Sometimes you have things planned and they go wrong, other times you have things planned and they go even better than planned. I was planning on shooting in the fifth ward with Samantha, which we did, but we also got to shoot in a pretty cool club, which was not planned, but was super cool.
Check out her photos:
I’ve known Alex for quite some time. We have talked photography back and forth for about two years. From lenses to lighting, we have talked about lots of stuff. He contacted me for his senior photos and we rocked and rolled. He plays tons of beach volleyball at Bradford beach in Milwaukee, so we decided to do some photos there. Check out his session.
Hola! Things are still crazy at Valo, which is good, but is an interesting time as well. TONs of senior shoots have happened and are coming up as well. So much fun and always a good time.
Kelsey met me downtown and we ran around shooting photos all over the place. The light was great in Milwaukee and we worked it for all it was worth. Check out the photos.
Oh man. I really hate Chicago traffic. I have learned that google maps times do not always translate into real world time. I pulled in about 45 minuets late to the shoot and felt so horrible! We got to shooting right away and I totally forgot to pay the meter. Gah! There goes money down the drain.
We rocked some photos down by the lake and as we got back to the cars the light started to go down. It was actually fortunate that I came late because we got some really cool photos in the evening by Lake Drive. Enough rambling, here are the photos.
P.s. Things are CRAZY at Valo right now. Lots of weddings and photo shoots. Balance is key and tough to figure out. Thank you all so much for being such great customers/blog readers/people!
Ashley was all smiles and very excited about rocking her senior photos. She had seen lots of her friends photos and was ready for her own. We met down by the lake and shot some photos around there. The light was fantastic and the breeze was cool. From there we went around town shooting some urban grunge. We got some super sweet photos and I feel sorry for her mom having to order 
Emily pretty much knows every senior I shot. Well… not everyone, but tons! We hung out for an hour or so and snapped some super cool senior photos in the Fifth ward of Milwaukee. Super fun and super cool lady.
It is awesome getting to hang out with so many people with so much potential. The seniors that I shoot are all on the cusp of graduating and moving on to become adults. While that has it’s draw backs (Bills!), it gives me confidence that the world will be full of movers and shakers who are ready to rock n roll.
Kyle has his hands in lots of stuff. From film to business, he is starting to rock even before college. We shot some photos in downtown Milwaukee with his bike, some shirts he made, and the pending doom of rain. The rain didn’t turn into the down pour it was on Thursday, so the show went on. Check the photos:
DAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!! I hate having fun on photo shoots. Wait. That’s a lie. I do, however, hate all the “Fests” that take up some great spots in Milwaukee. We were going to be shooting over by Discovery world, but we ended up moving around quite a bit. In the end, it was super worth it and Lilly rocked the photos. Nuf said. Check out the photos!
P.s. Anywhere I say DJ, you can substitute Band as well.
I have nothing against iPods. The thing is though, that they are not human. Give Apple about 10 years and I am sure we will have an iPod that will tap into our emotions and play exactly what we want to hear… buuuut, that hasn’t happened yet. DJ’s on the other hand… they can feed off the energy of a crowd. They can play requests. They can speak. They can put energy into a crowd that decided it would be a good idea to get off the dance floor…
How does having a good DJ relate to having good photos? Well… I am a big fan of dancing photos. Mater o’ fact, I love to get on the dance floor at a wedding and shake it right along with everyone else. I try to capture the energy that is flowing off of the dance floor. When people are having a good time, they, amazingly, look like they are having a good time. A DJ and some good dancing can’t fix a bad reception, but they sure can try.
Just any DJ wont do though. There are some DJ’s who don’t really care about their job. They don’t care about the music and don’t care about you. They are just there to press play and occasionally announce something. A good DJ though, is someone who will get out and dance the Cupid Shuffle with you and will not let the first 10 minuets of Thriller play.
How do you find a DJ that will rock the party? That is a good question. Your only option, pretty much, is to ask someone. Ask a friend you trust, ask a party planner, ask a photographer. What weddings were they at where the music rocked? What wedding were they at where the dance floor was packed? Bangin beats still might not get Grandma on the floor, but all your other friends will be poppin and lockin like it was Senior prom all over again.
(Yeah… that’s me dancing on a table at my wedding. That wedding was off the chain!)
Here are a few DJ’s that I love:
DJ Mercury – He is a club DJ, but knows how to rock the party. Our dance floor was packed all night long and we were rockin to the 80′s, Beasty Boys, and lots of other great jams.
DJ Q – from Music on the Move (Don’t get their photo booth… had a client who had a pretty bad experience with it. Plus, you should just get our Crazy Booth anyways.)
If you want to hire a band, check these guys out:
Bill Sargent – He brings the ruckus and is entertainment by himself on the drums, but he also has an AMAZING band with him.
(For those of you on Facebook, check out this video here)
Bands, DJ’s, Orchestras do not make photographers better. They do however help set the mood and create situations for great photos. Just another small thing you can do to not only have a great time partying at your wedding, but also create some great memories to keep. I could write a ton more on music, but I gotta stop somewhere…
Check out Part 1 Here
