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Modern Wedding Photography by Wisconsin Photographer Jamie M Swanson bio picture

Welcome to Jamie M Swanson Photography!

Thank you for visiting Jamie M Swanson Photography! We're located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin but are available to travel to your location. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by!

Modern Wedding Photography

My passion is to capture stunning images of your wedding as the day unfolds. This means my style is mostly photojournalistic, preserving the emotions and moments of your wedding for years to come. I also photograph the details that you have planned out so meticulously for months in advance. My style is not that of most standard photographers - rather than simply documenting the day, I strive to tell a story and create works of art for you to cherish. Take some time to look around the site and you'll see what I mean. Here's a few of the weddings I've shot recently: Les & Sherri, Mike & Melissa, and Nick & Samantha.

I'm also available for limited portrait work. I especially enjoy working with seniors and newborns. I strive to capture the essence of the people I'm photographing, meaning your photos will not be stiffly posed photos. I do all of my portrait work on-location at the location of your choice.

Scroll down to see my most recent work (my blog) and the occasional personal note. As you're browsing my site, please leave me a few comments! I value your feedback and love to hear what's on your mind.

Looking for Wedding Proofs?

If you've received a card from someone you know sending you here to see their wedding photos, you've found the right place. You can find their photos by clicking here. You can also find it by clicking on the link above called "Wedding Proofs" if you'd like to look around a bit first.

Mother & Daughter Tea Party

This weekend my husband is out of town at a writers’ conference learning all about how to get some of his children’s literature published, so today I did more playing than usual with my little kiddos. While my other kids were napping, Madeleine and I had a little tea party out on our porch, and I had to share a few of the photos from that time. I cannot tell you how much I love to have tea (herbal, non-caffeinated of course!) with my daughters. They always put on their best manners, act like princesses, and smile with pride that they get to do something so fun. Madeleine was especially proud of herself for being able to pour her own tea without spilling – it’s the first time I’ve allowed her to pour it herself, and she did great! It’s times like these that I will treasure my entire life. I can only hope to have many, many more moments like this as life goes on. It’s a good reminder to me to stop being so busy and just enjoy some time with the family more often than I do.

For those of you who are interested, we were drinking “Evening in Missoula” from the Tea Source. This is the only tea I’ve been wanting to drink latley. It’s amazingly fresh, you can order it online, and the prices are super reasonable. Check it out! They also have a great selection of other fine loose leaf teas.

Oh, and for those of you who may not know, here’s the link to my talented husband’s literary blog. It’s a mix of thoughts, small pieces of writing, and details about the journey we’re embarking on as we seek publication for his amazing children’s book. I honestly think it is the best children’s book I’ve ever read, but then again he wrote it for me for our 5th anniversary, so I’m probably a bit biased. Hopefully we’ll find an agent and publisher who will agree with me about it. Anyways, onto the tea party!

Here’s Madeleine, pouring her tea (notice her proud little smile…)

Enjoying a lovely mother & daughter tea party in black and white

Nothing like a little taste…

Enjoying a lovely mother & daughter tea party in black and white

This is probably my favorite one. I can just see her as an adult enjoying a cup of tea. It’s hard for a mom to see her sweet little ones growing up so fast, but I’m also very excited to watch her turn into the woman God created her to be. I’m already so proud of her (and all my kids!)

Enjoying a lovely mother & daughter tea party in black and white

Just happy to be having tea with her mom.

Enjoying a lovely mother & daughter tea party in black and white

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March 7, 2010 - 10:32 am Timothy E Kaldas - Jamie, these shots are precious. Your daughter is so adorable. It's great you're able to capture these memories as she grows older.

March 7, 2010 - 5:01 pm Jamie M Swanson - It looks like a great weekend activity! (p.s. this is Tamara using your computer.)

March 8, 2010 - 9:41 am Trisha - Such a cute memory captured. So beautiful Jamie!

March 8, 2010 - 10:30 am Eric Kotara - Great high key B + W's. And a beautiful daughter!

OneLight DVD Seminar by Zack Arias

Zack Arias inspires me to take better photos. Zack is an amazing Atlanta music photographer who uses lighting gear to make completely stunning images. Seriously, go look at his stuff. Just remember to come back and keep reading…

…go look. I mean it….

Okay, now that you’ve seen how stinking awesome his work is, you can see why I’d want to learn anything I can from him. Don’t get me wrong – I totally love natural light and the moods that it can create, but learning how to do this type of photography well will only allow me to be more creative as I shape a shot in my mind in the case where natural light just won’t do. So I finally splurged and bought his OneLight DVD seminar. Worth. Every. Penny. Pure gold.

I don’t really intend for this to be a review of the DVD (other than to say it may end up being one of the most influential learning tools in my photography career) but I had to mention it for all you other photographers out there who might be afraid of using flash or off-camera lighting and to share with my clients about what I’m doing to spur on my creativity. I purchased a few modifiers and radio poppers and set to work playing with them. Zack made it totally easy to understand. While I haven’t had a chance to get out in daylight and play yet, I wanted to share this one shot I took with it set up in my entry way with tungsten ambient light that never could have been taken without off-camera lighting. Thanks to my good friend Tamara who graciously modeled for me. I’m completely excited to play with these techniques and can’t wait to see what good things are in store for this year.  

 Fond du Lac Artistic Portrait Photography by Modern Family Photographer Jamie M Swanson

 

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March 3, 2010 - 7:37 pm gabe aceves - always a good idea to get out of your comfort zone. this is a great image and zack is an amazing guy and awesome teacher.

March 3, 2010 - 7:52 pm Ben Godkin - Gorgeous Lighting! Off camera lighting is addicting! It will open up a whole new world of photography to you.

March 3, 2010 - 9:35 pm Ben Tomlin - WOW & WOW - his site is amazing! as is this shot! Just go for it - once you've used off-camera flash/lighting there's no going back! It's just knowing when to go natural or add a bit of spice!

March 3, 2010 - 10:30 pm Drew - Beautiful lighting!! Completely agree with Ben once you go OCL nothing else can compare!

March 4, 2010 - 2:16 am Robb Duncan - Great image Jamie, such soft light, and I love the colours too!!

March 4, 2010 - 2:19 am Fotograf Lublin - I have Zacks One Light DVD and I have to say its the best educational dvd on the market. Great one light portrait.

March 4, 2010 - 2:29 am Az - I am a big fan of off camera flash, and i am so glad that you are embracing it....afterall it's not as scary as it looks. Have a great year.

March 4, 2010 - 4:50 am Marianne Taylor - Zack is da man!

March 4, 2010 - 8:34 am Chavvon Smith - Beautiful shot and model! Perfect lighting!

March 4, 2010 - 10:32 am Monika Szczepaniak - Stunning lighting indeed. And I love the colours in the photo too. I haven't heard about that DVD but I might as well look at it. Thanks for sharing.

March 4, 2010 - 1:22 pm Becky Young - Wow! That lighting is beautiful! I'm glad you found it worth the investment, I've been thinking about going to his workshop or at least getting the DVD. Thanks for posting!!

March 4, 2010 - 1:25 pm Drew - Stunning shot Jamie. I really need to check that DVD out. I used to be really big on off-camera-lighting and then started shooting natural, but I think a good balance of both would be good for me.

March 4, 2010 - 7:14 pm anda - GREAT shot!! I have been meaning to order that DVD for a long time now. The workshop I just took was with Zack's good friend. I think they cover lighting technique very similarly -- which is really easy to understand!

March 4, 2010 - 9:17 pm Amy - Great image. Thanks for the heads up. I checked out Zack Arias and he will be at Photoshop World in Orlando in March. I am going to it with my daughter so I will definitely be checking him out! I was hoping that you would be there as well and I could finally meet you!

March 4, 2010 - 11:02 pm Teresa K - Yeah...that's some pretty AMAZING light you got going right there!!

March 5, 2010 - 1:26 am matt shumate - Zack Arias & the OneLight DVD changed my life. I'm not just saying that. He truly is my photography hero. You'll love OCF. Just gives you more options & control over your light.

March 5, 2010 - 6:24 am ayesha - beautiful portrait... your friend is gorgeous too :) i couldn't stop watching onelight, it is an amazing educational piece. ben is right - off-camera light opens up whole new worlds! good luck with your journey :)

March 7, 2010 - 3:57 pm Joey Chandler - Beautiful photograph. Really like the colors in her scarf. Great work.

March 8, 2010 - 1:49 pm Kristi Wright - This is a beautiful portrait. Amazing lighting. I really want that dvd.

Austin’s Beautiful Baby Portraits ~ Eden, WI

Today I traveled to Eden, WI to take baby portraits of my friend’s beautiful baby boy! I simply can’t get past how beautiful his eyes are and how well-natured he was. And oh how he loves his mama. She made him smile so sweetly! It was great fun seeing how he’s grown and changed since I took his newborn portraits. Here they are!

Beautiful Baby Portraits by Fond du Lac Family Photographer Jamie M Swanson

Beautiful Baby Portraits by Fond du Lac Family Photographer Jamie M Swanson

This next set of two photos is just so much fun! He LOVED these little toys and had to figure them all out!

Beautiful Baby Portraits with bright colored toys by Fond du Lac Family Photographer Jamie M Swanson

Beautiful Baby Portraits by Fond du Lac Family Photographer Jamie M Swanson

Mmm…toes…. (I only wish I was even half this flexible!)

Baby sucking on his toes by Fond du Lac Family Photographer Jamie M Swanson

This next series of three photos cracks me up. He had the sweetest little hat, but wouldn’t keep it on for more than a few seconds. I managed to capture this little sequence of movements and I crack up seeing the hat flying at the end.

Beautiful Baby Portraits by Fond du Lac Family Photographer Jamie M Swanson

Beautiful Baby Portraits with his Puppy Dog by Fond du Lac Family Photographer Jamie M Swanson

He attacked the dog with his teeth – CUTE! No dogs were harmed in the making of this photo ;-)

Beautiful Baby Portraits with his Puppy Dog by Fond du Lac Family Photographer Jamie M Swanson

As an interesting side note, these were all done on-location at Austin’s house and were not done in a studio. I brought my portable studio lighting gear and we used a really awesome white fleece and this is what we got! So if you like the “studio” look, please feel free to let me know when booking a shoot and we’ll do something similar. I still love my natural light, but this is fun for me as well. :-) More to come in the next few days about my new lighting gear, so hang tight and check back soon.

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February 28, 2010 - 12:05 am Alicia Kennison - Oh goodness! I just LOVE chubby bubbies and he is beautiful.

February 28, 2010 - 1:30 am matt shumate - Cute baby! Looks like he should be a cartoon character.

February 28, 2010 - 4:23 am Gemma Schipani - Sweet smiler! Love the sequence shots & the flying hat. You have made some great memories for his parents :-)

February 28, 2010 - 4:33 am Timothy E Kaldas - Jamie, these shots are adorable. I love the one of him biting the dog and sucking on his toe. He's got a great smile and you captured it brilliantly.

February 28, 2010 - 10:32 am seth goodman - What a fun little guy! I love the last two with his dog.

February 28, 2010 - 1:43 pm Paul Von Rieter - Newport Beach Wedding Photographer - I love this little dudes smile. You can almost hear him giggling in the background.

February 28, 2010 - 2:36 pm Tara - Jamie... you did an amazing job with my little guy yesterday.. I love every picture you took of him ;) He loved you! Thanks again!

February 28, 2010 - 6:51 pm Sue - Jamie - they are beautiful.....I think I will have to hire you when it is time for Carsen's next photo shoot. I have to share between you and Tricia!!

February 28, 2010 - 7:43 pm Sherri - Jamie- These are so cute! I can't wait to take "Les Jr's" pictures, too!!!

March 3, 2010 - 5:30 pm Vida Carson - Oh my gosh what a cutie!

March 4, 2010 - 9:00 am Heather - Mid-Michigan Photographer - Adoreable! I love that you posted a mix of emotions... haha poor guy, I didn't like hats either when I was a kid. :p It was also a great idea to point out htat this was done in a home, rather than set studio. I know most people (and babies!) are more comfortable in thier own home, and it's easy to see that you have the skill to get the job done beautifully wherever you are!

Congratulations to our Wedding Photography Giveaway Winners!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I am excited to celebrate this year by announcing the winners of our free wedding photography giveaway!

I just wanted to start by thanking everyone who entered the contest! Andy (Andy Stenz Photography) and I have really enjoyed reading all the stories and finally narrowed it down to our winners!

The winners are…    [Drum roll, please!]

…Bethany and Daniel!

Wisconsin-Wedding-Photography-Giveaway-Winners

Bethany and Daniel met on the other side of the world in a completely different continent. After 4 years, mostly spent far from each other, they are finally together and getting married soon! We are SO excited to photograph your wedding! Congratulations! We look forward to capturing your wedding day with beautiful images!

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