A Personal Post | A Fresh New Year Ahead

Whew. I don't know about everyone else, but for me 2017 was a crazy year! It was definitely a year of personal growth, and that in turn means changes for my business. Lessons that I thought I knew and beliefs I thought I had were just reinforced! I know I've said it many times, but I believe it now more than ever, that life is short and experiences with people are what matters! You honestly never know what life is going to throw at you and even though you think you've got everything planned and figured out, something will happen and you've got to adjust and change your course.

I like to think that one of my strengths as a photographer is my calm and easy-going personality and that lends itself perfectly to wedding days and even portrait sessions when the unexpected happens. But I also like to think that helps to attract the kind of people that I want to work with! I have been so blessed to have so many wonderful people that have come in to my life through my business, and I am honestly so grateful for the opportunity to preserve so many important memories for them! I have said numerous times that weddings and portraits should be about creating an experience, that's why I suggest making the extra effort to hike to an epic location or really think about the parts of the wedding day and things that matter the most to the two of you.

As you can see from the collection of images I've put together above I really try to practice what I preach in my life, but have I really done this in my professional life? Well I don't think I'm quite there yet in my professional life, but I'm more at peace with that! One of the new things that I've learned is that it's not always about the end goal, that the journey can be even more important! Haha basically I'm going in to 2018 with a more zen mindset. It's so easy to get caught up in the unfairness and unpredictability of life that I think sometimes we forget to just stop, slow down, and appreciate all that we do have. I'm grateful for my amazing friends and family, a very special guy that makes me feel loved and special, a job that I absolutely LOVE, and good health which allows me to eat all of the pie that I want :) Outside of that, I'm still working on improving and growing my business, but my focus now is about really creating those experiences that I keep talking about!

My Story | A Closer Look Into Who I Am

Hi Everybody! It's me, Jen. Haha as if you couldn't tell by the crazy red hair :) Most of the time I use my blog as a place to showcase more images and give you an better feel for a whole session or wedding, but I decided to switch thing up a bit and share a bit more about me. Something that honestly isn't easy for me to do!

One cold winter day in November, my parents rushed to the hospital with the anticipation of their favorite child being born! Lol, okay I'm really not going that far back and I know my brother probably won't read this so he really won't be offended! All kidding aside, I did grow up in a super small town (like 500 small) in central Wisconsin and I am honestly so grateful for the idyllic little bubble we lived in when I was young. As cliche as it may sound, I really did love photography from a young age, and couldn't wait to get my rolls of 35mm film developed from my very not fancy point-and-shoot cameras. Fast forward past a degree in Accounting and one semester abroad that taught me that life is too short to not be happy, and that's when I made the best decision of my life to go to photography school in Massachusetts!

Did I ever think or imagine when I got to photography school that I would move back to Madison and start my wedding photography business? No way! I started second shooting weddings to make money and just kind of fell in love with being a wedding photographer. So how the heck did the girl that can't travel enough end up back in Madison? Well, I was spending a lot of my free time traveling back to visit, so I figured if I lived here I could travel more! And of course being closer to my family and friends was a perk.

So, here I am, in Madison, Wisconsin building a business as a wedding photographer! I've learned a lot about myself in the last few years and what I want for my life and my business. As much as I struggle with putting more of myself out to the world on social media, I've realized that I want to attract more clients like me! Lol, I mean come on, who doesn't want to hang out with people just like themselves ;) To do this I'm starting with this blog post and describing my ideal client and business which really describes me and who I am!

I love to work with couples that want to create an experience for their friends and family on their wedding day. I want to photograph people that are madly in love and want to celebrate their commitment to each other with all of the people that they love :)  I have worked very hard to get where I am and after spending several years focusing on work, I've decided it's more important to focus on people, relationships, and experiences. Traveling, going on adventures, and being active outside are what I love to do and try to prioritize! This is also something that I tell to all of my clients, that you should prioritize what is important to on your wedding day and really make it your own to reflect you two as a couple and the type of day you want to have. I know that may be a very general description, but I really think it's as easy as that!

Speaking of being easy, you'll should also know that I try to keep things pretty easy, simple, and stress free! You'll notice I've kept my website pretty clean and simple and that's intentional! There are so many complicated things in life, and I don't think photography should be one of those things. I always tell my clients that I am here as a resource for them (seeing as I've photographed 125+ weddings and I don't even know how many portrait sessions) and I always feel so honored that they put their trust in me for these special moments.

To sum it all up, I never thought I would be a wedding photographer! I never thought I would be living in Madison after college. I never thought that I would get to preserve memories for people, but I truly am incredibly grateful that I get to!

ps - Photo credit to my talented friend, Katy Weaver

Engagement Session: Romantic Moments

With Valentines Day coming up soon I thought I would talk a bit about engagement sessions and catching those special moments with your special someone that are more romantic.

Being at ease and natural in front of a camera seems daunting enough by itself, but then add more intimate moments? Seems impossible, but it's not :) I always start each session by going over what we're going to be doing. How I will start you in a pose, but encourage you to move around, make each other laugh, tell me a story, and hopefully laugh at the ridiculous things I may say or do (yes, I'm good at this because I do and say ridiculous things quite often in my every day life too). But I like to encourage my couples to just forget where we are, be in the moment, and remember why you love each other.

Lean in slowly for a kiss, put a hand up on her cheek and pull her in close, snuggle up and lay your head on his chest, these intimate moments where you forget I'm there and and just enjoying each other and being affectionate are the moments you will look back on and they will bring tears to your eyes. They are the true expressions of your love. You may think you're not a super affectionate couple, but even a little embrace, the unique way you hold hands, the small glances you sneak each other are all of the real and romantic moments that capture your love.

I want to show your fun and playful side, but don't be afraid to show your love for each other as well. I hope everyone has a special Valentine's Day next weekend!

Engagement Session Ideas: Sailing Lake Mendota, Madison, WI

I always tell my couples that I like to plan engagement sessions that not only reflect their personalities and interests, but I get really excited when we can do something truly unique, adventurous, and different! I will climb mountains, travel to exotic locations, and even sail the high seas of lake Mendota to get you the unique portraits you want. Lets dream together and make those dreams come true!