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 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 - 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 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 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 - Minneapolis Fall Family Fun

Remember this beautiful birth? It's been about 6 months since then, and time for fall family photos!

Its always such a pleasure to photograph this family, but the beautiful fall foliage makes it doubly fun. :-)

Twin Cities Baby Photographer - A Baby's Many Looks

I recently put together a custom photography & print order for this family.

When their first child was one month old, they had a collage like this made.  So for the second child they wanted me to adhere to the same style and design - and similar poses.  This was my attempt at same-ness. I think it turned out very well!

Twin Cities Yoga Photographer - Blooma Yoga

This has been such an amazing, productive month for me.  I have had the opportunity to photograph some incredible people, and I can hardly wait to show you all that I've been working on.

One of my favorite shoots was for Blooma Yoga, located in Edina Minnesota (with a second site in St Paul).  Our model Mindy (also seen here) was so talented and easy to work with - and flexible according to all meanings of the word (all this while 7 months pregnant - seriously, I doubt my ability to form certain yoga positions at normal size!).

The Yoga photoshoot was not only fun and educational - it also got me so psyched to start yoga lessons, this fall!  With Minnesota's Siberian Winter inevitably heading our way, as well as a new little addition to the Dahl household come March (yes, that's right!), the prospect of an active yet relaxing way to spend my winter months is a very exciting one for me.  I may even take little Debbie to a Yoga for Tots class - or when I really need a break, take advantage of the childcare!!

Enjoy the photos below, and allow them inspire you to new heights of physical activity. ;-)

Twin Cities Newborn Photographer - A Baby Peek

I had a newborn session this morning! Only a few weeks have past since the Maternity session, and now I get to take pictures of their precious Lilyana. Big sister loves the camera, too! So here is a little sneak peak at this very adorable photo session.









Enter the contest.

Twin Cities Sibling Photographer - My Sister's Keeper

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 Family Photographer - Morning at Lake Calhoun

I had such a great family session this weekend! We met up at Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, and the beautiful overcast day was just perfect for photographs. And by a happy happenstance, someone had left a boat on the beach for our own personal use. It made for a fantastic prop! I couldn't have planned it better myself. We returned home with some great photographs, and one particular funny story... ;-)

Here are some of my favorites from the session...

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!!

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