Home on the Range :: Hochstedler Family

For this photo shoot, we traveled back to 1884, but took our color cameras along for something different.

I'm not sure if I should admit this to the world, but the Hochstedler Family is related to us! ;) In fact, Leonard and Twila are Jodi's aunt and uncle, and they have a wonderful family as you can see! Actually, Twila has a stockpile of old clothes, and from time to time, she and her friends would dress up and randomly visit their friends and neighbors, catching them off guard and leaving them wondering who exactly that was at the door!

So, all of Leonard and Twila's children and their families were together this Spring, they wanted to try something out of the box for their family pictures.  They came from Ohio, Indiana, and Ontario, so it's not very often they are all in the same place at the same time!

"Hochstedler Family... We love you!" 

Leonard and Twila with their grandchildren... 

Amber + Jordan :: Love

Amber + Jordan are two wonderful people, who very much enjoy loving each other! Jordan is a whiz at getting Amber to laugh, and it makes for some really fun images.  They both went to Central College, in Pella, Iowa, so we decided to work there, never having been to the city that's famous for it's tulips and Dutch architecture.

It was also a really special treat that they took us to the very place where Jordan asked Amber to marry him... this romantic cliff overlooking the water.  It was little bit treacherous going, and I was trying to watch my step when something black that resembled my lens went bounding past me on the rocks and leapt into the water! My heart flipped until I realized that it was my plastic lens shader... with no lens attached to it, thank God!  Jordan grabbed a long branch lying nearby, and fished the lens cap out of the water as Jodi and I quickly took inventory of what was strapped to our shoulders and what wasn't!

"Jordan + Amber... You guys rock! We loved everything about your photo shoot... the pretty tulips, your laugh's, the way you held hands even when you weren't being photographed, and just hearing you reminisce about the moment at the cliff when you were engaged... it all points to a great love, and a deep appreciation for each other, both of which make a great foundation for your marriage!"  

Jemma :: Children

Little Jemma and her parents were guests at the wedding we photographed in Florida a few weeks ago, and after seeing some of the wedding images, John and Julie wanted a family photo session the next day! They loved the look of Fort Pickens, and the beach, so we went back to those locations with them, and had a great time with them! Little Jemma, like most 2 year olds took a little while to get warmed up, but once we got to the beach with the water the seashells.... she was golden!

"John and Julie.... you have the most adorable little lady in sweet Jemma!  Thanks for letting us into your lives on that windy Sunday afternoon! You are a great little family, and we really did enjoy our time with you!"

Shawn + Haley :: Wedding

Haley + Shawn were both working at Enterprise Rent-A-Car when they met.  Haley is a true Southern belle with that sweet Alabama accent, a great big infectious smile and a heart of gold. Shawn is the guy who would rather not be the center of attention, and the whole experience had him a little out of his comfort zone. But, he would do anything for Haley and he proved it.

After Shawn and Haley got ready, we drove out from Pensacola Beach into the Gulf Islands National Seashore to an old civil war fort called Fort Pickens.  We would have loved to spend the whole day there, but we moved on to the beach on the way back.  The wedding was held at the Pensacola Yacht Club,  and although the weather wasn't quite what we had hoped, it was still a great day for a wedding!

"Haley + Shawn: We very much enjoyed working with you two! You were great to work with, and you had a wonderfully beautiful wedding, even though it was a little windy! Okay, a lot windy. :) God bless you both as you begin this new journey of married life!  Thank you for the honor of capturing your wedding!" 

The Winner!

Happy Monday, everyone!

We wanted to take the first little bit here to thank you for sticking with us through the winter! We intentionally slow things down in the late winter-early spring so that we can take in education, learn new equipment, and plan ahead.  It's like a time-out in a close game... a couple moments to catch our breath and get ready for the next wedding and senior season. 

All that to say that at times it can be difficult to know what to blog during those months, and I'm glad you stuck around! We'll have new photo sessions coming to the blog every day this week!

••••••

Well, folks, you've done it again.  I love hosting contests on the blog, because it's fun to hear from those of you who have to hear from me all the time! You are all very creative, and artists of your own accord, and some of you have quite the imaginations!

So, out of the 30 comments to the previous post, my favorite title to the following picture:

"Scratch the paint, and you're going back in my wife's purse!"

Thanks to Jordan Jaspering for the winning comment!  Jordan, you win a 10x14 of any of the images I posted from our trip, a 10x14 from your engagement session, or a $15 Starbucks Gift Card. Email us, at info(at)gehmanphotography.com and let us know which of the three you want!

Here's a few more of our favorites:

Second Place: GPS for Taco Bell

Third Place: Little Dog and His Big Hog

Fourth Place: little beauty and the BEAST!

Thanks to all of you who entered the contest! 

Caption Contest #2

Okay folks, I had a lot of fun with the last caption contest we ran on the blog, and since I was fortunate enough to capture another interesting image... I thought it'd be appropriate for another contest!

Here's the image I captured in New Orleans... you supply the title or caption.

The winner gets an autographed 10x14 of any image that I blogged from our trip ($100 value), or a $15 Starbucks gift card!

The contest will run until Thursday, May 13 at midnight.  You may submit as many captions/titles as you like.

New Orleans

Today, I saw it. The image that moved me.

No one spends much time with average. We don't stop and gawk at average architecture.  We don't last very long at an average accident like a fender bender.  We don't get a thrill out of staying at average hotels.  And we don't pause and stare at average art.  But today I met an image that stopped me in my tracks. It wasn't quite perfect, technically speaking, but the "stare-ability" level was off the charts.  I could link to it, or put it on here, but it wouldn't do it justice. You have to stand next to it.  Next time you're in New Orleans, visit the gallery of Louis Sahuc just East of Jackson Square, and you'll see it.

Anyway, here's some of our images of New Orleans, as we walked the French Quarter, visited Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, Cafe du Monde, and the Garden District.









We got a guy walking by to snap this photo of us. I love how everything is in focus... except us. Oh well, he was really nice. :)


Beignet's at the Cafe du Monde.

•••••

There is another Caption Contest coming up on Friday! I captured an interesting image while we were in New Orleans, and it needs your creativity to come up with a caption. :)  So, be sure to stop by again on Friday to see the image and suggest a title! 

Cheers