Jen Groetzinger

New Site!

JenG — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:26:37 +0000

Welcome to my shiny new blogsite! This has been a loooong time coming. After around a year of toying around with mock-ups, sad attempts at coding and cringing at my old flash site, I decided to take a look into my other options. I could hire someone but with our new house and all of the projects we had going, that just wasn’t in the cards. Plus, I’m probably the worst kind of client — not exactly sure of what it is I’m looking for but very very picky. So on I went…

When I was looking for a new way to do my site a few things were very important to me: making sure my old blog posts weren’t lost (I don’t have a whole lot of SEO built up but I didn’t want to lose what I have) so it had to work with WordPress, the existing templates had to look and feel modern and clean and I had to be able to edit anything and everything I wanted — I didn’t want to run into a situation where I was left there sitting and thinking “I really love this buuuuut….”

And so, after a ton of searching, a lot of reading (thanks dwf!) and weeks of weighing options, I finally found an interface I was happy with: ProPhoto. I could go on and on about how amazing the experience has been…. Yes, I’ve spent my share of all-nighters and yes, I’ve had a couple of bumps along the way but it was all SO worth it. With ProPhoto, I’m able to make all of my site changes right in my WordPress page and it’s all pretty straight-forward. When I did have problems or questions I just went to their support page full of tons of tutorials where most of my questions were answered. When I had a question I couldn’t find the answer to earlier today – I sent them a message (not really expecting much of a reply) and was answered within an hour (even though they warned it might take 17 hours)!

I’ve spent many, many hours pulling this together (a lot of that time was spent on branding and tweaking the galleries) and so far, I haven’t had to do any coding whatsoever – which makes me very, very happy.

The coolest part about all of this? I could change the “theme” and overall look in no time which definitely appeals to that picky customer side of me.

SO – here it is guys! Take a look around and let me know what you think! It’s still a work in progress so if you see things moving around a bit, don’t be shocked. But if you run into any problems, please let me know!

Cheers!

The G’s — Expecting!

JenG — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:38:13 +0000

We met Garrett & Mihaela through Jeff’s work about a year and a half ago. It’s hard to believe it has only been that long, now that I think about it… Anyhow, we quickly became friends over a few game nights at their place or ours and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of their lives. When they told us they were having a baby, I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut; I just HAD to ask if they’d like to do a maternity photo shoot. Seriously though, such a gorgeous couple both inside and out — how could I resist?! Garrett & Mihaela, we’ve had a blast this past year and a half hanging out with you guys. We’re SO excited for you and can’t wait to meet Baby G! Not too much longer now…. :) Thank you so much for marching out into the middle of a field with me – I hope it was worth it! Enjoy!

Baby James

JenG — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 05:20:39 +0000

Joe & Leslie were kind enough to welcome us into their home for a few hours to take photos of Baby James. We had a wonderful morning and a delicious lunch (thanks guys!) while hanging out with this beautiful family. James is SUCH a quiet and calm little guy – he made my job a breeze!

Thank you Joe & Leslie so very much!

Enjoy! :)

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Leslie + Erich: Engaged!

JenG — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:03:29 +0000

When Leslie approached me and asked about doing a photo shoot in the city, I was immediately ecstatic. The only problem was picking the area we wanted to photograph — there are sooo many choices! Would we go to Grant Park, take advantage of the gardens and meander over to Millennium Park to photograph by the bean? What about Fullerton for the skyline? Should we do beach shots? What about more urban spots??? I could go on… BUT luckily, through a bit of digging and searching, I found Pfc Milton Olive Park and it. was. awesome. :)

We were able to do a bit of everything there — get the skyline, water and some beeeeaaaautiful evening sun.

Leslie & Erich, you were a breeze to photograph making my job so much fun! Thanks again for hanging out with us for a couple of hours. Enjoy!

PS: Leslie, the last shot is for you! Hope you like it :)

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Levi has a Brother!

JenG — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:45:03 +0000

And his name is Simon :)

Lilli, Nick & Levi just welcomed a new member to their family — he’s suuuuper cuddly and so far, a pretty mellow little guy.

Jeff and I had a blast hanging out with this family up in northern WI for the morning. I can’t believe how much Levi has grown since we saw him last or even since the first and second times we photographed him!

Thanks again, Lilli & Nick, for letting us hang out and photograph your beautiful family!

Enjoy!

PS: If you aren’t already — become a fan on facebook!

Melissa & Armando: Married!

JenG — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 01:14:41 +0000

We had the honor of meeting Melissa and Armando on the day of their wedding. They had, hands down, the QUICKEST ceremony I’ve ever witnessed – but it was SO packed full of love and care for each other, and so full of tenderness that I feel like I only noticed because I was running around like a mad-woman. We were only there for the ceremony and portraits afterwards but we had an amazing time getting to know these two.

So here it is. Their love. Their wedding day.

Enjoy!

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Sneak Peek!

JenG — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:37:58 +0000

This past Saturday was absolutely craaaazy busy for us with a morning family photo shoot up in Neenah, WI and then an afternoon wedding in Racine, WI.

I just did the first look-through on both sessions and we got some great shots!

Here are some sneak peek photos… check back soon for the full blog posts on each! I can’t wait to share them with you :)

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Birch Button Sewing

JenG — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:39:35 +0000

Lara has made her way back to New Zealand (we miss you, Lali!) but not before taking the time for another photo shoot :)

We ventured out for some shots of her latest works. After a bit, Nina came around to help out. Once we got the product shots, I shot a few portraits for fun. Aren’t La & Nina GORGEOUS?!

To keep up with Lara, her Birch Button creations and adventures through New Zealand, check out her facebook page! If you’re interested in purchasing any of her items, she’s on etsy too!

Enjoy!

Paul + Alli: MARRIED!

JenG — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 06:52:53 +0000

After an official wedding in Vegas with a very small group of friends and family, Paul and Alli returned to the Milwaukee area in the mood to party! And so they did.

Their wedding celebration was full of laughs, good times and an outpouring of love. The weather was gorgeous and the couple was absolutely gleaming!

Here are some of my favorites from the day. Enjoy!

PSA: Grooms, make sure you tell the significant others of your groomsmen what they should be wearing if you have specific requests… especially if they’re artists of any sort — can’t leave that stuff up to interpretation :P

Paul + Alli: ENGAGED!

JenG — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:14:05 +0000

Paul & Alli are getting married in a few short weeks and asked me to photograph their wedding! I couldn’t be more delighted & honored.

Paul & Alli graciously let me drag them around Milwaukee for a couple of windy and chilly hours as I snapped a few engagement photos. These two are a fantastic couple — absolutely gorgeous and perfectly fit for one another. I can’t wait for the wedding!

Anyhow, here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!