Lately. | Personal | Sheboygan Wedding & Portrait Photographer

well, howdy!

I know, things have been pretty quiet on the blog lately.

life has been pretty crazy lately.

and honestly...I can't believe...IT'S NOVEMBER.

seriously...where did the year go?

I feel like I say that every year.

but every year I feel like time gets a little bit faster :(

sometimes I want to just freeze time for a hot minute and never have to move forward

the best part is that lately its been like 60* outside.

amazing.

having these temps this time of year...makes me really not want the winter to come. 

I like mid-50's & 60's :)

so, in reality this post is really just me checking in...

to let y'all know that I have some awesome posts coming up

because I have had some of the most amazing couples & families to take photos of over the past few months :D 

anndddd I am SOOO excited for 2012!

so many possibilities and opportunities!

I seriously cannot wait to see where and what this next year brings :)

check back soon for some wedding, engagement, and family goodness!

xoxo

Maggie

email! :) / website! :)

The "S" Family | Sheboygan Family & Child Portrait Photographer

happy Monday :)

what a fantastic weekend

I hope everyone had as good of weekend as I did!

this weekend was actually really relaxing

I got to spend time with Mike & take photos of some of the most adorable kids!

it was also nice to have a weekend to gear up for the craziness that is about to happen over the next 3 months…

10 weddings (2 that we are guests at and 8 that I am photographing!!)

2 road trips…one to visit Kelly & shoot a wedding (MINNESOTA…get ready!!) and the other to attend a wedding (OHIO here we come!!!)

a few engagement sessions

a few more family sessions

and rolling out my new senior rep program!

ANNNDDDDD going on our honeymoon!!!

…ps…those of you in Punta Cana need a photog?!

I’d love to book a session or two while we are down there ;)

yea, yea I know…a honeymoon is for relaxing :D

what if photography is relaxing!? Hehe

anyway…now, onto the cute-ness

saturday evening I spent a couple hours with my friend Sara’s kids

side note…I am not kidding when I say my friend’s have the most photogenic kids...EVER.

I love it :D

these 3 girls were ECSTATIC about getting their photos taken

(so ecstatic that rumor has it, they keep asking when I will be back ;) )

there is nothing in the world that makes my job easier than when people are excited about getting photos taken

they had 2 different coordinating outfits and were full of dance moves, silly faces, and laughter.

so we played in their backyard and in a couple of the fields by their house.

it was great!

I love the energy that kids have

Meet Claire, Abby & Sophia

 i told them to strike a pose....and that is what i got!

 in jail...clearly

 patrick star!!

 giggles in the grass

 sister secrets

 love this photo. hands down...one of my fav's

 and this...is another. such an adorable face :D

 and another fav

don't forget to leave these lovely ladies some blog love!! 

Sara & girls,
thank you so much for letting me capture these images! it was so much fun to spend the afternoon with you four! I can't wait to do it again :)

xoxo
Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

interested in photos?!?! I am offering portraits in the park this year! Click here for details or email me!

Deals!! | Just Because Photography | Sheboygan Wedding & Portrait Photographer

happy Friday! 

since yesterday was my [26th] birthday

I was in the giving mood

remember yesterday, when I said that I was going to have a mega-uber-sweet deal for some "just because" pictures?!

if not...I'll give you a minute to go back ;)

.....

well today I have details about said deal :D

I am going to be holding a few portrait in the park sessions!

I have seen quite a few other photographers offer this type of session.

and honestly, because I realllllllyyyyy love taking people's pictures, seeing them smile, and hearing all kinds of stories, I figured I would take part and offer some similar sessions!

between now and September I am offering select dates for portraits in the park!

I might add more dates...depending on the amount of peeeeeeps that take part in this deal

check out the details here:

so families, friends, siblings, couples, anyone! 

send me an email to book your spot! 

there has to be at least 3 clients total for the portraits in the park to happen...so if you aren't sure that the date you would like will have 3 ...bring 2 other clients! 

we'll spend some time chatting and making fun photos like these:

this is your chance to get some great photos for a great price!! 

these photos will be great for Christmas cards!

I am so excited to offer this to everyone! 

I hope that we can offer this again next year folks! 

so send me an email, look my up on facebook, send me a twitter message or just plain old call!

 and pssssstttt....looking for something to give to your mom and dad, aunt and uncle, or anyone else who might want some photos...I have gift certificates available as well!

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

B family portraits | Portraits in the Park | Sheboygan Family & Portrait Photographer

happy Tuesday!

today I have the "B" family on the blog!

Fallon and I also went to high school together :) 

crazy ol' world

it was so much fun to meet her hubby & kiddo

baby "A" is 9 months old is is soooo cute and happy!

and that makes my job so much easier :)

take a look!

 the whole family :)

 hehe...I love the faces in the photo above and below :)

 baby toes :)

just swingin'

Fallon, Ryan & baby "A",

thank you for hanging out in the park with me!! I really enjoyed capturing some photos of your little family! :)

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

L | Portraits in the Park | Sheboygan Child & Family Photography

happy Monday!

or as happy as Mondays can be :)

today I have little "L" on the blog!

I met up with L and her mom Jackie a couple weeks ago for a portraits in the park session!

these sessions are SO much fun for me!

L's mom and I went to high school together, so it was great to meet up with her and catch up on the past 8 years!

L has tons of energy and was super excited to get her photos taken.

and she was dressed super cute...this girl has style for being 3

sandals, skinny jeans, black shirt, and a cute hair bow

 she is so cute :)

 "cheeseburger" haha...makes kiddos laugh every time :)

 she was spinning and showing me her hair clip

 who wouldn't smile on the swings?! :)

Jackie & L,

thank you so much for hanging out with me in the park! it was a blast capturing L in these photos!!

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

The "H" Family | Portraits in the Park | Sheboygan Family & Portrait Photographer

today I have the "H" family on the blog

I apparently have a lot of friends with "H" last names...weird.

anyway, last weekend I met up with Mary, Mark and their twin boys!

it was so much fun!

I graduated high school with Mary...and probably haven't seen her since then!

so it was great to reconnect with her, meet her hubby and her boys!

these two boys are SOOOOO full of energy. 

it was great!

at first they weren't so sure about getting their pictures taken...but it didn't take long for them to warm up to the camera 

take a look at a few of their photos below!

 you can't see me!

 he's a transformer. clearly ;)

 making sure the family is clean is a big job. so is telling stories :)

 the photo above and below are my favs :) shows how trying to make everyone look at the camera at the same time can be...tricky ;)

 Mary, Mark & boys

thank you for letting me capture some fun photos of the 4 of you! I had a great time playing the the park!

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my webstie! :)

Jeris | SNEAK PEAK!! Senior 2012 | Sheboygan Senior Photography

last Sunday I spent the afternoon with Jeris

capturing her senior photos

crazy to think that she is a senior!!

Jeris is another horse & pony girl :)

so naturally we took some photos with her horse 

there is nothing better than the bond between a girl and her horse :)

stop back soon for the full blog post!

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

The "H" Family | SNEAK PEAK!! | Sheboygan Family Portrait & Wedding Photographer

happy Tuesday :)

I hope everyone is staying cool...it is rather hot and sticky outside 

on a side note...it's AUGUST.

whaaaaaattt??

I swear I just got married yesterday. 

and the day before that I graduate college.

umm...time, please slow down...just a little bit :)

anyway, this past weekend [which was jam-packed with a Friday wedding, Saturday family session, and a Sunday senior session] I met up with my friend Lisa and her kiddos.

because they are so. stinkin'. cute. :)

we played outside at Terry Andrea state park in Sheboygan

these two girls are FULL of energy and laughs!

they love to invent new games and to smile for the camera

here is a sneak peak...

aren't they adorable!?!

more from their session soon :)

enjoy your afternoon

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

Foto Friday | Sheboygan Wedding & Portrait Photographer

yesterday was friday. 

today is saturday.

so maybe this should have been called foto saturday.

nah...not as good of a ring to it as foto friday :)

I am patiently waiting for spring to get here. it snowed a couple days ago.

yes. snow. in late March. 

helllloooooo wisconsin spring time. 

its the time of year when you go to work with your heater on and come home with the air conditioning on.

or something along those lines :)

anyway I decided to put up a photo from last fall...because I really can't wait for spring to come so that all the pretty flowers come up out of the ground :D

they make much better backdrops than snow...I mean I like snow because it adds something different into the mix. but it gets boring quick. and is kinda gross when its in the half-melted-showing-all-the-nasty-dirt stage. yuk. spring, summer and fall offer WAY more colors :D

so here's to spring being right around the corner!

(even though as I look outside now....it is...of course...snowing. again. sigh)

happy weekend!

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

Foto Friday & more afternoon ramblings | Sheboygan Wedding & Portrait Photographer

"baby you're a firework, 

come on, show 'em what your worth, 

make 'em go oh oh oh,

as you shoot across the sky" 

katy perry / firework

as I sit here listening to music, writing this blog, thinking about the pile of things to do, pondering what photo I'm going to post for foto friday, and realize that...geez it really is friday. hm. this week was crazy. certainly in a good way. but crazy busy. it seems weird to not have somewhere to go tonight. everyday this week we have had something to do or someone coming over. don't get me wrong, I like to be busy. and I like even more to cross things off the wedding to-do-list (that really seems to get longer when I cross things off). I also like being able to sit and veg. 

for a minute anyway. because my to-do list is far to long to sit still for long. 

since I got home from work today I have:

bathed the dog

cleaned the bathroom 

(because we all know that bathing a medium/large sized dog results in water...everywhere.)

cleaned off my little table

got my mod podge out

along with all of the other stuff to make these....

I am freakin' excited to make these. not just because they are cute but because it is one step closer to decorations for our new rooms (that by the way are almost all dry walled :D:D) in our addition. which is also one step closer to me buying paint and painting. these are going to make their appearance at our wedding as well. and yes...there is a reason there is only 2 letters....we will have the same initials (with the exception of our middle names) and yes the initials also coincide with the company :D 

I know, I know

I. am. a. genius.

:D:D

I am off to make my letters. don't worry. I'll share how I made 'em :)

I got my inspiration here. 

I think that may be my fav new blog of things that I want to make :D:D

happy friday & weekend!

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

MJ 2 Day | Review | Sheboygan Wedding & Portrait Photographer

so, I just realized that I really never did a FORMAL review of the workshop I went to last April. it is one of those things that is always on my ever-growing to-do list. the same list that every time I cross one thing off I feel like 5 more get added. I guess that's what I get for working a full time job, having a growing photography business, planning a wedding, AND teaching 3-5th graders about horses & ponies on Tuesday nights :)

I had followed Melissa's blog for about a year before I made up my mind to go. when I booked my spot for the April MJ 2 Day all I could think about was how much money it was going to cost. how many vacation days I was going to have to use, and my biggest worry...was I going to learn anything? my business was still shiney, fresh and new. I hadn't taken many people's pictures and honestly I was still learning about my camera. I knew enough to be dangerous :) really, looking back, it was the absolute perfect time to go. when April came around I was SO EXCITED....because lets be honest...meeting Melissa Jill was like meeting a celebrity :) except way cooler because we have something in common...photography...and a love for dogs. 

so last April I hopped on a plane in Milwaukee and landed in Phoenix, picked up a rental car, got lost for an hour, found my hotel, and then went to meet the other lovely ladies that were attending the workshop with me. 

 photo courtesy of Melissa Jill.

day 1 was all about shooting, lighting & interacting. which for me was great. I usually seem to gravitate to the same shots & places. but we learned how to take an ordinary place and really make it into an extraordinary place. I think my biggest "ah-ha" moment was backlighting with the sun. it was one of those...oh my gosh...duh! why didn't I think of that?! honestly it makes the photos so much better. so now, when I shoot...I don't just go for the shade areas, I always try to do a bunch of fun sun shots (provided its a sunny day of course). I also made the switch to full manual mode while at the workshop. at first I was a little apprehensive about it, but then I thought...what do I really have to loose?! well, I haven't taken my camera off of manual since :) it was so awesome to be able to learn how to fully use my camera. and almost instantly I saw better photo results. we also learned about back button focusing. best. thing. EVER. I use it ALL THE TIME. so, if you go for one thing, go for the back button focusing :) you will appreciate it...trust me. day 2 was workflow, branding, pricing and a few other things. on the plane ride home, I was able to write down so many notes about what I wanted to do and where I wanted to take my business. a lot of what I wrote down is actually happening :) like rebranding my website, and restructuring prices, more interaction with clients, and so on.  there is SO much to take in. it seems crazy that its only a 2 day workshop! but it truly makes you think about what you want out of your business. at least it did for me.

one of the things that I absolutely loved about the workshop is that Melissa isn't afraid to share information! which is awesome because it makes me not afraid to share information either. so many people are so scared that by sharing information that other person might steal your customers away. well, really you can't photograph everyone. so for me, I loved it because now I find myself passing on information to other photographers and sharing tips and tricks.

Thanks again Melissa for opening your home and your mind! 

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

Foto Friday |Sheboygan Wedding & Portrait Photographer

well. here we are again. Sunday. but this Sunday isn't just any Sunday. it's Super Bowl Sunday. which...if you live in Wisconsin...today is a big day. even bigger considering the Packers are playing. fantastic. the last football game I watched I ended up falling asleep and waking up just in time to see the winning touchdown. fabulous. so...although I am not all that excited we will still watch "the game" and hopefully "we" will win. and "we" meaning the Packers. side note...is it just a Wisconsin thing....or does everyone who has a "team" refer to them as "we"?! lol...I'm thinkin' its a wisco thing :) 

anyway, so foto friday is once again late. oppss :( well...I do have a good reason for it being late! :D Mike and I went to a few stores on Friday to get going on our wedding registry! fun! ....not so much. well, it was kind of fun. but I'm pretty sure we get the FAIL award for registering for gifts. now, if anyone knows me...I am not the type of person that is super easy to buy for because let's face it...if I want something...I'm just gonna go buy it. that way I can get what I want, when I want, and not have to wait around. so as we are roaming about stores looking for things to scan the whole time we are both thinking...well this (insert item name here) would be cool...but...will it go with our house?! because you see we are in the middle of a HUGE remodel. I don't mean put up some new dry wall, slap on some paint, get some new furniture remodel. I am talking...let's take down the garage, put it back up, add a second story, tear off the old second story, new kitchen, living room, laundry room, bedrooms, bathrooms. yea. the whole deal-io. which is awesome. and time consuming. but awesome none-the-less. and since we are in the middle of remodeling it is REALLY hard to imagine what your future living room is going to look like. or what kind of plates you want for your kitchen table (that by-the-way is a REALLY great printer holder :) I'm just sayin'). well...in the end we ended up with about 50 items total. and we went to 2 different stores. sigh. I guess we just weren't meant to create super cool registries. 

so this week's foto friday is dedicated to our not-so-good registry making skills :) 

you know we HAD to make a Target registry :D:D love, love, love Target!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! 

GOPACKGO!

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit my website! :)

new year. new look. | Sheboygan County Wedding & Portrait Photographer

The day has finally come...

for an update to the site AND blog. :D:D 

The blog...is still in the works so blogger will hold me over for a little while longer. 

I can't tell you how exciting this has been for me. I searched FOREVER for something that I liked. Then...my fabulous fiance said  he would make me one. Saaa-wweeeet! So...I found a marketing set online that I loved. Bought that...then from that I made the images for the site. Oh yes. Was it difficult?...kinda. Only because I had to pickout images to put in the header. Then I had to make the header. Then I had to make the buttons and add on the other little touches. AND THEN I had to have content to fill it! Whew! After that Mike did some handy CSS work and built the whole thing. 

From scratch. 

And now...

BANG! 

Done! Love it.

Stop by the website by clicking here. 

In other news...I shot my first wedding of the year this past Saturday. :D It was beautiful. Great light, great people, small quaint ceremony. I got to use my new camera and the 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens that I rented. And let me tell you...I don't know HOW I have lived this long with out the 5D Mk II and that 16-35 mm lens. The lens is next on the list of things to buy. I rented it for a couple weeks to make sure that I would love it as much as I figured I was going to. Check this picture of the church out....

gorgeous huh??!!

and the beautiful flowers.

And lastly...Christmas...we had a great Christmas. This year was really laid back. We were able to just hang out with each other all day and for supper we went to Chinese with my mom and step dad. But...Mike got me an awesome [actually 2] present!! Check these out!!

Yesssssss those are lens coffee cups!! :D:D I just about jumped up and down when I opened these babies! 

I have also been busy getting ready for the bridal fair this weekend! So excited for that!! 

Enjoy the new digs! :DD 

xoxo

Maggie

email me! :) / visit the site! :)