Converse | Dr. Seuss

Look what I discovered while back to school shoe shopping! I love Converse because they are so timeless but these are so much fun! These would be great for a photo shoot!

I found these on Zappos.com, but Famous Footwear has them BOGO.

The end of summer.

I can't believe summer is nearly over! It's been a busy one even though I had hoped to take it easy. I don't think I'd be me if I wasn't frantic with a million things on my plate! I still hope to enjoy the last little bit of summer with my boys before I send them off to school every day. I have a third grader and a first grader this year so it's just me and Oliver at home during the week! I am excited for Aidan to get to go to school everyday because he loves it but I am going to miss him! It's a definite crossroads for him as he grows into his independence and takes one more little step away from me. (tears)

Oliver is getting busier each and every day. I watch him scoot around on the floor on his belly and it's only a matter of time before he learns to get up on his knees and take off! I feel like I am enjoying him but time just won't slow down. I get so busy with work and have to remind myself to stop and enjoy my kids because before I know it they will be all grown up.

Once again I'd like to thank my loyal blog readers. Every once and awhile I get these awesome emails from self-proclaimed "fans" of my work. It just blows my mind that I have "fans." At times I feel like I am just starting out until someone asks me how long I've been shooting and when I realize it's been 5 years I guess that means it's been awhile! Thanks for sticking around, reading about my life, looking at my kids, and most importantly admiring my work!

Here's my babe in my favorite pj's (Kicky Pants) in my bedroom. I had wanted to do a newborn shoot of him on my bed but oops, I kind of forgot so 6 months will have to do!
The morning light was a little dramatic. I like it. I am going to miss sleeping in once school starts! I hardly get any sleep as it is so I'm sure it's going to be a crabby first week. I will have to try to go to bed before 2 am.
My sister was in town last week and we went to the State Fair on opening day. It was Oliver's first time at the State Fair!
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and what's left of it. Have a great Labor Day weekend and enjoy the new recent blog posts! Lots more to blog, but also lots more work to catch up on!

Shelby | Mankato West Senior Photographer

The Mankato flow keeps going and I'm loving it! I pride myself in a business based entirely on word of mouth, so for someone to find me and book me means a lot to me. It means they saw or heard something they liked and it is such an honor. Shelby and her mom were great, these Mankato West girls and their moms are soooo nice! I am having a great time getting to know them all. The days are getting shorter and Shelby's session was a race against the sun. She had so many great outfits, we shot until dark and then stood on the side of the road and talked!












Thanks Shelby and Dana, it was great talking with you! Hope you have a great year!

Eilysh | Mankato West Senior Photographer

This was yet again another awesome senior session I recently had! I love this time of year, after an early summer of weddings and family portraits, I get to end my summer shooting shooting these senior girls. I have to say, it's a refreshing break from the demands of a wedding and the challenges of chasing little kids around. It's a chance to kick back, give direction, and have fun being girly!

Eilysh (pronounced eye-lish) was loads of fun and up for anything! She as unique as her name and definitely wanted something different with her photos. She was my inspiration for my ball gown fountain shoot and I was so excited to get her in there at the end of the shoot! We were both on such a high at the end of the night, I loved the energy!

Kristen and Jeff | Wedding at Carlson Towers

Kristen and Jeff's wedding was so beautiful! They got married at Carlson Towers and even though the heat was insane (and there were some power outage issues), they were flawless and it was an amazing event. I am really behind on blogging but want to try to keep up as best as I can with current work so here are a few of my favorites from the day.

Jana | Mankato West Senior Photographer

I am so in love with this session... there just aren't any more words! I had such a great time with Jana and her mom. Her big sister Katie who is a senior in college also came along and we did a few fun family shots. Jana is so beautiful, she is a true athlete- volleyball, hockey, and track and field. I love that she is so simple and natural and probably has no idea how gorgeous she is.


She has a great smile but she ROCKED the serious!




Jana SERIOUSLY needs to model!

I had so much fun! I am loving these Mankato West girls! More sessions to come soon!

Lindsey and Michael | Wayzata Wedding

Lindsey and Michael had a beautiful intimate wedding at Lindsey's parents' home in Wayzata. We did all of our shooting in the yard and it was refreshing to stay put and not to have to travel to different locations and make bar stops. Not that I mind doing that, it's just nice to change it up every once and awhile! Lindsey lives out of state so we didn't get a chance to meet beforehand but she described her wedding as "more of a backyard BBQ, than a wedding." I loved it!

Their celebration was all about them, their closest friends and family were there to share their day, and everything was so beautiful! Lindsey was definitely a unique bride. Her friend made her wedding dress from a 1950's vintage pattern. She rocked it!





My new favorite idea: Lindsey used a National Geographic "Love" book for her wedding guest book. I had never seen it before but it was filled with beautiful imagery that guests were allowed to sign on. I could have stood there and looked at that book all afternoon! It's definitely going in my Amazon shopping cart...
The first filmstrip is part of the book, but Lindsey and Michael added theirs:








Lindsey and Michael- it was a pleasure working with you and I loved every moment!