Blog

RAGBRAI WEEK!

2009-07-17T13:38:00.002-05:00

As many of you know Shane has road ragbrai for the past few years. I have road a few days in the past. But this year I thought I would give the whole week a try. So we will be closed July 18th - 27th. We will reopen on Tuesday July 28th 10am. I hope you all have a great week. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Thanks
Carrie

What a ROCKIN WEEK!

2009-07-17T12:17:00.009-05:00

This was a great week! And a what a great way to end the week before heading off to ragbrai. Check out all the images. It was a blast taking portraits of the Karr kids. They are so much fun and the boys loved playing with the silly string. It's lots of fun to make a mess!
And as you can see Miss Haylee doesn't like messes.

Like I had said before the senior portrait rush is on. Check out Emily, Dylan & Zach senior shots. I love it when the kids want to make it all about them. Showing what they do and enjoy. Making it more personal by going to their home town or house. Where ever the case may be we all had a rockin good time.

Emily Koch - Center Point Urbana

Dylan Ehlen - Belleplain

Zach Heineman - Vinton Shellsburg

Special Thanks to Coach Joe Johnson for letting us get into the gym!

Class 2010! Is it already?

2009-07-09T12:35:00.004-05:00

Graduation is just right around the corner. Here are few of Alyssa and Shelby. We had a great time. Check out the few that we did.

Joining together

2009-07-09T12:23:00.003-05:00

Well as many of you already know I have teamed up with Jill Louvar to photograph weddings together. Last summer we hooked up to see how we would work out together since out shooting styles are very different from one another. It works out great. We photograph weddings under the name Jill Marie Photography.

Aimee and Andy's wedding was out first official wedding together as Jill Marie Photography. I have know Aimee and Andy for sometime now. I was there when Aimee graduated from high school and when both of their children were born. So to say the least I was honored when we were asked to photograph their wedding. It was a great time and awesome to see a great love coming together.

Fairytales to come true.

2009-07-09T12:12:00.003-05:00

Wedding photography is one of my favorite things to shoot. On June 20, 2009 I got to shoot an amazing wedding. Despite the heat, we got some awesome shots. Chad and Renee were great to work with. It was truly beautiful. The horse and carriage were a great touch and a cool way tomake and entrance!

Rain Rain Go Away. NO WAY!

2009-06-09T13:17:00.004-05:00

Who says that you can't have great portraits in the rain. I had so much fun taking these family photos. The kids had a great time too.

The kids are getting older.

2009-06-02T14:51:00.004-05:00

One of the great joys of being a photographer is that I get to watch so many kids grow up. The Elwicks are one such family. Watching them grow and change is one of the greatest gifts I think anyone could have.

Brothers

2009-06-02T14:43:00.004-05:00

We all know that having a sibling you share a special bond. These 2 guys were lots of fun!

Family Fun!

2009-06-02T14:37:00.002-05:00

Jess worked for me for almost 3 years. I was sad to see you go off to college, but we all need to spread our wings sometime. This was birthday surprise for you mom. We had so much fun. Nick I think can make anyone laugh!

Update...

2009-06-02T14:27:00.002-05:00

It has been so long since I have last blogged! I hope to get a little better at it. The class of 2010 open house went great. I am so excited for the upcoming senior season. We have a special running for the month of June for the class of 2010!

Dungen

2009-02-04T10:22:00.002-06:00

If you know any professional photographers you know that they will do just about anything to get the shot. Dungen is one of my favorite places to shoot outdoors. Wether it be winter or summer. Fall is the best back there. Anyway, driving in I knew it was possible that I would get stuck in the snow. But I really wanted the shot. This is what I got. I love this portrait. Although it was alittle cold for Elizabeth she was a trooper. Trying to get out of Dungen was another story. I tried to turn around right where I was at. Not a good idea. GOT STUCK! Elizabeth's sister got in the driver seat and pushed. We didn't move. So I had to call Shane, but you know it I didn't have my cell phone. I used theirs and Shane and his budding Kevin were on there way. In the mean time this really nice kid came along and dug us out. He must get stuck alot him self, because he had boards and a shovel. We were on our way. Shane and Kevin showed up just has we were turning around. We got stuck again! And again, the kid pulled us out. We were on our way. I didn't want to stop in the fear of getting stuck again. However, Shane and Kevin were hot doggin around and they got stuck in Kevin's nice 4 wheel drive truck! The kid to the rescure! In the mist of thanking him I did not get his name. So a shout out to him who ever he may be thanks for helpinsg us out. I got the shot that I wanted.

HELLO

2008-11-14T11:00:00.003-06:00

Well it has really been along time since I have posted any thing. I am really sorry for that. When starting this blog I thought I would be able to post something almost everyday. You can all see that hasn't happened.

It has been real busy with high school seniors. They are starting to wind down and families are gearing up for the Christmas season. Don't forget that SANTA is coming to town on Sunday November 23rd from 1pm - 3pm. That is always fun. You are never to young to believe in the magic of Christmas.

I hope you enjoy the few portraits that I have posted. They are some of my favorites.

Talk to you all soon!

Carrie

HOT TOT AND COOL KIDS!

2008-09-05T11:27:00.006-05:00

Well some of you already know... I have placed again in the hot tots and cool kids contest that American Color Image hold every year. This is a national contest. This year I have placed..

1st in the 3-5 year old with Josh Wiley

3rd int he 3-5 year old in digitally enhanced with Brynn Johnson

Honorable Mention in the 9-12 with Jonathan Isbell.

2008-09-05T11:21:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone. It has been awhile. The senior season has really taken off and keeping me pretty busy. Both boys have started school. Weston loves it! Eli still isn't really sure yet. He is having a hard time following the rules. Hopefully he will get into the swing of things here soon.

Just wanted to touch base a little. It will be pretty crazy here for a few months, but you all know that already. I hope everyone is doing well.

I don't want you to forget about the back to school portrait sessions for k-11th. It is a $7 session fee with 5 poses. You choose which ones you want for the package. Packages start at $17. Call and let me know if you have any questions.

Myles, Myles, Myles

2008-07-28T12:59:00.006-05:00

What can I say about Myles. Myles is the first guy that I have done senior portraits of this year. We had ball! Him and his mom have a great relationship. They were cracking jokes back and forth with each other the whole time.

You got great portrait Myles. And I hope you had a great time at Wild Wings!

Apple of our eye

2008-07-28T12:44:00.005-05:00

I can't say enough about the Tandy girls. Both Lauren and Rachel were the first two portraits that I entered into the Hot Tots and Cool Kids contest way back when. With their portraits I place first and second. I have watched the two grown into beautiful young ladies. This last session I had with them we had grandpa and grandma with us. I was great.

Grandpa and Grandma had fun too.

Bestfriends are we my sister and me

2008-07-28T12:32:00.005-05:00

Lauren and Julia are two of a kind. When I first started taking portraits of Lauren at 6mths she didn't like it at all. Now she loves it! Julia on the other hand no so much. We did get a few of her.

And she loves her cheerios.

True Iowa Gal

2008-07-28T12:14:00.008-05:00

Before I left for New York Jill and I got to shoot a awesome wedding. With a few set backs in the morning, we managed to get all that we needed to tell Andy and Kate's love story. It was really fun. Doing weddings in Iowa you don't get to do many outdoor ones. The weather was great and everyone that came from California had a ball. One of my favorite portraits that Jill captured was when Kate saw her dad for the first time! Enjoy the portraits.

It's been awhile

2008-07-28T11:27:00.006-05:00

Well we made it home save and sound. However, I did not drive straight through this time. We pulled over about an hour outside of Chicago. I was a little bummed when woke up and realized that we were only four hours from home. Oh well better safe then sorry.

It was a little hard getting back into the swing of things but I managed well. I kicked out week with shooting senior portraits of Aleshia. She was lots of fun and was really what I needed to get back on track.

I really love her pink dress. It's not very often that you get to wear your prom dress twice. Aleshia enjoyed herself along with her mom and sister. We had a good time.

The week in recap

2008-07-12T21:50:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to add to the blog. It has been a real busy week for me.

To start off Tuesday was pretty laid back. We went into queens to see uncle Chris at work. The kids loved it. They got to see him in his uniform and take a ride in the police car. They thought that was so cool. I made sure to tell them that, that ride should only one they ever take in a police car. They also got ice cream out of uncle Chris!

Wednesday was a little stressful. Had to go into New Jersey. I was really excited about it. It was the first time that I actually went into Jersey besides driving through. However, I got lost for 2 hours and had no clue as to where I was. Thank god for Carrie. She was one of the moms of the families that I took portraits of. Also a big THANK YOU to her as well. When I spoke with her on Monday she informed me that she had other families for me to take portraits off. I was great. Later on in the evening I needed to go to another family who was a little further way. I did portraits of this family back in 2006 when they lived in Long Island. I again got lost of an hour. At this point all I wanted to do was pull over and cry. Brandy called to see if I was at Kim's yet and I told her no I was lost. She told me to stop driving, that it didn't matter because if I kept going I would just get more lost. So you a probably think can she get so lost. Well the answer to that is the have no road signs. And if you happen to find one they are only on the streets you turn on to. It is not like back home where where the avenues and streets are all marked.

On to Thursday, hung out with the boys in the morning and then on to Brooklyn for portrait of Brandy, Chris and the girls. I did sneak few in of the boys. I had never been into Brooklyn. It is really beautiful. They laughed at me because I found someone "stoop" to take portraits one. Well out here you just don't go and taken photos on someones front porch. Later on that night we head down to the South Street Seaport. Which is one of my favorite place. We ate and enjoyed the music and the view of the city.

Beach day. We took the all of the kids to Smith Point beach. It was so much fun. The waves were the biggest that I have ever seen. The lifeguards were very busy. I tried to ride the waves with Chris but it didn't work out real well. They were so big and fast it took me right down. The kids had no fear and were making me pretty nervous. They woke up Saturday morning and wanted to go to the beach again. They weren't real happy when they found out that I went to Long Beach to take more portraits.

Saturday was another day work. I got to see a lot of New York. The families that I did portraits of were families that I have done in the past. It was great to see them and to see how much the kids have changed in a year.

I hope to take off home around 10am. I not sure if I will be able to make it all the way through with out stopping and am pretty tried. I love coming out it and taking portraits. But, I love going home and doing the same. Enjoy the photos and I will let you know how the ride home was.

First Stop

2008-07-08T09:06:00.007-05:00

We stopped around 6:30pm right before we got to Ohio. I attempted to take a time photo. I think it turned out pretty good. At this point they needed to run a bit. Eli this time was awake for awhile. They were both a sleep before we got to Pennsylvania. I am not a big fan driving through that state it is way too dark. The exits aren't even lit up.

Now into New Jersey, speed really picked up. You could tell that people were going into the city to go to work. We drove into New York around 5:30am. The traffic wasn't too bad. We were at Brandy's by 6:30am We made great time. I didn't think we would make it there until 9 or 10 Iowa time.

We had our greetings and then I slept for a few hours and then just hung out for the rest of the day. Alicia is very tall and beautiful. She was getting ready for summer school. For her it is camping. Hope to get her to go camping with us when they are back in August. Marissa is still a little spit fire and she was very excited to see Eli. They are having great playing with each other. Weston is having a good time swimming and playing the xbox. He is exited about going and seeing Uncle Chris at work. Normally he doesn't wear a uniform, but today he is. Brandy is doing good. She is off this week hanging out with the kids and keeping them entertained while I am working. The last few pics are of us at the park. Weston was ready to go home and go to bed.

I know everyone thought I was crazy to drive out all by myself with out stopping with the boys. I have to say it was not bad at all. I'm not sure how the drive home is going to be! Stay tuned for more photos.

The Drive

2008-07-08T08:36:00.005-05:00

The boys were awesome travelers. I am not sure what Eli is doing with the wet wipe on his head but he was pretty content so I am not going to complain. However, we was out once again a few short moments later. Weston took a short nap and woke up right before we hit Chicago. He wants dad to meet us Sunday in Chicago so we can go to the Sears Tower on Monday. Don't think that is going to happen bud! He wants to see everything he reads about. Which is good until he reads about lions.

The only little problem we had was just before we hit Atkinson, IL I noticed in my side mirror that my left tail light was coming off. So I pulled along side I80. By the way not too much fun! Pushed it back in until I could make it to the next exit to put some tape on it. The right one was loose by the way too. Well back to driving only have 7 miles to make it to the to Atkinson.

Oops, lost the tail light cover hit a semi's windshield. I Felt so bad. He just waved me by, he seen me pulled over on the side of the road. Stopped at the truck stop in Atkinson and they had no tuck tape so had to drive a little further into town and go to Caseys. So now the SAYCHEZ van is missing a left tail light and the right one is all taped up. Hope to get it fixed in New York.

We made it

2008-07-08T08:22:00.003-05:00

Well after a lot of packing we left Vinton at 12:05pm on Sunday the July 6th. That's pretty good considering my goal was to leave a noon. I had a lot of help from my husband Shane who ran around to get things like Eli's meds from the campground.

It was a little emotional for Weston to leave dad for a weeks, but after a few tears we were off. Eli was ready to go as soon as he woke that morning. He was out cold before we even hit Iowa City.

Very excited Troy

2008-07-03T10:30:00.008-05:00

Hey guys I am very excited about your senior portraits. I had such a good time. The one in the gray shirt is the one I wouldn't let you see that I got so excited about. Enjoy the few that are on the blog. I know it is teasing you a bit since you have to wait until I get back from the big apple to see the rest. Thanks guys it was a blast!

- Carrie

Windy Wedding

2008-07-03T03:53:00.006-05:00

Despite the windy day we had a great wedding with a bunch of fun people. Even though the bride lived real close to the field of dreams this was her first visit there. This was a little pit stop for us on out way to the reception. Jill did an awesome job! The flowers were great and were done by Nichole McKenna from Vinton. Enjoy the portraits.

-Carrie

Kristy

2008-07-03T03:38:00.002-05:00

Can't say enough about Kristy's portraits. I think her eyes say it all. Even through it was hot, Kristy was a great sport wearing a winter vest with a fur hood. That shot by far is my favorite!

Thanks for letting me be apart of your senior year!

- Carrie

Mariah

2008-07-03T03:29:00.002-05:00

Mariah and I had a great time shooting her senior portraits. Do to the recent events with the flooding we were unable to do some of the things that we had intended. Despite that we found some great places. Enjoy the portraits. You are beautiful person inside and out.

- Carrie

New York

2008-07-03T03:11:00.003-05:00

Well as many of you know I will be leaving for New York this Sunday the 6th. This will be the third year that I have gone out to New York do to family portraits. I came across this opportunity through my sister Brandy who has lived out there for the last fifteen years.

This is great for me. I have a great time and I meet lots of great families. I also get to shoot in many different locations that are not available to me in Iowa. So it really forces me to think outside of the box. It is a great break for me as well.

However, this year I will be I have the great pleasure of taking my two boys Weston (7) and Eli (5) with me. This is not the first time my boys have been out to New York. We drove out in 2006. They had a great time with their cousins and I am sure they will again.

We will be driving 19 hours without dad! Some may say I'm crazy and maybe I am. But, I think this will be a great time. Not without stress I'm sure. So, stayed tuned for the crazy photos of the trip to New York with the two boys.

-Carrie

Tiny little thing

2008-06-26T18:36:00.003-05:00

Doing portraits of newborn babies is one of my favorite things to do. I got the pleasure of doing Alivia's portraits. She is only 2 weeks old and such a precious little angel. I hope you enjoy these portraits as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Sneak Peek for the Rummels

2008-06-25T21:35:00.004-05:00

In the midst of all the devastation Laurie and Jim had a great day for their wedding. It was a lot of fun. All the girls had a great time. And in all the years of doing wedding portraits I have never seen the groomsmen drink from their right shoe!

Sneak Peek at Paul

2008-06-25T21:24:00.003-05:00

I have been doing portraits for the Johnson family since Paul was 6 months. He really kept me on my toes. He has two little sisters who do the same. The have a lot of spunk! Paul is now 6 years old and he is loves having his portrait taken now. He even wanted to go to the same place his sister had her portraits taken. ENJOY!

Little Miss Kenndy

2008-06-25T21:19:00.003-05:00

Check out Miss Kenndy! She is such a hoot. You got to love the hair and eyes.

Check out the Sivola Family

2008-06-18T19:53:00.003-05:00

I have been doing portraits for the Sivola family for the past couple years. They are a fun bunch! Ryan really keeps you going. It was really a good time.

Sneak Peek for Sam!

2008-06-17T13:35:00.004-05:00

I had a great time shooting these portraits of Sam's baby boy! We also had a great time chatting.

ENJOY!

First time Blog!!

2008-06-17T13:30:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone I just thought I would let you know that I have started a blog. :) I am not sure how it will work out, but I am going to give it try. A lot of photographers use a blog to give their clients a sneak peek at their portraits. I will also be posting specials and upcoming events. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks Carrie