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Ashley and Andy – Maternity Session

Meet Ashley and Andy. They are expecting their first this summer. Have you ever seen a super hero themed baby room?! I love it! Enjoy their lifestyle photos in their neighborhood at sunset. Pure joy : )
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University of Wisconsin Graduates

I was asked to photograph this group of twenty University of Wisconsin girls the other week. A few days after the shoot most of them left Madison and are now scattered across the country. What a nice way to end their time in Madison together.

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Family Lifestyle Session

I held a contest on Facebook to help me reach 1,000 likes on my business page. If you liked and shared my page, you were entered into a drawing to win a free 30 minute lifestyle session and 10 digital files. Here’s the adorable family that won the session.

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A Week in Northern California

A week in San Francisco, yes, please! Brian had a plane ticket to use before June and I’m always up for an adventure, so we went for it. This was our first trip together as a couple! I was positive it would be great, of course. : ) But you never know what a week is going to really be like with someone you’ve been dating for six months. Of course it was fun and went better than I bet we could have planned. I’m a pretty easy and laid back traveler; I like to know who’s picking us up and where we’re staying, but beyond that, I like to see how I feel when I get somewhere. Brian is the complete opposite. He loves to plan, but he decided to see how things would go not planning. We spent a few days with both of our friends and spent the last half of the trip with his dad and stepmom around San Jose watching part of the Tour of California. I’ve watched races on TV, but it was so cool being there! Brian was in heaven. : )

The only thing about the trip we would have changed was to research and plan our time in Napa Valley. It would have been nice to figure out where to go ahead of time. But eh, the wine we tasted was great and the scenery, wow, I just love everything about it out there. I don’t want to write too much with the photos, but I’ll make a few notes. Enjoy!!

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The yummy pastries you see below are at Bouchon Bakery, which is in Yountville (a town over from Napa). I’m not going to lie, we went to Bouchon Bakery three times, twice in one day. It was just so darn good! The first day we went, a song of Joy Dragland’s was playing! She’s from Madison and is a good friend of my brothers AND she has an amazing voice.

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The. Most. Amazing. Hotel. Ever. www.bardessono.com

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Lagunitas Brewing Company happen to be on our way home from Santa Rosa.

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My friends are hot.

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Below is what half of Ernie’s Tin Bar looks like. Part mechanic shop, part local tavern.

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Muir Woods. The loveliest place on earth.

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Best cafe I’ve ever been to. Four Barrel Coffee.

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Brian and I met up with his dad and stepmom to see a leg of the Tour of California. Man, those guys are tough.

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La Quinceañera

Emily turns 15 soon and is having a Quinceañera. I’ve known her mom for over ten years because she cuts my hair. Martha asked if I could photograph Emily wearing her dress before the celebration. Here she is in her gorgeous blue gown… Isn’t she lovely?!

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Artifact Uprising – “Inspired by the disappearing beauty of the tangible.”

Now-a-days most of us capture images on our smart phones and iPads; they are small, easy to carry and always with us. Most of us share photos on social media but printing the photos or making an album can sometimes be time consuming and pricey. That is why I am so excited to see several websites and apps popping up on the market to help archive our photos and make quality photo books to help capture our memories.

Recently I found Artifact Uprising, an iPhone app and web-based photo product company based in Boulder, CO. Artifact Uprising offers a free app that imports your photos and allows you to make photo books, prints, postcards and more. I went through the process of making a 5×5 photo book using their app—I was asked to chose up to 40 images. You are able to add type to the cover, but that’s unfortunately the only text you’d allowed to add. You can format the layout of each image with a border, full bleed off the page and even resize the photo—all with a simple swipe of your finger. Once you’re happy with the final product, you enter your credit card info and you’re done! The price of your order depends on the product you choose, but shipping is $6.99 and takes about a week to arrive.

While I was very pleased with the service and product*, I have outlined a few pros and cons of Artifact Uprising:

Pros:
– The look of the site is clean, neat and easy to navigate.
– The app is really, really easy to use. Easily select the images from your photo stream and drop them in the order you choose.
– All printed materials are made with 100% recycled paper.
– Quick turn-around time.
– Good looking packaging.
– Love the paper they used.

Cons:
– A small suite of products available on the iPhone app.

*Review is based on ordering the 5×5 inch book created in the iPhone app.

If you are interested in Artifact Uprising, search for the app in your app store or go to artifactuprising.com.

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