Wedding Photographer, Madison WI

Mockingbird, can't you see

Little girl's got a hold on me

Like glue

Baby, I'm howlin' for you.

~The Black Keys, Howlin' For You~

Meet Steve and Tiffany...My first wedding of 2012. Congrats on your wedding day! :)

Lovin these shoes!

And these flower girls...do I even have to say it?

Gigi's Cupcakes....YUMMY!!!!

Rock Band Photographer, Madison WI

We ended up at the Grand Hotel

It was empty, cold, and bare.

But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside,

Making our music there.

With a few red lights, a few old beds,

we made a place to sweat.

No matter what we get out of this,

I know we'll never forget.

~Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple~

Here is my first time photographing a Band. It was tough not photographing my usual laughter and smiles shots but I honestly have to say, I think this danced along my artistic side a bit more. It is a lot of fun breaking away from I am used to and getting a chance at photographing something as fun as this. Plus, I LOVE LOVE LOOOVE the dirty-dark photos so this was right up my alley.

Enjoy the quick peak at the band Smoke n Mirrors and THANK YOU so much to all of you for letting me do this. You were all champs in that cold weather!

Like what you see? Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zelora-Images/106534109389775 and "Like"

~Through the Looking Glass~ NICU Photography

"She is everything that is perfect

wrapped in a tiny bundle."

~Bon Johnstone

Due to a request by the Mother of this little one, I am not allowed to release any names/information on this beautiful girl. She was born at 30 weeks old and I was lucky enough to be asked to capture this moment in her life.

I, myself, grew up with a sister who was born with physical birth defects. I spent the first 8 years of my life playing in different hospitals while she went through surgery after surgery (37 to be exact). My Mom would leave for months sometimes to stay with my sister in Boston while my Dad stayed home and took care of my brother and I. Hospitals, breathing tubes, nurses, and long drives just became part of our lives. I remember playing in the elevators was a great pass time. :)

Looking back, I wish we would have had taken more photos from those years. It was a huge chunk of our lives, kept only in our memories. We have minimal photographs from that time and to me, I believe that should have been when we took the most photos. My sister actually flat-lined on one occasion. We almost lost her and we wouldn't have had hardly any photos of her. Yes, it was a difficult time and well, lets face it, no one wants to photograph something that makes us sad.

I do not see these moments as being sad though, I see them as being triumphant. Times where these little children are fighters, they're strong, willful and they keep going where some adults would give up. No matter what, it is definitely a time where there should be plenty of photographs taken. So years from now, when that child is fifteen years old and they think their most recent break up with boyfriend bozo is the end of the world! You can show them a time when they had real worries. You can show them just how amazing they really are and how important life is.

So after all of that being said...I am starting a new program. It is called "The Looking Glass" where I will photograph and provide prints for the family of infants in the NICU for FREE. So if you know anyone who has a little one in the NICU or has a little one in the hospital. Please pass along my name.

Mommy feeding her baby for the first time.

For more information on photographs through "The Looking Glass" please email me at angv13@yahoo.com

Rock Star Birthday Party! Sun Prairie, WI

We are the dealers

We'll give you everything you need

Hail hail to the good times

Cos rock has got the right of way

We ain't no legends, ain't no cause

We're just livin for today.

~For those about to Rock, AC/DC

So as all of you know, simply put...I am not, by any means, a blogger. No offense to those who do blog but I figure my photos say it all. You do not need to listen to me talk endlessly about my life, as important as I may think my life is, I am sure you have better things to do than read about how I drank a Diet Pepsi or attempted to be "Super Mom" for the day.

However, when it comes to my kids...and such a glorious event as the day of their birth! Well, now THAT calls for a blog post. :)

Elora is our second daughter. When I was pregnant with our first, I kept saying how all I wanted was a "tom-boy." So I was bound and determined to make sure the dreadful color pink never, and I mean never, crossed my first born's sight. Her room was filled with greens, yellows, and blue, and well..."Awww...what a cute baby! What is HIS name?" was a norm in Zoey's baby years. I made sure our oldest was surrounded by wooden blocks, trucks, trains, and good ol' Thomas the Train DVD's were stacked plenty in our collection.

Little did I know...the harder you try to avoid your child becoming something, the more likely they are to become that. So our oldest daughter, grew to live in Snow White and Cinderella dresses, tiaras were an everyday hair accessory, and plie's-releves are now part of our language.

Then came our second daughter, Miss Elora. I am sure all of you parents can relate, by the time the second one comes, you have become ummmm....lets just say "laid back." ;) I basically gave up, if the only clean thing in the closet was a pink tutu with bright fuschia flowers on it, that was her outfit for the day. When movie time came along, Angelina Ballerina? Sure! Fancy Nancy? Let's Do it! Barbie Fairytopia? EVEN BETTER! So I think you all get the point. And sure enough...our Miss Elora loves karate, gymnastics, trains are her favorite, she rarely cries, and when AC/DC, Nirvana, or the song Crazy Train comes on she yells "Turn it up!" So here is to my newly six-year-old who has brought more laughs, surprises, and just simple-carefree moments into our lives!

Happy 6th Birthday to my Rock Star!

Elora's breakfast in bed...A six-year-old's dream!

Daddy made her a scavenger hunt to find her presents.

Let the party begin!

The cake I made for our Rock Star!

Child Photographer, Fitchburg WI

"If you want to view paradise,

Simply look around and view it."

~Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Happy 1st Birthday to Hadley...

Hadley has two older brothers...take a guess who she is making this face at? Priceless!!!

Madison, WI Wedding Photographer

"I'm scared of walking out of this room

and never feeling the rest of my whole life

the way I feel when I'm with you.

~Dirty Dancing

An entire wedding photographed by my amazing 2nd photographer. :) While going through all of the photos...I am sad that I was not lucky enough to be a part of this Russ and Jenn's beautiful wedding day! I could honestly feel the love that flowed through this entire family. Pictures really do say a thousand words.

Enjoy your sneak peek and Thank You...thank you...THANK YOU again, Brad for being there when I could not. You did a great job!

Russ's Dad tearing up during the ceremony....LOVE it!!!!

Nice work Brad...Love this photo!

The Father-Daughter dance gets me every time.

Madison, WI Wedding Photographer

"Whatever happens,

I'll love you just as I do now until I die."

~Gone with the Wind

Everyone dreams of their perfect wedding day. The colors, the music, the way your dress will feel while walking down the aisle, the look on your husbands face when he finally sees you, and the weather. The weather? Yes, the weather. Most couples have their weddings indoors, but in my world, we HAVE to take some outdoor photos.

You would think that in order for your day to "be perfect," everything must go perfectly. Wrong! As long as you enjoy the twists and turns of your day and just have fun, trust me, it will be PERFECT! As did Aric and Michelle on their windy...windy wedding day. The weather was gorgeous but extremely windy! Aric, Michelle, and their wedding party took it like champs. We had so much fun taking photos in the wind and they didn't even bat an eye (and this took some talent) while having piles of leaves pelted at their heads. :)

It was a perfectly windy wedding day...Thank you so so much! It was a fun day. :)

Kale bouquets...Impressive!

They were determined to get these photos done. ;)