Don't come around here no more ...

That's right folks, if you want to keep up with my work, you're gonna have to follow me on over to the new and improved gailwernerphotography.com!!!

There's lots to take in on the new site — most notably BIG gorgeous photos, so come check it out for yourself and don't forget to bookmark the new site!

In Character

One of my favorite magazines is Vanity Fair and I love when, on occasion, they run one of their features called "In Character." (It's something that actually got its start with this book, but I digress...)

I was testing out some custom settings tonight on my camera when Nick and I started horsing around and decided to do our own take on the art of transforming. Needless to say, we had so much fun doing this, I might use it as a future ice breaker for some of my more adventurous clients!

Anticipation...

Working on something new for this budding enterprise and after a long night last night, I can say I'm on the right track to unveiling something VERY cool (hopefully) very soon.

Stay tuned!

Tennessee and sweet Baby Claire!

First off, say hello to my new niece, sweet Baby Claire Werner!

Now that we've introduced this cutie pie, I can tell you a bit more about our weekend trip to Chattanooga. Which, can I just say, I LOVE THAT CITY!

Nick's twin brother, Clay, and wife, Liz, live there and on this trip — Nick and I's third since they married back in '05 — I really just fell in love with the place. I mean, how can you NOT be taken in with a view like this:

There's a LOT of development there (something that — sadly — we lack here in Muncie), so many sweet little bungalow homes (my favorite), and the atmosphere is so family-friendly. Speaking of family, this is Claire's big brother, Isaac. I caught him mid-laugh as we watched Disney's Robin Hood together (a movie Liz and I both said took us back to our childhood ... as soon as I heard "Robin Hood and Little John runnin' through the forest ..." I felt like I was six years old again).

We didn't have a whole lot of time to do a family shoot, but I snuck some sweet candids of Claire and her beautiful mama in some nice light that was coming through the front door.

I love the interaction between Claire and Liz in these next three — Claire is just old enough (nine weeks) where keeping her head up for minutes at a time is a BIG accomplishment! I hope these shots are the kind that some day, Claire will dig up and think to herself, "What a moment."

See Isaac in the back there? Yeah, that was the best we could do in getting a two-year-old to sit down for a "family portrait" - ha! I think that's why I love this photo so much. Don't they make a beautiful family?

But thanks to Uncle Nick's shennagians, we got a big smile from the little guy!

These last few outdoor shots were caught on our way out the door to get pizza. Liz had asked that we wait for the photos until Sunday morning, when the little ones would be in their church clothes, but I told her, "How about just a few now? The light is so nice ..." And I'm SO glad we did - it POURED all day Sunday before we left. And had we waited ... well, I hate to think I would have missed this shot:

Or this one ...

Clay and Liz, we can't wait to do this again! We love you guys!

Something to chew on...

When I visited Tracy and Kevin for their photo shoot, during a drive to Tracy's salon for some pre-shoot styling, I asked Tracy for some gum. She passed off to me this yummy new brand of Trident that tasted like berries bursting in my mouth.

Now, I'm not normally a gum person, but I got that pack of gum home and thought I could savor each piece as a little after-dinner dessert. Well, in the Werner household, anything sweet is usually gone in a matter of hours — not days. And so I was pretty bummed to see that Nick had taken the last piece.

"I'll go get you some more ..." he told me, as I looked forlornly at the empty package. Even though I was having one of THOSE days, I told him not to bother, it was okay. Then I went back to editing ....

I heard the door shut, followed by Nick's car pulling out of the drive. A few minutes later, he was back with a present in hand:

Here's hoping you, too, have that special person in your life who will always buy you gum.

She's got sass, that Sarah does

A few weeks back, I got a message from my good college buddy Jon Scott, telling me I should think about "reconnecting" with a college pal of ours, Sarah.

To be fair, Sarah was more Nick's friend than mine (they still like to talk about their freshmen year in college together) but now we share our friends (and our French fries) 'cause that's what married couples do ;)

Sarah is a photographer herself and aside from catching up with an old friend, Jon thought we might have something to talk about.

DID WE EVER!

Nick and I hung out a few weeks back with Sarah and her boyfriend, Billy, in Indianapolis and we all just clicked (Sarah and I knew we were in trouble when Nick and Billy started geeking out over Fark!)

We had so much fun, Sarah and I had to hook up again and "talk shop," this time with our cameras in hand. So without further ado, here's the fun, sassy, sarcastic, never-afraid-to-speak-her-mind Sarah Brown!

Photographers are always on the hunt for a good mural for a backdrop. Sarah had just spotted this one freshly painted and I'm sure we'll be seeing this on other photographers' blogs soon - it was huge!

How cute is she? Seriously, if you couldn't tell by that big 'ol smile on her face, Sarah's personality is infectious. You can't help but laugh when she's around!

While we were taking these last shots, some skeezy (yes, that is SO a word!) dude drove up in his hooptee trying to hit on us. I was clicking away and Sarah just took it like a trooper. Then again, what dude wouldn't hit on this gal? ;)

Jon THANK YOU FOR PUTTING SARAH AND I BACK IN TOUCH! I'm not kidding when I say this guy (Jon) could go into business reconnecting people like he did us - dude knows EVERYBODY who graduated from Ball State in the past decade!!

And Sarah, thank you for being the same fun person I remembered you being five years ago - you ROCK and I cannot wait to second shoot with you next month!

****To see the shots Sarah took of me, head on over to her blog!****

There she goes again...

What, just because I'm taking more images of people these days, did you actually think I could give up on the flowers?

Nope. Can't do it. I saw these guys and instantly, my brain thought, "Must. take. picture." That's what's great these days. I feel like wherever I go, I'm thinking more and more like a photographer and finding an excuse to make art. I shudder to think of what will happen if — down the line — I can pick up that macro lens I want.

These beautiful poppies belong to a neighbor down the road from us. Ironically enough, his name is Steve Bell. He's a retired BSU t-com prof and was the former anchorman for ABC's Good Morning America back in the '80s. I figured, if he came out finding a person taking photos of flowers in his driveway, at least I could explain that I knew him (and I interviewed him when he retired from BSU, so all's fair I say ...) Anyway, I say this a lot about flowers, but poppies truly are one of my favorites. They are just so gorgeous. I mean, these shots are straight out of camera — and anything this bold and this beautiful deserves to be a favorite in my book.

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I've got another fun project to process this week and get up on the blog before Nick and I take off this coming weekend to meet our new niece in Tennessee!

Tracy and Kevin: Part Two

Back when we roomed together in college, Tracy was not just my roommate — she was the best friend I confided to as I fell in love with Nick.

It was an afternoon encounter with Nick at the student newspaper that had me gushing about him to Tracy — about how cute I thought Nick was, wearing a pair of distressed jeans and green button-down shirt, and how I thought we were meant to be. I just felt it that day.

Fast forward six years later and I get a phone call from Tracy, wanting to tell me about this guy she'd met. Turns out Kevin was everything she could have dreamed of — and more.

"Remember your green shirt moment Gail?" she asked me. "Well, I've had mine."

Tracy, here's hoping you always remember that first "green shirt moment" with Kevin. You two are so in love and it was a blessing to capture the joy that emanated from both of you on our sunny afternoon together in the city.

Tracy had asked a co-worker about good places to take photos in Cleveland and was told a popular place to go was the Cleveland Museum of Art. Turns out she wasn't kidding! When we arrived, there were FOUR DIFFERENT wedding parties there, their photographers each vying for the same spot of shade in the same location. We decided to shoot around them and I was pretty happy with what we got being a bit more creative instead:

After walking around the grounds for a while, we headed back to the car. I had told Tracy I wanted to get a few artsy/urban shots of her and Kevin but because both the Cavaliers and Indians had home games that evening, we'd decided to rule that idea out. Until I spotted these student murals nearby....

Tracy is a HUGE fan of America's Next Top Model, so I had been teasing her, telling her I wanted her to give me her best "fierce" pose. I think she could give Tyra a run for her money with this one!

Because we'd headed out a bit too soon in the evening, we went back to the house to relax and wait around for the "yummy" light photographers love right before sunset. These shots on the water of Lake Erie were the perfect way for us to end our evening (actually, the fantastic meal Tracy and Kevin treated me to at the restaurant where they ate the night Kevin proposed was the perfect end - we were just on a high note thanks to nailing these shots!)

To view more images of Tracy and Kevin check out the slideshow!

A sneak peak

On Saturday, I had the great pleasure of taking engagement photos for one of my dearest friends, Tracy, and her fiance, Kevin.

The couple lives up in Cleveland, and it was my first trip to the city, so I loved the tour they gave me. My ONLY regret was not bringing my 5D with me for a trip to the West Side Market. It was SO cool and unlike any place I've ever been. You just had to see it!

We lucked out with AMAZING weather for the shoot and these two are too hot for words! Too bad, when all I want to do is edit their photos, I'm stuck copyediting for a few more nights.

But I couldn't resist giving you guys a sneak peak! Don't you LOVE seeing couples in love? I know I do!

MUCH more to come -- and SOON!

Standing out in the crowd

I know, I know, another photo of flowers. If it seems like that's all you've been seeing on the blog these days, well, that's because it is!

But here's the good news: I have my first engagement session this weekend with my very, very dear friend Tracy (up in Cleveland no less -- hey, I hear it rocks ;) so I am BEYOND excited for the shoot and to post some photos of a beautiful couple on this blog!

Now, I have a deadline for a copyediting project next week, and what stinks is that I know I'm going to want to spend ALL my free time editing their photos but I've got to get my manuscript back first! So be patient ... and hopefully, you'll find it worth your wait ;)

We have a ton of red tulips that have (well, had now) been blooming in our front yard when these little stragglers popped up among them. I just love this shot - reminds me of how nature doesn't always bring with it what you had expected.

With summer around the corner

My good pal Melanie introduced me to this salsa a couple years ago. Now it's become one of those seasonal foods that I look forward to every summer almost as much as not having to wear a jacket to work!

(Anyone else have those foods you crave with the changing seasons? Like pomengrantes in December or my grandma's cucumber and onion salad - also a summer-time treat!)

I thought I'd throw the recipe up here if anyone else thinks it looks yummy. I brought it to a work carry-in last week and had a couple requests to do the same.

For a batch the size of the one above:

1 green pepper, finely chopped
Can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
Can of corn (rinsed and drained)
Half a red onion, finely chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
The juice of 2 fresh lemons
The juice of 3 fresh limes
About 2 tablespoons of olive oil (to taste)

And voila! A simple summer salsa that's great to eat with pita bread or tortilla chips. It's perfect for a potluck too! (FYI: Mel likes to add cilantro to it and that's yummy too - it's kind of a create-your-own-version concoction!)



Stay tuned ......FUN stuff coming to this blog soon!!!

A cell phone without a camera? Not anymore!

When it comes to being a gear head, I pick and choose what to obsess over.

Camera equipment? Check.

Computers? Check.

Cell phones? Well .... not so much.

I'm not big on talking on the phone (problematic given how many of my family members live far away), which is probably why, in the past 10 years, I have owned exactly two cell phones (and people, we are living in a day and age where people change their cell phones as frequently as their underwear!)

I'd been using my husband's old cell phone (circa 2003) for ages but wanted a new phone with better texting capabilities since, yes, I did what I told myself I would never do -- fall in love with text messaging. I was going to purchase a new phone last fall, after Verizon told me I could upgrade since my contract was up for renewal. So I set up an appointment, went in, and WAITED TWO HOURS in line - even though I had an appointment! I left the store empty-handed, believing if Dante was putting together a modern-day nine circles of hell, the inside of a Verizon Wireless store would have to be among them.

I thought I'd hold out for an iPhone, but I just can't part with that kind of cash yet while trying to invest in camera equipment. Which means I was elated last night when Nick's buddy, Brian, told me about the wonderful perks of buying a new Verizon phone online. And here's what the lame customer service reps at Verizon won't tell you in person: You get a $50 ONLINE REBATE if you upgrade your phone over the Internet. That's on top of the discounts you get for renewing your contract. Since I'd never had a problem with my Verizon phone service, it sounded like a win-win deal. So, for $30 (and no one-time activation fee - oh yeah, you heard me right on that one), check out what the lovely FedEx man will be bringing me this week:





(I know it's silly of me to blog about a cell phone, but I figured if I didn't know about Verizon's awesome online discounts, chances were others didn't either so I thought I'd share this little nugget and maybe help someone else save some cash -- and hours in line in Verizon purgatory -- the next time they need a new phone.

We finished - INJURY FREE!!

Nick and I just got back from running the Indy Mini Marathon this morning. And the best part? I FEEL FANTASTIC!!!

This will be a short post (sorry, I didn't want to drag an expensive camera along to sneak a crowd shot when I was more focused on putting one foot in front of the other -- and not tripping over the other 35,000 runners!) but I'm so happy with how things went this year.

Nick and I ran the 13.1 miles in a respectable 2:13, keeping up about a 10:10 mile. That is a few minutes better than when we did this in '06 and more importantly, I didn't develop a stress fracture this year after Mile 10! :)

To me, running the Mini is about more than just running but knowing I can do something that even up until that gun went off, I still wasn't sure I could do. Breaking down a mental barrier like that? Well, it's one of the best accomplishments in the world.

I hope you all can experience something like that in your life. And if it's not by conquering the physical exertion of something like a long-distance race, well, making the world's best marinara sauce or finally finishing that bathroom remodel should count too.

For the love of etsy

I mentioned before how much I love etsy.

If you're unfamiliar, etsy is this great place where you can buy art, jewelry and crafts from small (some would say "starving") artists (but not "starving" like those creepy "Starving Artist" sales you sometimes see advertised on TV. You know the ones I'm talking about - those gawdy canvas-size prints that "MUST GO" for as low as $19.99? And they're always held in some hotel? Blech ...)

The beauty of the Internet has brought together this fantastic community and, if you're an admirer of all things creative, well ... you'll fall in love with etsy. It's pretty much inevitable.

Until recently, I'd just spent hours looking at all the amazing stuff on this site. But with remodeling the den and feeling the itch for some new art, I went ahead and made a few purchases.

I'm starting to think I'm in trouble now because the whole experience was so, so lovely!

First thing I scooped up? This print from artist John Golden. I LOVE his stuff - and have for a long time - so it was a pleasure to get my Chucks print in the mail.

Then, what does John go and do? He gives me this sweet little thank you note along with this teeny-tiny little robot print. Getting something from an artist when you don't expect it? It's like finding an extra present under the tree on Christmas morning!

Another etsy artist I love is Elizabeth Scott. Her jewelry is timeless and has these great ties to nature. So I had (HAD) to have these hydrangea petal earrings I'd been keeping my eye on for months. And yippy skippy if they didn't come in the most adorable little packaging. SO much more fun than buying jewelry at the Macy's counter!

I've already shown you the great WW2-era "Keep Calm" poster I bought from this artist, so I'll show you my favorite purchase of the lot. For those of you who've been to Nick and I's house, you know we have a retro theme to our kitchen (our house, built in the '50s, still has its original sea-foam green metal cabinets. It sounds gross but our home's previous owners made it work and now we love them). So when I saw these next two prints (knowing I'd been looking for something to hang on a blank wall in our kitchen) well, HOW COULD I RESIST? They are TOO PERFECT!

Their creator, dazeychic, makes really sweet stuff - some of which would be perfect for a little girl's room.

A lot of why I wanted to write this post was to encourage you all to start buying from etsy vendors. It's easy to do, especially if you use PayPal, and I can now say from experience every artist I purchased from got their goods to me quick and went out of their way to personalize the packages with sweet notes or extra gifts (dazeychic included an adorable notecard in her shipment). How great would it be to do your gift shopping from home AND get your friends something they wouldn't find at the mall? Priceless, as those Mastercard ads say.... and if you want some pointers on cool artists, give me a holla!

Spring IS in the air, gosh darn it!

It hasn't exactly felt like it these past few days and that's why I felt it was a good time to edit these photos, which I shot over the weekend while on a walk with Daisy in our neighborhood.

One of the things I love about spring is how -- seemingly overnight -- the landscape can go from drab and dull to bursting with bright pinks and purples as flower petals rain from the sky. It's a great reminder of how much I love Indiana's four seasons (come back to me again on that when I'm sweatin' buckets in sweltering July).

Anyway, hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

My new favorite spot in the house

After all the hours I spent painting, assembling furniture and organizing in here, it's no wonder that our new-and-improved den is now my most favorite spot in the house.

I could say it took me three days to take this room from what it was (a space that was functional but not fun) to what it is (a bright cozy spot in my home that I think would make even Nate Berkus proud) -- but in reality, I've been scheming up this concept for months.

And I couldn't be happier with the outcome:

The desk, shelving, office chair and filing cabinet behind the couch were all new purchases from IKEA. And a big THANK YOU to my dad for helping in putting this all together. Seriously, without his expertise with all things tool-related, this project would have been weeks -- not days -- in the making! (as you can see, the room is a hit with Daisy too!)

I'm a big fan of bold-colored accents, like the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster I purchased from this Etsy seller. Have I mentioned how much I love Etsy? I haven't devoted a blot post yet to the amazing finds I recently bought on there, but it's coming!

All the bright pillows (and colorful rug) were gifted to Nick and I from his parents and siblings for a wedding shower before we got married. They've been in this room for the past 2 years, but only now do I feel like they really pull the whole room together.

Finally, a closer look at one of the coolest work spaces I've ever seen (obviously I'm pretty biased ;)

Until now, our computer sat on a desk in one of the closets in this room and with all the time I was spending there, I was starting to get a bit claustrophobic in the space. Now I am giddy over the size of this desk and all the room I have to edit and have fun on our new Mac.

A final decorating note: The wire-hanging contraption above the desk was another ($14!) IKEA purchase. I love it now, but in the process of putting it together, I wanted to scream. I spent (no joke) 45 minutes trying to screw one end of it together, eventually resorting to trying and pound it together on the floor with a hammer. Nick came home from work and in four seconds had the job done. "Gail," he said, "it's reverse-threaded. Did you try screwing it together the opposite way?"

Despite the sass behind that question, I still gave him the biggest kiss in the world for getting the job done! HA!

"Better than Disney World!"

You better believe those were the words that came out of my mouth during my recent trip to IKEA with pals Michelle and Joy from the newspaper.

We three ladies had been looking forward to this trip since we first heard last spring that an IKEA was being built in West Chester, Ohio.

And WE. WERE. NOT. DISAPPOINTED.

Seriously, shopping at the store was better than a vacation spent with a giant mouse and his goofy pals ... and get this - we spent EIGHT HOURS in IKEA.

I know, you are thinking, "How is that possible?" (my husband asked the same question) but I assure you, it is ... especially if you've never been in the store before! We had to explore every inch of its 21,000-square foot (!) interior (and hellooo...Nick should know better. This is the same woman who, despite thousands of prior trips, can spend eight hours in the Glenbrook Mall with her mother on any given weekend - haha!)

Enough of my giddy babbling about how much fun we had .... on with the IKEA show.


Yes, I had to take a photo with the trusty Rebel of the outside of the store. It was just so good to see those 12-foot tall letters in person.

Some of IKEA's cute home furnishings. That pillow was $12! Why wasn't it in my cart, you ask? One has to pick their shopping battles in this store, that's all I can say...

These shoe organizers were in every pimped-out closet we peered in to inside the store. And I had to take a photo of them. Because we women know that the sight of something like this for our beloved shoes is on par with a delicious piece of cake.

Speaking of cake, here's a shot of the ginormous piece of apple crumb cake I devoured as we ate lunch in IKEA's funky cafeteria. Just like the rest of the store, the prices on their amazing food (seriously, THEY SERVE SALMON) was insane - this tasty treat cost less than $3.

Michelle and I being silly on this funky little teeter-totter we found in the kids' department. Yup, we got some strange looks as we tested out its not-so-ergonomic design.

Chair races. Need I say more?

Joy and Michelle testing out one of IKEA's amazing kitchens. We were debating whether we could give Mark a run for his money on living inside the store ...

And finally, us leaving the store -- tired, weary, but feeling oh so good about our purchases. One thing that should be said about IKEA furniture -- it's a do-it-yourself kind of job. And if you're not careful, there may be some cursing involved - ha!

Want to know what I bought? It's coming in the next post ...