Love is in the Air

It is Spring, 2011 and love is in the air–again.  I’m old enough to remember the Beatles appearing in February, 1964 on the Ed Sullivan show.  Girls in the audience were screaming their heads off, making it feel like sheer energy. What happened to such times? It was fun. The British Invasion hit the US and we all became rock ‘n roll Beatles fans. In those days we played our music on scratchy albums and played them over and over again.  (If you want to get a great feel for the times, watch the movie with Tom Hanks called, That Thing You Do.)  

family 2 Love is in the Air

Music is a funny thing.  It reflects our mood and it can create our mood.  We’re finicky about our music, and people are more diverse in their musical interests than ever before.  But sometimes a lot of people agree that one group, artist, or song is worth our attention.  Suddenly they become a star.

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14 years after the Beatles came onto the scene, Australian John Paul Young had a few local hits. Then in 1978 he came out with “Love is in the Air” and it became a worldwide hit. His YouTube biography says, “John Paul Young attributed the song’s success to the direction of George Young, who had told him to make the song casual by singing it as if it were a conversation.” I think it is a great love song. If you are in love, maybe you will appreciate it, too. It has had over 6 millions hits on YouTube so a few other people seem to like it too.  Check out the song here:

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNC0kIzM1Fo

“Love is in the air” is a concept that makes us feel good. We all have the need to feel loved. But what can we rely on? What makes a loving relationship last? Libraries of books have been written on the subject, and I’m not going to solve the world’s problems here. But I would like to make one small suggestion. As you move along in your relationship, take the time to think through and ask your friend/fiancée questions. Be interested in their world and don’t stop being interested. If you could use help with good questions do an internet search on the topic of “questions for lasting relationships”. 

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The following questions are gleaned from RelationshipQuestions.Net.    Pick a few questions to ask your friend/fiancée.

When was the first time you became aware of me?
Do you remember the first thing we said to one another?
What was your first impression of me? Did you ever dislike me?
What’s your favorite memory of me?
What do you like best about me?
What is your favorite way of spending time with me?
How would you describe yourself?
What is something you did as a teen that you parents never learned about?
Who was the first person you kissed? What were the circumstances?
What’s the craziest dream you’ve ever had? What’s the most recent dream you can remember?
What is your first childhood memory?
What was the happiest moment of your life?
What was your most embarrassing moment? How did you respond?
Who has been the most important person in your life?

James Studio specializes in photography and videography. Give Jim a call at 608 233-5556 or contact me through the Contact Page

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 Love is in the Air

Candice’s Family Portraits in Madison

Candice graduated from UW Madison Engineering Department.  She and her family came to James Studio for family portraits.   Her parents and grandparents travelled all the way from Taiwan to be an integral part of Candice’s graduation.

Candice arranged the photo session a week  ahead.  She came with her mother a few days prior to meet me and see what backgrounds were available.  We discussed clothing, sets, backgrounds, and time.  She provided a check in order to confirm the shoot.   We also discussed shooting at Memorial Union or a park, but the weather was not the best and their time was limited.  So the shoot was done in the studio. 

The family shoot included three brothers.  One of the brothers had a girlfriend who was also a part of the shoot.  Everyone had a great time.  In addition to the large group portrait, we broke the group down into smaller groups with parents, brothers, grandparents, couples, and individual shots, too. 

Since the extended family was together, it was a perfect time to get professional portraits.   James Studio is less than a mile from the campus and offers excellent pricing.   The shoot was set up for an hour, but everyone was enjoying the time so much it went on for 90 minutes or more at no additional cost to them.   I offered Candice $159 for a one-hour session, plus I included two high-definition digital files with permission to print.    This is a great deal.  If you are looking for professional photography for your family, call Jim at James Studio.   You will receive a personally crafted, enjoyable experience with beautiful photographs to enjoy forever. 

During the shoot I took about 180 photos.  Below is a video I put together using just 22 photos.  Enjoy the clip.  If you have a high speed connection to the internet be sure to click on the HD icon for a better image of the video. 

James Studio Photography

Madison Wisconsin Photography Studio

Candice became a graduate of engineering from UW Madison May 14,2011.

Candice 1 Candices Family Portraits in Madison

The following is a traditional group portrait.  Compare it to the next image. 

Candice 2 Candices Family Portraits in Madison

The following is a composite of three images.  This image also had the background modified in Photoshop. 

family 1 Candices Family Portraits in Madison

The following is Candice with her three brothers.  They made for a nice triangular shape in this shot.

Candice 3 Candices Family Portraits in Madison

This is a composite of two shots.   It was hard to get the hat in the right spot and get good expressions at the same time so I fixed it in post.   It became my favorite image of the entire shoot. 

Candice 4 Candices Family Portraits in Madison

Here is Candice with her lovely mother. 

Candice 6 Candices Family Portraits in Madison

Her father is showing some personality in this shot. 

kiss 1 Candices Family Portraits in Madison

Candice’s grandparents do not understand very much English but with lots of hand motions and commotion from the photographer I was able to get some nice expression.  

Candice 9 Candices Family Portraits in Madison

Toward the end I wanted Candice to give me several fashion looks.  This was one of them that is fun. 

Candice 7 Candices Family Portraits in Madison

Paulina and Reck

Paulina and Reck are going to Florida for their wedding but hired me to shoot their engagement pictures.  It is a beautiful day in May that took us to Vilas Park in Madison for this shoot.   Vilas park is one of my favorite places to shoot engagement pictures.  If you have a high speech connection to the internet, click on the HD icon to get a better image when playing the video. 

Paulina and Reck

I love the trees in the park as well as the really cool walk-over bridges.   Here Paulina is the center of attention.  In real life she is a pediatrician while Reck is a computer guy. 

Paulina Reck 1 Paulina and Reck

With the couple down close to the water and me up near the bridge I got this piggy-back-ride shot of them together. 

Paulina Reck 2 Paulina and Reck

The walk-over bridge is in the background here.  I love to shoot in the shade which allows couples to smile without squinting. 

Paulina Reck 3 Paulina and Reck

The next few shots are of Reck and Paulina while on the bridge. 

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I love this jump shot.  Great timing makes for a wonderful photo. 

Paulina Reck Jump 1 Paulina and Reck

The bridge in the background is a drive over bridge.  It is gorgeous as part of the background image. 

Paulina Reck 7 Paulina and Reck

Like most couples, Reck and Paulina have a favorite team.  They are from Arizona so it fits that they are Cardinal fans.   The background in the following images has changed.   We moved from Vilas Park to the Arboretum’s Duck Pond. 

Paulina Reck 8 Paulina and Reck

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The following is one of my favorite pictures from the shoot.  I love Paulina’s expression and body position in the midst of walking across the big rocks.

Paulina Reck 12 Paulina and Reck

Dylan and Family

Dylan

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Dylan 3 Dylan and Family

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Dylan 24 Dylan and Family

Baby Mallory

Mallory

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Mallory 4 Baby Mallory

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Mallory Bunny 1 Baby Mallory

Mallory Bunny 2 Baby Mallory