Excited to share that we are officially building (another) house! AND it’s actually…almost done!!! We’ve been SO incredibly busy these last few months it’s been such a blur of work, weddings, commercial shoots, portraits, building meetings, you name it! Tanner and I are blessed to have been able to do something totally custom this time, have a...
What a great 2016 it was! Tanner and I spent the last few days of 2016 in Wisconsin at his family cabin. We went ice fishing, watched lots of Netflix and spent some quality time with family and friends. Well that and we flew the drone! (See video below). Thanks for such a wonderful 2016 all...
Just wanted to share a few more favorites from our few days away in Wisconsin last week before we start our marathons of August-Nov weddings on the books. Long Lake is insanely gorgeous and a photographers dream! We spent a few great days with friends and family. The sunsets and sunrises are out of this...
I’ve always tried to share a little bit of our personal life with photos on our blog over the last 8 years. To keep up with this trend I thought I’d share a few fun photos from our “real” cameras (and video) from our week long 4th of July vacation at the family lake house in Long...
After one of our fab engagement sessions last week we stopped by downtown Des Moines on the way home for a quick test of our new (toy) equipment…a DJI Phantom drone! (And YES before you yell at us or lecture us it’s already been registered with the FAA…promise!) We can’t wait to start taking a...
Being a photographer you find yourself taking thousands of photos, and never editing the ‘fun ones’ or ‘not paid shoots’ aka years later you find all these awesome RAW files and editing them like “OH MAN HOW DID I NEVER FIND THE TIME FOR THIS!” Well, January years later is the perfect time! While searching to put together...
Occasionally for fun we venture out and take a few landscapes after shoots or on a weekend we aren’t busy. Over the years I’ve been asked alot where people can buy our fun photos of Des Moines, well wait no longer! The gallery is located here: http://ztsphoto.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Landscapes-by-ZTS-Photo/ Great for your office, home or a gift! Why...
Something that’s fun and we’ve been doing since 2009 (our first year in business) is looking back on the behind the scenes pics from all our weddings, senior, family, commercial, etc shoots from the year. ZTS started out in 2009 with Tanner and I (then dating) and kind of fun that we are now married...
Last Saturday was a picture perfect Fall Iowa day. We visited the Center Grover Orchard a few miles north of Des Moines in Cambridge with some great friends. We’ve been there before but I must say it is THE COOLEST orchard/pumpkin patch I’ve ever been to! It is not only huge but incredibly well maintained....
I realized the other day it has been SO long since we posted a personal post so here you go! Really that and the fact that I have hundreds of photos from this spring and summer to edit still. Ha! Gosh we’ve just been too busy with life, work, photography jobs and our own wedding...
Back to the blog by popular demand, our Olde English Bulldogge Dexter and his OEB pal Bruce! Because who couldn’t use some cuteness to brighten their sunny Friday morning. I think it is safe to say they get along pretty well! Also if you are on Instagram or Twitter feel free to follow Dex @DexterBulldogge,...
Des Moines, Iowa is such a gorgeous place! We have been receiving national attention for the last few years on just how fantastic it is to live here. Even the Today Show did a great piece on our city! I ventured out and braved the cold the other weekend to capture some landscapes of our...
You know…I think we could be professional bulldog photographers?! Anyway, due to it being January in Iowa aka BRR way too cold for photo sessions and my want to blog more personal things in 2014…enjoy this adorable puppy visitor Bruce! Dexter our olde english bulldogge really could use a sister, he LOVED Bruce! Plus what...
One of my 2014 New Year’s resolutions was to shoot more landscape photography (and blog more!). We headed up to Tanner’s family’s cabin in Wisconsin for a 4 day vacation this weekend and it was FINALLY warm enough to bring my camera along ice fishing. WOO! Tanner and I on the lake. Please don’t judge...
It has been a while since we posted a personal post and this was just too cute to pass up! Happy holidays from our happy little bulldog Dexter, he is loving the fireplace weather and Christmas tree! Our last commercial shoot of 2013 was today and can’t wait to share quite a few fall weddings...
A little over a year ago Tanner and I started the discussion that with all our gear, lights and craziness that shooting weddings brings that we could REALLY use some help for a few of our big 2012 weddings. Thus began the discussion and adventure of finding a 3rd shooter. We tossed around several ideas for names and no one seemed...
I’ve been dying to shoot from this bridge for years but never got around to actually having my camera at the ideal time. Well last week I just happened to have my trusty 70-200 and pulled over for a quick handheld pano of Des Moines. Sometime soon we will have to visit at sunset!
Well we have some exciting news and you know we were unpacking because it took us a week to share it…we are getting hitched ourselves! I think we may have the planning of the day down after shooting weddings the past five years, ha! We will see how this goes. We couldn’t be more excited...
Amazing sunset tonight over the city, really going to miss living here in East Village soon! Stay tuned for some awesome commercial shoots to hit the blog in the next few days. Plus I just can’t believe it is almost wedding season, where is 2013 going? Stay tuned!
It officially began this week. Our house that is! Stay tuned for progress photos over the next few months of our new place. Can’t wait to have lots of room for a studio in the near future too!!! Get excited because Tanner, Dexter and I sure are!
Living in Iowa eventually each winter we are bound to get a whopper of a storm. Last winter was perfect (in my book) lacking one but if it has to snow DUH I have to take my camera out and snap some photos! Walked around East Village tonight as the storm was about 2 hours...
I have decided since this is probably our last year living in East Village that it would be cool to do a fun landscape project of Des Moines. More of a personal project for a few months as we really aren’t that busy with weddings again until late spring. This was taken awhile ago of the Des...
Just a gorgeous capture from our lawn tonight in East Village. Fall in Iowa truly has some of the best sunsets!
It isn’t everyday the President swings by your back yard! Headed out tonight to snap a few photos of the madness here in East Village before and the speech. Wished I would have waited in line from 4pm-10pm for legit seats but I’d say for going outside right before he started I got a pretty...
A few weekends ago Taner and I and my awesome little cousin Max hit up the Center Grove Orchard. I couldn’t have been more impressed with ALL of the activities there! It is only a short 20 min jaunt from Des Moines. If you want apple picking, a pumpkin patch, animals, a corn pit, a...
Tanners family purchased a cabin in Birchwood Wisconsin a few weeks ago and this weekend was our first trip up there! I can’t wait to see what they do with the place, they have so many plans for remodeling and making it just that much more awesome. The sunsets there are FANTASTIC. Seriously blow your...
Gorgeous rainbow after the rain storm tonight here in East Village. Obviously you could find me in the few sprinkles still falling laying in the middle of the E Locust street on my belly taking photos of the rainbow over the Iowa Capital.
This is our 4th season shooting weddings for Tanner and I and every time we head out for a shoot I think to myself really, this job is just so awesome! I can’t believe we have come this far and sometimes reflecting back I am just so proud of us for starting a business at...
Can’t believe our little man is 10 months old already! Ahh Dexter, he is just pure awesomeness.
On Wed night Tanner and I headed down to my hometown of Indianola for the National Balloon Classic. If you live in the Des Moines area and haven’t been you should definitely make it a priority to go some year in the near future! It runs through this weekend, so you still have a chance this year as well!...
Just wanted to share a few photos from vacation this past week on the lake in Hazelhurst, Wisconsin. Seriously SO incredibly gorgeous up there! Knew it was meant to be when we got there and they had Hawkeye stuff hanging from the trees! Our dock for the week!The cabin, complete with creepy “murder doors”...
Tanner put together these seriously awesome composites of Buena Vista University athletes over the last few weeks. His goal was to portray them larger than life and attract a feeling of pride, especially in BVU conveyed by the photos. The athletes pics were all taken with three alien bee strobes to create an image that...
I haven’t blogged about our little puppy Dexter lately but if you follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook you probably see enough of the little guy! [C’mon we don’t have kids…you know you love him too!] Well OK, truly he isn’t so little anymore! Dex is almost 8 months old and just one happy 50+...
One of the fun perks of living in East Village here in Des Moines is the ability to walk to the Des Moines Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. I probably can not attend to too many this year due to shooting weddings on many Saturdays but last weekend was open and the market was just delightful! I...
Tanner and I went to a studio get together in Nebraska a few weeks ago. Among chatting with some of the local photographers, shooting some studio shots and sharing a few beers we had one of them snap a photo of us in the gorgeous basement studio. Kind of fun to be behind the camera for...
A few months ago Tanner and I had the pleasure of shooting the local NBA Development League team here in Des Moines, the Iowa Energy. We have shot plenty of high school and college basketball through the years but shooting for the NBA D League is a whole new game. Holy cow those boys move!...
Winter really has been pretty non-existent here in Des Moines this year however where Tanner is in Storm Lake they have had a few snow storms. This was taken by Tanner a few weeks ago during the blizzard that occurred in mid-February. Of-course the best thing to do during a sweet snow storm is hop in your car and go...
Some more glass goodness to add to our lineup arrived last week. This little baby will be awesome for video, detail shots and portraits. Possibly even a few landscapes too! Excited to really break the 35L lens in the next few months with lots of weddings and engagement sessions on our books. Looks like it...
It is pretty hard to have a puppy and not take a crazy amount of photos of the little guy! Just some favorites recently of little Dexter. He’s getting so big! 4 months old this week. Where has the last two months gone?! Also a few snowscapes from this past weekends crazy weather. Finally getting...
We are pleased to announce we are the recipient of the 2012 Brides Choice award from WeddingWire again this year! This means we are in the top 5% of Wedding Pros nationwide! The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and...
I suppose it has been awhile since we last posted on the blog which is extremely unlike us. Mainly out of the fact that things have slowed down a bit for us this time of year and partly because of our newest little addition. Say hello to Dexter! (Yes he already knows he is pretty cute,...
