I’ve been a professional photographer in Milwaukee since 2008, and over the course of the last eleven years I have been fortunate enough to spend nine of those years in the wedding photography community. That community is made up of so many incredibly talented individuals, yes – but even more than that it’s become a network of like-minded professionals who have cultivated a community that feels more like it’s made up of friends and family. In that time I’ve gotten to know so many wonderful people and I have been lucky enough to photograph many of my fellow photographers here in Wisconsin.
That leads me to Heather Cook Elliott. She’s one of Milwaukee’s most talented wedding photographers and she also photographs children and families.
I’ll be honest and say that I’ve been wanting to photograph her since I met her. She’s such a unique beauty with her own style, and so when she contacted me for a shoot after she received one of the photo gift cards I donated to the Feed Milwaukee Holiday Gala I was ecstatic! We had a really wonderful time in studio and she was a dream to photograph. Her husband even got in on the action and we had lots of fun creating some contemporary portraits of them together as well.
And now, a bit from Heather on her experience:
“I received a gift card for Jenn’s studio, and after hesitating for almost a year decided to gift myself a session for my 40th birthday. I wanted my husband in a few photos as well so that I could have her create heirlooms for my children to treasure. I figured that even if I didn’t have the guts to hang photos of me on the wall at home I would have them made and stored for my daughters to treasure.
The entire process from consult to image presentation was surprisingly delightful. I enjoyed selecting outfits and outlining my hopes for the shoot with Jenn and the makeup artist on the shoot day totally listened to me. I do not wear a lot of makeup and afterwards I liked it so much I asked Jenn to contact her for details on what products she used! The shoot itself was comfortable and fun and Jenn did a lovely job getting both me and my husband comfortable without making it feel tooooo posey/photo-shooty.
At the reveal we definitely liked way more than expected and did not hesitate to bring home a beautiful folio box of prints. I will definitely be doing more with these images than just tucking them away to share when I am 80.
I think the photos are gorgeous, but mostly, I love that we look like us in them…just a really well lit, artfully composed gussied up version of us (you know, how I look in my head everyday!)
Thank you Jenn for capturing this part of our life and for encouraging us to be ourselves in front of the camera.” ~Heather
