Dustin & Norman

I took Dustin & his energetic pup, Norman, out to a friend's rural farm near Blanchardville, WI for a holiday card photo session.    It was a bit of a dreary day with some snow still on the ground after a thaw, but it actually added to the atmosphere of a winter scene.   Norman took a bit of work and a lot of treats to get him to stop long enough for his close-up, and the perseverance it paid off!

Jerry - Over The Road Trucker

Jerry hails from Southern Missouri and lives just off the highway I was traveling on my way to visit my family for Thanksgiving.   He's an independent owner/operator who travels with his very loyal (and well-fed) companion Izzy, a miniature pinscher.

Chad - Over The Road Trucker

I met Chad at his company's terminal outside of East Saint Louis since I was passing through the area on my way to visit family in Missouri for Thanksgiving.  He had expressed an interest in being part of my 2015 calendar project, so I decided make the meeting happen.   I arrived as the sun was setting and knew I had a short window of time before I lost all available light.   I got my single speed-lite set up and went to work.   Traditionally, I convert the images from my ongoing trucker project to black and white, but I really like the saturated colors in these images.  I'm making an exception this time.

David - Over The Road Trucker

Finally met David in person after communicating for a couple of years.  He runs primarily regional out of Upstate New York, but this time he was coming to the Chicago area for a night so I drove down from Madison to meet up with him.   It was the first cold snap of the winter which was a little uncomfortable for making portraits, but the crisp clear morning made for some nice light.   David is a great guy.   Laughs a lot and he was quite comfortable in front of the camera.

Soulard Oktoberfest

The Soulard Octoberfest is an annual event across the street from the Soulard Farmer's Market in St. Louis, MO. There's a beer tent with Polka Music, carnival rides, people walking around with big plastic steins of beer with time for a kiss in between sips.

Gene - Over The Road (Super) Trucker

While in St. Louis for daycare portraits, my trucker friend Gene stopped in over the weekend for a visit.    Before he left, he decided to jump up on the hood of his truck for a few portraits. 

Alli + Shawn Wedding

Alli and Shawn met several years ago while biking the ACT Ride, the Wisconsin AIDS Ride. It was through their passion for biking and the natural environment that they met and fell in love. It was fitting that their wedding would be out of doors with a bicycle theme. They exchanged their vows in front of a blooming prairie at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona, WI. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception, unique in that Shawn was the one who planned the wedding, theme and decorations.

Wisconsin State Fair 2014

The Wisconsin State Fair is a big celebration of all things Wisconsin which includes a lot of eating all things fried, drinking and of course the midway. It was a beautiful afternoon and evening for celebrating this great state and making some photos.

 

 

A Trucking Life - Photography Exhibit Opening Reception

Tonight was the opening reception for my photography exhibit, A Trucking Life, at the Madison Public Library Sequoya Branch. The exhibit is on display for the months of July and August.   It's a collection of prints from my ongoing over the road trucker project.  I had a spread of snacks and refreshment (truck stop food), a slideshow of additional images and a Q&A session.   There was a nice showing and plenty of interest in this relatively obscure (to most of us) profession.

A big thank you to Max Wendt Photography for making the images and giving permission to use them.

Over the Road Truckers - Brian and Amos Bickel

Got a call from Amos and Brian, a trucking couple who have stopped in Madison for the night at the TA.  They drive for separate companies with the goal of team driving flatbed trailer in Brian's truck.  It's been a long road trying to make it happen, but they hope to be together in the truck by Fall.  They are even more anxious to team now that they got married last month in Minneapolis.

I met them for breakfast at the TA Truckstop north of Madison for visit and some photos before they hit the road in separate directions again.   I always enjoy it when they take the time to stop for a visit.

Marriage Equality Comes to Wisconsin - Temporarily

On Friday June 6th, a Federal Judge in Madison, WI struck down the WI constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The ruling came late in the afternoon, but the county clerks in Madison and Milwaukee decided to stay open late and began issuing marriage licenses.  There was a rush at the City County Building in Madison of couples obtaining marriage licenses and promptly getting married on the steps.  Local judges were on hand for those desiring to tie the knot.

I decided to skip the fray of Friday night and went over to the City County Building Saturday where there was a steady stream of couples getting married. I crashed a number of weddings of those who didn't have time to plan for a photographer to capture their brief ceremony. It was a very celebratory and moving experience to be part of.

Unfortunately, the WI Attorney General has decided to appeal the federal judge's ruling putting these newly married couples in legal limbo, though everyone is fairly confident the original ruling will be upheld.  In the meantime, a stay as been put on the issuance of any new marriage licenses for same-sex couples.