Turntable Tuesday | Back to the Future Soundtrack

I'm not sure about you but I love 80's movies and one of my all-time favorites has ALWAYS been Back to the Future! I mean who doesn't love this movie?! We have the full trilogy on DVD and actually still watch it on regular basis, it's just one of those great movies you can flip on and it can play in the background while you are doing things around the house or if you feel like garbage and need a couch day... you know what I mean! 

Though yes I love the trilogy in it's entirety (even you Back to the Future II), today we are solely talking about the original one that started it all. Something I think we can all agree on is probably the two most recognizable things about the soundtrack. First, the two iconic Huey Lewis & The News songs The Power of Love (which went onto be a #1 hit all in itself) and Back in Time. Secondly, is the large impact that the instrumental component of the soundtrack plays figuratively and literally in the film created by composer Alan Silvestri that plays throughout the movie. In the 50's era you also get to hear some of the classics from the times like Marvin Berry and The Starlighters' Earth Angel, Mr.Sandman by The Four Aces and Johnny B Goode even played by Marty McFly with The Starlighters.

When we came across this find we were both surprised and excited since we didn't know it even existed, what can I say it was a great day! 

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Fornear Photo Friday | Shane & Ashley's Engagement Shoot

In honor of all the Match Madness going on (and the big Badger win last night!) I thought I would feature a fun college rivalry shoot we did this fall for Shane & Ashley's engagement session that literally took place on the Wisconsin - Michigan border no less!   

See the crack in the pavement where the yellow lines end?? That's the Wisconsin - Michigan state line with Ashley on the Wisconsin side and Shane on the Michigan side!

Confession... We aren't big basketball people or college sports people for that matter (hello... Matt & I both went to art school not a university so no big surprise there!) Typically we cheer for the home team Wisconsin when are here or Illinois when we are in that neck of the woods.   

I just LOVE Ashley & Shane's enthusiasm and dedication to each of their teams! I really think it made for a ton of fun on this engagement shoot and I certainly can't wait to see how it might be incorporated into their wedding which I KNOW they will be!   

In the case of March Madness itself it's probably the only basketball I can get into (maybe it's the single elimination style of it or the super short "season" I don't know). Considering Wisconsin made it to the Final Four last year and just made the Elite Eight last night again all I have to say is... Go Badgers! 

Do you get into March Madness at all?

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Thirsty Thursday | Choklat, Southern Tier Brewing

Are you in the mood for dessert? I am! I have been super clean with my eating the last 2 weeks now and that means no carbs, dairy or sugar (even chocolate... UGH!) I am way less of a b!@#h that I thought I would be too... ha! I think that's because my saving grace is the 1-2 beers a week that I am allowing myself with zero guilt about having. So what better way to combine my chocolate and beer craving than by having an amazing chocolate beer!? 

Choklat is an absolutely amazing imperial stout brewed with chocolate by Southern Tier Brewing out of Lakewood, New York. Southern Tier makes a plethora of fantastic beer for all palates but where they really seem to have excelled are their collections of chocolate based stouts called the Blackwater Series. If you are looking for the perfect dessert beer any of these would be perfect, but why not start with the original, the Choklat! 

Choklat embraces the complexity of the cacao bean in the most dark and bittersweet way. What I love about this is that you don't just get the chocolate but awesome caramel (my favorite) and vanilla flavors as well. At a whopping 10% ABV this brew will catch up on you fast, especially if you have already enjoyed a few before your dessert rolled around. Some people (mostly women) are afraid of "dark" beer but this is one you should try because if you love chocolate this beer might convert you to loving dark beer!

I can only imagine how this would taste with vanilla custard or truffles... yum! 

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Travel | Hoover Dam

For the the second year in a row Matt & were fortunate enough to attend the annual WPPI convention in Las Vegas for professional wedding photographers (hey thats us!) Anywho, something we did last year that we loved and knew we would have to do again this year was rent a car to drive into the desert and explore the Southwest away from the city lights. Last year we only had our car for about 12hrs, we planned so that we could have our car for 2 days... yeah! 

Our first stop with our car was the historic Hoover Dam about 45 minutes south of Las Vegas on the border of the Nevada / Arizona state line hovering above the Colorado River. I feel like the Hoover Dam is always that cool historic place that has tons of documentaries on PBS about that seem to suck you in because they are so damn (dam get it ha!) interesting. In person it really is an amazing feat of engineering and an overwhelming sight to see.

For those of you who really aren't into documentaries, some quick history on the dam. Though it took many years of planning for this dam going back as far as 1922, offical construction began in 1931 sanctioned by Herbert Hoover during the Great Depression (though President Franklin D. Roosevelt over saw most of the project after being elected in 1932 defeating Hoover). Construction lasted just over 4 years when it finally was completed and dedicated by the president in 1936. (After the dedication President Roosevelt went to Vegas making him the first president to visit there!) The dam itself served/serves many purposes like jobs during an era that had very little, flood control, water and most of all power to a very large region of Nevada, Arizona and California. It also is a huge tourist attraction with nearly a million visitors each year. In 1985 it was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Hoover Dam also incloses Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States. Another not as well known fact.... The original name was actually always was Hoover Dam (after President Hoover) but was changed to Boulder Dam (after the near by town of Boulder City) due to his lack of popularity however when the name didn't seem to stick in 1947 Congress voted to reinstate the Hoover Dam which it has been ever since. 

There is also a very distinct Art Deco feel to Hoover Dam which I did not expect from the ornate signs, elevators and statues making the dam not only functional but beautiful. The cost is very little to visit... free if you just drive over in fact. We payed a small $9 for parking and that was it. Sadly the sky began to downpour on us so we didn't get to stay as long as we would have liked but if you ever have a chance to visit this very unique site I highly recommend it! 

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Turntable Tuesday | Veruca Salt 45

Veruca Salt is one of the bands I listened to the most in my teenage 90's years. In fact I think permanently "borrowed" my sister Lisa's Eight Arms to Hold You CD (haha sorry Lisa!) I have always loved awesome chick rocker bands or ones with female vocalists like Veruca Salt, Sleater-Kinney and Garbage so it's no surprise that last year when the 2014 Record Store Day list was released and a 45 by Veruca Salt was on the list there was no doubt we would get that... and we did!

As I am typing this I realized too that we have never featured a 45, an equivalent of a single. Most 45's are either 1-2 songs per side and much smaller than the standard 10" size. This particular Veruca Salt 45 has one song on one side and two on another. The three songs featured include their 90's anthem hit Seether (which I have ALWAYS loved) and then two special new songs The Museum of Broken Relationships and It's Holy. 

This little album is exactly what you think it would be both short and sweet. I am so happy we were able to get this as we were recently looking at the 2015 Record Store Day lineup and realized how limited a release this really was so we are lucky to have found it. 

Are you looking forward to this year's Record Store Day and any albums you are excited for? What 90's band do you miss most? This one would be right up there for me!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Fornear Photo Friday | Sara & Taylor featured on Offbeat Bride

Matt and I really luck that we have both amazing clients and other likeminded vendors we work with for Fornear Photo.... and Offbeat Bride is one of them!! 

Some of our very best clients we have ever had, Sara & Taylor's amazing Game of Thrones Wedding was featured today on there so rather than me clog up your feed please go check it out in all of it's awesomeness!!! Oh and it's a Game of Thrones themed wedding! Yeah, how cool is that!?

Please go check it out!!

http://offbeatbride.com/2015/03/wisconsin-medieval-wedding

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Thirsty Thursday | Shakparo, Sprecher Brewing

After some recent over indulgence (looking a you Las Vegas) I am doing my best to embark on some healthier lifestyle changes and one is attempting to limit my carb and gluten intake. Sadly drinking beer isn't exactly conducive to these changes I am trying to make. Though my thought processes is more on the 90/10 plan... stick to my goals 90% of the time and indulge 10% of the time, so if that means one or two beers a week, hey than I am cool with it no guilt, follow? 

So I thought for this week's Thirsty Thursday we would drink our first ever featured gluten-free beer, Shakparo by Sprecher Brewing. I love telling people the history of this beer and I can't wait to share it with you! 

Basically if you are even remotely familiar with Milwaukee, WI (where Sprecher was founded 30yrs ago) than you would know that Milwaukee is the city of festivals celebrating every imaginable heritage as well as the largest music festival in the world Summerfest. Almost all of these festivals take place on the Summerfest grounds along Lake Michigan and downtown Milwaukee... (such a great venue might I had!) But back to the beer! Shakparo was originally brewed for one of these said festivals, African World Festival about 15yrs ago. Using only ingredients that were found in Africa like sorghum and millet (as wheat and barley do not grow there) this beer was derived. 

Since the time of it's inception Shakparo has grew largely in part because of the gluten-free movement in America. What I love telling people is how this beer was brewed to be a GREAT BEER, not just some gluten-free beer... so much so that it even won a metal at last year's World Beer Cup as being one of the best gluten-free beer in the world (only losing to a Belgian brewery), so effectively Shakparo is the #1 gluten-free beer in America! 

When you sip this beer I alway remind people you have to not exactly think about it in the traditional beer sense since it is brewed with different ingredients than most are used to. I almost liken the flavor a bit to a cider or farmhouse sour ale type largely in part due to the German hefeweizen style yeast strain used in the brewing process. At a mild 5.7% ABV the subtlety in this beer is fantastic if you are enjoying on it's own or with lighter foods. Though this style is not for everyone (an open mind might be required) it certainly is a great alternative to those of you out there that have Celiac disease, live gluten-free or are simply looking to try something new. Enjoy!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Northwoods Life | Northern Lights

I have said it many of times we live in a pretty special little place in this great big world... Northern Wisconsin! From time to time we are lucky enough to get to see some awesome natural wonders and the Northern Lights aka Aurora Borealis happens to be one of them! 

Matt & I do our best to keep a look out (online) as to when they are predicted to make their appearances and on the very early morning of St.Patrick's Day they did just that!  While I was sound asleep Matt snuck out and arrived home near dawn to make coffee and show me some awesome shots he got. 

Throughout the day we kept tabs on the KP levels (the global geomagnetic storm index with a scale of 0 to 9) that helps predict when you might be able to see the Auroras... basically all day they were going strong into the evening so Matt went out again. The photos taken were from the early evening just before midnight on St.Patrick's Day 2015. Aren't they amazing!? 

Just one perk of living in Northern Wisconsin and near Upper Michigan, enjoy!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Turntable Tuesday | Death from Above 1979, The Physical World

I honestly had not heard any music from Death from Above 1979 until very recently when my husband Matt picked up this record not that long ago. Sure I had seen it in my Instagram feed but really wasn't familiar with it in any other way. Well after it spinning all weekend I am very excited we have it in our collection! 

With an awesome rock sound that packs a punch Death from Above is right up my alley! After a few spins my next question was if the album came with a digital download as my driving tunes have become, well a bit stagnate. (Believe me I love spinning records while we are at home but I definitely need tunes while I am driving too!)

This Canadian rock duo has been around for some time so I can't believe I am just hearing about them! The Physical World has so many great songs, especially the singles Trainwreck 1979 and Government Trash. The more I listen to this album you can totally hear the influences of other artists their producer has worked with like LCD Soundsystem and Nine Inch Nails yet Death from Above's unique sound clearly flows through.

If you haven't had a chance to spin this one recently I highly recommend you do!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Travel | Las Vegas & WPPI 2015

For the the second year in a row Matt & were fortunate enough to attend the annual WPPI convention in Las Vegas for professional wedding photographers (hey thats us with Fornear Photo!) We took a bit different of an approach to taking in Sin City and photographing it than we did last year. 

Look at this view!! Last year we stayed at MGM Grand which was awesome, this year we stayed at the MGM Signature Suites an extension of MGM, which was equally as great plus a few steps closer to the convention area which was nice. We also got a balcony suite over looking The Strip complete with a kitchen (we love getting grocery delivery because it saves on eating out every meal hence our budget) and a whirlpool tub to boot! 

I can't recommend Vegas enough for an inexpensive vacation, especially direct flights from Midwest cities like Minneapolis (which we do), Milwaukee or even Chicago. Some people think that it won't be fun because they don't gamble but honestly you don't need to gamble to enjoy Vegas! There are SO many things to see from The Strip itself to the beautiful casinos or pools, plus it's a foodies paradise with tons of fantastic bars and restaurants to choose from. We aren't gamblers, last year we didn't even gamble a dime and this year we gambled about $50 which at least resulted in a few free cocktails so it wasn't a complete loss and we budgeted for it so no biggie. We also took a chance on what I thought might be a tourist trap (which it really wasn't) The High Roller. The High Roller is the largest observation wheel, aka Ferris wheel, in the world and it overlooks Las Vegas. We opted to get the Happy Hour pod and it was totally worth it! Considering prices of cocktails can be a bit steep on The Strip this pod has an open bar for the whole 30 minutes of the ride and it's built into the cost of the $30 ticket so between the drinks and the view it was an absolute win-win. 

Like last year we saw a show which as far as I am concerned is a MUST in Vegas. We saw the Cirque du Soleil show Mystère which was OK compared to Beatles Love. The performers were awesome but the show itself is a bit dated... a big old man baby crying "papa" throughout it... um creepy, no thank you! We also rented a car again which probably is our favorite thing to do so we can get out, explore and shoot (more to come on our adventures in other posts!)

(Ugghhhh.... Blurry cell phone pictures... sorry! Below are better taken by Photobooth Supply Co. though note our "awkward" faces in both lol!) 

Since we saw the sights of Vegas and photographed many of them last year we skipped that and not only focused more on WPPI by adding additional classes but also simply relaxing and enjoying ourselves and walk some of the casinos we missed. One of our biggest goals was to reach out and meet other wedding photographer husband and wife duos like us and guess what... we succeeded! I love that we have made friends with La Valle Fotografi out of Cleveland Ohio, New Edition Photography from Ogden Utah and Herrera Family Photography from San Diego California. It was so awesome getting time to chat and learn about each other's experiences plus the opening night party at Hakkasan & the Pool Party events at MGM were great!

We had a blast in Vegas and can't wait for the next time we go back, heck we might be even planning another quick weekend away there this fall, thats how much we love Vegas! Have any questions or looking for further tips? Let me know I love sharing our travel experiences!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography (unless otherwise noted): Fornear Photo

Fornear Photo Friday | Dan & Kelly's Northwoods Winter Engagement Shoot

It feels like forever since I did a Fornear Photo Friday! Life has been crazy around here and I have a feeling it is not going to be slowing down. Since we have returned home from our travels the Northwoods has gotten CONSIDERABLY warmer... like every day above 40 degrees for about a week! I mean in these parts it's practically summer!

That said tomorrow Matt & I will be shooting what might be our last "winter" engagement session for the year considering there is very little snow left (though it is not unheard of for us to get hit with a March or April snow storm.) That said, so I am really happy to post Dan & Kelly's engagement session that we shot on New Years Eve!

We had such a blast with these two! Such a fun loving and very adventurous couple we shot at a few places around Eagle River, Wisconsin including Kelly's family cabin that is featured in some of the shots. 

I LOVE that they were actually more than willing to play in the snow (which was Kelly's idea!) but to also brave the temps, it was pretty chilly that day to boot. Enjoy these images of winter, they might be some of the last for awhile!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photograph: Fornear Photo