Newlyweds: Allesha & Brad

I had the privilege of photographing Allesha and Brad’s wedding this past Saturday! I have known Allesha for about 14 years through the church I grew up at. Our families have become great friends through the years so it was such a special day to come together again to celebrate Allesha’s next chapter in her life. It really made me realize how much time flies. We’re all getting so old!

We had to reschedule their engagement pictures a couple times because of the rain so when there were clouds coming in this past weekend, I got a little nervous. Thankfully, the rain held, and we got some great outdoor shots!

Here are some I have edited so far!

I couldn’t have done it without Ginger. She took on the boys getting ready, while I stayed with the girls…

Their first meeting…  :)

 

Congratulations Allesha and Brad!

The Big 85

Last weekend, my family got together to celebrate my Mormor’s 85th birthday! My Aunt Kik from Oregon was in town, and most of the cousins were able to stay for awhile to eat some KFC for lunch along with some delicious chocolate cake. My mom asked me to take some pictures to remember the day. Here are a few!

In Swedish, “mormor” means “mom’s mom”. (That’s how we keep my parents’ parents apart: Mormor & Papa and Grandpa & Grandma)

We have a tradition on the Anderson side with Reddi Wip. Whenever there is at a family party, we go around the room spraying whip cream in everyone’s mouth. I really don’t know where it came from…but somehow it stuck.

Each of my cousin’s daughters tried it out for the first time and didn’t know quite what to think of it.

and even Gladdy got some! haha

Farewell Milwaukee

So I got the pleasure of photographing at the Uptown Bar & Cafe last night for some friends. Formerly known as Montreal, these guys are back with a new name and a little different sound –> Farewell Milwaukee. They don’t have a website yet, but you can check out some of their music here. or here.

Farewell Milwaukee puts on a great show, so you must come to their next one!

Ben

Aaron

Kyle

Brad

Adam

*Disclaimer: I am a newbie at show photos so bare with me. I’m still learning a lot about light…which there was none of at this place (if you have tips for concert pics, let me know!). Unfortunately, the boys in the back got a little shafted on pictures because of the darkness. Sorry, guys! Next show will be almost completely devoted to you!

WPPI!

Here are some pictures of our first experience of WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International)! Over 11,000 photographers attended.

Ginger and I got in to Vegas around 8:30AM, where we were greeted with some chilly weather. Thankfully, it would be the only cloudy day that week…Here are some pictures summarizing the week:

 

Ginger and I got to room with Callie Crass from Wisconsin. She was so much fun to get to know and share ideas with. Hopefully, we will get to hang out with her again soon!

 

We hung out with Victor Sizemore and Alex Hill from Elysium Productions for awhile, who are both from Orange County. We convinced them that the Midwest is better than the West Coast…haha, ya know, who needs the ocean, palm trees and mountains when you have snow, ice fishing, the saints, and mosquitos (as well as mosquito hawks!). Everyone thought I was crazy when I mentioned mosquito hawks…even Ginger and Callie! Look, you guys, they do exist! Google proof. Here’s a picture even…

 

We also spent our last night walking around Vegas taking pictures! It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. 

 

It was incredible to meet so many photographers. Very overwhelming at the same time… I took something away from every speaker that I was able to listen to. Joe Buissink, David Jay, Jesh De Rox, Mike Larson, Denis Reggie, Catherine Hall, and many many more. They are amazing photographers. Here is Denis Reggie filling in after Joe Buissink had to end his lecture because of a 103º fever. He taught us the technique of “foofing”, where you bounce the flash off of a wall to create a soft light on the subject rather than a harsh, direct light. 

On our last day in Nevada, Ginger’s aunt took us hiking to the Red Rocks! It was gorgeous. Blue sky and 70º.

 

She fed us dinner, along with delicious dessert. At around 9:30PM, she drove us to the airport to say goodbye. Once at the airport, we encountered almost every problem that could happen…but we won’t get into that now. Let’s just say, it was a crazy adventure that Ginger and I can now laugh at. We finally arrived home on our red-eye flight, only to be welcomed with another downfall of March snow. Gotta love Minnesota!