Head Shots!

Thought I would show you something a little different tonight.....These are a couple of head shots of one of my beautiful daughters.  She has been encouraged to submit some pics to a modeling agency and asked if I would do a few head shots that she could send in.  These are just two of them we took - we actually need another shoot to finish up but, I thought I would share these with you.  First, because I think she is beautiful and second to show you another "type" of photography.  I have had a few people ask for this and yes, it is a service I offer.  Sometimes people ask not to have their pics posted on the blog and if that is the case, I will certainly respect their wishes.  But, since this is my daughter......LOL  Love you Heather.....

It Must Be Puppy Love....

Yesterday I had a fun photo shoot with these six playful puppies.  A very good friend of my sister also raises and shows Bernese Mountain Dogs and these are six beautiful puppies I am sure will be winning lots of ribbons and trophies in the future.  It was such a wonderful shoot......although I have to admit a little bittersweet.  We shared lots of laughs, a few tears as we reminisced about Sheila and lots and lots of puppy kisses.  (I LOVE puppy kisses....puppy breath.....puppy love!)

I was so impressed we were able to get all six of these puppies in one shot and we actually did it a few times.  I could tell Kathy is a pro.....(although we did have a few extra hands - thanks Cheyanna, Wayne, Sue and Evan). 

I cannot thank Kathy enough for spending the afternoon with me and allowing me to enjoy these wonderful blessings.  You were such a truly special person in my sister's life and spending time with you and your puppies was such a special time for me.  I look forward to doing it again!

My Heart Aches.......(dedicated to my little sister)

A few weeks ago my family began a struggle that I know has changed me and many people.  My little sister suffered from a brain aneurysm while she was competing at a dog show about four hours from home.  She was rushed to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee where she received exceptional care from some of the most caring people I have ever met.  Over the first two weeks she progressively improved.  They were talking about her going home but, she needed to have one additional procedure to ensure the rupture would not occur again.  We all were happy and everyone expected it to be a simple procedure with her coming home in a couple days.  However our world came to a halt…..When the team of doctors went to make the repair they found that the blood vessel was in a severely weakened state and about to re-rupture.  Our worst fears came true and she suffered from a second much more severe aneurysm.  We got news a short time later that this time Sheila would most likely not recover.  We prayed for a miracle but, most of all we prayed that God would do the best thing for Sheila.  After a few days of praying, watching and crying we had to make the difficult decision to take her off of life supports and allow her to go to heaven.  Sheila always said she couldn’t wait to meet Jesus.  Today, I believe with all my heart that she has done that.  I know Sheila would have loved to be on this earth for many, many years but I also know that she lived life to its fullest while here.  She was very blessed …. She had a wonderful husband that so obviously was the love of her life.  She and Wayne have raised two amazing children.  Wayne, Brock and Cheyanna were her world and she loved them deeply.   She also loved her dogs…..they were her babies.  She had actually said one time when she had heard about someone passing away while they were showing their dog that, when it was her time, that is what she wanted.  What a wonderful thing that God granted that wish for her.  Sheila had a spunky spirit.  She had an opinion and was not afraid to share it.  She was strong and loving and touched so many lives.   She taught her children how to be strong and I know that will be the foundation for getting them through this.  My heart aches as I watch her two children, her husband and my parents deal with all there is to do as we move forward as Sheila would have wanted us to do.   Sheila felt strongly about organ donation and as a family, we wanted to honor that wish.  We chose to do as much as we could which made the process take considerably longer.  However, we know that is what she wanted and it gives us comfort to know that she will be saving lives.  Although we don’t want the recipients to feel any obligation to contact us, it is our sincere hope that one day we may be able to hear from or meet someone she may have saved.   Her spirit will live on in them…..

Now we try to find a way to go forward, our hearts ache so bad right now it is difficult to think about the future without her in it.  I keep feeling like she is going to miss so much.   Her kids graduating, getting married, having grandkids and being there for those day-to-day activities that seem so meaningless until a person you love is no longer there to do them with you.   You try not to have regrets….that is not what she would have wanted but, your mind wanders and all you can think of is, if only I would have…..

We do not understand God’s plan but, trust in Him.  We have our faith and that will get us through this.  We did not understand why he gave us two more weeks, only two more weeks after the first aneurysm but, little things keep happening that have shed some light on that too.   

God (and Sheila) wants us to learn from this and I plan to do that.  Learn to treasure each and every day and treat is as though it may be your last because, it just may be.  I know I have another guardian angel who is watching over us.  I know I will continue to talk to her every day.  I will curse at her ever time we get a snow storm and winter is lasting so long.  Sheila loved winter and I didn’t so every time we get a storm – I know it will be her…..I promised I would make a snow angel for her every year.  Since we just got this huge blizzard, we are sure is from Sheila, I decided to do the first one tonight….This photo is the first of many you will see on my blog…..one each year.  I know I will see her every time I see her kids.  I can see her in them, her strong, loving spirit.  I know she will be watching over them and all of us.  I must continue to look for the good in everything…..she had many happy, wonderful years with her family, she is in a much more wonderful place now watching over all of us.  She is saving other lives….she has given the ultimate sacrifice….So many wonderful family and friends have been here whether in person or via email, phone calls, cards and facebook -   praying, taking care of our animals, doing housework, cooking, shopping, etc……the list could go on and on.  We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and cannot thank everyone enough.  You all have truly been the support for us to continue on…..

We need to continue to look for the positive signs as we move forward and rejoice in the fact that she is in Heaven…..We must believe in God’s Plan……..but……my heart aches…..

Art Show.....and a few extra....

A few months ago while I was shooting a senior session on Main Street, the owner of a local art studio (ExVoto) came out to talk to me about participating in a Black and White show she was having in February.  I was so extremely flattered since the owner of the studio is an amazingly talented artist.   I finished my senior session and within minutes began thinking of what I would want to include in the show.  Since the photos were for a show I really wanted to do a few pieces that would be a little more edgy and different.  I asked my daughter and a friend of hers to help me out and we had a photo shoot one Friday afternoon.  I took several hundred photos and we had a great time.  My daughter's friend is studying abroad in Switzerland and was home for a few weeks over Christmas.  Not all of these were in the show but, these are a few from the session I thought I would share.  The first one, second one and the last one were in the show as well as a couple of others that I plan to share in a future blog post.  Also, the last photo is a boudoir shot that was in the show but also a sneak peek to tomorrow's blog post where I will be sharing several from my Boudoir Sessions.  I want to thank both of my models for being so great to work with and also Tina at Creative Edge for the beautiful framing.  She did an amazing job and I could not be happier with the work she has done for me.  Unfortunately the blog posts don't include the framing but, once they are in my Gallery in the studio I will take a pic and share with all of you.....
I know all of these are a little different but, they were so much fun....As always, let me know what you think.  I love to hear comments!

Something A Little Different......

I thought I would share something a little different today.  If you have seen this poster around town or in school, you may have wondered where the casino is.....  (I have gotten that question a few times).  Several weeks ago, I was asked to do a poster for the Medford Gymnastic team.  They had a vision - they wanted a casino theme with the slogan - "We're flipping for a chance....".   Well, since we are short on casinos in Medford and I really didn't think we could convince all those parents to let me take a bus load of students to a casino somewhere, we had to be a little more creative.  So, photoshop here we come!  Nearly every person on the poster is a separate photo.  Although, I really thought about a quick trip to Vegas to take a photo of a Casino I liked, I couldn't quite pull that off.  So, I had to create my casino from other photos of casinos, slot machines, game tables, etc and  "layered" them together to create this large poster.   Each person or element is a separate layer.....quite a project but, so much fun!

I had a a great time working with this group and creating the poster.   They were an awesome bunch and we had a blast taking all the pics.  Thanks so much for the opportunity!

One More - Just for Fun......

One more....just for fun.  This fall we were at a wedding in the Madison area - pics were posted earlier of that beautiful event.  Anyway, we had a little extra time when there and we took a drive.  It was a beautiful day as you can see and the trees were just turning.  As we are driving down the road, I yell "Stop!"  Fortunately my husband is very used to me doing this and knows that when I yell that, it is typically because I see something I want to take a photo of.  This was so beautiful with the little church in the background......Brings back such wonderful memories of a beautiful wedding and an absolutely gorgeous fall day......I'm ready for spring!

Just for Fun.....

I am not much for "New Year's Resolutions" but, one of the things I really wanted to do this year is take more photos of things other than clients......I love, love, love taking photos of children, people, weddings, etc. but, I also enjoy so many other things too....I always have my camera and am "snapping" but, I don't always post.  Last night as I was letting Annie out I noticed the moon and how beautiful it looked in the backyard.  Here is on the the photos I snapped! 

The only thing I really don't like about seeing the full moon in winter is.....that typically means cold, cold nights....and they are calling for -20 to -25 below wind chills this Friday and Saturday.  I guess my new snowshoes are going to have to wait.......

I had to share.....

I just had to share a couple of photos from our Christmas so far......The first one is Lorin and Aubree after her Christmas program.   They were ahead of us walking to the vehicle and I love that they are holding hands.  She certainly has her papa wrapped around her little finger.  The second one is from the Winter Wonderland in Marshfield.  Every year we go one evening and enjoy all the lights and displays.  Such a beautiful thing to see.  Aubree and Heather were walking through one of the "tunnels" of lights and I snapped a pic.  Such wonderful Christmas memories.......

Merry Christmas Everyone!  I have an engagement shoot later this morning so......if I get just a couple of minutes tonight, I will try to post just a couple.  So many other shoots to post but, next week should be a little slower.

Also, watch for an upcoming contest right after the first of the year!  

aahhhhhh.....Christmas is Coming!

A few weeks ago I took Eve's pics.  She is an absolutely adorable little girl and so funny!  She has the cutest little dimples and beautiful brown eyes and.....the list goes on and on.  And, she was so happy!  Some of the pics I took we were making funny faces and this is one of the shots I got.  When it popped up as I was editing - this was the first thing that popped into my head.  I couldn't resist posting this one.  I have all the editing done on this shoot and will share more of Eve's pics in the future.  But, for now, this is my life!

Glamour Shot......Sneak Peek!

A couple weeks ago I took "glamour shots" at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Ladies Night.  Sue and Heather came with to assist me and we had so much fun.  We had lots of fun props that we took with and everyone had so much fun "dressing up".  As soon as we left we were already talking about what we wanted to do next year.  I am in the process of editing the pics and thought I would share one with you.  I LOVE this shot.  Such a beautiful girl.  I showed it to a few different people today and every time someone saw it they thought it looked like a  magazine shot!  Not sure what this girl does but, modeling could be in her future????

Ms Hollywood!

 The other day I spent the evening with a couple of friends playing with our cameras.  Here is one of the shots from the day.  Doesn't Marie look like she belongs in Hollywood!  We had such a good time and I really needed some play  time with my new camera and lense.  I will post some more later tonight.  Thanks Marie and Heather for a fun time. 

A Funny Story

Isn't she adorable in that wetsuit???? Well, they look great on 6 year old little girls that are tiny....Not so on a curvy Nana body.  One day we went to Discovery Cove.  We got to swim with a dolphin.  They did a short training session and each of us got to pet, feed, kiss and ride on the dolphin.  Lots of fun.  But, you have to wear a wetsuit when doing so.  Like I said, no problem for those kids and people that have tiny little bodies.  However, as a friend of mine said once when she was told she had to wear a wetsuit for a whitewater rafting trip.....
"Wetsuits ain't made for size 12 bodies!"  

So, when we get there we go to the area where they are handing out wetsuits.... The attendant hands each of us one based on what they feel we need.  We are told, "They are supposed to fit snuggly."  OK....so Heather, Aubree and I go into the dressing room to get changed.  Aubree slips her clothes off, wetsuit on, and is ready to go.  A couple minutes later, I begin to laugh.  

Heather asks, "Why are you laughing."  

My reply..."I'm stuck!"  
She begins to laugh as well and says..."Me too!"  

So I go in her dressing area and then the fun began.  As I said, wetsuits are not made for people with a shape.  Envision this...I am standing there with the arms of my wetsuit flapping at about "bust" height (Guess what they got caught on.)  and Heather's was caught "a little lower - on her butt".  The arms of her wetsuit flapping on her butt.  Both of us were laughing so hard by this time we were having an even more difficult time helping each other.  Well, we did finally master this task and got the wetsuits on.  We walked out of the dressing rooms and the guys asked, "What took you so long?"  They didn't have nearly the trouble we did.  Although, I did hear the attendant tell Lorin that she gave him the "James Bond Edition".  We left the dressing room area and guess what.....you guessed it!  Within 15 minutes we both had to go to the bathroom.   I think we had to go 10 times that day.  Must have been all the water we were in.  However, by the end of the day we actually were able to go to the bathroom and get our wetsuits back on by ourselves.  There is definitely an art to putting them on.  And.....if you think putting one on is a task, you should try taking one off.....wet.....boy did that make a funny noise....Kind of like when you pull shrink wrap off something wet!  Not a pretty site or sound.  Like I said, Wetsuits are for 6 year old little girls and tiny little women with NO SHAPE!

Quick Pic

Here is a quick pic since I haven't posted in a couple of days.  This is a pic I took when I was in Florida at Sea World.  I love the way the bird is looking right at me as if to say "What are you taking a picture of?"  and the "Today's Catch" sign in the background.  I have been working in full manual mode and am trying to improve my skills when taking clear, crisp, colorful photos.  It's getting there!

Magic Kingdom - Castle - Fireworks!

 

Earlier today I showed you a picture of the castle at Magic Kingdom during the day.  Every night there is a fireworks display in the park above the castle.  The fireworks are absolutely beautiful.  I took many, many pictures but, I picked out a few of my favorites to share with you.  The last photo is of Heather and Aubree watching the fireworks.  Aubree was in awe during the show.  It was such a beautiful site to see the fireworks but, even more so to share them with a child....big or small.

Magic Kingdom - Castle

I have been doing a bunch of editing on photo sessions I had before we left for vacation so I haven't had a lot of time to post all the pics I have wanted to.  However, I thought I would post this one this morning.  It is straight out of the camera.  As you can see it was a beautiful day....not a cloud in the sky.  It truly was a magical place......especially for a 6 year old girl!

Low Light - Arabian Nights!

 

  

 

During our time in Florida we went to the Arabian Nights Dinner Theater.  They boast that they have 65 horses in the show and although I am not sure we saw quite that many, the show was wonderful and the riders were very talented.  Tonight my photography class talked about shooting in low light...so  I thought I would pull out a few pics where we we did not have good light.  They allow you to use flash photography but, even though we were seated in the second row, you are still a distance from the subject and flash from that distance just doesn't do it.  So, you must rely on your camera and settings to give you the light you need.  As you shoot with such low light situations you will need a tripod, table, etc. to allow you to get the shot without being blurry.  At these low light situations, a steady hand is just not possible as your shutter must stay open too long.
These are a few of my favorites from the night.  The riders, like I mentioned, are very talented.  We saw a great deal of trick riding, acrobatic acts on horseback and some very graceful "dancing" on and with horses.  Beautiful!

A Few Beach Pics

I love this pic I took of a bird on the beach.  I love how sharp the bird and sand right under the bird is and the "blur" or bokeh in the foreground and background of the photo.  As you all know, I am a fan of bokeh.

A couple of my other favorites from the beach.  As you can imagine I took hundreds (ok, thousands) of pics.  Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing some of my favorites on my "Photos" blog and several of the more general pics and stories on my Emmerichs Events blog.  Hope you enjoy them.  As always....we love comments so if you have a favorite or would like to comment, please do either on here or on Facebook.

Photoshop Fun

Well, the reason I haven't posted in a day or two is......my camera is at the "doctor".  I was having a couple of issues and needed to send it in for some minor repairs and adjustments.  I FEEL NAKED..... ALONE..... SAD.... OK, I  have a few issues.  So, to keep me busy during my time "alone" I have been resorting to some older photos that I have been playing with on photoshop.  My camera should be back in a few days, until then, I do have enough photos to finish editing.  But, I do want to take more.  Today, we had to run to Eau Claire and I must have said 20 times, "Oh, I wish I had my camera".  It was a beautiful, frosty morning.  With the sun shining on the frost, it just sparkled....such photo opportunities.  The very first day that it was gone, I was out and about on my way to an inspection and saw a wolf close to the road on a field.....No Camera!  UGH!!!  Such missed opportunities.  It is amazing how I have come to always rely on having my camera by my side.  Until its return, here are a couple of pics I had in my files that I did some photoshopping to. I know family members have this pic of Ken and Rita in the calendar, however, I have had a couple of requests for a copy that can be framed.  If anyone needs a copy, just let me know what size and I will get it to you.

Sojourner....

Last night we went to BS Bar to see the band Sojourner.  For those of you who have seen them, you know they "kick butt".  For those of you who have not had the opportunity to see them, they will be playing again Valentines weekend.  Check them out on Facebook....Become a Fan!  I took a few photos of the band last night.  I decided to do a little photoshopping to the picture.  The background is actually their T shirts that the band is wearing...  Watch for a few more fun shots that I took that I will be posting in the next couple of days.

Brochure Collage

I have been getting so many requests for family sessions, weddings, maternity sessions, etc. I have decided to put together some additional "marketing" info.  So, today I was working on the front of my new brochure.  Here is a sneak peek of the collage!  I should have them completed early this next week.  But, tonite...... pictures of a local band. Sojourner will be playing out at BS Bar from 8-12.  Stop on out!  Hopefully I will have some fun pics for you tomorrow.