Big News!!

If you aren’t following me on facebook or you haven’t been to see me in a few months, you might not be aware that I have recently moved into a studio space!

I can’t tell you how excited I am about it;  Shooting out of my house was fine;  I mean, it worked great for years…but it is no fair comparison to this place!

It’s in a lovely building in Burnsville called the River Ridge Arts Building.  It’s a family friendly building, and among it’s tenants are painters, dancers, musicians, counselors, and therapists, to name a few.  The building itself has great amenities:  adequate parking, a comfortable foyer/lounge area, and beautiful garden features with a pretty fence and a pond out back; However, the main selling point for me was the crazy natural light in the room I’m working out of.  It faces directly north, and one whole wall is comprised of windows/skylights.  The room has harnessed perfect diffused light from dawn till dusk!   I absolutely love everything about it, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.

(I would encourage everyone to book early for photo shoots from now on…It’s that time of year and I’m already booking into June!

This past weekend was my first time shooting there;  and my sister Nicci was happy to bring Sophie in to be my guinea pig!  Nicci actually designed this dress all by herself (inspired by Matilda Jane!)  and the headband is by Miss Ruby Sue on Etsy.  (Also pictured is the great new sofa that was recently added to my prop collection!)

Becker

I get to see Becker and his sister quite often during the winter months;  Once for holiday cards, and once for each of their birthdays!

It’s hard for me to believe Becker is four already– His was my very first newborn shoot when I decided to quit my day job and pursue photography as a full time gig.  Gosh!  How time flies…

Crosby and Keiller

If you’ve been following my blog  for a couple years, you might remember Crosby and Keiller.   They’re both super sweet, super cute kids, and their mom (who I know from college) is a pretty cool lady, too!

Although Crosby hasn’t always been as receptive as his sister to being in front of a camera, (probably because;  well…he’s a growing boy…) I think these photos prove he is finally starting to warm up to me;  Either that or he’s gotten older and is now wise enough to realize how much more quickly things roll when he cooperates!   (Maybe a little of both, I hope!)

I feel the need to point out that quite often in this line of work, kids walk in the door who are quite adamant about NOT wanting to get  their photos taken.  Add a backdrop and big  studio lights to the mix, and unless you use just the right formula to make them comfortable, things could turn catastrophic!  (On the flip side: A backdrop and studio light(s) can also promote over posing and what is commonly referred to as the “cheesy smile,” which are problematic in their own rite!)    If I didn’t live in Minnesota I would probably encourage more outdoor sessions than I do for these reasons alone!

I like to poke a little fun at Crosby because his mom is a friend, but I want her to know it’s all in good fun because  it’s such a common thing.  I never let it get the best of me and I’ve never given up on any session without getting a good variety of strong workable images.   Usually it just takes a little patience and some very gentle and strategic persuasion!

That said, I’ve always managed to sneak in some great shots of Crosby in the past, but this time (intentionally or not!) he made it easy for me.

Toddlers/Babies – Studio

I’m just going to post a few more studio sessions. I really wish I had the time to post a little bit of something from every session;  There is also a lot I would have liked to say about some of these kids had I had the time.  This age is very entertaining!

Tomorrow I’ll be making my last “catch up” post for a few newborns, and then I’m going to shift my focus to 2011.  This is the slower time of year when I like to update my website, price list, etc… and I have some new ideas that I think will be received very well by new and existing clients!

Penelope

Annamae

Madelyn

Ellie (with baby brother Tate!)

Fletcher

Kids – Studio

I meant to get back to this a couple of days ago; but in all honesty my internet was down on New Year’s Eve;  and since then I’ve had some other things arise;

HERE are some studio shots from the end of 2010;  all of them holiday card sessions (including MY family’s!)

The “U” Family

The “L” Family

Nope; I don’t give kids alcohol to sedate them for photos;  Mike (the dad in these pics) works for August Schell’s Brewing Co.  His business is beer; and the photo below made their 2010 Christmas card cut!

The “P” Family

The “J” Family

When I told Karina and Annika to give each other a hug, here’s what they did!  It was a riot!  I think their mom and dad were as surprised by it as I was!!

My Niece & Nephew

MY kids…

(Wow– I got a bunch of great ones of them together this year!)

Sheesh!  This is overwhelming…Here are a few from some of my bigger kids’ outdoor sessions;  (in some cases along with their younger siblings!)

Gavin & Garret

Hannah – 3 years

Grace, Brooke, & Thomas

Ashley and Maddie

Olivia & Chase

(I think they look like they’re standing near the same pond Monet was when he painted his waterlilies!)

Ian, Maddie, Hannah, & Ethan

Tomorrow…  TODDLERS!  Goodnight!

Fletch

Last Saturday evening I headed out to Little Canada to photograph Fletcher at his grandparent’s beautiful lakeside home.  I can’t remember one appointment with Fletch where he hasn’t been all smiles;  I was looking forward to this one!

The backyard was gorgeous, with HUGE cottonwoods (Fletch’s pop pop told me they were over 3 feet around but I was thinking they looked closer to 4!) and a meticulously groomed landscape with giant hostas and other blooming plants.  The front was a pretty lake lined with giant white Hibiscus and Black Eyed Susans.

It was Fletcher’s mom, Emily’s birthday that day, and as a gift her parents handed down the freshly repainted monkey bars she used to swing from when she was a kid.   It was given to them in the 70’s by another family member, who had played on it in the 50’s! — I got the feeling from Emily that  it was sort of a tongue in cheek gift, but Fletcher seemed to love it, and I’m thinking one day he can pass it down to his kids!

Anyway, it was a great prop for Fletcher’s photographs, as were the balloons that were tied to the top of it in honor of Emily’s birthday.

July Mini Sessions

I thought since I haven’t blogged much lately I would post the MOTHER LOAD of images from the mini sessions last weekend.  These are just a fraction of my favorites!  Once again I lucked out with happy kids that day, which is really, really nice when you’re limited to a half an hour…

Saturday was a hot and humid day, and it started raining about 5 minutes into the last session. Luckily it was just a light sprinkle, and no one really minded all that much.  I couldn’t believe how fast the time went!

IF you know anyone who might be interested, I did have a cancellation for the August 21st mini session. It includes a half hour of coverage, ownership/printing rights to 20 digital images, and a 4×6 printed proof of every image.   It’s a great deal, folks–and to be quite honest I’m not sure I’ll be offering quite so much for so little next year!

Here’s a little glimpse at how I spent part of last weekend;  photographing this big extended family!  The weather that day was tricky.  When it quit pouring rain, the bright hot sun came out to make matters worse!  It wasn’t easy finding a shady spot for a shot including this many people, but this shed was our best option.

Considering there were so many different people to photograph, everyone was so patient and cooperative.  Even all the kids hung in there till the very end!!

Abbi

As soon as I saw this little girl’s curls I knew I was going to have fun photographing her!  She was a little spit fire, and at that age where she was wanting to do everything by herself, which I think is a good thing:   Soon she will be a big sister!

We had a beautiful, albeit very windy afternoon!!