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steph and matt | bloomington, mn wedding photographer

Friday, October 28th, 2011

I loved being a part of this wedding. Stephanie and Matt are the sweetest,warmest people…and so calm and in love amidst the craziness that is a wedding day! The days leading up to the wedding were a bit stressful…weather forecast was calling for rain, and the venue for their wedding (the Minnesota Valley Country Club in Bloomington), didn’t really have an option for indoor portraits. Fortunately, the weathermen got it wrong (surprise!). It was a perfect October day, overcast and warm. After Steph and Matt got their first peek of each other, the whole wedding party piled into a trolley car (this is a super fancy trolley, fast enough to hop on 494…which was a shock to my assistant, who was following us in my mini-van. Being somewhat of an expert in trolley transportation, I had told her we would be taking the side roads ((since obviously, Trolly’s are old and slow and can’t leave their ‘track’ to hop on the freeway)) oops! Sorry Katie!). We took pictures at Centennial Park, and then we headed to the country club for a few more portraits. When we arrived at the club (if I were a member, that’s how I’d refer to it), there were 2 golf carts waiting for the bride and groom (and photographer) to head out onto the golf course. Apparently, they didn’t want people wandering willy-nilly, and the staff was willing to chauffeur us around…which bummed me out, because I wanted to drive

Matt is a police officer, and during the reception someone asked all the officers in attendance to stand up and be recognized. Holy buckets, there were a lot of coppers there. I immediately got distracted checking for bulges in pants (to see who was packing). This is what happens when your DVR is filled with police drama’s! In another life, I am Mariska Hargitay.

And just for reference, when I get married again someday (hey, it could be a vow-renewal…I’ll keep the same groom, promise), I would like to wear Steph’s dress, veil, and have her hair and makeup peeps make me look just like her. Seriously, LOVED every last detail. Gorgeous. And of course I’ll hire my fab friend Anika, who did all the flowers (she does invitations too) for Matt and Steph, and I think they turned out beautifully…any brides who want a hook-up, let me know!

Now, on to the best part. Silence from me, and pictures.

Posted in Minnesota Photographer, Uncategorized, love story, modern minnesota wedding photography, wedding photographer in minnesota, wedding photography, wedding portraits, weddings | 7 Comments »

Deron & Kristy | Otsego, MN Wedding Photography

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Let me introduce you to Deron and Kristy, the coolest couple I know. I have been to my fair share of weddings…and I have NEVER been to one where the entire guest list is on the dance floor 3 minutes after the DJ starts playing. But that’s the power of the cool couple. They’re outgoing and infectious, and I literally wanted to put my camera down and dance with them. And I don’t dance in public. Like, ever. Unless the liquid courage has worked its magic…and even then it’s just stupid dancing like the lawnmower and the shopping cart. Congratulations to you both~you kids rock

This first shot is my favorite from their engagement session.

The happy couple…with a slight height difference.

Kristy got ready in a little tower room with only windows and a bathtub. Had to try it out!

Here’s their first look~my lovely assistant Amy got this great shot.

And my view.

Umm, gorgeous much?

See that goat in the above picture…for some reason there was a family of goats living near the wedding tent.

Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs. Johnson!!

Delicious Pop Rock Margarita’s! Remember those goats…well the groomsmen got a hold of these pop rocks and had a little too much fun feeding those goats. The usual ‘BAAAAAAH’ sound that goats make sounded a little extra crunchy with their help.

Everyone was busting a move…what an awesome crew!

Posted in Uncategorized, modern portrait photographer in minnesota, wedding photographer in minnesota, wedding photography, wedding portraits, weddings | 4 Comments »

leah and erik | eden valley, mn wedding photography

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

I am sitting up north in a trailer working on my blog. I’m feeling quite inspired up here…surrounded by nature, letting my kids run free, while I edit pictures! This is the 4th summer in a row that my sister in law and I have packed up our kids, and spend a week up at the family compound (consists of 3 nice trailers in an association in Alexandria, MN). Usually after we put the kids to bed at night, we sit around the campfire and chit chat with a few drinks…but this year, we’re both too busy to just completely ignore work, so we spend our evenings sitting side by side with our laptops. It’s actually quite nice…we bounce ideas off of each other (she’s a graphic designer), and of course, we still have our cocktails.

The only hitch is that our husbands (aka: workhorses) aren’t able to come. We are super spoiled, and during a week like this, we are clearly reminded of that fact. However this year we discovered a solution. It’s called Vacation Bible School. And get this…wait for it…………….they serve the kids supper every night. It’s like divine intervention. Or a christmas miracle. It seems silly to come back here and cook supper for just the two of us, so we’ve been dining out every evening. It’s a rough life I lead.

I know there are a lot of people waiting for their galleries/orders. I promise I will attempt to work this week, and hopefully be productive! This is our last summer hurrah, and I’m trying to enjoy it before school starts. So right now, I think I’ll head back to the beach, and tonight, I’ll tackle another gallery

I had to edit a few pictures from my girlfriend Leah’s wedding last weekend. It was a gorgeous day. The weather was amazing, the food was incredible, and the people were all lovely It’s always risky to get married outdoors in Minnesota, but it paid off here… I love the location, the little touches everywhere, and the whole vibe from the day. Is it cool that I talked about your wedding having a vibe??

Congratulations to the both of you, I wish you a lifetime of happiness. And enjoy your honeymoon~tomorrow!! They’re going to the same resort in Mexico where my cousin had her destination wedding. Remember to eat at the French, Japanese and Indonesian Restaurants. Those were our top pics

This first shot is of my favorite feature from their wedding…the candy buffet. It was done SO well, and was a huge hit…I think it was completely empty by the end of the night.

Oooh, and don’t forget the cupcake centerpiece platters!! I am not ashamed to admit, I ate three cupcakes. They are made by an amazing baker (bakeress? are you called a baker if you’re female?) named Juliet of Devine Cakes…she has mad skills.

your hot.

Erik’s dad has always been a spiritual man, but he went above and beyond when he got himself ordained for the occasion! He did an amazing job, and you can clearly see, he wasn’t saying anything embarassing about the bride and groom!

Leah’s son Drew…the main culprit in the disappearing candy buffet. Only a few wiggles during the ceremony!

This is a very low maintenance couple…they only wanted one good picture of themselves together. Well, I think this counts, don’t you?!

Posted in Uncategorized, modern minnesota wedding photography, wedding photographer in minnesota, wedding photography, wedding portraits, weddings | 6 Comments »

chris & megan | minneapolis wedding photographer

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Megan and Chris. Two of the sweetest kids ever. Kind, caring…and good looking to boot! No Bridezilla’s here…in fact, we did all of the outdoor pictures in the rain! Well, it was a light drizzly mist, but we were all definitely wet. Did anyone complain once? Well, anyone besides me? Nope. Megan was a total trooper, and just did a quick ‘re-curl’ of her hair before the wedding…that’s one tough cookie!

Chris’ only request for the day: a picture by a birch tree (for his mom, who loves herself some birch), cute huh?

The shot above is totally them, cute, sweet & in love. The shot below is totally NOT them, but I freakin love it, you guys look so tough…and hot That’s what we in the biz call ‘fierce’.

Megan in this next shot ‘peek’ (okay, her and Chris are the only ones that will find that funny…but that’s okay)

Both the bride and groom are PK’s (aka: Pastors kids). So, they were blessed to have both dads conduct parts of their service.

This shot of them hugging is the last shot I was able to capture of their day. My. camera. just. stopped. working. AHHHH major panic. My second shooter was up in the balcony, and by the time I was able to get her, all of the hugging and high fiving moments were over UGH. I ran to the car and got my backup camera, but by then, there wasn’t much left to photograph, except blobs of people hugging the bride and groom. Oh well, at least it waited till the very last second to quit. On my way home, we stopped at national camera exchange in Maple Grove. Nobody there had ever seen the error my camera was giving. (for those interested, it kept telling me that all my camera cards were at ZERO, and wouldn’t allow me to take any pictures). I called Nikon THREE times that weekend, and each time, was told they had never heard of that error…I was ‘this’ close to packaging up my beloved camera for a long 2 month journey to the repair shop in California…when I thought to call the National Camera Exchange one last time. I called the Golden Valley store, because I’ve had good luck in the past with their knowledgeable staff. Sure enough, I got a dude on the phone (I think his name was Ben?), and within 30 seconds, my camera problems were over! Apparently, some cameras have a little number counter that adds up each time you click the shutter. When the number gets too high, you need to create a new folder within the camera. WEIRD! And why wouldn’t Nikon know this? Hello?! Anyways, just thought I’d write that all out…who knows, maybe I’ll save someone else from this little debacle someday!

Posted in love story, modern minnesota wedding photography, modern portrait photographer in minnesota, wedding photographer in minnesota, wedding photography, wedding portraits, weddings | 2 Comments »

mexico wedding~part 2 | minnesota destination wedding photographer

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Let’s go back to Riviera Mya, shall we? Okay. In case you missed the first installment of this wedding, here’s the link. Just to get you up to speed…this is my lovely cousin Jen and her new hubbie Patrick…they had a destination wedding in Mexico in November. Can I just say that at least ONE of my children better have one of these…they are awesome! And no, South Dakota is not a destination…it has to be somewhere with year round palm tree’s (not in a mall).

What do you call the complete opposite of a bridezilla? Oh, I know…you call her Jen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more laid back bride in my life. She was all, “oh, ya know, just take a few snapshots of me and patrick during the ceremony…no biggie.” And I’M ALL, “Ummm, hello, I need at least 2 hours before the wedding to get some decent shots.” The night before the wedding we agreed on a meeting time. In hindsight, there were a lot of drinks being consumed in the midst of this conversation, so there may have been a bit of a mis-communication. The time I thought we agreed upon came and went on her wedding day. And there was no bride. An HOUR later than I originally anticipated, the bride rolled up in a golf cart, veil soaring behind her. I was yelling, “JEN, where the bleepity bleep were you??” Then I noticed that she wasn’t as relaxed as I thought. In fact…she looked like she was going to have a panic attack right there in her veil and flipflops. And so, I backed off. I grabbed a few shots of her jumping in her dress, and then we headed outside for a few bridal portraits (why does that phrase sound so 80’s?). We were waiting for Patrick to show up so I could get a few of them together on the beach. We waited. Aaaannnd waited. I think you can sense the theme here…they are definitely two pea’s in a pod!

Finally, the groom shows up, and after a 3 minute ‘first look’, we headed to the beach. No lie, we were there less than 4 minutes. I envisioned a relaxing 2 hour session on the beach…and I got 4 minutes. And that’s okay. Because it was Jen’s day, not mine. After I got over myself, I went up to the chapel and sat down. It was a beautiful service in a candlelit chapel…then a yummy cocktail hour, followed by a delicious dinner (except for the anchovies…Lori, remember those?). Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Soraghan…AND to the bun in the oven! You heard me…she got pregnant on her wedding night. Who does that? Trust me, we all did the math, it totally adds up-crazy right? If it’s a girl, I think you should name her Mya…don’t ya think? Ironically, during the wedding dinner everyone was throwing out baby names (no pressure, right?)…turns out, they’ll need those names faster than any of us thought! Woohoo!

And here’s a little collage of pictures from our trip…some from the wedding…some just snapshots…some of me in a swimsuit (it’s called strategic cropping)…some of Kor with a monkey on his back…whatev.

I wish I could do those 5 days over again…It was an amazing time with our family. Good thing I have a carribbean cruise coming up to console myself with…you want to punch me, don’t you? I’ll do it for ya…ouch.

Posted in Uncategorized, destination wedding photographer, wedding photographer in minnesota, wedding photography, wedding portraits | 7 Comments »

Highlights from 2010 | minnesota modern portrait photographer

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Well, I’m heading out of town today for a long New Years celebration. This is the only weekend every year when I realize that I do not own a pair of snow-pants…and when the kids inevitably beg me to go sledding with them, I have to put on 4 pairs of sweatpants to survive. I prefer to wear my bright pink polka dot ‘zumba-esque’ pants over the top of the layers to give it that really ‘finished’ look.

Without getting sappy or sentimental (neither of which I do well), I want to thank all of my clients for being so awesome. Thank you for trusting me to capture a few of your memories…thank you for being normal (that’s a biggie), decent people who I feel comfortable working with…thank you for bringing me such COOL kids that make my job easy…well, I think that’s enough sap, don’t you?

I have a few more sessions to blog, but I think I’ll save them for next year (HAHAHA, sorry, that line cracks me up e.v.e.r.y. time…what am I, 12?). Instead, I’d like to share some of my favorite images from the past year. I shot over 90 sessions this year, and it was so hard to only show a few…I attempted to limit my share to ten favs, but I might have gone over a bit…

Oh, and just an FYI…session fee’s will be going up a wee bit in 2011, not like crazy-high…but probably about $20 more or so…if you’d like to book your session now & get the 2010 rates (even if you don’t plan on taking the pictures until July), you can go ahead and do it! This offer is only good until I get my butt in gear and re-work my website and shopping cart area! Operators are standing by.

Here we go:

Posted in Minnesota Photographer, SENIORS, St. Cloud photographer, Uncategorized, baby bump, baby photography, cake smash, childrens photography, cute baby pictures, family photography, family portraits, first birthday, high school senior pictures, kids photography, love story, maternity portraits, mn high school seniors, mn senior pictures, modern minnesota wedding photography, modern senior pictures in minnesota, newborn, newborn photography, newborn twins photography, pictures of newborns, pregnancy pictures, senior pictures, toddler photography, urban pictures, wedding photographer in minnesota, wedding portraits, weddings | 8 Comments »

jen and patrick | destination wedding photographer

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

So, tomorrow is Thanksgiving…and I have sooo much to thank God for…an amazing family, awesome kids, a husband that puts up with me, and a job that I love. One thing that I’m working on being thankful for is the place that I call home. Minnesota. It’s really hard to appreciate the cold weather when you travel to somewhere tropical like Mexico. The weather there is SO amazing. And the scenery is stunning. As I sit here typing, the snow is falling and the wind is whipping…not my favorite type of weather. I’ll just have to learn to be grateful. For a different kind of scenery…in a place that has more than one season!

Here are some wedding pictures from my cousin Jen’s wedding in Riviera Mya. I’m so happy that she found a guy like Patrick-they compliment each other perfectly. I’ll have more pictures from our trip soon, but for now~these will have to tide you over (hint, hint Mom and Aunt Mary!!).

These two shots were taken about 20 feet apart and within a minute of each other. I just think it’s so cool how the backgrounds are so drastically different from one angle of the beach to the other…

These next two are some of the first pictures of Jen and Patrick taken during their ‘first look’ of each other.

This next picture was taken with my point and shoot out of the plane window on our flight home-how cool are those clouds?

Love this picture (Jen, this is the picture I envisioned for your new frame!!)

Posted in Uncategorized, destination wedding photographer, wedding photographer in minnesota, wedding photography, wedding portraits, weddings | 12 Comments »

alex & jeff | minneapolis wedding photography

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Okay, I’m back…a little tanner, a little fatter, and a little wiser (read: beer before liquor, never been sicker). I can’t wait to share some pictures from my trip…not to mention my cousin’s beautiful wedding…but first I have to play a little catch-up.

I’ve been dying to share these pictures for a few weeks now. These two are absolutely gorgeous, inside and out! They got married earlier this fall, and wanted a few more pictures in their wedding finery (who says you can’t wear that dress again?). We didn’t exactly ‘trash the dress’…but there was some sitting in dirt roads…is that trashy?

The shoes!!

This next picture makes me want to pull out a good romance novel. I know this type of shot has been done before, but I still LOVE it!

Ahhh, feel the love…as we trespass in my favorite field. One of these days I’m going to work up the courage to ask permission. But until then, we’ll just keep ducking when cars drive past.

Posted in modern minnesota wedding photography, wedding photographer in minnesota, wedding photography, wedding portraits, weddings | 3 Comments »