January photo-a-day!
I’m doing a photo a day. I don’t have many rules. I take a bunch of photos. I pick one. It’s my photo of the day. I though it might be fun to make a blog post of some of them from the month! I may or may not do this every month.
I’m doing this project with some friends. maybe you want join!? let me know! it’s fun. Good for your heart. or at least mine.
Heidi & Chad and these three kids!
Shooting the heidi-chad team was a delight & a joy. These guys want to have fun. I would be like….ok, I think we got it guys! right on! then they would be doing headstands against the wall. How could I not shoot that? and the hula hooping was just them waiting for their turn to be photographed. Oh, man….I should be claiming these photos were all my idea! I know fun when i see it. FUN. RIGHT HERE! bam. ok, happy monday. Everyone should get some family photos taken. Because I like taking them and I bet you will enjoy having them! oxox sv
Heather & Tyler!
Heather & Tyler said the nicest thing about me ever!!!!!
“My husband and I searched and searched for the perfect photographer for our wedding. We found plenty of talented ones who can take really nice photos but all of them were lacking something we couldn’t quite put our finger on. Then we found Sharon (SV Heart)! Immediately upon looking at her photos we realized what the others don’t have that she has….the ability to capture the essence of each person’s uniqueness and the intuition of how to bring out fun and happiness. Her photos are stunning and so personal. When we told her that the theme of our wedding was hearts, rainbows, and an unspoken theme of unicorns (because they are real but can’t be seen), she got it. And when we told her we wanted to put a rowboat on State Street she told us it must happen. We heart Sharon!”
Heather & Tyler
Emily & Gregg love the holidays!
I am friends with Emily & Gregg on the facebook and I think Emily is getting first place for the cutest christmasy posts! I think she might be making cookies with her grandma every night and when she’s not doing that she’s wrapping presents with her cats! Emily! you crack me up. Emily & Gregg are already married! I very rarely get to take photos of people after they are married & before they have kids! They just wanted photos cause it’s fun. I love that!
I’m sort of very sure Gregg didn’t want to take his shirt off for the photos. But then he did because he’s awesome. I had a nice time hanging with emily & gregg at their cute/smart decorated east side apartment!
It’s the lillypad baby!
Abigail and Brian have a baby. They named her Lilly! i drove out to their house sorta in the middle of nowheres in cross plains. i think there are killers lurking in the 10 acres of woods behind their house. Abigail tells me she’s not worried of killers. That’s good. cause she’s the one that lives there. oh, and their house is this log cabin with the most beautiful CB2 furniture. and this really really cute baby that is around here and there. I had a lovely time. I just keep waiting to be invited back. oxox
oh i should tell you more about this lilly! She stares at you. like she’s looking into your soul. Ah! You know there’s that thing where they say babies can on see shapes. so maybe she was mesmerized by my blond hair floating about the room. she was maybe the cutest baby i’ve ever seen. or 3rd cutest. hard to remember. There are a lot of babies out there.
We’re gonna be on the cover!
and by we…i mean Shawnee & James! They are going to be on the cover of Our Lives! it’s a monthly magazine here in Madison. I imagine we’ll set up somewhere and sign the cover. I have to talk to these guys and I’ll let you know the plan when we figure it out. I always imagined if I would be signing anything it would be outside the Cinnabon at the mall. But they might have a different idea.
It was fun hanging out with Shawnee & James & also Max& Jackson. funny kids. i think we laughed together and sang songs about the states. I can’t think of anything I would rather be doing on most days.
After we ditched the kids we did the rest of the engagement shoot about 4 blocks from their house….3 locations in those 4 blocks though! The Victory coffee shop on the Atwood is probably the cutest coffeeshop in town. I promise.
James & Shawnee are getting married at the Badger Barn in Deerfield next June!
oXOx forever!
I did a photo shoot with the lovely jennyface! she does make up. you want her to do your make up! ::::: jennyface.com ::::: I imagine while she does your make up she’ll tell you cute and funny stories about squirrels and kittens.
the model is the glamorous heather. she’s pretty awesome. like looking good awesome and fun to hang out with awesome.
I know I should have more to say about this shoot…it was fun! it was great! i’m going to come back and write some clever things here later. when i’m feeling it.
i’ve also been thinking about playing ping pong lately. i bet heather and jenny will want to do this. they are both fun like that.
Avery Ocean. I like to call him Ocean baby.
i brought a pumpkin to a bar. i took his photo. i never named him.
it’s strange- I thought i would name the pumpkin. That is something i would do. I didn’t. huh? well there you go. I shot this pumpkin around at some bars for an Isthmus assignment. It was a very nice time. We went to the Mason on park street….my new favorite bar!!! & then also the Ideal, Alchemy, & the Essen House. And some random places here and there and along the way. I think carrying a pumpkin around 2 weeks before halloween made me very popular. maybe something like 12%-14% more.
happy halloween! live it up. do shots. or at least talk about it. and when somebody actually buys you a shot. disappear. shots are no good. oxox sv
Abby:Nate:Enzo!
I’ve known Abby forever. At least longer than i’ve known most people. I used to shoot weddings with Abby when she was a hard ass. We worked at the same studio and she would wear all black and kinda scared the shit out of 22 year old me. That was really for only like 2 weeks, turned out she is really nice. And so is Nate. If you meet him at a party he’s worth talking to for sures. I’ve probably taken Abby & Nate’s photo a dozen times now. ok, maybe 6. This is my favoritest story ever! Nate maybe has a little bit of a lazy-or maybe it’s a wandering eye…oh i don’t know. If you want me to take this info down from the blog Abby-just let me know. So Abby was trying to convince me that if I took their photo I could get really good at lazy eye photography. I think. So there you have it world! i’m coming out right now as the Lazy Eye Photographer Extraordinaire.
Nate & Abby have the cutest little boy ever, Enzo. He will do great things with these parents. I’m sure of it.
This sorta looks like the spot where the cool-aid guy busted through. I think about him a lot. OH-YEAH!
Alyssa & Jake!
Alyssa and Jake cracked me up. I picked them in my car, they were waiting on the corner. I decided to do some horn honking when i saw them, which is kinda a risky move. You don’t want your new clients to think you are crazy. I am not crazy. I do like to honk. They were/are great. Jake jumped in the car and was like, “how’s it going sharon v!” I love that. They called me sharon v all day. We had a good afternoon. Mostly we took photos but sometimes we drank a beer.
Jake lives in Iowa. They met at a bar in Madison on a game day…for like 20 minutes. They had zero friends in common. What are the chances? I think small or at least smallish. Then Alyssa only called him cause she was in Iowa for her grandfathers funeral. He was still like 3 hours away. But look at this! They are in love & getting married. I love these stories.
There was talk of having a frolicking run down the hill after the engagement. This is a reenactment.
yep. that’s a toilet back there. I didn’t crop it out. classy photographer-that’s me.
I sometimes take photos for the Isthmus.
I thought I would just put all these photos together. I think it’s ok. I love shooting for the isthmus. I get fun-adventurous assignments. I’m into fun & adventure.
This is a quartet. They’ve been around for 100 years. That is a lot of years. That is why there are balloons in the photo. It’s a party. Duh.
eat cheese. it is delicious. do it.
it’s the late night hot dog stands! I did these photos around midnight. That’s fun. Mostly people are really nice to me at midnight. I like that.
The drive in! I saw the Super 8 movie while I was there. Try to get here! BEST. SNACK.BAR.EVER! it’s called highway 18. it’s in Jefferson.
i got to take photos at the casino! this never happens! I’ve never been happier. clearly. oxox
ANNA! OLIVER! PARIS!
One of my first sessions in the new studio were of Anna & her adorable family! They are an energetic group! I guess that’s what kids are, huh? It was great hanging out with you guys and I hope you enjoy the photos!
Right now I am having a family photo special! The info is right below this blog posting! Get your session on the calendar, the weekends are filling up. And it will be fun. I promise.
Valerie & Jesse :: it’s the Wedding Expansion Pack!
It’s official! Val & Jesse are married!
I liked these guys. It was a short planned event cause maybe they already got married in st. louis or san francisco. Definitely a 2 word city. I think someone wanted them to get married again. Hense the quickly planned 2nd wedding. I really love a wedding that can be planned in 2 weeks. I would talk to Val on the phone and she would tell me stories about pinatas and whisky. she’s funny. be her friend if you run into her. I just know this jesse is just as lovely, but I really didn’t spend much time talking with him on the phone. Thank you for having me at your wisconsin wedding. i loved it.
pickle mak’n!
I learned how to can pickles. or make pickles. or can cucumbers. i think it might be all be the same. kristel has all these canning supplies and loves to can with all her heart. i mostly like the hanging out and the photo taking part. The pickles are going to be ready in a few weeks! Keep them in a dark place. this is what i know. oh and be sure to add the celery seeds. or jenny and kristel will give you disappointed looks.
Alexandra & Pete. They are in love. I can tell.
Alexandra & Pete had an engagement party on the roof of the MMoCa! It was dreamy. I wish someone would throw a party for me up there. They had this beautiful outdoor couch, it felt like a magazine party. to me. I had a nice time. I think they did too.
The Mighty Miss! that’s what people say. so i say it too.
sometimes I go on vaca to the mississippi. not the state. the river. I even swim in the river even though all the locals strongly advice against it. i didn’t die. see. i showed them. oh, and it was the main channel.
fun things to do if you do go to the mississippi river: eat chicken from the rotary club, look at the mississippi, make ipod mixes that invoke the spirit of the mississippi river- i suggest jenny lewis, oh & drink beers.
this is josh. it was his idea to go to the mississippi river. he has good ideas.
Liz & Sean!
Liz & Sean had a delightful wedding at the Overture! Oh, man, that place has the best light ever. i recommend getting married there. or spending an afternoon there looking really good in that beautiful light. I sorta think they might kick you out but give it a go. I think. So I think the week before Sean & Liz’s wedding I was having a down & out week or something…..whoa is me…lame. i know. As soon as I got to their wedding I felt like a million bucks. Yeah! this is it! The whole day felt great-everyone was nice! I want to shoot their wedding everyday!
Liz had a beautiful dress and they had orange as their wedding color. Which is awesome and bizarre. I loved it. Oh, and a game theme! I saw on the facebook that twister showed up after I left. I was a little sad I wasn’t there for that part. This was wedding fun & smart. Just like the Liz & Sean team.
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Alyssa & Justin :: these kids got some style!
I shot this wedding with the delightful Mike Klaminski! If you like bikes you should hang out with with Mike. He can tell you about being a farmer in Minnesota.
Alyssa and Justin had the some really great wedding style! it was like a magazine wedding. The boys had the best shoes i’ve seen at a wedding! The girls had equally adorable shoes but usually girls do. dear boys, wear cute shoes. i like it.
The reception was at the high noon & they had a taco bar! i love a taco bar, i think about tacos about 20 minutes everyday.
Sarah & Brad! I heart you guys!
Sarah & Brad are getting married in 12 days! 12 days! They got their engagement photos taken yesterday and Sarah is thinking about contacting a bakery tomorrow. or maybe she did it a few days ago and left a message. funny! i love these types of weddings & people. They don’t let details get them down! They came down from the Green Bay and we did fun things like took photos, talked about the Packers (they have season tickets!) and drank bloody mary’s at Mickeys. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon. 
Heather & Tyler are gonna get hitched!
Heather & Tyler are fun! fun fun fun! oh and smiley. i love that! This was the first time we met, they hired me over the phone! It was great to put real faces to voices and emails. I’m so excited to shoot their wedding but mostly cause I know i’ll get to hang out with them. We went to the Willy St. park (at least that’s what I call it.) and then Olin Park.
They do fun things in photos like play paper-rock-scissors and do summersaults down a hill. and they don’t think that’s weird. i love it.
hair affair!
I shot the hair affair show at the MMoCA with the oh so famous Nick Berard! It was very fancy with horsdoevres and the pretty people of the world! It was a fun to be back stage & overall a great event to shoot! I even (sorta) won something at the silent auction. I will pick that up today.
Indestructible Tour-St. Louis!
Ok, so we were really in St. Charles. I think it’s close to St. Louis. St. Charles has the most friendly RV roads ever. They are nice new road where no one is driving. & big empty parking lots for turning around once we’ve made a wrong turn. This happens every once in awhile. Eric got us the hook up in St. Charles. It was a hit! We visited 2 fire stations in the area. The first place let Eric go up 100 feet on the ladder where he dropped the flashlight to see if it would still work. yes, mostly it did still work. mostly.
Then we went to another location where a firefighter went through a firefighter obstacle course that was fogged! it was all halloween like. or if you were a firefighter at halloween you would say it’s just like the obstacle course. You get the idea.
We, with the RV, stayed in front Eric’s Aunt Linda’s house. It was lovely. We took showers there. I moved half of their furniture outside to take photos while they were at work. Thanks Aunt Linda & Uncle Chad. I don’t really think his name was chad. She was for sure linda though.
we sorta found this orange cone in Memphis and started putting it out by the bikes every time we parked. we would maybe even put it out if we were getting gas. that cone cracked me up.
This is John Yi, a 10 year veteran of the Warrenton fire department and rescue crew. I liked him. I think we could be friends. Like if i was getting a donut & coffee in the morning & maybe he was doing the same thing…..we might sit and eat our donuts together kind of friends. 
They had a house they used for the smoke fog obstacle course. The photo on the right is the upstairs dining room. It’s kinda funny. 
see-check out the cone! i loved having people pose in front of the RV. I wish i would win one in a raffle. 
Eric went up 100 feet to throw the flashlight off! i was jealous.
gas station portrait. it’s beautiful.
It’s nick at the gas station. I think it cost a lot of money to fill the RV. I was always busy buying watchamacallits & cool ranch chips.
This is a weird photo, where did that shovel even come from? i don’t ever remembering seeing that on this trip. weird. ox
Indestructible Tour-Charlotte-Part 2
It’s always weird on blogs when the part 2 comes before the part 1. well, here is my part 2. We also did some screen printing in Tina’s back yard. Nick is like a renissance man. He got the whole dinner ready to be made & then got the screen printing started and i’m sure the whole time i was working on a blog or something that was taking me too too long. I think this trip is making me a faster worker. I have to get the photos done & uploaded to the Rayovac people in a timely manner. & the longer i take on the computer the more time i’m missing out on the fun things I could be doing in the new cities.
Ok, so i’m back in Madison now. I’ve been back for about 2 weeks! It was weird getting home, I thought i was going to be so happy to be back into my regular life. Cause you know i’m having a good time in my regular life. But I was a little depressed. I’m sure my experience is similar to those people who go to summer camp every year and have all that summer camp nostalgia. I know about this summer camp-nostalgia from my favoritest podcase This American Life.
I miss the flashlight trip.
Nick had his friend Josh make us a screen. We made shirts in Tina’s back yard. The weather was dreamy. Perfect afternoon.
we went out on the town! I brought the flashlight. We were hanging out with Tina’s work friends. & Then sometimes Tina & I would ditch the group to take flashlight photos. Sometimes just sitting at the bar is not enough for me. I might start bringing this flashlight to the bar in Madison. maybe. 
flashlight bar time. It was so bright we felt like we were disturbing the dark bar atmosphere. mostly i guess we didn’t care. 
nick drinks giant PBR’s. He really likes them. 
we all wore our screen printed rayovac shirts to the bar. I think nick thinks he’s too cool to match with the crowd. he wanted to change when he saw we were all wearing ours. it’s like a team shirt! nick wore his. he’s like the lead singer. i’m the drummer. that’s how i see it.
how cute is tina?? very. the answer is very. 
I tried so so hard to make this into a animation type thing. i sorta figured it out I just don’t know how to put it on my blog. I bet someone knows. You could help me please. ox
Indestrutible Tour-Charlotte, NC
North Carolina! We made it! My friend Tina lives in Charlotte so it was nice to have a real bed & shower! we shot some really great things in charlotte also-good worky things. It was 100% all leads that Tina gave us. Tina is the best! I’m going to caption these photos, I’m starting to forget what is what & where these days. so much traveling! I asked Eric & Nick how long they keep this up and Eric said “indefinitely” I liked that answer. I could do this for awhile longer. In my perfect world I’d like to park the RV longer in one spot & get out the bikes more. We’re so go! go! go!
Waffle House in North Carolina. Leaving Greensboro to get to Charlotte we saw the waffle house. I was so excited! Since this waffle house i’ve seen like 59 more. i’m not as excited anymore. but but but….they were nice to us. most people are. but we’re nice back. so there’s that.
This is Jamie! He is an electrician. I liked him. Easy to talk to, easy to hang out with. Like most of the people we’ve interviewed on this trip. Oh & the best thing about him is that he (for reals!) keeps on older rayovac flashlight in his front pocket all the time. he’s had it for 4 years now. He works out of his house & we went with him to a local barber shop to get photos of him doing some electrical work. 
Tina took us to the downtown Charlotte! Mostly we were excited to drink a beer but we first went to take photos of iconic-ness Charlotte for work. we’re hard workers. uh huh. We went to a sculpture garden by the art museum. It was really cool stuff. we took a group photo. I love a group pyramid. people should do this more often. The world should have more sculptures you can climb on. i hope it was ok we climbed on them. 
we look like this a lot. sometimes we might just run out of things to say to each other. 
This is Chris from Sign World. Chris is the middle of making a Coca Cola billboard. It’s huge! & it’s 3D-ish made of tin or something. he has a giant press like tool that doesn’t even need electrical cords. that’s a real tool! He is one of two people that work in the production part of Sign World. It was nice….he had some music going & a garage door open off to the side….fresh air & working with his hands. seems like a good gig. 
Right across the street from Sign World was a boat sales & repair place. So we strolled on over to see if they would be interested in trying out or flashlights and putting them to the test. We talked to a repair guy for a few minutes and took some photos of an engine he was working on. He’s cute with a nice smile. Oh, & this is a rare boat. There are only some left. Whatever the some number is….I guess it’s not very many. you know I think 5 is not very many but i’m sure it’s more like 5,000. I wish i had stars on my car. oh, 
Indestructible Tour-Richmond, VA
Pittsburg was a bit of a bust for finding people to talk to for the Rayovac project so we did a quick stop in Richmond, VA! Nick got some leads! It does seem like you need an in to get people to talk to you….hey, does anyone have any friends in Memphis that would be good for this project??? We drove into Richmond and hung out with Carter right away. He has the cutest house in a hip part of town. Richmond feels good, I might go back. Then we went & met some hard work’n boys who do water & fire damage restoration work. They were great! Enthusiastic and fun! The best part was that they wore these alien-like white suits. & the coordinated their look with a pop of pink! it’s a dream come true really. I think we were in Richmond for like 4 1/2 hours. oh, & i fell again in Richmond! Now my already bruised knee is bloody. Gross. I don’t think i wrote about the first fall. i was a little embarressed. I feel down a half a flight of stairs. i’m a mess sometimes. it hurt.
So Richmond was a hit! GOOOOOO RICHMOND. That’s my richmond, va cheer.
nick doesn’t sleep much. this is where nick is when i go to bed & wake up. I think he takes a nap sometime during the night.
we ran out of water. i bartered some rv water for batteries. everybody wins.
This is Carter. He is a woodworker & music man. I think in Richmond he is famous.
downtown Richmond! ok, i don’t really know if it’s downtown. a cute neighborhood in Richmond!
Eric went into the crawl space with with the workers. He saw spiders.
we stopped in west virgina to take photos. we maybe got yelled at for being close to someones property. i wasn’t quick enough to get that photo.
RV camp ground! They have all the fancy amenities that the truck stops don’t have. like water and a sewage drain. oh, & the fancy rayovac flashlight is lighting this! Did you know there is a RV culture out there. i might get into it. 
Indestructible Tour-Philadelphia!
I think i can finally write Indestructible without spell checking it. Day 5. Right now we’re headed to Greensborough, North Carolina. But i’m still a day behind in Pittsburgh. So Pittsburgh was great. We went out of the town one night & had the greatest time. The people were nice to us! We were at this bar sitting in a booth and kinda looking at each other and I think Nick was like, “we’re not gonna meet anyone sitting in this booth.” yeah, ok, nick. I agree. By the end of night I had traded some face masks with some girls and was playing some cards with them! I heart Pittsburgh.
We spent some time in Braddock, Pennsylvania. There is a famous John Fetterman who is revitalizing the town. It’s looking good, a little down & out…but look’n good. I think the pbs or sundance people made some movies about this guy. I will netflix them. oh, what makes this Fetterman so famous is that he looks super tough. I think.
ok, i should caption some of the photos, might make more sense.
this is the tallest statue made of steel. according to my new roadside app. i don’t know if i believe it. but still a very nice stop in niles, ohio. 
we had lunch at a delightful little lunch place in Youngstown, Ohio. I had tofu! 
those boys love the live cam. we haven’t been into it the last few days. good. yeah, i said it. good. i don’t need people listening to me when i forget their there. 
we stopped & talked to some nice firemen in Pittsburgh, PA
We met this guy in Braddock, Pennsylvania. He works for Grow Pittsburg! they plant urban gardens. 
Professor Eric! He will be in every blog post. i’m sure.
This is a strange place to live-by the amusement park. Everyone who lives by the amusement park has a dog. it’s what they do.
Indestructible Tour-Chicago!
hi! we’ve been to chicago. we had adventures in chicago! Our first stop was to talk & hang out with John Slavik, a scupture from right outside of Chicago. I just googled him & I think he must be pretty famous. here is a link to some of his work. http://www.opgallery.com/artists.php?artist_id=29
here are some facts: 1.during the interview with John kept talking about the wild turkeys and coyotes that he sees & years on his land. hey, that’s pretty cool. 2 he let us park our RV in the neighbors driveway. it was very nice! 2. we use my verizon hotspot to get the internet. the internet was not working very well so we put it on top of the rv. ….does this really work? apparently.
I kept imaging the coyotes wold be using my new cellular iphone to call their other coyote friends across town. i think coyotes might have a lot to say to each other.
The next day we went to chicago to some exploring and do another interview with Paul who is in the band Mr. Bloto. His studio is at this great location for Professor Eric to do some Rayovack flashlight tests! During the Paul interview I was in charge of the audio so I didn’t take too many photos. We took a tour of his tour bus. Mostly it smelled like boys but i bet those boys have a really great time!!
Eric is passionate about steel mills and steel. pass-ion-ate. for sure. I learned some facts about steal from him. I told him a steel mill to him is s pink town to me. i hope there is one. ok, right, so we went to Gary, Indiana to use the steel mill as a back drop for the flashlights. we got kicked out of the parking lot. those steel mills have better security than the mall!
Indestructible Rayovac Tour!
I’m working for rayovac the next two weeks! This is probably the most awesome job i’ve ever gotten! (unless you’ve hired me…then this is my second favorite job. ever.) I’m traveling in an RV with Nick Berard & Eric Tadsen. We’re going to Chicago, Pittsburg, Charlotte, & Memphis promoting Rayovacs new Indestructible flashlight. It really is indestructible. i’ll post a link to a movie we made throwing cinder blocks on them. it’s very awesome. We’re also interviewing people along the way….talking to them about why they are awesome & making short little movies. So far we’ve done chicago and we’re on our way to Pittsburg right now. I don’t have to drive the rv. Maybe it’s because i’m a girl. maybe it’s because I don’t offer. It really seems dangerous….so i’ll sick back here in the RV editing photos & blogging. and drinking redbulls.
There is so much computery & camera stuff in this RV! The boys hooked up a live cam. I will never tell you where you can see it. I sorta don’t want people to be looking at me all the time but they spend most of their days singing to it. Well, that’s nice, isn’t it.
My first blog is going to be very similar to the Rayovac blog introducing us but i’ll try to post different things than they do…you know cause it’s more fun that way.
here are some links. you can look at them or not look at them. the rayovac blog: http://rayovac-indestructible.tumblr.com/
& it is fun. it’s a short little movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIEo8USPokg
Nick Berard is a Freelance photographer based in Madison, WI. He has been photographing professionally for 20 years specializing in editorial, advertising and catalog work. “My work has always been people oriented. Collaborating with Rayovac has been an awesome opportunity, with the quality of their latest product it is really something we can get behind.” Our goal is to create a great campaign that extols the virtues of the flashlights and also features the great people that make, use and appreciate great equipment.
Sharon Vanorny is a photographer from Madison, WI. She mainly photographs people and the fun things they do! Sharon loves an adventure so this trip is a dream come true. For the indestructible tour she is the blogger extraordinaire and will be bringing you daily updates about the people they meet, the flashlight mayhem and the fun adventures! In her free time Sharon loves to ride bikes! Sometimes to the bar and sometimes to the library.
Sharon’s Blog | Sharon’s Website
Eric Tadsen is a freelance photographer, adventurer and general trouble-maker. Eric is along on the journey as a tinkerer and AV technician. He will attempt to damage Rayovac’s virtually indestructible flashlight with all of the mischief at his disposal. Including, but not limited to, techniques involving pyrotechnics, great crushing forces and hypnotism. After the tour Eric plans to return to a quiet life with his three cats and various houseplants.
Isthmus dating!
I do photos for the isthmus sometimes. I did this assignment on first dates. This girl Lorri went on 5 first dates, which sounds super exciting! she has a blog about her life. you should check it out: http://your-illfitting-overcoat.blogspot.com/
Right-so the part of the assignment I got was to take photos. But not photos of Lorri & her dates but people I can talk into going on a date. or a sorta date while I take their photo. I went on 4 dates. It was a great week full of adventures! Adventures are my favorite. I talked Heather & Eric, Kristel & Mike, Kristel & Bryan, and Andrew & Jennifer to go out with me. Kristel went on two dates! Ok, so the first date was at the gallery with Eric & Heather. Mostly this date was successful except the gallery people got mad at us for taking photos in the gallery. After they said we could….I even got a little badge that said visitor or something. It always kinda throws me a bit when I get a talk’n too. So we left & got a drink at the Pauls Club.
The next date was a night walk at the Arboretum with Kristel & Mike. I learned some valuable lessons this night. Taking photos on a night walk is not easy. We were with a group. I got yelled at again for taking photos on a night walk. I get it that my flash was disruptive to the night part of walk. AHHH!! & trying to keep up with the group-talking photos-not talking photos-cold. When we the walk was over we got drinks at the Mason on Park Street. Super cute bar!
The third date was contra dancing at the Gates of Heaven Synagogue at the James Madison Park with Kristel & Bryan. Bryan was nervous so i think he had a few drinks before we went. or he was really thirsty. maybe he was just thirsty. The contra people gave Kristel & Bryan a little dancing lesson before the real dancing started. It wasn’t enough. In the middle of a dance I think Bryan got really nervous and left. & it’s scary to do all these moves and everyone else has them down……& then it feels like people are mad at you. I didn’t have to experience any of this-but I get it. Life feels like that sometimes. Then I think someone yelled at Kristel cause her dance partner left the group. It wouldn’t be the same if someone wasn’t irritated with us. This was for sure my most favorite date! It was so so funny! Kristel & Bryan had some melt down moments in the basement where they yelled at each other for a few minutes and then i took some photos of them dancing. Disasters bring people closer together. right? i hope so. Then we went to the Mickeys and had some drinks.
The last date was with Andrew & Jennifer! We went to the Union to see a free movie. The movie was Catfish. This movie was great! See it.Sooooo…..by now I feel like i’ve got this down! We showed up early early early to take photos in the theater without bugging anyone! Mostly I just had them eat popcorn & look cute while I took their photo. They were good at it. Nothing terrible happened. It was smooth! You can even get a beer & drink it during the free movie. I feel like I found out a Madison secret.
Shinano!
My little sister lives in Ashland, Wisconsin. She has a friend Shinano from Minneapolis. We are friends too! Shinano takes photos, really fun photos! And she’s a delight to hang out with. http://blog.somesortofescapade.com/
Right so my story is a little incomplete. We were both in Ashland at the same time. In Ashland we do things like go for walks & eat at this restaurant called The Good Tyme in Washburn. It’s great, they have this Moscow Mule drink with the ginger ale. I always get it there, I should drink this more. Oh, and we go to the Black Cat coffee shop, the Bargin Hut, & Army & Navy store. Consistently this is what happens in Ashland. I like it.
Shinano is cute as a button, as you can see in the photos. & she has a green suitcase! she’s lucky.
Margaret!
I shot Margaret’s senior photos last summer. She was a natural in front of the camera! Her mom came along & they were a hoot.
2.26.10 bockfest!
I’ve been doing some photos for the Capitol Brewery lately. Mostly photos for their website- but I just looked & they are not on the website yet….so maybe check out the http://www.capital-brewery.com/ in a week or two. They do this event Bockfest to celebrate beer & the brewing of the Blonde Doppelbock beer. The Capital Brewery people throw beads off the roof of the brewery to people below. And then at 3pm they throw fish. real fish. dead fish. i totally saw someone take a bite of one. nasty!
& people love it. like with all their heart.
I will probably go next year & drink. I look forward to it.
Lesley + Trent
I shot Leslie & Trent’s engagement photos about a week before their wedding. We went to some great locations & i love these photos with all my heart. This lesley has some great style.
Jenny!
We did this shoot cause jenny ng was featured on some website cause she’s all fashionable. jenny is probably the most famous person I know. She was even in the Glamour Magazine for the “what to wear” ! (was it Glamour…maybe Cosmo..you get the idea.) I would could probably make it in too but i would be one of the “what not to wear” with the black bar over my eyes. I would consider myself famous if this happened. for sures!
Jenny lives in the Brooklyn of the New York City. I bet she eats out for most of her meals. that what people in the NYC do. According to me. well, maybe not…she is a good cook.
One summer we did a ton of photo shoots together, it was great. She would organize everything and I would show up & take some fun photos. We did some weird shoots but it was good adventures.
jenny jenny jenny….do people call you jen now? that’s what your facebook page calls you. i will call you jenny.
hair & makeup by jennyface.com (a whole different jenny! how lucky am i to know 2 jennys!)
K+J
Kristy & Jay got married by the Mississippi River in Dubuque Iowa! It was a beautiful ceremony, beautiful couple, & beautiful details. There was some wind that caused some glass breaking diasters. See-nothing is perfect. I didn’t include any of that in this blog though. Also Kristy & Jay cut little cakes at each table. This is where I learned that the cake cutting people are professionals. But not to worry-it all tastes the same!
Dubuque is the most awesomeness place for photos! old buildings & cobblestone roads! it was a dream really. i could’ve taken photos there all afternoon.
i liked this wedding. yes i did.
Project Lodge
I shot the Project Lodge kids for the isthmus the other day. They do cool things over there on the Johnson St…..shows and art and such. They even had the famous Sufjan Stevens there once. that would’ve been nice if someone would’ve told me. i have a crush on him.
you can see the project lodge on the internet!
http://www.theprojectlodge.com/
happy thanksgiving to you.
one snow storm in minnesota = thanksgiving at nicks.
nick & his turkey. it was frozen. it was fine.
This is Riaz. he knows things about cooking and cameras. he has a cute website. i think it’s cute. http://www.runningtowardsdanger.com/
nick grilled the turkey. i thought we would end up eating cheese slices for dinner but it worked. it really did. i also really like cheese slices. i would’ve been ok with that.
this is patty. she feeds a lot of peoples cats. they owe her. i call. & her friend made her this vest. those are a couple things i know about patty. 
i’ve been cutting my own bangs lately. i guess you can kinda tell.
nick had white russians for thanksgiving. and i learned about alice & her restaurant from the record player & nick.
eric made a pumpkin pie. & he has good jokes. mostly
probably the most photographed turkey. ever. 
it’s always nice to have eric tasden at a party. cause he can always tell you what’s happening on facebook.
it seemed like the right thing to do. i think turkey was done. the gravy was made.
Kelly + Jon
Kelly and Jon did it right! they had a beautiful wedding and an even better time at their wedding. It was at Forestals in Middleton. I remember the toasts-their friends had really nice things to say about them. I do really love toasts cause I feel like i find out secret things about the couple. ok, maybe not that secret but things i didn’t know before.
Kelly and her friends did some hella crafts for wedding that i loved with all my heart! oh, and Jon made some delicious beer. I drank it the next day.
You guys are cute. super cute!
Heather + Cory
I had a great time shooting Heather & Cory’s engagement photos! Heather wanted to get some yellow balloons! How fun is that? very! we had an interesting time at the clown store on the west side, i think it brought us all closer together. The mmoca stairs is one of the best places for indoor photos in Madison. Then we headed to a park where i think heather’s hair did this beautiful feather/wind look. I look forward to Heather & Cory’s wedding, they are going to make a super awesome photo station! Yesssss!
Outdoor food!
I know there is a fancy word for outdoor eating. And I can’t remember it. I googled outdoor eating. It didn’t show up. I did some photos for the isthmus last week. It was an outdoor eating extravaganza between Magnus & Osteria Papavero. & super awesome. I didn’t eat anything cause I was taking photos (it looked delicious & fun!) but I did do a little drinking. The white sangria wine was my favorite. I think it was white sangria wine.
Everyone was really nice to me also. I liked it.
Kristi + Matt
Kristi & Matt were married on May 22.2010. The wedding was at the the Press House at the University & reception at the Concorse Hotel. We went to the union for a some photos and also to some downtown bars for some drinking! Kristi was great to work with! She was so easy & laid back. You could tell how happy she was all day! It’s great to be around happy people. Kristi & Matt make a great couple.
Ann & Tom :: April 17.2010
I loved Ann & Tom’s wedding with all my heart! We met an hour before the ceremony to take photos of just Ann & Tom, which was so fun! We went to the Crystal Corner, Mickey’s, and some other cute locations on Willy St. If I could do this with every wedding couple I would be the happiest wedding photographer in the world.
The ceremony & reception were at the Goodman Center. The fire trucks maybe stopped by but there were no fires. Just kids & fire alarms.
Ann was a very happy bride and Tom would look at her all day very romantically…it was really cute. I bet he looks at her that way at home when they are eating frozen pizza together.
Thanks for having me at your wedding! I’ll probably see you around. We should do a shot together if I see you at the bar!
Portland & babies.
I went to Portland after the Seattle trip. I took a train and read “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. It was a great book! You should probably read this book.
MY SISTER HAD A BABY! it’s very exciting! she’s the first in our family so i guess she wins, right! first place sara! Mostly I went to Portland to meet this Leo baby. He was born on April 4. he came about one month early and it’s a really great story. Sara & Andy were in Seattle at her friends roller derby bout and her water broke! they didn’t want to have the baby anywhere but portland so they drove all the way home but didn’t call anyone cause they didn’t want anyone to tell them to go to the nearest hospital. This story might be better when sara tells it. Everything worked out, he was yellow or something. and maybe now he’s not.
he’s small, very small. but not like so small he has to be in the hospital. just small cause he is a baby. i was scared to pick him up right away.
I took photos of him being a baby. The one where he is on the side table…andy was right there. and i think he even caught him. like it’s that far to really fall! Sara was pretty relaxed about being a new mom i think. we went grocery shopping and out to breakfast. where i had a bloody mary, my new favorite hobby! She got her hair cut and I would walk around the halls of the building putting leo in cute locations for photos.
i heart portland!
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Emma!
Emma & her mom Penny were a delight & a joy. I think they might even be friends in their regular life.
We went to the union and made a couple other stops along the way. Oh, and yes to the lake. There was some trespassing. But it’s fine, I promise.
What high school do you go to? Marshall High School
What are your plans for next year? Next year I plan to attend the University of Minnesota-TwinCities and majoring in Communications and minoring in Spanish
Any fun stories from your senior photo session? Trespassing in backyards to get pictures by the water in my rainboots or climbing down rocks by the union, thinking forsure I was going to fall.
What is one of your favorite senior memories? going to a Hawaiian/Beach themed student section dress up night at a boys basketball game, dressed as a tacky tourist. We had floaties and a mini pool…we went all out for the occasion.
Seattle!
I went to Seattle last week. There are some parts about me that really hate seattle. I used to live there (for really only one year.) and i had this terrible job at the one hour photo place, i didn’t make any friends, and i felt lost everytime I would try to drive in the city. Randy lives in Seattle right now because he’s going to school so i visit him sometimes. I think i liked it this time more than any other time i’ve ever been there. The weather was nice for at least 2 days! and we went for bike rides, had fun adventures, and even played outdoor ping pong. man, madison should get some outdoor ping pong. i would be there all the time! 
Flora
Flora was great. I think she got my jokes and i like that. and she was funny too…but like quiet funny or something. Flora was maybe more excited to go running than have her senior photos taken but she really stepped it up!
What high school do you go to? Madison West High School
favorite memory from your senior year? Getting the news that she’d been accepted early decision to the college she wants to attend
what are you doing next year? Attending Haverford College, outside Philadelphia
do you have a favorite memory from the photo day? (The mom is asking Flora these questions, i imagine they are sitting in the kitchen with Glee on in the background.) “During the photo shoot, she remembers some funny things you said– that she looked like an amputee (because she kept putting her arm behind her back), but then you said that amputees are in right now! I don’t know if you’ll want to include these comments on your website, but I think both helped Flora laugh and relax! So maybe you’ll want to generalize and say she remembers some weird and hilarious humor during the photo taking!”
Tina moves to North Carolina. it’s oh so sad.
Tina moved to Charlette, North Carolina. She works at the Adams Outdoor billboard company as a art director. that’s super fancy. She got to have a billboard in her town welcoming her…as you can see below. I’m super jealous cause maybe it’s a dream of mine to get on a billboard and i don’t see that happening if tina doesn’t live here. I could’ve been so many people on a billboard: maybe a doctor’s assistant or like a watering a plant, a customer eating a hamburger! really, i’m so versatile. oh, right, this isn’t about me, it’s about tina.
So it’s sad she moved cause we had some good times together. I started looking for photos to go along with this billboard and i found about 46 photos to put up. But i thought that might be weird…this already is a little weird. but there are so many fun times. we did this Door Country trip and then that awesome night at the woody annes bar and there were so many halloween photos that didn’t make it up. it’s her favorite holiday. i should interview her for this blog posting!
Tina loves North Carolina and that’s good but i was expecting her to hate and move back maybe. she’s into okra and trying to say, “ya’ all” now.
I took the billboard photo, that’s fun. her worker friend Curtis designed it. go team!
Jared
I photographed Jared last summer. I also did his sister’s senior photos the year before. It was nice to see the Valyo family from Dodgeville again! The mom Valyo is probably the nicest mom in the history of the world. I was thinking there should probably be a facebook fan page for her. there might be one already. We mostly stayed on the eastside of Madison having some fun photo adventures.
Some questions to Jared:
what high do you go to? I go to Dodgeville High School
favorite memory from your senior year? our band trip down to Florida to play at Disney
what are you doing next year? I am going to the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities to study mathematics and economics
do you have a favorite memory from the photo day? it was funny when I took pictures under the beehive without even realizing it was up there!
note from me about the beehive: he did not get stung but I do think I made him stay up there to get a few more shots.
Julie!
It’s starting to be senior photo time! I love shooting senior photos, it’s like going on a little afternoon/morning adventure. I’m going to start putting up some of my senior photo sessions from 2008-2009. I’ve sent out a couple questions to the seniors to see what going on with them.
Here is Julie, she graduated in 2008. We had a great time. When I started shooting seniors I thought it was going to be really awkward but they are real people and we’ve had some good/real conversations. Oh, and if a parent shows up I’m so surprised how much I like the moms! I don’t remember liking my friends parents this much in high school.
What HS did you go to? I went to Mineral Point High
Favorite part of your senior year? My favorite part of senior year was just how close my grade was, we could all hang out and it not be awkward at all…we would gather at one friends house and just do some hilarious things or we’d drive around and “terrorize” the town is what we called it. I was able to walk around/leave the school and not get caught. I loved our Senior Camp Out as well.
What are you doing now? I am currently at UW Milwaukee! Majoring in Journalism..I want to own a restaurant as well-aah.
What was your favorite senior photo or memory from the day? My favorite photo was the sepia tinted water shot, I used it on my invites. Everyone loved it! I liked all of them though, so it was extremely hard to choose. I guess, now that I think about it, I have a few favorites haha! I was so nervous the day of the pictures, but I just kept telling you stories so it turned out fine!
Monroe :: Wisconsin
Jennyface & I went to Monroe on vaca last week. I love to go on Wisconsin holidays. Mostly we went to eat lunch at my favorite- Baumgartners! They love cheese in Monroe & so do I. I had a cup of chili & a cheese sandwhich. From there we hit the hot spots in Monroe: the brewing company, swiss colony outlet stores, and maybe a couple more beers around town. Later in the afternoon we spent $11.50 on cheese curds. They were good but not $11.50 good. These were not from Baumgartners.
maybe skip work tomorrow!
https://baumgartnercheese.com
Isthmus photoshoot!
I shot brett newski this weekend for the isthmus. the story is about how he is going to start booking shows for the Pub on state st. I think. I got there a little early and found some fun locations within a blocks radius. The photos in front of the actual Pub sign were a total bust. I hope they don’t use those in the paper.
brett does some fun things in life I learned. like he is in a famous band. i decided he’s famous. he might not be. he goes to the gym on sunday afternoons and started his own graphic design business. that makes him an entrepreneur! to stalk brett start here:
http://www.yespleasemedia.com/
I’ve decided i”m gong to try to write more on the blog, words are not my strongest…strongest whatever. do people want to hear words? maybe. you always skip over them right?
Baby Ruby!
I got to shoot a cute cute baby! she was 3 months old. I couldn’t believe how easy it was, she didn’t even cry once. I think the camera really loves her.
Spring Break 2010
randy came home for spring break so we really lived in up in the dells. that’s what we do, go to the dells & we love it. randy is lucky he is so cute in pink. because pink is awesome.
