experimenting.

I experiment on my friends a lot. I make them stand in alley ways or in water falls and I photograph them. It has become pretty common and most everyone just tolerates it as part of being my friend.
I like to test out my location and ideas on people, who won’t hate me if I make them look stupid. And then when I think something works, I will try it “for real”

This happened this week.  I have been photographing this grave yard since I was into photography. I used its gates on a project my senior year of high school. I always loved the saying and the beauty of the iron it was made out of.  I revisited the idea from time to time and never really felt satisfied.

Until this weekend.

I think life is a lot like this. Rarely do we get something right the first time when attempting something difficult.  Anything, starting a business, a marriage, or I suspect even being a parent.  Most things in life that are worth having are worth all the re-do’s, and thank God for re-do’s. We can sleep better at night knowing our mess up wasn’t our only chance to get it right.  Life seems to be alot more about the process of trying and trying again, then it is getting it right every time.
And sometimes if we are strong enough to face our failures and see them through, we create something beautiful.

- Alicia



puppy love.

We fell in love with Priscilla and her strength a year ago. Some of you who have been following us for a while may remember her story from pervious blog posts.

So when she asked us to photograph her and Greg and their two pets we were ecstatic, mostly because that meant that we would get to hang out with her, and also because we would get to meet Greg J.

Priscilla and Greg wanted photos of each of their pets in their Halloween costumes and who could pass that cuteness up?!

We love Priscilla for all of her strength and beauty and her fierce heart, we are so glad and proud that she allows us to continue to photograph her and her life in each new place it goes, and we wish her all the happiness in the world, because if anyone deserves it, It’s her.

The eagles, beer and true love.

"And even if there was a king-size bed
Where I can stretch my legs and lie my head
All by myself, in the darkest room
Just know, that no matter what the options are
I choose . . .
The air mattress with you"
(the air mattress with you- Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band)

Ellen and Dan can be summed up in one word:  Fun.

They are the kind of couple that everyone wants to go on a double date with.  At their consult I knew we were going to have a blast shooting them when they told us funny stories about their first few dates.  And Dan gives hope to all the guys out there who meet cute girls at a bar who, at first, pretends to be dating the girl friend she is with to get you to leave her alone. And luckily for Dan his persistence paid off and he got to take Ellen out on a first date, to his tree farm where they drank beers and talked until the sun came up in the back of his truck under the stars.

Dan decided to proposed to Ellen on the day that he did because they are huge eagles fans, and the eagles were losing, and he said to himself “f they win, I am going to ask her to marry me” and as you can guess the eagles came back from a huge set back and won the game, and Dan won her heart.

And Ellen found out love doesn’t have a type.  And even though she was a city girl she fell for a boy who rides a John Deere and loves her like crazy.

what the water gave me...

We love trash the dress sessions.  The dress is the Holy Grail on the day of your wedding so its not often you are able to roll around in it, and get it dirty. I can completely understand the desire to hold on to such an important dress but on the flip side I love when brides make something beautiful and artistic with their dress afterwards. After all Its not so much the dress that’s important as the memories of marrying the one you love.  Sometimes its nice to be reminded of that.

Kristina is a photographers dream to shoot, not only is she stunning but on top of that she is willing to trust us when we say “how about we put you in a waterfall, on this really chilly day, while wearing your wedding dress” A photographer couldn’t ask for a better subject when they trust your vision that whole heartedly. We absolutely love her (and Anthony for humoring us and rolling up his jeans for a few photos.)  After the shoot Kristina was near pneumonia and when Erin saw here weeks later, we felt awful that we were partially to blame for her getting sick, and Kristina just said “its ok the photos are going to be amazing!” How lucky are we to have gotten to be her photographers.

Thanks so much for your dedication and enthusiasm Kristina. You are truly beautiful. Inside and out.

Shannon and Ken

We got a little bit backed on the blog here at F/stop but we wanted to take the time to write about how much we loved Shannon and Ken.
I knew I was going to like Shannon the moment she told me she brought her Steelers Jersey to take photos in. That made my day.
Ken is a pro-golfer and Shannon works with kids with behavior problem at  juvenile detention center. When she told me this I almost fell out of my seat because I couldn’t believe someone as tiny and sweet as her had such a tough job, it gave me a whole new respect for her. Ken and Shannon were such good hearted people, you would have to be, to spend your days giving encouragement and help to kids who may have never experienced that before or being patient giving golf lessons to people who cant swing to save their lives.
I read a quote this week that I loved it said: Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other. (Rainer Maria Rilke)
I think Ken and Shannon were such a good example of that, two people with two different passions and drives and yet they encourage and root for one another. I have these two friends that are married and one is a huge Greenbay packers fan and the other loves the bears. This has resulted in many of quarrels as you can guess, but Shannon and Ken wore their separate Jerseys and never made a comment about the other person’s teams. That is love.