A New Year!

     Well we are at the end of another year. What a year it has been. I hope you take the time to sit down and count all your blessing from this year. I want to wish everyone a great and prosperous New Year for 2011.
I can't wait to see what 2011 will bring!

Welcome Baby Claire

 


Welcome baby Claire. Baby Claire came to me this week for her first Watch Me Grow Session. She is so precious. Claire ate and slept for me, which is perfect for a newborn session. I totally loved the hat and sweater outfit that Mom & Dad dressed her in. It was a great session. Claire's older sister Emmalyn who is 4yrs.old, was a great help during the session. I can't wait till Mom & Dad get to see all of Claire's photos.

Sawyer's Dance Moves

These are few other images from Sawyer's session. We cranked up the radio and I moved Sawyer over to our white cove area. I then asked him to dance for me. He was really funny. He has quite the dance moves for a 3 1/2 year old! We are creating an image panel which is a 10x20 size, with about 7 different images of his dance moves. It's going to be an awesome keepsake for his mom for years to come.

Happy Holidays!

 

Happy Holidays to you and your families. May your 2012 be fill with joy and happiness! 

A Boy and His Dog

 This was a really fun session. Mom brought Sawyer and his dog, Nina to the studio. Sawyer was a very excited 3 1/2 year old boy. We had a lot fun. I photographed Sawyer, Mommy and Nina together, Sawyer and Nina together and Sawyer by himself. I never knew that a 3 1/2 year old had such cool dance moves! Nina is a beautiful dog, her colors are awesome. Sawyer had to show me all of Nina's tricks. We had a blast.

Top 5 Reasons to use a Professional Photographer

With the wealth of photography knowledge waiting for you to soak up online, your first thought might be to avoid using a professional for your family images. After all, photography tips are everywhere, cameras are cheap and you can keep checking your display until you get it looking good, right? Here are 5 reasons that may be a bad idea.

The Gear!

Let’s start with the gear! Photographers invest thousands of dollars in their equipment. This is not to say that you can’t get great results with a point and shoot, but they simply won’t compare with the quality that a pro offers. Besides camera features like sensor size and low-light sensitivity, the actual physics of light and lenses allow depth of field and wide angle framing of images that you simply can’t get on today’s pocket cameras. Many photographers with studios invest in additional gear, including multiple strobe lighting, wireless systems to trigger them, backgrounds and more. A true professional invests in their business, and their images will reflect the quality of that investment.

Training

Professional photographers continually invest in training. This might come in the form of professional affiliations (like PPA, WPPA, SEWPPA, UPPPA or WPPI), nationwide seminars, conferences, or full-blown college degree programs. This training not only covers the fundamentals of photography, but encompasses a wide range of subjects including business, marketing, and technology. These educational resources keep professionals current with what today’s clients need, and the latest technologies that help them meet those needs. Many of these programs are only available to professionals.

Unique Products

Taking the picture is usually only the beginning; you need a way to display it. The ‘print only’ days are long gone. Today, professional photographers have access to the most unique and personalized products available. Albums, framing, canvas printing, cards, high-end paper products, jewelry and more are available to the professional. Pros handle all aspects of the product ordering process for you. Images are retouched and cropped to fit the products as necessary. If a pro has a relationship with a vendor, they would know for example that a certain product prints a little dark or light. This experience on their part saves you time in money in the end.

Quality Control

If a professional photographer shoots your session and orders prints or albums for you, you can bet that the quality will be high. This is because the final product is an expression of their business. Professionals don’t skimp on labs and vendors - they go with the best they can find because their work becomes something that you will treasure forever. They will present the work to you in a way that reflects their pride in the work. This is a completely different mentality from your local drugstore which happens to have a photo lab. Over there, it’s about mass-sales and ‘consistently average’ quality.

Experience

This is the biggest reason to go with a professional. Whether you are looking for a wedding photographer, family/child/high school senior photographer, or an event photographer, there simply is no match for the experience of a professional. They will be able to see what you envision for the shoot, or suggest ideas in case you don’t know where to start. The good professionals have seen everything in their particular field, so they will be well-accustomed to your situation (whether it’s a stressed out bride or crying child). When you work with a pro, the shoot can be incredibly fun, creative, and productive. You feed off of each other, and this further enhances the trust you have in their ability to get the shot.

I want to thank a photographer friend of mine for this post, Eric Doggett at Doggettstudios.com. Thanks Eric!

Winter Image

     I found these rocks out shooting in a local park in during the winter last year. I like how they kind of lined up.I thought the image worked really well in black& white. Sort of gives me a zen feeling.

Family sessions still available! Dec. 22nd -30th

    

     This is a great way to have your family photographed and help a local food bank. Get your family together while they are home! We still have sessions available. All food will be donated to Great Harvest food bank. . 

Nora's One year Session

     This image is from Nora's one year session at the studio. She was so much fun. Nora was very animated that day and we got some great images. I envisioned this image as a huge horizontal on canvas above the couch. It would have great impact displayed that way. Hmmm....maybe something new for the lobby!
     Anyway I was also very excited to hear that Nora is now going to have a baby sister too! I love photographing newborns!

Angel Sophia

     Angel Sophia came and visited me this weekend at the studio. She was so much fun. I can't wait for her to visit me again!

Home for the Holidays Dec.22-Dec 30th

This is an awesome family portrait session. You receive an 11x14 portrait and get to help out by supplying some food to those in need.  I will be making a food donation to The Hunger Task Force.

First Snow

     They are predicting our first measurable snow fall of the season for tonight. So I thought I would post one of my favorite winter images from last year. This was one of those amazing snow falls when the snow just clings to everything. So I went out looking for images and found this in Grant Park.

Saturday December 4th

This Saturday December 4th we will be open from 9am till 2pm for and open pick up. If you have portrait orders to pick up please feel to stop in anytime. No appointment is needed. If Saturday doesn't work for you please call the studio and we can make other arrangements for you.

Gift Certificates for the Holidays

 

     Gift Certificates are a great gift for the holidays. Do you know some who wanted to have a family portrait session? Maybe you know someone who wants to have their children photographed. We can provide you with a gift certificate in any dollar amount. The best thing about a Wimmer Photography Gift Certificate is that it is never the wrong color or the wrong size.

We have a few sessions left!

 

 

     We have a few  Holiday Angel sessions still available for this weekend. Call the studio to book your session 414-258-2700. You receive a 5x7 and your session all for $39. Packages are available to purchase and will be ready for the holiday season.

A Great Photography Book

     I am currently re-reading a really good photography book call Tao of Photography, Seeing Beyond S eeing. The authors are Philippe Gross and S.I. Shapiro. This is a really great book about looking and seeing beyond the mundane standard photograph that one might take. One chapter talks about, the barriers to seeing. It has some really great quotes from some really great photographers over the years.
     I really like this quote from Minor White, " The photographer projects himself into everything he sees, identifying himself with everything in order to know it and feel it better." 
     If anyone is interested in photography I strongly recommend that you have this book in your photography collection.

Happy Thanksgiving

May you stuff yourself with lots of turkey and wine today! I hope you surround yourself with family and friends and count your blessings. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Another Maternity Session

  
These are few images from another maternity session. I really like both of these images. If you are really looking for unique images and a piece of art for your home please give me call at (414) 258-2700.

Holiday Angels Dec.4th & 5th. Only $39

    
    Our Holiday Angels Sessions are Dec. 4th and 5th. You receive a 20 minute session and one 5x7 portrait for $39. Packages are available for additional purchase and will be ready for the Christmas Holiday. Please have your credit card handy when booking your appointment.  Call (414) 258-2700 for available times.

Furry Friends

     Do you have a furry friend? Let me photograph him or her.This portrait was from a session this past spring. I love how noble he looks. By the way I'm a dog guy (sorry)! I will photograph your cat though.

Haymow Door

   
      Another image from the Fox Ranch. This is the haymow door on the Fox Ranch Barn. I don't remember how many times I sat in this door way with my brothers or cousins when we were kids. I think we even jumped out of it a few times too. I really love the weathered wood and the rusty hinges. I don't know how many more winters it will last. It sure has a lot of character though.

Maternity Sessions

     I think pregnant women are beautiful. I think that is why I like to do maternity sessions. Bringing a new life into this world I think is amazing. I think having a maternity portrait to give your child at some point in their life is a very cool thing. I really like to have Dad there for the session too. I can create some great images with Dad and Mom together. I offer two options for maternity portraits. Receive one maternity session and one newborn session for $149 with a custom desk art. The second option for $299 is one maternity session and one newborn session. Also included is a 10 page custom album. The desk art and the album are great keepsakes. These sessions make great baby shower gifts. I also can create custom designed birth announcements.

What a fun session!

     These guys are just crazy! I have been photographing  Bella, Jack and Charlie for years now. The day we did this session they were hilarious! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time..They were so animated, it was funny. I just kept shooting and laughing, is was great.

Holiday Angels Dec. 4th and 5th. Only $39

     Our Holiday Angel sessions are Saturday, December 4th and Sunday December 5th. Only $39 and includes a 5x7 portrait. Portrait packages are available and will be ready for Christmas. Call the studio to book your appointment. Please have your credit card handy. This is a limited time offer and our session times will book up fast. (414)258-2700.

The Angels are coming.....

     The Angels are coming. They are! They are!  I can't wait! More information to come!

Baby Liam

  
     Welcome baby Liam. He was so nice to photograph. He slept through most of his session which was great. Sleeping babies are great to pose. Congratulations Matt and Laura. I love his yawning image!

What expressions!

     This is Ayden. He was 3yrs old when I photographed him for this session. He was quite the ham. I could not believe that he actually sat long enough for me to get all of these expressions. I put all the images together and printed a 30x30 Canvas Gallery Wrap. It's an awesome art piece. I like the contemporary look of the Gallery Wraps. You don't have to frame them since the image is actually wrapped all the way around the stretcher frame. I really can't wait to photograph his older sister Alexa!

My Tunes

    

     This is a portrait of my daughter during here senior session. She is totally into her music. So I wanted to photograph her rocking out on her Ipod. I asked her to just dance around while listening to her tunes. I just kept shooting. Later in photo shop I put a layer of type over the image. The type is a list of songs. I also added some more color to match her shirt. I titled the image My Tunes.

Tulip Field

     I really love the color in this image. This was a shot of a tulip field at a botanical garden near Chicago. I then cropped the image for the splashes of color that I liked. I then added a motion blur filter to the image. All I wanted was patches of color and the feeling of motion. I see this as a gallery wrap on canvas printed very large to go over a sofa.

.

Multi Image

      I photographed this river scene while hiking in the woods at a photo school in northern Wisconsin. I layered 3-4 layers of the same image and slightly registered them off center. I really like the dreamy quality of the image. It's almost impressionistic. I want to explore this technique more in depth.

Fox Ranch Barn

     
     This is the Fox Ranch barn. It's my grandfather's barn in northern Wisconsin. My grandparents use to raise mink and fox for the pelts in the 1930s and 1940s. Growing up we use to go visit my cousins at the ranch during the summer. One of my dad's brothers raised his family there after my grandparents moved to Milwaukee.
     Sometimes when we visited my brothers and I would get to stay a whole week while Mom & Dad went back to Milwaukee. We thought it was heaven. So this old barn holds a lot of memories for me.
     It's in rough shape now but is still standing. I think it has a lot of character and is a great photo subject. Don't be surprised to see some other images of it posted here in the future.

Morning Reflections

     This was taken one morning while I was out fishing by myself on the Chippewa Flowage. I love to fish by myself. I like the solitude. I took my little point and shoot camera with me in the boat. I noticed these reflections while I was casting for muskies. So I put the rod down and snapped a few images. I really like the abstractness of these images. I then continued fishing an boated a really nice 28 inch northern pike, that I took back to camp and filleted for dinner.

Baby Brill's 9 month session

   
     Brill is enrolled in my Watch Me Grow program. Today I photographed Brill for her 9 month session. She was so much fun and in a great mood. She was talking, crawling, smiling and being a little ham! I could have photographed her all day. This is why I love what I do.

12 Pose Wallets

 

     These are totally awesome! 12-pose wallets accordion style. Get 12 of your favorite poses in an accordion wallet. Six images printed on one side and six images printed on the other side. If this is something you are interested in please let me know when we are photographing your session. I will make sure we have enough images for this product. These are really fun to shoot for and put together. Call the studio for details (414) 258-2700.

Image Panels

     Image panels are really fun to create. This custom image panel (above) was from a high school senior session. We can create custom panels centered around a certain theme or idea. We create image panels for our children sessions too. Custom image panels are 10x20 inches and come framed for $299. If this is something your interested in please give us a call at (414)-258-2700.

Shadow Play

  

     I photographed this snow fence one day in April down at the Milwaukee lake front. I was doing a "Walk About"  with my camera. I like to go looking for images. It is a refreshing creative outlet.
     I named this Shadow Play, because I really liked how the shadows from the fence played across the sand. The moment I saw it I knew it would look great in black and white. I really like it with the white matting.

Color Study

     I photographed this scene in the Milwaukee Harbor at the lake front one spring. I was drawn by the bright red post and yellow rope against the blue water. I thought this to be great study of color.

Soul Music

     I love this image. It is from a high school senior session. This girl loved playing her bass guitar and wanted photos with it. She was wearing black and white clothing and her guitar was black and white. So I placed her on our white cove background. I started shooting and talking and just kept shooting until I got the emotion I wanted. I titled this portrait Soul Music.

I love Newborns

     I love to photograph newborn babies, especially when they are sleeping. I love to photograph those tiny toes and fingers. Babies are only tiny and small for a very short time. I like to photograph them no older than 10-12 days to get those great sleeping images.
     We have a great Watch Me Grow program for newborns. Our program starts at $99 and makes a great baby shower gift. The Watch Me Grow program is a visual record of your baby's first year. 
     Certificates are available for purchase. Just call the
studio (414) 258-2700.

We The People

The Preamble to the Constitution   

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

    Please go and vote today. Many service men and women have died to give you this right. I don't care who you vote for just go and vote. No excuses! Just do it!

Fox Ranch Evergreens

     This is one of my favorite winter scenes from northern Wisconsin. I used this image last year on my studio holiday cards and it got rave reviews. This will be one of my fine art images on my website after the first of the year. Winter is just around the corner. I don't mind the snow, I just hate the bitter cold temps!

Big Sky

     I love the fall in Wisconsin. The colors seem more intense and I find the skies amazing. I love this image especially the sky and the clouds. When I get the time I like to shoot fine art images. Finding the time is the key. I hope to have my fine art gallery up on the website soon after the holidays. My images will be available for limited edition print purchases and greeting cards.I hope you take some time to enjoy this fall before the snow flies.