Goodbye 2010 (Hello 2011) - Rockford Wedding Portrait Event Photographer

2010 has been a whirlwind year for me - both professionally and personally. When the year started my son Felix was not yet even a month old, and I had just embarked on my latest adventure as work-from-home dad. It's been a busy year juggling everything, but honestly for the most part it's been a blast. Sure it may get waaaaaaaay too busy at times, but the perks are great. I mean, I get to play with cameras and my kid all day long. And what other job would let me conduct morning meetings with my "intern" in our pajamas as we watch cartoons? On another note, I managed to make it through all of 2010 without getting peed on once (although sadly, I cannot say the same for being puked on). That may not seem like much, but to me it was no small accomplishment since I had never changed a diaper in my life before Dec 4, 2009.

2011 is already shaping up to be an even brighter and busier year, especially now that Felix is mobile! Here's hoping you didn't get peed on in 2010 - figuratively or literally -buy hey, if you did...here's to putting 2010 the rearview mirror and never looking back.

What a difference a day makes. On New Year's Day 2011, it was a full 50 degrees colder than the previous day (w/ wind chill). Nevertheless, I ventured out into the cold to catch a quick glimpse of the sunrise over downtown Rockford on New Year's Day 2011, and I'm glad I did. Took some very brief time-lapse photographs of the sunrise before it disappeared behind the clouds, and the wind drove me back indoors. Click on the photo below to view the time-lapse video.

Music track is from "Beautiful World" by Colin Hay

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Happy Holidays from Ryan Davis Photography - Rockford Portrait Wedding Photographer

Last year around this time a new member - our son Felix - joined our family. And since I am a photographer who primarily works from home, that means Felix also joined the Ryan Davis Photography team as an unpaid intern! It has been an amazing year watching and participating as he grows, learns new things, and explores the ever-expanding world around him each day. Sure, I've spent a lot of time over the past year dodging various bodily fluids and playing "What's That Smell", but hey, after a while you get numb to all that. Plus, he's given both Jen and I the excuse to act more like kids (although she will be the first to tell you that I was doing just fine in that department all on my own, so in my case act like more of an adult...love ya Jen), and the opportunity to act more like "gown ups" at the same time. And when I'm out in public I can sing at the top of my lungs or talk to myself without anyone batting an eye. Not to mention, he's very accommodating when I need someone to photograph, ha.

Anyway, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and all that good stuff to all of you from Felix, Jen, Tucker, and me! I hope your year has been as good as ours.

Also...when your son is named Felix, it's pretty easy to have a running Christmas photo theme. Here's last year's photo as well in case you missed it.

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Laura & Josh's Engagement Photos In Belvidere, IL - Rockford Wedding Photographer

I'm way behind on blogging, but that's mainly because I've been so busy shooting, so in that respect it's kind of great to be a bit behind! The winters here in the Rockford area may be excruciatingly long, but man oh man out oh-so-short autumn season makes it all worth while.

A few weeks back, I had a chance to take Laura and Josh's engagement photos. It was an extremely fun shoot that started with the gorgeous fall colors of Belvidere Park and ended at a top secret abandoned barn. Ok...I might reveal the location if you ask nicely.

Anyway, here's a quick peek at our shoot.

Laura and Josh are a blast, and I can't wait to see the party that breaks out at their wedding next fall!

More photos at www.ryandavisphotography.com

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Fall Photo sessions | Rockford IL Photographer

It may have still felt like summer for the past week, but fall has indeed arrived here in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. In fact the air this morning is starting to turn crisp, and that means the fantastic fall colors won't be far behind.

It's a perfect time of the year for some outdoor portraits, whether it's photos of the kids, the whole family, the pets, or just beautiful ol' you. Those gorgeous autumn colors provide the perfect scene for some spectacular photos. So why have your family portraits taken in some studio with a pumpkin and a hay bale when we have such an amazing backdrop outdoors during this all-to-brief season? Besides...you know you wanna play in the leaves.

My available shooting times are filling up fast, but book your session before the end of September and receive 50% your sitting fee by mentioning this blog post. Contact me at ryandavisphotography@gmail.com or call 815.988.1593 to check availability. Act quickly though...in two short months we'll all be begging for summer.

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Weathered & Worn - Two days left to bid! | Rockford IL Photographer

There's just two short days left to see the Weathered & Worn photography exhibit at Rockford's own Burpee Museum , showcasing photographs by me, Jason Ommodt, and John Parli.

The exhibit features a variety of time ravaged places and things, from broken down buildings to old rusty cars, and every photo in the exhibit is for sale via a silent auction, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Burpee's children's educational programs.

You can even place a bid online, or to check to see if you're the current high bidder, by visiting our online bid sheet.

Thanks to all of you who have bid so far!
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Dora & Henry | Rockford IL Wedding Photography

From the moment we heard that Dora and Henry would be married in Rockford's crown jewel, The Coronado Theater, I think we were nearly as excited for their wedding as Dora and Henry were! As it turns out, the Coronado was the perfect location to match the elegance of Dora in her wedding gown (and her evening gown as well).



Great location aside, it was the fantastic people that truly made the wedding a night to remember for all involved. Time flies when you're having fun, in fact it was one of the shortest 14 hour days we have ever worked.:) Here's a very quick peek at their wedding day.








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Weathered & Worn Photo Exhibit - Aug 14

Mark your calendars! On August 14th from 5-8 pm the Burpee Museum in Rockford Illinois, located at 737 N Main Street to be exact, will be hosting an art exhibit of "Weathered And Worn" photography, featuring the photography of Jason Ommodt, John Parli , and myself.






From broken down buildings to old rusty cars, time ravaged places and things have always intrigued each one of us. We hope you can join us all for a celebration of some stucrures and objects, that against all odds simply refuse to go away. There will be sangria, snacks...and plenty of rust! Hope to see you there.



by ryan davis photography


Can't make it on the 14th? That's a shame...but no worries, the show will be available to view through Sep. 15 during Burpee Museum's normal business hours (10am - 5pm daily). For more information, please visit the event page on facebook...and while you're there, feel free to "like" me.




by john parli photography
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Up and Away.

This week four of us went on a whirlwind road trip. By the time we had returned home, we had driven over 3,000 miles in the course of 72 hours for shoots in Colorado and Utah.

The first stop was just outside of Colorado Springs for a tour of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The facility and the sounding landscape had a stunningly majestic feel to them that is hard for me to describe. But since I take photos, hopefully I can pass some of that feeling along through a few of them.

The final two images below are panoramas. Please click on the images to see them large. I promise it's worth it.

It was great to be able to visit the USAFA on Memorial Day, and we could not have asked for better weather. But since this was a whirlwind trip, we had other places we needed to be, and so off we went. Specifically to a dinosaur dig in Utah. More on that soon...

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Zion

Over the past few weeks, I've had the chance to work with Engine Studio, providing the still photos on a video project for Zion Development. I met some inspirational, positive people who all had uplifting stories. Here's just a small segment:

Charisse & Chemere from Zion Development Housing from Engine Studio on Vimeo.

Video by Engine Studio, photos by Ryan Davis Photography.

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Noah & Jake

Just a few photos from a shoot with Noah and Jake this past weeked. It's always a blast to get out on-location to take some photos, and this old train yard setting was just the place!

Studio stuff is fun for different reasons, but it's had to resist getting outdoors to create some interesting portraits, especially when the weather is so fantastic.





If you'd like to book an on-location portrait session, just give me a call or drop me an email and we'll get something scheduled. Enjoy the weather!



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Low-tech Sunday.

I had a tiring, but very enjoyable, day on Saturday. At day's end I had shot over 12,000 action photos at an event in the Wisconsin Dells. And so on Sunday, with a sore shoulder and a hand like a shriveled monkey paw, I just didn't plan on lifting my camera. But after a lunch with extended family, my father and niece got out a kite and walked out into the field behind my father's house to fly it.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to let my inner kid loose to run thought the field with Madison, and so i headed out with them (and yes, snapped a few shots). A kite is magic like that. Think about it...it's 2010. We are surrounded by all kinds of hi-tech entertainment devices everywhere. But you take $2 worth of fabric and 50 cents worth of string, and can still head out and have a blast.

It was a good low tech day. Go fly a kite.

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Down the Old Dirt Road

I had a killer time (heh heh) yesterday shooting some production stills for the Fathead Films horror short Down the Old Dirt Road. It is always a blast to see what Justin, Keith, and the rest of the Fathead Films gang come up with, and yesterday's shoot was no exception. Got to meet a few new people as well.


After a few warm days - for the Midwest in mid March anyway - the weather decided that it would get in character for the horror flick as well, kicking up wind that whistled through the old barn that we were shooting in and serving up some genuine chills for the cast and crew. But hey...I'm told blood & guts are best served cold and the mother nature did also throw a fantastic sunset our way (also blood red), so no hard feelings.

Looking forward to seeing what these guys come up with next. In fact let's all split up and see if we can find them right now! I'll be right back...


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Alex

Had a great time shooting some senior portraits with Alex yesterday. We had discussed doing an urban decay theme a little while back, and with the gorgeous weather yesterday, we finally had our chance.

And while we took care to make sure that no Alex's were harmed during the making of these photographs, I managed to step into a hole in the floor where a heat register once was and fall in up to my knee. Later on I stepped on a nail (note to self: boots, boots, boots!). And tragically, one of my lighting umbrellas also did not survive our little adventure. But hey...all in a day's work!

Now, let's face it...for a lot of people having their photos taken by a professional photographer can seem to be an awkward proposition, as they are not used to being a model. That's why I have found that it's very important to get to know a little about my clients first. Choosing the right environment to shoot is a crucial step in creating great portraits because it really helps to bring my client's personality shining through in those photos.

If you've got spring fever like I do and are interested in some on-location portraits, give me a ring or drop me an email today.

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felix

it's hard to believe that in one week this little guy will be two months old already. but on the other hand, in kind of seems like he's always been here too.

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