Twin Cities Newborn Photographer - Motherly Love

I love mom + baby sessions!  This was no exception.  So lovely.



Have you watched Mirah's Birth Story yet?

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 Child & Baby Photographer - Deck Mornings

My sweet babes.



I live for mornings like this.  :-)

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 Maternity Photographer - With Love, from the Peace Garden

This photo session almost didn't happen. It started sprinkling rain as soon as we arrived at the Minneapolis Peace Garden, but with the mama due at almost any time, we pushed through and made it work (thank you!) - with some really great results.

We had planned to take pictures in the Rose Garden, which was nice enough, but most of the roses were not in bloom yet. So I walked to the back of the garden...and discovered the Peace Garden right across the street. I was amazed at how absolutely gorgeous it was (I'm such a sucker for good landscaping), yet I had never even heard of it before! It has definitely won a place in my heart as one of my favorite nature-spots in all the Twin Cities. You will see more photo sessions from here, in the future!

Enter the contest

Twin Cities Mother & Baby Photographer - Pure Joy

As soon as I snapped this photo I know I had captured something special. I just love the look of pure joy on the baby's face. It warms my heart. Truly.

It is such an amazing, precious wonder, to have a child. My own child is one of the best, most important parts of my life.

I love being a mom!

And I love to witness the love other parents have for their own children.

I love being a photographer.

Twin Cities Toddler Photographer - Because She's My Favorite

It's been a while since I really, seriously, took the time to have a photo session with my own little Debbie. So last night we went off to the park, armed with 3 super cute outfits, and my awesome new lens (***LOVE!***).

Debbie was so excited to be out and about, so I was able to get adorably animated shots. It's always tough to catch a toddler on the run, but I was pretty pleased with the results.

Prepare to have a cute-attack!


And by the way, the contest is still going on!
Looks like we only need 33 more comments before we can choose a winner, so be sure to sign up and tell your friends about it.

Twin Cities Engagement Photographer - Photos from the Past

It was almost 3 years ago that I held my very first photo session - for someone outside my own family, that is.  

All I had with me was my trusty Panasonic point-and-shoot (it still holds a special place in my heart - and bag), and two friends who were extremely happy to be gittin' hitched. Since that unforgetably fun session, these friends have continually encouraged me in my photography. They were extremely happy with their photos, and remind me of this all the time. So I wasn't surprised to receive a somewhat scolding phone call from Rebecca, after my website debut.

"Why aren't any of *our* photos on there?!"

I tactfully tried to explain that the photos I took back then just didn't reflect my current style...and oh, and I have much better (expensive!) equipment now! She didn't sound quite satisfied, but we left it at that.

After considering it more, I decided to go back and re-master some of the photos (despite their sad JPEG, 6MP status). To give you an idea of what they looked like previously, see the comparison below.



Though do I feel that I have greatly improved over the years (I hope!!), I think these photos are still pretty special. For more than one reason.


I am lucky to have such awesome friends.

Enter the contest.

Twin Cities Child Photographer - Girly Fun

This little one was hard to catch! So much energy, and so much fun. Couldn't resist catching these expressions, during last night's maternity session (more on that, forthcoming). I look forward to photographing her with new baby sister, after she arrives!

Twin Cities Cousin Photographer - My Cousin Emily

Isn't my cousin Emily simply beautiful??  I snapped these shots of her during our Memorial Day picnic, at my parent's house.  She just finished up her Jr year with flying colors, and I'm so proud of her. She's so smart, creative and talented!

I wish I lived closer so that I could be more involved in her life - but I suppose this way she'll always have a nice place to vacation in the summer (riiiight? hint,hint!).

Love you, girl!!

Enter the contest.

Twin Cities Child Photographer - My Girl

Here's my current favorite photo, of my little growing girl...


Enter the contest..

Twin Cities Family Photographer - Spring Family Portrait Sessions

What a lovely family to photograph! And such a positively perfect day to take photos by the lake. The vibrancy of spring seems to be catching on!




If you like what you see here, be sure to enter my current giveaway, to win a free photo session like this!!

Pro Photo Blogs: Create Your Own Professional Photo Blog!

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When you do decide to invest in Pro Photo Blogs, use this code to receive $10 off your purchase: ELIDAH865

Twin Cities Child Photographer * My Blueberry Monster

First of all, thanks to all of you who stopped by my booth this weekend, at the Minnesota Baby Expo!
Your support is much appreciated, and it was great to see, get to know, and catch up with each of you!

Secondly, I thought I'd share some fun photos from this morning.  My gleeful little Debbie ate almost a full cup of frozen blueberries, much to my astonishment.  Enjoy these photos from the aftermath.  Gotta love them babies!

Twin Cities Table Photographer * How to Artistically Remove Varnish from Kitchen Tables

For this project you will need:
1 Bath and Body Wallflowers Scented Plugin
1 Kitchen Table

1. After successfully using the Wallflowers plugin for a couple days, randomly toss it on the piece of furniture you want to "decorate". I personally chose my kitchen table, but this will work equally well - if not better - with heirloom pieces.


2. It is important to lay the plastic plugin on it's side, so that the remaining oils can slowly and artistically dribble onto the table. (The end result seems to be especially poignant if you just happen to grab the plug-in from your 18 month old child before tabling it.)


3. After several hours, wipe the oil off the table with a wet rag.  You will immediately notice that your varnish has vanished right along with it!  Leaving a very unique and artistic pattern behind.  This art is almost impossible to duplicate, and I'm sure it will prod your friends and family to remark on your artistic gift for years to come.

Of course, I would never post about something like this without first trying it out for myself.  Check out my results below.

Twin Cities Baby Photographer * My First Post!

[caption id="attachment_85" align="alignright" width="467" caption="My little niece, trying out my new baby props! "][/caption]

First of all, I just have to start by giving a big THANK YOU to Oscar and Ian, two of Dreamhost's web operators. Though I know a little about webdesign and how domains work...I obviously don't know enough, because I got myself into a heap-o-trouble this afternoon. After over a week of work, I was so scared I had lost everything you see here (not that it's much, but hey!). Then I noticed the little "chat with an operater" icon (duh, I probably should have clicked this in the first place). Long story short, this blog wouldn't be here right now without their help! Kudos to Dreamhost, they have just earned themselves another loyal customer.

But now to the business at hand - my new website! I am so excited to finally show you all what I have been working on the past couple weeks. What do you guys think? Let me know if you have any problems with it's functionality. It's a work in progress, but I think it's finally show-worthy, and I'll do my best to keep continual updates coming (be sure to subscribe!)

So now after such a very emotional web-battle this afternoon, I think I'll go enjoy the rest of my beautiful spring day. A nice walk in the park is just what I need. TTFN!