I wasn't an art major and I never considered myself to be "artistic". I went to school for business and received a degree in Economics. I do always remember having a camera in hand and loved taking photos. Mostly of dogs or landscapes, more of a hobby than anything. I received my first DSLR as a gift from my boyfriend, now husband, back in 2013. From there, I was taking photos of everything.
One day I offered to take some photos of a family I know well so I could get some experience doing family portraits. That's when one of the family members decided to pop the question to his girlfriend without giving me a heads up. I was in complete shock, probably more so than the girl being proposed to. From there, she wanted to credit the photos to someone on social media. I created a business page, took some classes, watched a lot of tutorials, took more classes, and my small business developed from there.
What's my favorite type of photoshoot? Well, I never have more fun with photoshoots than when I'm with friends. When I was asked to do engagement photos for Charlie and Patrick, I couldn't have been more excited. I've known Charlie since we were little girls, growing up in the same small town and I've gotten to know Patrick over the years. We were going to three different locations around Wisconsin. Our first location was a family farm in the middle of nowhere, also known as Dodgeville, Wisconsin. A breathtaking farm with rolling hills, pastures of beef cattle, rustic fence lines, and views to die for. Charlie's dad took us around the farm in the pickup to all of his favorite spots. Their family dog "Buddy" was also along for the ride. We survived mosquitoes, humidity, prickers, and a lot of mud. From the photos, you'd have no idea the terrain we encountered but it sure was worth it.
Then it was onto our next location. Governor Dodge State Park in Wisconsin. A must see! Lakes, waterfalls, rustics barns, basically a photographer's holy land. This is an enormous park and it was so much fun to explore with this newly engaged couple. My style of photography is a combination of posed and candids. Once I get a couple posed I take a few shots, then I try to get them comfortable, talking to each other, whispering funny stories. This loosens them up and the photos that come out of it look very natural. A lot of laughs and a few wardrobe malfunctions later, we had some breathtaking photos.
Finally, our last stop on this adventure was the Epic Campus in Verona, WI. This is the work campus that everyone wishes they had. Giant chess boards, Harry Potter themed buildings, draw bridges with dragons and campus bicycles. Typically, you have to be an employee to use these bikes. Well, we may have "borrowed" some for the day. This is where we got to take some of the sillier photos. I love couples that can play around and have fun with photos. This was definitely one of those times. This was a shoot to remember and one I'll always cherish!
http://paigedawnphotography.com/
