Happy Birthday! Nachshon's 3rd Birthday Party // Milwaukee Photographer

A couple weeks ago I was honored to photograph a very special birthday for my very dear friend!

In February, Nachshon, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma. He underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor and has had intense chemotherapy treatments to fight the disease that spread to other areas of his brain and spinal cord.

Right before his third birthday, he had an MRI to see how effective the treatment was. With immense gratitude to The One Above, Nachshon's scans came back showing extremely positive reports!

It was a truly humbling experience to be privileged to photograph such a monumental birthday party, for my super special friend and her family!

Aside from reading ALL.THE.BOOKS (that kid loves to read - or have books read to him), his one birthday request was... Quiet. 😉. He wanted the whole throng of family to take their voices down to a roar. Which they did. For one whole minute!

I have to mention that the spread that Chai Lifeline Midwest put out was so impressive! I was truly touched to see the generosity, and fullness of heart and spirit they put in to making Nachshon's party an amazing event! The food, the music, the Tzitzis, I mean it was truly awesome!

And of course continued wishes for a full and speedy recovery for Nachshon. (Nachshon Meir ben Temima Chaya Sara Shlomit).

Real and Beautiful Love Story Promotion for Milwaukee Families

Celebrating Real Life Love. Family Photography Promotion 

$200

February is my birthday month! This year I am celebrating a "BIG BIRTHDAY"! And in honor of my special day, I am going to make this amazing offer, so you can document your special day - which is every day.

Let's celebrate your every day. Real life. Real love.

What does real life love look like?

It's not just about heart shaped chocolates and red roses. Love isn't what we may be made to think and believe.

Love is sharing our lives with someone (or someones), and it's sometimes messy and chaotic.

It's taking turns getting up at night with a crying baby.

It means going to work after a sleepless night, or going to the doctor's office when you had 100 other errands planned for that day.

It's appreciating that you don't always see your spouse as much as you'd like, because they're taking care of the family in a different way, while you stay home trying to work on some of your creative ideas, while dealing with tantrums and food fights.

It's picking up some take out, so dinner doesn't have to be made.

Love is having the patience to repeat yourself calmly, even when your 4 year old persistently asks for the same thing, and you've already said "no".

It's having a date night at home, playing a simple game, because you don't want to leave the kids with a sitter for the second or third time in one week.

It's washing endless loads of laundry for your family, and never seeing the bottom of the hamper. 

It's potty training, and newborn poop explosions, and bath time. It's wiping tears, bandaging skinned knees and validating hurt feelings.

It's relinquishing the urge to protect your child from making silly choices, and letting them experience the natural consequences of their actions (obviously not if it will harm them in any way)

It's filling the car with gas, so you don't have to worry about it when taking your daughter to the dentist, then soccer practice then swim class.

It's letting your 10 year old follow a recipe from start to finish, and (probably) dealing with the flour, sugar and eggs all over the place.

And sometimes, it's saying nothing at all - just sitting together, sharing a knowing glance at the end of a long day.

Because after all, real life isn't about the gloriousness of golden fields and sun kissed hair.

Real life is sticky and gritty and messy, but oh so beautiful in all its ordinary simplicity.

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Milwaukee people (and those of you in surrounding neighborhoods and Chicago!)

This cold February, is the perfect opportunity to celebrate your real life love with a family storytelling session!

For $200, you'll receive a 2 hour Slice in the Life Session.

Includes a beautiful 8x12 fine art print, professionally matted and ready for framing (artist's choice). 

Afterwards, you’ll get the opportunity to purchase what you love from an a la carte menu of prints, products and collections - a stunning way to celebrate the love of your family every single day.

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Let's make meaningful art of your family's real, beautiful love.

(Send this link to your husband so he can get in touch with me. Or buy it for yourself. You deserve it)

Secure your session now.

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*Fine Print: This story session voucher can be used to book a family session, an in-home newborn session, or a fresh 48 story. As well, the value can be applied toward a longer Half Day in the Life and a Full Day in the Life session. The session can either be in your home, or at a favorite location of your choice or a combination of both. (No digitals are included in the session fee.)

All sessions are unposed and documentary in nature - they're intended to capture real life. Check out my family gallery and newborn gallery and check out my blog for some of my blogged sessions if you aren't currently familiar with my work  (goodness I have so many more to blog).

Sessions are for immediate family only and must be booked by February 28, 2018 and take place by July 31, 2018 to take advantage of this promotion. (Don't worry about choosing a specific date for your session yet. Reserve it now with your session fee, and we'll book the exact date as we get closer).

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Let's make meaningful art of your family's real, beautiful love.

(Send this link to your husband so he can get in touch with me. Or buy it for yourself. You deserve it)

Secure your session now.

Bar and Bas Mitzvah Party // Milwaukee Photographer

I love photographing birthday parties. When you think of documenting a birthday party, you might think it's only for little kids - like first or second birthdays or for 5/6 year olds.

But in truth, every age and stage is a huge milestone. Especially for a girl turning 12 and a boy turning 13. And when you have both in one year, you get to make a combined Bar / Bas Mitzvah party for all your extended family!! 

This special family, who I'm lucky to call friends as well, celebrated with a beautifully intimate event for all their family and closest friends. And I was lucky enough to document it. I got one instruction and Amelia left the rest up to my creative vision. Her one instruction was to get photos of her Mom. She is the last living grandparent on both sides and they want to make sure they have their memories preserved with her. 

I have to say it was a pleasure meeting Bubbie (Mrs. Weitzman), who is so full of joie de vivre, happiness and great attitude!

I hope you enjoyed the slideshow. I love getting to meet extended families, watching dynamics, and seeing how everyone's personalities come out when they're all together! 

Are you planning a birthday, are your parents or in laws coming to visit, or do you get together with your friends and/or family for bbq dinners during the summer months? These are all special everyday moments that deserve to be documented and preserved!

Contact me to discuss your next session!

Sweet Baby Girl (aka Chicken Nugget) // Milwaukee Fresh 48 Session

Oh my darling!! I was privileged to come and document the first precious hours of this little girl's life. Literally, I was there when she was only four hours old! She has the cutest head full of hair, and clearly has her parents wrapped around her little, flaky finger!

It's such a treat to see new parents fall so gracefully into their new role. Learning baby cues, emotions and new relationships all come with the territory. And I'm sure this beautiful girl will grow up surrounded by all that love!

Now offering Weekday Mini Stories // Milwaukee Family Photographer

I have an announcement to make. I know custom family photography is an investment. I honestly feel like it's the single most important investment your children will thank you for! And all too often, we only realize just how precious these memories are when they are no more. (So on a side note, don't wait for something drastic to push you into booking a session! Do it now. You'll be so grateful you did!)

Okay, back to the topic at hand. I am a mom too. I have expenses. Household. Clothing. Groceries. (Target...) and what not. So I understand if you can't make a full session a priority right now.

That's why.... (drum roll please...)

I am now offering Weekday Mini Stories.

FOR THE MONTHS OF MAY AND JUNE ONLY!!

These sessions:

• are a 30-45 minutes long. Perfect for one family activity like a walk to your favorite ice cream store, planting in your garden, bedtime routine, Mommy/daughter manicures followed by a special treat, picnic at the beach or just morning hangs.

• take place during the week only - Monday to Thursday. (mornings generally, but we can be flexible on that point)

• include 10 high resolution digital images

• include 1 framed 8x10 print.

$450. (Amazing deal, I know!)

Non refundable retainer of $150 due to book your session. Remainder due 1 week before session.

If you think 45 minutes is not enough for your awesome family, don't worry! I still have my regular sessions available at any time (weekends included). You can see the details for that HERE.

5 on 5 - March // Lensbaby Experiment // Milwaukee Family Photographer

Can't believe we're already up to the 5th of April! March here has been quite crazy! I felt like February was forever and March has just suddenly come and gone! From snow to sixty degree weather and lots of other things happening, it was all a blur! In a good way!

And talking about blur, this past month I borrowed a Lensbaby to add some variety in my day to day images. (For those of you who have no idea what a Lensbaby is - it's a lens that creates interesting blur effects on your images.) My kids funnily enough called it a Baby Lens! So apparently there are a couple different ones and they each have different effects. The one I borrowed, the Sweet 35 optic, had a very strong linear blur - almost like leading you into the scene - which kind of made me dizzy in some of the images. 

It worked well for these images taken on the swings - because you could almost feel the motion and movement.

And then I tried playing around with it indoors. It was so tricky and the backgrounds felt so disturbing, so I converted those images to black and white. 

And just in case you're wondering, no we don't usually brush our teeth in the bedroom! 

After all is said and done, I was not super excited with this lens. So now I have to decide if I want to try a different one, or just continue freelensing!

Make sure to check out Becky's 5 image story here. Becky is Milwaukee, Wisconsin Storytelling Photographer and a really great friend of mine!

Storytellers Blog Circle // Milwaukee Photographer

I am so fortunate to be part of a wonderful group of artist who contribute to stock photography websites. Within that community, we have come to admire and respect each other and appreciate the stories our photos tell.

Fo the Storyteller's Blog Circle, we choose one photo and give the background story into what makes this photo the strong Storytelling Image.

Lately, my girl's favorite snack is an orange. (To the point that we ran out of oranges, and she wouldn't eat a clementine!!) She loves when I cut it in wedges and she can suck all the juice from each piece.

This was a Friday morning snack before nap time. I basically just let her eat her orange and I worked the scene, shooting from different angles. I wanted to capture the one photo that sums up her personality - the enjoyment she has while eating the orange. I want the viewer to be able to feel her happiness and wholesomeness of how much she enjoys eating the orange.

So while I love the three images above, I feel like the one image below really gives you the full feeling of her intensity, and how seriously she takes her orange!

See the concentration in her eyes!! And the way she's holding her orange - as if not to miss one tiny drop of orange juice!

Settings: 1/250, f/2.0 ISO 800 Canon 6D, Sigma Art 35 mm

And since this is a blog circle, make sure to check out Jen - from Jen Lucas Photography's post to see how she tells a story with one image.

{Personal Project} Documenting Everyday // Real Life // One Photo A Day // Week 2&3 // Milwaukee Family Photographer

So I thought I would be able to keep up with blogging my 365 weekly, and turns out I wasn't so successful last week. Actually, I shouldn't say it that way. I sort of interrupted my flow with my own Day in the Life session last week - SEE IT HERE - and couldn't get around to blogging my "regular" 365 images last week. So today you are privileged to get 2 weeks worth of photos!

Something during my second week, I took it upon myself to document our day too. So I may or may not have cheated and used some of the images from throughout my day for some of my 365 days.

Days 7-12 we did very exciting things. 

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We had meetings. We baked. We hugged. We brushed our hair. We took awalk in the snow.

This week I've been challenging myself to try and find light in unexpected places.

13. So on our only sunny day of the week, we discovered beautiful golden hour sun, streaming through our living room windows.

14. I was going to write, "On laundry day...", but it feels like every day is laundry day. In any event, she loves helping me with the laundry (whatever day I do it).

15 & 16. Keeping busy indoors when it's too wet and icy to play

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17. Getting together with local, like minded artists and their kids is always a fun activity. 

If you recently received a new DSLR and have no idea what anything means, I can help you! I am running a Beginner DSLR Workshop for Moms on Sunday, February 19, 2017. 

If you'd like some tips on capturing your everyday moments, sign up here for my email list and I'll send you a quick cheat sheet! As well, if you 

Motherhood // Real Life Documented // Milwaukee Family Documentary Photographer

Last January, I set out to preserve the daily memories we were making as a family. Morning routines, homework, shopping trips, the occasional meltdown, and the ever-present love and laughter. I realized that these natural, unscripted moments are what my children will always remember.

This year, I have made a couple resolutions, as I'm sure most of you have.

Firstly, to take one photo a day - a 365 project. To see what my first week of 2017 looked like head over here.

Secondly and more importantly, to get in the frame at least once a week. To be in a photo - either with my kids or without, so that when we relive our memories and pore through albums in years to come they should see their mother!

Which brings me to my third commitment. To document a day in our life once a month. I hadn't truly considered this until a fellow photographer, Sandi, challenged a group of us to take a photo each hour and document our day. I ended up making it more of a personal Day in the Life session and I'm so happy I accepted that challenge. 

This is an ordinary Monday in our house. Simple. Authentic. Beautiful.

From early morning stretches, carpool, nap time, carpool again, homework, dinner and bath time, I documented our day from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM. 

There was no golden hour sunset. We didn't all hold hands and hug each other. We just lived our Honest Real Everyday. 

Love. Laughter. Teamwork. Persistence. Joy. And even a meltdown (or two).

But this is my life right now and I love it! It's hard. It's tiring. And there's lots of responsibility. But it's invigorating. And rewarding.

Seeing the photos I made of my day, and watching them in the slideshow just gave me goosebumps all over! The beauty inherent in each moment that makes up my day is so hard to miss when you're not living in the moment.

This here is motherhood from my point of view.

And you can have the same experience and feel those goosebumps too. You might think your house is too small. Or too dark. You want to lose those extra 10 pounds first. Or "we don't do anything exciting". Guess what? I want to lose those extra 10 pounds too (okay fine, more like 20). And we don't do anything exciting either, unless you consider carpool, cleaning the kitchen and taking baths exciting! 

As well I joined a group of like-minded photographers who will be documenting one day a month too. If you click here and go to Laura's blog post you can see how she documented her day. If you keep clicking through you'll get to see the beautiful days of more of my fellow talented photographers.

Let's get real this year. ME AND YOU!

I'd love to help you preserve your family's everyday beauty. It can be the simple everyday. Or it can be a favorite activity you do as a family. DROP ME A LINE and tell me what memories you'd like to capture forever.

Also, make sure to SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST to GET YOUR OWN GUIDE with tips to help you capture your everyday moments.

Family Holiday Traditions // Lake Country, Wisconsin Family Photographer

Imagine decorating 125 sugar cookies for the holidays with all the womenfolk in your extended family?

When it comes to the holidays, The Lake Country Mom and her family do it right! Grandma, Aunts, cousins and grandchildren all get together for a cookie exchange. Everyone brings baked goodies, packaged neatly for each family member and they eat a light brunch. Then the fun begins. Decorating Holiday themed sugar cookies, one at a time until they finish every last morsel of frosting, sugar crystals and reindeer antlers.

Here's a glimpse into the holiday preparation of a close-knit, fun loving family!