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

Welcome to the BLOG!!

Hello, hello! I want to welcome you to my blog, and this my very FIRST blog post. I am hoping to share awesome details with you about my most recent photography adventures and what is going on in my life right at this very moment. I hope you all enjoy!

Last week I had a shoot with Miss Jenna Grensing, and this week I had a shoot on Monday with the Thon's and their brand new baby girl of 4 whopping days, Jadyn Sophie Thon. The cutest little bundle of joy you ever did see!

Let's start you off with Jenna's shoot though. Jenna and I met in Altoona and from there, went to Big Falls where we did some Glamour/Artistic "suggestive" photography. I call it suggestive, because even though Jenna was topless, you saw nothing. It was very tastefully and playfully done. This is a new angle I have been attempting to play with just recently. All women should love their bodies and have a time to share that and remember. Because let's face it ladies, our bodies won't always look this gorgeous and no matter what your qualms may be with it at this very moment, in 10 years you won't see those "flaws" as being a very big deal. My job as the photographer is to pose you and light you in ways that you aren't even going to notice any of the things you are uncomfortable with anyway.

Jenna was a beautiful model to use, she always knows exactly what to do for the camera and she photographs beautifully. While we were on the beach, we were in the midst of changing poses and Jenna suddenly yells "snake!!!!" Ah! Ok, something you should know about me: I am deathly afraid of snakes. I hate them. I cannot even THINK about them without getting the chills, the creeps, the HEEBY JEEBIES. Took me a bit but eventually I saw the little (I mean big, really REALLY BIG) rascal curling between the trees. Bright green and black, probably 3 ft long and 2-3 inches in diameter. UGH. I hate them. The rest of the shoot I could not stop thinking about snakes, about 20 minutes later...guess what we see? Again. This time, teeny tiny snake. Baby. About 8-12 inches, pencil in diameter. Tiny little guy. Jenna was going to try to catch him and take a photo....we both decided, um no. No thank you. We'll use other (non-live) props.

Except when we move to the water, what does Jenna do? Topless tadpole catching...Oh...my...goodness, I don't think I have ever laughed so hard. On our way out of Big Falls we once again see the tiniest snake of the day...so ladies (and maybe even squirmy gentleman,) stay away from Big Falls if you are not a fan of snakes. And guys? Don't chase the girls with snakes...it's mean. We don't like it. It will not make us go on a date with you. Just a heads up.

Photos with Jenna were absolutely fantastic. We spent the rest of the day with my transmission in my car blowing. Oh I didn't mention that already? Huh, how could I have forgotten? Yes, no more car. Ate at The Livery in Downtown Eau Claire in the "newly" renovated Phoenix Park and had 1 (ONE) much needed, and much deserved fruity Margarita. The best I've ever had, and speaking of the best ever...I also got some of my personal best photos ever that day. So snakes, broken transmissions, etc. be darned....I had a great day despite you!

Monday was much less eventful. Travis and I drove to Chetek to photograph Jadyn, my very first Newborn shoot and I am quite pleased with the results. Because of that shoot I am now offering Baby Announcements to my clients. Personalized to the N'th degree.

Jadyn was probably one of the most alert and awake babies I have seen in a while. She did not want to fall asleep for us. She's probably thinking, "Yeah, you try sleeping with a bright flash popping in your eyes every 30 seconds." Poor baby. She coped with us very well. And we ended up with some beautiful images that will be treasured for years to come. Welcome to the world, Baby Jadyn. May all of life's blessings be laid at your feet.

Thanks everyone, for reading my very first blog entry. Come back again soon! I promise more fun. :) Even better, book your appointment with me and we'll make our own fun!