I have been through a hurricane, and lived to tell the tale.

sisters in hope, originally uploaded by Tipping Point Photo//Liz.

What happened:

Kids. Cat. More kids. Hairbrush, flowers, shoes, socks, stripes. Cat again. More kids! Shoes Dorothy would love. Bikes, bikes, bikes. Heavy footfalls. Curls. Tears and more tears. Out the door and away we go! Down the street. Greenhouse, pumpkins, flowers, celery picker. "Don't pick the pansies, don't hide from the camera, sit with your sister, it's raining, over here, no, here, no, here." Tears again, but chocolate! Yum!!!! Back home for snacks. Delicious homemade applesauce--thank you! Mac and cheese for little mouths--gobblegobblegobblegobbleallgone. New shirts, new socks, tutus, that darn cat, to grandpa's house we go. Climbing, climbing, vroom vroom, zoom zoom. TEARS! Climbing, climbing, climbing. Into the car, down to the farm we go. Corn. Mud. Cowgirl. Dramatic skies. Jumping, sillies, falling down. Apples and fun for all. New friends.

What I saw:

Independence.
Patience.
Boundless courage in little bodies.
Family.
Raw emotion.
Hope upon hope upon hope.
Real life.

(You can see it, too.)

Woooooooooosh!!!!

Real superheroes travel by bike, originally uploaded by Tipping Point Photo//Liz.

Hear that? That's the sound of summer flying out the door, and the sudden, slight chill of fall settling in our bones.

That said, business has been anything but chilly. We are truly thrilled at the floor of inquiries we've received in the last six weeks, including four requests for information about our 2011 wedding services. It's wonderful to connect with potential new clients, not just because it's good for business, but because it means more people to get to know, more stories to tell, more amazing moments that we'll get to experience through the lens. In short, we can't help but shout, "Yippee!"

Aside from work, we're also on the move with various sporting events. Chicago Marathon day is close at hand--10.10.10!--and before that, I have a preliminary marathon to tackle in northern Wisconsin on the 19th of September. On top of all these miles, we've embraced the start of our second cyclocross season! The xXx Racing team hosted a relay event on the last Sunday of August, and though we both raced, we also managed to get some photos, including this one of the illustrious Supergirl. Check out the entire set here.

Love's enthusiasm knows no bounds

YES!, originally uploaded by Tipping Point Photo//Liz.

After an insanely busy summer, we've finally gotten our feet back under us...hopefully!...and plan to get back to sharing sessions with you here on the blog.

This fun little shot is from our session last Friday with Katie and Anne--both College of Wooster classmates of mine and recently married! (Congratulations, ladies!) On a recent trip to D.C., I met up with Katie for a marathon training run, and during our 2 hour, 10-mile trek around the monuments and parkways, she asked if we could set up a surprise portrait session for her and Anne during their upcoming Chicago visit, and of course I said, "Yes!"

We started our shoot in the heart of the Lincoln Park neighborhood, then meandered south to Old Town, making use of benches, brick walls, bridges and chain-link fences aplenty! This leaping shot is one of my favorites--it's authentically happy, which is what Katie and Anne are. Throughout the session, it was vividly apparent that they're a perfect match, both as friends and partners, and are just downright fun people to spend time with. I think the complete set from our session shows that clearly.

Thanks again for working with us, gals! See you on 10.10.10!

We're dreaming--you're coming along for the ride.

Observing, originally uploaded by Tipping Point Photo//Liz.

Yes, we're still here! :o) We've had a mighty busy 2010, between two work trips and one very large trip abroad to New Zealand, all before the end of February!

Our time away has given us plenty of headroom to think about our photography, and where we're headed. We entered the new year feeling that there was some excitement in the year.

The good news: We're heading for the stars! And we're taking you with us. That's right, we're ramping up just about everything about our business, without losing all the creativity and the amazing client experience you've come to expect from Tipping Point. This starts with a more informative website, which will be getting a small facelift in the coming months.

The bad news: Well, no bad news, really. Maybe it's bad that we've been away from blogging for a bit, and you've found yourself longing for some inspirational images. You can always check our Flickr photostream for pics if you just can't wait for our favorites to pop up here.

Thanks for bearing with us while we continue exploring our next destination!

Little hands, big thanks!

schreinerxmas09-58, originally uploaded by Tipping Point Photo//Liz.

This Christmas, we are so very thankful for all of the people--big and small--who we have met through our photography in 2009. We are honored and humbled to have snuck into your lives for a few hours on a seemingly ordinary day, and captured moments that now hang on your walls, grace your refrigerator door, and travel far and wide with your holiday cards. Thank you for your continued support of our work and our dreams!
Wishing merry, merry, merry days to you and your loved ones! :o)

Let the sun shine in

Sun shining down, originally uploaded by Tipping Point Photo//Liz.

Good fortune continues, and I am ever so thankful for it!

The thoughtful folks at ChiCrossCup.com asked to borrow this photo for their post on yesterday's race results. Of course, I said yes.

Result? A whole lot of new connections, and we're closing in over 4,000 views on my Flickr photostream for the last 24 hours.

:o)

See the full post here: http://chicrosscup.com/2009/10/25/bartlettsunrise-park-results/

Visit www.chicrosscup.com for more info about the awesome Chicago Cyclocross Cup series and to find more amazing pictures from other photogs at the event.

Communing with the power of the image

Bread, originally uploaded by Tipping Point Photo//Liz.

The expansion of a business is always thrilling, but in this case it's especially wonderful because more business for us means more occasions where, for a few hours, our craft becomes intimately intertwined with the lives of others. As our client list continues to grow, we are adding some wonderful people to our lives, and some amazing images to our collections. The photographs most special to us after the events or sessions are over are those that retain their significance in life's big picture, and surpass their status as simple memories of that day.

On this particular September day, as I was nestled in a rear pew of the church while wedding attendees filed through the communion line, I watched closely as the bride and groom broke bread and shared it with their guests, patiently, quietly, thankfully. I keep coming back to this image on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, with all of this in mind, and it serves as a frequent reminder of the power of sharing, and all of the good that comes of it. A simple image, but powerful. Powerful in a way that I believe has the ability to catalyze important social change.

What do you see and feel when you look at this image? Do those feelings empower you to make a change, or do they affirm your way of being?

See the entire set from this amazing wedding.