8.16.08 Renee and Matt Sneak Peek


















I don't normally caption photos on the blog...but this one just strikes me as so perfectly Renee and Matt.









This truly is one of my most favorite photos so far this year. I love the juxtaposition of Renee with her parents dancing and her obvious glee. Renee would be the first to admit that she does NOT love the limelight and getting pictures taken was right up there with dental hygiene. So getting this shot is what I live for.

Ian's Senior Photos

What a cool guy...what an awesome session. Thanks for coming out Ian!

Random Photos That I Love

About 4 years ago as a birthday gift, some friends of mine got me a "psychic reading". Mostly as a joke, but also because I do have an interest in that, if only to explain my quirky nature as being just another trait that Libra's have. During the course of the reading, she asked me if I had grandparents in Florida or Arizona. (I know, I know, it's pretty likely that if you have grandparents that's where they are at some point, not a huge stretch) I said I did, in Tucson. And she said "You should go see your grandmother soon, she is very ill"

At that point I probably had not seen my grandparents in 5 years or more. I knew my grandmother had been ill with a few things in the past year, but at that point she was healthy as far as I knew. So I gave a call to my grandparents to check in, and it was then my grandfather mentioned he really missed seeing me and offered to fly me down for a few days for a visit. November in Tucson sounded mighty good, so I went.

I had a good time with them, as good as you can have with 80 year olds that go to bed by 8PM but I learned some charming things about them. That my grandfather had been in a factory explosion before I was born that was quite serious, and he had to be in a body cast for most of a year after that. Even MORE interesting is that during that time, my grandmother became pregnant with my Aunt Barbara :) I watched them bicker good naturedly over things like what to listen on the radio, and saw my grandmother hide the chocolate bars from my grandfather who has a wicked sweet tooth. And I watched how affectionate they were with each other, even after 30 some years of marriage.

I also discovered that my grandfather was my grandmothers THIRD marriage. Oh boy, there is some family dirt right there!

Both of them seemed in good spirits and it was a great visit. I took this shot on my last day there. Two weeks later, I received a call that my grandmother had died.

I sent this photo to my grandfather after he died, and he told me that he looked at it once, it made him cry, and he still cannot look at it but he wants to be buried with it.

Photograph the ones you love.

Chad and Emily's Engagement Session

The first time I met Chad and Emily was for their engagement session; they live in River Falls and came down to Milwaukee. I found Chad's sense of humor charming and I could tell they had been together a long time based on the good natured way Emily rolled her eyes at his jokes:

"What kind of socks does a Pirate wear?"

"Arrrrrrrrrrr-gyle"

I admit it, I laughed.

So while I was editing their session I thought...I need to know more about these two. I sense some funny stuff that I don't know about them. And I really do like to get to know my clients as well as I can before the wedding, it creates trust and makes for a better photo experience. So I emailed Emily for some dirt and info on her and Chad and added them into their engagement photos. Read on!

Sara and Chad, 8.08.08


Wedding: St Joseph's Wauwatosa
Reception: The Edelweiss Cruise Line


What an awesome couple, what a gorgeous day! I've had a few wedding cruises on the Edelweiss, but this one topped them all for the weather. Excuse the pun, but it was a total picture perfect evening...low humidity, gorgeous temps, and the sky line of Milwaukee all around us. Chad's family is from Louisiana and were raving about our wonderful city and the lovely weather when it was very hot and humid back home. I reminded them that 4 months ago we had a major snow storm and that Milwaukee is a deceptive mistress; when she is good she is so very, very good but when she is bad she is horrid. I don't think I convinced them, and that's okay. Congratulations to both of you!

The full slide show with music can be viewed here

Random Photos that make me happy/sad

My good friend Lynn, (whom I call Grueny) Facebooked me today to tell me that Elizabeth, her daughter is driving. This is really not even entirely possible since I haven't accepted the fact that Lynn's sister is older than 5, even though she has children of her own. Do the math, people. If Lynn's sister is only 5, how can Lynn have a daughter that drives??!! I really think she has been living in Central Wisconsin too long and she is addled and confused, I hear they put stuff in the cheese up there.

I remember when Elizabeth was born driving way too fast down country roads in the wilds of Marshfield Wisconsin to meet her. Pregnant myself with Caleb I could not wait to meet Elizabeth. Now she is driving....and just a few months after her, Caleb will be too.

I don't see Lynn as often as I would like. I don't call or email as often as I should.We live only 3 hours away and we have different lives now, but when we see each other we still laugh like we did in 1980.

And every time we email each other, we tell each other how fat we still are. But the next time I see Lynn, I will make sure we get a photo together because of a post just a few down from this "Photograph the ones you love". Did I mention you should read that post? Grueny, jou and I will photograph our fat for posterity.

And with that, I leave you with yet another photo I love...Caleb was about two when I took this.

I took him to his physical for school last week. He's 6'2 now and running cross country for Wauwatosa East. He'll be driving in the fall, along with Elizabeth.

I just hope neither of them gets this bumper sticker for a long, long time.

Random Photos that make me happy...

It's that time of the year again...5 weddings, 4 seniors, 2 engagement sessions and 3 albums in the queue turn a girl's eye towards...February.

Yes, February. NO ONE gets married in February. Well, 2009 boasts Valentine's Day on a Saturday so I may book that day out to some uber-romantic couple. But in general, I haven't had a February wedding in years.

February is when I travel...besides weddings, my kids and my dogs, I love to travel most of all.

So for today this is my random photo that makes me happy; Red Rock Canyon in Nevada. It's 30 minutes from the strip and a lifetime away. It's an oasis in the desert from the ping-pong of slot machines and a must see trip if you have time. While I was in Vegas for a WPPI, (a big photographer convention) a friend and I slipped away from the seminar nonsense and spent an afternoon hiking around this pretty place.

So today...I wish I was in Red Rock

Going, going gone......

I've got just a few 2008 dates open!

October 24/25

November 7/8

November 22

December 5/6

December 12/13

Contact the studio for special rates and packages for these dates!

Read this blog post...really.

Zack Arias is a friend of mine and one of the best photographers on the planet. For any photographers out there reading this, do not pass go but GO to his One Light Workshop, or buy his One Light DVD. It will change the way you photograph, and I am not kidding.

Today I read his latest blog post. I'm still choked up over it. "Photograph the ones you love"

http://www.zarias.com/?p=236

Go. Read. And even if you aren't a photographer, turn your camera on someone you love this week and take a picture of them.

Wedding Etiquette, Midwestern manners and what to feed your photographer/vendors

I've been asked this question a lot lately and I thought it might be good fodder for a-late-night-I-cannot-sleep after-too-many-bad-Lifetime-Movies evening. In the wedding checklist I sent a few weeks before the wedding if you are having me shoot for the entire day (8 hours or more) I ask if a meal will be provided. Now...there are many schools of thought on this. This being the Midwest and our predilection for over feeding any one we can at any given moment I've found most of my clients are falling all over themselves to make sure I get a meal. For that, I am most humbly grateful.I really am. I love that you send me your invitations with the cute card that asks what I want for dinner and if I am attending.

I swear to you that the evil Kim wants to put on the card "Sorry, can't make it. PSYCH!" Is that wrong?

But alas, I never do, I check the appropriate option (which for me is always the veggie option if available or the chicken or fish option). I'm gonna come clean here folks.....I don't like beef. Like...at all. Like if you serve me a filet, I cannot even pretend to like it. For me, it's that one food that...well, you know. For you it might be spinach, or rutabaga or liver...you just can't fake it. So when I'm presented with a slab of dead cow, I never ever make a fuss but I do offer it to the nearest beefy guy at the table which makes him my new best friend while feeling crazy guilty for making my clients pay good cash money for something I will not eat. Seriously, I would be happier grazing the leftover chicken nuggets from the kids platters around the room;I've just not figured out a way to make that look good.

Anyway, let me be really really clear. I totally LOVE and appreciate you including me in your meal. I KNOW the cost of a plate is at the major hotels in the area. And that being said, I am NEVER...EVER.... offended if there is an option for a vendor meal. I truly, truly, do NOT CARE. It's not a night out for me, it's simply fuel to keep me going. I am WAY more interested in making compelling images for you than eating a fine meal. If I want a fine meal, I am going to do it in a venue that does not play "Celebration" and "We are Family" in their musical selection in course of an evening. No offense, just sayin'.

So talk to your venue, talk to me and don't be embarrassed to ask questions. I get these questions all the time.

Just wait until your mom asks you if I can make her ass look smaller in the photos, now THAT is embarrassing.

P.S. I totally can make her ass look smaller. I'm a chick, I get it.

Alyssa's Senior Photos

I need fans......

So, I've succumbed. I held out on the blog thing until last year, and now clearly I am addicted to it. I admit it, I love the blog, even though I am pretty sure only my mom reads it. Hi mom! How do I know this? She emails me saying things like " I found out about this on your blog"....damn. Busted. Email me in February mom...sorry that I never call or write, and yes your grandchildren are alive last time I checked. Check the blog for updates...love ya! P.S...remember that my sister is so much worse than me :)
and at least I procured grandchildren for you while all she gave you is that freak ass muppet dog she has.

And now...Facebook. I joined it out of curiosity and because it was a good way to track the girls my 15 year old was interested in. To be honest, very few of my "contemporaries" meaning my close friends are on it. I did a search for graduates from my high school ( WOOT!! Give it up for the class of UGHS 1984) and found TWO people, one who is already my friend.

I am not sure if I should feel cool that I actually understand this stuff at the age of 41 or sad that I understand this stuff at the age of 41.

I take solace in the fact that I briefly joined "Twitter" and found it to be the stupidest thing ever. Really, do you want to know what I am doing every second of the day? I prefer that you all think of me as some rockstar photographer shooting the near celebrities of our city and the coolest weddings in Wisconsin while effortlessly winning multiple awards for my compelling images when the reality is that 80% of the time I am cleaning cat puke up off my floor in between late night editing sessions. Imagine this update on Twitter "KB Image Photography is cleaning up cat puke...this one looks like tuna!" So Twitter went bye bye for me real quickly. I love my clients and want to be there for them, but there are just some things you need to keep personal.

So anyway...Facebook. I have two pages, a personal page and my business page. For my personal page do a search for Kimberley Bednarski Anderson and for the business page do a search for KB Image Photography. My business site is where I will upload photos and such that are related to weddings and portriats. On my business site you can become my "Fan" and for every one of you that does so I will send you a free 8x10 of your choice from your wedding or engagement photos. That is how much I love you :)

For my personal page, you will not get squat in the way of stuff, but you will be privy to such information as pictures of my dogs and cats, what I am having for dinner, and of course the always popular "dating in your 40's" where I sometimes highlight my latest and greatest failed date which will make you even more secure in your choice of a mate. Hey, what can I say, I am here for you.

So once again...

Personal Facebook...Kimberley Bednarski Anderson
It's biz-nass time...KB Image Photography


See you in cyberspace!

Sneak Peek, Janice and Kris 8.09.08