It’s been a busy last few weeks and I meant to post this wonderful ceremony that took place at the  Hilldale shopping center in Madison. I connected with the Chabad of Madison to capture the wonderful moments involved in the lighting of the menorah ceremony. 

The day was bitterly cold, but as the hardy midwesterners that we are, we made the best and most of the situation. Free jelly donuts, hot drinks, and festive music were on hand to warm the spirit. The kids gathered to see the members of the Chabad do some fire juggling! The guest speakers on hand to say some words of unity for all faiths and cultures included our very own Gov. Tony Evers, Supreme Justice Rebecca Dallet, and Madison County Executive Joe Parisi. We even got to see Tony light the menorah, after a few attempts, since it was situated up high!

As the light faded and gave way into the evening, the friendly faces of the Madison Fire Dept brought the big fire truck to the ceremony. The firefighters extended the ladders and the children gathered with anticipation as the firefighters crawled out precipitously to the edge of the ladder and began the gelt drop, chocolate coins usually wrapped in gold or silver foil dropped from a high spot. To see the happy faces on a cold Wisconsin winter was a great way to end the night. On top of that, late that night watching the local news I saw the ceremony was covered by our very own channel 15 NBC. I couldn’t see my face since I had the camera in front of my face the whole time pretty much but I recognized those jeans and snow boots anywhere! Ha.

From one season to another, here in the Midwest, we have it all. My lovely friend wanted to do a photoshoot with the return of an unexpected warm spell in the Madison area. As always she brought her exuberance and energy to the shoot. We started at Olbrich Gardens, which has so many lovely spots it left us with too many to choose from. At one point near the Thai Pavilion Pagoda, we can across an automatic water sprinkler. The way the sun shone through the mist gave it a dream-like quality to it, so we had to stop to make some images of course! We made last stop at the Arboretum and found more fall colors to tease the eye. I know that fall only lasts a few weeks but I can't imagine not being able to experience that change every year.

Second shooting can be a fun way to learn some skills and watch someone else work and pick up on tips and processes. Last year I had the pleasure of assisting Andi S. and her lovely couple, A and J. Their wedding was to take place at Madison’s Overture Center, somewhere I’ve wanted to shoot at for a while so this was a great opportunity.

The Overture Center is a great historic landmark in Madison. It serves as a hub for cultural art, music, and events. We’re blessed to have the venue in the heart of Madison, plus the architecture is amazing too! But firstly, I was tasked with the groom and getting ready shots.  Oddly enough the bridal party was getting ready at a hotel in Madison that was only a 5 min walk away from my home. Score! The guys looked amazing, especially J. His 3-piece suit and bow tie look had that straight out of Oxford University sort of look. 

The first look was done on the Capitol lawn downtown. The first time the groom gets to peak at his future bride always gets me and this was no different. J was speechless when he saw his beautiful bride-to-be, her eyes and smile brought words back to his mouth and they shared a lovely dance together. After bridal party shots, off we went to the venue and enjoyed a lovely ceremony near the main hall in the Overture Center. The day couldn’t have gone smoother and we topped it off by watching J ham it up on the dance floor, the man loves to dance!