I decided to do a series of Best Of photos from 2010. This blog entry shows my favorite ring shots this year. Most of these photos were shot in Walworth County, Lake Geneva. Venues included Grand Geneva or The Abbey Resort doesn't really matter because they were mostly shot with a Canon 100mm macro lens and so you can't tell where the photos were taken. However, the detail that this lens provides and the blur it creates is astounding. It was one of my best investments in 2010.
Some of these bands were breath taking. We really try hard to come up with unique and beautiful backdrops for the ring shots. Below are a few examples.
This weekend my team and I shot the Christmas party for a franchise of Taco Bell called Border Patrol at Grand Geneva in Lake Geneva. I was very impressed with the family atmosphere and how much effort the owners took to encourage and reward managers for improvements and growth. We had a lot of fun with out photobooth and captured lots of photos to help remember this black tie event.
Sometimes when it is just too cold to do an outdoor engagement shoot we will go over the Grand Geneva to do the shoot. There are so many beautiful spots to shoot at the Grand! Jesse and Elizabeth are a wonderful couple and it was a pleasure to spend some time with them while shooting these portraits. In this case we were able to combine both indoor venues as well as some outdoor spots and I happened to be shooting a holiday party that night so we set up my photobooth early and we were able to get some fun studio shots as well. It was so much fun. Check out the prop photos and the twister pose! Below are some of my favorite images from the shoot. If you would like to view more hi-res follow this link. Grand Geneva engagement photos in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
A good friend of mine Karin Bennett owns The Cornerstone Shop and Gallery in Lake Geneva, WI. This shop has EVERYTHING. This time of year it is decked and beautiful. Karin came up with the idea of offering portraits to her customers during one of their busiest weekends of the year. So we set up shop in a corner of the Cornerstone and shot families with appointments and some that walked in. It was lots of fun. Thanks to those of you who came to be part of it. Click on this link to view photos in hi-res.
From the moment you step onto the first tee intimidation is the most consistent emotion you feel. In order to advance the ball toward the first green you have to hit over the 100 yard watery chasm that is the Sheboygan River. But you have to layup as your driver will likely put you in the woods or a dangerously placed sand trap. If you survive the first shot you look up at the green which is at least 50 yards elevated and makes you scratch your head because without walking up to see what the green looks like you are shooting into the unknown. If you miss (like I did) then your ball starts falling down the cliffs of doom into one of many sadistically placed sand traps and puts you in the position of hitting from sand straight up another 20 or 30 feet.
Three or four strokes into the hardest par four you have ever played you are now ready to hit out of another sand trap onto a concrete putting surface. At least that is how fast the greens seem to putt. From what I understand these greens were slow the day we played our fateful 18. I rarely three put and I three putted four or five times on the front nine for a total score of 56! Ouch!
As if my horror were not complete after the first hole and a seven on the score card the second hole introduced me to the largest sand trap I have ever seen in my life! The sea of sand was about 150 yards long by 50 yards wide running the entire length of the first part of the fairway.
Shooting engagement sessions is always a blast. However, this one was particularly wonderful for me. You see October proved to be the busiest month of the year and while on one hand I felt like I had no time to go to Baraboo, WI and Devil's Lake to shoot this session, getting out in the fresh air and hanging out with these two was more refreshing than I would have ever imagined.
We hiked up the mountain to find the place where Phil proposed to Shey. All of us consider ourselves active and athletic and at first wouldn't admit to wanting to stop and take breaks until I broke the ice and asked to take a moment, pretending that my gear was weighing me down. We took shots on the cliffs, along the paths, on top of boulders, fallen trees, the railroad tracks and more. Here are the photos from the session that became a wonderful break within a busy time for me.
Take a Porsche, Streblow Classic Boat, a beautiful day, Yerkes Observatory, Lake Geneva and a cool couple add music and mix well to create an unforgettable Fusion session. Torye & Tom are a wonderful couple who obviously were made to be together. We started the engagement session at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay. Their package called for a Fusion Video so we shot video clips along the way. On the way from Williams Bay to Fontana, Max shot out the back of my Honda Element capturing the couple driving Tom's Porsche 911. What a sweet ride that is!
Then we met up with some friends of theirs and rode alongside them as they took their Streblow, "West End Girl" for a spin. (A Streblow is a much desired and much loved wooden boat brand.) Watching the Fusion Video is worth it just to see the pure joy and satisfaction on Torye and Tom's faces as they power by on their beautiful wood boat!
The week of October 16 was a whirlwind week. Nell and Eduardo flew in from Puerto Rico and we shot their engagement session two days before their wedding. Eduardo is self admittedly a little camera shy. However, after shooting with me for an hour he was legitimately excited for the photography for wedding day.
Now, I have been to a lot of weddings and a lot of GREAT weddings this year. But wow! This was a lot of fun. The reception had three bands and a DJ! The entertainment at the reception started out with Las Guitarras de Espana with Carlo Basile performing a wonderful Flamenco dance. One of the bands was AfriCaribe. They brought out the "Bomba Dancer" out in dozens of guests who formed a tight circle formed around the group known for their African-Puerto Rican-Caribbean flavor of music and dance. Then, after all that incredible entertainment another band appeared and rocked the house. The Robert Allen Jr. Band was so good the entire crowd insisted on having them come back for an encore. The wedding was at St. Benedicts Catholic Church in Fontana. We took a Lake Geneva Cruise Line boat to Lake Geneva Country Club on truly one of the best days of the entire year! What a day!
The hi-res versions of this wedding are located at this link. Below you will see some sample photos from their wedding day and engagement session. Comments welcome on the photos below.
Kelly & Mike were married on 10-1-10 in Lake Geneva, WI at Hawk's View Golf Club. The day started with a first look at the end of the public pier by The Riviera. Mike waited patiently looking out over Lake Geneva for Kelly to tap him on the shoulder. After the two had a few minutes together we started shooting wedding party photos with a very cool wedding party. The guys were wearing fun thigh high yellow and black socks and we had a blast with those props.
Here is the link to Kelly and Mike's photo gallery.
What an amazing bridal show! Literally hundreds of people attended the Lake Geneva Cruise Line's first annual bridal show! All my best vendor friends were there and it looked amazing! I had the honor of shooting the details for Gage Marine. Follow this link to view the images. Oh, and a couple I met got engaged that morning! I had to take a couple of quick photos of the newly engaged!
If you are looking for a recent wedding please go directly to my blog to find the link to their wedding photos.
