Ashley Manypenny - Class of 2014

From the Class of 2014 - Ashley Manypenny!  I’ve said this multiple times, but I truly love my senior sessions.  The seniors I’ve shot so far have been ones that I’ve known as students - and it’s nice to be able to catch their personalities outside of the classroom.  Ashley brought an element of spunk and sassiness with her!  

One thing I like most about a senior session is that I can drive around with the senior (and mother, sister, brother, girlfriend) and find random places to shoot.   There are a few places that I like to use consistently, but I also like to find new places.  As we were driving I thought the way the sun was hitting St. Michael’s Church was beautiful.  I also know that Ashley’s grandmother will appreciate this picture.  

Ashley was able to show me a hidden treasure that brought out the beautiful Fall colors.  The time of day was just right for the sun coming through the trees.  

BUT…all was not beautiful in this location.  As we were in the middle of the road taking pictures a gentleman pulled onto the road.  I had my chair out and set it on the side of the road as we got in the van to move it out of the way (the road was very narrow and there was nowhere to park).  The man sped up on my bumper and got out, yelling at me that his road was not a dumping ground for my furniture.  He then proceeded to write down my license plate number as I promised I was not leaving my chair there.  As he sped away I gave him a friendly wave, finished the pictures, took my chair and left.  

There are certain places that I feel give a certain depth because of the lines that my lens can capture in those locations.  The catwalk and railroad tracks are two of those places.  I like the complexity that they bring to a picture - without taking the focus off of my subject.  

This was a great shoot!  The day itself was beautiful.  Ashley looked stunning in everything she put on.  And Ashley gave me another location to add to my repertoire….If only I can keep that pesky old man away!  

Until next time…

The Martin Family - An Absolute BLAST!

I would like to introduce you to the Michael Martin Family.  From the youngest (Logan) to the oldest (Moon), these people were an absolute BLAST!

Let's begin with Stephanie and her family.  As I've said many times, the guys are always the ones not looking forward to pictures.  With that being said, Nathan and his children cooperated so well! I love that they were all willing to have fun during the photo shoot.  From baby bumps to a young man, this family provided me a great opportunity to take a variety of shots.  I love that Stephanie is the only one wearing a Bears jersey among the rest of the Packer fans.  

Then we have Shaina's family.  She warned me when she arrived that she didn't think Logan was going to be very fond of taking pictures.  But, give him some leaves and his grandpa and he was over the moon!  This is one beautiful family!

Next we have Ryley.  Although he has yet to marry (we will give him a few...or ten years), I was still able to catch his good-natured smile.  As a student, Ryley was always able to make me laugh.  I know he gets it from his father!  

It was very obvious to me that this family is extremely close.  From Moon's girlfriend, to the son-in-law's, to the grandchildren, everyone around was full of smiles, laughs, and love.  Coming from a close family myself, it's always nice to see that there are other families out there that like to give each other a hard time.  

This next picture cracks me up!  I can only imagine what Logan was yelling, but Moon doesn't seem too thrilled about it!  

I feel like I say this quite a bit, but this family truly was so much fun to shoot.  From the extended family to the individual children, I think I love this hobby more and more everyday!  

Until next time...