Steve, Andrea, Lexie and I got together 9am the day after their Saturday May 30th weddings.  Back in the gown and the tux.   Andrea wore a bird cage veil, a fascinator, and then added a veil.  For the day after shoot her hair was down.  Day after shoots are a lot more relaxed because the gown is already ready for the cleaners. No worries about getting it dirty at this point.  The couple is alone with the photographers with no schedule to keep, and they are riding the huge wave of love from the day before.

The day of the ceremony her hair was up and beautifully tucked in the bird cage. Five Star Salon did a supurb job.

The classic car arrived from Klimme’s to wisk our bride and groom away in fitting style for our bride.

Flowers were by the very talented Damian of Milan Florists.  Two weeks in a row he’s been the floral designer for weddings we have captured.  Lovey, beautiful, esquiste… and he stays to make his presentation to the bride.

We could go on and on with images, but in the interest of not writing a novel………

Quad Cities Trolly wisked the bridal party to the reception and stayed to shuttle guests

Video was captured By Tom’s Videography (great to see him again)

Black Tie Entertainment provided a beautiful love story they are so famous for, and music flowed beautifully.

There were individual cakes on every table with a beautiful chocolate covered wedding cake from Sweet Perfections.

The groom is in love with Barq’s Root Beer in the bottle.  A pallet was shipped from Louisiana or Mississippi..never did get that story fully.  Every guest got to enjoy a cold Barq Root Beer.

Still deep in processing.  It will be a few days before the wedding goes to the proof site.  The couple left us yesterday to drive to Detroit and leave on their honeymoon with assurances they would not be near a computer until they got back.

Our surprise guest at the reception was the Brandenburgs from Brandenburg photography.  They finished their wedding and came to join the bride’s parents to help celebrate.  Great to see them as well!

We don’t usually go to dress rehearsals simply because there isn’t always a need.  Many locations we have been to over and over and know the rules.  Yesterday was a little different.  The wind blows the fountain water, so that determines where they stand.   Sides were switched from one shown here so that Nikki would not be looking into the sun.   There is a special part to the ceremony involving the park, so we needed to know the location.

We got to see brothers and sisters, grandmas and grandpas, moms and dads, and somebody’s tat.  We had a baby, and boys and girls, an adorable flower girl and ring bearer.

It will be fun to see them all dressed up today.

What? No shots of the bride?  Nope!  Only from later today!

Family dynamics are always great.   They hug and love on each other, and immediately they begin to catch up on what has happened since they last saw each other!  Today was no different.  There was chatter all around mingled with kids playing, lots of laughter, and celebrating the reason they were all there.

Go capture it at Vander Veer Conservatory

to photograph is one that the knows the only way to live is to seize every moment and live it to its fullest. Such is this young friend of mine.   She doesn’t walk into a room…she explodes into it.   As a photographer I constantly find myself reassuring people they really do look ok.  We at this point in history have become very critical of how we look and have medical procedures and products to fix just about anything.  Anything that is except be uniquely the way we are made……..one of a kind……. rare…. only crossing planet earth one time.  I plan on photographing this one over and over………and I promise……..she will always be the girl not afraid of stepping out from behind the mask of “proper”.

This was the third annual Brides Bingo held at Northgate on Feburary 26, 2009.  The rain certainly didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.  They came out in bunches to play Bingo.

There were some pretty serious players

Some rather colorful players

We were there for our third Brides Bingo.

Heather won our free wedding package, but because she already has a great wedding photography studio booked we converted her package into 10 free hours of photography for any kind of session she wants between now and December 31, 2010……shown here with her mom and grandmother.

Of course we have a slide show. Click to view.

Do not give candy, Diet Rite soda,  Puffs, nor money……..

Please call Studio D Photography, and we will come and claim him!

Actually this is a dear dear friend, I love very much.  We been friends more than 10 years, and until recently he lived here.  His job took him to another part of the country.  So to my surprise he wound up on my doorstep 3 days ago telling me in a phone call that we was downstairs at my door.

He hates his piccie being taken. Absolutly forbids it, but I did get one!  And you can bet I am gong to hear about posting it on my blog!!!!

Never trust a redhead with a camera!!!!  hahahahaha! Yes, I am so aware of pay back being a very bad thing!

I will be sad when he leaves, but there is always the next time one of us takes off on a road trip and winds up at the other’s door.

May God bless you abundantly, my friend.  You have been missed more than I could ever express in words.

Ok!  In this household…

Annarainne

Coco

and yours truly all like peanut butter.  We do not need bread……..just peanut butter.   We like Skippy Creamy. We hate chunky, and reduced fat is a NO NO.

Our jars are running low.  “They” say its safe to buy peanut butter in the jar.  Hmmm.  Life is NOT good when one’s peanut butter is threatened.

Disgruntled blogger and her pooches

Just a fun little afternoon shoot session.  Sip a little champagne.  Laugh a little.  Intimate photography always has the individual expressing to me how nervous they were before and how easy it turned out to be.  Today’s mystery lady thought every woman should do it  so they could feel good about their bodies.  She is all set to do a second shoot.

Sorry guys……that is all our Lady of Mystery is willing to make public.  The rest are for her eyes only.

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The following excerpt comes from:  http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/csm/massmound.html

This region was in very early times, as we read in Parkman’s history and in the records of the Jesuits, frequently visited by Jesuit missionaries, and missions abounded along the banks of the Mississippi. Davenport was but an Indian encampment, Blackhawk’s watch tower guarded the opposite shores of the Mississippi, and Colonel Davenport’s trading station was on Rock Island, now the site of one of the great United States Arsenals. Antoine Le Claire traded with the Indians farther to the north near where the famous Buffalo Bill was born.

One day, after the dread of devastating storms had long lain heavy on the dwellers of this beautiful country, one of the missionaries summoned all Indians and Whites, Christians and non-Christians–all who could be reached, to a meeting. He set up an altar on a hill where St. Katharine’s now stands, and celebrated Mass daily for a week. Day by day the Indians came and went. The Christians sang litanies and prayed for blessing and protection. On the last day the holy priest lifted the Host and blessed all the country that lay before him, and prayed to God that henceforth it might be preserved from storms and cyclones. Now St. Katharine’s fair gardens grow and prosper about this spot.

The Sisters of St. Mary heard this tale, and after much research have attested the fact by pioneer records and the Jesuit records in St. Louis. One of the manuscripts reads, “On the mound of the old Davis house (now St. Katharine’s School), southwest side, where French priest had a black cross made of walnut wood, carved by hand, a crucifix, as great storms were so dangerous. Very holy clergy knelt in prayer, and made offerings to God for safety.”

It is fairly well established that the “French priest” must have been either Father Mazzuchelli, a Dominican priest who in 1838 erected the Church of St. Anthony (now standing in Davenport) or Father Van Quickenborne, a Jesuit. Tradition points, however, to Father Van Quickenborne, for the narrators of the tale usually relate that the officiating priest was a Jesuit who had recently come from New Orleans; and the Jesuit archives in St. Louis confirm this tradition. The Sisters have found that the story as told in widely differing groups of the older people of Davenport varies in its details.

END OF EXCERPT

Last January 2008 I ran into Dr. Joe Seng at the JC Bridal Expo at his booth for the Renwick Mansion. Immediately there was a tug on my heart to go see.  It took 9 months before I finally did go and see.  Instant love.  I grabbed a couple of models (read that to mean unsuspecting friends) and we had ourselves a grand time photographing inside and out. 

Every visit I found myself walking on the grounds out to the East of the House.  There was such a prevading feeling of peace there.  You just want to plop down in the shade on the blanket of grass and let yourself free. I really didn’t have an explanation as to why until I found the story of the Mass Mound.  I had heard it several years ago, but it never penetrated it was The Renwick Mansion that was the site of the Mass Mound.

I placed both of the young ladies here.  It is an awkward lighting spot without external lighting.  There were much more desirable spots, but I kept working here.  I couldn’t explain it.  I didn’t show these images here much because they are not great.  Still over and over I was drawn to work in this spot.

I do not believe in conincidences and accidental happenings. Tomorrow more to this story. Stay tuned!

PS  If I wanted to do an outside wedding or reception I’d do it here on this land and this spot. It has been blessed, anointed, decreed and declared over. It had both a hickory cross and later an altar erected on the site.  Please remember this is private property and you need permission to walk on the land.

I was shooting away with Molli in front of the camera when I did the cardinal sin of photography in my personal opinion.  I leaned to the right, tilted the camera even more, and shot.  Just one shot… not a single one more.  

Now normally when I go through my post production routine this image would have either been straightend horizontally or thrown out, but I didn’t do that.  For reasons unknown to me I kept it.  I played with it rotating it 90 degrees several times.  It makes my uncomfortable to look at it, yet I am fascinated enough with it to post it here.

I have to think about this.  Why the impulse to even shoot it tilted?  No harm no fowl in the doing.  I just wonder at how much of my attention it has grabbed in post production.