My first introduction to photography, that I can remember, was in 2004 at my uncles wedding. As a five-year-old, I vividly remember running around with multiple Kodak disposable cameras, taking magnificent photos of everyones kneecaps. In fact, if I remember correctly, I filled up five or six disposable cameras with photos. My 5 year-old self could not wait to get those photos developed! Looking back at them today (yes, I still have them) they were horrible.
As I continued to grow up; whatever that means, I continued to photograph much of what was around me: family trips, siblings sports etc. I always enjoyed trying to get the neat shots, especially for sports. But it wasn't until high school that I really began to expand my photography.
Plymouth High School was a great test ground for my photography skills. I began photographing as many events as possible. To date, six years later, I have photographed over 230 different events and taken well over a hundred thousand (100,000) photos of just Plymouth High School events. The best part is that I have been able to offer those photos up to students and community members for free through the wonderful platform called Flickr.
I loved being able to do this while in high school. It was very common to see me walking into school in the morning with not only my backpack, but my camera bag as well. After school, almost every day, I would either go to practice or work out, and then run off to a sporting event in the evening. I would come home every night and edit photos right away... many times working well into the morning. Then, I would get back up and go to school for the next day, often times repeating exactly the same schedule as the day before.
Many of you are thinking that's crazy, right? It was, but I loved it. In fact I loved it so much that, now, as a full-time college student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, I still drive back and forth every weekend to photograph sports and different events around Plymouth. It keeps me busy, but the tradeoff is having been able to meet and build some very neat relationships with hundreds of athletes over the years.
A quick digression to more about my life outside of photography. If you've read this far, you may have caught that I am currently in college at UW-Whitewater. To be more specific, I am a second semester Junior, majoring in finance and minoring in international business. Whitewater is a phenomenal campus and has some extraordinary programs. So if you're interested, I highly recommend you check it out!
I live with three pretty awesome roommates: Mitch, Jake, and Tom. I met these goons my freshman year, and the rest is history. This year, we added one more aspect to the group... the most important roommate, my dog Cooper!
Cooper is a 7 month old English Springer Spaniel. He love cuddling, wrestling, going for walks and playing outside, chasing squirrels and playing in the mud. He also watching tv and LOVES the snow. Cooper is a bundle of energy, and he keeps all four of us on our toes.
Now, back to photography.
I began taking senior photographs three years ago. I first started with a few friends and very quickly expanded from there. I love the ability to meet so many different people and learn a little bit about them and their dreams and aspirations as they head into their senior year. As a college student myself, it was not long ago that I was headed into my senior year, and passing along little tidbits of advice when and where I can is always fun!
I try to structure my senior photo sessions to be as painless as possible. Not everyone enjoys having their photo taken, so keeping things light, informal and fun really lends the ability to bring out peoples true personalities, and making for some awesome photographs!
My photography experience does not stop with Senior portraits. I've the opportunity to photograph everything from engagements, weddings and other group events to automobiles, auto racing events and much more! I love the challenge like Real Estate photography presents and I also enjoy family portraits, where I am able to capture multiple generations in one sitting.
Throughout my photography journey, I have learned a lot. And none of this would be possible without some very key people. The first, my parents. They put up with me traveling to all of the different events and not being around a ton. Then my grandparents. They helped to jumpstart me into the high speed sports world.
A huge thank you goes out to Theresa Martell of Theresa Rose Photography. As I was getting more invested into the photography world, her time and patience in helping teach me and get my footing was priceless and I am forever in her debt. She is a phenomenal photographer and took my senior photos. Take a second to visit her page www.theresarosephoto.com!
And last, big thank you goes out to the Plymouth Community for their interest in my photos and using them personally or professionally. Without everyones help, I know I would not be where I am today.
I love photography and just as much, I love to meet new people. Thank you for taking the time to learn about me, and I really look forward to working with you!
For bookings and more information on different services offered, please visit www.luedtkephotography.com!
