Twin Cities Family Photographer - Merry Christmas!

Twin Cities Newborn Photographer - Candy Cane Baby

"The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads..."

Twin Cities Maternity Fitness Photographer - Pregnant and Working it!

(Note: These images were taken only two weeks before my sister in law gave birth to our sweet Cecilie. )

My sister in law is a triathlete.  She was also pregnant with baby #6 when the following images were taken. You'd think pregnancy might deter one from working out as much, but not her.  She was not about to let physical fitness slide, simply because of pregnancy!

She trains with Pellicano Endurance Coaching (located in Saint Louis Park, MN), and I've gotta say - this was by far the most ingenuitive and customized workout I've ever seen or heard of.  After watching her push herself for 2 hours straight (while), I came to this conclusion:

Pregnancy is not a disability, or a condition that gives us the right to be lazy/complaintive.  We are all as strong or fit as we want to be.

You can truly do ANYTHING, if you set your mind to do it!

So here is your challenge for the day...if a woman at 39 weeks pregnant can do the following, anyone can.  :-)

Twin Cities Birth Photographer - Welcome to our (extended) family, Cecelie Maureen!

Yesterday I had the honor of attending the home birth of my new little niece, Cecelie.

She is a beauty!  I think we all gasped when we saw her - such a perfect little princess.

I'm also starting to suspect that my sister in law is Wonder Woman...but that's all I have to say about that. ;-)

Twin Cities Maternity Photographer - Pregnancy Fitness

Remember my amazing sister in law?

As well as being a mom of almost-six, she is also a highly motivated athlete.  So at 39 weeks pregnant, instead of cute or romantic maternity photos, she wanted...fitness photos.

Shall we say, empowered???!!

 

 

 

 

Psst...Okay, so we staged this to get a reaction.  ;-)   She usually lifts two 10lb weights while pregnant.  But that's still pretty incredible.

Twin Cities Family Photographer - Sweet Six

My amazing sister in law is expecting baby #6 in the next couple weeks, and we are all super excited about it.  I have such fantastic nieces and nephews!  And isn't she gorgeous?!

Twin Cities Birth Photographer - Yesterday's birth...sneak peek!

This sweet little girl was born yesterday.  Welcome, Mirah Ruth! :-)

Twin Cities Beauty Photographer - Old-Fashioned Girls

A few more favorites from this  vintage photo shoot.

I want to do more of these!!

Twin Cities Family Photographer - A Fall Family Mini Session

We're just winding up the outdoor family portrait season here in Minnesota.  We won't be able to take pictures outside with the kids for much longer - I saw flurries today! Brrrr.

This is a lovely family I have photographed before (view these photos from the spring of 2010 - it's so fun to see how they've changed and grown!) so I was more than happy to fit in a mini session at the last minute.  Their girls are such sweethearts!



Do you still need family photos before the holidays? Contact me ASAP!  I don't have many slots left for 2011.  Snow is a'comin - and Thanksgiving is in two weeks!!!

We can still make it work, but if you want one you'd better hurry. :-)

Twin Cities Fashion Photographer - Broken Windows

So, we found this broken window...and I just had to do something with it.

Twin Cities Fashion Photographer - Pocketful of Sunshine

That song is running through my head on repeat - but it really has nothing to do with this post.

Or does it?  My models do look rather sunny...

Anywho, I've wanted to start playing around with other, more commercial genre's of photography.  So I found two awesome ladies willing to pose for me, and we headed out to the Stone Arch Bridge and surrounding areas.  Beautiful scenery around there...and the decrepit old buildings were perfect for what I was looking for.


You'll be seeing a couple more posts of images taken from this photo session...enjoy.

Twin Cities Fashion Photographer - Yellow Jackets

I was nine years old when my cousin Emily was born.  Now here she is, high school grad with so much talent and sweetness about her.  I just love this girl!


Oh the drama of it all...fashion is so FUN!

Twin Cities Fashion Photographer - Vintage Beauty

Sometimes it seems that the more I learn and grow in my photography...the more I become dissatisfied with my finished images.

But every so often, I manage to capture something I truly enjoy.  Something I would actually put on my wall, just for the art of it.



I'm in love with this image.  It doesn't matter if no one else likes it - I do and that's what matters.

Twin Cities Family Photographer - A Neutral Style Fashion Guide

What colors should you wear for a group or family photo?

For those gatherings when group photos will be taken (Thanksgiving or Christmas, perhaps?), I recommended wearing neutrals for an easy yet classy, well co-ordinated portrait.

Everyone has a little beige, ivory, taupe, black, gray, or white in their closet.  The important thing is that each person wears the neutral color that best compliments their skin tone - instead of forcing everyone to wear a color that may not suit everyone.

Need a little neutral inspiration?  This style guide is for you.  Compliments of J. Crew!



Remember, your outfits don't have to match to create a great group photo.  The more texture and variety (within the neutral color family) the better.
Neutral does not have to be boring.  Let your personality shine through!

Would you like to know how NOT to dress for a family or group photo?  Read my last post. 

Twin Cities Family Photographer - How NOT to Dress for a Family Photo

This is a recent photo of my mom, sisters and I.

Cute right?
Well, mostly.  :-)

If this was not an impromptu photograph we could have improved it a lot by our wardrobe choices!  Notice my bold-patterned shirt?  Well, this shirt is a pretty good example of what you should never wear for a family photo!

I encourage families to stay away from "matchy-matchy" outfits - everyone wearing shirts and bottoms of the same color is almost never a good idea for a family session.  Especially not black and jean! I know the same-color-shirts-with-jeans look sounds like a nice uncomplicated way to get a decent portrait, but it can also be disastrous.  Even if you don't mind it at the time, you may cringe at the sight of it years down the road!

My own family has a large, black-shirt-and-jean family picture, taken by a professional years ago.  Great picture overall - LOVE that we got the whole family together for it and I have great memories from the day.  But if you look at it for very long you'll begin to notice the children's "floating heads".  The children are of course being held, or standing in front of an adult who is wearing the exact same color shirt as they are - thus creating the illusion that they are nothing more than floating heads.  Funny illusion, but not so great for a family portrait.

When you are preparing for a photo session, first be sure to put each person in colors that compliment their skin tone.  This is possibly the most important step to creating a portrait the whole family will love.  The second, and more complicated step, is to choose colors that compliment each other and do not clash.  And thirdly - bonus points for choosing clothing you can layer, accessorize, or has a nice texture to it; this can add a lot of personality and depth to the finished portrait.

A good rule of thumb for those group holiday photos: Dress in neutrals (beige, ivory, taupe, black, gray, and white) which compliment your skin tone.  These colors will blend easiest and best for impromptu photos, and most people have a neutral colored shirt on hand.  The colors may sound a little boring, but you will find there are so many different shades within the neutral palette (pinks, greens and purples, even!) that can actually create very deep and rich color combinations.  Just be sure not narrow the colors down to black and white - you'll like the photo far more if you let everyone choose their own neutral combo.

Happy Styling!

Questions?  Leave me a comment below.

 

Twin Cities Family of Multiples Photographer - Quads of Love!

This was a very special session for me.  My dear friend Rebecca have birth to Quads (yes, that's FOUR babies) earlier this year.  As you might imagine, being a mom to four babies is such a tremendous job! I was so sorry to live far away and not be able to help as I would have liked.

I met the babies for the first time at this photo session -9 months later.  How FUN to take their portraits, but certainly a new sort of challenge for me.  I found it simply impossible to get 4 babies to look at the camera at the same time - and they aren't yet old enough to sit up, so they roll all over the place. :-)  But we made it work and I think the session went really well!

You will notice a second family in these pictures.  Not only was this a family of multiples session, we also managed to pull in the 4 year old cousin, aunt and uncle.  They were of course much easier to manage. ;-)  The 4 year old was simply fantastic and let me pose her all over the place - with babies on top of her, no less.  Such a good sport!



 

 

Twin Cities Family Photographer - Fall Flair

Have you noticed that it's BEAUTIFUL outside?!  Despite slight feelings of dread (regarding Minnesota's freakishly long winters), fall is my favorite time of the year.  And I am having a blast capturing the beauty fall holds for all of us.



 

You may notice this family from last years session.  I'm so happy to do this for them again. :-)

Would you like to get your holiday cards taken care of?  If you are interested in having me photograph your family portrait this year, please contact me ASAP.  Dates are filling up fast and Christmas will be here before you know it!

 

 

Twin Cities Family Photographer - Sweet Tea

When my friend Amanda asked about a family session, I was so excited - because I knew exactly what it should look like.  Amanda has a great appreciation for vintage charm and loveliness, so I automatically started thinking in terms of white muslin, tea sets, quilts and lace. And just by coincidence, she already possessed just the right items to style her experience.   What fun!

I think the kids were especially pleased to play tea and eat cookies with their parents.  What's not to love about tea and cookies?

Twin Cities Birth Photographer - Introducing MN Birth Photographers!

I've been hinting about this for sooo long now!  And now I'm happy to finally make it public.  MNbirthphotographers.com is up and running!


If you've been reading my blog for very long at all, you might have noticed that birth photography is a passion of mine.  I truly love it.  It holds a special place in my heart above all other forms of photography.

Ever since I first started photographing births, I began to realize that in order to be truly successful, and to live out my dream as a birth photographer, I would need to join with other photographers who shared a similar vision.  And so I founded MN Birth Photographers:  To elevate the art of birth photography by connecting expectant parents with photographers, and providing resources for the birth photography community.

It's all very exciting!  I am working with such a great team of photographers, and their encouragement and hard work is what has helped make this possible.

So check us out - and let us help capture the most important moments in your life. :-)

MNBirthPhotographers.com

Twin Cities Child Photographer - Swinging By

Ahhhh!  It's almost fall!  Wow.  That went fast.
It smells like fall, too.  Some of my neighbors have their fireplaces running already, and are making me wish for one of my own. Not because I'm cold of course, but because it smells so amazing. I'll admit that I've brought out my jacket a few times this week, but come on MN winters last half the year! I can't give in quite yet.  I'll be wearing short sleeves as long as we can possibly stand it.

So you might have noticed that I've been gone most of the summer.  This is partly because of  The Big Move - and all the busyness that comes with settling in.  But it's also because I've been heavily engrossed in a special project - a project I hope to release to the public in the next couple days.  I'm very excited about it, and I think my readers will appreciate it as well.  If you follow my facebook page at all, you might have a good idea what I'm referring to...

After such grand achievements I'm almost ready to come back to this blog full force...but you'll have to bear with me for just a while longer.  The October project is: Renovating the Studio!



P.S. Yes, my kids are incredibly cute, aren't they?  I love them so much I can hardly stand it!  They're just so squeezable!

Yes, squeezable.  And all of you moms out there know exactly what I mean. :-)

Twin Cities Child Photographer - iPhone's Make Good Photos Too

This may be a camera phone photo, but I think it is one of my favorites of Debbie, to date.  I'll keep my 7D and be oh-so-thankful for it, but the iPhone is pretty awesome for those random pictures I'd miss otherwise.

Oh yes, dirt piles make for endless entertainment at softball games.

Who needs a ball and a stick when all you need is a good pile of dirt??!
That's my Debbie.

 

Twin Cities Child Photographer - On Photographing One's Own Children

One of my initail motivations for pursuing photography, was so that I could take better photos of my own kids. This worked very nicely for the first couple years of my daughters life, but as soon as Debbie turned two she suddenly became very difficult to photograph. She just doesn't like it. Not usually - and especially not if her mother was behind the camera!

Much to her grandparents dismay, most of Debbie's pictures from the past year are of her looking the other away - or simply giving me that blank, smile-less stare. As if to say, "Okay mom, I'm looking at the camera - but I'm not going to like it."

Yesterday I tried to sit Debbie down for a quick little session in front of the living room window. The lighting was just perfect, and as I saw the way it lit up her blond hair I knew I had to capture the moment.

Only moments before I took this picture, Debbie was perfectly happy reading books and re-arranging the furniture. But the moment I tried to get her to sit still, this is the look she gave me:

[caption id="attachment_2078" align="aligncenter" width="700" caption="Seriously, how heart-wrenching is that?  I just want to take her picture, not her reason for existence."][/caption]

Apparently she was not going to make it easy for me.  Now I had to really work it.

Tickles, funny faces and peek-a-boo proceeded.  But it was her personal favorite that tipped the scale. You see, the one sure way to make Debbie laugh,  is to..

wait for it...

make scary growling dinosaur noises!

Girly, huh?

After a few growls (and reciprocating squeals), she gave me this:

But as soon as I took the shot she must have thought:  "Uh, oh, mom got me laughing! I'd better compose myself quick!"

This is OK though.  This look is so Debbie that it truly deserves to be captured.  Smiling is not always important - as long as you catch that gleam in their eye!

A couple tickles later, I got the look I really wanted.

[caption id="attachment_2082" align="aligncenter" width="467" caption="Ta-da!"][/caption]

Whew! That was a 10 minute work out right there.

As soon as I took this photo she was done, and on her merry way she went.

(As a side note, I am continually amazed at how exuberant, emotional and particular an almost-3-year-old can be!!! Where does this come from anyway??! - Oh. Right...)

And that my friends, is what it's like to be a photographer, photographing one's own children.  Not as easy as you might have thought, eh? :-)

Twin Cities Birth Photographer - Juniper Helen : A Home Birth Story

Though I am in the midst of unpacking my house (and will probably be so occupied for a while), I hope you enjoy these images from Juniper Helen's birth!

Birth Photography continues to be a growing passion of mine, and without a doubt my favorite event to photograph. :-) I look forward to photographing more births for this fall!

Twin Cities Toddler Photographer - Lily is One!

The last time I saw Lilyana she was 6 months old!

And now here she is at a year, toddlin' around like a pro.



Such an adorable little princess!

I have had the pleasure of photographing Lilyana from the time she was a month old (and even before that, if you count the maternity session).  It is so much fun to watch these little ones grow, and to have the honor of documenting their mini milestones.  They all grow up so fast.  You have to work quickly if you want to catch moments like this on film!

---

The next time you  hear from me, I will be settled in my new HOUSE! We move this weekend.  I'm soooOOO excited to have a place for the little ones to run, as well as a studio for my clients. Oh yeah, good things happenin'.  Catch you on the flip side!

Twin Cities Toddler Photographer - More Lake Play + Summer Changes

Here are a few more favorites from this super-fun toddler session!



I apologize for this week's lack of posts, but I'm getting ready to move into my new house.  And yes, I am EXCITED.

This will be our first house as a matter of fact.  And though we have many sweet memories from life in this apartment (both of our babies were born here, afterall!), we are now more than ready to say goodbye.  A two bedroom apartment (on the 3rd floor no less) get's quickly cramped with two children under 3yrs on the loose.

So stay tuned - I look forward to showing photos of the new house, our plans for it, AND the beginnings of my new photography studio! So many exciting things happening this summer, and I'll do my best to keep this blog updated as they come about.

Twin Cities Child Photographer - Lake Play!

Do you still get this kind of a thrill as you wade along the beach?

How fun it is to be 1 year old!!

(Watch for more images from this fantastic session.  I simply couldn't resist sharing this one ASAP.)

Twin Cities Child & Baby Photographer - Deck Mornings

My sweet babes.



I live for mornings like this.  :-)

Twin Cities Family Photographer - Shula's One Year Old!

One year ago, this little sweetheart was born 2 months early. You may have read all about it here. Three months later I had the pleasure of taking this photo of her after she returned from the NICU. And now, she's one year old!



As you can see, Shula is such a joy to her parents and those around her.  We are so thankful to have her with us!

Twin Cities Child Photographer - An Afternoon With Debbie

Over Memorial Day weekend my little family took a trip to visit the grandparents in the country.  While there I proceeded to follow Debbie with the camera, attempting to film her as she dashed about.  This little movie was mostly practice for me, as I begin to venture into the movie world...but it's also a nice little memory.  I love hanging out with my little girl. :-)

Twin Cities Family Photographer - Familial Love

Almost every family has them - the child or parent who does not want to be photographed.

But lucky me - this was not one of those families!

This session was such a pleasure.  I love it when clients get into the process and start coming up with their own ideas. They had such enthusiasm about the session, and you can tell from the photos how much fun they were having.  Sometimes the best part of a session is simply watching families play.  It's such a joy to see. :-)

Twin Cities Family Photographer - Irrational Fears?

With the help of a magic marker, Debbie decided to re-make her doll-house dolls.

These dolls (Dahls?) are affectionately named: Mommy, Daddy, Debbie and Baby Byron.

Lately I don’t know if these dolls or Debbie scares me more!

It's pretty close, but I think the Dahl-dolls are just a tad freakier.

Twin Cities Child Photographer - Happy Birthday Luke!

My youngest brother Luke had his birthday yesterday.  He's a full 9 years now!  I was 18 years old when he was born, and when I left home he was barely out of toddlerhood (5). I was so sad to leave my sweet baby brother, and now every time I go home for a visit I'm amazed at how much he's grown and changed!

But he'll always be my cool baby brother. :-)

(I took this photo of Luke when he was only 2.  Seriously, this kid was simply born cool.)

Twin Cities Family Photographer - A Dream Family Session for Lianna

This weekend I was delighted to finally deliver on the "Dream Photo Session", promised to last year's contest winner, Lianna.  Lianna chose to extend her prize to her parents and siblings - resulting in a fun family get-together and some beautiful family portraits!

Though it sounds difficult to take a family photo of 10 adults and 3 kids, it really wasn't.  I truly couldn't have asked for better lighting, setting OR subjects.

35 years of marriage, and such a beautiful, loving family to show for it.  Congrats, you guys! :-)

Thanks again for entering the contest, Lianna!  It was such a pleasure to meet with you and your family.  May God bless!

Twin Cities Wedding Photographer - An Iowa Wedding (October 2010)

 



One of my favorite things about being a photographer is all of the amazing people I get to meet, and semi-intimate experiences I'm invited to share. I just love it.

Thanks again for inviting me, Abigail.  I had a blast!

Twin Cities Mother Photographer - Blessings of Motherhood

Being a mother is the most incredible job in the world.  Yes, photography is cool and all, but where would I be without my inspiration?  My kids are my joy and inspiration in so many ways.



Sure, they tend to make life a little more complicated.  I've lost sleep - lots of sleep! - since they got here.  My clothes seem to never fit.  I can never vacuum enough, tidy, wash, or scrub enough - like magic my work seems to undo itself within minutes.  It now takes at least an hour to simply get out the door to go anywhere - and usually longer than that.  "Free-time" - what's that?  Not to mention all the training and teaching that must be done!  They rely on me completely, and its my job to be there for them.

But it's more than a job or a responsibility.  It is a joy and a blessing.  Sometimes it's easy to loose sight of this when scrubbing makeup out of the carpet, or when suffering through a sleepless night with a fussing baby - but really, besides meeting and marrying my hubby, they are the best thing that has ever happened to me.  God has shown me such love through these little ones, and I pray every day that He will help me show them love in return - in a way that they will feel right down to their little souls.

I am very blessed to have a Mother who did this for me.  I always thought she was a great mom, but it is only now that I have begun to comprehend the extent of what she has done for me and the rest of my 6 siblings.  Now I realize what a brat I probably was! lol  But she was always there for me.  Always ready to listen.  And though in no way perfect - always loving.

Mom, I love you.  Thank you for always loving me.  You've taught me the most important part of how to be a good mom.  With God's help, your grandkids will be the better for it. :-)

Twin Cities Child Photographer - Chair Sleeping

Chair Sleeping: The Next Olympic Sport

Twin Cities Baby Photographer - Christening Overalls

Just before I got married, my grandmother gave me a beautiful antique china doll that had been made by my Great Aunt Ista.  I grew up around this doll and can remember being a little kid and specifically going to "visit" the China dolls placed in my grandmother's guest room.  This life sized china doll (when I say life-size, I mean its about as big as a 2-3 month old baby - and is actually *chubby* looking!) is named Michael, and was meticulously dressed in a beautiful white, hand made Christening gown, complete with a lace cap, white stockings and patent leather shoes.

The day my grandmother gave me this doll, I said to myself "This will be the Christening gown for all of my future children!"

And just as I had planned, a little over a year later I had my little Debbie, and dressed her in this gown for her baptism (see the image on the left - Debbie at 3 months).

However, when I mentioned this plan to my husband, he said that though he liked the tradition for the girls, his future boys were not going to wear a dress.  "Not even if it's cammo!" he said.

Two years later...enter Byron.  The first boy, and no Christening gown for him!

I thought it would have been cute to find him a little suit or something for the baptism, but I couldn't find anything locally, and I didn't plan ahead enough to purchase online... so I found a little blue bow tie, and this cute overall w/polo shirt combo at Target.  He looked adorable in it, as you can see!

So my boys may not get the Christening gown, but I think we have a sufficiently cute replacement.  Christening overalls (w/bow tie!).  Oh yes, I'm satisfied. :-)

But I wonder if Byron secretly feels a little jipped?

Twin Cities Food Photographer - Gluten Free Chocolate Lava Cakes

I have no illusions - I am in no way an illustrious cook. Not even a lustrious one. In fact, I'm barely a cook.

BUT, I do try. And every so often I'm successful at it. So lets pretend I'm a foodie for just a moment...

My recent try: Gluten Free Chocolate Lava Cakes. These were such a huge success that I simply have to tell you about them. They have changed the very tone of my recent (mostly) gluten free existence!

I created this recipe by mixing two recipes together...with just a little of my own ingenuity involved. So here I am taking a thankful nod towards Gluten Free Fix, and Cooks Illustrated {*nod*,*nod*}.

But why is this recipe so amazing? Well, besides the fact that they are delicious (and cakey - a treat seldom found within the gluten free diet), I love the fact that you can easily save and cook this dessert for a later date. - Catch that? You can pre-make this dessert, and then days/weeks/months later have it baked up and fresh within approximately 12 minutes. Oh, how I love love love love this simple fact!!!  This makes it the perfect dessert for random company - or possibly for those times you bring someone a meal. A new mom / neighbor / friend perhaps?

No matter who you make it for, they will love this cake too, I promise.
(Unless of course they are allergic to chocolate, butter or eggs...heh. Keep that in mind.)

So, on to the recipe.

You will need:
6 Ramekins & an Electric Mixer
...as well as (hopefully) more obvious essentials, such as an oven, measuring spoons, etc...

Ingredients:

6oz Dark Chocolate (I used approximately 15 squares from Trader Joes' 72% Dark Chocolate "Pound Plus" bar. Because I *heart* Trader Joes.)
1/2c butter (+ extra for buttering the Ramekins)
4 eggs
4 drops of Stevia Concentrate (if you don't have/want to use Stevia, simply increase the sweetener to 2/3c)
1/3c Maple Syrup or Honey
2Tbs Coconut Flour (or regular flour if you're not going the gluten free route)
1t Vanilla Extract
1/4t Salt

• Step 1. Preheat oven to 400.


• Step 2. Butter Ramekins GENEROUSLY (I've also used Coconut oil for this step. Successfully, I might add.)


• Step 3. Melt butter and chocolate together (I use the microwave. You can if you want).


• Step 4. In a separate bowl, add Eggs, Maple Syrup/Honey, Vanilla, and Salt. Using the electric mixer, whip these ingredients together at a crazy high speed until the volume nearly triples. You will know it's ready when the mixture drops from the whisk in a thick stream. It may take 5-10 minutes to reach this consistency, depending on your mixer.


• Step 5. Add the egg mixture to the chocolate, as well as 2Tbs Coconut Flour. Whip all of this together until you get a nice even chocolate color.


• Step 6. Pour the mixture into 6 prepared Ramekins.

At this point you can choose to cover the Ramekins with plastic wrap and SAVE them for a later date (place them in the fridge or your freezer), or you can cook them right away. When cooking immediately, bake for 12-14 minutes.  However, if refrigerated/frozen it may take slightly LESS time for them to bake (funny how that works!).

Bake the cake until it has a thin crust on top, but you can still see a runny chocolate center (clue #2 - the center will jiggle if shaken slightly).

I recommended baking one cake individually at first, just to get your timing right. That way you don't end up with a bunch of cakes too runny or too done (too done is particularly sad - the creamy melted goodness is the best part!).

Once baked, let cool for about a minute. Then set a plate upside down on top of the hot ramekin, and (using something to protect your hands of course!) quickly flip the whole thing over. The lovely little cake should flop right out of the ramekin if you buttered it enough - otherwise you'll need to loosen the cake by running a knife around the edges.  If that doesn't work - just eat it out of the Ramekin.  It tastes just as good. ;-)

This dessert is phenomenal when paired with ice cream. It's also quite fantastic when paired with berries and whipped cream. Either way, it's an amazing, easy gluten free dessert that I simply can't get too much of. Be sure to let me know what you think, if you try it!