Nicole Ladonne Photography

I Have a New Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:58:00 +0000

Hello my fantastic, beautiful readers! There are big changes coming to Nicole Ladonne Photography, starting with a BRAND NEW BLOG! (insert super excited happy faces here)

Go check it out!!!
www.nicoleladonne.com/blog

Thanks so much for your support, and be sure to keep checking my new blog for upcoming travel schedules, new pricing information, and tons new photos!

Baby, it's Cold Outside!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:41:00 +0000

Second Shooting with Stevie T!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:19:00 +0000

As a photographer, it's fantastic having friends who are also photographers! People who get excited with you over a new lens, or a great new location, and it's especially fun to have the opportunity to shoot with them. Miss Stevie T photographed Laurel and Bob's Chicago wedding with me last month, and I, in turn, was able to join her for two recent weddings! As always, I had a blast shooting with her, and I'd love to share a few of my favorite shots with you!

First up, Katerina and Ryan's Greek Orthodox wedding in Maryland!

I started the day out with Ryan and the guys while they got ready.

The church was incredible! I spent the ceremony up in the balcony which allowed for some beautiful shots!

I loved their flowers and color scheme (go blue and gold!... :) ) and the bridesmaids necklaces were all made by Katerina!

The photo on the right is one of my favorites from the whole day! I just love that tree!

Beautiful reception details.

This wedding had the best dancing I've ever seen! It was so much fun to photograph!

The following month, I joined Stevie in Florida for Danielle and Bobby's wedding! Stevie and Danielle have been friends for like, ever, and it was so fun to be a part of this wedding, as both photographers and guests!

I love this one of Danielle and her dad through the crowd :)

I had the perfect spot for close ups during the ceremony!

While Stevie was working with the guys, I got Danielle to model for me!

I just adore this image of Bobby and his grandfather holding hands!

Aren't they sweet together?

I had a great time playing with Stevie's new lensbaby!!

Stunning setting, no? :)

These are Danielle's parents- such beautiful, vibrant, and loving people!

We just had to take some sunset photos!

Candle light ftw!

Thank you, Stevie, for bringing me along!

Might I suggest hiring both of us for your wedding? :)

Samson!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:12:00 +0000

This is Samson! I had a blast following him around yesterday- he has so much personality! :)

He had to bring his favorite sock on our walk!

Yoda ears :)

He's a natural model- he's even aware of his good side!

Anthony!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:19:00 +0000

While I was in Chicago shooting Laurel and Bob's wedding, I was so happy to be able to photograph little Anthony! I photographed the wedding of Anthony's parents, Andrea and Kevin, two years ago, and it was so great to get to spend some time catching up with them!

Look at that expression! He's so cute!

Anthony, Attorney at Law.

I was so glad we still had beautiful leaf coverage!

Isn't Andrea beautiful?!

And finally, the little school boy :)

Laurel and Bob are Married!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:55:00 +0000

Laurel and Bob were married this past weekend in Chicago! It was a beautiful wedding, and I was so glad to get to make the trip out there to be a part of it!

Laurel looked amazing! Truly old Hollywood glam!

Soooo beautiful!

Saint Clement Church in Lincoln Park is pretty spectacular!

I just love this one of Laurel during the ceremony :)

We had some fun with the wedding party photos!

Lincoln Park has such an amazing view of the Chicago skyline!

Pretty reception details at Salvatores!

And to end, something warm and cozy :)

Congratulations Laurel and Bob! And Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :)

Laura and Phil are Engaged!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Laura and Phil will be getting married next May! Since Laura proposed to Phil with a guitar, we thought it would be fitting to include a guitar in their session! :)

I love these! So cozy and sweet!

The one on the right might be my favorite :)

Kellie and Brad's Maternity Session!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:05:00 +0000

I always think pregnancy is beautiful, but Kellie makes it look gorgeous, doesn't she?! :) Thanks so much, Kellie and Brad for letting me into your beautiful home and allowing me to capture this amazing time in your life. And now, the photos...

Love these. Their first baby stands proud in front of her family!

Sooo pretty.

The one on the left might be my favorite. It turned out exactly as I wanted. I would have loved a photo like this of my mother, and I hope some day your little girl cherishes it.

Lamb kisses!

LOVE.

Portrait Party Preview!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:35:00 +0000

I held my first ever Nicole Ladonne Photography Portrait Party this weekend! It was quite a success- thanks so much to everyone who came out for it!

Here's a preview for you all!

First up, Miss Beatrice and family!

What kid doesn't like to play monkey with mom and dad! :)

Can't believe how grown up Bea is getting!

Next up, Katie and Patrick!

I love this one! So cute and cuddly!

Katie- beautiful girl, and a wonderful friend of mine!

Such a great model, isn't she?! :)

Love it!

You may remember these next two! I photographed Melinda and Jason's wedding last year!

Proud of her baby bump! She's still so tiny! :)

And now, the Radloff family! Laura and Phil, on the left, are new wedding clients of mine! I'll actually be shooting their engagement session tomorrow!

Who's in charge here? ;)

And last, but certainly not least, Stephanie, Coen, Ashley and Catherine!

Stephanie and Coen are very special clients of mine. Not only did I shoot Stephanie, and her husband Chad's wedding, but I did little Coen's photos in the hospital the day after he was born!

What a handsome little guy!!!

Much love and gratitude to all of my clients, and to my friend Allison, and my Momma for helping out while I was shooting on Saturday! Can't wait to do this again in the Spring! :)

Ruffled blog Feature!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:21:00 +0000

Ruffled, a fantastic inspiration blog focused on Indie, Vintage, and Eco-Friendly weddings was kind enough to feature Ashley and Ben's Engagement session today! :) Big thanks to Amanda at Ruffled, I'm very honored to have my images featured on her site!

Click on the image below to go check it out!

Ashley and Ben are Engaged!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:25:00 +0000

Here's the rest of the preview for Ashley and Ben's awesome Vintage Inspired Engagement Session!

Holga = Love

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:16:00 +0000

I brought my new Holga with me to Ashley and Ben's engagement session last week! I am so in love with this camera, and wanted to share a couple of their images with you! I can't wait to bring it along with me on more shoots! :)

Please Stay Tuned...

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Ashley and Ben's vintage inspired, fall engagement session was so perfect!!! :)

Please check back for a more extensive preview as soon as I'm back from Hawaii!

How amazing is that record player?!

Out of Town Notice!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:40:00 +0000

Aloha Everyone! I will be back in Hawaii, visiting my sister until Nov 10th! I will have limited internet and phone service while I'm gone, but if you need to get ahold of me, shoot me a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Mahalo for your patience! And Happy Halloween!!!

And because I don't like posting without a photo, here's a picture miss Stevie T took of my sister and I on my last trip to Hawaii! I know I haven't even had time to blog about it, but this winter, when I have a minute, I'll fill you all in on both trips :)

Marisa's Senior Session!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:36:00 +0000

Oh my goodness Marisa made my job easy! :) She's such a beautiful, sweet girl, and I think we might have spent more time talking and laughing during her session than actually working!

As soon as we got outside, the model in her came out!

I looooove this one.

This wall makes such a perfect backdrop!

Weeping willows make me happy. And check out those eyes!

Marisa's boyfriend, Noah, joined us for a bit!

I LOVE this one! So fun, and such a pretty girl!

Katherine and David's Operation Love Session!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:55:00 +0000

Katherine contacted me through Operation Love Reunited. Her husband, David is being deployed to Iraq next Saturday. We did our session at the park they like to walk their two dogs- Chip and Chuck!
Katherine and David, I hope you two enjoy your preview!

And David- thank you.

We ended up with such a beautiful fall day! And look at those well behaved dogs!

I love this one :)

I think the one on the right is my favorite! Love the windmill, and love little Chip's expression!

Portrait Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:36:00 +0000

As the winter season fast approaches, I've decided to have a Portrait Party- a day full of Mini Shoots, to let you take care of all of your Portrait needs just in time for Holiday gift giving! Whether you have a new addition to the family, are looking for an affordable session for your high school senior, or would just like some updated images of your stunning self, this is an opportunity not to be missed!

I've designated Nov 14th to be my Mini Shoot day, with Nov 15th as back up for bad weather. I'll be scheduling sessions from 11am-4pm.
There is limited availability, so act quickly to make sure to get a time slot!

Your Mini Shoot session fee is $50, and will include:
- a 20 minute session with me
- an online gallery, where you may view your images and order prints
- one high resolution digital file, perfect for your Holiday card!

I would also like to announce that as I've been shooting more and more portrait sessions lately, and having a blast doing it, Nicole Ladonne Photography now has new Portrait Package pricing! If you'd rather schedule a private session with me on another day, email me at: nicole@nicoleladonne.com

The $50 session fee is due to book your time slot! Click on the PayPal button in the side bar to the left, or if you'd rather send a check, let me know, and I'll send you my address!

Jen and Don are Married!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:06:00 +0000

Jen and Don were married at The Church of the Divine Child on Saturday! I had such a great time at this wedding! Not only are Jen and Don two of the sweetest, most fun people you'll ever meet, but their family and friends are a blast as well!

I loved this shot of Jen getting her veil adjusted- she looks like a more beautiful version of a Barbie Doll :)

Jen's dress was gorgeous!!

Jen's parent's wedding photo hung near the dress.

Jen's jewelry- something old and something blue.

What a glamorous bride!

As Jen walked down the aisle, I turned to get a shot of Don's reaction, and saw this! It's enough to make a girl a little insecure! ;)

They had a bagpiper playing as their guests exited the church!

After the ceremony, the whole bridal party headed over to Lucky Strike!

Ever see a bride play DDR? ;)

You can find beautiful light just about anywhere!

Jen and Don's reception was at Glen Oaks.

Groomsmen are fun :)

Lucky Strike prizes! Wrist bands! :)

Such a beautiful sky that evening!

Big thanks to Robin for getting some awesome detail shots!

Chateau Band!

Love these! So sweet!

Fall, for my Sister.

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:26:00 +0000

My sister, Tasha, moved to Hawaii in July! While she has perfect 80 degree weather every day (!), for the first time she wont get to see the turn of the Fall season! She asked me to take a picture of the changing leaves for her, so today I went scouting around my neighborhood.

I'll have to do this again in a couple months, when we get our first snowfall :)

Alexis and Addam are Married!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:48:00 +0000

This past Friday was such a perfect day for the beautiful wedding of Alexis and Addam! I just love this couple, and felt so so blessed to be a part of their wonderful celebration!

Alexis has superb taste! :) And the statue on the right was Alexis's wedding gift from Addam!

I just adore this photo- so beautiful! Alexis is the third generation of brides in her family to wear this garter!

Stunning.

She looks so regal here!

Alexis scrunches her nose so cutely when she's happy :)

Married!

The beautiful ladies.

Annnnd the guys :) This was their idea, but I will admit I think it's brilliant!

Our portrait time with Alexis and Addam couldn't have been more perfect! Look at that light!

They are truly a beautiful couple!

The sky was amazing that evening!

These next few photos of Alexis are my favorites from the day! I mean, come on, she's breathtaking!!!

I just love the Atrium at St. Johns!

Alexis's friend got up to join the band!

And to end, a late night portrait set up with the help of my assistant for the day, and Alexis's boss, Doug!

My friend, Graham

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:11:00 +0000

My friend Graham just moved to California, and is interested in pursuing an acting career! Before he left I made sure to get some photos of him for his head shot and portfolio.

Here are a few of my favorites!

He is very easy to photograph :)

I love the feel of this one in black and white.

Sooo pretty!

Oh how I love nighttime photography.

Danielle and Ben are Engaged!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Ben is a good fiance. He missed most of the UofM vs Notre Dame game on Saturday so that he, and the beautiful Danielle, could have their engagement photos taken! Luckily I'm also a nice photographer and made sure he could catch the exciting ending ;)

Love this. Danielle looks sassy.

They're soooo cute!

Such a gorgeous location, isn't it?!

And to end- a little fun with shadows :)

Molly's Senior Session!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:11:00 +0000

I'm not usually one to brag... but Molly and I really rocked her senior session! :)

Molly has such a cute smile!

Definitely one of my favorites! So dramatic.

I just love the light in that second one.

I do take "normal" portraits as well :)

Molly+ guitar+field of wild flowers= beautiful!

The sky was so pretty! Such a perfect day!

And for something a little different :)

Lauren and Kyle are Married!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:20:00 +0000

I've said it before, and I'll say it again- Lauren and Kyle are almost too perfect for it to be fair for the rest of us! :) These two had a beautiful wedding on such a beautiful early fall day. Lauren looked gorgeous, the weather was perfect, they were surrounded by such loving family and friends- really, it doesn't get better than that! Congratulations to such a wonderful, sweet couple! And now, on to the photos...

Check out that stunning bride! And I loooved her unique bouquet!

Kyle's mom played flute during the ceremony!

Ceiling mirrors are fun.

We found the one tree turning colors amidst all the green!

Reception details at the Inn at St. Johns.

The best man was really funny, so I thought he deserved a spot on the blog :)

Oh how I love first dances.

Ring shot!

And I'll end with a little late night romance :)

Rachel and Rachel are Engaged!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole Ladonne Blair) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:02:00 +0000

Rachel F and Rachel K are one of those trusting couples who booked me over e-mail :) I was told they didn't even shop around- they just knew I was the photographer for them! Because of this, yesterday at their engagement session was my first time meeting them. They are such a lovely couple, and we had a wonderful time walking through the arb- talking and stopping to take pretty pictures!

Most of you know of my love for big trees! :)

There's just something so sweet about hands. Love this.

Possibly my favorite. Pretty and dramatic!

Actually this one might be my favorite... it's the shot I had in my mind all day!

As we were shooting by the river, this cute little duck couple swam by! Can you believe our luck?! :)

I looove the light in this one! It was such a perfect evening!

Thank you, Rachel and Rachel for a great session, and for being such good sports about the loooong climb up those stairs :) Can't wait to see you again next year!