. And the lake itself was caught in that short window between ice and water, showing off a gorgeous abstract quilt of snow and slush and ice. Every season has its beauties and I felt lucky to catch this scene right then.

Shoveling

I don't know how it happened, but I married a California girl who loves to shovel snow. May God bless her.

Frosty Times, Downtown Madison

I might be in the minority, but I think the best holiday cards look seasonal. The holiday season is cold, but we can't let that stop us, especially when we all have layers and layers of wool, leather, and down in our closets. It's usually in the 10's or 20's here in December, so when I see families looking bundled up and cozy together, having a great time despite the minor inconvenience of 7-degree windchill factor... those cards gets to be on top of the fridge. Solidarity!

On the other hand... those conditions are tough to shoot in, and I never wish for that kind of weather. But that's what we got last week, and this family pulled through in high style. I compliment their spirit and love the shots we walked away with. Thanks for setting the record for my coldest portrait shoot ever!

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.

A Good Thanksgiving

With the holiday season upon us, many families are scrolling through their 2012 photographs, looking for that one image that will faithfully represent their clan in the annual holiday card. If you can't find one, however, it's not the end of the world... you can always MAKE one. Just got everybody gussied up (or at least mostly dressed), set the timer, and take some pictures. If you aren't happy with the results, then bring me in to help... that's what these guys did.

Shooting formal portraits with young children always feels so crazy, like we are asking for the very last thing they would ever do of their own volition. I can hear them thinking, "Why on earth are we standing still, looking at that dude? This is boring." I sympathize, kids. I would rather roll on the floor with you, chase you around, and let you throw things at me. But occasionally, we need a family portrait to document to remind all our friends who we are, since we haven't seen them in years. You will understand one day, I promise.

I must take a moment to thank Dad for his heroism during the shoot. After his son accidentally threw his prized football off the bridge and into the river, Dad punched his hero card by running down the ball, wading INTO the river, and retrieving the ball, completely saving the day. And then he proceeded to pose and smile for another 30 minutes in wet shoes and socks on a sunny but brisk November day. Admirable.

Claire at One

I had the honor of photographing Claire last year as a newborn in her parents' fabulous, dark cluttered attic, one of my favorite shoots of the year. Abbey was hoping to capture the beauty of the season this year, so we drove south of Madison to find fall color and rural landscape to enjoy. Drought brought autumn foliage early to Dane County, but fortunately we have been blessed with a nice, long visit and there are some gorgeous reds and oranges out there complementing the corn stalks and crisp blue skies.

Thanks to Claire, Abbey, and Connor for a wonderful evening enjoying autumn and some quintessential evening light. Those ten minutes of evening glow are worth waiting the entire day for.

New Digs, New Dog

It's pretty exciting to find a home that fits you just right, and Karen and Adam found their place last year after a long search. They followed up their move-in with a new addition to the family, an adorable, regal Bassett hound named Fannie, who pulls off some downright wilting looks with the grace of a queen. We hung out at the homestead for while while Fannie held court, then dashed off to a few local parks to catch the evening light.

Karen, whose sense of style far surpasses mine, loved the black and white images from the shoot and is evolving a gallery of them for a long hallway in her house. I thought I'd do a post in black and white only, in honor of our shared love of simple, classic monotone presentation.

Sisters

Tessa was a new addition since last time I shot with this crew, so she really should have been the star of the show... but it's pretty tough to compete with her scene-stealing sisters. With matching green dresses from grandma, we stormed the front porch, the backyard, the sidewalk, and the park across the street, managing to somehow keep the girls from getting bored along the way. Moira constantly impresses me with her defiant depth of character, her ability to go from playful to dead serious in seconds, exactly when the camera happens to approach her direction. But she can't keep it up ALL the time (thank goodness) and I love the challenge. Celia, on the other hand, is one of those kids who just LOVES to mug for the camera, and she smiles so big it shuts her eyes half the time - which is adorable. Looking forward to the next time I get to see all the girls again, though I'm guessing I won't be able to keep up with them anymore.