Roger and I want to wish everyone a safe and fun holiday. We owe our freedom to the courage and sacrifice of many, to whom we humbly say, "Thank you!"

To celebrate we photographed the Water Bugs show and fireworks at Idle Isle park yesterday. The show was great. If you live near Muskego, WI, get out to see them for an entertaining evening (every Wednesday between Memorial Day and Labor Day). You can get to the show images by clicking here. Many Show Ski teams have not been able to get on the water at their sites due to the flooding. Among them are the Rock Aqua Jays (from Janesville). Their ballet line (or part of it anyway) and one strap doubles couple came out to the show yesterday and skied entertaining acts during intermission. Click here to see their contribution to the festivities. Part of the evening's fun was a fireworks display. It was awesome. I couldn't resist making some images. Here's one.

I can't express what it means to me to be trusted to capture the portraits of the Class of 2009. This morning's session was awesome. Thanks Joe and Sandy! I was inspired to create this collage for Joe - before I've even processed and posted his session. Enjoy it while you wait for the the rest of the images.

Sometimes a new tool sparks the creativity, and that's just what happened to my day. One of my professional organizations (PPA) sent a tool sampler. I had been considering purchasing a set (or 3) of these tools and just hadn't yet. Today I took the sampler for a test drive and here's my first creation.

Summer for us is a very busy time. Graduation portraits are being made in time for fall yearbook due dates and there are our summer activities. This is our 5th year photographing water ski shows and our third covering some of the Muskego High School's boys baseball games.

Yesterday we attended an exhibition game at Miller Park. What a thrill to see our athletes competing in that venue! Here's a photo and link to the albums:

We've been busy at the studio!

Last Friday we met an old friend who graduated this year. He added a few shots of his favorite sport, Rugby, to his portfolio in preparation for a book his mom's creating. I enjoyed visiting with Ben and hearing the excitement in his voice when he talked about the men's rugby league he was going to play in on Saturday.

We also met 2 new friends. Lovely young ladies who will graduate in 2009. Kasey had her year book head shot taken and is waiting for the rest of her session until May when  her braces will be off (or so we're all hoping!).  Megan did a whole session, inside and out. This collage has a little of everything!

Friday was a really "WOW" day at the studio and personally.

At the studio we hosted a wonderful 2009 graduate. Michele is lovely with a spunk that makes her shine. She's heading to boot camp in a few days and says that she's always wanted to join the military. Our session flew by! In spite of the soggy ground, we were able to go to Muskego Park and enjoy some outdoor photos in addition to the in-studio session.
Here she is!

Roger and I pay attention to trends, love technology (especially the high-end WOW stuff) and learn from our industry's leaders (seminars, professional photography blogs, etc.). Lately we've been seeing how much having a big display (the studio's 24" iMac) entertains our guests as well as showing them what we've captured. Many of the leaders from whom we learn are (and have been for a few years) touting the joy of projecting the images for their clients.

We considered our clients and our studio - it's lay-out, our goals - and decided that while showing the images "big" is good, a projection system just doesn't fit us. Instead, we have installed a 47" LCD HD TV (loads of acronyms) that will be used to display our images to our guests. It will be employed to help in deciding which images are best for printing as well.

Next week will be very exciting as guests come in and get to see the BIG Picture. Stay tuned for more on this new system as we integrate it into your experience.

How long will this take? vs. How long can I have?

Some seniors want to get their portraits done as quickly as possible. Others want to savor the experience. We try to accommodate both. In reality it takes about 2 hours to get a couple of backdrops and poses at each inside and then drive to a "location" and get a few scenes with a few poses in each. When needed to we can get it done in an hour by limiting the number and complexity of wardrobe changes. We can't really run over as there is often another appointment coming in.

To be sure that your session will make the most of your 2 hours arrive dressed for the first shoot, and have your wardrobe organized. Then relax and have fun - we'll do the rest!

What happens after a session - graduate or any other...

First, view every image. Only those that are "bad" (blurred, blown-out light, black, etc.) are discarded. There are typically very few of those. Then the images are processed from their original, raw form (much like a film negative) into a form that can be manipulated and used. Their first stop is the web. Our site has a Photo Gallery - like a big building - that houses all of our collection. In the Gallery there are categories - like a wing of a building - where all of one category are concentrated. Examples are High School Graduates, Portraits - People, and Weddings (and more). In each category there are Sub-Galleries - like rooms in the wing of the building. Each room is dedicated to one person or event - or to one graduate.

After your Senior Portrait session we create a room just for you in our gallery and "hang" your photos there for you and your friends and family to view.

Not Yet Retouched

We take lots of shots. One of my competitor's web sites claims that photographer's who do this don't know what they're doing and are hoping that if there are enough shots a few will be good. My philosophy is to provide a wide range of poses, props, and backgrounds so that my subject will have lots of really good choices. We also believe in having fun that is focused on the subject. So if we can pack lots of fun into ~2 hours, why not share all of the memories - not just my pick of them. It's about your experience as much as the result.

With lots of shots (>150 in most cases) we don't retouch until after you have made your selections. At that time, at no extra cost, we crop to the size you want, retouch faces-teeth-eyes, and remove any distracting elements from the portrait.

In the end you get to see all of your session, remember the laughs, select the shots that speak to you - that show you the way you want to be seen, and have all your selections retouched into beautiful portraits. That's what happens after your session!