VANTAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

Vantage Kids | Leo | Chicago, Illinois

vantagep — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:23:42 +0000

Every portrait photographer says it: being a part of my little clients’ lives as they grow up is one of the best parts of my job. Leo is no exception–I met Leo’s parents, Kelly and Paul, in Madison, Wisconsin, shot their wedding in Chicago, met Leo and shot his baby session at my folk’s house in Southeastern Wisconsin when he was three months old and saw him again recently in December for his one year (and a few months) session. Leo is one of the happiest little guys: he’s got this huge smile and gorgeous eyes (seriously, check out those blues!) and has an energy that’s incredibly charming. He also scoots like a champ; rather than do the boring crawl thing (that is so 2010), he’s invented this scooch thing that you sorta just have to see to understand. I tried replicating it for Michael to explain it and…well, Leo’s a lot better at it than I am.

Enjoy the sneak peek!

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Vantage Kids | Lilly and Olivia | Carlsbad, CA

vantagep — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:51:08 +0000

I recently got to hang for an afternoon with the adorable duo that is Lilly and Olivia (and mommy Jasmine!) … you may remember them from their twin-tastic session two years ago (dude. seriously. Two years ago. How did that go by so quickly?). I adore being around these girls: Lilly is sweet as can be and Olivia is wonderfully spunky. And while I do believe twins are exponentially more work to care for than one…it also means they’re that much more fun, too. And these girls are FUN to be around. They love to sing, dance, run around, scream in delight….they’re my sorta kids.

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Engaged! | Jess + Paul | Hotel Laguna, Laguna Beach, California

vantagep — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:03:00 +0000

This was one of those shoots that reinforced for me how small of a world we live in. Ok, let’s see if I get this right: Jess found me through my old client Karen (of Karen and Matt), whose sister is Jess’s friend from high school. AND Jess is friends with another client of mine (Becky, of Becky and Trey), whose brother is ALSO a client of mine (Dan, of Shelly and Dan). Jess and Becky both live in LA now, I live in San Diego, we are all from Wisconsin. Whew. I think I got that.

It also reinforced for me that my job is freaking awesome. Especially when I have clients like Jess and Paul who are up for anything (even having Paul run and jump over Jess several times because 1) it’s fun as heck and 2) oh, let’s take some pictures while we’re at it). We met at the Hotel Laguna to start off, where Jess spent several of her family vacations growing up AND, even better, where she and Paul were engaged. In fact, the shots of the two of them hugging with the gazebo behind them? That was them standing in the exact spot where Paul proposed. Super sweet. Then we went through some of the back alleyways in the village-y area near the hotel (the area is adorbes aka adorable. Yeah, that’s right. I said adorbes. You know you want to use that word now. Go ahead…I won’t make fun.) and then onto the beach area below the hotel. All in all, a super fun time. I super heart loved working with these two. Enjoy the sneak peek, Jess and Paul!

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Married! | Jen + Rich | The Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla, California

vantagep — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:47:39 +0000

I’ve known Jen and her family since I was a wee one: my mom and Jen’s mom went to graduate school together in Milwaukee and quickly became life-long friends. However, since we didn’t live in the same town, Jen and I and our sisters didn’t get to hang out a ton as kids (I think our moms preferred to leave us at home so they could have their own girls nights anyway) and didn’t get to know each other super well. Then, small world, it turns out that Jen and I are now living in the same city of San Diego, way far away from ol’ Wisconsin. I know, right? So it just felt natural for me and Michael to shoot her wedding….and I’m so glad I got the chance to know Jen better throughout the planning process. As evident in the photos, she’s just one of those people that makes everyone else around her smile a little bigger: she’s got a gigantic laugh, a fun sense of humor and a big heart. And she and Rich know how to throw a party, that is for sure. :)

Without further ado…..

Coordinator: Luxe Special Events
Venue: The Lodge at Torrey Pines
Rentals: Concepts Event Design
Hair/Makeup: Pink Chique
Ceremony Music: Still Listening Productions
D.J.: After Dark

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Engaged! | Kate + Dave | Ocean Beach, San Diego, California

vantagep — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:27:52 +0000

I’m going to start this post out by making a disclaimer: Kate and Dave are really good friends of ours…so much so that I refused to photograph their wedding (I believe in being fully present when my closest friends get married, not behind a camera and worrying about f-stops.) Kate agreed that me being their wedding photographer wouldn’t be ideal anyway since I would be one of her bridesmaids…so there you go. The reason I’m telling you this? Because this is your fair warning that I’m about to gush about how great Kate and Dave are. If you can’t stand gushing, you best move on to the slideshow and pics.

Here are ten reasons, in no particular order, why I love Kate and Dave:

1) Michael and I laugh, a LOT, when we’re with them. At silly things, at stupid things, at witty things….all sorts of funny goes on with these two.

2) They laugh with their bellies. I love people who laugh with their bellies.

3) They are both incredibly thoughtful and engaged in the world. As much as we laugh together, we also have a lot of deep conversations about politics, religion, family, leadership, etc.

4) We can spend two hours stuck in our car with them at the Del Mar fairgrounds parking lot and not get bored.

5) Every time we get together with them, I walk away with at least something that makes me giggle the next time I think about it…and it would probably make no sense to anyone else. Here are examples: a) Run little bunnies, run! b) Prince was not in The Color Purple. c) Anne Frank was attacked by zombies.

6) They both want to do good in the world. And they do.

7) Kate and Dave have a connection that makes me believe in love.

8) Kate doesn’t push me away when I give her a big “you’re so great” hug in the middle of Old Navy.

9) When we go to their house for dinner, the wine is plentiful and they put dessert out first.

10) They have helped me to feel like San Diego is home.

Enjoy the sneak peek….because KATE AND DAVE ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!

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Married! | Shannon + Jeremiah | Hanna Winery, Healdsburg, California

vantagep — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:34:27 +0000

Shannon and Jeremiah were married on the breathtaking grounds of the Hanna Winery and Vineyard in Healdsburg, California. They were surrounded by their closest family and friends, most of whom happened to be from, ahem, Wisconsin so….yeah, Michael and I were happy campers and felt right at home. And do you remember the Love Rally of the Decade? Shannon is Sara’s best friend which means, again, happy campers.

Shannon and Jeremiah were really special to work with–they have this way of looking each other where it seems like the world stops, they only see each other and you can tell that they just feel…safe. Also, I fully believe that if a relationship can survive long-distance, it can survive anything. In their case, the relationship has survived three tours in Iraq between the two of them (they’re both officers in the military). Me thinks they’ll work out just fine.

Enjoy the sneak peek!

Coordinator: Alexandra Endress
Ceremony Music: The Midwesterners
Location: Hanna Winery
Hair and Makeup: Lacey Mosley
Caterer: Chef Pelle Nilson

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Married! | Lotta + Brian | The Lodge at Torrey Pines, San Diego, California

vantagep — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:15:10 +0000

I’m always a stickler for small, intimate weddings, especially when they’re held on the gorgeous grounds of The Lodge at Torrey Pines. What’s not to love about this place? I was also excited to see Lotta and Brian’s wedding in action because Lotta had given me the heads up on a unique part of their ceremony: the Anam Cara Pebble Ceremony. It’s a Celtic celebration of joining with one’s “soul friend” and honoring the four elements of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. First, Lotta and Brian drank water from the “loving cup”. Then each guest was given a small stone and asked to envision the future they’d like for the new couple, then send those wishes into the stone. Each person then placed the stones together into a glass container, as Lotta and Brian poured the remaining water into the glass, then lit a floating candle to place in the water. How cool is that?

Lotta and Brian celebrated their love surrounded by their family…Lotta’s parents even came all the way from Sweden and her sister Skyped in at 5am Swedish time. And P.S.? Listening to people speak in Swedish might be my new favorite past time. I have no idea what they’re saying, but it sure is pretty….

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Married! | Sarah + Tyson | Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point, California

vantagep — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:35:47 +0000

I was soooooo super excited to shoot Sarah and Tyson’s wedding for so many reasons, a big one being that it was planned and directed by the ah-maze-ing ladies of Luxe Events. When you’ve got Jenny designing your wedding, you know you’re gonna get eye-candy all over the place, not to mention an event that puts guests’ comfort front and center as well as a timeline that makes sense and flows well. True to form, Sarah and Tyson’s wedding was gorgeous, heartfelt, super fun and without a hitch. As one of Sarah’s bridesmaid’s put it toward the end of the night, “Sarah was always the friend who was watching tv shows about weddings…if it was about a wedding, she was watching it. And today? Well everything about today felt sooooo Sarah. It was perfect, like a fairy tale.” To one of the sweeter couples I’ve ever worked with, Sarah and Tyson, thank you for letting me and Jamie take part in this beautiful day…

Designer/Coordinator: Luxe Events
Venue: Laguna Cliffs Marriott
Flowers: John Creager Weddings
Cake: It’s All About The Cake
Video Production: NR3 Video

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Engaged! | Courtney + Sean | San Diego, California

vantagep — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:43:30 +0000

A funny thing happened when Courtney first contacted me last year about shooting their wedding: I told her I was unavailable because I was pregnant and would be on maternity leave at the time. Courtney said she was disappointed but obviously understood. A week or so later, I got another email from her saying “wait, you know it’s May 2012 we’re getting married, not 2011, right?” Ha ha…clearly I had read initial email wrong because I wasn’t planning on being pregnant for over a year and a half (can you imagine the size of that baby??). So yaaaaay I was available and yaaaaaay they booked me…and I’m so glad they did because I super heart this couple with a cherry on top. Everything clicked on the day of their engagement session–the location was inspiring, the light was gorgeous and, as Sean remarked at the end of the session, we were an awesome team. The only thing that didn’t click for me right away? Getting my timing right on the last photo of the day–Sean doing a heel click as they were walking down the path (Sean loves doing heel clicks). I was struggling to get the shot exactly the way I wanted it…and it totally tapped into my competitive nature because I was like “dude, we’re getting this shot right.” And Sean was right there with me, saying “I can heel click all day. Look at this gorgeous lady I’m gonna marry–who wouldn’t want to do a heel click?” Yeah, seriously, that’s how cute they are because he was totally serious. A gazillion heel clicks later, success. Enjoy the the photos of this awesome sauce* couple!

*This super fun phrase (awesome sauce) brought to you by my good friend Kate Sheridan. She’s fun.

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Engaged! | Sarah and TJ | University of San Diego, San Diego, California

vantagep — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:45:15 +0000

Sarah and TJ are college friends of the fantabulous Annie+Brian duo and approached me at the wedding about doing their engagement session the next time they were in town (they live in Arizona and are getting married in Hawaii). A chance to work with friends of Annie and Brian? Yes please! The next time they were in town, we got together at the University of San Diego, Sarah and TJ’s alma mater – we even took some photos at the very spot where they first laid eyes on each other (the photo of them sitting on the posts). Sarah and TJ were a real joy to work with – they were so comfortable with each other as well as in front of the camera – and I’m so pleased with the results of this session. I just loved watching these two relish in each other’s company…

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