As I am sitting here on this gorgeous January day, I am very thankful that it is not -7 degrees anymore! But, I would like to share some random photos I took in that -7 degree weather! I wasn’t feeling like doing the same old editing to them. I feel like I could play around with these photos and create something different. So these might not be the best or average photos, but I like how they turned out! Sometimes it’s good to try new things and expand your knowledge! I hope you enjoy them!
As I am sitting here on this cold December night, I am reflecting on my first semester at Northern Illinois University. I was able to finish this semester with some great friends and some great times. The girls below are the girls I have learned to love and trust throughout this first semester. Thankfully, back in December they braved the cold with me to get some photos of them. We even made our own Christmas card from the photos!
These girls have helped me through a lot, and I feel like we have helped each other because this first semester was a learning experience for all of us. College is a big change, but having these wonderful people next to my side made the new experience easier. So now that you all know how much I love them, I would like to share a few photos of them with you! (They even got a try behind the camera to take a photo of me!)
This past weekend I had the pleasure to travel to Geneva and St. Charles with Jared. Jared came up for the weekend so we could get some Christmas shopping done. When he arrived we didn’t really know where to go, so we kind of winged it. Our first stop was Geneva and let me tell you that there is every shop known to man-kind there! It was insane! The outlet mall was beautiful and had every shop from Jo-Ann’s to Charming Charlie’s and everything in-between! I was able to get all of my Secret Santa shopping done in one day since school has been stressing me out…(yay finals!). After Geneva, we went to a late lunch at a Mexican restaurant called On the Boarder. Yes! Like the brand of chips! Their food was delicious! After some fine Mexican food, we traveled to St. Charles. While not knowing what was there, we came across a frozen yogurt place (my favorite)! Near the frozen yogurt place was this quaint little park that was decorated for Christmas. Since I am a sucker for Christmas time and white lights, we of course had to take a few pictures. I wanted to take a few pictures because I wanted to show how simple beauty can be. You don’t need to be something extravagant to be appealing to the eye. These white lights caught my attention, there’s beauty everywhere even if you don’t see it right away.
Hi everyone! So last weekend (I know, I’m a little behind), one my best friends Peytonn brought me to her hometown…Cottage Grove, Wisconsin! This cute little town is only about 25 minutes away from downtown Madison where she spent a lot of time growing up. I got to experience it up close and personal through an official Wisconsin-er! I know these pictures are not edited photos or even well taken photos, but I just wanted to show my experience in this post! Since Peytonn and I are huge Mexican food and hockey fans, on Friday night she brought me to an amazing place called Qdoba, which is Chipotle in Illinois (but Qdoba is better), and a Wisconsin Badger hockey game! We were able to sit close to the ice thanks to her parent’s season tickets! It was a really great experience, even though they lost! On Saturday we went to downtown Madison and walked State Street, this is a main street where there is a bunch of cute shops and restaurants. We ate lunch at a pizza place called Ian’s, it’s a famous Wisconsin thing but it was really good!! Who doesn’t love pizza?! After we ate lunch, we continued down State Street to the Wisconsin Capitol. We were able to go in it, and it is drop dead gorgeous inside. I’ve been in the Capitol in D.C. but I think I like Madison’s more! It was really neat to see history that wasn’t Illinois’s! Once we were done seeing the Capitol, Peytonn took me to a place on the other end of State Street called the Union. I’ve always heard Peytonn talk about it, she even has a sticker of it, so of course I had to see it! The Union is really pretty, it sits on Lake Mendota and is full of colorful chairs where people hang out (if it isn’t raining). Peytonn says it’s a huge hit during the summertime! After she showed me all of the main parts of downtown, we had an afternoon of shopping, Starbucks, and relaxation! Moving onto Sunday I got to see her sister play hockey in the morning and eat at a Culver’s…in Wisconsin!! That was really exciting, and let me tell you, it tastes way better in Wisconsin. After all of that excitement, reality set back in and Peytonn and I had to work on homework for the rest of the day before we had to head back to school. All in all, I had a wonderful time in the great state of Wisconsin. I can not wait to go back. Lastly, I would like to thank the Weaver family for having me and showing me all around Wisconsin! Thank you!
I’m throwing this all the way back to my junior year of high school when I first fell in love with photography! These were some of the first photos I took on my mom’s camera. These are unedited, but I don’t think they need to be! I think there is so much simplicity in the nature that surrounds us, God created this planet perfectly and I think we need to stop editing it. When I first took these photos, they brought light to my heart. It was amazing to see what you could capture with a lens. Taking a photo is literally pausing time in its tracks and that amazes me. So, with this, this is my hope for everyone. I want everyone to find something that makes their heart happy and to follow it. Go chase your dreams, no one is stopping you. Fall in love with something you never thought you would, because I fell in love with photography and I’m glad I did!
When I picked up a camera for the first time, I never imagined that I would be a photographer at a wedding at the age of 18. Of course I always knew it would happen but not until I was older and made a name for myself. But, thanks to college and getting to know different people, I had the opportunity of a lifetime back in September to be a photographer at Zach and Maribel’s wedding. I was nervous as all get out, and I wasn’t quite sure what I was completely doing but I am so glad that I was able to capture the special moments for them. From their first kiss in the Courthouse to them throwing the bouquet and garter, I got to capture love and excitement for the very first time. You could see the love and joy pouring out of everyone’s face and to know that I got to capture all of it through a lens to share with them, made me one of the happiest girls on the planet. So, to Maribel and Zach, thank you once again for the experience of a life time and I can’t wait to see what your life full of love has in store for both of you!
emma elizabeth photography 