Announcing

Natale Photography’s

Black Friday & Small Business Saturday Promotion

Gift Certificate’s will be available @ a discounted rate {Friday & Saturday ONLY}

Friday 8am – 12noon | 25% off

Friday 12noon – 12midnight | 15% off

Saturday All Day | 10% off

In addition to the discount when you purchase a Gift Cert this weekend you’ll be entered to win a

FREE 16×20 Canvas!

Contact the studio for further details or to place your order.

Please note that they have to be paid for in FULL during the discount times given above.

{fine print : for future sessions/orders only, not valid on any pending orders or usage with any other combined discounts}

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Change is a comin’ for Natale Photography

I released a very small sneak peek of the new marketing rolling out in the next few months.

New branding.  New website.  New blog.

Fresh design & Fresh ideas.

What do you think?  Like it?  Love it?  Gotta have it?  {ha, that’s from Coldstone Creamery}

I’m so excited, it’s been a long over due.

So with that I decided to be a little sneaky, just put it up on the BLOG & held a little impromptu contest to see who pays attention to the details…

It was fun, to read the responses I received both on FB & via e-mail. {thank-you for those that participated}

We had over 25 entries & three people that included all the same amount of detail in their answers {& some details that actually weren’t even new} & the person that was randomly selected as a winner was :

Kiara Krohn = CONGRATS

Contact the studio for information on how to use your $75 studio credit!

Would love to hear your thoughts on the new logo?

and make sure to follow us here :

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Megan & Andy Lewis

Saturday August 6, 2011

I can not say enough wonderful things about Megan, Andy & their families.

Really & truly it shows in their relationships & the guests that attended their wedding & everyone that knows this family.

It was so much fun to document & Megan & Andy had a beautiful August day to celebrate with everyone.

I just love love love M & A’s story.  They have literally known each other forever & dated long long ago in grade school & even went to a school dance together.

They went their separate ways & started dating again a few years later, and the rest as they say, is history.

This past year during our time together it has been such a pleasure to get to know Megan & Andy.

Thanks again for a wonderful day & keep in touch!

Also a big thank-you to the fabulous Andrea, from Andrea Paradowski Photography for second shooting with me that day, she did a fabulous job!

{s. natale}

Vendors

Ceremony Venue : St. William Catholic Church {Janesville, Wisconsin}

Reception Venue : Eclipse Center {Beloit, Wisconsin}

Hair|Makeup Salon : A Glo {Janesville, Wisconsin}

DJ : Juke Box Bandstand {Madison, Wisconsin}

Catering|Decorations : Best Events Catering {Janesville, Wisconsin}

Seeing her Dad for the first time, before he walks her down the aisle.

Wonderful image taken by the fabulous Andrea Paradowski Photography who second shot with me that day!

Ahh, Grandpa.  Loved your Bow Tie.

Megan & Andy went on their first date here @ this Mini-golf place.  It was a must for day-of portraits.

Seriously could you BE any cuter?

Another fabulous shot from Andrea {Thank-you!}

Love this one too, taken by Andrea

These two bouquet shots were taken by Andrea @ the reception with some of the decorative pillows.  Love how they turned out, Thanks Andrea!

One of the many beautiful tables @ the reception.

I must admit, one of thee most craziest Bridal Party entrances, the award goes to Megan’s sister Laura.  She was one brave girl to come in on his shoulders!

Megan & Andy’s entrance.  Loved Andrea’s view here.  Andy’s a cop, which explains this shot perfectly.

Megan’s parents watching the slideshow as the surprise unfolds.

Megan & her sister & I put together a surprise ending to the day of slideshow shown @ the reception.

It consisted of images from her parents relationship because Megan & Andy were married on her parents’ anniversary.

Such a sweet sweet family!

Megan’s aunts had a HUGE surprise for her @ the reception.  They did a skit involving the “long lost” bridesmaids.

A bridesmaids through the years so to speak.

It was so hilarious & wonderful to watch Megan see this surprise unfold.

Outside for our traditional, end of the night shots.  Which was a much needed few moments of silence for the busy Bride & Groom before they went back in & joined their guests for the next few hours of their reception.

If you enjoyed Megan & Andy’s BLOG post be sure to leave us/them some comment love below

and

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Jack & Sawyer

These little boys are simply adorable & were so much fun to photograph.

It was helpful that we were outside & they were able to get some energy out @ the same time.

This session worked out perfectly for them.  We shot @ a nearby local ‘woodsy’ park & then ended up at their elementary school.  Which worked out great for a nice backdrop for some of their portraits as well as a few of them playing baseball @ the end of the session.

Which for this family is a must.  They love baseball!

Enjoy the Sneak Peek, Fields family!

{s. natale}

Doing what boys do best, especially these boys!

If you liked Jack & Sawyer’s BLOG post be sure to leave us some comment love

and

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Lynzee & Jason {Engaged}
Wedding Date | September 17th, 2011

I met Lynzee last year through one of my 2010 Bride & Grooms.

We hit it off right away & I loved how upbeat & bubbly her personality was, I was so excited to hear from her when they got engaged last year!

Lynzee & Jason are perfect for each other, always laughing, always smiling & they are the type of couple you just can’t help but be happy when you are around them!

We had a blast during their E-session & I loved getting to know them better!

I can’t wait to be apart of your big day this September, coming up so SOON!

Enjoy the sneak peeks!

{S. Natale}

Who said a few random little props can’t be fun?

When we were planning out their session we knew that one of our stops would HAVE to be Rivers Edge Bowl in Janesville.

That is where they first met & they share a lot of memories from this place!

Thank-you SO much to the owners of Rivers Edge Bowl for allowing us to come in & kind of take over for a few hours.

They were very very accommodating!

If you liked Lynzee & Jason’s BLOG post be sure to leave us some comment love

and

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Oh, the places You’ll Go!

By : Dr. Suess

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

This book was given to me almost 15 years ago this month, from my parents when I graduated from high school & I am quite sure that I will be giving it to my children when they graduate from high school in the coming years.

This time of year tends to stir up many emotions as it is the time we as parents are ending a time of our children’s lives & looking on to the next chapter.

Whether it is the first year of PreSchool, Kindergarten, Jr. High, High School or maybe even College.

I made the decision recently, that I was going to start a tradition in our family, one that we’ll look back on when my children graduate from high school & go off to college. Hopefully something that they will both cherish forever.

I wrote both of them a letter, from my heart, about where we are at right now as a family & where they are at in their life.

I spoke about their favorite things to play with, their favorite movies, their best friends, what they said they wanted to be when “they grew up”.

My wishes for them as their mommy, our inside jokes & our favorite books.

I plan on continuing this every year & assembling the letters in a binder, to be read by them when the time comes.

As a photographer, I know that taking pictures of those moments are so important but I wanted to document in words as well.

So that they can see in pictures & hear in the stories what it was like when they were this age.

A few snipits from their letters

Gabriel’s Letter, Kindergarten Year, 2010-2011

Lucy’s letter, Pre-School, 2010-20011

{this dress is three generations old.  it was worn by my mother in the late 1950s, worn by me in the early 1980s & now Lucy wore it}

I hope you enjoyed this post, a little personal I know but I hope it inspires a handful of you to do this for your children.  Take the time, take the quiet time to sit down, document these moments, these crazy crazy moments.  Both in pictures & in words because although it seems like you will have years with them, before you know it they will be walking across that stage, getting their diploma.

As a mother, I know that I’ll never be able to say it enough, show it enough or write it down enough.

I love them to the moon & back, & back again.

“The Days are Long, the Years are Short”

“You’ll get mixed up, of course,

as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!”

Laura & Ben

{married 05.20.11}

Sweet family. Close relationships. Family traditions. Beautiful couple.

Beautiful day.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Laura & Ben over the past year as well as their family & what a sweet sweet family they are.

As a mother myself I could appreciate how close they are as a family & that shows in everything that they do & that they prepared for in this wedding day.

I love documenting events like that, the love that they all shared was just so evident in the everything they did, the people that were there & in Laura & Ben.

They had a late afternoon/early evening ceremony @ St. William Catholic Church, which BTW photographers if you are looking for a beautiful {read well-lit} Catholic Church, St. William is the place to be.

We had a short time for portraits in between but we rocked it out & so did the weather.

We made it to the reception shortly after for Laura & Ben to kick off their celebration.

Only one word describes the reception room : WOWzers.

It was a photographers dream.

Thanks for allowing us to share in your special day L & B and enjoy your sneak peek!

{s. natale}

| be sure to scroll to the bottom for the vendor list & links to their websites |

The girls were practicing “Teach me how to Bucky” for the reception

Getting all “glitterfied” before the wedding {is that a word?}

Lauras dress was a surprise to everyone, even the Bridesmaids.

This image was part of the reaction the first time they saw Laura, all dressed up on her wedding day.

The absolutely stunning bride, Laura.  Yes honey, you were having a wonderful “lash day”

Look @ these fabulous shoes?

I believe they were in the middle of making their “fancy” face

Sisters, a few moments before the ceremony

There are no words to describe how much I love the next few images

{note : Ben & Laura did not see other prior to the wedding, these were their first few moments}

A moment during the ceremony

Rings on their getaway car {thanks Michelle b. for this lovely shot}

The AMAZING cake table

The BEAUTIFUL head table

L & B’s first dance

Images from their 3D slideshow

Mother & Father of the Bride

The beautiful Mother of the Groom

Laura & Ben’s Wedding Vendors

Ceremony  | St. William Catholic Church, Janesville Wisconsin

Reception Venue | Holiday Inn Express, Janesville Wisconsin

Flowers/Decorations | Brad @ Floral Expressions

DJ | Austin with Jukebox Bandstand

Videographer | Frogman Productions

Photographer | Natale Photography

If you liked Laura & Ben’s wedding BLOG post be sure to leave us some comment love

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Danielle & Michael.

Sister & Brother.

“It was nice growing up with someone like you – someone to lean on, someone to count on…someone to tell on!”  ~  Unknown

Often times I photograph siblings as they are much much younger & it was fun & refreshing to photograph D & M, who are obviously a bit older & they were really fun to work with.  When we first started out, the thought of touching their sibling was just simply out of the question, but by the time we ended our session together they were laughing, hugging & jumping around.

As a mother of a Daughter & a Son myself, I can only hope that my two get along this well in 7-8 years.

Thanks for the fun afternoon D & M & Amy your children are great, you should be so proud!

Enjoy the Sneak Peeks

{s. natale}

Danielle & Michael were super cute together, this was @ the end when I told them to give their best bear hug.

Because this is part of a Birthday Surprise for Dad {sssh!} we had to throw in a little Brewer action too.

Sweet little Charlie was absolutely perfect for his 6 month session @ his Grandma & Grandpa’s farm.

I love photographing on-location, to me it really personalizes their session & in some circumstances can be a bit more meaningful to the family as well.

We decided to photograph at the family farm for Charlie’s session & I was so excited when I got there to see all of the possible spots to shoot.

Mom came very prepared with adorable outfits, shirts & hats {may from www.etsy.com } & some great ideas too.

You can certainly tell that this little guy is very VERY well loved.

Thanks for a great morning Jennifer & Dan, enjoy your sneak peek!

{s. natale}

For more information on how Charlie’s DOC band was personalized, please look here :

Bling Your Band

Bling Your Band – Facebook Page

This was taken in mommy’s family crib.  Love those little piggies.

Four Generations of Farmers.

Charlie’s family has a pig farm here in Janesville, it was Daddy’s idea to get some of the baby piggies out & let them play… they were so cute.

Charlie came into the studio for a quick mini-session.  Mom wants to do a series from his newborn, 6 month & 1 year sessions.

And while he was in the studio he rolled over for the first time!  YEAH Charlie!

This image was from his newborn session…

This image is from his 6 month session

Look @ those legs, love ‘em

Charlie, helping show off a new chair @ the studio

*BLOG CONTEST REMINDER*

Leave a comment for Jennifer, Dan & Charlie to win a $50 studio credit & at the same time your entered to win a $50 studio credit as well.

Contest Information :

If a client {Bridal or Portrait} get 15+ comments on their BLOG post they will receive a $50 studio credit toward their print order or wedding album.

ALSO….

I will randomly pick one winner from the comments that are left on the BLOG & they will ALSO get a $50 studio credit.

So to summarize :

Go to the BLOG, share the love, leave a comment or two, win free stuff & help my clients get free stuff too. Pretty simple really.

For the upcoming Bridal Fair “season” {Natale Photography is participating in two with in the next three weeks} as well as just freshening up our samples @ the studio I ordered a few new albums/books & received those this past week.

Sometimes it is difficult to describe to clients the various options we have & is always nice to see in person.

Here are just a few of the albums you’ll see at our booth today at the Quality Inn & Suites in Madison, Wisconsin.  The show is from 1-4 & is FREE to get in.  If you are engaged & planning a wedding, make sure to stop in & say hi.

I will also be giving a short presentation with Philip Hinkle from Frogman Productions about “Documenting your Day”

Looking forward to meeting some fabulous new couples.

Now on to the albums…

5×5 LayFlat Press Printed Book with a Leather Bubble Gum cover

Perfect for a Parent Album

Matted Gallery Album with Chocolate Brown fabric & Frosted Acrylic Image cover

4 x8 Accordion Book with a Metallic Cover & Smooth Glossy Paper with a Frosted Slip Cover

{NEW for 2011}

4 x8 Accordion Book with a Satin Cover & Linen Paper with a Frosted Slip Cover

{NEW for 2011}

12×12 LayFlat Custom Album with a Camel Leather cover & rounded corners

{Fabulous for an option for a final Wedding Album}

If you don’t get the opportunity to stop by the Bridal Fair today, make sure & call the studio to set up your appointment for a Bridal Consultation at the studio to view these sample pieces in person!