TWO SWEET BOYS

These two boys were very well behaved, and braved the incredibly cold temperatures like pros! It was abnormally chilly for a Mississippi afternoon, but these guys put on their happy faces in spite of it all :)

I had our ten-month-old along at the time, and the older of the brothers had the sweetest thing to say about her! The night after our shoot he mentioned to his mom that he really like our baby, and when she asked why that was he replied, "Because she's just so beautiful!" What a little charmer!!! I had such a good time with this family and enjoyed running around with them in the cold weather.

LAST FEW FALL PHOTOS

These pictures are the last few remaining from my wonderful trip back to Minnesota. These good looking folks have been friends for a very, very long time so I was incredibly glad to have an excuse to go see them and catch up a bit!

Road Wolf

These photos were taken at Road Wolf, a custom bike shop in Fargo, ND. The place is AWESOME and I was really excited to photograph some of the details of the various motorcycles and parts laying around.

I also got to take pictures of the family that owns the business. They are good friends, and it makes me feel very old to say that I remember well when their beautiful daughter was born!

Family Shoot

These good looking folks are dear friends that have the sweetest little boy. He is a few months older than our daughter and every time we are together he teaches her a new trick. She is completely fascinated with him, and who can blame her? He's adorable!

Senior Pictures

This senior shoot was so much fun, but it was the second coldest shoot of the year, having taken place just a few hours after the coldest shoot thus far (see a few posts below). Once again, however, I was fortunate enough to have an extremely willing subject :) This senior was calm, cool and collected as his dad, sister and I gave him directions. Doesn't he look nice?!

Mastering the blog and another oldie but goodie

Ok, so my friend Jerrod will soon be receiving some homemade cookies for his stellar help on the blog. Honestly, I swear I tried every combination of things possible, but his simple instructions proved to be just the trick to get the text above the image. I would like to point out that somehow I was cognizant enough in my very first post ever to get this right, but somewhere between there and here I clearly forgot. Thanks, Jerrod!

Here is another blast from the past. This image was a part of my senior show back in college. It belongs to a series of portraits I did of people I met while riding my bus route in Minneapolis. They were made using a disposable camera (which could be nicely concealed in my pocket until I got the ok on the photo taking from my fellow transit users...I discovered on my first try that wearing a huge camera around your neck is a bit of a turn off for most folks). This particular picture is of a man named Cleo who worked as a Jimi Hendrix impersonator, and it's still one of my very favorite photos.

A Quiet Place

I am in the process of finishing up my little home office space...and I do mean little :) It is just a corner really, but it's my corner and I'm working on creating a peaceful spot for myself where I can be creative and productive. One thing I knew I wanted to include was a plant...

I have always wanted an orchid, but have been terrified of trying to keep one alive. On one of my recent trips to the grocery store they had these gorgeous orchids on display that were there to greet me right as I walked in the door, and I gave in. I have kept my pretty little plant alive for over a week now, so I'm feeling fairly successful.

Here's the orchid, and soon I'll post a picture of the completed space.

Pride and Joy

The title pretty much says it all. This little girl brings me and her father more pride and joy than we could have ever imagined. I could look at her all day long (and often do!) and never get tired of it. Just look at those eyes!!! We are going to be in deep trouble in about 16 years when she looks up at us with those eyes and asks for whatever it is teenagers ask for... Yikes.

Oldies but goodies

In the next few days I am going to be putting up some of my favorite "oldies but goodies". Picture from several years ago, before I really started getting my name out there, but that I still really love. These images are from the wedding of my friends Erin and Nick. Erin and I (and our sisters) grew up together, and couldn't be closer. I was fortunate enough to be with these two on their big day, which took place on the beautiful beaches of Mexico. It was a blast! For those who don't know me, I am a particularly pasty shade of white, so I ended up getting a gnarly sunburn on the back of my legs after a day of shooting in the hot, hot sun...but it was worth it :)

More About Me...

As I am beginning to become more and more familiar with blogs I have also become a follower of sorts. I am particularly fond of following blogs of other photographers. Partially to see the great images they are producing, but also because it gives such an interesting insight into who they are as people. It is usually just a quick little blurb about their day, something they have been thinking about, something they are liking or disliking at the moment... These little glimpses into their lives are things I really appreciate, so I'm hoping to start sharing similar posts with anyone who may be following this blog. (I am still not completely convinced that anyone is...but just in case ;) )

Here goes nothing...

Some of the new, wonderful cards!

I can't tell you how much it's bothering me that I can't figure out how to get the text to show ABOVE the images. If anybody can help me out I will bake you some cookies. Seriously. Depending on how far away you live I may also eat said cookies, but we'll see :)

These are some of my favorite new holiday/Christmas card designs that I'm able to offer clients, thanks to SmugMug...I love those guys!

Coldest shoot of the year!

This family may look all warm and fuzzy, but let me assure you that they were freezing their fannies off! I think it was in the 20s or 30s that morning...so cold that my poor camera wouldn't even turn on. We had to find a building to warm up in before I could get it to cooperate! These folks didn't bat an eye, however. They came prepared with hot coffee and warm coats to wear in between shots, and the most wonderful attitudes I could have asked for. They were such a delight to photograph :)

I still can't quite figure out how I had the text above the pictures in my very first post, so I've ended up posting pictures and then adding another post to describe them. I apologize for the lack of knowledge on my end and will work to remedy the situation!

The following family is really fantastic and they let me tag along while they enjoyed a beautiful fall afternoon. The girls even took me to their favorite climbing tree :)

Minnesota in the fall

Catching up

I have spent the last few weeks catching up on editing...probably the least exciting part of photography! I am nearly done and so I'll be posting several sessions in the following days. Please check back soon to see some lovely families, including the great folks I photographed today!

Three gorgeous gals

The following photos are images of another dear family from back home. The last time I saw the littlest, she was just a newborn. Time goes by so quickly and children grow so fast! I was able to do a double session with these girls, so I had an extremely difficult time picking just a few photos. Here are some of my favorite moments from that day. (My favorites are at the bottom, with mother and daughters...they remind me so much that photographing kids is not about the perfect smile or posed picture, it's about capturing the essence of the child and their spirit in the instant you snap the shot!)