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!

Blog Header | New!

Did you spot the new blog header? Is it wrong that I have my baby on there? I just want to see his smiling face every time I update. It's like my own personal reward! :) Oh, and I will never get over that fountain pic. That needed to go up there for sure. Who else can I put in a fountain? That's going to be my new thing.

Yay for updates! btw- I think those photos pretty much sum up my favorite things to shoot right now... brides, engagements, senior girls/fashion, and 6 month old babies! Hooray!

Carly and Dan | Engaged!

One of the most common questions for couples booking a wedding is where should we do our engagement shoot? I always recommend that couples pics somewhere meaningful to them and not just a "cool" location. The photos should represent something you like to do, a special hangout, or perhaps where he got down on one knee and popped the question.

For Carly and Dan, we had originally decided on some beautiful gardens and possibly going into downtown for some urban contrasting shots. When trying to figure out logistics, I suggested downtown Excelsior where Dan grew up. There are so many special memories here for Dan, and as a couple. I'm so glad the decision was made because I got to know a little more about them and got to hear stories of their past. It just felt like home.

I am excited for their wedding next year! They have traveled the world together and are relocating to another state until the wedding. It's exciting to hear about considering I've lived in MN my whole life!



a favorite...

It was such a hot day so I thought it would be so cute if they got ice cream cones and sat down on the dock. Too bad it was so hot that they couldn't keep the ice cream from melting!

So romantic...

Congratulations C&D! Can't wait to work with you some more!

Oliver | 6 months!

How does 6 months go by so quickly? This little guy is full of wonder and amazement, each day his curiosity grows. He's no longer content just being held, he wants to look around, explore, touch, grasp, and of course everything goes into his mouth!

I fell in love with this monster onesie when I was pregnant. I mentioned that I wanted it for the baby's 6 month shoot and my husband's cousin Joan from Chicago bought it and had it shipped to my house. It was such a sweet thing and an awesome surprise! I remember many late nights, very pregnant and very anxious to meet this baby. I would hold this onesie in my hand, wondering what he looked like and envisioning his 6 month photo shoot wearing it. As soon as he started sitting up (just this past week or so), I couldn't wait to get this on him and get him in front of my camera!

So, this little onesie will always hold a special place in my heart. It is filled with thoughts of excitement, curiosity, and lack of patience because I couldn't wait for him to get here! It feels like those thoughts were just in my head yesterday and here it is, more than 6 months later.




Happy 6 months Oliver! Let's hope these next 6 slow down just a little...