Studio Noveau Blog

Cody and Liz are getting married in Madison in October, but I was SO excited when they said they wanted their engagement photos in Prairie Du Chien. Not only is Prairie Du Chien only a 30 minute drive from my house, it has some seriously amazing locations for photos. Ah-mazing. Really. Check ‘em out:

PDC has some of the coolest historic buildings!

Katie and Eric contacted me a while back for some photos.  They were celebrating an anniversary and Katie’s birthday, and wanted some photos of them.  I call sessions like these “Connection Sessions”… photos for people in love, whether they are married, engaged, or dating.  It’s just an excuse to document that love!  We scheduled the session at Olbrich Botanical Gardens and were lucky to have a gorgeous evening!

Here are a few of my favorites:

They were so cute: anytime they walked anywhere, Katie would reach over and rub Eric’s back, or he’d give her funny little looks that would make her crack up.

This last one was just a pretty shot I grabbed before leaving Olbrich.

Seriously, how cute are Rachel and Dave? I loved meeting up with them downtown Madison for their engagement photos in May! But I have to admit, I’m even more excited for their winery wedding in Door County in a few weeks!

Love this next one!

I love reflective windows!

Pretend these next four are in a little story board:
v

First it was going to rain.

Then it was going to thunderstorm.

Then it was *maybe* going to rain.

SO… we ultimately decided we’d just keep Tricia and Dustin’s engagement session scheduled, rather than try to reschedule.  And, of course, the weather was AWESOME!  I love when things work out.  :)  And here are just a few of the photos from their session in Viroqua!  (Let me point out, dear readers… I am trying desperately to keep up on blogging in a timely fashion.  It’s one of my 2010 goals!)

Tricia and Dustin, I’m looking forward to your wedding in La Crosse soon!  I had a blast working with you guys!

Hmm, have I ever mentioned I’m behind on blogging? Because I am. This next session even has SNOW on the ground, but it’s the middle of April already! Please don’t judge me. If you want to see the latest and greatest as soon as they are shot, make sure to become a fan on Facebook… typically, sessions are posted to Facebook within two days! The blog… well, the blog doesn’t get quite as much love!

Anyway, meet Casey and Zach. These guys rock. They were having a heck of a time deciding between a winter and spring engagement session, so we decided to do BOTH! Yes, we divided their session up into two mini-sessions so they could get the best of both worlds. (If you are a client of mine and interested in the same, please inquire for details!)

What I loved about this session was that we were able to try some SUPER fun locations that were very off-the-beaten-path. After all, you may not always get to be adventurous with photos on your wedding day, so why not make it a goal for your engagement session? I loved this location with all the crates!

Casey REALLY wanted photos with this old sleigh. I was a bit skeptical at first, but after her “crew” showed up to help us move it (thanks to her dad and brother!), I could see how cute it would be. Don’t you love it?

And I LOVE this grove of trees. And how Casey and Zach really just “pop” because of the muted background colors.

Freezing. Kelly and Cody’s engagement session was bitterly cold! We met in the historic downtown La Crosse and wandered around for a bit shooting pictures. I loved the early morning light, and even all the fog that was floating around. After a brief warm-up at Jules Coffee Shop, we finished up at the blue bridge across the Mississippi River. Anyway, enough talking- I know you are here for pictures!

I instantly knew how much I liked them when Cody suggested shooting in the parking garage. That is something I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while! (Yes, I’m sure you are rolling your eyes. Um, don’t ask… maybe it’s just one of my quirks.)

Kelly and Cody, I can’t wait for your wedding day!

It was a cold, cold winter afternoon in Prairie du Chien… the day I met Lindsay and Jason.  They drove up from Iowa and we decided to take their engagement photos at Villa Louis, along the river, and downtown. I just loved how the photos “popped” with all the snow in the background.

Happy 2010, Everyone!  If you’ve been a loyal blog or Facebook follower of Studio Noveau for any amount of time, you may have learned a few things about me.

1. My husband just got back from Iraq on December 23.  (Yay for fun surprise Christmas presents!) The photo below is my hubby during his 2005 deployment.



2. I’m actually a U.S. Navy veteran myself, as I mentioned a few posts ago.  (I get seasick.  Blech.) The photo below is me and some of my Navy buddies almost 8 years ago.  Can you pick me out?



3. One of my volunteer activities is working for Operation Love Reunited as a volunteer photographer for deploying or returning military and their families. You can view a sample session by clicking here.

So… this leads me to the purpose of this post.  :)  Several of my clients have been or are currently in the military, and I pride myself on trying to be as military-friendly as possible.  So because of that, I’ve decided to make one very important change, starting in 2010.  Studio Noveau now offers a military discount!  After speaking with a new client a few days ago and learning that many photographers don’t offer military discounts, I’ve decided to make my discount public!  :)  After all, I truly believe that our military and their families are truly sacrificing themselves and years of their lives for us, the American public.

Here are the details:

• This discount is good for 10% off any session.  Yes, this even applies to wedding packages!  And to go a step further, you may qualify for a FREE Op:Love portrait session.  (Please contact me for more details to see if you qualify for the free session.)
• There are NO blackout dates.  The only restrictions on dates are if I am already booked or simply cannot fit your session into my schedule.  Typically, I book weddings and portrait sessions on a first-come, first-served basis.
• This discount doesn’t apply to prints, albums, or canvases.

I hope you are as excited as I am about this.  It’s nice to be able to show appreciation for something so important!  Have a great day!

I adore this engagement session. It took a while to schedule it and pick out a location (Viroqua vs Madison), but we made it happen! After starting out at The Union, we walked all the way up State Street, and ended at The Capitol building. Love love love these photos!

This one is one of my favorite engagement photos of the entire year!

I love big families.  Specifically, big families with lots of cousins getting married in 2010.  Yes, Toni is the third cousin in a single family to contact me about photographing a wedding next year.  Fun!

Anyway, Toni and Brandon… what an awesome couple!  These two were so natural in front of a camera with fantastic smiles. And check out Toni’s amazing hair!  I’m so jealous.   We met in Spring Green and drove out to the family land.  What a great backdrop for pictures!  I love fall pictures, even after the leaves are falling from the trees: it really makes the subjects “pop”.  Did I mention that fields of weeds are a dream come true for me?  Yeah, it’s true… I’m easy to please.