Madison Wedding Photographer — James Studio Photography | Madison Wisconsin Wedding Photography

Tenny Park Engagement Photography

October 5, 2011 By Jim Leave a Comment

Tenny Park in Madison Wisconsin is beautiful any time of year but in the fall it is amazing. We have a week of beautiful weather so these pictures are showing off just how pretty it can be in Madison.

Terry and Gina are getting married 11/11/11. Terry wont have any excuse if he should forget his anniversary!

Their timing for engagement pictures was perfect. Shooting with my Canon 70-200 lens with the Canon 5D Mark II, these pictures are fun to show off.

The Yahara River is in the background.

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Speaking of showing off, Terry has the personality for it. Gina just looks very sweet.

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When I met Gina and Terry at the park, Gina teased Terry to “get a haircut”. Gina has that look of being a tease in this picture.

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Rocky came along for the photo session too. He was very well behaved but he didn’t seem to understand the command “Rocky, look at the camera”.

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We captured lots of wonderful pictures but this one is my favorite. I love that bridge in the background with the water and foliage.

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For this picture I broke out my fisheye wide angle lens. It is amazing how wide this is. If I put my foot out it will likely be in the photo. This photo below is cropped in a bit. The fisheye shots are notorious for producing distorted faces, but that is more of an issue with close up pictures. As seen in this image below the subjects faces are of normal proportions though the landscape is a little cupped.

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With the sun having gone down I captured this beautiful silhouette. Pretty cool.

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The colors in this sunset image are surreal. The dots in the water are geese.

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For the grand finale (after sunset) I captured this photo with the car looking like it is racing by. You got to love it.

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Filed Under: Blog, Engagement, Portraits Tagged With: Fall Engagement Shoot, Lake Mendota Pictures, Madison Wedding Photographer, Sunset pictures, Tenny Park Engagement Session, Terry Durham & Gina Bailey, Yahara River

Brande & Jake — Windsor Country Club Wedding

August 25, 2011 By Jim Leave a Comment

Jake Smetana and Brande Jocobson’s were married at the Windsor Country Club August 13, 2011. I love the pictures I was able to get here. The trees and grass make a wonderful backdrop for outdoor wedding photos. The bridesmaids dress colors and flowers all work well in this environment.

This video is a highlights of the day.

If you would like to check out all the pictures you can see them on line at Pictage HERE. The pictures are arranged in categories and you can set up your own selection of favorites. This is also the place to have prints made.

I always look for a nice shaded area so my subjects are not squinting and I use my wonderful Paul C. Buff White Lightning off camera studio strobe with the portable Vagabond battery providing all the juice I need to get great pictures. This first picture provides a layered look with Brade primarily in focus and next the bridesmaids and then the trees.

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Here the bridesmaids are much more casual. The black and white provides a different look than my usual intense colors.

Lake Windsor Brande & Jake Windsor Country Club Wedding

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I purposely cropped this picture to make it look like a panoramic. The key is the focus on the subjects with their flowers.

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I love this shot with the focus on Brande’s deep brown eyes. The bridesmaids look lovely as they gradually go out of fucus.

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Here Brande is obviously on a golf couse as you see the flag in the background. It would be easy enough to remove the flag in Photoshop but I kind of like it there.

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The following picture is of Brands’s bouquet behind her back. It is a good closeup of both the flowers and the beautiful detail in her dress.

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Filed Under: Blog, Weddings Tagged With: Beautiful Portraits by James Studio, Jake Smetana and Brande Jocobson, Madison Wedding Photographer, Paul C. Buff White Lightning off camera studio stobe, Vagabond battery, Wedding day highlights video, Windsor Country Club Wedding

Bride & Groom Shoot — Olbrich Gardens

August 17, 2011 By Jim Leave a Comment

What is a bride-and-groom shoot? Well, instead of an engagement shoot or a bridal shoot, we did a bride-and-groom shoot at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Christina & David were married on July 2, 2011; you can see the post for their wedding pictures HERE. These pictures were taken after their honeymoon when they were relaxed and in perfect peace. The following are some samples of the pictures I took.

This first picture was taken at the reflecting pond on a bright, sunny day. We got some great reflection in the water.

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I joked with them about taking a swim in the pond. Nevertheless, they did take a “dip,” as shown in the picture below.

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I like to shoot in shady areas. With all that sun the bride & groom need the shade to show their expressions.

With this shot I asked them to act naturally as they walk toward me. I think they did a great job of “acting”. That is not so easy to do with all kinds of people watching you, including Christina’s parents (who also attended the shoot).

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The sprinkler fountain is one of several water scenes at Olbrich. This is a favorite for many people, as it has gorgeous colors in the background.

Christina and David are celebrating their new marriage.

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This is one of my favorite pictures. Christina looks so angelic with the veil and beautiful smile.

In the background is one of several waterfalls in the park. Christina is standing beneath a footbridge, which provides some nice shade. I use a studio strobe to bring in soft light. The background is lit by the sun, while Christina is lit by my strobe.

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Below is a thinly veiled kiss and an awful pun. But it is a beautiful picture.

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I love to focus on flowers and have the bridal party–or in this case the bride and groom–out of focus in the background.

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Another one of my favorite shots is to focus on the couple’s rings.

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I took lots of shots while they were sitting on a bench. The flowers and other foliage are so beautiful that they can be distracting and become the focus instead of the couple.

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This is an example of what you can get with great natural-looking light and close-up shots. Christina and David have great smiles.

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I like how Christina has her elbow on David. She looks comfortable, and the image reflects how they are best friends and that they enjoy each other.

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I was told that they wanted this picture because Christina’s grandmother and mother wore this veil (different from the veil in the other pictures). The picture is of Christina’s grandparents.

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Filed Under: Blog, Engagement, Weddings Tagged With: acting natural, best friends, bridal couple, Bride & Groom Pictures, Christina & David Heiliger, Madison Wedding Photographer, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Reflecting pond

Lizzy & Kyle — First Presbyterian Church Waunakee

July 20, 2011 By Jim 1 Comment

Kyle Smasal and Elizabeth (Lizzy) McNabb were married July 15, 2011 at First Presbyterian Church in Waunakee, Wisconsin. I have photographed in this church previously; it is a beautiful facility with a very nice sanctuary and a wonderful chapel. Lizzy and Kyle chose to do a First Look to provide more time for all the pictures they wanted before the ceremony. For me the First Look is great for a variety of reasons. Check out the next few pictures as I continue to explain why this is a good option.

I fully understand the emotion of seeing each other for the first time as the bride comes down the aisle. It is a beautiful thing and that is how I saw my bride the day I was married a long time ago. But for practical, aesthetic and romantic reasons it is also worth considering the First Look.

We are covering the event with two people and thus two angles. The scene is set. Lizzy enters the chapel and is gracefully shown in soft, natural light.

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With natural looks, from natural feelings, the beauty of the moment is captured.

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In this picture the flowers are in focus but the mood of the photo is not about the flowers. It is still obviously about Kyle and Lizzy.

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Because there are not hundreds of people watching, it is easier to express natural emotion and enjoy the moment.

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There is also time for me to suggest a pose or two and get another romatic look. Then it is time for us to leave and let the couple have some time alone. Compared to seeing each other for the first time during the ceremony, the First Look is a more private and intimate experience .

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Here Lizzy is carrying her older sister. For their engagement pictures I had Lizzy holding Kyle up in the air (he was holding onto a tree) so I thought this would be a nice compliment. It is also a great opportunity to tease Lizzy about her amazing strength.

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Though we were taking formal pictures, I really like this candid shot. It reflects the mood of the day.

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I don’t post a lot of formal pictures on my web site. However, showing the ability to properly light for formals is important, too. I do not use a camera flash as many photographers do, but I use a studio strobe with a secondary off-camera flash off to the side. This allows for the faces and bodies to be clearly seen and for the eyes to sparkle.

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Creative outdoor photography is very important to me. I try to come up with new ideas for each wedding.

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I also use a lot of shots that I have done in the past. The iPhone shot has become one of my favorites.

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Across from the Capitol is Grace Episcopal Church, which has beautiful trees and a nice garden. It offers an attractive background and beautiful shaded light.

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The picture below is another one of my favorites. The wedding party is probably pretty confused about why I am laying down on the hot street taking pictures of the flowers. But they didn’t complain.

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The Wisconsin Capitol offers a huge selection of beautiful angles, shapes, windows, and gardens for backdrops. The shot below is one of my top favorites.

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The reception was held at the Inn on the Park, which is across the street from the Capitol. It has many beautiful furnishings inside and is an excellent location for a wedding reception.

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Filed Under: Blog, Weddings Tagged With: First Presbyterian Church in Waunakee, Inn on the Park reception, Kyle Smasal and Elizabeth (Lizzy) McNabb, Madion Capitol Wedding Pictures, Madison Wedding Photographer

Stacie & Brad — Memorial Union Engagement Shoot

May 24, 2011 By Jim Leave a Comment

It is always such a privilege when a couple put their trust in me to shoot their engagement and wedding photos. It is a lot of responsibility but it’s also a lot of fun — being creative and seeing what comes out of it. Every couple is different and together we work out a mixture of pictures that are unique to that couple. Brad and Stacie are no exception in this regard.

We went to the Memorial Union of the University of Wisconsin to shoot their engagement pictures. Though it was a little windy, it turned out to be a beautiful spring day. There were tons of people enjoying the sights and sounds. Brad and Stacie fit into the local scene perfectly as they enjoyed each other. We had a few laughs and conversations with a few people around us as Brad and Stacie were posing and following my directions.

Check out the following video and pictures to get a feel for how the engagement shoot went. 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.