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Afternoon On The Ice

By: Gregory
On: 02/16/2010 19:52:12
In: Little Adventures

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It isn’t often I get a Sunday to myself, especially during the wedding season. Plus I’m usually so stiff and sore from photographing a long event that I usually just crash in my Hammock on the back deck. But its winter now, so last Sunday I grabbed my cross country skis and walked over to the boat landing near our home. It was a bright sunny day of intense blue sky. I clipped on the skis and started to make my way to the center of Lake Monona, the sound of polished fiberglass against gritty snow and Ice. When I arrived at the middle of the lake I put the skis aside and sat on the snow. It was bright, white and quiet, only a slight breeze reminding me of winter’s cold as beads of perspiration began to freeze on my beard. I sat there and just took in the vast stretch of white undulating snow and light. A calm emerged in me and my soul felt cleansed. Peace, light, and an expanse of blue and white. Ah, if only a weekend like this could be the rule rather than the exception…..GRB

Kara & Michael's Wedding | Madison Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

By: Gregory
On: 12/28/2009 19:56:53
In: Wedding Photos

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Kara Meyers & Michael Brandl, two teachers from Madison Wisconsin, were married December 19^th at Great Hall in the Memorial Union . There was a steady snow falling when we ventured outside to capture a bit of the Christmas seasons atmosphere. When our toes and fingers started to tingle from the cold we moved inside for a few fun shots in the Union itself. After that the dinner and party kicked in and a good time was had by all. One of the highlights of the evening was Kara’s dance with her father Dale who is fighting a battle with cancer.

Green Monastery Dedication

By: Gregory
On: 12/11/2009 19:06:46
In: Life of the Spirit

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Holy Wisdom Monastery welcomed over 500 guests and supporters to the dedication ceremony of their new green Monastery on November 14^th & 15^th. The Monastery built to meet the U.S. Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification is expected to be certified as the greenest building in the United States. The dedication ceremony was hosted by the Benedictine Women of Madison Sister’s Mary David Walgenbach, Joanne Kollasch, & Lynn Smith. Father Robert Koopmann OSB performed a piano concert that preceded a talk given by Sister Joan Chittister, OSB. Following are a few photos I made for the Sisters to document the weekend events. I am an Oblate at Holy Wisdom Monastery and have been greatly influenced by the writings of Sister Joan Chittister so, of course, I had to sneak in a photo of her and I. For more information about all the wonderful work being done at the Monastery go to: www.benedictinewomen.org/index.html

Belken - Clement Wedding

By: Gregory
On: 10/30/2009 17:23:07
In: Wedding Photos

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Greg Belken and Lynn Clement were married at Queen of Peace Church in Madison on October 24. Greg & Lynn are a fun couple and game for just about anything I suggested including climbing up into the haymow at a horse farm we visited after the ceremony or posing in the confines of a an old cement silo. A lovely reception was held at the Marriott West in Middleton.

Natalie & Patrick's Wedding / Madison, Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

By: Gregory
On: 10/26/2009 17:19:57
In: Wedding Photos

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October has been my month for photographing friend weddings. Back on October third I photographed Jami Hintz who I got to know through her work at my friend Geri Gerold’s studio and now, on October seventeenth, I was privileged to photograph Natalie Berard’s wedding whose late father, Jerry First, was one of my mentors when I first became a photographer. Natalie married Patrick Kellogg at Saint Stephens Lutheran Church in Monona. We stopped at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center after the ceremony to capture the couple and their wedding party immersed in the beautiful fall colors and then proceeded to Cherokee Country Club for the reception and dance that was still going strong when I packed my bag and headed home for the evening.

Lindi & Brandon Wed / Madison Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

By: Gregory
On: 10/22/2009 19:01:05
In: Wedding Photos

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The rain stayed away on October 16^th and as a result Lindi Coel and Brandon Ermers could fulfill their dream of having an outdoor wedding. Both the wedding and reception were held at Lake Windsor Country Club but in between the bridal party & I took a trip to the Capitol in downtown Madison, Wisconsin for a quick photo shoot. All in all, a wonderful day.

Hintz Gonzales Wedding / Madison Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

By: Gregory
On: 10/09/2009 13:12:57
In: Wedding Photos

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I had the honor of photographing the wedding of a friend last weekend in Wisconsin Dells, the lovely & talented, Jami Hintz and her cigar smoking, motorcycle riding and equally lovely & talented husband Dan Gonzales. The ceremony took place in a tiny country church outside of the Dells with a reception following at Wild Rock Golf Club. In between the ceremony and reception we took some rather diverse photos including a session in a rustic tomato garden with wonderful old trellises as background and then hit a couple of local watering holes which included some pictures made near a dart board in a dark corner of Marley’s bar. The reception was fun and elegant and included a caricature artist doing sketches of all the guests… how fun!

Cancer Can't Stop Father From Attending Daughter's Wedding.

By: Gregory
On: 10/01/2009 13:04:06
In: Wedding Photos

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A post I made a couple weeks back featured some lovely images of Kathryn Wimmler & Wes Bonine (see Wes & Kathryn Wed In Sheboygan!). The images in this post feature another aspect of Kathryn and Wes’s wedding not seen in the original post. Kathryn’s father Brian is struggling with stage 4 brain cancer but was able to attend the wedding and share the day with Kathryn, Wes and all his family and friends. Kathryn’s comments follow:

Dad had picked the Heartland Song (I Loved Her First) quite some time ago and repeatedly listened to it until his diagnosis (Gliobastoma MultiForm – known as GBM or in simpler terms…Stage Four Brain Cancer) on July 5^th. The purpose of repeatedly listening to it was to take the emotion out of the song for him. That didn’t quite work so well. I think you saw what happened. Walking down the aisle worked out great too – Uncle Charlie (my dad’s older brother by 10 years) was happy to help Dad where he could. At one point Dad looked up at me as we were walking and said, “Are you happy?” Seems like a silly question (Dad has been impacted slightly mentally since the brain surgery on July 10^th) but when he asked it, it felt like his way of reconfirming the moment for me and for us and he was so sincere when he asked. The day was beautiful! We truly are blessed and will continue to live each day to its fullest.

Greg, I was thinking about our day and you as our photographer…we really did not think much about it when we first booked you other then, “check it off the list, we’ve got our photographer.” I quickly realized after the wedding that you are more then just a photographer. You are a special person with a wonderfully gifted talent that has been given the opportunity to share it with so many. Our wedding pictures are more then just “wedding” photos. You captured moments in time with Wes, my father and our families and friends that I would not be able to recall unless I had the photos to take me back…that dance with my dad is what I would describe as magical Greg. I have never felt such a loving, strong connection with my father then I did that moment/dance. We cannot thank you enough for committing your day/time to us to really capture it all.

Very Sincere Thank You,

Kathryn & Wes

Kristina & Ray - A Love Story / Madison Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

By: Gregory
On: 09/28/2009 17:57:54
In: Wedding Photos

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The emotions ran deep on September 20th when Kristina Mattson & Ray Grimm were married at The Madison Club in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. The couple held a small intimate wedding on the outside terrace followed by an exquisite six course meal in the third floor Lake view room. The day was filled with lots of laughter and tears of joy.

Sara + Dustin = Marriage / Madison Wisconsin Wedding Photographer

By: Gregory
On: 09/25/2009 13:36:26
In: Wedding Photos

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Sara Schick and Dustin Dill exchanged vows at Zwingli United Church of Christ in Mt. Vernon, Wisconsin on September 19th. Before heading off to the Hilton Garden Inn in Madison we spent some time making photographs at Donald Park just outside of Mt. Vernon. The photos in the yellowing soybean fields coupled with a perfect blue sky and late afternoon light made for some dramatic moments.