Brayton is so fabulous in front of the camera.  He always has a surprise waiting for me around the corner of the lens.  His eyes are crazy awesome.

His parents & I met a few years back at the Rock County Bridal Fair.  They own an amazing stationary store on Madison’s West side, called

The Paper Deli Store

If you haven’t had an opportunity to swing into their store, you have to.  They have fabulous unqiue gifts, cards & also drop dead gorgeous invitations.  So if you are getting married?  You’ve got to check them out.  {wow I’m like a commercial}  No seriously.  They have some great stuff, make sure & swing by the next time your in Madison.

Then even carry these :

HARVEYS Seatbelt Bags

Moving on, oh yes Brayton.

We had a wonderful morning shooting Brayton’s 3 1/2 year session.  They picked me up early a.m. so we could scope out locations together & what sweet clients, there was a Starbucks Latte waiting for me.  {thanks}

Enjoy the Sneak Peek

s. {natale}

ms. Katelynn recently celebrated her big O-N-E birthday.

It has been such a fun year watching her grow up & capture her at a variety of stages.  She is such a cute, sweet smiley baby! Which makes our jobs as photographers a lot easier.

We decided to do her 1 year session back where we started, at home.  We shot Katelynn’s newborn session at their home & I loved the light, the windows & the decor of their home.

Some of you may actually remember the image that was published on the cover of Tots Trends Weekly last year at this time.  That was little miss Katelynn, during our newborn session :

And here she is now :

I fell in love with this framing & the bright blue sky!

One year prior ::

K & her buddies

Enjoy the sneak peaks & be sure to check out Natale Photography Facebook page for a special fusion video of this session!

s. {natale}

{personal}

This has been a crazy past few weeks full of sessions, engagement parties – turned weddings & getting ready for my little guy to start Kindergarten. (whaa?)

We actually received their backpacks today in the mail & OMgosh simply adorable.

mr. gabe = kindergarten

miss. lucy = first year of preschool

I can not believe how fast they grow up, geesh.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

{links}

There have been a lot of useful articles and/or links circulating recently & I thought it would be helpful to do a small BLOG post with this links all in one location.

Are Digital Files Included in My Baby Photography Session?

10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do

Utterly Engaged : A new online Wedding Magazine

How to have the Perfect Newborn Photography Session

This particular link is written by the wonderful & talented Mandie Haberman from Red Gecko Studio

How To Be a Great GWC :: {guest with camera}

If you are a photographer & don’t know who Jeff & Allison Rodgers are you have been living under a rock .  Sorry it is true.  They are fabulous & offer some amazing things for photographers, check out lbobi : the little blog of big ideas

Here is a fun debate :: Messy or Tidy workspace ??

____________________________________________________________________________________________

{networking}

Photogs, Photogs & MORE Photogs

Being a part of this industry not only means that we get to meet & photograph amazing clients but we as Professional Photographers also get to meet, work with, laugh with & bounce ideas off from other fabulous photographers.

This past year, this area has really expanded & I’m very grateful for all of the new friends both in person & online (for those that live too far away).

I think that sometimes people in this industry get too caught up in competition & worry about sharing information.  I truly believe in the exact opposite.  When you open yourself up to share, & learn from each other the possibilities are endless!

xoxo

Pictured below :

Rebecca Eby :: Studio Noveau

Mandie Haberman :: Red Gecko Studio

Cammie Holterman :: Red Gecko Studio

Amanda Reseburg :: Type A Images

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

{business}

I received such a SWEET SWEET gift this afternoon from my UPS man.  He delivered a Thank-You gift  sent from my Bride & Groom {Jessie & Jon} that had a fabulous  Engagement Party/Wedding Reception this past weekend!  Thanks SO much J & J for the gift.  Thank YOU for allowing us to share in your day & document the amazing surprise!  Look for the BLOG post very soon!

Here is a picture of my yummy treat

__________________________________________________________________________________________

{business – announcements}

FALL PORTRAIT DAYS

Stay tuned for the release of the Fall Session dates.  We’ve done these for the past 4 years & will continue to schedule a day both @ Beckman Mill & probably another location, perhaps in Evansville.  One day will be in September & the other will be in October.  Spots WILL be limited to 5 each day.  Please contact the studio if you are interested in the information.  Hoping to roll out the details early next week

SCHEDULE CHANGE

More information to come, but starting January 2011, Natale Photography will have more set weekday hours & will be limiting the weekend availability.
Very excited about this new change!

NEW OFFERING ::

Boutique Pet Photography, NEW in 2011

Stay tuned for details.

Here is an image of our newest addition, Violet.

I recently flew to Michigan for the day to photograph a fabulous family before they take off on their next adventure : Japan.

I met Beth & Andrew a few years ago when I started photographing their then newborn : Ruby.  They lived in Madison @ the time & we had the opportunity to photograph at their home as well as at the state capital for a super fun Christmas session.

A lot has happened for this cute family between then & now.  Janna & Gwyn arrived last August while they were temporarily living in Denmark & you may remember a BLOG post earlier this year from when I traveled to MI to photograph the Robinson clan while they were home visiting for the holidays.

Click here to see that session.

It has been my pleasure to work with you guys & watch the girls grow up & get more beautiful every time I see them!

Safe travels to Japan & looking forward to next time!

s. {natale}

——————-

Miss Janna {1 year}

Miss Gwyn {1 year}

Daddy & his girls

Happy FIRST Birthday Janna & Gwyn

Miss Ruby is so proud of her little sisters.

The next two images just melt my heart.

Janna & her cupcake

Gwyn & her cupcake

Janna & Gwyn, finishing up their yummy cupcakes – glad we saved this until the end of the session!

Teja turns 16!!

Recently I had the opportunity to photography Teja’s 16th birthday in Madison, Wisconsin.  It was at the Eagle Heights Community Center

It was a wonderful party, full of great friends, family & outstanding food.   I just absolutely love photographing families that are so friendly, outgoing & fun!

I was able to take Teja aside & do some shots of just her & also her family.  Thanks for having me, it was great getting to meet you all!

s.N

The proud Mom.

The Family

Enjoy the Sneak Peak

{S. Natale}

Pink. Tiny. Newborns = Awesomeness.

Brian & Emily chose NOT to find out what they were having {which I give those folks a lot of credit} & I was so excited to get her text when little baby girl Ashlynn came into this world on July 9th.  They were into the studio 7 days later & Ashlynn was just perfect.  I love photographing newborns, smelling their sweet new baby smell, their soft little squishy skin & seeing the amazing love on their parents’ face when they hold them.

Especially first time parents like B & E.  I’ve known them both for almost 10 years & photographed their wedding 3 years ago this September {how time flies}.

Just for fun here is an image from their engagement session 4 years ago & wedding 3 years ago

Congrats on your perfect little girl, I look forward to watching her grow up!

Enjoy your Sneak Peaks!

{S. Natale}

Nothing, & I mean nothing is much sweeter than watching two big brothers & their sweet little sister.  That was the case for this threesome.  Weston & Will were so amazing with their little sister Charlotte & I can’t wait to see how cute & protective they are as she grows up & gets older.  When I last photographed the Leeder family, they were a family of 4, and Charlotte makes 5 & I’m so happy for you guys & your new {pink} addition!

This is what you get when you ask the daddy to “help out” during a session & hold fabric….

Enjoy the sneak peak, Molly & Mike

{S. Natale}

I absolutely LOVE photographing first birthdays.  It is such a milestone for that little person & mommy & daddy.
I especially love photographing first birthdays when I’ve had the opportunity to photograph their newborn sessions, it is always a blast to see the changes from day 1 to day 365+.  Mommy & Daddy {a.k.a Sarah & Matt} have been clients for sometime now, I photographed their wedding & enjoy seeing them every time they are back in town.     We had a great session & combined both outdoor & indoor locations.  Sterling was a bit under the weather but he managed to be a trooper.

Meet Sterling & his friend “Sherman”

We used this same cowboy hat during his newborn session last July only his whole body fit in there

Sterling was not thee biggest fan of the cake, {Sarah you did a great job, the cake looked wonderful} but he entertained us nonetheless.

Enjoy your sneak peak

{S. Natale}

Oh Maddy, you are so stinkin adorable with those little “Annie” curls of yours!  Maddy & her sister Lauren have been clients of mine for several years & I always tell Mom & Dad what perfect little ‘models’ they have.  They have always been so easy to photograph, the camera absolutely loves them (both).

This time though, Maddy wanted to give me a little challenge.  She was attached to her momma the day of our session.  In a way it was pretty darn cute.  Just another reason why I love what I do for my clients, I am able to stop time for a moment & document the way they are right then.  Maddy was super “clingy” but to me, I loved the interaction, love & sweetness between her & her mommy.

We did schedule a “take 2″ session, & this time we went outside, so Maddy could run.  Glad we did both.  It allowed for some really sweet images.

Enjoy the sneak peak!

{S. Natale}

This pretty much sums it up ::

Absolutely LOVE her curls

Session {take 2}

Big Sister : Lauren

Reese with her adorable smile & crazy silly pig-tails made for an excellent model for her 1-year session.

I’ve been working with her older brother & mommy & daddy for quite a few years now & am always amazed @ how much she changes every time I see her.  She is so cute & bubbly, just like her brother was when I photographed him @ age 1.

We managed to sneak in a few family shots too.

Who would have thought, that Janesville’s Dog park would make a good location for a outdoor session.  We even made it out of there unscathed – if you know what I mean

Enjoy the Sneak Peak

{S. Natale}

…and just for fun.  One of Olin @ his 1-year session