So excited to share my latest reception book design….flip book style!! I love flip books, even if they aren’t compatible with mobile devices. Whats up with that, get with it Apple!
Katie & Kurtis ~ Reception Book ~ Flip Book Style!!
May 1st, 2012{Heather + Matt} Janesville Wedding Photographer ~ Rotary Gardens Wedding
July 20th, 2011
I’m so happy to share these photos with you. I recently photographed the wedding of Heather & Matt at the Janesville Rotary Gardens. They are friends that I hadn’t seen in years until Heather contacted me to do her winter engagement photos!
I just loved the handmade pillow that Heather had for her rings…and those shoes!!! Wow!
Definitely one of the cutest flower girls EVER!
Heather and her bridesmaids got dressed in her home, and I couldn’t resist the light coming through the windows in the living room!
They had 16 members of their bridal party!! Matt has 7 siblings…all of whom were in the wedding =)
Heather looked so happy and beautiful…she was positively glowing! And I must say, those men looked quite handsome too!
I LOVE the Rotary Gardens…I don’t care if it’s a hot spot for weddings, it’s so beautiful, with dozens of spots for gorgeous photos. I had my own wedding here about 5 years ago in the Sunken Garden.
These photos below are my most favorite =) I have to admit, I’ve been trying out some of the techniques that Jose Villa uses.
COLOR! Heather chose some of the brightest colors I’ve seen in a long time for her flowers and dresses! I adore her bouquet!!
The reception was held at America’s Best Value Inn in Janesville, WI. It was a lot of fun, with a Hawaiian theme, and the yummiest centerpieces I’ve ever seen!
During the dancing, the DJ played a special request for Matt’s parents who have been married for 30 years!! And just as everyone was happily watching them dance, they were suddenly surrounded by their 8 kids! I got a little teary eyed…how I would love to have a family like that (I’m an only child with two step-sisters). It almost makes me want to have another baby so my own family is there for each other later in life…I did say “almost” 
And she smashed the bouquet she caught like a touchdown!!
Love this little guy who danced by himself in the middle…
And the bear mask on the ring bearer…LOVE it.
I had so much fun on your wedding day Heather & Matt. Thank you so much for including me in your day, it was wonderful and I’m so happy for both of you!
Can’t wait to hear how the honeymoon went!!
Katie & Kurtis ~ Williams Bay Engagement Photography
July 6th, 2011
I am so incredibly excited to share this engagement session with you! Katie & Kurtis contacted me about their 2012 wedding a few months ago, and I couldn’t wait then to do their engagement session. Unfortunately we had to re-schedule it twice due to the crazy rain we had in June!! But I think it was well worth the wait =)
And I must say, they are awesome clients!! I wanted to get started at about 6am on a June morning so we could make the best use of that golden, early morning sunshine. Some may think we were crazy…but I’m so happy they were all for it. I LOVE the way their photos turned out, and I absolutely adore the way in which they interacted with each other =) You can tell they are positively in love…
Now, we had all kinds of ideas in mind for their session, at first we were going to do one with peacocks (including a white one!) because Katie wants a peacock theme for her wedding…but then the beautiful blue one had half his feathers torn out!
We were even planning on doing some with Kurtis’ Harley…but then he decided he wanted to sell it, so there wouldn’t be much point in taking photos with it, although they do love to go out riding together.
I had even hoped to do some with Katie’s horse…but that’s more just her thing. BTW…I love that they still pursue interests that don’t always include each other. It’s a very healthy thing for any relationship.
So instead, we went to the lake in Williams Bay, and we just focused on them =) Which I think was all the focus they really needed!
And then we found this tree…I LOVE this tree! It brings a whole new meaning to that elementary school rhyme:
Katie & Kurtis, sittin’ in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!
I was so pleased with the way the light reflected off the water near the shore where this branch was. I was a little afraid of them falling out, but they climbed right on up like they were pros!
Our last stop was in Fontana, where we went to a path that led through a stone tunnel, it was pretty bright out by this time, but I’m still pleased with the results! And I’ve been smiling the entire time I was editing all of these. You two just look so happy, and seemed to have so much fun…I’m sure the silly little whispers that Kurtis said to Katie must have helped
I hope you enjoyed these! And I hope you liked my new photo templates….they bring me one step closer to the style I wish to achieve in my branding =)
Can’t wait for your wedding Katie & Kurtis!! Next up, I’ll be working on those save-the-dates, guestbook, and invitations!
{Amanda} Childhood Photography Session
June 15th, 2011
I love childhood sessions!
Children grow so fast, their personalities seem to transform overnight, it seems! And there are moments, in between the ages of two and five, that are simply precious! During these ages, a child is only just beginning to understand the concept of self-awareness, and behaving the way we’d like them to. And while they are working on these quiet transformations, there are dozens of moments where pure expression and innocence shine through. They aren’t afraid to let you know if they don’t like something…and in turn, they aren’t afraid to express how much they DO like something.
I love capturing the shyness, the hesitancy, the pure excitement, joy, and smiles that dance across their faces within moments of one another! And I love being able to look back on photos of my own children and be reminded of these times…even if there were several that made me want to pull my hair out! I know there were just as many that made me feel like the luckiest person in the world to be able to witness that pure moment of happiness and love =)
Last fall I travelled to Walnut Hinge Farm to meet a sweet little girl named Amanda. Her mommy and I thought we’d do a short session to capture her beautiful little girl who was three years old at the time. Amanda, however, didn’t think it was such a good idea, and spent most of the time we had being very shy and not wanting to cooperate with the ideas her mommy had for posing. In the next few images, you can see the uncertainty in her eyes…
And while it can be frustrating for the parent during moments like these when you desperately want them to sit just right, and smile perfectly, I try to stress that it’s not important. What is important is capturing your child “just the way they are”. So while Amanda’s mommy went to look for a hay bale to sit her on, I simply backed off and let her explore a bit =) I didn’t try to get her to look at me with my big scary camera…I just let her be herself, quietly snapping my camera from afar. And in doing so, I believe I captured a bit of that young innocence and inquisitiveness.
Her hair may not have been just right…and her pants a little bit dirty from crawling in the leaves and on hay bales, but her mood is what I love. She seems to be lost in her own little world, entranced by the leaves and branches of a giant willow tree.
And not long after, as she realized she could just be herself, we saw those sweet little smiles we were hoping for =)
Below is my absolute, most favorite photo from the entire session! I love the light, the golden hue, the innocent expression as she looks at her leaves =) It was more than worth the patience it took to arrive here at this moment!
And this…I love this look, when she looked right at me in the cornfield and seemed to say…hmm, I guess this wasn’t so bad after all =)
My wish is that you don’t let these years pass you by without pausing on a regular basis to witness the beauty of your child and accept that the way they are in this moment is perfection.
~ Darcey
In The Garden ~ June 2011
June 14th, 2011
A couple of weeks ago, at the beginning of June 2011, the sun came up with a beautiful golden hue, and the temperature outside was perfect. I couldn’t resist heading out to the garden to see what all had been happening in my absence. I took with me my camera, a 24-70mm 2.8 Nikkor lens, my cheekie daughter Mia, and Niko. This is what we discovered on our early morning journey:
These mushrooms were hiding behind some cat mint that was growing near our deck out back.
I was so excited to see that the Irises had finally bloomed, too! I planted them last year from bulbs that had been given to me by my step-mother.
Above is the blue Delphinium that Mia picked out for me on Mother’s Day =)
The flowers above are from a Weigela bush. Last year we had several hummingbirds and butterflies visit us because of these flowers! I hope they come back again this year!
I don’t quite know why, but I absolutely love the Chive pictures above! Can you guess how I got the colors on the last shot? My daughter is holding the Chive flower still for me! Depth of Field is amazing!
Above is a portion of the Wisteria vine growing on our small arbor.
Strawberry blossoms above and wild ferns (that I took from my father’s house) are growing in thick bunches below!
Below are Bleeding Hearts. I cannot believe how large these bushes have grown! When I moved into my home five years ago, it was one tiny plant. I split it into four separate sprigs when I transplanted it two years ago, and now each bush grows to 3′ in diameter!!
Below are some succulents that I planted last year…but I have no idea what variety they are anymore!
And, here are a few images of my little explorers that were with me:
Mia made the ultimate sand birthday cake!
And for some reason, the wind blowing through Niko’s ears in this picture just makes me laugh! I’ve never seen such crazy fluffy ears! He’s a Sheltie/Jack Russel mix.
Hope you enjoyed the photos!
~ Darcey
