IPVA video

OK...so....we hope you find as much humor in this video as we do! If you saw my post on facebook on Saturday night, you would have seen a picture of us at Target buying all the Toy Story characters. We were prepping for the Iowa Professional Videographers Association (IPVA) annual shootout we had on Sunday. In a nutshell, our directive this year was to work with another company to create an advertisement for the IPVA.

Well, if you know us, we like to have fun....so we wanted to make the shootout lots of fun too! We had about 4 hours to write a script, shoot all the footage and voiceovers and edit the footage before it was show time. If you aren't familiar with the behind the scenes of video, trust me, it's ALOT to fit all of that into 4 hours!

We had SO much fun working with Eric of Nepo Productions out of Cedar Rapids to come up with the video below.



P.S. If you go to the IPVA website, we know our name is no longer listed and we don't know why...we are working on getting it back up there. :)

Cooper

Good heavens, this is our 4th time photographing Cooper and everytime we see him, I just can’t get over how much he is growing. He is now 3 and ON THE MOVE! Or maybe it would be more appropriate to say that he’s ON A SPRINT! He is so very fast now and he knows that the idea he has in his mind is definitely better than what anyone else may suggest. :)

Looks like he's run into an obstacle huh?? NO WAY!! I think his face tells the story....and totally cracks me up!! I have a feeling his mommy and daddy have seen this face a time or two :)


He has the softest little voice that is chattering a lot, but I couldn’t always make out what he was saying because he was so soft and he was generally walking with his nose to the grindstone the majority of the time….like I said, he knew where he wanted to go! Pretty sure this is a response to one of my silly ideas....his face says it al!!


There were a couple of times I caught him repeating what I had just said and it totally cracked me up!

I am obsessed with this picture for a number of reasons. The first being that he is actually SITTING! If you know Cooper, you will know this is a rare moment! The second reason I love it so much is because it shows just how big the world can be to a little kid. I often focus on close up images, but I just love how this one captures his small little body in front of the huge trees behind him….LOVE IT!


He has quite the little imagination and he was having TONS of fun "in the jungle".


Cooper – Little buddy I loved that you gave me hug right away! You are one cool little dude! We love that we get to see you every year and capture your little personality! Can't wait to see again!

Ashley

We had such a great time capturing Ashley’s senior pictures! We laughed….oh boy did we laugh!



When Ashley was showing me her different outfits, she got to the purple “baggy” shirt. (cough) Excuse me Ashley, did you JUST use the word “baggy” to describe your shirt?!?! I mean, it was was stinkin’ cute and all….but not so much baggy Ashley! ☺


Ashley loves horses and goes to shows most weekends. We were only around the horses for a little bit with her but I KNOW she is going to be an awesome vet when she finishes school!


After we took this shot, her sister and uncle took 2 of the horses and as her uncle was changing the halter, his horse ESCAPED!!! Yep, next thing we heard was her sister yelling that the horse was on the HIGHWAY….YIKES! They chased it back into the yard and the horse had fun playing around and avoiding capture…..UNTIL the master of horses, Ashley, got into the mix. Within a matter of minutes Ashley had the horse captured and back in a halter. Thatta girl Ashley!


Just minutes after the big capture, she was poised and ready to get going with her session….still looking like a million bucks…Sheesh! I suppose if she can pull off making a “baggy” shirt look hot, what can’t she do?!?!


Ashley (aka The Horse Whisperer) - You are so sweet and we are so excited that you are going to be in Cyclone country with us next year! You have such a bright future and we wish you all the best!!

Leah and Allen

We met Leah and Allen for a sunset session on Lake Okoboji.....ahhhhh, yes, beautiful! I'm totally lovin' the sunset flare on the right!! Yes, I am obsessed with sun flare!

(note the little creature to the left of Leah's feet! It's Wally!!)

Their session was even more exciting because they brought their new baby Wally along for the ride!! Do not view this next picture unless you want to fight off a severe case of puppy fever for the next week!


We met them again the next morning after sunset to take in some beach and green space time.






To view more images visit their facebook sneak peak here!

Leah and Allen - We so much enjoyed our time with you capturing your love story. You two are absolutely adorable together and we loved being able to witness your love and hang out! We are pumped for your wedding!! Hurry up and get here! :)
P.S. I want to steal Wally....I'm just sayin' :)

Jessica and Matt

We met Jessica and Matt on a beautiful day for a walk around the park to capture their engagement pictures. See....picture perfect day!


I did a lot of paparazzi style shooting on this session....I think I had Matt a little concerned! :) I was doing a lot of hiding behind trees, leaves and flowers to shoot through them....trust me Matt, it worked! :)




We got this fun new chalkboard and had some fun with it. Cute, huh? :)




Jessica and Matt - Thank you for enjoying the afternoon with us! We love how laid back you are and that you trusted our ideas....crazy as they may have seemed! :) We are so very excited for your wedding! We are going to have a blast together!

Carsen and Ellian

We had such a fun time exploring Carsen and Ellian's backyard with them! I think this picture says it all....it was so fun and we had a great time playing with them and just being goofy!



Ellian has a very best friend in bun hopper!



Peek-a-boo!!



Carsen got to try his hand at photography...pretty good don't you think!



Carsen and Ellian - Thank you so much for showing us all the fun there is to be had in your backyard!! You two are so sweet and we can't wait to see you again and race all around trying to keep up with you!

LaTonya

I am seriously at a loss for words....I have so many thoughts in my mind, but I can't seem to form a complete sentence. Bear with the rambling as I attempt to begin to describe LaTonya. :)

Our friendship started WAY back when, I don't recall a year or grade in school when we met, it just feels like we have known eachother FOREVA! LaTonya was the one who always had it together in school...she was smart, she was athletic, she was beautiful, she was friends with everyone...she was LaTonya
!

Onto college we went in 1999 and we both ended up at the University of Northern Iowa. Our second year of college we decided we MUST move off campus. So off we went, 5 girls in a 2-bedroom apartment! It was an experience none of us will EVER forget! After a year, we moved again, but we got smarter and realized we didn't have to live like sardines....only 3 of us moved to a 2 bedroom apartment. :)

We had our fun and wouldn't trade our college experience for anything! We were young, we were naive and we LOVED every second of our time there. Before long, we graduated and moved our separate ways. Eric and I moved to Ames and LaTonya, well, she traveled....and she traveled and then she traveled some more! New York, Europe, Colorado, Australia, back to Europe and she has now made her home and started her real estate business in Denver.

Imagine my surprise when just days after my 30th birthday, the doorbell rang and there was my best friend LaTonya standing on my doorstep in Ames, IA!!!! She flew in for the weekend to surprise me for my birthday!!! All work was set aside and we hung out....just like the days in our apartment as roommates....it felt the exact same and we didn't skip a beat....I loved every second of it!


The day she was ready to leave, we went out for a quick little photo session. It was her first experience in front of the camera with me behind the camera. :) She really thought we were just going to the backyard for 2 pictures.....HA! Boy did I trick her when we went to the park and I wouldn't stop taking pictures! :)


LaTonya - I can't thank you enough for being the friend you are! I love that anytime we talk or see each other, it still feels like we are roommates and haven't missed a thing! You are such a great friend and I am so happy we get to share life with each other! Thank you, thank you, thank you for surprising me with the best present ever!!!!

Cali

It has been SO much fun to watch Cali grow over the years!! She is now 2 and smarter and more independent than EVER!

Check out her hair!!! Those crazy curls and "the look" she gives sure are amazing! I was totally smitten with her!



This girl can make some serious tracks....she had us all over the park! Little Miss Independent has an idea and she goes for it, there was no persuading her otherwise....it had me cracking up!



At the very end, the water bottle came out to tame the mane and get her hair in piggy tails. Well.....I don't think I need to describe any further what she thought about squirting us....I think her face says it all!!



Cali - You are one smart little cookie and we LOVED hanging out with you and capturing this period in your life! You are just so sweet, I could have hung out with you all night! Can't wait to see you next year, I can't even imagine what you will have in store for us then!

Jen and Peter

Sheesh, I don't think I should say anything as my words will take away from all the love I feel for the image above! Such a perfect day!

Jen is all smiles all the time....Peter has the sultry look down to fine science!! We had them looking at each other ALOT....why? Check out the smiles he can't keep behind his sultry serious face when he's looking at Jen! :)


See....I told you so...


Such a sweet moment between the two of them!


You can view more images from their session here.

Peter and Jen - I am soooo excited the weather held out and we were able to hang out capturing your engagement pictures for you! We are SO super excited for your wedding to get here Jen and Mr. Sultry! :) I can't wait to get the rest of your gallery to you, there are so many fun images, it was hard to pick only a few for the sneak peak! :)