Senior Season! - Brandon Thoma

If I couldn't believe Marc was a senior I definately cannot believe Brandon is a Senior. My (last?) senior Photo Shoot was with my cousin Brandon Thoma, who is a senior at Columbus High School. We did his photos in the oh-so-popular downtown Cedar Falls, and they turned out great! But then again... I really don't know if a person can take a "bad" photo of Brandon. He knew the looks, he knew the poses. It went really well :)

Any and all Hawkeye Photo students should recognize this wall and know exactly where it is! :)

Thanks for letting me take your photos Brandon. I look forward to hearing more about your senior year and seeing what the future holds for you. :)

Senior Season! - Marc Mundhenke

The next Senior Shoot I did was Marc Mundhenke, from Denver! (Go Cyclones! :) It's always nice to photograph a senior from your home town. I've known Marc for a long time, so taking his photos came naturally and was very easy going. Hard to believe he's a SENIOR though!

(I love this one, by the way!) Marc was very open to my ideas, except he wasn't crazy about gettin in the creek. (it was 40 degrees that day, in all fairness to him! :) That's okay, perhaps this spring! I was very pleased with the photos we got though.

Funny story about these, they were definately taken in the hallway of the High School...with the security cameras as our only witness. ;) He wasnt crazy about the idea but the lighting was great, and I told him it would make for a really good story when he was passing out his wallet prints! :) Thanks Marc for letting me take your photos, and Congratulations on being accepted into the Marines!

Cowboy Up

Last weekend I went to a farm outside of Stout with my cousin Anthony. Recently Anthony has fallen on some tough times, and his way of letting go and escaping is riding. He asked me if I could come along and shoot a few photos for him, and these are some of my favorites that we came up with that day.

It's truely amazing to see God's power, and how much strength he gives those who really need it. To "Cowboy Up" in my mind means to rise to the occasion, and to do what needs to be done, dispite your fears or your pain.

When I look at my cousin Anthony I am inspired by his outlook and attitude, especially in the midst of uncertainty. He definately displays the essence of this phrase, and I was so glad I got to be a part of this with him.

Senior Season! - Spencer Simpson

My second senior shoot this fall was Spencer Simpson from Hudson. This was a very fun shoot, Spencer and his Mom were very fun to work with and we got some really great shots all around Hudson. Starting off at the High School track, driving around town, and eventually ending up in the Junk yard made for a wide variety, and I was very pleased with the results :)

Thank you very much Spencer and the whole Simpson family for letting me photograph this special time in your life. Hope you enjoy your photos!

Senior Season! - Garrett Knudson

The leaves are changing, and it's time for Senior Photo Season! My first shoot was Garrett Knudson, who is a senior at Columbus High School. We shot the first half in the Kundson family's beautiful back yard. Garrett was so easy to work with, and we got some really great photos.

Next we headed down the road to the golf course and Country Club; the whole knudson family is very interested in golf so it fit perfectly! The lighting was amazing and we got some great shots here as well. Thanks Garrett and the whole Knudson family, I had a lot of fun and hope you enjoy the photos :)

The many faces of Max!

Emmeric had his photo shoot, now on to baby brother Max Pavelec! 3 months old already, wow how time flies! These photos were shot in the studio at school. Mom Bridget and myself worked and worked for smiles, we actually got a couple but everything else along the way was pretty cute too! Thanks for letting me take your photos Max, and I look forward to watching (and photographing! :) you grow up!

Love & Polka Dots! The Clark-Goodwin Wedding

Summer Time! Time for Swimming, Grilling, Ice Cream, Vacations, and.... WEDDINGS! :) I met Melissa when I worked at Happy Time Preschool and Daycare in Waterloo, and was honored when she asked me to take her wedding photos.

Dispite the rainy morning, and the intensely hot afternoon, the day went extremely well! Melissa and her planner created a beautiful wedding with a Black, White, and Pink Polka Dot theme (The flower girl tossed colored dots instead of flower petals on her trip down the aisle! I loved this idea! :)

The wedding party was a fun and very easy going group which made for fun photos. Here are a few high lights. Thanks to Melissa and Josh for inviting me to take part in this special day, and I wish you both the very best! :)

Little Boys are the best way to start Men :)

Meet Emmeric!-One of my favorite photo subjects. Holy smokes how time flies, he's getting so big! Mom (Ashley's cousin and "big sister" Bridget) brought him over to play and take some 18 month old photos. Never a dull moment; we spent the afternoon exploring every inch of the yard. When you're young it's all brand new and all such a great adventure :)

Emmeric always makes Mom and Ashley work hard for his photos, but with such a sweet little animated face like that, how difficult can it really be right? (We always have so many to choose from!) Thanks Emmeric for letting me take your photos, and can't wait to see more of the Pavelec family :)