happily ever after

there are moments when you kinda get outside yourself and take a step back from what you're absorbed in and audibly gasp at the beauty you get to behold.
this was one of those moments for me.

you see I've had the privilege to have known this girl for about ten years.
the privilege to see her weave through adolescence with grace, beauty and passion.
to have had the privilege to see this lovely young lady grow into the most beautiful woman inside and out.
and on this day?  this picturesque sunshine-y day fit with the most beautiful sunset?
this beautiful day I got to witness her say "i do" to her handsome fireman/rancher man who visibly loves her.
tremendously in fact.

she looked like cinderella.
literally.
and I simply love this woman and wish her nothing less than her happily ever after.

 

[prelude]: isabelle

contagious

growing up in my house on a friday night you could typically hear this at full decibel level on my parents tv...




to say the least, my dad was a mega chicago bull's fan.
his enthusiasm was contagious.
I LOVED the bull's and the hype because of his enthusiasm for them.
    true, at the time we had the dream team of pippen, jordan & rodman...
        and yes, I'm a bit biased since I'm from outside of chicago...
            and it might have also helped that my dad's enthusiasm made our house
                 THE house to hang out at on game night...
                       that, and the fact that we had a giant freezer large enough to hold a grown man filled
                            with ice cream 24/7 right next to our ping pong table...
but that is a whole other blog post for another day ;)

all this to say...deep down, I have a soft spot for basketball.
so when I got the opportunity to design a basketball tournament logo for a local christian high school, I said yes!
they were open to new somewhat non-traditional ideas, so I got to have a ton of fun in this design process...

it starts with a idea board:

that lead into some ideas:

 

which finally led to a finished logo...very minimal, modern and clean...I can't wait to see the outcome of tournament! :)

[prelude]: amber

and I kid you not, it was there...during her session...a present if you will. :)

color :)

that could be said of both of these ladies I got to photograph. :)
one is small in stature - but definitely not small in personality...
it was literally like God MADE her to smile...incessantly!
pink, ruffles, ginormous ballons, vintage chairs, laughing...it's a session to remember for me. :)

but the other lady I got the pleasure of photographing is someone I genuinely admire...
she inspire's me artistically - how can she not with the color she exudes?
she's an incredible mom to her now five beautiful kids...
a beautiful wife of fifteen years today...
she super creative and witty...
oh, and yeah - she's smokin' hot.  yup, I said it. :)

thank YOU lisa, for another amazing, colorful session!

but then the color...she has her mama's eyes and they're stunning :)

and I would be one of the most foolish photographers EVER if I didn't spend some camera time on just her...

seriously, I admire her and I love her personality on camera...

she is one of the most "tell it like it is" people I've known...

there ARE smiles and laughing and playing being a mommy,

but then again there is also pensive, overwhelmed and thoughtful being a mommy...

I feel like she conveys that...

yup, I like the realness of her. :)