Somas of L

From a recent intimate session I was able to create these amazing bodyscapes. I call them bodyscapes because it's like a landscape of the body. This lighting is a bit more difficult than my normal intimate images and it requires the subject to be completely nude for most of it. Although the subject is nude the purpose is to create some art pieces that can be shown in any room of the home.

Here are some of my favorites. I hope you find them a wonderful as I do.
CA

South Dakota Boudoir Photographer

I've been tagged

So I've been tagged in this little game of blog tag going around photogs. The fabulous Johnsons of Florida tagged me. And now I need to give 8 facts about myself on the blog and tag 8 others. So here goes:

1. I love my little boy! Never planned on being a mom. Actually never planned on being married. Then Andy came along and changed that. I remember telling my friend Misty he was marraige material. We got married and decided for me to go off the pill and to use the rhythm method. Umm yeah the rhythm method doesn't work when you get sick with influenza and your body holds onto your eggs. So yeah that would be Ayden, the result. The same weekend we got our tattoos which happen to be the ac ellis logo and Ayden initials. And I love my little boy even if I never planned him!

2. I used to be a jock, not an artsy drop in me. I lettered in 5 sports in one year in high school (soccer, softball, basketball, track and cross country) I also sat the bench in volleyball and tennis other years. In Junior College at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento I got all kinds of awards including making the regional team and that put me just a couple posititions out of All-American. I played goalkeeper. I have my degree in phys. ed with a concentration in coaching. I played soccer and softball in college, went to my undergrad on scholarship and have my coaching licences in soccer from the NSCAA and USSF.

3. Before my little honda civic I owned a Toyota 4x4 pick-up. It was a 91, dark grey and had a 7" lift kit. I used to love to take it out muddin'. It lasted me through grad school and now my little sister Magnum (yes a sister named Magnum, after the .357) owns it. Yeah I come from Hick stock.

4. My favorite furniture designers are Charles and Ray Eames. O I just love their chairs!

5. Chick flicks, I'm a sucker for chick flicks, no matter how poorly made. Save the last dance, Sweet Home Alabama, and stuff like that.

6. I had a horse growing up and while I haven't ridden in a long time I absolutely love to ride. Her name was Alibi.

7. My absolute favorite alcoholic drink is a blended Madori Sour. MMMMMM! I was a good kid in high school and never got drunk or partied. I got drunk for the first time my freshman year in college off tequila and now can't touch the stuff.

8. I served 8 years in the Army Reserve. I was qualified as a mechanic and as a paper pusher. I was only 1 shot away from qualifying as an expert with my M16, I had to settle for sharpshooter. I was an expert on grenades though.

Some great photogs and people, I tried to pick some that I haven't mentioned on here before:
Paul Gero
Britney Photography
Chuck Arland
Walters and Walters
Kim Gorombey
The Sandalls
Ute Muller
Nicole Polk

Since no post is complete with out an image:
My dad and Ayden in 2004. My dad is a commercial fisherman in CA and Ayden gets his middle name from him, Clyde.

Gabriel

Gabriel came in for some updated images. It always amazes me how fast they grow. Gabriel is the famous baby in the bookcase image that everyone loves so much. I love these sessions were I get to watch them grow.
CA

If you would like to track Gabriel here are some links for you:
Before Birth
Newborn
3 months old

And now at 6 months, so cute and looking more like his brother.

Dean + Michelle + Kira

I know I've gotten Dean hooked on the blog. Figured I better get some images of him, Michelle and Kira up. We headed out and had a whole 15 minutes of great light and then it got a bit dark, but we made the best of it. I loved Kira, so did Ayden. Dean is also a professional photographer, so of course that put the pressure on a bit. To see Dean's work go to his site at:
Dean Pearson Photography

Here are some images:

Some green for Michelle

A bit of Old Skool for you Dean

And a few of Dean with his HUGE lens!

Look in the lens, you are viewing the sky through the view finder, not a reflection. How cool is that?

Environmental

Some personal environmental images to share.
CA

D2x

Panasonic Point and Shoot camera.

Cora 1

Cora had her first birthday party and their new home had some great light to make some wonderful images. I can never believe how quickly children grow.
CA

Portraits

Alysia teaching Cora how to blow the candle out.

Just blew the candle out and gave me this funny face. Too cute.

In typical godmother form I had to feed her a nice corner piece with lots of frosting.

Fishing

Last weekend we headed to the lake on Sunday. I spent most of the day just laying and reading. I'm usually wiped out after a wedding. We did go to a birthday party. More images to come on that. Anyway, the boys were tearing it up fishing. They wanted an image and basically had to make me go get the camera - it's my day off. But they were all so proud. And the fish was yummy!
CA

NewsFire

There is the fun little thing that makes blogs so great... RSS Feeds. These feeds allow Feed Readers to update when a new post is made. It elimates the need to manually check each blog. It makes it easier to keep up with many blogs.

I usually only check a couple of blogs on a regular basis but after Randy Kepple recently told me he doesn't check up on mine enough because my RSS Feed wasn't working I decided to get it fixed. He said he used NewsFire to check and I remember liking the program when he showed me in OR. So I downloaded it. I liked it's interface, and although it does cost $25 I think that is a small price for a piece of software. Especially one you like. You just add all your feeds in and you can even catagorize them as well. NewsFire appears to only be for mac.

There are other readers like Google Reader that you can also use that are free. They are all a great way to keep track with out having to bookmark and manually look. Most of my blog are photogs. Mostly cause I have met them and like to see what's going on it their lives - like reality tv. But also I have others that I enjoy and seem to be adding to my list now that I have an easy way of checking.

I'd love to hear some recommendations for good blogs you may read.
CA

700

Wino Willie's Wheelchair

Last week Andy and I took the wheelchair out for a ride. It's been a while since I've gotten to ride. Andy rides her everyday. You may be asking what is this wheelchair. It is my motorcyle and painted on it's gas tank is "Wino Willie's Wheelchair". The wheelchair was passed down to my dad after my grandpa passed away. My dad said it should be ridden and he just didn't get to ride it enough. Well when dad called the other day he of course asked if we'd taken her out. I was happy to tell him Andy rides almost everyday and I finally had a break to take a ride with him.

I always think of grandpa when I ride. I didn't realize it when he was alive, but he was pretty famous. Now I knew he was well loved, after all we did have those ragging parties every Labor Day weekend with people coming from all over. But I didn't know how famous until his death. I didn't know that he was the "Original Wild One", that he has inspired so many people. I finally realized his fame years after his death when I was watching A&E and he was on it.

Grandpa was one of the founders of the Boozefighter motorcycle club. But he was more than that because he stood for something and gave a lot of people someone to believe in. Anyway, if you want just google him Wino Willie Forkner. I just realized there's even a wikipedia for Boozefighers.
CA

A link to some Boozefighters history

Grandpa is the one drinking.

Us on our ride.

Shhh don't tell anyone but I actually rode through Sturgis in my chaps and bikini back when my behind was a bit smaller and firmer. And I was not riding on the back of the bike. In fact the feminist in me can't stand riding on the back, but it would look kinda funny with Andy back there.

The O Family

Last summer I photographed Josh's graduation images. It was great to photograph the entire family before Josh and Erica head off to college. A few images from the session.
CA

Dena's Headshot

Dena came in for her headshot to be used in her application to dental school.
Here she is.
CA

We have a nice package for headshots that includes the digital files of two images retouched and a release for commercial use. They take a short period of time and are perfect for the professional.

April + Travis

April and Travis came up to Brookings for a fun eSession. April brought some cute dresses and a hot pair of heels. Here are some images from the session. They are so cute!
CA

Some individual portraits.

Who needs a man...

...when you have a camera?

I shoot Nikon and in the photog world especially with weddings and portraits it seems the majority of the shooters are Canon. Many will say Canon is superior, but I like my Nikon files and I like the ergonomics of the Nikon so I've stuck with it. Well my stubbornness has paid off as Nikon has just announced this bad boy. Man it's sexy and I'm drooling. I so want one.
CA
Nikon D3

Erin thought up the title, you like?

Dashboard Stickies

I've had Mac computers the entire time I've been a photographer. I switched from the PC world to Mac and haven't looked back. While I did have issues converting - couldn't figure out how to open the DVD drive- I have made the transition well. I love the interface and now I could never go back.

Well I'm still finding new things 4 years later... Dashboard. I've been using it a lot, it holds my calculator, dictionary, thesaurus, weather, calendar and measurement converter (love this one). But is also holds my stickie notes. This is good cause I'm a list and note maker and I just recently realized that this is a great way to quit using so many stickies and notepads and to get them off my desk.

I'm always looking for ways to be more green and this is just one more little step. I'll try to post some other steps we take in the office to reduce our waste, usage and lower our footprint. Thanks to the Phototechnology Blog for bring up the green factor, I hadn't thought of sharing what we do before.
CA

Ashlee

Ashlee came all the way from MN to have me photographer her graduation portraits. So I spoiled her by taking her to this place I've been dying to shoot in and just needed the right subject. I do enjoy going to completly different locations with my subjects and work very hard to create images that are disctinct from each other with in the collection as well other other subjects and photographers. Here is some of the variety we found for Ashlee.

Thanks for making the trek. I had a great time.
CA

You know textures and overlays are all the rave right now and while I think they are cool. I do think they need to be done properly to create a feel in an image, rather than take it over. The image should still highlight the subject. And you don't need much texture in a location like this. It's full of it's own

Another fun lighting trick on this one. I'm really having fun exploring multiple forms of light this year.

The great headshot. Love how her eyes even pop in duotones.

I told her this was her GAP ad.

Lovely light filtered by what I thought was humidity, but in reality was those big forest fires.

And another indoor headshot.

O and the boss:

From Sandra

Not only do I try to help my couples and clients, but I do my best to give back to the photography community. I have and continue to learn a lot from on-line forums and others. And while I'm not an expert in anything I do get asked many questions and do my best to answer them all. It's nice to be appreciated. Sandra sent this note and a gift certificate to Robert's Imaging, my favorite place to buy equipment. She must have been reading that somewhere.
Thank you Sandra,
CA

Cory Ann,
Thank you so much for always answering my many questions. You are one of the best assets to DWF. I just want you to know that I appreciate you.

Sincerly,
Sandra Henderson
aka Sandrad

Maria - AC Ellis Associate Photographer

Have you noticed the name Maria popping up? Have you seen Maria with me at a recent wedding? Have you found her super secret blog? Well if you haven't that's ok we aren't all that observant, but if you have... good and now you'll know the scoop.

Maria Lavallee has officially joined the staff at AC Ellis Inc. she is coming on board as an associate photographer. What that means is that she will be booking her own weddings in 2008 under AC Ellis Inc. For all of you who inquired a bit too late and couldn't get me you now have another option.

With Maria you can be assured that you are getting all the perks you get with me. She has been training with me all summer and has been a second photographer at many weddings for both myself and for David Hoffman. I am sending her out to Rhode Island in October to second shoot with another photographer Kristin Cioffi. Maria has also photographed three weddings this summer as the main photographer. She has a wonderful eye and now has all the technical skill to match.

We have compiled a portfolio of Maria's work which is available on the AC Ellis Weddings site, under Maria.

You may also view her work and get a feel for her on her blog - and I'm sure you'll hear plenty about yours truely as Maria likes to shoot me doing weird things. We can all have fun making fun of me. The URL is easy to remember if you can remember mine: www.acellisblog2.com You may also notice it linked on the right of my blog.

And here is a slideshow of Maria's recent work.

So let's welcome Maria to the team!
CA

An image she took yesterday.

Let's answer some questions:
- How did I find Maria?
Maria was an AC Ellis bride in 2006 when I photographed her wedding to Kris. They had a beautiful wedding at the Cathedral in Sioux Falls and a reception at the Minnehaha Country Club. You can see Maria and Kris's wedding blog post here and their
slideshow here. So you know she knows how I work from the other side of the camera. She is prepared to offer her couples the same.

- Who do we call to book and schedule things?
Maria is an employee of AC Ellis Inc. All communication will go through the main office. Maria does have her own e-mail and will furnish her cell to her couples, but all other business matters are handled in the main office. So when you book Maria you get our booking system, our advanced shopping cart, our wide array of products, Erin our graphic designer, and everything else I have been working the last three years to develop.

- Does she have insurance and pro equipment like CA?
All of the equipment Maria will be using is owned, insured and maintained by AC Ellis Inc. You will not get as many neat things with Maria as you do with me, since I'm a bit of a lens whore. But assured you will get fast, good, lenses and cameras that are well maintained. And of course she will have back-up equipment.

- Will Maria cost as much as Cory Ann?
The easy answer is no. Not right away. Maria will be starting at a lower rate.

- Why is Maria less to book than Cory Ann?
Maria is less to book than CA because she will not have the experience that Cory Ann does. Cory Ann has photographed over 60 weddings and has extensive practice and training over the last four years. Maria is new (but with lots and lots of practice). And while she is guaranteed through the business just like CA, you will get different images as there are different people behind the cameras. Also Maria's equipment while professional and all, will be limited compared to Cory Ann's.

- Will Maria shoot in the same style?
Yes she will. I have been training her all summer, plus she's been influenced by my work since she booked me in 2005 for her own wedding. She's a loyal blog reader. You will still get good quick formals, fun well posed portraits, beautiful moments documented, great lighting and the same type of post processing. The slight difference is that Maria has a bit different eye than CA. We think different so her style, while close will eventually develop to be more her own. And this is good - if she starts too get too crazy or something don't worry I'll whip her back into shape. he he. Her style will always mesh with that of AC Ellis Inc. or she will branch out on her own.

From Lindsay + Clint

Lindsay and Clint sent me this note, I'm looking forward to their wedding this coming weekend. I feel lucky you chose me.
CA

Hi Cory Ann,
Thank you so much for taking such beautiful picutres of Clint and I! They are absolutely the best pictures of us as a couple we have. You have such a great talent, able to catch the little interactions and gestures of affection that occur on a daily bais between us.
The prints add a lot of character and life to our new house. All the white walls are starting to look like a home. We feel so lucky to have you as our photographer.
Lindsay + Clint

Big announcement this week, stay tuned!

My new shoes

The wonderful groom and groomsmen from Bo and Jen's wedding gave me a tip and with it I bought these super sweet Cole Haans with Nike Air. They are comfy. A little too high to work a wedding in, but still comfy and I will buy another pair someday. My silver mary jane's I shoot in all the time are also Cole Haan's as are my new silver flats I also shoot in. I love this brand, they fit so well. You should see the dress they go with. I'll take pics in them someday to show you.

Ok so who thought I wasn't going to post today? You were almost right, I just got back from a wedding and barely remembered. Ha ha, so close. A couple more weeks to try.
CA

Melissa + Kevin: 08.05.07

After Des and Troys wedding on the 4th I dragged my butt out of bed and was a second shooter for Maria at Melissa and Kevin's wedding in Huron. I just hung back for most of the day and it felt good. I'm getting better at it. And I also doubled as the cake cutter since I've seen it done enough times, too funny. We'll have to see if Maria posts any of those images on her blog. Here are a few from the day.
CA

Grandpa walking her up the aisle

And the exit, the guests really threw those oats

A little together time

Kevin just got done with boot camp and had that lost Marine stare down pat.

more on Maria's blog

Reception: Crossroads Hotel and Huron Event Center, Huron SD
Photographer: Maria Lavallee, AC Ellis Inc.

AC Ellis Bride apparel in!

I thought it was about time to show your pride in being one of the few AC Ellis Brides. So we designed these shirts just for you. Erin did a good job didn't she. For all my brides, past, present or upcoming brides out there send me an e-mail with your size and current address and we'll send you one. And of course we'd love to see them on you either when we come to shoot you or send up a snapshot. They are complimentary and we will send them on a first come first serve basis. Hope you like them!

Sizes are S, M, L, and XL in the Women's cut and L and XL in a straight cut. They are lightweight and comfy. I tried one on and it's cute and I'm a medium if you want to compare.

Wait till you see what else we are cooking up around here.
CA

Harry Potter

It took me a while to get it and even longer to get to reading it. Finally this weekend I finished it. So anyone else think JK Rowling did a good job of leaving her cash pot open for a future series? If you'd like to see what I'm reading I've been trying to add books to my aStore (amazon store) always linked on the right in the links.
CA

Desirae + Troy: 08.04.07

Desirae and Troy's wedding was the first of the two weddings in Huron. (The second being Melissa and Kevin's.)
The whole day was exciting and bursting with energy from the entire wedding party.
When the wedding was over, Desirae, Troy, and the bridal party piled into a 12 passenger van and followed Cory Ann and I to a nearby field where the horse roamed and the electric fence purred. Later we proceeded to downtown Huron where we had some time to play and get some great images. The reception was beautifully decorated and reflected the personality of Desirae and Troy.
I am very lucky to have been a part of their day. (Plus, I enjoyed Joey shooting Cory Ann's camera!!)
Thanks you guys for a great time and opportunity for me!

Isn't her dress gorgeous?!

Where the horse roamed and the fence purred...

This woman cracked me up the entire night! Everytime she spotted me with my camera in her general direction she thought of new and interesting poses for me to capture!

Reception: Crossroads Hotel and Huron Event Center, Huron SD
Photographer: Cory Ann Ellis, AC Ellis Inc.
Second Photographer: Maria Lavallee, AC Ellis Inc.

Desirae + Troy: 08.04.07

I was looking forward to Troy and Desirae's wedding! They are both relaxed, fun and so expressive. And I knew lots of the guests. It's weddings like these that I feel more like I'm hanging with friends rather than working. But to prove that we did do some work here are some images from the day.
CA

A little portrait time:

The girls getting ready

Desirae had her mom walk her down the aisle and Maria got this lovely image from the back

Ceremony

The Exit:

More portrait time:

Details:

And a special appearance from Joey, a past AC Ellis Groom who I lent my camera to for a while. He was lovin' it. Here is an image of him by Maria and a couple that Joey took:

more on Maria's blog

The M Family

Another fun extended family portrait session. They were all up for trying different things with such a positive attitude. We were talking about how different their personalities all are. As Amber recalled to me in an e-mail after, I'll give you a commentary with the images.
CA

The sassy one...

The sweet innocent loving one...

The ooo get that frog away from me one...

The sportster and the one holding the frog...

Some of them all together

Did someone say Pigpile? Yep that would be me.

Missed a day...

Don't know how. Just did. Darn it anyway. So I'm sitting here downloading from this evenings session and at 11:59pm I suddenly here my e-mail ding and shows 5 e-mails. Hello were you people sitting there with a timer. You totally cracked me up! I love all my blog watchers and stalkers too! The winner is Maria Groos - so Maria let me know who you are and what you would like as your prize.
CA

A peek for the upcoming blog. I took it thinking I wanted the contrast of her red dress on the blue sky with the green grass, but ended up loving the vintage feel.

From Allison + Charlie

A note from Allison and Charlie:

Cory Ann,
Thank you so much for the disk of our engagement pictures, we love them! We can't wait for you to capture our moments on the big day. Thanks again, we love your work!
Allison and Charlie

Jordan

Another Fab grad. We had so much fun talking about Oregon and life and wow Jordan is far more mature at her age than I ever was. She is going to have such a great time in college!

Here are a few images from her session.
CA

We've gotten a few more bookings, but still have some openings so pass on the word.

Amanda

It's that time of year. The couple of weeks prior to the start of school when all the graduating seniors book. Here is another beauty for you. Amanda is a Brookings grad and as we had a bit of fun around town. She was such a trooper and so darn cute!
CA

Prom dresses give us an opportunity to mix it up a little.

Beautiful headshot.

Some fun post processing.

We do still have openings and will photograph into the school year we have not met the max for any school yet so call to schedule. With AC Ellis your images will be distinctive and you will be in limited company!

Tate and Cora

I can not believe how big these two are getting. Seems like forever that we've gotten to hang out and take pictures. Cora is turning one already. Why do kids have to grow so fast? Here are my godkids.... can you believe it someone is trusting me to care for their kids in their absence?

Jen + Bo: 07.28.07

This was a couple of weeks ago, but since Maria came along to shoot we ended up with so many images to look through and I procrastinated a bit. Here are Bo and Jen, the perfect example of appreciative of the gift they received. It was really a pleasure to be part of their day. If it weren't so far away and the motel so well.... we would have stayed to party!

I don't know where to start. The light was great all day great for both portraits and events. Their family and friends were wonderful to work with and hang out with and the celebration was a blast. I finally tried some of that red eye stuff. Umm yeah not so good by the way! It kinda sneaks up and hits you.

Anyway it's time for some images. Thank you for a great time!
CA

Prior to the first glance.

Down the aisle.

The outside exit.

The guys, they were so nice - and with the tip they gave me I bought the sweetest pair of shoes - which I told them I would. I'll show you all later. They kick ass!

A natural moment.

Nice little shooting area in the perfect light - we love that they gave us time in the evening light!

The dance floor light was wonderful too.

And a shot with the guys at the bar.

And one of my favorite images of the day, by Maria.

And because I told them they would not get their images until the proved they went on a honeymoon, they sent these. I'm glad you two had a good time! Someone tell Andy to take me on a honeymoon. 5 years should be enough time to save up don't you think?

more on Maria's blog

Bo + Jen: 07.28.07

Awhile back I traveled with Cory Ann to Eureka, SD to shoot Bo and Jen's wedding.

*sidenote*
Now, to anyone who knows Cory Ann, you'll understand when I say that I really got to bond with her on a five hour middle of the night drive with a watered down McDonald's iced coffee - both ways. (Only the second time it was good C-Store Starbucks Frappachino.)

*back on track!*
Bo and Jen were a great couple, and I found Eureka to remind me a lot of my small hometown- even down to the Lakeside Motel.
It was a beautiful day with smiling faces and gorgeous weather. Had we not had to drive so far to get home again, we would have stayed another night to make more friends!

Just look at her laughter!

Melissa + Kevin: 08.05.06

I was able to photograph two weddings this past weekend. Saturday I had the opportunity to second shoot for Cory Ann, and Sunday she became my sidekick. *hehe*

Melissa, who is a cousin of my husband, had asked me to photograph her wedding in Huron - which I was more than happy to be a part of.
The day of the wedding, one of the salons opened their doors just for Melissa and pampered her with a French mani and pedi, as well as gorgeous looking hair. Later at Melissa's parent's house, we set up the bride and groom's first meeting outside the home. What a better way for them to see each other than with family members silently
onlooking from the porch?!
After stopping at the church for family pictures, we rode