Oliver: 1 Year

I first met Oliver last summer when his mom Nicole booked me for a baby session. Oliver was just 10 weeks old and I just couldn't get enough of his pouty little lips and chubby cheeks, so you can imagine my excitement when Nicole contacted me about coming back to Des Moines for his 1 year photos. One thing I love about Nicole is she has great ideas and so when she suggested a cake smash as part of the session, I was super excited.

The session started out at the Des Moines Botanical Gardens, which was perfect - lots of pretty greenery and flowers everywhere made it feel a little more like spring. I wish we had something like this in the Iowa City area, it would be wonderful for winter photo sessions. Oliver was ready for his session from the start, although he definitely kept my on my toes as he's walking around a ton and curious about everything!











I love this photo, just look at that smile!






After we finished up at the Botanical Gardens, we headed back to Nicole and James' home to take the cake smash photos but first we had to get a few more beauty shots. A model's work is never done...




Then came Oliver the Owl's photo debut! Nicole is throwing an owl themed party for Oliver's 1st birthday at the end of the month and found this adorable hat on Etsy (love that place). I proposed the idea of doing a sort of "nest" for the photo and here's how it turned out!


After all that work, it was finally time for Oliver to enjoy his first taste of birthday cake. He's never had any sweets, so Nicole and James were interested to see his reaction. These pictures are some of my all time favorites - it was such a fun way to end the session. Thanks again to Nicole, James, and Oliver for inviting me back to take your photos - it was great seeing you all again and I hope you like the preview!

Once Upon a Time...

8 years ago I spent the afternoon watching Dirty Dancing and trying to take my mind off of the events coming up that evening. I had been set up on a blind date and was understandably nervous. I didn't know much about this guy I was meeting, except that he was tall and "normal" (a good thing to be if you ask me, lol).

I set out on the date thinking to myself that it was only dinner, and if he invited me to go to a movie or something afterward I would agree if I felt it was going well. I remember that I didn't know what to order at the Italian restaurant. (I love spaghetti but it's way too messy, so I ordered the chicken instead.) The conversation went well, I was having a great time and when he asked if I wanted to go to a movie after, I knew he was having a great time too. I can still remember the butterflies in my stomach when we held hands in the theater and how it was so sweet that he kissed me goodnight on the cheek.

Three years later we went to that same restaurant to celebrate the anniversary of when we first met, and later that night he asked me to marry him. As I'm sure you know by now, I said yes and the rest is history.

Tonight we will be celebrating 8 years since that first evening. I never would have guessed that a blind date would end up being the love of my life - just goes to show that you never know what life might bring. In other words, don't be afraid to take chances.

And to lighten the mood, check out this awesome photo I found of Josh and I about 6 months after we started dating. We were attending my best friend's wedding where I was a bridesmaid (and yes, I was blonde!!). I truly can't believe I am willingly posting this. (Sorry for the crappy quality, this is a scanned photo)



And as a comparison, this photo was taken at my sister's wedding in January of this year...oh how we've changed (for the better I hope!!)!

Empire State of Mind

This summer Josh and I will be heading to the Big Apple for a little vacation! I have been putting off planning our trip (although we do have our plane tickets!), but am looking forward to eating at some yummy restaurants, seeing some Broadway shows, and exploring the city. If anyone has any suggestions of things we cannot miss, let me know! It's been a long time since I've been to NYC and am always interested in hearing suggestions. :) I've actually been thinking how fun it would be to do a session while we're in the city, but I'm not sure if anyone from NYC reads this! If you do and you're interested - email me for more info! I'd love to hear from you.

Also - spring and summer are already getting crazy busy with sessions, vacations, family obligations, and this year I'm adding in building a new house to that list! If you're interested in booking a session, please do so early - I'm only taking one or two more sessions for May & August, one more session each for the months of September & October, and I'm no longer taking bookings for April, June, or July. I'm incredibly thankful for all of the clients that booked me for sessions again this year, I am so excited to see how all of the kids have changed since the last time I saw them!

Hope you're having a great week!

Luck of the Irish

I've been obsessed with watching the show "Who Do You Think You Are" on Friday nights (yes I realize I need to get out more) recently. The show got me thinking about my own ancestry, and also the roots of my married name as well. Now, you all know about Einstein - you know, the little 4 lb furry monster which frequently appears on this blog? Anyways, imagine my surprise when I find that the surname Madigan means "little dog" (which makes me think of Einstein, who is indeed a very little dog) and is of course, Irish.

So, with today being St. Patrick's Day - I thought it very appropriate to celebrate my Irish surname with a photo of (you guessed it...) a little dog in a green and white shirt. I think he'd make a great St. Patrick's Day mascot, don't you?

Hope you all have a fun and safe St. Patrick's Day!!

Kinley [Newborn]

I had the great pleasure of meeting Miss Kinley and her parents Quenby and Michael yesterday morning for a newborn session at their home. Kinley was 11 days old yesterday, so just a tiny little thing! She was so amazing for her session, although she slept so much I am afraid I may have ruined the chances of her having a good night's sleep for Quenby and Michael.

Before I get into the photos, I have to say that if I ever have children I am calling up Quenby so she can decorate the nursery. She has an amazing eye for the cutest things from Etsy (which is also where all of Kinley's hats and headbands are from) and pulled everything together in such a unique and creative way. I took a photo of the bird mobile (see below) which she made (very Martha Stewart!) and I could not stop gushing over.



Kinley is not only a gorgeous baby girl, but she's incredibly lucky to have such sweet parents. Thanks again to Quenby and Michael for inviting me into your home and allowing me to photograph your precious little one. I hope you like your sneak preview!

This little bird hat has to be one of the cutest things ever - and on beautiful baby Kinley, it somehow becomes even more adorable.






Look at those lips!




Tiny little toes...










Quenby, Michael, and Kinley really are the cutest family ever, and I love how these photos really show the outpouring of love they have for their baby girl and each other.

Andrew - Winter Headshots

I hope one day that I will be watching TV and see Andrew's face on the screen, in which case I will proudly say that I knew him when... when he was 13 years old and I started working for his family, when he went off to college to study theater, when he asked me (on more than one occasion) to take his headshot photos. I have known Andrew for a very long time, and since he's like a brother to me, I can hardly refuse when he wants to update his headshots. Here's a few from our session in January, taken at my home because it was too cold and snowy outside (blue lips and frozen eyelashes just won't do).

Thankful Thursday

I recently read the book "365 Thank Yous" where a man was down on his luck - he was struggling financially, personally, and in business. He felt as though life couldn't get much worse, until he was on a walk on New Year's Day and was struck with the concept that until he was grateful for the things he had, he would not receive the things he really wanted. So, he sets out with the goal of writing 365 thank you notes - one for each day of the year.

I remember when I was young, my mom would make me (and my siblings) sit down and write out thank you notes for every gift we received. I definitely recall grumbling about this "chore" but now, as an adult, I am so thankful that my mom taught us how important it is to thank people. I still sit down after I receive a gift to write a handwritten thank you note, and although many people now resort to email, I think a personal touch is best (and who doesn't like getting mail?).

So, in the spirit of the 365 Thank Yous book, I decided to post another Thankful Thursday post. I feel as though I have much to be grateful for and it's always nice to write it down and remember the good things in life to brighten a cold winter day.

This week I am grateful for (in no particular order...):

Good friends. I went to lunch with my friend Jess today and it is always good to catch up (plus we ate at The Pit, which is delicious).

The family I have worked for over the past 8 1/2 years. A lot of people ask what I do besides photography, and to answer that question - I am a nanny. Well, technically now I feel as though I'm more of a house manager as their kids are getting older and nanny just doesn't seem to be the right word. I am grateful to them for making me feel like a part of the family from the very beginning. It's rare to find a job that you love and so I feel extra lucky because I have more than one (nanny + photographer)!! Plus, if it weren't for their daughter (my friend Jess mentioned above) - I never would have met my husband!

My husband, of course. Josh is the best, which pretty much sums it up. He takes care of me when I'm all swollen and sore (darn you lupus!) and is my best friend in the entire world. I feel so blessed to have him in my life.

Einstein. I know, I know - big surprise. I just look at his cute little Ewok face and can't help but smile.

My family. I'm super excited because I get to see some of them this weekend, and since I live three hours away from my hometown this doesn't happen as often as I'd like.

Warmer temperatures coming!! People roll their eyes when I say spring is on the way (especially after we got so much snow last week) but i'm telling you, it IS!! I'm already thinking ahead to the warmer weather and I can't wait to take Einstein for his first long walk of the season once it's more than 40 degrees.

Vacation. I'm grateful for the fact that we are able to take a vacation every year. We just booked our trip for this summer and I'm so excited.

My closet (weird, I know). When we bought our house, we had all those wire shelf/hangers in all of the closets and the unused space drove me bonkers. So, my crafty husband built me custom shelving in all of my closets and now I have tons of room for all of my clothes.

Coffee in the morning. I never used to be a coffee drinker but for some reason I started up this fall. It's such a comforting morning routine and now I love making a cup of coffee (heavy on the creamer) and curling up on the couch for a few minutes before leaving for work.

Random, I know, but I am loving Rold Gold's new pretzels. The ones I bought are called Everything Bagel and they are little round pretzels that are both cute and delicious.

Oh, and speaking of food - a Panchero's is coming soon to North Liberty. I saw the sign on the building the other day and almost leapt out of the car in happiness. Seriously, it's the little things.


So there's my list! What are you grateful for this Thursday afternoon?

And of course, a post isn't complete without a photo! I took this photo of Sam the day after Christmas - the PS3 was pretty much glued to his hand at this point (I think it's safe to say I know what he's grateful for!).

Where's Einstein?

When I say that Einstein is only 4 lbs, I think people still have a hard time visualizing just how small that really is because 9 times out of 10 the first thing they say when meeting him is "he's SO tiny!!". Truly, he is a little peanut (although don't tell him that!). Sometimes at night after we get home from work he likes to drag out all of his toys and then lay down in the middle of them, and there's been more than one occasion where I will look over and think "where's Einstein?" (much like Where's Waldo). As you can see by the photo above, he's about the same size as most of his toys so they make the perfect hide out for a little dog needing a break after a long day at work.

I also wanted to take a second to mention that I am booked for the months of July and September 2011 and will not be taking any more sessions for those months. Also, May of 2012 is full at this time as well! There is also limited availability for the following months:

May 2011 - one opening left

June 2011 - two openings left

August 2011 - two openings left

October 2011 - three openings left

If you are thinking of doing a session (family, engagement, etc) this spring/summer, please book early! You can email me at madiganphotography@gmail.com for more information.

For a moment the whole world...revolved around one boy, and one girl

As you read in the previous post, Abby (my sister) and Nick were married last weekend. The ceremony was so touching and my sister was one of the most beautiful brides I've seen. The reception (of course) was a fabulous party, with amazing food, gorgeous decorations, and most importantly - great company.

I was a bridesmaid at this wedding, so I actually only took my camera to the salon and to the reception (where Josh took all the photos because I was too busy on the dance floor!). I can't wait to see the photos from her photographers - Mindy Myers and Paige Peterson, who were also my wedding photographers. It was wonderful seeing them again and I know their photographs will be amazing.

Anyways, here's a taste of how I spent my weekend on January 22, 2011...

Mimosas keep the jitters away...


The bride!


This photo of the flower girl cracks me up - I don't think she's a big fan of makeup at this point in her life...




Mother of the groom...


My sisters suggested doing a mirror shot, it's harder than I thought it would be! I think we ended up taking 4 or 5 before finally getting one.








And onto the party - again, all of these were taken by my husband Josh.

True Colors

I'm pretty sure there's no scientific study to back up the claim I'm about to make, but the concept of wedding colors inadvertently symbolizing those making the commitment is an interesting one. My sister Abby is getting married this weekend, and in the midst of trying to take a nap the other day - my mind started wandering and somehow rested upon her wedding colors. She chose steel grey and chartreuse (kind of a pear color for those not familiar with the shade) and I was thinking how the colors serve as sort of a metaphor (or is it a similie? I can never remember the difference) for both her and her fiance.

If Abby were a color, chartreuse would definitely fit the bill. Much like the color she is bold, unique, and creative. On the other hand, her fiance Nick is the perfect steel grey complement to Abby's chartreuse. He's grounded, solid, and steady. Together, much like the wedding colors they have chosen, they are a wonderful combination.

I want to take a minute to wish Abby & Nick all the best on their wedding day, and each day in the future. Love you both - congratulations.

New Year, New Website

Somehow 2010 passed by in the blink of an eye, and it was a year of ups and downs for me. I was given some wonderful opportunities to try new things - a winter engagement session, a newborn photo shoot, and a wedding. It was so much fun for me to meet all kinds of new people and photograph so many different types of special moments in people's lives.

With a new year comes new beginnings and I'm definitely looking forward to a healthier and even happier 2011. I have so much to look forward to - my sister Abby's wedding in a week and a half (no, I'm not photographing it - I'm a bridesmaid), two (possibly three at this point) weddings this fall, several engagement sessions, a vacation with Josh (NYC? LA? The possibilities are endless!), and tons of snuggle time in the pod with Einstein.

To go along with the new year, I decided it was time to branch out beyond the blog and get going on a website. I am very excited about it and I really hope you guys like it! It can be found at the usual address - www.jenmadigan.com (the blog can be found at blog.jenmadigan.com if you want the direct address).

Hope you're having a great week, and enjoy the snow!

Ugly Sweater Party - Christmas Eve 2010

On Christmas Eve, it's tradition for my mom's side of the family to get together for great food (soo much food...I'm still recovering!) and even better company. This year we spiced things up a bit with an Ugly Holiday Sweater party, and those who participated were hideously dressed but had a fabulous evening. A few didn't find sweaters, but showed off their holiday spirit in other ways (Hawaiian Santa, Susie Snowflake, and we even had 2 of Santa's elves stop by). I can't help but laugh when I look at these photos, and I hope they bring a smile to your face as well. Happy New Year!















Although one of my sisters is missing from this photo, it's one of my favorites because it's so random and funny. We've even got a "bounty hunter" from Star Wars (I thought it was just a storm trooper but Josh corrected my error) popping in to say hello.