Twin Cities Child Photographer - Sweet in Pink

I am SO enjoying my new studio, now that winter is upon us.  Now my clients can enjoy in-studio style consultations and sessions!  This little girl particularly liked posing on my fluffy bench. :-)

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 Beauty Photographer - Old-Fashioned Girls

A few more favorites from this  vintage photo shoot.

I want to do more of these!!

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 - Little Dahl Boy

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

Seriously, how cute is that???!!