Eau Claire Family, Senior, Wedding Portrait Photographer

Spring is COMING! :) I also have my brand new Canon 5D that I have just been itching to use. I will actually be getting an opportunity here very soon and couldn't be more excited. When will you be booking your Spring photos with me? It's coming, just around the corner. What are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and give me a call.  or drop me an email at violetphotographyanddesign@hotmail.com

I would be more than happy to work out a time and place for us to capture some memories! What are you most excited for, with Spring coming?

Altoona, Eau Claire, WI Event, Wedding, Glamour, & Family Photographer

Hello All! :0) Hope this new post finds you all well, and flourishing. Life has not slowed down for me one bit, in fact it seems as though it is ever so quickly speeding up. Almost as though you stop at a stop sign and then just slam the gas to the floor boards. This is me right now! Running on a full tank, heading as fast as lightning into my bright future. I start school in 1 week, hard to believe but very exciting all at the same time. I've finally decided to go to school for a love that I have been passionate about since I was young, cosmetology!

I think that my passion for this started as a young girl. I remember watching my mom in the bathroom, or in her bedroom...getting ready for a special event. I remember her makeup bag, and all of the wonderful treasures in that bag. I always thought my mom was the most beautiful woman ever. She spent so much time looking beautiful. The scent of that bag, I think it sticks with me. And the very first time I decided to play with some of those things in that bag, and the enormous scolding I got. Makeup was NOT for young girls, she said. I was much too beautiful all on my own to wear makeup. She always was my number ONE cheerleader when I was a kid in that respect. She always told me how beautiful I was. I remember the time in Kindergarten, maybe it was even first grade...I took one of her lipsticks to school. Oh, and believe me...it was not fit for a 5 or 6 year old. It was BRIGHT. I believe it was an orange or red, something even my mother wouldn't wear. It must have been something she purchased to experiment with, or at the behest of another person, because my conservative mother would never have been caught dead with that shade of lipstick on her lips. Anyway, I wore it proud! And....I got a nice note home from my teacher, the lipstick taken away, and a big scolding from mom when I got home for taking her lipstick.

Thinking about these long lost memories, makes me laugh. I was always so obsessed with looking the part of the girl. Oh sure, I would climb trees with my brothers, be a little dare devil...these are all requirements when you grow up with 3 brothers and no sisters. But, at the end of the day...those brightly colored polishes, lipsticks, and makeup all caught my attention. I spent so much time on my hair when I was that age, it's almost laughable. I was always very pre-occupied with my clothing, and liked everything to be "just so." Like my younger brother Justin, I didn't like it when my jeans got holes in them, I hated tucking my shirt in, and I hated colored socks with a passion. Only white, please!!

I was a tough cookie. But I loved my appearance, I loved makeup, I loved hair. And as I grew, I learned that I loved making others look their best. I loved doing hair and the glow of pride on my subject's face when they looked in the mirror. I still love playing with makeup, but now I think I am much better at the application process, and choice of colors than when I was just 6.

This is why I love doing glamour photography. I get another chance at making women feel beautiful, amazing, sexy, untouchable. I think my recent Facebook Fan Page update describes it perfectly. Here it is:

The one thing I LOVE about my job is glamour photography. As a woman myself, I know the power that feeling beautiful & unstoppable gives you. When I capture that in a photo and a woman feels amazing,THAT is the best feeling in the world for me. I love the ladies who have given me this opportunity, and to all you ladies yet to come: If someone hasn't told you yet today You are fabulous & you are beautiful. EVERY DAY.

So excited to start school, and so very excited to continue providing the beautiful ladies of the Chippewa Valley with tasteful photos they can look back on when they are older. Things their daughter's can look at and be wowed and inspired by. Ultimately, our bodies are not something to be ashamed of. We should be proud of them! Every scar, birthmark, stretch mark, mole, wrinkle, and "imperfection," makes us who we are. Every one of those things tells a story about who we are, where we've been, and where we are going. Celebrate beautiful! Celebrate YOU!

Thanks so much again, for tuning in. I'll share with you again soon.

Until then,

All my beautiful BEST,

Bobbie Sue

Altoona, WI Event Photographer, Family Photographer, Wedding Photographer, Glamour Photographer

Why hello there!! Long time no see. I have been neglecting you, have I? I am so sorry! I have been so incredibly busy and catching up has been hard, I need to schedule some time to catch my breath. I also had a good learning experience in the last month. It taught me a lot about my business model and how I should do things. Also taught me that I am very lucky with the loyal fans and customer's I have and to treasure them! I hope my fans and loyal blog followers have been wonderful!

What have I been up to? Ahhhh...LOTS! I have had several shoots I haven't had the opportunity to share with you. I had a shoot with a high school friend and her 2 wonderful and energetic little boys, Austin & Logan. They were such a blast, the beginning of the shoot started a little slowly because it was the first time A&L had met me. Once they realized that I was really just a little kid myself, they perked right up. Austin cut his finger about 1/3 of the way through and we had to make shift a bandage with a cotton ball and electrical tape, that's me...I will custom make a bandage for your kiddos. Needless to say, bandages immediately went on my list for an Emergency kit for shoots. That list just keeps growing!

Austin & Logan's shoot ended with Blueberry cheesecake ice cream at Nelson's. Much deserved!! And yummy, if you haven't tried that flavor or Nelson's Cheese Factory for that matter, you really should! Their sandwiches are really delicious as well, and have some fun names.

After Logan & Austin, I had shoots with Saxy Salon, Baby C, another good friend of mine named Pam, (quite the bombshell she is!!), QUEEN OF THE CASTLE MAGAZINE!!!!! ahhhh! I got the cover for this month! Awesome. I also had a shoot with an oldie, but a goodie: Annie & her 3 girls, Mya, Danika, & Layla. Cutest little firepots ever! My cousin Shasta's daughter Madison, and the Altoona Fire Department, the Selvig's. Wow! Busy, busy...I had a few others in there, as well...

I'm a lucky girl, staying busy with the things I love best, and I am so lucky to be able to share them with you. Thanks again for subscribing to my blog, your support means the world to me!! Stay tuned also, because coming this fall I have a HUGE surprise for you all!

With love & best wishes,

Bobbie Sue

Altoona, WI Child & Family Photographer

Am I ever behind with you guys!! Oh my!! I remembered today that I haven't shared with you all, my recent shoot with Saxy Salon in Eau Claire, Altoona Fire Department, and Sarah and her adorable son Connor. Monday started out with the beautiful girls at Saxy. These girls were so much fun to work with, I cannot even articulate. :0) The salon is downtown Eau Claire, off of Water St. in the old Kerm's parking lot. Alysha, the owner, did an excellent job with the design of the salon and I definitely see a bright future for her there. We started out with some personal shots of the girls, mainly focusing on head shots and then moved to Banbury Place where we worked with some more unique group shots. We were very kindly told by a security officer there that we weren't allowed to have a group that large back behind the building. :( Too bad!! Security and safety reasons, apparently...something to keep in mind for the future. I got the shot I was looking for though, and that's all that matters at the end of the day!

Tuesday was a double shoot with Sarah & Connor and the AFD. Connor is the sweetest little ham. He kept pretending he didn't totally love me, which we all know couldn't possibly be true! Mom did everything in her power to get the little squirt to cooperate, but alas, it was just too hot and I don't think he was all that interested in having his photo taken. Which leads me to say...if you have a particularly shy little one, and you feel it would help to meet ahead of time for ice cream or something...anything to loosen your tyke up and get them accustomed to me, I am all for it!! We did get some pretty nice shots of him regardless. The most interesting thing about Connor, is he is a HUGE sports buff, but especially baseball! He loves it. It was incredible to watch his face light up when we let him finally escape from formal portraits and go run and play to be himself. We got some really cute stuff from that, that I am very excited to share.

Poor Connor, he isn't the only person who gets nervous! I have my own case of the jitterbugs. Nearly every shoot, I get so nervous that I am so thirsty!! There is nothing that can stop me from drinking a gallon of water and still feeling parched. I hope the feeling goes away with time!!

Altoona Fire Department guys were so excited to have their portraits taken! It was such a surprise, but an extremely pleasant one! There is nothing better than when our clients are pumped about their shoots. I am so excited when people tell me how they cannot wait to have their portraits taken, it makes my day! They even patiently dealt with us until 11p.m.!!! It was hot and sticky, and here are these guys in full gear. Wow, that is commitment! We had 10 guys show up who were interested, we are hoping to re-schedule a 2nd shoot and get a few more guys interested once they see their colleagues photos. That was last week though! This week I have a couple more shoots, they're still coming slowly but this is a growing business and we are just starting out so I am patient with it. Very excited to continue sharing with you all, as always thank you for taking the time to keep up with us and see you again soon!

Until then- All my absolute best,

Bobbie Sue

Eau Claire, WI Glamour Photographer

Wow! Life is getting busier and busier!! Bookings are lining up, and even with all the nasty weather we have been having I am still coming away with some

great images that I am really proud of!! Part of Thursday and several hours on Friday were spent with beautiful Alysha! She has such a bubbly and addictive personality. She is very kind and very giving and getting that personality to come out on camera was super easy. Especially when we got her doing something she really loved doing. Water seems to be her strong point. :) She was like a starved cacti, then we get her in the water and she perks right up! I had been trying to get an in-camera vintage look for a while and during her shoot, I finally succeeded. I can't tell you how excited I was !I was like a kid in a candy store, almost whirling and twirling with excitement.

We found a new park to shoot at, and the great thing is it ended up also being a great spot to bring Kane & Atlas for their walks. We brought them back Saturday afternoon and they absolutely loved it! Kane has an immense love for wide open spaces, and soft green grass and the ball field there was puppy Heaven! We even sneak him into the golf courses after hours occasionally...shhh...don't tell. Of course we never let them potty on the course! That would be blasphemy!!

We ended our night with Alysha at 11p.m.!!! The latter half of the night was spent at Half Moon Beach and we got some excellent images there. Let me tell ya though, there were just a ton of momma geese and ducks with their babies, everywhere. The Eau Claire Express game was in progress across the lake and Alysha got some wolf whistles and cat calls. Overall, really excited and happy with our progress lately and how quickly we have been gaining clients.

On Sunday, Father's Day...Samantha Brown gave birth to her beautiful baby girl!! Charlie Ray Beaver was born at 8:39a.m. 6lbs, 3oz. and 19" long. 10 beautiful fingers and 10 wrinkly, perfect toes. We are very happy for both Sam & Tony, and wish them nothing but the best of happiness. Very excited to photograph their newborn in a week or so. I currently have the most adorable little tutu and a baby cocoon on their way to me. Just a couple little extras to add some OOMPH!! to my images.

I also photographer my most handsome man on Sunday. We got one image in particular that I was very happy with, and we are very excited to bring more of our clients there in the future. We have lots of ideas for that particular location. In said image, I was lying on my back on the ground in tar, spider webs, gravel, probably some spiders and ants...ah it's all worth it in the end though! Especially when you capture the image you were looking for, and did we ever!

Thanks for keeping track of me here and hope to see you soon at your very own shoot!

Until then....

All my very best,

Bobbie Sue

Altoona, WI Maternity & Family Photographer

I am sooooo so excited to tell you guys about yesterday's shoot! What a day!! Travis & I met with Samantha Brown, her boyfriend Tony, and his two kids Ivy & Isaac for maternity photos. We ended up taking photos of the kids too, and these two were such cuties! And so well behaved, I haven't seen kids so darn well behaved in quite a while. They were also super excited to have their photos taken, and as soon as they knew the camera lens was on them, they were cheesing it up. I told Sam that Ivy should be in ballet, she kept doing ballet poses and apparently she has never even been in a dance class before. The kid is a natural! Isaac was building little boats out of pieces of wood, putting rocks in them and floating them in the mud puddles. Definitely a natural builder.

They both have the cutest heads of curly hair ever. I'm hoping Sam & Tony's baby adopts those curls too, because it is just too cute. I got some pretty adorable photos of them right before they left with dad. We think they were excited to go watch cartoons, dad too! :)

Sam was a fantastic person to work with, she herself is a bit of a camera ham and even though she was modest and kept insisting she isn't photogenic; she is! She did an amazing job, and has the most contagious smile ever. Her belly was just beautiful too, I tell ya...we got spoiled for our first maternity shoot. She was also just brimming with ideas. She brought along sidewalk chalk, we did fun stuff with that that no one can see yet, because they are keeping the baby's name a surprise to the family. I will say though, the name is adorable and a hint...the initials are CRB. If anyone can guess the baby's first name, I will give you a FREE 2 hour photo shoot...BUT I can't tell you if you've won until after the baby is born. Good Luck guessing!!

She also brought along a stuffed beaver because the baby's last name is Beaver, how cute is that!? We did some fantastic stuff with some white sheer material, a onesie and some adorable baby shoes too. On top of all this fabulous stuff, Sam is letting me photograph the baby when she is born! I am so excited, I can't even begin to tell you. I have tons of ideas, and I can't wait now.

Really hope you guys enjoy the photos from the shoot, and post your baby name guesses in the comments area. Will be sharing with you again soon, until then.....

All my best,

Bobbie Sue

Altoona, WI Event Photographer

I remember the excitement from childhood of the fair coming to town...the smell in the air, the bright lights, getting on a ride and making sure that every time I went by my parents I SCREAMED at the top of my lungs. "Look at meeeee! Look at ME!" And my parents waving back, the excitement evident on their faces. The smell of the food, the rich decadent smells that you could almost taste, they were so cloying and thick. The taste of the cotton candy, slightly grainy on my tongue as it slowly dissolved into a sickeningly sweet syrup. The way, if you molded it in your hands and crushed it down a little, it would become slightly hard and another version of my favorite fair treat.

Lets not even speak of the corn dogs, still dripping from the hot oil it had cooked in. The combination of slightly sweet cornbread and salty hot dog. The donut holes, coated in sugar. YUM! Eating so much of it all, that really by the end of the day you feel like you'll be sick, or maybe you even were!

When you're too small, watching the older kids. Your brothers and sisters getting on the "big kid" rides, the ones you can't go on yet because you aren't tall enough. The yearning to be old enough, big enough, bold enough to get on those rides because with every turn it's just so amazing and exciting.

This is the fair. We all have our own memories of it, and whether large or small it still brings that same excitement. The signalling of summer officially here to stay, and as you grow older...the bitter sweet feeling of knowing it's yet another sign that summer is passing so very quickly.

We went to the Altoona Fair last night, Cinder City Days. As a 28 year old, it is still exciting. I love watching the interactions between people, the excitement on the kids' faces, and the carnie's. I got some cotton candy, let it dissolve on my tongue as I watched the whirlwind of activity around me. A lot of the fair was middle to high school age kids and it is really amazing to watch them. It really wasn't that long ago, that I was one of them. The heartache that was adolescence...ahhhh...I would not trade these kids for those moments, not for anything. The social awkwardness, the who's who, it's all a part of life and observing them was heart rending.

Anyway, I took some photos to share with you. :) Hope you enjoy! This weekend, I don't have any photo sessions, I am kind of looking forward to it. Not so much that I wouldn't take the last minute appointment though! Then Monday, I have a couple's session, and the rest of this month takes off from there. So excited to continue sharing with you all.

All the best,

Bobbie Sue