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 - 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 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 Baby Photographer - Little Dahl Boy

Poor kid.  Doesn't stand a chance. ;-) (Caption courtesy of my dear husband!)

Seriously, how cute is that???!!

Twin Cities Child Photographer - Easter Joy

This was my little girl's first memorable Easter.  Debbie was ecstatic to join the time-honored Hunt for the Egg!



My lucky girl even got to hunt those eggs twice - once at G-ma & G-pas (as she affectionately calls her paternal grandparents) with 8 of her 14 cousins (I just realized that I'd love to share pictures of them, but need to check with their parents first!)...



...and she hunted a second time, on Easter Sunday.  Isn't her Easter dress adorable (and the sweater in the above photo for that matter)??!  I can't take credit for any of it, her ever-stylish Grandma Peggy found them for her. :-)



I found myself having so much fun, simply watching.  It seems not so long ago that I was the little girl in the easter dress, excitedly chasing down those marvelous candy-filled eggs!  Funny how things change.  Now I'm just as pleased to look on...and take pictures.  :-)

Twin Cities Family Photographer - Highlights from my 2010 Christmas

It was so wonderful to be able to spend Christmas with my family this year!  Here are just a few of my favorite images, amongst the hundreds I took over the weekend.  I have such great (and good lookin!) people in my family.  I am so blessed.  Just looking at these gives me warm fuzzies. :-)

Only 4 more days until New Years - which means you have only 3 more days to enter my contest!

Don't miss out - three people will win a month of Blooma Yoga. Take a moment to enter and your chances of winning are really very good!

Twin Cities Child Photographer - Park Cuties