Mr. Sterling came to the studio last week & had an agenda of his own.

This little 18 month old, is a smart smart cookie & is quite the entertainment.

I look forward to seeing how much he has changed for his 2 year session, coming up this summer!

I’ve had the pleasure of photographing this family for the past two years, starting with an Engagement session, through their wedding & watching Sterling grow up.

That is one of my very favorite parts of what I do, being able to work with families & watch their families expand.

Enjoy the sneak peak Sarah & Matt

~sN

Yes that is Play-doe & yes it matches his vest.  Momma was thinking ahead!

Because, sometimes it’s just OK to cry.

Sheldon, the paci made one last appearance for old times sake.

*BLOG CONTEST REMINDER*

Leave a comment for the {B} family 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 that week & 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.

{Megan & Andy}

We decided to brave the cold weather & do a combination engagement session.  We started at my downtown studio & left from there to a few different locations around Janesville.

I love hearing about how couples met & I love Megan & Andy’s story.  They met long ago in grade school & “dated” briefly.  He broke her heart.  {tsk tsk Andy} They went to school together, Megan’s mom taught them both.  I actually heard through the grapevine that Andy may or may not have had a small itsy crush on her mom in grade school.

Moving on, they re-connected later on & well, as they say… the rest is history.

They are a cute, adorable couple that you can tell has a lot of fun with each other.

It was my pleasure to spend the morning with you both & getting to know you!  {thanks again for the coffee}

I look forward to photographing your wedding this August!

Enjoy the sneak peeks

They had A LOT of fun with my silly glasses on a stick.

Love this blue wall, hope they NEVER paint over it.

This little shadow idea was ALL Andy.

It isin’t your typical “guy” thing, but I thought it was adorable.

Thanks for sitting on the cold, snow-covered ground for this shot, you guys were troopers!

Andy is a Police Officer & I was thinking through out our session how I wanted to shoot the “ring shot” & I asked if he had his badge.

Sweet, thanks.

The little blue State of Wisconsin circle  worked perfectly to hold the ring in place.

*BLOG CONTEST REMINDER*

Leave a comment for Megan & Andy 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 that week & 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.

Happy 2nd Birthday Anika!

Recently we photographed Anika around a few spots here in Janesville for her 2 year session.  I’ve photographed Anika several times the past couple of years & due to the time of year & weather we’ve shot inside all of the times until now.  It was great to get outside, especially with a little 2 year old – they love to run!

She was great during all of our outfit changes, just like a champ.  Other than her favorite outfit, the TuTu. {which mommy got from etsy, btw}

Thanks for a nice morning & have a fabulous time at the Yo Gabba Gabba Concert!

s. {natale}

I photographed Mr. ONE-year old Fin this past week in the studio.  We were originally wanting an outdoor session, but mother nature decided to rain for like 115 days in a row.  So we decided to bring a little outdoor fun, inside.  Mama & Daddy brought along one of Fin’s FAVORITE things to do :: Bubbles.

It has been so much fun photographing this little guy over the past year!  He has grown up to be such a cutie!

Enjoy the sneak peak

~sN

I met Jenny over a year ago @ the Janesville Bridal Fair & I remember thinking right away, that she looked like Kate Hudson.  I was so excited to work with them both on their wedding day.  You might recognize her from my BLOG a few months ago, I shot her Maternity & Newborn session too & it was a pleasure getting to know them & their families over this past year!

We started off @ Jenny’s parents house in Janesville & the house was a wonderful place to photograph.  The landscaping was beautiful & the light in the backyard was perfect.  From there we headed to Rotary Gardens & besides it being a tad bit warm the ceremony was wonderful – Blue Angels & all.

The bridal party was a super fun group & never once complained – we photographers LOVE that!

Thanks for being swell, Michelle & I had a blast photographing your wedding…

{S. Natale}

Jenny’s parents collected vintage cane’s – check the little mini-tuxedo.  HOW cute is that?

Jenny you looked absolutely STUNNING.

One of my favorite times of the wedding day :: When my couples see each other for the very first time on their wedding day.

Family = Chase & his Mommy & Daddy on their wedding day

Wedding Venue :: Rotary Botanical Gardens, Janesville Wisconsin

Mr. Chase & his wedding day transportation

Girls will be girls…

And boys… well yes they will be boys.  {p.s. that is the groom chuggin’ it down…}

The sweet little flower girls {taken by the wonderful michelle b.}

We traveled downtown Janesville & found a few open spots in a nearby alley…

If you have not been to O’Riley & Conway’s Irish Pub {the new  pub downtown Janesville} then you must go soon!  Fabulous place, wonderful selection of beer {not that I had any that day} & oh if you like the smell of wood – your all set

I was very excited when Jenny & Pat said they wanted to go there in between the Wedding & Reception for a cocktail.  I had a vision for these shots before we even got there!

The Janesville Country Club is one of my absolute FAVORITE places to shoot for a reception, wonderful, amazing, yummy light!  Today was no different!  Everything looked wonderful.

Jenny’s hair was positively rad.  {yes I used the word rad & I love it}  Vanessa from Indira Salon & Spa was the lady behind that magic.  I took this shot outside on the patio & I don’t think she & her husband could be ANY cuter.  It was great finally meeting you V.

Probably one of my FAVORITE images of the entire day.  Absolute perfection.  This moment, this look, the pure happiness.  That is what I do.  I freeze this moment for my clients so that they can look back on this image years from now with their families & they can feel what they felt at this exact moment.  After the cake is gone, after the flowers die & the dress is put in the closet, this is what is left.

Jenny & Pat were bustin’ a move…

I’m a sucker for a girl & her pink bear

So what is this shot all about??  50/50 raffle @ a wedding?  Heck yeah!  The DJ {Todd Alderman} from JukeBox Bandstand likes to do this little activity instead of a $1 dance.  It was a lot of fun & got the crowd going!  One of the wedding guests ends up with 1/2 the money & the couple ends up with the other 1/2.  It looked super fun!

A few quite moments together :: Love.

Vendors ::

Rotary Botanical Gardens {Wedding}

Janesville Country Club {Reception}

O’Riley & Conway’s Irish Pub {Portraits}

Indira Salon & Spa {Hair & Make-up}

Jukebox Bandstand {D.J.}

Have you ever wanted to crash a wedding?  Well mark your calendars, because on May 21st (TWO days from today)

Janesville Elite Wedding Professionals are putting on an event that you do NOT want to miss!

Amazing prizes given away all night & the grand prize is valued at over $7,000.

If you are engaged {or will be soon} you can. not. afford to miss this event!

Contact any one of us with further questions & also visit us on our Facebook pages here & here

Fortune Cookies, Fortune Cookies & MORE Fortune Cookies {part of your fabulous Swag Bag as the first 200 RSVPs}

Guess what your fortune is??

A few red envelopes for the bag too… You’ll just have to come to see what’s inside.

See many of you Friday night @ the Country Club.  I’ll be the one with a few camera’s around my neck.

S. Natale

Natale Photography is VERY excited to announce a new 2010 product:  3×3 Mini Book.  I’ve sold several of these over the past few months & the response has been fantastic.  Therefore we’ve decided to launch the

March & April Portrait Special:

Schedule your session in the Month of March or April & receive 1 3×3 Mini Book with your portrait purchase. {$75 value}

E-mail or call the studio to schedule your appointment.

stephanie@natalephotography.com {608.289.9264}

Availibility is limited & weekend spots will fill up fast.

Looking forward to spring & shooting more outside!

{stephanie n}

So part #2 of my new blog is integrating a weekly post {my goal is monday} of random information, links, sources of motivation and/or resources that hopefully will benefit my readers.  Being as though {ideally} I’ll have variety of people viewing this blog, my hope is to break it down like this:

portrait {peeps}

{{resources, articles & information geared towards the modern mommy, family & seniors.}}

Building Blocks for Learning located here in Janesville.  I think they are a great resource for families in the area.  I became acquainted with Kay & Jeanne several years ago when I started buying Thomas the Train items there for Gabriel & loved their selection of toys, books & learning tools for children.

If you haven’t been in to check out their store yet & you live in Janesville, shame on you.  They are located right across the street from the Post Office & next to Walgreens on Milton Ave.   They carry a lot of fantastic educational toys as well as a variety of Melissa & Doug, Thomas the Train, Playmobile & they also offer classes in their activity room.

{Remember to support your local small businesses!}

wedding {peeps}

{{unique ideas, planning websites, vendors & exciting news in the bridal industry for my wedding clients}}

If you are looking for custom Wedding Invitations {that ROCK}, check out The Paper Deli in Middleton Wisconsin.  They are originally from Janesville & recently opened up their retail store on Old Sauk Rd.  They do amazing work:  invitations, programs, thank-you’s & more.

Brian Breezer is the owner & he is great to work with & very creative.

They even carry these (what more could you possibly want):

photo {peeps}

{{resources, motivation & random tidbits for those in the photo industry}}

One thing that I’ve learned over the past few years in this industry is that working with & learning from other photographers is a huge part of the business.  I’ve loved meeting many different photographers from around the country @ different workshops, conventions & seminars.  I think that it is so important to recognize that we all have something to learn & we all have something we can offer.

Recently I was a part of a fantastic program {Foundations of Posing} given by Pierre & Anna from Pierre’s Portrait Art in Madison.  Both Pierre & his wife Anna offered a lot of great knowledge & shared information with a small group of photographers.  We were able to work with each other on a variety of exercises & shoot @ a beautiful location.   We even had an adorable couple who were celebrating 5 years of marriage but were very willing to put on a suit & a wedding dress in order to play “bride & groom” for a bunch of crazy photographers.

Pierre gives back to this industry in many ways & it is photographers like this that allow all of us to grow & learn in our business, improve & then in turn give back to other photographers in the future.  Check out his website & his amazing work!  He also offers a free forum for Wisconsin Photographers (WPPF). Thanks again Pierre & see you Thursday!

Here are a few of the images I took that day:

If there is a topic, question or idea you’d like to see discussed here next week, leave me a comment & I’ll see what I can do

{stephanie n.}

So this little guy comes with quite the story.  I was originally hired to photograph his birth.  Mom was preparing for a home/water birth.  Her EDD was New Years Eve of ‘09 and we were waiting patiently for him to arrive.  Grayson Lennox, though had a different plan.  He surely was born @ home, but momma’s whole labor & birth was only 20 minutes, no time for any photo sessions.

10 days after he was born he came to my studio for his newborn session with his big brother, beautiful mommy &  his daddy who made it home for his birth from Afganistan.

It was a pleasure meeting you mr. G the rockstar.

{stephanie}

Amy & Andy had a wonderful winter wedding day in Wisconsin.

{I’m somewhat partial myself to winter wedding’s because my husband & I got married on New Years Eve.}

I love these three next shots.  They don’t really even need a description.

Amy’s veil {Mantilla} was worn by her mother Sue.

I hope this is what you imagined Amy when we talked about this shot.  I *love* it.

Amy & Andy had a Hot Choc station & the wedding favors were customized mugs – adorable!

Meet Ms. Elyssa.  She informed me that she was THEE best dancer in the city of Janesville & that I should be taking her picture & I must agree, she did a great job & had a lot of fun doing so!  {hope you like these E}

Amy & Andy – you were a BLAST to get to know & photograph over the past year & I wish you the best of luck with your new venture “down south”

Wedding Day Vendors:

Hair:  Robin’s Nest Salon {Milton}

Makeup:  Marie Nicholson {Mary Kay}

Church:  St. Joseph’s Church {Edgerton}

Reception:  Pontiac Convention Center

Catering:  Catering by Michael

Music:  Jukebox Bandstand (Terry Wendt)