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Our website seems to be down tonight. I’ve emailed tech support for my web host, but I do not know anything yet. Hopefully, everything will be back online soon. I apologize for the inconvenience. If you need to reach us, you can email us at photo-98@sbcglobal.net or call us at the office at 309.686.2189.
Edited to add: The website is back up this morning.
Josh and I have been so lucky with the couples that we get to work with. This past weekend was no different. Chris and Tracy were a blast to photograph! The day went by flawlessly, everything stayed on time…the planning was great. I think I have to give a little credit and a shout out to their wedding planner, Lisa Ragan with Happily Ever After, for keeping things moving and the day stress free. It didn’t hurt that Tracy is also a photographer, so she knows the ins and outs of the wedding day. The wedding was at the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard, which as always was a beautiful setting. The reception was held at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria. It was the first time that Josh and I have photographed there, and we were so impressed with the reception hall, the staff, and the overall atmosphere there. All in all, we had a great time!
Tracy and Chris looking gorgeous.
Beautiful Bride…
There were so many great spots to shoot at Embassy Suites. Here is Tracy,and I’m loving the wall behind her.
Tracy and Chris had such great friends standing with them. This group was a lot of fun.
The wedding site. Beautiful as always.
Tracy looked so happy walking to her groom.
Their smiles are contagious!
The details of this wedding…WOW. The colors were amazing and everything looked fabulous. Heaven on Earth and Happily Ever After did an awesome job!
How do you keep 425 guests happy at your reception? Easy. Tracy and Chris had a Candy Bar. This is perhaps one of the best ideas out there. Everyone young and old thoroughly enjoyed it!
The reception was wonderful. The toasts were some of the best heartfelt moments I’ve seen in a while, and the guests all seemed to be enjoying the evening. Here are Tracy and Chris enjoying their first dance as husband and wife.
Thank you, Tracy and Chris for making us a part of your wedding day. Best wishes to you as you start you life together.
Like a lot of our senior guys, Ken was reluctant to get his senior portraits done. But once he got here, I think he almost enjoyed it, and thought we were getting some pretty cool stuff. Here are a few images from his session.
Another senior session today. I’ve known Jacob for quite some time. I practically watched him grow up. So I felt privileged that he asked me to photograph his senior session, and that he chose our farm for the location. I think we came away with some great images. Here are a few of my favorites.
Katie and Hannah are twins, and they came to their senior session ready to have some fun. I don’t think we disappointed them. Here are just a few images from their session.
Hannah works at Panera Bread and Katie works at Spotted Cow. They really love their jobs as you can see.
Thanks, Katie & Hannah! Your session was a lot of fun.
It is always great to have little get-aways throughout the year and just take the time to have fun and be a family. This past weekend we went to Appleton to visit some good friends. Big shout out to Dave Jackson, who was the inspiration for the trip! He recently went full time with his photo business, and has some absolutely amazing work…go check out his site! We went for his business launch party, and had a blast seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We had a great time visiting with Dave and his family and friends. Huge THANKS to everyone for helping make our trip so memorable.
Here is Dave!
Dave and Josh
And yours truly with the best gift I’ve received in a very long time. It was a phrase that kept many of us in laughter and tears during our WPPI Vegas trip. You had to be there to truly appreciate this shirt. THANK YOU ADAM!
The youngest two of our children came along on this trip and we did our best to make it enjoyable for everyone. We hit up some Children’s Museums, and the kids had so much fun. The Building for Kids/Children’s Museum in Appleton and The Children’s Discovery Museum in Rockford, IL are both worth the trip to go see. There was so much for the kids to do at both museums. They were so sad to come home to normal again. They said they wanted to stay in Appleton forever. Really, they just wanted to swim in the hotel pool everyday, but they were also sad to be leaving their newfound friends.
Another highlight of the trip was our visit to a fire station. Our friend Rob, who is a firefighter in Grand Chute (and also another great photographer), gave us a tour. THANK YOU again, Rob. The kids loved every minute.
Here is Ryan in his firefighter gear at the Children’s Museum in Appleton.
Jenna had a great time playing dress up there, too. When I saw a wedding dress in with the dress up clothes, we did an impromptu bridal session:) Little girls love to dream!
Air Traffic Controller
The kids had fun with the pin wall at the Children’s Discovery Museum in Rockford.
My favorite shot of the trip. Ryan isn’t sleeping. He’s bummed because he and his new friend Tobin are both so shy that they just can’t seem to find enough courage to play together. He finally sat down and gave up. I caught the look and the moment. Man, I love my kids. Just so everyone isn’t sad for Ryan, by the end of the evening and then especially the next day, they had really warmed up to each other and had a lot of fun.
Again, thanks to Dave, Melanie, Rob, and Adam…and everyone else that made this trip so great!!
Josh and I were so glad to be the photographers for Alissa and Dan’s wedding. They were married at Northfield Christian Fellowship in Tremont. We both have known Dan for quite a while, and we knew some of Alissa’s family, so when we found out they were getting married we were thrilled for them! They were made for each other! The entire day was beautiful. The weather, the bride, the emotions, the people. Every wedding is amazing and special. But this wedding brought me to tears more than once.
Alissa looked stunning.
Pink was the color of the day.
Alissa and Dan chose to have a First Look before the wedding. This time is almost always my favorite time of the day. The emotions and connection between the couple doesn’t get any better than the moment they see each other and have a few minutes to spend only with each other, with no audience. (aside from Josh and I who take some shots and step away)
There were many nieces and nephews that had the privilege of being a part of the day.
Pretty in Pink. And black. And white.
Faces are cropped out to protect the innocent.
The handsome guys…
I had to put this picture in. This moment, for me, was the best part of the entire day. I LOVE it when couples walk back down the aisle, hit the foyer and have a moment of celebration. Not every wedding has this moment, but when it happens, it is awesome!
Thank you Alissa and Dan for letting us celebrate your wedding day with you! God Bless you as you start you life together as husband and wife.
We had a fantastic time photographing Amber’s and Jason’s engagement session this past weekend. Jason Parkinson is one of the voices of River Country 97.3, and also the owner of DJ4U Entertainment, our absolute favorite DJ company to work with. Amber is beautiful, fun, and a great match for Jason. We were thrilled they chose us to shoot their wedding day! We’re looking forward to photographing their wedding on September 13th. Here are just a few of the great images from their session.
Jason and Amber even let us shoot them in a parking deck. Go figure.
And no, the 29 is of no significance.
We love it when couples have FUN with their session!
Jason and Amber were even attacked by crows while we were shooting.
Just in case anyone forgets, THIS is the date of the wedding.
THANKS Jason and Amber! We had so much fun!
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