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CaseyBower Photography bio picture

welcome.

Hello and welcome to my photoblog. I am delighted to have you here! This blog serves as a way of sharing my most recent photo sessions with clients and their family and friends, and is also the first place to hear recent announcements about the studio as well as special blog-reader only discounts.

I am a primarily natural light portrait photographer based out of Madison, Wisconsin. My focus is on babies, children and families, although I also love to shoot a limited number of weddings per year. My portrait sessions take place either on location or in my natural light studio located in downtown Madison (or even a combination of the two).

In addition to my blog, please also check out my main website (it is the "my website" link on the menu above). If you have any questions or would like to book a session, please click on the "contact me" link in the menu above to send me an e-mail. Thanks again for stopping by, and please enjoy your visit!

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My approach toward photography is deceptively simple, whether the session takes place in my studio or on-location: catch real moments of your children really being themselves. Silly giggles, sweet kisses from mommy, tickles from a big sister, laughing while watching doggie run through the park... These are the moments that make up real life. These are the moments from childhood that pass by all too fast. And these moments, to me, are where the real beauty of childhood resides. The same philosophy governs my approach to wedding photography.

My style is largely photojournalistic and non-obtrusive, while at the same time I am always working to create beautiful and lasting memories of life as it unfolds. The most common words used to describe my photographs are the ones I have chosen as the tagline for my studio: Modern. Fun. Real. Life. People often comment that my photographs have a sense of warmth and emotion to them -- which I consider the highest compliment possible.

and now for something completely different.

03.04.2010 Posted in personal

I’m taking a photography creativity course this winter. It’s been a bit tricky fitting it in, and I’m totally guilty of doing my project at the last minute (the class is tomorrow morning). But I still am loving the course and the excuse to do some photography just for me. This assignment was to take a work of art and be inspired by it. Put your own twist on it.

So it was about 3 pm today. I’m home with the boys by myself, and desperate to get the assignment done so I have something to share tomorrow. I’ve hit a creative block… couldn’t come up with a thing that I could do by myself (no models), while not leaving the house (both boys were sleeping), and in about an hour (the amount of daylight I had left).  Thankfully, hubby called right when I was pulling out my hair. He asked what photographer I was most inspired by. I told him Henri Cartier-Bresson. I love his work… for so many reasons. He is known for his photojournalistic portraits of people, mostly in Paris. Black and white. Just amazing work. How could I re-create that in my house by myself in an hour?

Then brilliant hubby reminded me of our Christmas village model that has been set up on our screened porch for about 3 months. It was my mom’s set, and while it’s more than a wee bit cheesy I do love it. And suddenly… I was inspired. I saw what I wanted to do. A tongue-in-cheek homage to my photographic idol using a ceramic Christmas village set. Could it work? Well,  I think I love these photos. They are absurd, and something about them makes me smile. And they turned out EXACTLY as I had imagined. So I thought I’d share. Back to your regularly scheduled programming with the next post.

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This next one is my favorite, I think.

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ps. To any photographers or art historians who happen to be reading this… I do know that Cartier-Bresson shot 35mm rather than medium format film. But I thought the faux film edges lent a little bit of faux authenticity to my little street portraits.

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March 4, 2010 - 8:17 pm anda - haha -- that's awesome! i love your images! i am a major procrastinator too, and i actually shot my series this morning. THEN i decided to completely change direction and i'm not using those photos anyways!! GAH! i'm just going to take my fave photographer's images and alter them now because i don't have more time to shoot anything else. i'm terrible. BUT, i'm excited to finally meet you tomorrow :)

three months old (already).

03.03.2010 Posted in children, personal

Guess who is three months old — today? My littlest man, that’s who. I cannot believe that it has been three months since I was lying in a hospital bed downtown and looking out at one of the first real snowfalls of the year as I held this tiny little newborn boy. Three months later, and he is an absolute joy to be around. Happy and content, with a great laugh. On the one hand, I cannot wait to find out the person he will grow to be… but at the same time I wish he could stay tiny and perfect for just a bit longer. Happy three month birthday little man. You have made my life complete with your smiles.

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party of five.

03.01.2010 Posted in children

Time for photos from a more recent winter session. This one took place at their home and features not one, not two, but three gorgeous children (and a furry dog too!). All of them were lots of fun — I had a great time editing these photos. I love the fact that they gave me free reign of their house, and even laughed and let me plop two of their children in their (very lovely) bathtub. Enjoy these action-packed photos!

Beautiful sisters.

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And their 2.5 year old brother (I have a soft spot for 2.5 year old boys these days).

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a {furry} tribute.

03.01.2010 Posted in animals, children

It has taken me quite a while to get this blog post up. I actually shot this session last fall, in the midst of all the craziness. And now things are somewhat less crazy, but I wanted to make sure I had the time to do this post right. I was contacted by a father who wanted to schedule a session with his two year old daughter S and their dog, Max. He explained that Max was an elderly gentleman, and had just been diagnosed with cancer. They feared that he didn’t have much time left, so they wanted a session right away so that they would have some photographs by which to remember Max. We had the session within a week or so, and sadly I found out later that Max passed away about 2 weeks after the session.

On the day of the session itself, however, I think Max had a lovely time. We started in the studio and we got some adorable shots of S with her doggie. We then went to a park, and I think that might have been Max’s favorite part. I could tell he had a great time trotting around the leaves and sniffing the air. And of course, he played with S and the rest of his family, which I’m sure made him happiest of all.

I have been a dog lover all my life, and I have been lucky enough that we have always had one as part of my family. To me, it just isn’t home unless you open the door and find a wagging tail greeting you there. For that reason, this session was rather hard for me to do. I’m sure it wasn’t always easy for the family either. But I’m so happy that they thought to have it done. I’m sure dogs will always be a part of S’s life… and I’m glad to know that she will always have these photos of the first dog in her life, to celebrate the special bond that they had. If you have a pet that’s getting on in years, make sure you take lots of photos (either by me, or another photographer, or with your own camera). As a the quote by Carlotta Monterey O’Neill says, “Dogs’ lives are too short.  Their only fault, really.” Here’s to you and the lovely life you led, Max.

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A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. [My dog] taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things - a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty. ~ John Grogan, Marley and Me, 2005

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pretty in pink.

02.24.2010 Posted in children

I’m sure you’ll recognize this little girl from the sneak peek that I posted a few days ago. This is E, on the occasion of her first birthday. This was my fifth session with this family, and the last of the Baby Sprout sessions that took place throughout her first year (and actually started with her mom’s maternity session before she was born). What is interesting is that all of the sessions took place in their home. I love that the photos all have quite a bit of variety, but there are also certain things that reoccur throughout all the sessions (most notably, those big windows and E’s gorgeous pink bedroom). I have been working on updating my website recently since most of the photos on there were over a year old. One thing I am doing is preparing a “featured session” that includes more extensive photos from a single portrait session and wedding. I chose E’s sessions as the example of the Baby Sprout plan, and that is actually up on the website now if you feel like taking a look. Click on “featured sessions” at the bottom and you’ll see it right away — it’s the only one I’ve finished so far!

I loved this session. E is such a fun little girl, and her big brother was so loveable and cooperative throughout the whole session (speaking as the mother of a 2.5 year old, I know this isn’t always an easy age, so that is definitely noteworthy).  My little guy is getting squirmy as I type this, so I’ll go right to the photos!

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Thanks for having me to your home so many times over the last few years, M family. You are always a delight. Happy 1st birthday (a bit late!) Miss E.

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February 25, 2010 - 9:48 am mandy - Carrie, as always, we love the photos. You are amazing! The featured session on your website made me cry. It is wonderful to have such a beautiful way to document and remember life before and after Ella! I love that the pictures are in our house, where we live and play and the kids grow. I am sad that it was our last session...I will have to make an excuse for more photos!

almost perfect.

02.19.2010 Posted in children

Time for another session from last fall that I never got a chance to blog. When I was going back through these photos recently to prepare them for the blog, I remembered again how much I enjoyed this session. C’s mom and I talked at length before the session… and covered everything from location to clothing to how they planned to display the photographs in their home. We split the session between their home and my favorite spot in the Arboretum — and the outdoors looked especially gorgeous on that fall day. I really love the editorial feel to their photos, and I am looking forward to photographing Miss C several times more in the next year.

At the arboretum…

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And back home (I really adore all of these)…

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ps. Did you feel that hint of spring that has been in the air the last few days? My 2.5 year old has become obsessed with asking me: “is it summer yet?”  He’s not the only one. Snow is pretty, but I’m ready for spring.

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February 22, 2010 - 9:25 am mandy - Beautiful pictures for a beautiful family!

i have measured out my life with coffee spoons.

02.17.2010 Posted in children

Do you know this poem? The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot. Ever since I first discovered it in a high school lit class, it has been one of my favorites. I actually hadn’t read it in quite a while, until just now when I looked it up to verify the exact wording for the title of this post. It’s a little more melancholy than I remember, truth be told. But the reason it popped into my head today is that I was thinking that I now measure my life largely by the lives of others. My own two little guys, of course. But also the lives of all the other little ones that I’ve photographed over the past few years. This is especially true of my Baby Sprout babies. Case in point: Miss C. I photographed her a year ago as a tiny newborn. Her newborn session was one of my favorites to date. She was one of the smiley-est babies I have ever seen at her 7 month session.  And now she is a year old, and a spunky, happy, hilarious little girl. Amazing.

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This session took place at her house, and is more of the lifestyle type of photography that I find myself gravitating toward. Honestly, I love the challenge of scheduling sessions on-location. It keeps me on my toes creatively, and I also think it will be lovely for C’s parents to look back at these photos in 15 years or so… and they can remember their first house together. The place where they brought C home from the hospital. The window in her bedroom that she loved to look out. Her room where they read so many stories together. The snow bank that she accidentally toppled into, resulting in a surprised look followed shortly by excited giggles.

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Today, I still measure my life in coffee spoons. But I can also count the passage of time by watching those tiny babies turn into toddlers. And by my ever-expanding pile of photographs of all of this, of course.

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February 17, 2010 - 9:00 pm KC - Oh my! Little C is getting so big! I love love love her little red coat! Awesome job Carrie!

February 18, 2010 - 9:21 am Elizabeth - Thanks Carrie! Jon and I absolutely love the last one! As I was looking at these pictures last night, I realized almost everything Clare is wearing in all of those photos is borrowed, including the red coat. Thanks JC and AK!

February 18, 2010 - 5:44 pm Britta - So beautiful! I love little C. And that red coat!!! Stunning.

if wishes were horses…

02.10.2010 Posted in animals

When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with animals (confession: I still sort of am). I wanted to be a veterinarian, but high school chemistry class ended that dream. Growing up, we had dogs, hamsters, fish and a rabbit, but I always really really wanted a horse. My aunt and uncle used to own a dairy farm with about 45 cows. I loved to go and visit. Whenever I went to see them, I would always go out to the barn to play with the cows and imagine where I would put my horse. Because I was convinced that one day, I would save up enough money and buy my own horse. Keep in mind I was about 6 at the time. I actually saved up about $500 over several years, but thankfully my grandfather had more sense than I did and flatly rejected the idea of my buying a horse to keep in their cow barn. As I grew up, my obsession with horses faded a bit, but I still am amazed at the beauty (and size!) of these animals. And their eyes — there is such intelligence and softness in their eyes.

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So last fall when I was contacted by a woman who lived in the gorgeous country between Madison and Milwaukee to photograph her and her horses, I jumped at the chance. It was my first time photographing horses, and was the first time I’d actually been in close proximity to them in several years. But as soon as I got there, it was like I was 6 years old again. They were so beautiful. I didn’t wish to own one myself anymore (my life right now is a bit too crazy for that!) but I was certainly happy to spend a couple of hours on a beautiful fall afternoon photographing them.

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Toward the end of my stay in the country, she and her boyfriend set the horses off running for me. And these might just be my very favorites from the day… just gorgeous.

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February 10, 2010 - 11:41 am Heather - I wanted to comment on your dog since I loved those shots, but I am glad I waited! I LOVE THESE IMAGES! Awesome work!!!

February 10, 2010 - 12:47 pm mandy - These are beautiful, and I am not a horse person, and I just might be now!

winter.

02.09.2010 Posted in animals

Not ten minutes ago, I took these two pics of my snow dog Kieran. He’s the absolute opposite of a camera hog, and usually hides from the camera. So any pics with him not hiding his face are a treasure. I love his snowy whiskers. Enjoy the snow!

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new fangled technology? film? yes, please.

02.05.2010 Posted in personal

I’ve never been a very “technie” person. But I’m trying. Sort of. I joined a group of photographers for a creativity workshop, and I went to the first session today (I joined late, so I felt like the bad kid in class who hadn’t done the assignment when I turned up to the meeting today empty-handed. I promise I’ll do the next one!). In between some really interesting discussions that actually related to the art of photography, we also discussed some things that had more to do with the business end of things. One thing I discovered today was twitterfeed.com. Evidently it simultaneously publishes your blog posts to twitter and Facebook. I have a twitter account, but I have long neglected it. I’m trying to improve, and this is the first step. So… if you want to start following me, my twitter name is caseybowerphoto. It would be fun to see lots of new followers after this post… then I’ll know it really works!

Along with my attempt to embrace technology that is still rather foreign to me, I’m also intrigued by the medium of film. I follow quite a few photography blogs, and I have seen an amazing resurgence of interest in film over the last year. I am eager to purchase a medium format film camera for myself. I was a film photographer back in the day — it’s hard to believe that my move to digital really only happened 4 years ago! I have never had a medium format camera though, so I’m somewhat overwhelmed by the process. While I lived in Philadelphia, I got to know a wonderful photographer named Rachel McGinn, who shot weddings so beautifully and entirely on film. She gave me some pointers, and 3 years later I think I’m finally ready to take the plunge.

So that’s me today. Embracing the old and the new, and aiming for a balance somewhere in the middle. Oh, and also crying over comic strips. I don’t usually read them, but my husband showed this one to me last night. And I CRIED. Over a comic strip. I think all the moms of boys especially (little ones and not-so-little ones) will understand.  This is the tear-inducing comic strip.

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