save the date

Mike and I were lucky enough to have our friend Seth (www.sethalwin.com) spend an entire day with us taking our engagement photos this past summer. I had an idea for one in which Mike and I would walk towards each other and kiss when we met. Seth was able to capture my idea more beautifully than I ever imagined and thus giving us the perfect image to use for our Save the Dates! I wanted to emphasize the moment we met and kissed, so by making the background black and white and ourselves in color, we were able to really stand out. Since my design philosophy is clean and simple, that's exactly how I wanted the end result of these "save the dates" to turn out. I'm looking forward to designing as many things as I can for our upcoming wedding from invitations, table names, place cards and the programs. I'm going to be one busy girl:)

Project 52

Happy 2011 everyone - The first month of the new year is nearly over already! Let's hope everybody is living up to their resolutions ;) If not, now is a good time to reflect and reinforce those changes you want to make for the new year. I know that personally I've needed to re-visit some goals of mine as this past month has not included ANY photography for me. That is, until I discovered Don Giannatti and his Project 52 website. This essentially boils down to 52 photography assignments in 52 weeks. I'm a little behind already but plan to catch up shortly. First assignment, create a "vision" statement and shoot something around your house that captures what you're trying to say. So, without further ado...

"I enjoy the challenge of creating meaningful images using a combination of unusual angles, lighting and lens options."

Wonder What's Next

Greetings to all blog readers. Jessica and I would like to take this time to thank all of you for your generous support of our photography and design excursions. We will be celebrating the holidays with loving family and friends in preparation for the new year. You will be seeing much more activity in the new year as we experiment and take on new challenges. Stay with us and watch us learn and grow! With that, I leave you with a couple of family photos. First up we have the Musches and bringing up the bottom are the Clarks. Happy Holidays!

With Twilight as My Guide

Now playing: Mason Jennings - City of Ghosts

I just can't get enough of that tune... Hello again blogosphere. Last week around this same time I was cramming err, studying for an exam. Not so this week... as my brain takes a break from my studies it allows more time for pictures. This week I bring to you some pictures that were made about 3 weeks back on a family photo shoot with Jessica's sister, brother in-law and lovely little niece who you have seen on this blog in the very recent past. We were on the hunt for fall colors and were a bit disappointed that the wind storm had blown them all away one week prior. However, we did have some wonderful blue skies. Have a look below and let me know what you think in the comments! I'm always looking for feedback, positive AND negative.

Something Old

Hello friends. Mikey here... I have an exam tomorrow... Supply Chain Management. We are learning about Aggregate Planning and Strategic Fit and how Cycle Inventory plays a major role. It's really putting me in the mood for bed. Good thing I don't have cable (Monday Night Football) to distract me from my studies, right? Instead, I have the interwebs =) So, here are 3 photos from the archives. First up is a 1947 Buick that was for sale on the side of the road. I LOVE old cars so I climbed inside to snap a photo... needless to say, it needed restoring and I probably should have been wearing a mask upon entry. Second is a license plate that caught my eye at the Hunnert Car Pileup this past summer. Lastly we have a go slow ride from the Walworth Co. Fair. Hope all is well with everybody reading!

Cupmate

My last year at UWM in the graphic design department, we were given an assignment to invent and execute an innovative design/invention. I decided to create a reusable cup sleeve that served multiple functions. I ended up sewing a total of 10 of them to sell at our graphic design store at the end of the semester. I ended up selling 7 (my teacher even bought one!). My teacher insisted that I get a patent on these and start marketing them to local coffee shops. Well, I got as far as making a diagram to submit to the United States Patent and Trademark office, but have yet to actually submit it. Fast forward to a couple months ago when I was showing my portfolio to one of my coworkers. She loved the Cupmate design I created and asked if I could make her one for herself. She uses it everyday at work and got another one of our coworkers interested in my design! She thought this would be the perfect gift to give her bridesmaids at her wedding this October. So, I got to work and whipped out 4 Cupmates within about two weeks. I now have another request to make one for another friend. Looks like I'm going into business with these things!

The diagram I created for patent submission. (click on the image to get a closer look at all of the functions of the Cupmate)


The Cupmates I made and sold at UWM.


The Cupmates that were made as gifts for my coworkers bridesmaids.

Our Genes Make Us Immortal

Hello again friends. Boy, we really need to get on Jessica to get some design posts going... I feel like I'm taking the joint over! Anyhow, I hope all is well with everyone reading - enjoy these latest photos. About a month or so back we got to babysit Jessica's lovely niece. Previous "photo shoots" with this little doll haven't gone so well. She spends about .0039243 seconds doing an activity, then it's on to the next. If that's not enough, she must dictate every single moment of our day. So, if it's not her idea to take photos, then we're not taking photos. However, us adults are a crafty bunch and know about a little something called "reverse psychology". Giving her complete control of the situation and handing her the camera she starts making pictures all over the yard... including this beaut...


Yep, taken by a three year old. Not bad huh? Now, if her subject was just a little more lively. But, I know you aren't here to look at photos of my ugly mug. Here are the real glamor shots. Isn't she a cutie?!? I'm loving the curls :)