Wisconsin

Sisters!

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These three girls are absolute sweethearts. And God bless their mother for getting them all rested up before the shoot, so they were ready to run like crazy until I could corner in some way or another. She was worried about the girls being difficult, but they were so perfect: full of life and emotion and expressing so much independence and love for the world. Can't beat it. Yes, I ran myself ragged... and yes, the mosquitoes were ridiculous... but adversity and adventure is a great recipe for awesome images.

As always, it's a wonderful honor to capture a fleeting moment in one family's evolution. Everything passes so quickly. I'm excited to look at these images with these girls in twenty years and see what memories they evoke. I don't think they will remember the shoot, but perhaps what is was like to be that age, what sisterhood was like then, how their experience of their mother has changed over years. Fun to think about.

Forte Research Systems Business Conference at Monona Terrace, Madison WI

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Forte Research Systems asked me to photograph their Fall Clinical Research Operations Forum at Monona Terrace earlier this month. While a conference for computer software developers and users may sound pretty dry, the meeting was actually a lot of FUN and a chance for cancer research software users throughout the country to come together to discuss common problems, solutions, goals, new ideas, etc. Forte has had trouble capturing that excitement and spirit visually, so that was my assignment. This bi-annual conference has been running for a number of years now and many of the attendee know each other, so there is lots of conversation, laughter and interaction... all I had to do is catch the moments. The folks at Forte are fantastic and gracious hosts, super personable and engaging... I could not ask for better information or logistical help. I felt lucky to connect with these folks for their Madison business conference.

As part of the gig, I had the opportunity to photograph and listen to Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (2011, general non-fiction) and an incredibly articulate and engaging speaker. My time in science education has inured a deep respect for the rare scientist who can translate research into a digestible, interesting story for the general public, and Dr. Mukherjee does it REALLY well. A perfect fit for the crowd of cancer researchers in attendance.

Summer Evening Family Portraits at B.B. Clark Beach

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Our friends came up from Oconomowoc on a Sunday evening, and since Maya was still elbows-deep in dinner preparations, we made a quick escape to the other side of the neighborhood for a shoot. I hadn't photographed these girls for a couple years, and I missed their charms. 

B.B. Clarke Beach is a favorite summer hangout for our family. I think it's probably my favorite beach in Madison, mostly because the beautiful shaded hillside gracing the shoreline creates some elevation and perspective in a town and landscape that can be short on both. It's a little swimming auditorium where folks can go to watch a show of splashing revelers, diving board performers, and sleeping sunbathers. A neighborhood treasure.

When you work with a people who love each other like crazy - whether it's a family, co-workers, a group of friends, whatever - it's pretty easy to capture with a camera. I feel so lucky to know people like these.

Summertime at Olin-Turville Park

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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

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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.

Freezing

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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.

Ebert's Greenhouse Adventure

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I shot Jon and Ann's darling son George last summer when he was just a few days old, and now he has gorgeous long curls and a wonderfully stubborn disposition. Ann wanted to bring the entire family together at Ebert's Greenhouse Village in Ixonia, which seemed like a good idea to me. Turns out there is a LOT going on at Ebert's, so we ducked through the greenhouse complex and found the corn field, complete with tractors and a warm, quiet greenhouse.

Molly & Steve

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Schedule the shoot... cancel because it looks like rain. It never rains. Reschedule for next week... the forecast calls for rain. Discuss two hours before the shoot... Molly wants to go for it. Drive to small town under dark skies. It begins to rain. Scout the small town, looking for places that make offer any kind of shelter. Rains gets harder. Start thinking about restaurants and bars. Molly calls and says, "It's totally cool, let's just shoot in a bar or something. That will be more fun anyway." Ten minutes before the shoot, the couple calls and says they are early. Rain stops, right then. Go to an industrial area, upon the Molly's request. Explore. Have fun. Get a little dirty. Get a little spooked. Go home.

If every engagement shoot was like this, that would be okay with me. Thanks you two.