Sneak Peek: Olson Family

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to be invited to spend some time with the Olson family at one of their favorite parks. We took a walk around the park with some stops for portraits and some stops for playing and exploring. Andy and Annika are only 5 but they did a great job! They each had a "prize" waiting for them when we finished pictures - Barbie for Annika (she even showed it to me!) and Spiderman for Andy.

Thank you for letting me help document a day in the life of your family! It was great to meet you and get to try out a different park for portraits!





















The aftermath of "Make a silly face!"

Brooklynn is (almost) 2 years old!

I can't believe Brooklynn will already be two! It seems like just yesterday I was taking her newborn and 6-month portraits. Andrea, Travis and I spent another beautiful evening with Brooklynn at Glen Park, just like we did for her twelve-month portraits. Brooke did an amazing job - a whole 2 hours of pictures and she stayed happy the whole time!

I'm...ten? :)




Andrea brought a flower, which worked out perfectly!








A quick outfit change and right back to more pictures!




We found some gorgeous light as the evening went on...












What a little model!








Brooklynn's starting to get too quick for my lenses! :)




As always, thank you Andrea & Travis for letting me help document Brooklynn's life! She is absolutely adorable & I can't believe how big she's gotten! (I bet you can't either! :) )

Sneak Peek: Katherine {12 days}

My last post was all about my friends Jenna & Pete. My new post will be all about...their baby, Katherine! Katherine was born on 8/23/11 and is absolutely adorable! She was not as..."pliable" as other newborns I've photographed. :) She was awake for almost the whole time and definitely had a mind of her own! We still managed to get some good portraits that showcased how cute Katherine is. I'm so happy I had a chance to head to Pete & Jenna's to meet Katherine! Hopefully we'll be able to do it again soon!


Thank you for letting me document not only your pregnancy but your new addition! I can't wait to watch Katie grow up! ♥

Sneak Peek: Jenna, Pete & Baby

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to extend an already great vacation (to the Green Bay Packers training camp :) ) to head to my good friend Jenna's house.  Not only was it great to see her, but we were able to do a few maternity pictures.  I hadn't done maternity portraits before, but it was so much fun - both Jenna & her husband Pete were so willing to do anything!

Since I finished these portraits, Jenna and Pete have had a beautiful baby girl!  I'm so excited to head back to meet their new addition (and maybe, just MAYBE, take some photos)!













I love these - but they will always make me laugh! With only one set of blocks, we spelled out "BARY" for me to change to "BABY" in post-processing...









After getting some indoor pictures, we headed outside to do some more. What a gorgeous day & family!









See more here!

Sneak Peek: Ed and Deb are Married!

I had the opportunity to spend the day with an amazing couple on Saturday.  Combined, Ed and Deb have 70 years of marriage experience.  Their joy at having found each other was contagious and made for one of the most emotional - and happy! - weddings I've photographed.

Ed and Deb were married at Grace Lutheran Church in Andover, MN. We began the day with a First Look (LOVE when couples are able to do this - it's a great opportunity to actually breathe and spend a little time alone together...and it makes the rest of the day much calmer!) and portraits at the church. The ceremony was planned perfectly to involve both of their families. After the ceremony, everyone made the quick trip to Ed's house for a pig roast by the pond!

Ed & Deb - thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day! Not only was the weather gorgeous, the entire day was perfect. Have a wonderful time on your honeymoon cruise to Alaska! (I'll be watching Facebook for pictures... :) )

From the First Look




:)













I loved the details at this wedding - daisies and "God Winks."




♡ the emotion!




There was such a range of emotions too - sometimes within a single moment! :)




I knew this was THE wedding for me when I got to the reception - the daisies continued (I love daisies!) and there were plenty of yummy desserts.
















See more - coming soon!

Strusz Family - Take #1

I met Stefanie through work last year.  When she left on maternity leave, I subtly hinted that maybe she would want some newborn or family portraits sometime.  When she came back for the last couple days of the year, I hinted some more.  :c)

I headed over to Jon and Stefanie's house & set up my "portable studio" amid lots of questions about what everything is and what we would be doing about it.  Eli is 3 years old and so so smart!  He did a great job helping me out.  Sawyer is 3 months old - both boys did great for pictures and we'll be getting together to do some on-location shots this fall.  I can't wait!







When Sawyer was ready to be done with pictures, Eli rubbed his feet to help him calm down...ADORABLE!



I had a great time meeting Jon, Eli, & Sawyer (sorry Stefanie, I already knew you!) and I'm so excited to have a chance to come back for Take #2! Want to see more?