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welcome to the ae blog.

ae photography is Eric and Ashley Hintzsche.  We are a husband and wife team based in Northern Illinois.  We've been up and running since 2002 and love it more as each year passes.  Our style is fun, expressive and natural.  We have three young kids, a new studio, and each other : ) We are excited to get the new blog going! Browse, follow, stalk, whatever!

recent applause:

shootsac blog post with photo of Ashley shooting Eric's senior session 

chicago RedEye (tribune) feature of Pete and Liz's backyard wedding & Chicago reception

offbeat mama post with featured photo of our little rockstar Finn

rock 'n roll bride feature of Pete + Liz's backyard wedding

smitten the blog feature for Pete + Liz's backyard wedding

wed*share daily feature for Pete + Liz's backyard wedding

smitten the blog feature for Maggie's fashion bridal shots

offbeat bride feature for Zaq + Amber's wedding 

featured display at Cypress House in Rochelle, IL for 9.11.09 open house

photography exhibit up at borders in DeKalb, IL for the month of August

featured on Brides Bliss blog for Zaq + Amber's wedding in 7.09

exclusive featured photographer for Cypress House in Rochelle, IL

 

Category Archives: personal

taite-a-mate

Yesterday was a not-so-good day.  Well, to be frank, yesterday was a terrible day.  But, when I returned from getting groceries and sat down to start at it again, I had the sweetest thing ever happen.
I already had facebook open.  I’m rarely actually on it, but it’s always minimized.  I was emailing a client when...

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Cari - Awww that is so sweet. I am having an awful day today so I could only imagine how that must have cheered you up!!!

Susan Johnson - i would like to point out that those farming games are fun at every age :)

Kimberly - 1- Kyra!

Marion Knoblich - Brock: What a beautiful baby boy. I love how you can see both parent's arms caring for this little guy too!

Ginger - Brock is the cutest little boy ever!!!

Sarah - that's so sweet :) i can't believe he figured out all that on his own! he's smart! my son is 6, i love that he still loves me and isn't embarrassed about it. isn't it the greatest?!

Jessica - :) SO CUTE! they just melt your heart don't they?

Jordan - aww. that's absolutely adorable!

Candice - Love it!! Thank you for sharing that~ very sweet =)

Christy - Aww, that is SO sweet. :) Anyways, I'd just like to say that I love you guys' photography. Whenever I get married I want you to capture everything. Do you guys plan on moving to Texas in... say 10 years? Oh btw, I have the same birthday as Eric! haha

ashley’s blog

I used to despise the word blog, especially “blogger”–that one still gets me.  I wasn’t at all into the the concept of blogging and never really browsed them much, other than the occasional photo blog here and there. I definitely didn’t have any bookmarked blogs or ones I was dedicated to checking daily.  I used...

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Joan - Excellent creativity Ashley! Keep it going!

Amber Zrust - You rock... were workin gon a similar thing once we get moved into this new place... out with the old... in with the new... looking at this unfortunate situation as a chance to change alot... oh, and my babysitter stopped showing up, so Ill be finding a new one of those too, CANT WAIT!

Jessica - i never get bored with your ideas! :) have fun and i am looking forward to see what you have in store!

Kristy - I was wondering about the texture! I love what you did with it, but I also appreciate what you can do without it. I'm always fascinated with your blog, so you can count me in, revamp or no revamp!

we’re back!

I bet you thought I just decided to ditch the blog.  The thought has crossed my mind.  I can’t even tell you how how busy we are.  It’s almost laughable.  We pretty much have to be doing a least 5 things at once at any given point in time or we will miss some deadline...

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Candice - Hope you are feeling better soon!!

update

Sorry for the lack of posts.  We’ve had a lot going on, and I’ve been sick… again.  I’m still not over it + my mouth situation is hardly better, and I have no pain meds for it anymore.  All that + we have a ton of posting to do.  I will try to get back...

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some lovely tunes

I don’t have time to post today (sorry)… I need to focus on editing only.  That said, I always listen to music whilst I edit, or I’d lose my mind : )
Here are some lovely tunes that have been giving me creative vibes and helping me get my work done.  Hope you enjoy ; )

And,...

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Amber Zrust - I always listen to Regina Specktor while I work, same thing, she makes me happy & creative... also try Catherine Feeny - Love her too.

Keli - How about some Rilo Kiley or Jenny Lewis solo albums

my e and the end of our 2009

We tend to bicker a lot.  It becomes quite public… on Facebook, during weddings, sessions and whatnot.  Sure we can drive each other crazy. We are married, work together, take care of the kids together, shop together…everything is always done together.  The times I do go out with my mom, sisters or friends, I just...

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Brook - what a sweet post!!! i love it!

Amber Zrust - This is pretty much zaq and i... i count the seconds until he gets home from work.. we talk on the phone for like an hour a day while he is at work... text all day... and sometimes even gmail chat... but never fail when his day off rolls around we argue and bicker the whole damn time... today was one of those days... can i get a do over? Just glad were not the only ones... lol Oh... and yes - my mom took the boys to San Diego for 3 days... we had two whole nights to ourself... all the possibilities! Movie... Dinner... Concert... i mean, come on! Its cali! What did we do? Nothing... snuggled on the couch and rented two movies, lol and i loved it...

Jody - Tom plays video games, too, and it drives me mad, too. Sometimes I have wondered if I need a support group...j/k it isn't that bad. Yet every time I am home and he is playing, it drives me crazy! So thank you for sharing. I'm not the only one!

Sarah - how cute!! i love reading posts like this. adorable.

Jessica Sena - What Ella wrote just melted my heart! awww! I have small Christmas gifts for each of the little ones...if I dont see you before your Jan 30th & 31st sessions i will bring them then! :)

Lesley - Beautiful photos and beautifully written! You two make a fantastic duo - thanks for sharing your story with the rest of us.

Megan - So cute!I love that not only are you great at photography but you know how to put things into words also.(some ppl get all the talent)*eyes rolling*;) I enjoy reading you blogs. Keep up the great work!!:)

Jessica Cech - Beautifully written! Congrats on 6 years=)

Jennifer - After reading this I just want to say "Awww!!" and the dessert thing is so something Bill and I would do :) Happy New Year!

setting the bar for 2010

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puppy from santa

Good thing we have Eric and all of his wisdom to explain why it’s a girl and not a boy… goodness.  The kids were very excited!   Please excuse the crazy mess–the kids got a zillion and one toys.  Also, excuse the silly mismatched pjs.  They pick out their own stuff for bed.  : )
We...

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Brook - "because she has no wiener".... that is a classic quote!!! lol she's absolutely adorable and i hope she feels better soon!

ae photography - Just a follow-up. Here name is Olive, and we call her Ollie for short. She has a terrible clod right now, so we will be taking her to the vet asap to see if she is okay. Poor thing. She is laying around and not moving much :(

nikki - She is adorable.

ashley’s health

This is a notice to let everyone know that no new sub galleries or new online galleries will be posted until further notice.  Ashley is extremely ill (teeth, jaw, mouth) and we are unable to work at this time.  We will let everyone know as soon as things get better.  It shouldn’t be too much...

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Susan & Chad - we've been watching via facebook...get better soon!! being sick is no fun!

Nikki and Jonathan - So sorry to hear this!! Best wishes on a fast recovery!

an update

Thank you SO very much for all the responses.  I ask (beg) people to comment on a lot of different things, and it’s very rare that people actually do.  I’m so happy that everyone tried to help me out.  I would like to address some of the ideas mentioned in the comments so everyone can...

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rachel streit - I choose option A do what you love and keep up the great photos, just make sure each couple understands it will take time:)

Jessica - Keep up the great work! I love that you are so passionate and you have a job that you love to do! I certainly hope the good outweighs the bad, and in this case I think it's good you are a perfectionist. :) I am so proud of both of you and what you guys have accomplished. It's not easy raising a family and having your own business. :):)

Jody - I love how you said that you treat everyone's photos like they are your own wedding photos. Amazing. From what I have seen, I believe it, too. I work in customer service and always try to resolve the customer's issue as though I were having the same issue--even when they are being jerks and wouldn't know if I'm helping them as much as I can or not. I missed your first post, but I would be so sad if you went with Option B :(