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Carly & Ryan’s Wedding

Carly & Ryan’s Wedding

Is it possible to have a perfect wedding day? Probably not, but Carly & Ryan had a wedding day that comes really close! Perfect weather and a beautiful setting in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. They made their vows right on the shore of Green Bay / Lake Michigan at Sunset Beach Park. We all had a wonderful dinner with dancing and lots of laughter afterward. Held in the middle of 2020, somehow they managed to pull together a fun and safe day for everyone. Below are my favorite pictures from the day. If you are looking for a picture not in…

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Emmy and Weiwei

Emmy and Weiwei

Emmy and Weiwei had a small and intimate wedding in Neenah, Wisconsin. This wedding really captivated my heart as Emmy and Weiwei are both such beautiful people! While all brides are beautiful, I think Emmy was just stunning in her elegant dress. She has that classic look that is timeless and beautiful and fills your heart with love and joy. Weiwei was handsome and dashing in his formal tux and his love for Emmy was so clear! I did double duty on this wedding - I did both photography and video of the ceremony. They were not able to have…

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Fiery Portrait

Fiery Portrait

A blazing fire provides a perfect foreground for some fiery portraits. Nataly and I met on a December evening to experiment with vintage lenses. After the vintage lens fun we stopped by the Neenah skating rink and did a little digital photography with modern lenses. The fire pit provided a great foreground for some intense portraits - and maybe a singed eyebrow too! Here are more pictures from our fun by the fire pit. Want to see more of Nataly's work? Check out Neenah Sunset with Nataly and Nataly Divine BTS Here is a Tintype session Nataly and I did…

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Melanie & Brandon’s Wedding

Melanie & Brandon’s Wedding

How to summarize a wonderful day of love and laughter? It was a beautiful May day in Neenah. The ceremony was at St. Gabriel, a place filled with light and beauty. After the ceremony we played around Neenah for some fun and games before heading to Pullman's in Appleton for the dinner and reception. Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the wedding day. We have also included a few from our engagement session in the Fall. Learn more about our Wedding Photography Services

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October Afternoon with Melanie and Brandon

October Afternoon with Melanie and Brandon

It was the one year anniversary of our per-wedding / engagement session. We met in some beautiful spots around Neenah and enjoyed some time in the warm Fall weather. The leaves were approaching their peak so we used some amazing trees for our background! It is amazing how things can change in so short a time. A year ago they were busy with plans for a wedding and their future together. So many things to decide and March was so far away. Then before you know it the wedding is over and time to start a new life together. And…

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Ryan and Kayla Wedding

Ryan and Kayla Wedding

Ryan and Kayla were married in the Mitchell Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee. It is such a beautiful setting for a wedding - the beautiful light and all the flowers and greenery around us. Of course, we had an unseasonably hot day so the ceremony was a bit warm! Thankfully Nicole had a short message. The reception was held in air conditioning so we were covered there. My favorite part of the night was couple portraits in the dome close to midnight. Some of the best pictures I've taken! Here is a collection of favorites from the ceremony and reception.…

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Sarah and Nick’s Engagement

Sarah and Nick’s Engagement

We met at High Cliff State Park late in the afternoon. High Cliff is one of my favorite portrait locations. It offers a great variety of settings all within a few minutes driving time. Our session started right next to the parking lot then moved into the woods and some of the rock formations. We finally ended up on a hill overlooking Lake Winnebago right at sunset. So our pictures ranged from romantic to fun and quirky, with a few cinematic images at the end. One thing I knew for sure, all the fun and laughter at the engagement picture…

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Stephanie and Cody Engagement

Stephanie and Cody Engagement

We had a wonderful time on a cold (and a little bit snowy) January day at High Cliff State Park. A few pictures caught the light snow and made a magical setting! Here are some of the favorite pictures of a beautiful couple. Related galleries http://jalanlee.com/wedding/grace-lucas-engagement/ http://jalanlee.com/wedding/emmy-and-weiwei/ http://jalanlee.com/wedding/ryan-kayla/ More wedding pages Emmy and WeiweiLily and Eric’s 1st AnniversaryRyan and KaylaLacey & Arthur’s WeddingGrace & LucasMelissa and AaronGrace and Lucas’ Engagement PhotosSarah and Nick’s Awesome Wedding – with Pictures!Carly & Ryan’s WeddingLily and Eric’s WeddingFriends and Family Portraits

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Waterfall Tintypes Portraits with Amber

Waterfall Tintypes Portraits with Amber

Spent a wonderful morning capturing waterfall tintype portraits with Amber. Wequiock Falls was so beautiful with just the right amount of water coming over - dramatic without being dangerous. Of course, the water was a bit chilly in the dark little gorge. But sometimes you have to suffer a little bit to make some nice images! The bulk of our time together was spent capturing some amazing Tintype 8x10's. You can see those images on my Victorian Photography website SunandSilver.photo After the tintype session we decided to have some fun with digital image. Just played around by the waterfall and…

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Spring Portraits are in The Air

Spring Portraits are in The Air

Spring portraits are in the air in Wisconsin. The weather can be like a teenager - up and down and back and forth! But when it is nice you have to take advantage and get out to take portraits. Here is a sample of a recent portrait session with Nataly. Sunset in downtown Neenah is a great time for a Spring portrait and we did a lot of wonderful looks. Of course, we also had some fun with colored flash to give a dramatic flair! The biggest challenge for portraits at sunset is balancing the light. The sky can be…

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Neenah Sunset with Nataly – Part II

Neenah Sunset with Nataly – Part II

In your eyesThe light, the heat, in your eyesI am complete, in your eyesI see the doorwayTo a thousand churches The resolution Of all the fruitless searches, in your eyesOh, I see the light and the heat, in your eyesOh, I wanna be that complete I wanna touch the light, the heat I see in your eyes Peter Gabriel Part II of our Neenah sunset photo session. It is amazing how many wonderful pictures you can create with an old dock and a beautiful model! Nataly goes through a range of emotions with this simple setting. The Bryan Bridge provides…

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Neenah Sunset with Nataly – Part III

Neenah Sunset with Nataly – Part III

There! See the line of lights,A chain of stars down either side the street --Why can't you lift the chain and give it to me,A necklace for my throat? I'd twist it roundAnd you could play with it. You smile at meAs though I were a little dreamy childBehind whose eyes the fairies live. . . . Sara Teasdale Sunset gives way to twilight and the light gets more interesting and mysterious. The skies are dark but not dark enough for the stars. This is the third set of pictures featuring Nataly on a warm day in March. After you…

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Neenah Sunset with Nataly – Part I

Neenah Sunset with Nataly – Part I

The first glad breath of day is dear;The sky is very soft and near;The noon is glorious with light;And afternoon is bright;But I love twilight best, it seems,When all the air is drenched with dreams,And up against the sunset bar,One small dream changes to a star. Annette Wynne Sunset is always a magical time! The light becomes golden and soft and the rainbow colors of the sky come out. Doubly magical is a warm day in March, in Wisconsin. So Nataly and I met in downtown Neenah for some sunset portraits. It is amazing how many beautiful photographs can be…

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Nataly Divine BTS

Nataly Divine BTS

February was blessedly warm and so we used the weather to do some portrait sessions. Here are some pictures with Nataly Divine BTS (Behind The Scenes). Nataly wore a beautiful 1920's style dress is ravishing red. This was a wet plate collodion session where we made some beautiful tintypes. Check out my 19th century photo site for the plates: sunandsilver.photo/portrait/riverside-tintypes-with-nataly/ Our first picture is a real BTS of Nataly Divine along with my Intrepid large format camera. Nataly is a true professional because she not only held this pose for the tintype but also for the digital photo. Next a…

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Tintype Principles for a New Year

Tintype Principles for a New Year
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This is a "guest post" from my analog photography site SunandSilver.photo While I love digital photography, I also have been doing a lot of analog photography including tintypes, Ambrotypes, gold and silver salt prints and cyanotypes. I think the principles I laid out for Sun and Silver.photo are the same as my digital photography so I shared them here too! Tintype principles for a new year. I had so much fun in 2023 making 19th century photography - tintypes, Ambrotypes, salt prints and cyanotypes. I think 2024 is going to be an amazing year. Often people choose New Years Day for resolutions but I…

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Kateri – 2019 Throwback

Kateri – 2019 Throwback

I ran across some older photos of Kateri while working on our latest safari together. Hard to believe these photos were taken in 2019 because it feels just like yesterday. Time certainly flies when you are having fun! So enjoy a few memories with Kateri! http://jalanlee.com/modeling/test-with-kat/

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May Pop Up

May Pop Up

The first collodion portrait pop up of the year is fast approaching. I still have a some openings on May 21 and 22 - contact me at jeff@jalanlee.com to book a time! Important Notes for the Popup All sessions will be outdoors - tintype collodion requires a lot of light for a good portrait. We have a 1 acre yard with lots of good places to take photos. The address is 676 Dartmouth Drive, Neenah. See in Google Maps. I am about 2 miles west of Hwy 41 (1 mile west of County Road CB). If you are coming from…

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Collodion Portrait Popup – Free!

Collodion Portrait Popup – Free!

We will once again hosting a short series of free collodion portrait popups on May 21 & 22. All shoots will be outside between 10am and 5pm. Shooting in my one acre yard with lots of variety for background. We had a couple of popups late last Fall, just before the cold weather set in. This was an awesome chance to produce some portraits, meet some people and get some portrait practice in. This May we will be hosting a few more sessions to bump up our skills, practice fast plate processing and prepare for paid events in the Summer.…

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Night Time Portraits

Night Time Portraits

Photography is based on light so one would think that night time photography is no good. However, I love creating portraits at night! I think it is about the control over the lighting you have. During the day everything is lit up so the contrasts are lessened and there are limits to what you can achieve. At night you can pick from fully dark to fully lit backgrounds and then add in light for your model. You can also use ambient light sources to create drama in ways that are not possible in the day. There are some challenges to…

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November Evening

November Evening

I love portrait photography at night. Photography is all about capturing light so "night photography" seems to be a contradiction. But I find some of the most interesting light comes at night. The darkness provides wonderful contrast with the lights you find - street lights, signs, cars and windows. The first challenge of night portraits is to find that interesting light and place your model properly. A small movement of the body or face can make the difference between an OK portrait and one that is stunning. The second challenge is technical. Low light limits what you can do with…

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Cinestill 800 Film Model Shoot

Cinestill 800 Film Model Shoot

Today's post is about my recent Cinestill 800 film model shoot. Cinestill is a unique film that is known to produce wild and unpredictable colors. Especially at night. People seem to love posting night time photos of gas stations with Cinestill for some reason but they typically don't use it for portraits. So keeping the outlier vibe we set out to shoot a few rolls of medium format portraits in downtown Appleton. The photo above highlights just how trippy the colors can be with this film. The fountain was red but came out a glowing pink and the water turned…

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Dreamera Model on Cinestill 800 Film

Dreamera Model on Cinestill 800 Film

Cinestill 800 film is not an ideal portrait film. It is used for unpredictable colors especially at night. Well, one of the reasons I shoot film is to get something unexpected and unpredictable. So I just went ahead and shot a model on Cinestill 800 film! So I met Wisconsin model Dreamera Marie in downtown Appleton for a film shoot one evening. We were extremely lucky as the weather was just beautiful for a late Fall evening. Of course, the warm evening also brought out a few interesting characters. Especially ones who had a bit too much to drink or…

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Where are The Male Models?

Where are The Male Models?

Where are the male models? Seems like everywhere I look female models outnumber male models by something like 50 to 1. Why is this? Lots of possible theories - some not so flattering! There are more men photographers (maybe) and they like women. Men may not be as interested in modeling. Women may like looking at other women more than they like looking at men. But I will say this - I like photographing people of all sizes and shapes and ages and genders. I look to capture that spark that I think everyone has. The spark is a gift…

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Night at The Museum

Night at The Museum
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We met on a beautiful Fall evening in downtown Appleton. The goal was to shoot a few rolls of Cinestill 800 film. We shot medium format on my Bronica ETRSi camera, Cinestill in known for interesting, and sometimes amazing, colors at night. Between rolls of film we also shot some digital just for fun. The video above is just a few of the digital shots. I'll post the film gallery as soon as I have the time! The music was performed by ME! I used Ableton Live 11 with Ableton Push 2 to put together some interesting (I hope) percussion…

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Windy Wedding Day

Windy Wedding Day

It was a windy wedding day! She and her bridesmaids had a good workout just keeping the dress and veil in place for the ceremony. I've always told brides that they should embrace random things at their wedding. Random things will happen and they actually make your wedding more memorable. No one remembers the perfect wedding - because nothing really happened. But everyone remembers the wedding where the wind blew or it was freezing or the maid of honor fell into the lake! Mind you, I'm not saying it is a good thing that the maid of honor fell into…

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