Elena Gets Married

I've known Elena since she was knee high to a grasshopper. Now she's all grown up and what a beauty she's turned out to be. Elena and Luis work and live in Wilmington Delaware, but decided to tie the knot in Elena's hometown. The ceremony and reception were both held at the Overture Center in downtown Madison, WI, and the Capitol, Monona Terrace, and Memorial Union all served as backdrops for some terrifically fun photos. Congrats Elena and Luis Rivera!

Madison WI wedding photographer Terry Talbot

Tiny Chapel in the Woods ...

St Mary's of the Woods was built by a local farmer in 1857. A deadly outbreak of diphtheria had threatened the area and farmer John Endres prayed or protection for his family.

He promised if his family endured the epidemic he would build a chapel on top of the hill from which he prayed. His family survived and Endres, as he had promised, built the tiny chapel on top of the highest hill in Indian Lake,WI. The area now is part of Indian Lake State Park.

I used to take my kids here when they were little, and they always got a kick out of ducking into the little chapel. It's a beautiful park, and it was a beautiful day. Indian Lake State Park is less than half an hour from Madison. Take hwy 12 West towards Sauk City to just past Springfield Corners, and go left on hwy 19. The park is just a few minutes down the road. Enjoy!

Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot

Hob Nobbing with the Hoi Palloi at the Arts Ball

I wasn't really hob nobbing, and they were more supporters of the local arts than hoi polloi, but it was an elegant gathering at a local country club and I was there to photograph the affair.

This was the 40th annual Arts Ball fundraiser, and I've shot the last four of them so I saw a lot of familiar faces. Interesting lot really. The men were well dressed and the women were elegant. And the setting was tastefully sumptuous.

I shot the whole thing with my Nikon D90 with a camera mounted SB900 flash which I bounced off the ceiling. Set the camera at iso 200 with manual exposure set at f/5.6 at 1/25th sec. This is the same setup I use for shooting weddings, except I shoot Nikon D200's and use studio lights for the formals. And basically the same social skill set works well at all dress up occasions. Stay low-key, be friendly and take as many photos as you can while having a very good time yourself ...    Terry

Madison WI Wedding Photographer|Terry Talbot