Lambdin Camp Seminar - Round 2

     Over the weekend I traveled back to Stevens Point Wisconsin to cover Lambdin Camp Round Two. This year, Olympian Stephen Lambdin came back to teach a taekwondo camp for martial arts athletes in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The event was hosted by Paralympic hopeful Alyssa Fencil along with Five Ring Martial Arts of Steven Point.
     It was a fun weekend and it was nice to be able to sit down with Stephen and hear about how his year has been. We were also able to photograph some of last year’s young athletes and see how they have progressed sense we have seen them last. The one thing that I have always been amazed with from athletes, is to see how they learn a move or a new technique at one seminar and then you don’t see them for eight months to a year and then you get to see how they have integrated that move/technique into their sport.
     I cannot wait to do this camp again it is always so much fun and over time, the people that come to these events become great friends.

For a link to the full gallery click on the link below:
https://client.vbphoto.co/lambdincamp2017/

Watching friends get married

Over the weekend we had a fun weekend off to go and watch out good friend Joe get married to the love of his life Kelsey.

Normally I spend my time photographing a wide range of events from weddings, to senior and family portraits and corporate events. It was interesting because I really haven’t sat through a wedding in the last five to six years, normally as a photographer I listen for que’s and start to compose my photograph of what is about to happen. So, it was fun to sit in the passenger seat for once and just let it all happen around me.

Joe and Kelsey could not have asked for a better May day, the weather was great for us at the wedding in Wisconsin Dells, during the month of May it can be a guessing game of whether the weather will be warm or cold, rain, snow or shine (FUN FACT, Wi has had snow every month of the year but July).  Thankfully we ended up with a warm sunny day and a church with A/C. 

While sitting there watching the other photographers and I started to wonder is there thought process the same as mine? Is the lead photographer hoping the secondary got the shot of the other side of the church, are they hoping they won’t have to change batteries mid run? Then I chuckled to myself and thought yeah, they’re thinking the exact same thing I would be thinking if I was shooting right now.

As the night progressed it was great to be able meet up and chat with friends and acquaintances I had not seen in a few year and also meet some complete strangers and make some new friends.

So it got me thinking fellow photographers, if anyone is willing to share, are you able to sit back and enjoy a wedding that you are attending and not photographing or do you find yourself thinking I wonder what’s going through that photographers head?

Today I marry my best friend: The Morgan's April 2017

Yesterday at Vagabond Photography, I had the privilege of being able to show a recent bride and her mother the photos from her and her husbands big day.  I never get over be able to watch the joy come over a husband and wife's face when being presented with they photos for the first time. In this case it was the bride and the mother but it was still fun none the less.

One of the things we enjoy covering at Vagabond Photography is military weddings and this young couple made for such an enjoyable day.

Nici and Jack we wish you both all the best in life.

Fair winds and following seas.

Clean Rivers, Clean Lake Conference

Last week on May 4th we had the privilege to attend and cover the annual Clean Rivers, Clean Lakes Conference hosted by our friends at Sweetwater, held this year at the Florian Park Conference & Event Center in Germantown WI.
It was a great day filled with many great people who believe in cleaning up the water ways which we live around and use for recreation, along with other services. Even though we were there to take pictures and document the day for Sweetwater we still managed to learn about a fair amount. One on the things we managed to take away having come from an agriculture family was a form of over seeding on an already established corn crop to minimize runoff during heavy rains. It is something that we had never given much thought to but we can see where it defiantly has it advantages.
A big shout out goes to Linda Reid and her team for putting together another amazing Clean Rivers, Clean Lakes Conference. Also to Stephanie Cresci the event coordinator of Florian Park and their staff for providing such a wonderful place and great food.

Having some fun, taking time to smell the resin!

It seems to me that I am always on the go, from photographing weddings, events, portraits, to prepping sites that rested all winter under a blanket of snow and a myriad of home improvement projects that come with of having a home. Well this weekend we ditched all of that and headed South to Chicago for some FUN and don’t worry we didn’t leave any clients hanging.

Normally when I take some time away from photography as a job I normally don’t take my professional gear with me, I’ll take my point and shoot or just use my phone and try to be in the moment and kinda be a tourist. Though weekends like these are a little different, this past weekend marked our yearly trip with friends to C2E2.  For those of you not familiar with this it stands for Chicago Entertainment and Comic Expo. Think of it as the Midwest’s answer to San Diego’s Comic Con, except it’s better cause it’s close to home.

As hard as I try I cannot seem to leave the camera at home when I come to this event. The time and effort cosplayers put into their costumes is truly astounding and a camera phone or a point and shoot does not seem to do their attire justice. Q’s necklace was hand made and Tank Girls gun is not something you can buy off a shelf. Over the past few years one of my favorite piece was a green sparkling jewel made from a green beer bottle. Also with the advent of 3D printers being more readily available already amazing costumes are being taken to the next level.

So below are a few of my favorite cosplayers I encountered over my Saturday trip to C2E2.