video of me trying to win a scholarship...

Wisconsin Hillbilly (to the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies) on 12seconds.tv

Gene Higa and Jose Villa - both exceptional wedding photographers are hosting a workshop in Tuscany, Italy. They are having a contest to win a chance to attend the workshop... you need to submit a 12 second video and you need to be creative, funny and tell them why you deserve to win! All in 12 seconds!!! You never realize how short that really is until you give it a try.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that they like my off key singing!

my little brother...

Isn't so little anymore. In fact, he is turning 30, buying a house and getting married to an amazing girl all this year!

Nic and Jenny live in Michigan where they are working on their advanced degrees in Art Education and Law, respectively. Seeing them together back home in Wisconsin is rare... their 8+ hour drive from Michigan is quite long and draining on both the couple and their bank accounts.

But I am very proud of my lil' bro. Especially this week. He and Jenny are closing on their first home. This is no ordinary home... it is the home that my father grew up in. It was even built by our family, and now it will stay in the family.

Over Memorial Day weekend I was able to have a bit of fun with Nic and Jenny at our cottage in Pickerel Lake, WI. My mom wanted an innocent headshot to send to the local paper... but alas, I couldn't stop taking fabulous photos of them!

Here are a few of my favorites!

Their wedding is on October 3, 2009 at the beautiful and historic Old St. Joseph Church on the campus of St. Norbert College. Their reception will be at Lambeau Field's Atrium and their wedding photographer is my friend and colleague MiaS Photography in West Bend, WI.

Fun Fact Friday - What's with the guest book?

Fun Fact: I'm not really sure the exact origin of the guest book at weddings.
so I researched it just a bit...

It turns out that originally it was to start a listing addresses for thank you's and for the new couple's formal address book. It was of course to also document the people who attended your celebration... but is this really the case anymore? I'm sure if a couple needed an address of one of their guests wouldn't they already have it since they sent them an invite?

So what is the purpose of signing a guest book have today?

I see more than just plain lined guest books at weddings. This allows couples to customize their keepsake and it may also allow guests to write more than just their names. Allowing for even further customization and well wishes for the couple to cherish forever.

Some things I've seen are the classic photo and mat in frame. A ceramic bowl, puzzle pieces, poloraid photos signed and posted to a decorated board. I've seen a display with large willow branches where guests could hang well wishes... and a decorative birdcage where guests could toss in a piece of paper with a loving note for the bride and groom.

The possibilities are really endless....

One thing that I personally have fallen in love with is the custom photo guest book. A custom guest book will feature 20+ pages of photos from your engagement session. The images are carefully designed to allow space for guests to write. A guest book attendant is suggested to ensure that guests use the correct pen and that the messages are distributed throughout the book. Of course I love photography... but it is such a wonderful heirloom from your wedding. Easy enough to store on a shelf and intimate enough to sit down and read and bring back memories.

Here are a few photos of a guest book I did for Joanna and Ben...



What unique ideas for guest books have you seen or done? What sort of guest book are you planning for your wedding guests... or have you not even thought about it yet?

Baby Ava :: a newborn portrait

I was contacted by little Ava's grandma weeks before she was even born. She wanted a special and uniquely artistic gift to give to the parents-to-be. We were able to schedule the newborn session only 3 weeks after her birth.

I love photographing babies between 2 and 3 weeks of age. They are the perfect size to do many beautiful and artistic shots. This little girl just broke my heart with her beautiful lips.


Ava's father is in the Army and they thought it would be a nice touch to include his dog tags and jacket. The look on the baby's face is the cutest most expressive face I've seen!


Here are some of my favorites...
What a tiny heart breaker!

Portrait sessions are limited. If you would like to schedule a newborn, family or senior portrait session please email the studio at info[at]ardentphoto[dot]com for more information and availability.

Robin & Justin :: Ever After Punta Cana

Ever After Session my term for the celebratory portrait session after your wedding. More popularily known as Trash the Dress.

Robin and Justing had enough energy to get back into their wedding clothes for beach Ever After session just one day after their amazing Punta Cana wedding. I was able to experiment with some new lighting techniques as well as shooting in the ocean for the very first time. It was a blast!

Here are my favorites...

Robin & Justin :: Destination Punta Cana

Robin and Justin Schumacher :: May 9, 2009
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic


Love, warmth, beauty. Three words that can describe so many things at Robin and Justin's Caribbean wedding celebration. These two are truly blessed with the love of their family, friends and each other. Their intimate ceremony in Punta Cana was the perfect setting for their vows. They were married by their family pastor who flew in all the way from Wisconsin while their closest family and friends witnessed the ceremony.

The warmth of the oceanside location was enough for everyone to forget all of their worries and the brisk cold of our typical Wisconsin spring. But what was even warmer was the affection that Robin and Justin had for each other. They were so meaningful to photograph and even more heartfelt to sort and process the images post wedding. Their love is so easy. It just shows in their body language and the way they look at each other.

The utter beauty of everything just made my eyes smile at every glance. From the color of the water to the fullness of the moon. The Bavaro Princess Resort had over 90 acres for us to roam and photograph. We were able to shoot at the beach, in a forest, in a peacock reserve, on a bridge and even in the resort spa. And to top it off, Robin chose a perfect beach wedding gown and coordinating bridesmaids dresses as wells as linen shirts and pants for the guys. Everything was just so beautiful and relaxing.

There are so many images from this wedding that are incredible. It was hard for me to just select a few. Here are my favorites...














Wedding Gown: The Bridal Event
Resort: Bavaro Princess
Travel Agent: Heart of the Valley Travel - Apple Vacations
Dinner Reception: Café del Mar
Hair: Metamorphesis Spa
Rings: Avenue Jewelers
Groom's Attire: Men's Warehouse

Special thanks to Miranda Zynda-Kneeland of Reminisce Photography and Design for flying to Punta Cana with me to second shoot this wedding. Her insight and creativity rounded out the coverage for the weekend. Thanks so much Miranda!

Fun Fact Friday - You can still have beautiful photos in rain

Fact: I shoot outside when the weather is wet.
Now, if there is a tornado warning or a monsoon downpour I will find another location that is both safe and beautiful...

Andy and I got married 8 years ago this very weekend - the weekend after Memorial Day. And it rained. Outdoor photos were extremely important to me and I had to beg, beg, beg my photographer to go to a park. Back then, my photographer was shooting with a medium format film camera that wasn't weather proof, and of course he didn't bring any rain gear. Not even an umbrella.

I sure am glad that I forced him to shoot outside during our rainy day. Those are the photos I love the most... especially the ones of Andy and I kissing under the umbrella.

This is why I am sooooo determined to shoot in any weather. It is as important to me that you have outdoor wedding photos as much as it was to me on my wedding day 8 years ago. In order to shoot in the rain I bring 8 black golf size umbrellas for you and your wedding party. I bring rain gear for myself and my cameras. If I know it is going to rain really hard I will scout the area for overhangs so you will stay dry while I shoot out into the openness.

Last weekend I shot an outdoor ceremony at the Paine Art Center in Oshkosh. Of course, minutes before the processional started heavy drizzle. The show went on. Luckily, guests brought umbrellas and the Michelle at the Paine distributed even more. The ceremony was beautiful despite the rain... and I was able to capture some great moments.

The great thing about a light drizzle is that there is no blinding sun and no harsh light that can create ugly shadows. Actually, I'd rather shoot on a dreary day over any other day! The colors from last weekend's wedding are so bright and vivid - an amazing contrast to the wet surroundings.

Full blog post coming soon on Jessica and Jerrod's May 23, 2009 wedding at the Paine Art Center and Gardens - Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Are you worried about rain on your wedding day? Tell me about your wedding day weather worries or true life stories!

Meet Nellie

Meet Nellie. My mom and dad's newest little puppy. She is a King Cavalier Spaniel. As Tyra Banks would say... she has a bit of "ugly" to offset her "cute".

They named her Patronella after my great-grandmother. So Nellie for short. Such a perfect name.

The chair is a Northwoods roadside find... as Andy and I were driving up north, about 10min away from the cottage I spotted this Ardent blue chair. The sign said free. It is just perfect!!! Expect to see some upcoming sessions with this chair.

Behind the scenes - destination Punta Cana

Last week I returned from an amazing destination wedding in Punta Cana. My clients Robin and Justin from Kaukauna decided to say their vows on the beautiful, private and (most of all) warm beach-side rotunda in the Caribbean.

I was accompanied by Miranda Zynda-Kneeland of Reminisce Photography and Design and we worked well as a team creating an abundance of beautiful shots for the couple.

Contrary to what most people may think, a destination wedding is not a vacation for the photographers. We actually do a lot of work prepping, packing, traveling, getting through customs, scouting, shooting, archiving and more! Oh, but don't get me wrong... I love shooting weddings and to shoot a wedding in a tropical location was definitely top on my list. We did have a ton of fun and got some drop dead gorgeous images... but we also did a lot of work.

Here is a quick look behind scenes...

Miranda carefully arranging the straps on the dress.

Shooting in the resort's spa...

Shooting on the ground of the Bavaro Princes... we had 90+ acres to work with!

Trying out my new fisheye lens... Miranda and I had a blast with the Ever After Session on the beach

The color of the water was the most beautiful I've ever seen!

Full blog post coming soon!

Fun Fact Friday - Bride Wars and other Wedding Related Shows

Fun Fact: I am addicted to wedding shows!
I recently saw the movie Bride Wars on the plane ride back from Punta Cana. It was a fitting time and place to watch the movie as we were returning from a destination wedding. Watching a girlie movie about weddings with another wedding photographer was super fun - we laughed at all the same things. One of my favorite lines is "if I were your wedding, I'd be sleeping with one eye open".



The Bride Wars website is super cute... you can play a "bridal beatdown" where you can select your character for a wedding dress boxing match complete with sound effects.

Some of my favorite wedding related shows and movies include: Say Yes to the Dress, Bridezillas, Platinum Weddings, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Wedding Crashers, The Wedding Singer and Son in Law.

There are always new shows and movies coming out... For a complete listing of wedding related entertainment visit BridesTelevision.com

What are your favorite wedding related TV shows or movies?