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Mr. February

This year I did personalized gifts for all my family members - what a hit! These cute 4x6 custom designed calendars are now available and great gift ideas. You can have them designed with your engagement photos, wedding photos, high school senior photos... the ideas are endless.

Each month is printed as a 4x6 and can be displayed in a traditional frame, an acryllic frame. We have ours in a magnetic frame on our fridge!

Contact us at the studio for more information!

Whoa baby!!!

Life with baby Emmarie has been a bit rough these first few weeks. We battled a case of thrush, constant crying for 3.5+hours a day and acid reflux. We think we finally have the pretty little thing figured out - it makes me feel so good to know that a little bit of medicine can really ease the pain that she was feeling in her belly.

So now with a sleeping baby and a well-behaved 3.5 year old I am able to finally update my blog!

I am so excited to start my shooting season with Crystal and Greg's May 1st wedding tomorrow. The reception will host over 400 guests - the largest event I've ever been to!

Earlier this week I became an accomplished speaker with the Professional Photographers of Michigan. I presented a boudoir program and hands-on demonstration to a group of 50. I had a great time speaking and think I may have found a new niche for me! I'll blog more about the event with more details and photos over on the boudoir blog at www.unveiledportraits.com

And, just a reminder to become a 'fan' or 'like' both Ardent Photography and Unveiled Portraits on Facebook... I will soon release the dates and availability for High School Seniors as well as specials and a BIG announcement!

Happy Friday!

Drew 3.5yrs Emmarie 7 weeks - snapshot with a mommy-cam

Some notes

After my epic whine the other day, I went shopping with my sisters and got me some real cute things (shoes included) spending something like 50 euro. Pretty good eh?
I will try to post pictures of all that soon enough...when I find the camera charger...cough cough.
Also, tonight I'll be posting about Marion Cotillard, as promised.
Now I'm off to work, have a good day everyone, I won't!

Boom! Slash! Splatter! (brain explosion...tough luck)

School's been my latest and greatest time consumer, like for real. Meaning I haven't actually thought up anything or found anything around that I'd consider blog-worthy. And pretty much, that's that.
On a side note, my mastery of the Portuguese language is developing, now I can read and make out MOST of a conversation. Yes I feel proud yes you might not care.
Speaking of which, I just got my highlight of the day. (like in this bloody moment, and you might not care about this either, so you could navigate away for today, this whole post interests no one but me)
Evanescence released a never-before-heard-B-side to help the victims of Haiti. It's called Together Again, and I'm listening to it right now, it's totally pretty.

The Collection - our TV debut!

This week was wedding week at TMJ4 and NBC26 on the Morning Blend. Members of the Collection were interviewed to present ideas and tips on choosing the right photographer for your wedding.

I was fortunate to participate on Tuesday's show... where we talked mainly about the importance of hiring a professional wedding photographer and how the Collection benefits brides planning weddings in Wisconsin. I was really nervous being on live tv! I don't know what came over me... but all-in-all it was a terrific experience.

Visit the Morning Blend website to view clips from the show...
January 5, 2010
January 8, 2010

If you are on a Mac you'll need to download the latest Windows Media Player

That's me! The cute 8 months pregnant girl on the right...

2009 :: A look back

I'm sooo excited for this new year... before the clock strikes 12:00 I want to recap the wonderful adventures of 2009...

An Ardent Photography Photobooth

2009 was a terrific year for Ardent Photography... I started out the year shooting a wedding with Rachel of www.mergeweddings.com in Key West Florida. I flew to the island in a ridiculously small 8-seater airplane - in the co-pilot seat! I knew from that moment it was going to be a fantastic year!

In March I returned for my second straight year at the WPPI conference in Las Vegas, NV. I had a blast rooming with Molly Michel of m three studio and participating in classes and shootouts all week long. I bought my first "real" purse and necklace at Tiffany's... thank Molly for introducing me to nice things.


That Easter Andy and I took off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for some along adult time. It was so very relaxing to have nothing to do besides sit and soak up the sun.

Shortly after our trip to Mexico I was hired to shoot my first destination wedding in the Dominican Republic. I brought along friend and photographer Miranda Zynda-Kneeland of Reminisce Photography to be my second shooter. It was a true honor and privilege to photograph Robin and Justin's wedding in Punta Cana.

My busy wedding schedule only allowed me to take a limited number of High School Seniors. This year I shot 10 sessions and had a blast photographing seniors from Xavier, Appleton East, North and West as well as a senior from Winneconne High Schools.

The summer's weddings brought lots of joyful moments in couples lives - and I loved shooting at many new locations. I especially loved shooting for Tracy and Tim in Pembine at the Four Season Resort and in Door County for Kirsten and Andrew at the family's private residence. Thank you to all of my wedding couples for making 2009 such a fantastic season!!!


The most joyful news of the summer had to be finding out I was pregnant with our second child - a GIRL!!! Drew will finally be a big brother - our due date is March 1, 2010. He wants to name her "Cook"... it's actually quite cute, we are calling her that for now... but we do have several cute girl names on our list!

In other business 2009 news... Unveiled Portraits - my boutique boudoir photography venture has been such a dream come true. I've shot more than 75 boudoir sessions total and in the month of October I raised $900 for my first ever Boudoir for Breast Cancer fund raiser with the help of matching funds from Invitation Consultants.

I was also featured in Wisconsin Bride Magazine as an expert in boudoir photography. I am beyond excited to continue photographing boudoir session in 2010 and continue to make Unveiled Portraits the best boudoir photography studio in the state of Wisconsin. Thank you to all of my wonderful ladies!!! Here's to a new year of loving your sexy-self just the way you are!!!

This year was also a great year for my family. We took our very first family vacation in December to Disney World. Seeing Disney through the eyes of a 3 year old was definitely magical.

Drew had the most fun on the Triceratops ride at Animal Kingdom and getting his face painted up like a dragon. For Andy and I, our favorite part of the trip was getting selected to see the fireworks show as VIP's at Epcot. We were the only people in the entire park that got to sit alongside the people who designed the show and just yards away from where the fireworks are shot off.

To help make way for lil' sister "Cook" Drew said goodbye to his toddler bed and hello to a big boy bed. He is doing great in the bed and hasn't fallen out yet... He also was bumped up in his swimming class at Swimtastic Swim School. He can swim all independently for 3 feet, he is also jumping into the pool and swims to the side - all by himself!

Andy caught the biggest fish at my brother Nic's bachelor party in Pickerel Lake, WI - the thing was a HUGE 42" and very very tasty ;-) He has also been very busy playing in his softball and pool leagues. We are very fortunate his company has been so successful this year and are looking forward to what the future holds. We are both so lucky to have careers we love and a family that we adore!


Have a very happy and prosperous 2010!!!!

xoxo Amy

How cool is this?

I just found out that I've been selected for the Bride's Choice Award 2009 through WeddingWire! WeddingWire.com is a great place for online wedding planning... you can see lots of information on local vendors... make sure to check it out!

If you are a past bride of Ardent Photography or of Unveiled Portraits please take a minute or two to leave a review on www.weddingwire.com! It's easy and fast... thanks so much!

Leave a review for Ardent Photography
Leave a review for Unveiled Portraits

License to Cruise...

Erica and Eric's wedding party stopped for drinks at Anduzzi's before their wedding reception on Friday night. College Ave. was just revving up for it's annual "License to Cruise" car show the night before the famous Octoberfest.

There was a staff photographer from the Post Crescent taking shots... he saw me setting up the wedding party and took a few shots. I am actually surprised the image was published in the paper... I wish I could have sent them the kick butt shot I took!

Enjoy!

Amy Gaerthofner of Ardent Photography photographs a wedding party in front of a vintage Chevy Impala along College Avenue in downtown Appleton during License to Cruise on Friday, September 25, 2009. Post-Crescent photo by Kirk Wagner Kirk Wagner

Image Source

New... slideshows

Trying out a slideshow featuring photos from Naomi and Ryan's wedding day! Enjoy!

We're expecting...

Our second baby! I'm excited to make this exciting news public! I am currently 15 weeks, and I am due on March 3, 2010, which happens to also be my husband's birth date. So far I'm doing great and have not been feeling any morning sickness.

We are really excited to be using a midwife again. If any of you are prego or thinking of becoming prego soon you should look into alternatives to OBGYN's. Our experience with a midwife is a bit more personal and they less likely to use drugs or any interventions. Another thing I am excited about is using my Hypnobirthing Techniques for a drug free delivery. Now I know what to expect and I know I can do it again.

Enough of the baby talk... what does this mean to you? Well, fortunately I don't have any weddings booked for 2010 until May. I am still booking weddings but I am taking a new approach... I will be able to share this exciting news very soon.

I am excited to continue to offer Unveiled Portraits on a monthly basis and up to 20 Senior sessions.

I hope to post a photo of me and my baby bump soon. Thank you all for your well wishes!

NEWS NEWS NEWS

Well my sis and I went to Udine (quite a nice little city) for three days to visit my bro and friends, which was quite fun.
Stay tuned for pictures.

So, where were we?

Something about interesting, right?
Well then, I suppose now's a time as good as any other to annouce I chopped my hair (quite literally chopped if I say so myself). It happend a while ago, like, still in Spain. It's nothing TOO draastic, but quite the amout of hair is gone, as Esty would know.
I meant to post pictures of it, but I've really got nothing to put my hands on right now, so stay tuned.
I'm sorry for not providing you with any REAL updates, (Oh, except that I bought a book of Pablo Neruda's poetry, but you're probably not interested.) but such is life for now.
We all go through our respective dry spells.

Promises

Not much to say in these days, primarily because there's not much to do, except read. And when things are like this, Facebook has the annoying tendency of being a better outlet for foolish updates.
No matter, we shall change that. Make this blog a worthwhile occupant of its internet space. Yessire you can count on me.
So, where do we start? I dunno. I'll post some cool stories when I have some cool stories to post about. But for now, I think I'll go to the library.
P.S. Read Orwell, he's amazing. And listen to Rachmaninov. And Chopin. And have fun while you can.
Ciao.

I guess it's officially official....

So it has been for the past month.
Yeah, you guessed it.
I'll miss Ozie, I'll miss Esty, I'll miss Esty's boys. I'll miss being a foreigner, speaking a different language, having to do with a different culture. I'll miss the city, large, modern, full of life. I'll miss Ozie's and mine weekly trips to it on our freeday, and coming back more exhausted than when we left. I'll miss L'Eliana, Mercadona, Open Core, and the Emo Square. I'll miss training. I'll even miss the two kilometers from the metro stop to our house. I swear. I'll miss the spanish food. I'll miss Eman and all the retarded names we gave each other for all the sports we'd challenge each other to (Jean Claude, Buga Buga...)
Bah...to heck with it all....I'll miss Spain.

I really should be posting...

...but I'm not. I've been back in Spain for the past week, without my sisters. I say, it's rather cool to have a room for yourself. Won't you guys stay away a while longer? But nothing's really happening worthy to post about. I love my room more than ever these days. I stay there, play piano, read, write, draw, or whatever. It's cool. Ozie's rooming with me now, so it's fun. The camera stayed in italy, since my sisters think they've got more interesting stuff to document, (Mina, you would have loved pictures of the clutterd room...not messy, just full) so no pictures for you.

What a great email!

I got this email from a fellow photographer this morning:

"I just wanted to drop you a note to tell you how beautiful your images are. I love the fact you were able to follow your heart and express your creativity through your photography. Your website is very beautiful also. My dream it to be able someday to work with a photographer that has the eye and the passion you do. I share your deep appreciation for seeing the beauty in all people and bringing it to life through your lens. What a gift.

R. Corrigan"


Thanks so much for the kind words!

I have a small confession to make...

...my "new hairstlye" is a wig.
I'm sorry for crying wolf wolf, but next time you see a picture of me with short hair, it'll be real.
Again, I'm sorry.
I hadn't realized some people felt so strongly about my hair.

Wonderfully Wicked!

I have the great honor to photograph the special fund raising event featuring the Broadway show Wicked. Wonderfully Wicked will be held Friday, February 6 at the Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisconsin. The event is held to benefit the Fox Cities PAC mission-based performances and activities.

The event will feature Oz-inspired décor, specialty drinks and delicious hors d'oeuvres and desserts, raffle games for wonderfully wicked prizes and a post-show opportunity to mingle with “Wicked” cast members.

Here is a list of the prizes being raffled off:
2008 smart car for two passion coupe (value: $15,610)
Sponsored by Bergstrom Automotive and Community First Credit Union

Fuel for any gas vehicle at Renew stations (value: $2,500)
Sponsored by Renew fuel stations

2 premium Broadway season tickets for 2009/10 season
at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (value: $800)

Proceeds from the sale of the OZMazing Raffle will support the Center’s subsidized mission-based programs including the Fox Cities P.A.C.’s education series, cultural programming, community engagement activities and community use of the Center.

The Fox Cities PAC is a great place to photograph. I love shooting wedding receptions in the Kimberly Clark Theatre, the Founders Room and in the main lobby. This is going to be another fabulous event!