Wednesday, December 30, 2009

2009 :: A look back

I'm sooo excited for this new year... before the clock strikes 12:00 I want to recap the wonderful adventures of 2009...

An Ardent Photography Photobooth


2009 was a terrific year for Ardent Photography... I started out the year shooting a wedding with Rachel of www.mergeweddings.com in Key West Florida. I flew to the island in a ridiculously small 8-seater airplane - in the co-pilot seat! I knew from that moment it was going to be a fantastic year!

In March I returned for my second straight year at the WPPI conference in Las Vegas, NV. I had a blast rooming with Molly Michel of m three studio and participating in classes and shootouts all week long. I bought my first "real" purse and necklace at Tiffany's... thank Molly for introducing me to nice things.


That Easter Andy and I took off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for some along adult time. It was so very relaxing to have nothing to do besides sit and soak up the sun.

Shortly after our trip to Mexico I was hired to shoot my first destination wedding in the Dominican Republic. I brought along friend and photographer Miranda Zynda-Kneeland of Reminisce Photography to be my second shooter. It was a true honor and privilege to photograph Robin and Justin's wedding in Punta Cana.

My busy wedding schedule only allowed me to take a limited number of High School Seniors. This year I shot 10 sessions and had a blast photographing seniors from Xavier, Appleton East, North and West as well as a senior from Winneconne High Schools.

The summer's weddings brought lots of joyful moments in couples lives - and I loved shooting at many new locations. I especially loved shooting for Tracy and Tim in Pembine at the Four Season Resort and in Door County for Kirsten and Andrew at the family's private residence. Thank you to all of my wedding couples for making 2009 such a fantastic season!!!


The most joyful news of the summer had to be finding out I was pregnant with our second child - a GIRL!!! Drew will finally be a big brother - our due date is March 1, 2010. He wants to name her "Cook"... it's actually quite cute, we are calling her that for now... but we do have several cute girl names on our list!

In other business 2009 news... Unveiled Portraits - my boutique boudoir photography venture has been such a dream come true. I've shot more than 75 boudoir sessions total and in the month of October I raised $900 for my first ever Boudoir for Breast Cancer fund raiser with the help of matching funds from Invitation Consultants.

I was also featured in Wisconsin Bride Magazine as an expert in boudoir photography. I am beyond excited to continue photographing boudoir session in 2010 and continue to make Unveiled Portraits the best boudoir photography studio in the state of Wisconsin. Thank you to all of my wonderful ladies!!! Here's to a new year of loving your sexy-self just the way you are!!!

This year was also a great year for my family. We took our very first family vacation in December to Disney World. Seeing Disney through the eyes of a 3 year old was definitely magical.

Drew had the most fun on the Triceratops ride at Animal Kingdom and getting his face painted up like a dragon. For Andy and I, our favorite part of the trip was getting selected to see the fireworks show as VIP's at Epcot. We were the only people in the entire park that got to sit alongside the people who designed the show and just yards away from where the fireworks are shot off.

To help make way for lil' sister "Cook" Drew said goodbye to his toddler bed and hello to a big boy bed. He is doing great in the bed and hasn't fallen out yet... He also was bumped up in his swimming class at Swimtastic Swim School. He can swim all independently for 3 feet, he is also jumping into the pool and swims to the side - all by himself!

Andy caught the biggest fish at my brother Nic's bachelor party in Pickerel Lake, WI - the thing was a HUGE 42" and very very tasty ;-) He has also been very busy playing in his softball and pool leagues. We are very fortunate his company has been so successful this year and are looking forward to what the future holds. We are both so lucky to have careers we love and a family that we adore!


Have a very happy and prosperous 2010!!!!

xoxo Amy

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Class of 2010

I have been a bad blogger over the last month or so! But I've been a very good photographer and order-filler!!! Boy am I busy this time of year.

I recently prepared Beth's images and really wanted to share them all with you. I had a blast photographing all the high school seniors from Xavier, Appleton East/West/North and Winneconne last summer.

Here are just a few of my favorites from Beth's session...







To see more from Beth's session and more of my 2010 Fox Cities High School Senior Pictures become a fan of Ardent Photography on Facebook!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Tiffani & Scott :: Green Bay Wedding

September 12, 2009
St. John's Catholic Church - Little Chute

Reception - Oneida Casino, Green Bay


Tiffani and Scott planned a gorgeous wedding fit for a prince and a princess. Which is exactly the theme of their day. Tiffani chose a gown with a fitted bodice and long train, they had a castle cake and a fairytale book on every table at the reception.

It was an honor to document the wedding of two awesome people. Here are my favorites from the day...








Tiffani and her dad have a very special bond. They took dancing lessons and swirled around on the dance floor! It was so heartwarming to watch...

Friday, October 23, 2009

How cool is this?

I just found out that I've been selected for the Bride's Choice Award 2009 through WeddingWire! WeddingWire.com is a great place for online wedding planning... you can see lots of information on local vendors... make sure to check it out!

If you are a past bride of Ardent Photography or of Unveiled Portraits please take a minute or two to leave a review on www.weddingwire.com! It's easy and fast... thanks so much!

Leave a review for Ardent Photography
Leave a review for Unveiled Portraits

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Dana & Tim :: Neenah Outdoor Wedding

Sunday, September 6, 2009
Ceremony and Reception: Bridgewood Resort and Conference Center, Neenah, WI


Dana and Tim had a fabulous Sunday wedding. The day started getting ready at their home on Doty Island. The couple had their first look in Doty Park and several photos at the Whiting Boathouse.

The day was perfect. Warm, sunny and gorgeous. The grounds at the Bridgewood were perfect for a wedding.

I had a ton of favorites from this wedding...


This darling little kitty kept it's eye on us while we were photographing the dress.









I love photographing the parents at every wedding. They are so proud of their children and are beaming with joy. Having parents this great deserves it's own photo!







Monday, October 19, 2009

Happy Fall!


This shot was taken just for fun before an annual fall photo session. Summer has ended and fall is upon us!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

It's a......


Perfect timing for wedding season!!!

Ardent Photography is up to some pretty amazing things!!! I have some more wonderful news I cannot wait to share with you all... hopefully soon. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Pink??? or Blue???


Andy and I are finding out if we will be having a girl or a boy today!!! Drew really wants a brother... I'd love for him to have one. But I'd also really, really be happy if it were a girl!

Stay tuned to find out!!!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Think Marriage...

I've been following a relationship blog called www.thinkmarriage.org for a while now. This is a great informational resource to all kinds of people in relationships. With all of the wedding planning and decisions to make it is a true value to invest into your relationship. There is a section for singles, engaged couples, married couples and so on...

The blog also features events such as "10 great dates"... The Thinkmarriage.org blog itself is a value to add to your RSS stream.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Tracy & Tim :: Four Seasons Resort - Wisconsin


Tracy and Tim selected the Four Seasons Resort in Pembine, WI for their destination Wisconsin wedding. The resort is located in Northern Wisconsin on the Menomonie River which also serves as our border to Michigan. For some odd reason I automatically thought of a rustic place with lots of wood grain and maybe even a stuffed hunting trophy or two. I was excited to see how beautiful the resort was. Not only was the ceremony site well maintained and lovely... the building, the staff and even the pool was just awesome! I never doubted Tracy and Tim's impeccable taste... I knew they would do something beautiful and unique. But I really had no idea how beautiful everything would come together until I edited their wedding images. The grounds, the lighting... everything was just amazing.

To top of the physical beauty of the day was the free flowing emotions that brought so many to tears. I love it when a couple can put the stress of planning a wedding day aside and really enjoy every minute of the day... even if it is filled with happy tears.

It was a joy and an honor to photograph their wedding. Enough words... let's get to the amazing photos!!!

The light for the pre-ceremony shots was delightful! I love seeing the anticipation on their faces...

Walking your daughter down the aisle on her wedding day is emotional enough... at the Four Seasons the walk was extra long. But it served for the most perfect backdrop!


I am in love with Tim's reaction as Tracy and her father approach the ceremony. I love the way his smile is framed on the right photo.

The officiant of this ceremony really made the event memorable. She brought a personalization to the ceremony and even nick named the best man "sweet cheeks" and called him that when she was ready for the rings...

Here is an example of the perfect first kiss. Tim swept Tracy off of her feet and planted a wet one on her. What's even more special is that Tim constructed the arbor!


This is the one-lane 100 year old wood bridge that is the only access to Miscuano Island. There is a legend that the gangsters of the 1920's used this island as a hide out and removed wood planks from the bridge to deter and unwanted visitors!



The lighting all day was absolutely fabulous!!!



The cake was made to resemble the linear banding on Tracy's gown...










Wedding Coordinator: Four Seasons Event Coordinator- Peggy Landwer
Bridal Boutique: Vera's House of Brides
Dress Designer: Marisa Bridal
Bridesmaids Boutique: Vera's House of Brides & The Limited
Bridesmaids Dress Desinger: Alvina Valenta, Jim Helm & The Limited
Jeweler: Rummele's
Cake: NT's Finest
Florist: Ruth Timbrock
Invitations: Karrie Karban
Rehearsal Dinner: The Four Seasons on the Pub Porch
Entertainment/DJ: Todd Beauchamp Celebrations DJ Service
Ceremony: The Four Seasons Miscauno Island Pembine, WI
Reception Venue: The Four Seasons Miscauno Island Pembine, WI
Honeymoon: Cabin on Moose Lake - Hayward, WI