Jessica Strickland, International Fine Art and Wedding Photojournalist | » Blog

LINDSAY + MIKE

Jessica — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:34:09 +0000

Ohh wow, what a SHOOT this was! I classify this type of shoot as an AYKM shoot! AYKM that they are soo cute, perfect and photogenic together AND this is such an amazing shoot with perfect locations AND beautiful weather AND tons of fun AND even an beautiful sunset to end it all!? Does it GET any better than this? Ugh, it was just a fantastic day!! I adore Lindsay & Mike…and it was pretty much that way within 5 minutes of our shoot! We were instantly like old friends and they were soo awesome at just being real in front of the camera…and having a great time with it all! Lindsay even had the best idea and soo original…to take a water taxi between locations and shoot on it! I don’t know how, in all of my Chicago time and shoots I’ve NEVER been on a water taxi or shot on one, but I just haven’t and score one for Lindsay for having such a fun and original idea! I love doing tours of city for my Chicago engagement sessions…it’s always soo fun visiting all of the great places in the city and there are SOO many! I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to do it with…SUCH a fun day and shoot! Thanks for an awesome time, Lindsay & Mike and for being rock star models in front of the camera! You two are the best and I can’t WAIT for October!! xo!

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TONYA | CIRCLE CITY PLANNERS

Jessica — Sat, 11 May 2013 06:04:18 +0000

Anyone in the event industry in Indianapolis knows exactly who this beauty is! She is Tonya Shadoan, the mastermind behind Circle City Planners, Tonya Shadoan Productions & Coaching and Niche to be Rich Coaching. She is a great friend and colleague…and we’ve been working together and have been friends for years and years! I was soo excited when she asked me to do her latest shoot for her upcoming promo stuff and website…although the weather had another plan because every single time we would schedule the shoot, we would get rained/snowed/iced out of doing the shoot! Finally, we decided to just WAIT for some warmer temps and I’m SOO glad we did because the shoot was PERFECT! We planned a fun, candid, colorful shoot….and THAT is what we finally got! Our patience paid off! We already have a great time together and could talk for hours…so after we totally lost track of time talking (ha!) and realized we had to get to shooting….we literally just played and laughed for an hour while I photographed and we had Starbucks and cupcakes! What a dream! Tonya…you are the best! Thanks a million for being a killer model and super fun subject to photograph! I’ve loved calling you a friend for soo many years! All my love…xo!

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KATIE + KEN | NOBLESVILLE WEDDING

Jessica — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:50:18 +0000

Oh what a DAY Katie & Ken had for their wedding!! I was awake in the wee hours of the morning for their early morning wedding and I knew something was up when I heard weather alerts all night long and into that morning. I heard that we had flooding so I left with extra time and didn’t think much of it. As I left to meet Katie for her prep, I heard that all local schools were closing (a first for flooding on record) and countless major roads were impassable and I realized that this was something more than I thought. Then, after 5 attempts to get out of my own town and meeting flooded road after flooded road, I figured out that this was serious and started to worry for Katie & Ken’s wedding. It turns out that it was one of the worst floods that Indianapolis has ever seen and it continued to effect Katie & Ken’s day as it went on. Unfortunately, a good number of their guests were unable to make it to their wedding because they literally could not get there. Even the road that the wedding venue was on, flooded in both directions shortly after we arrived. Then the day turned even more interesting as the temps dropped to frigid levels, the wind became unbelievably fierce and it started to SNOW. I seriously started to wonder what else could happen. What is SOO amazing and soo special about this day, though…is that it TRULY didn’t dampen Katie & Ken’s spirits AT ALL! They had ONE single care on their wedding day and it was MARRYING one another! Would they have loved a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree spring morning…of course, but they really had a solid grasp on the fact that it was NOT about weather, it was about being married to each other before their friends, family and God. It couldn’t have been a better attitude to have on a day like they were dealt, because they couldn’t control anything else…and so they found the joy and excitement in what they COULD control! They are such a sweet, wonderful couple…soo completely in love and connected to one another! They had a gorgeous wedding despite all that was going on around them! A warm and beautiful backdrop of Mustard Seed Gardens for their Noblesville wedding, surrounded by family and friends, dancing and fun…it turned out to be a fantastic day!! Katie & Ken, I was honored to be a part of your wedding! I truly wish you soo much love and a lifetime of joy!

VENUE & VENDORS:
Ceremony & Reception: Mustard Seed Gardens
Florals & Decor: Design Group
Catering: Epicureans
Cake: Heavenly Sweets
Hair: Mollie Bean
Makeup: Krystle Marshall
Videography: Media Buff Productions, Keith Harshbarger

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THE COPELAND FAMILY

Jessica — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:45:32 +0000

Prepare yourself, this family is insanely cute and stylish! It was such a treat to photograph them, they are friends of ours and Sophie and Jude were born just days apart and are buddies! We have play dates and have done music class together….it’s fun! They are also a patient family because the weather made us reschedule this shoot over and over! It was crazy….but I think the patience paid off because we had the most perfect evening together, with beautiful light, perfect temps and TONS of fun! Copelands, you ROCK! Thanks for an awesome shoot and for being soo fun to work with!! xo!

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A PORTRAIT UPDATE and fun NEWS!!

Jessica — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:29:46 +0000

I greeted a lovely couple at a photo shoot the other day and the look on their faces when they saw my rather large baby bump and proceeded to ask “are you THE Jessica Strickland??” made me realize that I had overlooked a lil something! ooops! I HAVE NEWS TO SHARE on the BLOG (and not just facebook)….a little late! YES, I am 6 months pregnant with BABY STRICKLAND VERSION 2.0! And it’s a GIRL!! And she’s due in AUGUST! (she figured it would be cool to just show up RIGHT in the middle of the busiest time of year! she likes to make a grand entrance apparently…hopefully not TOO grand! ha!) We are beyond blessed and grateful….and very excited to become a family of FOUR!!! Sophie already has lots of plans for life with her “sissy” and all of the many ways she is going to help and care for her! Life is going to get even more fun and we can’t wait! (well, maybe we can wait a little…)

Along with that news, came some very hard decision making that I was forced to do! I found out that we were expecting after my year for 2013 was already FULL with weddings, so with a baby due smack in the middle of all of that fun, I knew that I couldn’t work full time with weddings, have a newborn and 3 year old AND do portraits/newborns/commercial work full time, as I usually do. SO, it is with such sadness that I had to stop doing portraits, newborns and commercial work and become a dedicated wedding photographer. My portrait clients are all very long running clients who I have a close relationship with and I simply adore them! I felt truly honored to get to enjoy time with their families every year and watch them grown…and have them choose to work with me year after year! So it was a VERY hard, tear filled decision that did NOT come easily, but after looking at an already full schedule without portraits and not wanting my new baby girl, Sophie and Mark to be the ones to suffer, it was a decision that I knew I simply didn’t have a choice on. I have a few lingering shoots that were already scheduled before the decision was made, so those will be blogged and then portraits will come to an end. As always, I’m blessed beyond words with my business and to all of my beloved portrait clients….I can’t thank you enough for years of devotion from you, it means soo much to me, as do your precious families….and I will dearly miss seeing each and every one of you! (teary again! ugh!)

Meet our beautiful new little girl (aka gymnast in the first image!)…

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MIRANDA + SEAN

Jessica — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:52:54 +0000

Miranda & Sean’s wedding was absolutely fantastic! They are truly a wonderful, warm, kind and endearing couple…and their wedding was a perfect representation of those qualities. From the impeccable style and rich beauty of the day, to the love and joy that radiated from everyone involved, to the thoughtfulness and care in every detail, to the family and friends that surrounded Miranda & Sean, it was such a memorable, incredible wedding!! There were soo many moments that I remember, from the morning prep when Miranda’s best friend shared an old treasure that she found…a BFF locket that Miranda has given her as a child, to the father/daughter first look when Miranda’s Father shared a special memory with her of a $2 Dollar Bill that they were each given half of when Miranda began High School, to hearing Miranda’s mother say that she’s always envisioned the day when her daughter would come down the staircase of their beautiful family home in her wedding gown, to the BEST Father of the Bride speech that I’ve ever heard in my career, to watching Sean and his sister share a pinky swear and then watching her tear up as her brother’s best friend toasted him on his wedding day…and the list goes on! There were soo many sweet, wonderful moments! Miranda & Sean also took great care in choosing a dream team of wedding professionals to carefully orchestrate their day…and they made excellent choices, as it was a flawless day! I also was able to spend the day surrounded by wonderful friends who are incredible at their profession and it’s always such a joy to collaborate as a team to create a couple’s dream wedding! None of us will ever tire of having such a special opportunity as a team of wedding professionals! Miranda and Sean, I wish you a lifetime of love and I’m soo excited for all that awaits you in the coming year!! It was such an honor capturing your wedding! All my love…

WEDDING PROFESSIONALS & VENUES:
Ceremony: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
Reception: Scottish Rite Cathedral
Planning & Florals: Detail+Design
Hair & Makeup: Nicole Bryan Salon, Gina Calderone and Dakota Cloud
Lighting & Effects: Evans Audio Visual
Catering: Thomas Caterers of Distinction
Invitations, Stationary and Papers: Pomp and Polish
Band: First Impression Band
After Party DJ: Grapevine Entertainment
Transportation: Antique Limo
Cake: Heavenly Sweets
Videography: Indy Visual
Photo Booth: Happy Snaps Photo Booth
Video Confessional Booth: Indy Visual

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YOANNA & AJ | INDIANAPOLIS ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

Jessica — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:18:54 +0000

I have three words: EPIC ENGAGEMENT SHOOT!! This really was such a great, fun shoot in the most awesome locations, with the greatest couple who were amazing in front of the camera! Yoanna and I worked hard to secure the locations that they were hoping to do their shoot at and with the help of some friends, we pulled it off and I could NOT have been happier! It’s like pure eye candy (or at least for a photographer) to go from an airport with planes and jets, open sky and cool lines at Indianapolis Execute Airport to the coolest, most colorful and beautifully artistic hotel in the City, The Alexander Hotel. I really couldn’t have asked for more! Yoanna and AJ really MADE the shoot, though! You see, it’s not always easy to instantly be natural in front of a camera, it takes time and is really why engagement shoots are soo awesome, BUT NOT this couple, they didn’t need a single minute to be natural in front of the camera, they were MADE for this! They were sweet, loving, precious, then fun, silly, jumping and running and being hilarious, then bringing on the style and swagger in their images. It was awesome to photograph them! Now you see why it was an EPIC engagement shoot! Yoanna & AJ, you two ROCK! Thank you soo much for choosing me as your photographer and entrusting your vision to me! I love working with you, I appreciate the effort that you put forth for great images and I am SOO excited about being a part of your wedding!!

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AMANDA & MIKE’S AFTER PARTY

Jessica — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:08:27 +0000

After two days of amazingness, Amanda & Mike’s After Party was the perfect cherry on top! When I heard about their plans for a bourbon & bacon bar complete with brioche bread pudding with bacon and mac n cheese with bacon (along with many other bacon delights, those were simply the two that I couldn’t take my eyes off of! ha!), tons of other amazing food & drink items, the venue of the Long-Sharp Gallery at The Conrad Hotel, even a little karaoke thrown in, I KNEW it was going to be a fantastic party! Amanda & Mike changed into more incredible attire and joined their party, greeted with applause and cheers! It was soo fun! I have rarely seen an after party where nearly EVERYONE from the wedding is still on such a wedding high from an incredible day, that they all come to the late night shindig to keep the party going….but THIS party KEPT on going into the wee hours of the morning!! It totally shows of how much Amanda & Mike are loved and cared for!! Amanda & Mike wrapped up the night by taking the microphone themselves and belting out a “Grease” hit, with all of their friends and family singing along and cheering them on! What a perfect ending to a seriously awesome day and a fantastic wedding!! Congratulations, Amanda & Mike!! I’m truly soo happy for you both and LOVED being a part of your wedding weekend! All my love and wishes for a lifetime of bliss…and a few kiddos!

Venue: The Conrad Hotel
Gallery: Long Sharp Gallery

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AMANDA + MIKE’S WEDDING

Jessica — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:13:11 +0000

Truth be told, I was secretly hoping to be the lucky girl to be Amanda & Mike’s wedding photographer when I met them a while back! I have since seen them in wedding parties of other weddings I’ve photographed, photographed them dancing at receptions…and I was anxious for it to be THEIR TURN! So, when Mike finally gave me the top secret info at an earlier wedding we were at together that it was going to be THEIR wedding coming soon and I was going to be the lucky girl to photograph it, I just might have been fist bumping myself with excitement!! They are just the cutest & nicest couple, soo sweet and loving, surrounded by the most wonderful family & friends, plus they are pretty easy on the eyes, which is always a bonus! I knew they would be awesome to work with, organized and totally on top of things, but fun, relaxed and super easy going! From a fun morning of prep and pictures (they braved 20 degree temps for outdoor pics! impressive!), to a warm, intimate and beautiful ceremony, to an incredibly fun, stylish and exciting reception, it was a PERFECT day!! Amanda & Mike, you are fantastic!! Thank you for selecting me to be a part of your wonderful wedding, it was such an honor and SUCH FUN, too!! xoxo! Stay tuned for the after party….

VENUES & VENDORS:

Venue: Mavris Arts & Events Center
Coordination: Eventfull Planning, Laura Lim
Hair: Cindie Quigley, Polina Spa & Salon
Makeup: Kiralee Hubbard, EyeMAX Makeup
Flowers: Shadeland Flower Shop
Invites: Cleverly Invite
Band: Sour Mash Seven
Cake: Classic Cakes of Carmel
Chandeliers: Empty Vase
Barista: Espresso To Go

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AMANDA + MIKE WEDDING REHEARSAL DINNER

Jessica — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:52:08 +0000

Oh what a fantastic weekend it was for Amanda and Mike’s Wedding!! It started with a lovely evening at the Skyline Club in Indianapolis for their wedding rehearsal dinner, it was full of people they loved and were soo happy to see!! I loved getting to meet all of their friends and family and getting super psyched for their wedding! It was a great start to a perfect weekend! Stay tuned for the wedding…

Venue: Skyline Club

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ART OF THE TABLE

Jessica — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:02:56 +0000

I was extremely honored to be chosen and asked to photograph The Associate of Bridal Consultant’s ninth annual Art of the Table! It’s a showcase of incredible decor, florals, linens, stationary and all things related, with each individual table done by our local event designers and professionals! It was soo fun to photograph SOO much eye candy! Thank you, ABC Indiana, for the honor of choosing me to photograph this event! It was a priviledge and a joy!

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BABY DEX

Jessica — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:16:48 +0000

My dear friend and talented photographer, Jamie Sangar, had her baby, handsome and oh-so-precious DEXTER…a.k.a. DEX!! As friends do, I stopped by to drop a quick meal off and snap some fast and few photos of the new little dude! He’s such a cutie, I just HAD to share….and Jude is always a show stealer with his cuteness….and he definitely loves his new partner in crime brother! These two are going to conquer the world together, I’m confident! We adore the Sangars, they are such great friends of ours and it’s been soo fun having our families grow together, doing activities together (Soph and Jude are gymnastics buddies) and just enjoying life together! It’s soo great having a new little guy join the crowd! Meet DEX!

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KATIE + KEN

Jessica — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 05:23:05 +0000

I had a blast with Katie & Ken for their engagement photography session! It almost didn’t happen thanks to the horrible-winter-that-never-ends here in Indiana so weather was pushing us really close to their wedding date, but there was this one lucky day where the temps snuck up a bit and our schedules all worked out and boom, awesome engagement session!! They were soo fantastic, embracing the shoot whole heartedly, wanting to incorporate a special place into their shoot…and really enjoying their time together through it all! OH…and what shoot is complete without a light saber sword fight!?? Especially one with custom made light sabers!? Who knew, right? Apparently, if you go to Disneyworld, anything is possible, including a place to custom make your own light sabers! All the more reason that I need to GO! Oh Katie & Ken, you two are awesome! Thank you for a wonderful afternoon and a fantastic shoot! Can’t wait for the wedding…right around the corner!!

BRING IT!!! They were pretty serious too, it was awesome!

And off to a special date spot for some bowling!!

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JENNA + BILLY

Jessica — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:28:25 +0000

I hate to pick favorites, I really do….BUT in this case, I just can’t help it, this was one of my favorite engagement sessions in a long time and it was for lots of reasons! 1….an incredible, totally connected, fully committed, completely in love couple who embraced this shoot soo beautifully, 2….location, location, location….and not just an incredible, artistic, one-of-a-kind location, but also a sweet, special and meaningful location and 3….LOVE. This couple is soo happy and soo in love…and it’s one of the most magical things to capture! Wait, I need to add a 4th…FUN!!! We also had a TON of fun, laughed from beginning to end, and had the most awesome time together! OH…did I mention that it was 20 degrees, with insane wind and driving snow the whole time? In typical Jenna & Billy style (or so I’ve learned), they said NO problem…and endured it with smiles on their faces. OH…Jenna and Billy!! Did I mention that I’m crazy about you two? Well, I AM…and I’m soo excited about working with you and can’t thank you enough for this off the HOOK engagement session!! xoxo! Thank you soo kindly to the incredible people at The Alexander hotel for allowing us to have such a special, meaningful place for this shoot! It was truly a special treat! Prep yourself for some eye candy, blog followers….

Oh I’m soooo in love with this hotel…such a beautifully modern, colorful, artistic, warm environment….Jenna & Billy’s wedding will be held there this November and I’m thrilled!

And we also incorporated such a special part of Jenna & Billy’s lives into their shoot….the place that they met, Cathedral High School. They get to tell their kids that they were high school sweethearts…SWOON! The best part was that Billy used to flick paper footballs at Jenna during tests, to get her attention. Clearly, it worked… I like your style, Billy! HA! When they told me that they wanted to incorporate their school into the shoot…I was in love with the idea and I knew it was perfect! Sooo fun….

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NORAH

Jessica — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:47:53 +0000

Oh sweet sweet baby Norah! She is the precious newborn of one of my beloved wedding couples, Katie & Kurt! I’ve loved Katie & Kurt since our very first meeting, through their super fun engagement session, to their stunning wedding and now to watch them be parents is soo incredibly special!! They were soo calm and collected when I got to their house, it was like they were old pros!! They are soo smitten with Norah….for such good reason…and it’s also soo sweet to see them light up as they watch the other one with their beautiful daughter. Oh what a sweet morning I had with them! I just LOVE love!! Katie & Kurt…I adore you two…I’m soo truly happy for you! This is going to be the most amazing journey of your lives and I truly cherish that you wanted me to capture the initial days of your lives as a family…. all my love and congrats! xoxo!

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