Pajamas Attempt #1

I took the boys to the studio today and we attempted to do some pajama photos. It didn't go as well as I hoped, but I was pushing it. Aidan had a fever and didn't feel good and Owen was so excited to have a pillow fight but was bummed because Aidan wanted nothing to do with photos. Somebody had to fight him, so I was half trying to take pictures and half defending myself from being whacked by a pillow! (see photo #8!)

Here's what I managed to get... my favorite is the Superman flying one and I only wish he had the red cape on!

Bunny Photo Shoot

I'd like to do a preliminary survey to gauge interest in the bunny shoot. I'm working on figuring how much time I need blocked off for the day so I want to know how many people would participate. Here are the logistics:

The shoot would take place at my studio on Saturday, March 8th. I figure that is two weeks before Easter so that way you could get prints ordered in time to show off on Easter Sunday. The cost of the shoot would be $50 for a half hour time slot. Your session would be uploaded to my ordering gallery and prints would be ordered a la carte. No CD will be included. The session would focus on your child interacting with live tame rabbits and if time allows, individual shots of your children in their cute little outfits. This would not be a time to schedule family photos.

Please answer the survey below to show your interest.



Thanks!

Pop Art Olivia

Remember a-ha?

















Taaaake... on... meeeeee!











I was being a dork last night and playing with my iMac Photo Booth program. ;)

Brady and Drew

I had a great time with brothers Brady and Drew. Brady was in for his two year photos and we sure had a lot of fun during our session! The boys did a great job and I'm pretty sure they left with only a memory of playing and having fun! Brady was so funny with my superhero cape... Drew wanted to try it out first so Brady patiently waited his turn while Drew literally ran circles around him. Brady stood still the entire time and then when it was his turn, he immediately took off running as if he could really fly!

World Traveler

One of my photo girls, Erika, is currently in New Zealand for a month teaching photography in a program she herself participated in 7 years ago. How incredibly amazing is that?! The phrase, "It's a small world," is often used and it really seems true sometimes. When I think about all of the places I have never been and will probably never visit, the world seems never ending. Erika seems to be having an amazing adventure so far and you can follow her trip on her personal blog here. I am so excited for her, it's summer where she is and she has taken this trip solely because of her passion of photography.























Life is just too short to not be doing something you love!

Deal or No Deal!

Play here. It's way too much fun!

Man, I wish this was real!






































By the way, I didn't accept the offer and I ended up with $75,000 in my briefcase. I thought for sure I had the million dollars!

Upcoming events...

I am happy to say that I am booking away! Child sessions, family sessions, maternity sessions, and weddings! Things are going great and I still can't believe how busy I've been considering it's January. I have a Saturday coming up where I've got 4 back to back sessions booked at the studio! That's practically like one of my all days shoots without even planning it that way. I've got some other fun and exciting things coming up...

I finished my shopping extravaganza today. My boys and I are set for outfits for our family shoot on Sunday. I also got some cute bedding for my pajama test shoot that I'm going to do with my boys this week. I can't tell you how much I love to shop. I only wish that I could do it more often and that I had a never ending supply of funds!

Pre-announcing the 3rd annual Easter bunny shoot! I am going to attempt to host another all day bunny shoot this March. I think that it will work out fabulously this year now that I have a studio. Last year we got rained out at Como Park. We managed to get a couple of sessions in before it got really miserable out. For you new OWP clients- I host an all day shoot with live tame rabbits!

2 years ago at a friend's studio:



















































I am planning my first portfolio test shoot. My assistant and I are in the process of planning an urban bridal shoot this Spring. We've found some models and are working on finding dresses and awesome locations to do the shoot. If we can find the right dress, we may end up doing a trash the dress session. Why? What photographer wouldn't love to be in complete control of a shoot and be able to use the fabulous images in their portfolio?

I have some amazing weddings booked! I am so excited to work with my new brides who also share my passion and enthusiasm for photography. I love how I tend to draw in very artsy brides because I really feel that they appreciate my eye and can see the difference between my work and others. I am just truly honored when someone chooses me to capture their wedding day.

Olivia's Creations. Stay tuned for a special post showcasing of my first business venture. I feel like I was always a businesswoman at heart. Even at a very young age, I remember having a lemonade stand and making rings and jewelry that I thought I could sell. Right before I got into photography, I was hand painting custom made children's picture frames. I mostly made them to give away as gifts, but actually did a craft show and sold them in a downtown Minneapolis boutique. A lot of work went into them and unfortunately, things didn't take off like I had hoped. I recently gave away a frame to one of my photo girls as a gift and it just got me thinking about it all again when I saw how appreciative she was of it. I'm going to take photos of my remaining frames and show you what I used to do!

That's it for now... I try to give myself a curfew, especially on a school night but I always end up staying up 2 hours too late!

I can't stand this cold...

I need to get away... Is anyone having a destination wedding? I'll shoot your wedding for free! Just pay for my airfare, hotel, etc. I'm dead serious!

Hawaii, Mexico, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas... any of those would be so lovely. Heck, I'd settle for any southern state right about now! For those of you reading this from another state... it is currently -10 degrees with a wind chill of -27 below!

Want to be a wedding photographer?

I know of some opportunities so please contact me if you're interested...

Juno

My husband and I actually got out this evening and went and saw Juno. I believe the last movie we saw in the theater was Shrek 3... yeah, we don't get out much! I have to say that I really loved this movie! If you haven't seen it yet, go see it! I actually cried, which doesn't say much because I could probably cry at every movie, but I cried during the birth scene. I think it's physically impossible for me NOT to cry watching a baby being born. There's just something about being in a hospital witnessing nature's greatest miracle. I can't wait until it comes out on DVD because I will be first in line to buy it!

Family photos!

So guess what I am doing on January 27th? I am having family photos done! My photo girl network is growing stronger every month and we all came up with the idea to do two giant family photo sessions. We all have been wanting family (or couples) photos done as well as personal photos for our websites. I am in desperate need of a new head shot for mine. So, it's going to be a crazy two days of all of us shooting each other's families. So instead of one camera capturing us, there will be six!

I now feel what my family clients all feel before their sessions... what are we going to wear is the biggest question! Also... will I be able to lose 15 pounds in less than 2 weeks?! ;)

I am so excited though, not only am I going to get family pictures done, but they will all be shot by some of the most awesome Twin Cities photographer ladies that I know!

On the roster are:

La Vie Photography
Erin Johnson Photography
Dolce Studios
Erika McCauley Photography
Photogen-inc
Melissa Louise

How lucky am I, right?!

Hmmmm... what to wear, what to wear...

Updates...

My relatives (non-blog readers) have been asking me what I've been doing since it's the slow season. SLOW?! Things are still busy as ever, well... not as busy as October, that was unbelievable! I am still shooting and working on behind the scenes business "stuff." This month is also incredibly busy for meeting with potential brides and booking weddings. Congratulations to anyone who was recently engaged!

2008 booked dates are as follows:

February 29th (assist)
April 26th
May 3rd
May 17th
June 7th
June 28th
July 12th
August 9th
August 30th
September 6th
September 13th
September 20th
October 4th (blocked)
October 11th

Primarily, I am not a wedding photographer so I don't set out to book 40 weddings a year. I can't imagine shooting 40 weddings a season! That is a lot of work and a lot of weekends! One or two a month is the perfect amount for me!

This year I am going to block a few weekends off for myself and try to have some quality family time or possibly take a family vacation or two! I tried to do it last year, but ended up booking things anyway. That is a rapid road to burnout so I really need to watch that.

My husband's cousin Joan in Chicago is getting married on October 3rd this year and I'm so excited to go to her wedding! I haven't been to Chicago in years so we're going to stay a few extra days and sight see. Word is, she might be able to get me Oprah tickets?! (She works for Oprah!) I also haven't been a guest at a wedding in years so I'm excited for that too! She's actually coming up for a visit in just a couple of weeks and I'm going to shoot their engagement photos!

Maddie and Chloe

What a colorful session! I never have any idea of what my clients plan on bringing for clothing and this session worked out as perfectly coordinated as could be! I just picked up this cute blue rug the day before the session and Nancy ended up dressing the girls in these cute Gap dresses that matched perfectly! Then, she had along these cute black shirts with a zebra printed heart in the middle that matched perfectly with my zebra print background! The girls also brought along their princess dresses and Chloe had these cute butterfly wings. The last photo is the perfect example to prove that your child doesn't have to be looking at me and smiling for it to be a beautiful photo. I LOVE IT!

Audrey, Luke, and Evan

Happy 1st birthday Audrey! I was booked to shoot Audrey's 1 year photos and the family tradition is to capture a series of 3 or 4 photos that are framed in a collage. I was honored to be able to carry on the tradition and I loved the candids I was able to get. Audrey has two big brothers to keep up with and chase around. After hanging out inside, we headed outside and played in the snow!