I am starting to get jealous (lol) Dara and Curtis

I must say after my photographing my last two engagement session I am starting to get jealous. I am considering getting my husband some sort of lessons on how to be romantic. nah, he doesn't need it, he's romantic in his own 11 year marriage way. coffee brought home from work is a romantic gesture I am sure. Okay time to get back to Dara and Curtis. This is one girl who is super comfortable and home in her man's arms. I don't think I have ever seen a girl who is super care free and free spirited melt and get this romantic sereneness in her face when her man holds her, but Dara does. It makes me want to ooh and ahh a little. (of course in my own 11 year marriage romantic way).

There is one more thing I want to note. These photos were taken on saturday a few hours before the Medicine Hat sky went dark in the middle of the day with impending snow. It would seem to me that the Kraskos are very good with the weather and manage to avoid climatic catastrophe very well. (I think they may have a bit of X-men's Storm in them) I shot her brother's wedding in the summer and there were all sorts of thunderstorm, hail and tornado warnings all around them the day of the wedding at the farm. But low and behold all we got was great lighting under the clouds and great stormy skies. It's funny that his sister managed the same fate for her engagement shoot. As I drove away from the session I was looking at the snow coming and thought, wow those Krasko's are a lucky bunch. (in love and in weather!)

The Liefso Family

I absolutely adore being around this little guy. I must admit when I started photographing him he would wear me out pretty good. But that's busy little boys for you. He always seems to have the greatest expressions. I did a session for him and his mom and dad recently. I think he's really getting used to getting his photo taken as I really did have to chase him around with my camera like some crazy paparazzi. I love the colours and the happiness in these photos. When I look at them I always give a toothy grin and get the song "Shiny Happy People" in my head. Not the real version, but the one that was on the muppet show.

Andy and Kristin

I shot these two love birds a few weeks ago. I wanted to blog them earlier, but never got a chance as it seems I have more "ooh I want to thats" then I have time for. We had a beautiful day, and a really nice time down in the park. Who knew that area used to be so flooded? Kristin and Andy are hilarious and it was great getting to know them throughout the session. Looking back on the photos I really liked the connection between them. It's hard to explain, but even though they are separate individuals, Andy takes really good card of Kristin and I think it shows. Also I noticed when kristin gets really close to Andy she gets a big smile on her face. Congratulations on your engagement you two!

3, 6, and 9 months

I was very fortunate in the last few days to photograph these little cuties! The first little gal I met was 3 months and super happy to be photographed and in the studio. Honestly these is nothing more precious than that little 3 month old grin. She was ecstatic to be naked and the accidents were minimal! Here's a little sneak peak from her "cheeky" session



The next little guy to come and visit me was Declan. I had the opportunity 6 months ago to photograph him while he was still brand spanking new to the world. He was a delight! I absolutely love to see how much they have grown in the past little while. It's also super cool to see how much he looks like his parents as all of his expressions and features are growing past that little itty bitty baby stage. Here is his little sneak peak, this no we had no accidents to report, (mom and dad, I don't think Declan is going to win the 2008 Madchen studio body fluid award this year!)





This last little gal, i must say is a very serious 9 month old. she did some serious playing and lots of leaf removing as we begged her to look up and smile. Isn't she a sweet heart? We had a lot of fun with her, moving her to different locations to see if we could get her full attention. I guess you could say we are just not as exciting as grand old mother earth!

Been Waiting Along time

I am so excited to post these family photos. I have been wanting to photograph this little one since I saw him at a funeral (doesn't sound great does do it? ;) ) and i saw his gorgeous eyes. Over the past year I would see little glimpses of him. Then a few months ago when his mommy and I hooked up as friends on facebook I would look at her fabulous photos of him and just gush at how cute he was with his big eyes and little outfits. when april asked me to do their family photos I was immediately excited. However, there's some added pressure. Her hubby is well knowledgeable (okay that doesn't even look like a word, but spellcheck says that it is) in camera and Mac technical aspects, so I with my somewhat insecure mind was like ahh, this has got be perfect. They as a family take such great photos of their own that I really wanted to give them something special. Anyways I am super excited to give you a sneak peak, as when I woke up this morning I fell in love all over again with their little boy.

Natasha And Family

This was a super fun shoot, not only are the Schiebelbeins a completely cool family to shoot for, but as a five some gave me a really good up close look at how my family is going to change. I met Natasha kind of through our kid's school and kind of through professional networking. she owns and operates Elegant Events here in the Hat. I haven't had a chance to work with her yet, but I can tell you she's got a good head on her shoulders and is super friendly as she loves to chat and also talk about the industry. We went downtown for their family urban session. I love the freedom and different backgrounds that comes with shooting families in a different environment. It's definitely a little more fun for the kids as well. Thanks for the great morning guys! IT was please to watch you guys interact and have with each other.

Photographing a Photographer

This is the second time that I have been asked to photograph Jamie and her very "easy on the lens" family. It was a great morning as I tried in earnest to win over the hearts of her kids...and I think in the end I might of won them over. Jamie said that her daughter thought that I had hair like a princess. lol...wow if princesses only had the problem with gnarly Pregnant natural curly hair like me. She also has the natural wave...lucky girl. We all know that little girls wear their curls oh so adorably and this one was no exception. Man I wish I could just pull mine into a bow like that! Her little boy has become quite the model over the last few months which I must say was a dream come true. It was fantastic to watch them interact with eachother and play the little games that we all play with our kids to distract them from what we are actually trying to do. Maybe if you look close, even you may be able to see "sniper" from wear he was hiding. Thanks guys it was a lot of fun.

Kynnlei

It was so nice to see kynnlei and her family again! It has been over six months, which to me is a little long, but perfect for photos. It's amazing how fast these little ones who slightly resemble their last session have changed. The last time I saw her she really couldn't get away from me, but now that she's running and oh so busy, she is a healthy match for my pregnant belly and heavy camera. But I have to gush and gush and gush...she's is absolutely adorable. I think I have finally driven my husband crazy....I'm like "look at this one, oh and this one, look how cute she is here" Needless to say he is now making parts in the garage while I blog. Poor guy, I may have "over cuted" him tonight. There are so many photos from this session that I adored there was no way I could blog all of them, so I made some collages thanks to the "blog it boards". Otherwise this post would eat up the entire page as it would be full of photos. I had a great time with this family and I hope to see more of them in the future. D and S you guys are super duper parents and she is a beautiful girl. I am honored that you had me capture her at this age!

I think this one was my favorite(That's why it's on top of this post as well), just because she is making direct eye contact with me right before she decided to run off and explore. We are under a bridge, just her and I and the light there was gorgeous.

Ilona and Brandon's Engagement Session

Early on Sunday morning I met with Brandon and Ilona for their engagement session. When we first got to the park the grounds were fairly wet which was a little limiting for some of the things I wanted to do with them. That's okay though, because they did amazing at everything we did. I must say and I know I've commented before, but Brandon knows how to shop, because her ring is absolutely gorgeous!! Congratulations to Ilona and Brandon, I am sorry about calling you Josh, I can assure you that there is no Josh in Ilona's life! I do have quite a few favorites from their session, but you have to check this shot first shot out! It's probably my favorite spontaneous action shot for 2008!

I think they look like a couple of Rock Stars here! I love it!


I twas fantastic hanging out with the two of you, and it was great to finally get to know you guys as a couple as well. I hope that you have a great time planning your wedding and I can't wait for the date!!

The Derouin Family

I met Cindy and Miley back in the winter when I did her newborn photos. She was as gorgeous then as she is now. In fact, I have one of her newborn photos on the wall in the studio, just because I love to look at her beautiful eyes. On Saturday night I got to meet the rest of her fabulous family. Cindy told me she wanted things a little different but wasn't sure how different she wanted to be.so we started her shoot in an alley downtown and ended up in the park later so we could have the best of both worlds. Personally I think they looked amazing as they were decked out against the concrete wall. After the shoot Cindy and i made our exchange. ( I purchased some awesome maternity clothes from her!) It's so nice to be in jeans again. I have to say I had a great time with this family. (I want to be them when I grow up) They seem to have it all together, their kids were fantastically behaved and everyone got along great. Thanks for fun evening guys!!

Glen and Debbie

Glen and Debbie's wedding marked Madchen Studios last 2008 wedding in Medicine Hat. We had a blast with this couple. The ceremony was wrought with emotion. These emotions were so strong that they are still evident and captured in their receiving line photos. Glen and Debbie were together for 12 years before tying the knot. Wow what a celebration and party they had to commemorate their nuptials. Glen and Debbie I trust that you two will be very happy and will continue to be each other's joy and support for years and years to come!






Here are two outtakes as well. just because I thought it would be funny to show your guys are positions for some of these photos. I will admit though that this was the first time Marty climbed a tree to get a shot.