a Photo a Day | July 21 – Aug 3

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Kaia Calhoun

Two Very Full Weeks in Photos!

For more “a Photo a Day” CLICK HERE.

These past couple weeks things went a little nuts. I had my parents visiting and watching Maisy while I photographed several weddings, then Josh and I traveled to MN for some gigs where I got to see all sorts of family and friends (Maisy is a popular little girl) and photograph a gorgeous engagement session in downtown Minneapolis, we came back just in time for me to photograph another wedding in the Chicago suburbs, and finally Maisy and I tried to take it easy on Sunday (Mom bought her some black and white books and clearly she’s taken by them).

Week 1 | July 21 – 27

Week 2 | July 28 – Aug 3

an engagement session with a little bit of rain and a brilliant evening glow (Hannah + Austin are engaged!) – Janesville wedding photography

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Kaia Calhoun

First of all, I apologize for the excess of images in this post. Obviously I had too much fun with Hannah + Austin. But, I promise they are all worth it!

Hannah + Austin are dear friends of mine. Turns out, I have the honor of standing next to this beauty on her wedding day! For their wedding gift I gave an engagement session and boy am I glad I did! Not only do I love getting the opportunity to photograph friends but this session couldn’t have been more perfect! The evening light and these two were so gorgeous I didn’t stop photographing for over 2 hours. There is also something beautiful about doing photography for free every now and then. It’s like I have a sort of release and my creative juices actually flow freer because I feel unabashed in asking for outrageous things – like having them climb up into the under workings of a train bridge or myself climbing up into a tree. This session was so wonderful because I had driven past these photo spots so many times I was dying to use them, I got to work with two creatives (they are both musicians and Hannah is also a photographer), and you can’t beat an evening glow under a little bit of weather! I mean, come one, the first shots look like we did our session somewhere in Ireland. Just downtown Janesville folks!

Hannah + Austin, I had such a blast with you two creating these images and I can’t wait for your big day! Whoot whoot!

For the full blog post of all the yummy images CLICK HERE. You’re seriously missing out of you don’t venture over there!

For more engagement photography CLICK HERE or wedding photography CLICK HERE.

a Photo a Day | May 5 – 11

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Kaia Calhoun

A Week in Photos!

For more “a Photo a Day” CLICK HERE.

Photo 1: Sam is ruining the pillows on our couch… but he does look adorable while doing it at least!

Photo 2: When Josh is gone I end up taking “selfies” per his request. This one, after hunting through all of my clothes (because it is never easy to find something that covers my belly anymore) I was ready to head to Mama and Papa-in-laws to finish planting the garden! This year I have tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, zucchini, green beans, carrots, beets, and lettuce growing so far! In this photo I am 34 weeks pregnant.

Photo 3: I just love this wedding invite! Can’t wait to stand up in Hannah and Austin’s wedding! P.S. Did their engagement shoot a week ago and y’all are in for a visual treat that’s for sure!

Photo 4: I got to do an interior design shoot for the Home and Garden issue BRAVA Magazine is doing for June. Since I cannot technically reveal photos before publication I snuck this little photo while I was there!

Photo 5: I did an incredible boudoir shoot at the studio last week! Can’t wait to work on these images and to hear all about how much her husband-to-be loves them!

Photo 6: Since Josh couldn’t make it to the MN baby shower we had to send him a photo 🙂 In this photo I am 35 weeks pregnant.

Photo 7: Haley hunted a big fly all day. Even into the night here she is waiting for the assailant to come back out of the lamp.

a classic wedding in downtown Milwaukee (Lindsay + Dave are married) – Milwaukee wedding photography

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Kaia Calhoun

I shot this wedding for Cornerstone Photography – hence the logo.

This wedding happened a while back. Obviously still back logged on photo blog posts! CLICK HERE to see the full blog post of their pictures!

To see their engagement session CLICK HERE.

To see more wedding photography CLICK HERE.

location, location, location…

CEREMONY VENUE St. Mary’s Church

RECEPTION VENUE Marcus Center for the Performing Arts

vendor details…

HAIR Loreen Farnier of Studio 890

MAKEUP Jacqueline Patten of Perfecting Faces

WEDDING DRESS Stone Manor Bridal (Justin Alexander collection)

FLORIST Flowers by Jan

CAKE The Gingerbread House

ITALIAN COOKIES AND CANNOLI Scordatos Italian Bakery

GELATO BAR Cold Spoons Gelato

DJ Sounds by Design

Book your wedding with me by filling out my contact form up there or email asunshinemoment@gmail.com (SUBJECT “wedding photography”. Looking forward to meeting you!

* about me CLICK HERE or HERE * pricing info CLICK HERE *

a hot pink, glam meets rustic flair backyard wedding (Megan + Justin are married!) – Minnesota wedding photography

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Kaia Calhoun

Growing up in Minnesota I find I have a certain nostalgia for various places. Two of these places that I adore aesthetically and culturally is Buffalo (my hometown) and Minneapolis. Michaela + Cole’s engagement shoot satisfied my craving to photograph in downtown Buffalo, but I was still dying to photograph in specific areas of downtown Minneapolis. Turns out, Megan was dying to do their engagement session in downtown Minneapolis right around the corner from the spots I had been eyeing for years. We chatted about our ideas and desires and came up with a perfect blend for her to hit up her favorite spots and mine! It was epic! I totally spent about 2 hours with them romping around the city because I couldn’t stop photographing them and continued to stumble on even more awesome photo spots.

Needless to say, after such a fantastic experience with these two on their engagement shoot I was beyond looking forward to their wedding. I was also so excited because I learned very quickly from Megan that I was going to be in charge of photographing a truly unique wedding – she described their look to me as pink + glam meets rustic flair. As she talked into further detail I learned I was getting to photograph another backyard wedding, my favorite, decorated with chandeliers, black and white all around with hot pink accents, and a little bit of wood and moss in the mix to satisfy Justin’s craving for the natural look. The combination of the two of their tastes, obviously, was gorgeous! I loved the personal flavor of the wedding and the DIY/glam feel to the whole day -can’t say I ever would have imagined those two describing words lumped together!

To see the full wedding story and blog post of pictures CLICK HERE.

To see their engagement session CLICK HERE.

To see more wedding photography CLICK HERE.

location, location, location…

THE CEREMONY AND RECEPTION VENUE Zwieg Home

vendor details…

HAIR Renee Douville and Brenda (friends)

MAKEUP Jodi Favata (friend)

CAKE Road House Coffee Shop

FLORIST Candle Light Floral and Nancy Zwieg (Groom’s Mom)

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Vantage / Se7en (Justin Zwieg, Groom) and ReneeNicoleDesign (Renee Rodgers, friend)

LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS Jamison Zwieg, Ron Zwieg, Nancy Zwieg and Nicole Daly (Groom’s Family)