Sarah and Pat

This past Saturday I was able to spend the day with a stellar couple, Sarah and Pat.  They were a blast to shoot and the unexpected Indiana heat wave made it a day to remember.  Here are a few shots.  Be sure to check back soon for the slideshow capturing the story of their day!

Chase Matthew!

Understanding firsthand the indescribable gift of a newborn and the chaotic weeks that follow, we attempt to bless friends with a meal and a few memorable shots.  We had a great time meeting Chase Matthew and his “Hollywood dog” Bruno.  Congrats Matt and Angie!

Our First Gingerbread House!

Not sure how well it'll turn out... so stay tuned!

Uploaded - 12\19\08-1

Uploaded - 12\19\08

It's been awhile!

Santa!!!

A Traderspoint Creamery Christmas!

This past weekend my family went to one of our favorite places in Indiana... Traderspoint Creamery located in Zionsville!  For years we have been going there to support the local farmers, check out the roaming chickens and cows, and of course to get some of the world's best chocolate milk.  Turns out they have the best eggnog too!  Not to mention it was one of the first places my wife uncovered a particular way of eating that our family currently adheres too, and we are the better for it.  

It's been rewarding to see the changes that have taken place there over the years. What used to be a little store (more like a cooler and a box for checks) and a few artisans on the second floor of the barn has morphed into quite a gathering of eco-friendly providers and a quaint eatery.  We have collected family memories and a few sweet dates of going there to dine.  However, the Christmas at the Farm experience has now been stored as what we hope to be a yearly tradition!  I think after seeing the pictures in the slideshow below, you may be swayed to do the same. . .

The Kid In Him

Over Thanksgiving I mentioned that I was able to spend time with my Grandpa who was a wedding photographer a while back and I was fortunate enough to be given his cameras. I'm excited to display them in my office! It's fun to compare them and see the changes that have occurred technologically.

Another toy he shared with us is his pride and joy Lionel Train Set complete with original boxes and the same headlight bulb since he got it in the 1930's. It's amazing to see this thing run so smoothly still. As I watched my Grandpa, it was as if he was a kid again. I had fun getting some shots of him with it. If you look closely into his eyes, you'll see a 13 year old boy playing with his favorite toy!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

My hope is that everyone had a joyful and relaxing Thanksgiving this year surrounded by good friends and family! I was blessed to have spent some great time with my relatives, especially my grandfather who was a wedding photographer many years ago. Today he blessed me with all of his old cameras that he used during his days. I'll be sure to share them with you all later.

NYC Slideshow

Things have been crazy busy lately so it's taken me awhile to get around to posting these pics.  Here's the latest slideshow of the trip.  I plan on playing with the pictures a little over time and will post those as they come along.  For now, here's one of my favorite shots of the Brooklyn Bridge and a slideshow to go along.  Enjoy!

WELCOME TO NYC!

So, I'm recovering from my first week back from New York City!  What an AMAZING trip!  Three photographers, four days, and not a single thing to photograph (okay, so the last isn't completely true).  You know it's gonna be an "interesting" trip when you are welcomed by the picture below.

The first thing I noticed was the name of the apartment complex, "RED SQUARE".  Next, a statue caught my eye up on the corner of the rooftop - a statue of Communist leader VLADIMIR LENIN.  But it's what you see hanging below the Communist leader that made me laugh.  Yep, a banner of our new president elect - BARACK OBAMA!

In a nutshell, what do Red Square, Vladimir Lenin, and Barack Obama have in common?  Hopefully nothing besides this complex in NYC!

As I go through all my pics, stay tuned for more postings to come!

      

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Halloween is always a blast... even as an adult! Each year we go over to my sister's to hit up her neighbors for some goodies. (They have a much bigger neighborhood!) My favorite part about the night was the way my daughter Libby "tricked" others into giving her more candy.

Sweets are very limited in our household and we decided that when we got back home and poured out all the goods, the kids could each pick out their top ten favorites and we'd send the rest overseas to the soldiers. Libby used this to her advantage to increase her odds on getting the goods. She would tell a bunch of givers how we were sending a bunch over to the soldiers and they'd tell her to grab a big handful then. Why didn't I think of that when I was a kid?!

Our children do have generous hearts and she really was doing it for them. If only we all thought like children at times! Anyway, here's a slideshow of the gang out in the hood. Enjoy!

Dinner with Friends!

Today we had dinner with our good friends/old neighbors and they have quite possibly two of the cutest little girls.  I snapped some shots as they were playing.

Check out those blue eyes!

My boy knows a good catch when he sees one.  These two are gonna be stunning on their wedding day in about 20 years or so!

4 Day Photo Shoot in NYC!

I'm so excited about my first trip to THE BIG APPLE! Next Thursday I head out to NYC for a FOUR DAY- 24 HR/DAY - PHOTO SHOOT. There won't be much time to sleep. The plan is to wake up, grab our gear and head out all day and most of the night. My amazing wife has encouraged this opportunity and is being the stellar mom that she is juggling the kiddos on her own.

This will be a great time for growth professionally. Not only will I be surrounded by other photographers/friends who know the real sites to see, but I'll be challenged shooting landscape instead of people. I love a good challenge and believe there is always a lot to learn and gain from the experience. How are you challenging yourself to grow?

I've been watching this clip multiple times a day to prepare me. Great city & great song! http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=5f9ab363aca584455253

Best Looking Couple Award!

Okay, so maybe we didn't win any award...and I admit my wife is the good looking one; HOWEVER, we are a couple -- so we've got that much going for us.

Yesterday my friend (and guru photographer Jason Lavengood) and I spent the whole day doing a photo shoot of my wife for a make-up artist/hair stylist.  We both got some amazing shots (stay tuned for my post of the shoot) and I just had to jump in for one of my wife and I together.  Jason is a master of Photoshop and had a lot of work to do to me, but this is the final result of just one of many.  Check out his site for a few more!  

Kelly and Jay

Kelly and Jay, their family, and friends are these amazing people that made me feel like a RockStar!  They were so much fun to be around; I only wish it could have been longer.  I love this shot of them below.  Be sure to check out the slideshow too!

Alig Family

The other day I got to spend time with my friends, the Alig family, including my future daughter-in-law.  We hung out at the park running around, wading through a stream, and of course... taking some pictures.  Here's a quick show of some of the fun we had.  Enjoy!

Brittany and Michael's e-Session

Brittany and Michael are this amazing young couple that are allowing me to be a part of their big day this coming summer!  The other day we got together for some engagement shots (it was great cause they live right down the street from me).  These two were a blast and were willing to do every stupid idea I came up with.  Little do they know my plans for their wedding day!  =)  But seriously, they were so much fun and who knew that Michael makes Justin Timberlake look like Barney when he dances?!!  If you watch close enough, you'll see a few of his moves in the slideshow.  Enjoy!

Michelle & Scott

Not many grooms can fall off a house and break his foot two days before his wedding and walk around all day as if nothing was wrong!  I think Scott was trying to steal the day away from his beautiful bride Michelle.  These two Jack Johnson-loving friends were a blast to spend the day with!  I was fortunate to shoot the very first wedding to be held in the Indianapolis Arts Garden and they did an AMAZING job.  It was extremely convenient to head to the reception afterwards too.  I just had to turn around and I was there.  All the glass made for some great light shots.  Be sure to look for the "special" shoe Scott wore!  Thanks Michelle and Scott for allowing me to be a part of your day!

Brooke & Jake

This past weekend I had the pleasure of shooting with my good friend Kiera at one of her stellar weddings outside Indy.  She has been a big part of my business launching off and I'm forever grateful for her!  These two were married in a beautiful backyard at her parents' place.  Thanks for letting me be a part of the day!

40 X 40

At 33 I've started to realize that my body doesn't recover the way it did when I was 16. (Although maybe it's because I wasn't getting up in the middle of the night with a baby and actually slept more than 5 hours/night.)

Well, I've decided to set a health goal for myself and steal my wife's idea of 40X40. By the time I turn 40 (7 years can fly by with kids) I plan to have completed 40 races/events. I kicked it off with the "Tour of Carmel" this past weekend which was a great 20 mile bike ride weaving through the neighborhoods. Rebecca, my AMAZING wife, just completed her first sprint triathlon and is about to run the Nike+ Women's Half Marathon , benefiting Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, on her 30th birthday weekend in San Francisco! What an inspiration!

With this past weekend over, I guess that makes 1 down and 39 to go!!!

Heidi and Ryan

This was such a blast!  

GOTCHA DJ!

It took me hours of refreshing OSP to finally wake up to the video clue!

AS YOU CAN TELL FROM THE VIDEO BELOW, I'M A PHOTOGRAPHER---NOT VIDEOGRAPHER!  SORRY ABOUT THE "EVALUATION COPY"

Lauren and Danny

This was a rockin' group to hang out with!  I was excited about Lauren and Danny from the beginning and wish the day wouldn't have ended.  It's fun to look at the shots and reminisce.  You can tell from the dance pictures that this group loves to P-A-R-T-Y!

Heidi and Ryan

I love when I have the opportunity to shoot for one of my past bridesmaids.  It was a blast to see Heidi's great facial expressions cause it got me stoked for her own.  

Ryan and the guys were all decked out in their "best mess" uniforms making for some stellar shots!  These two were so fun together and willing to amuse me with my ideas.  Thanks guys!

Going on Tour!?

So, last night DJ was in town again speaking about creating more freedom in our lives. After his presentation a few of us went out to Champs and talked about the economy (led by Kevin Swan) and photography. DJ is driving this bus all over the country sharing the love with others. The inside is all tricked out. Even the bathroom is nicer than one I've ever had in my own house! It was great to meet two guys that do his dirty tech work (shout out to Todd and Paul) and the wonderful mother of the group--Shyla (thanks for the shirt and cookies!). I thought I'd start preparing for my own tour some day by getting the pose down for my own bus picture -- I better stick to taking pictures instead of being in them!

Lauren and Danny

It's been a while since I've posted some straight up shots. Here are a few of Lauren and Danny from the other weekend. These two were a blast to party with. Not to mention Lauren has some beautiful curly red hair which makes every picture look better!

As you can tell, I'm a big fan of reflections!  This is one of my favorite pics yet.

Stephanie and John

Stephanie and John are this great couple that let me shoot their reception. It was my first time at the Indiana Historical Society that I wasn't on a field trip chasing down 120 kids. This place was beautiful with an awesome view from three stories above! It always helps when you have a great looking couple! Thanks guys!

Ben Abel

Recently I had the opportunity to shoot a great young man named Ben.  It's exciting to see the future in the eyes of fearless kids.  Ben and I clicked right away when I saw him with his guitar and a Jack Johnson shirt on!  Check out his shots...to the tunes of none other than Jack himself!

Angela & James Wedding

If you've ever tried calling Angela, you'll understand the inspiration for this song!  These two were a blast!  Check it out!

HOMELESS! =(

We finally sold our house (YEAH!) and had been moving into the new house (YEAH!) over the past two weeks.  We had everything moved over and were starting to unpack when gas and oil spilled (BOO!) in the basement and filled the house with fumes.  Apparently breathing in those fumes isn't a good thing for a family with three little kids, so we have one bag packed and are staying at my in-laws (not the most convenient).  So, my time and access to the computer has been limited.  I apologize for anyone who has tried to contact me lately.  Currently (after shooting a reception Friday and a wedding yesterday) I have the flu.  The good part about that, is I hopefully can get back to some of your emails.  Thanks for your patience!  

Angela & James

Last weekend I had the honor of shooting Angela & James' wedding down in Kentucky with my friend Jason from ish Photo.  I've realized that one of the hardest parts of being a wedding photographer is having to say good bye at the end of the day.  You spend so much time with the family and wedding party during one of the most intimate days of their lives, and then the night ends and it brings with it a little sadness.  I love when I get a chance to get back with the couples and catch up on their honeymoon while viewing some pics.  Here are just a few of them from the day!  Thanks to Jason for helping me get some great shots!  Be sure to check him out!