Creative Photography by, Expressivestudios

Karin's Maternity Session

2012-02-16T05:54:00.000-08:00

We took her photos in Ramsey, and oh what a beautiful sunny Minnesota day we had. I felt so good after the cold snap we suffered through. Karin is such a beautiful pregnant mom - she simply glowed! I really enjoyed spending time with her and her family and her little girl (who is the same age as my Athena) More of this family to come when little bundle of joy arrives!

A Winter Family Session

2012-02-02T05:58:00.000-08:00

I love this family - I have photographed them several times over the years and each time I love them more. They are proof that well behaved children still exist in this world! They are so good, and happy! Oh it makes my job so much easier! Hannah is so smart and sits so nice - she really should model the way she poses. And Molly... she seemed to take so long to walk and then once she started, oh boy, she goes! My camera was clicking so fast trying to catch that little girl on the go. She was a blast! So much personality it those big beautiful eyes. I cant wait to see what all that focused energy turns into as she grows. And Colette and Chris just seem to do the family life with such love and ease, never a harsh word, but always have control, How do you two do that and make it look so easy?? I am a mom with three crazy kids and is baffled by it! Enjoy your photos guys.

I love this next one:

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

Homemade Laundry Soap

2012-01-11T06:01:00.000-08:00

This is way better then the store bought laundry soap. You only have to use 1 Tablespoon per load. This recipe made a bucket full of soap and is going to last a year I bet. I made mine last night and it was great - it smelled great, cost only about $20, and only took me about 15 min to make. I will never go back to store bought!

Here is what you need:

(via http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html)

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) I found this in the detergent isle but could also be with the cooking stuff

1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-naptha soap, found in the detergent isle

2 small containers of oxyclean or store brand oxyclean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle.

(I used only 1)

(you can also use pink Zote soap instead of Fels-naptha. I had really wanted to but could not find it anywhere)

You should be able to find all of these items at your grocery store.

This detergent is fairly mild smelling, it is not over powering. If you love a strong scent you may have to add a fabric softener to each load.

Start out by grating your Fels-naptha soap just like cheese. You can use a food processor or just use your hand held grater, what ever you have.
**Don't worry the Fels-naptha will dissolve in your washer even if you only use cold water like me.**

Toss all ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag. This part makes your whole house smell great. Once everything is mixed store soap however you like. I used a cleaning bucket I found at walmart and used the scoop from inside the oxyclean. Worked out awesome!

Kasey and Nic's Engagement in Taylors falls/St. Croix Falls

2011-12-28T06:12:00.000-08:00

Nic lives out of town and is an engineer in the Air Force (how cool is that!) so we had to squeeze in an engagement session over the holidays while he was here. I was amazed at the weather - I mean have you ever seen photos with this much sun and warmth at the end of December in Minnesota? It was beautiful! oh do I love the sun it makes for such beauty in the photos with light streaming in everywhere, I could do so many fun and creative things, and Kasey (who is a teacher) is so fun and wanted unique photos - so we just walked around the 2 towns and had fun together - I am so excited for next September these two are going to be so amazing in their wedding attire! Thank you Kasey and Nic for choosing me for your photographer you are both amazing - enjoy the photos!

Pine City Newborn

2011-12-05T08:16:00.000-08:00

Baby M. Came into the world a little earlier than planned but she is as healthy as can be, and such a sweet easy going baby. I loved photographing her, and loved using some of my new hats on her, as well as a special one made by grandma. Here is the precious bundle of joy.

Baby Henry

2011-12-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

Little Henry is just so adorable - need I say more :) I love photographing him and his sweetness.

I love this next one - he seems to be saying... oh hi my momma.

Thoughts on Success and Eating Cake.

2011-11-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

So I follow the blogs of several well known photographers and many of them focus on "leaving your nine to five, or getting out from behind the cubical" as if that is the key to success. I suppose for many people that is the goal. They have become photographers to get out of dead end jobs or it is their passion to only do photography. And many times I have judged myself against that thought, and felt unsuccessful, when really I never should have done that. My husband, sweet that he is, gave me a little pep talk on my feelings of success (or lack thereof) and I took some things from that conversation and mulled it all over, and came to the conclusion that everyone else's definition of success doesn't work for me.

At the end of the day I am extremely lucky to do what I do both for my day job and my business. I like doing what I do and I want to have my cake and eat it too. I went to school all those years ago to become a graphic designer...I love to design, and lucky me I have a fantastic job with an amazing company that hired me to be in charge of the design department, I love it! And bonus... its minutes from home. Awesome.

I also love my photography work. It is my creative outlet, the way I can expressive myself freely, and capture your expressions in an artistic way. It makes me happy to make my clients happy, and gives me a satisfaction like I have never had before. I love to see the feedback that someone gives to me when an image I created made them laugh or cry or feel loved.

So in conclusion, after re-evaluating the meaning of success for me in my life, I realize that having my day job makes me very successful, having my photography business makes me very successful, having a happy marriage with a wonderfully supportive caring and loving husband makes me very successful, having 3 beautiful healthy children that I love makes me very successful, and I dont want to give up any of those areas to reach what someone else's version of success is. I will have my cake and eat it to, thank you very much, because thats what you should do with cake.

P.S. The company I work for Cartech books Just launched their brand spanking new website at http://www.cartechbooks.com/ you can find lots of gifts their for the car buff in your life (and you can see me and the crew and some of my photography work on the about us page.) Enjoy the thanksgiving holiday everyone - wishing you all your own version of success.

The Nelson Family

2011-11-22T07:34:00.000-08:00

Sara is an amazing creative person who I feel has a similar spirit to my own. I met her and her beautiful family for some photos at their house in North Branch for some fun photos. Here are the beautiful results.

Her little boy really loves his kitten, so we started off with taking a few pictures of him and his pal.

These two brothers are so nice to each other! I loved how willing they were to give each other a hug.

So this next one is my favorite from the day - I got all mushy when I saw it!

Sarah and Nicks 2011 Family photos

2011-11-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

Nick and Sarah have been coming to me for their families photos for years and years now and I swear every year gets more fun! This year we had a bit of a weather issue but you cant tell by the beautiful photos. This year they had an extra couple families with them so we had a crazy fun time with all of those kids! Here are the previous years, its fun to see the kids grow-up! 2008 2009 2010.

Thank you Nick and Sarah for year after year coming to me and being so willing to try all my new ideas you guys are the best!

I love tickle fights :)

The whole group with grandma

ahhh yes - here is the family I know and love - I knew eventually I would capture the real you's.

:) hahaha

Awww cut it out you two - your just to darn adorable together!!

Anna's fun family photo session

2011-11-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun running around the Cambridge city park - we enjoyed one of the last wonderful sunny days of fall. The kids had so much fun running around that it was hard to reign them in for photos, but we did get them to pause once and awhile for some fun photos. Enjoy.

Heidi and her beautiful girls

2011-11-21T06:27:00.000-08:00

I had planned a shoot with these beautiful ladies thinking we would hike the fields and lay in the grass, and all the fun things of late fall - but really I should have realized that it is Minnesota and November, which often means snow... So we got the pleasure of taking photos after the very first snow of the season, they turned out wonderful. We had to stop a time or two to warm finger and toes, but I loved the rosy glow of cheeks and the pop of color on the snow. Heidi actually told me she was not photogenic - ha! Can you believe that? She is such a beautiful woman - Just look at her, I have always thought she should have been a model. Well the one thing she is and does to a perfection, is being a mom. She loves her girls and they love her!

Laura and Matt's Trash the Dress

2011-11-16T06:06:00.000-08:00

I know that this is out of order but I finished the Trash the dress edits first so I thought I would share them. This couple is so sweet and they had the best wedding and the sweetest Trash the Dress session the day after. Every time I would come back to these images it just amazed me the way these two are together, they just have it... the sweetness, the love, the adoration for each other. I can just see it in their happiness, and the looks they give to each other. I just love photographing couples like this. Enjoy the photos - they speak louder than my failing words. I can never describe it the way the images do.

I love her bare dirty feet in these next couple.

Laughter is one of my favorite things to capture!

I love all the grain around the grain bins in these, the grain bins ended up being such an artistic background!

The red barn was my favorite, such a great pop of color!

Growlllll, look at these two, they are like models!! :)

The forest on Matt and Lauras land was a beautiful backdrop. I love wedding photos in a forest, I think I loved everything about this session.

And just as a little teaser.... Here is a beautiful photo from the wedding. As I am working through the edits I realize there is going to be a wonderful blog post full of beauty when I am finished.

2 Families and a newborn little boy

2011-11-14T06:09:00.000-08:00

Here are monday morning previews of 2 fantastic families and a sweet little newborn. Full blog posts to come later this week.

Kyle and Abby For the Holidays

2011-11-11T06:02:00.000-08:00

These two are so very sweet together, Kyle is my little brother and oh what a pain in the butt he used to be... And what a wonderful young man he has turned into! He is off to college and he and Abby are feeling the distance I think, but when he comes back home its like he was never away for these two love birds. Enjoy the photos they are a terrific looking couple (although I admit I am a bit bias) !!

I LOVE this next one!!!

Because Kayla loves David and David Loves Kayla...

2011-11-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

And they both love Charlie and Chuck (their super cute dogs). We hung around in the evening after they got done with work and shot some fun pictures for the holidays. I had so much fun taking photos with their dogs to, although a bit unpredictable it made for some fun pictures, you can see for this first picture they were not cooperating :) but it was cute and real, and I like real! Enjoy.

I have to add a little note: This is my baby sister, who is not such a baby anymore. But I still remember her as a tiny little thing with big glasses and a scratchy voice that sang about everything. The sun, the sky, the grass, the moon everything she saw she sang about. She was my little shadow for much of my teen years and I adored her. And still adore her. Only now she is a young woman going through college to become a teacher while she is teaching preschool for a job and still she sings only now with the voice of an angel. She sings most sundays in Church and can bring you to tears with her solos. Just simply an amazing girl. I love you my little Kayla girl.

Dakota's Senior Photos (Rush City High School)

2011-11-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

I had tons of fun hanging out with Dakota, he is a great guy! We hiked around Rush City and chatted as we shot his senior photos. All the construction that is going on made for some cool places to take photos, and Dakota knew where the cool graffiti was, here are the very cool results.

Night Flight

2011-11-08T05:55:00.000-08:00

My husband has been going to flight school to become a small plane pilot, and as part of his training he needed to go on a night flight with an instructor. Since the instructor was along I was also allowed to tag along. Freeway Jay was our instructors name, he had the coolest story about why he was called that, he has been flying since he was a teenager and got his license when he was 17 and just shortly after he was flying with some friends and his plane lost oil pressure. He tried to make it back to the Rush City Airport but could not. So he called 911 but had no choice but to find a spot to put it down. So the Freeway ended up being his only option so he landed just outside of Rush City on the freeway. Could you even imagine - seeing a plane come down to land as your driving along, or being him and having enough calm to get it landed safely! eekkk. Anyway we got to fly down to the cities and because it was such a quiet night the air traffic control granted us access to the restricted airspace around the cities. So we got to have an up close look at all the beautiful lights of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I know the photo is not the best, It was a difficult thing trying to get a good exposure since plane vibrates quite a bit. But here is the best shot. Isnt it just AMAZING!!! The experience took my breath away.

Monday morning preview of 2 families

2011-11-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

It was a pretty gloomy day on Sunday with tons of wind, but no rain so we made the best of it, here are 2 mini previews of the sessions with full blog posts to come.

Gwar Band member dies

2011-11-04T06:13:00.001-07:00

I wont pretent to be something Im not - I had never seen Gwar play before, I had heard the music, heard about the shows, but never been to a concert, until Wednesday. I got to go to First Ave, on November 2 to see Gwar perform. It was the most amazing concert I have ever been to, the energy is amazing, the show is incredible. Its a form to true art what these guys do. I have been energized for days from seeing it. I was incredibly lucky to be right in the front - in fact a friend of mine shared that the photographer (Eric Hess) from City pages caught me there.

Thats me on the far right.

So new fan and crazy enthusiast that I now am I was so super sad to hear that one of the band members Cory Smoot past away after the First Avenue show on Wednesday night! Here is the city pages story http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2011/11/gwar_cory_smoot_dead.php

Man that sucks! I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the concert and Cory's last performance. Thanks for opening up a whole new world to me.

- Connie

Klanderud Family!

2011-11-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

I love these guys - they are so wonderful! This is the third time I have photographed their family and it is always so much fun. We went to the Almulund fire station this year - the momma has lots of super heros in her life so it seemed fitting. Her husband is a fire fighter (awesome!) and of course her two little boys are super heros too. Here are some previews of the super fun session.

Previews from my "Wow, did I really get to photography that!" weekend

2011-10-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful, busy, but wonderful weekend full of photography work. I am so excited about each and every one of these shoots. I posted a few from each this morning and I will get on to the processing and blogging as soon as possible!

First up are a few from the beautiful wedding of Laura and Matt - Just beautiful!

Next up are a few from the fun session with a family that I have photographed for the last 3 years. This year was super fun! We got to go to the Fire Station!

Next up is the Super Cool Dakota. He is a Senior at Rush City High School. We really enjoyed kickin around town for his senior pics.

And last up is the super fun trash the dress session the day after Laura and Matts big day.

We had so much fun in the woods, and with the grain bins oh and I can wait to show you some of the barn ones!

Brenda and Mikes cute Family at the St. Francis Park

2011-10-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

I met Brenda and Mike at the park in St. Francis and we had such a great time finding cool places to take photos at, and enjoyed having some fun with the kids. They were so fantastic to meet, and I cant wait to see their soon to be born little baby!

I must be really funny :) !!

I love this next one - they look like they are having so much fun!

Tuesday Morning Preview

2011-10-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry it wasnt monday morning as usual, I had a little Ella girl home sick yesterday. Here is my weekends work - full posts to come soon!

A wonderful Family session:

My brother Kyle and his sweet girlfriend Abby:

And oh yeah - its getting close to the holidays so I started shooting a few of my kids for our christmas card:

Laura and Jesse's Engagement Session in Chisago

2011-10-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

Meeting Laura and Jesse was so fun. They were referred to me and I am so grateful! When I first arrived Laura told me how nervous she was, but there was no need, there is nothing uptight or formal about my photography, just easy going and fun! But she relaxed and we did have tons of fun wandering around town. While we did she and Jesse told me a little about themselves. The meet at a music festival, and started slowly dating Jesse said it took awhile to convince Laura of his good intentions. But it worked. I asked how he proposed and awwwwwww mmyyyyyy gooooosh it was too sweet of a story! He leaves her little post-it notes every so often just to say he loves her and on Valentines day (love that!) he wrote out enough post-it notes with little things he loves about her to write I ♥ U in post-it notes. And he had music they danced to and Laura said in the midst of her already crying and laughing he dropped to his knee and proposed.

After this story - I was completely hooked on these two - he has got to be the sweetest and she is his perfect match. Oh my I love stories like this!!! You will see just look at the love!

Jenn and Matts wedding in Lindstrom

2011-10-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

I have known Jenn since we were kids (well she knew my siblings better than me) but all the same she is from my neck of the woods and literally grew up right down the street, her dad is friends with my dad, it was just way too cool that she hired me to shoot her wedding! I was so excited to do it, and so happy for her. She is such a nice girl and I am so glad she found such a nice guy in Matt! They had a beautiful wedding at the Lakes Free Church in Lindstrom and after the ceremony we headed over to Ganmel Garden in Scandia for some photos and then off to the very fun reception at the Scandia Creamery.

Thank you both for having me photograph your special day - it was truly an honor.

Here is their first look

Isnt this little girl adorable! She thought Jenn was a princess and she was just so excited to hold her hand!

A quick snap after they left the church, I love the sunlight!

Look at that love! Oh my it shines through this photo!

Jenns mom passed away when she was a little girl so her dad was a big part of her life and I think this part of the day was pretty special to her, I love her sweet tears. awww it made me get all teared up behind the camera. Sheesh what kind of wedding photographer am I if I shoot so many weddings in a year and they can still make me cry!

Senior Tyler

2011-10-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

Tyler was such a cool guy! He brought his truck and his dogs and his rifle, and we a great time wandering around and finding cool textures to take photos against. Thanks to both Tyler and his mom for meeting me and driving all the way up here.

Senior Alex

2011-10-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

This guy was so awesome to photograph. And get this besides being incredibly handsome, he plays football, is the homecoming king, coaches kids in T-ball, and is heading off to college next year to go into the medical field. This guy is truly amazing! I cant believe one person can have all of that going for him! Well I felt like the luckiest photographer to be able to take his senior pictures. Here is the awesome Alex.

Monday morning preview

2011-10-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

I still have blog posts to post from last weekends sessions but since I am a bit behind right now I will give you a quick preview of this weekend shoots and I will have to play catch up with blog posts very soon. To all my clients: I am working hard and there will not be much delay. Sooo this weekends shoots were super fun and full individual preview posts will (hopefully) be up later this week. First up was an adorable family from North Branch.

Then a sweet engagement session with a wonderful couple from Chisago City

Then a Senior Shoot with a Rogers MN Guy. He was so cool, and he brought his very cool dog with too. They were both excellent models!!

A Busy weekend

2011-10-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

Here is my Monday morning previews of the upcoming attractions. This week I will be blogging about my wonderful Sister Kayla and her hunny David and their cute dogs, and then the Beautiful wedding for Jenn and Matt (I loved this wedding!!!) and then a wonderful senior session in Cambridge with an alexandria graduate. Stay tuned :)

Baby G's Newborn session

2011-10-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

I dont know why - but this session made me get all teary when I was editing photos, maybe it was because she is so tiny, or me being a girl and missing tiny babies or maybe it was just the love that was shining through the photos. Whatever the case I know you all will love this sweet sweet baby. I will post a few more on monday too just because I cant resist them.

Pine City Senior Janessa

2011-10-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

Janessa and her mom met me for her senior session this last weekend and I had so much fun getting to know the both of them. Janessa is so beautiful and has such great style! I loved her jeans, they were simply divine! And she brought sunglasses, scarves and boots - I love a girl who can accessorize! We chatted and shared and took photos she told me about her Europe trip and her own interests in photography. I loved learning all about this independent and adventurous girl - sort of a girl after my own heart.

I love her laugh - It lights up her whole face.

Newborn and a Senior Session Mini Preview

2011-10-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

What a busy weekend and I didn't get a full post ready - but just a little preview of the Adorable newborn baby girl Miss G. and the absolutely stunning did I say stunning? Cause I mean STUNNING Pine City senior Jannessa. I cant wait to give you all full posts on these two amazing girls!

Brittany and Jared's Fall wedding

2011-09-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

He was so nervous Brittany said, just so nervous yesterday, I am worried how he will be today. As she walked out to him...her true and forever love, he did seem nervous. But as soon as he saw his beautiful bride it seemed to melt away as he gathered her in his arms, his true and forever love. Brittany and Jared are just perfect together, you know the type that just look like they belong together - the perfect match and compliment to each other. These two had a sweet and beautiful September wedding at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Rush City, that not only honored their love for each other but loved ones that were not able to be with them. Brittany and Jared thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me be a part of your wonderful wedding. Enjoy.

The Dress

The Shoes

Getting ready, I love the lace up dresses.

Just look at those amazing lashes!

The first look...awwww!

Beautiful bridesmaids! I love the fall orange, yellow and red colors they choose.

The Ceremony

And tears! I really love tears at a wedding. It just makes you realize how emotional it is to see two people who love each other so fully be able to be joined together.

The giving tree engagement

2011-09-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

Once there was a tree..... and she loved a little girl. And every day the girl would come and she would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play queen of the forest. She would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek. And when she was tired, she would sleep in her shade. And the girl loved the tree.......very much. And the tree was happy.

Laura had a special tree that she loved and wanted to have some of her and Joshs engagement photos there and I am glad we did, it was so beautiful! Thanks you two for such a fun session and for sharing your sweet 10 month old puppy - he is just the sweetest!

Previews from the crazy busy weekend!

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend was nutty busy for me. A beautiful wedding, a family session and an engagement session. I was just so happy the weather was great!!! it can be so unpredictable in the Fall. I will have full posts ready later in the week (with the exception of the family shoot, they politely declined to be featured on the blog) so to tide my faithful wonderful blog followers over and to give my clients something to look forward to... here is the preview to the coming attractions :)

The Wedding:

The Engagement:

A Beautiful Maternity Session with Jaime and Brandon

2011-09-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

You may remember their beautiful wedding not long ago Here and now I got the pleasure of photographing their little "bun in the oven" she has the cutest baby bump ever. I cant wait to meet little Henry when he arrives in 7 weeks. Enjoy the love and awesomeness that is there between Jaime and Brandon, it shines right on through the photos!

Cooper Senior High School Senior Eric

2011-09-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

Eric met me out at Rum River North Park in St. Francis and we had a rainy drizzely kind of day to work with, but even though the weather was not that cheery I think we got some great shots, and Eric went way up on the cool scale when he pulled out his paintball gun! Made me want to get out one and go have some fun!!! More are to come including a photoshopped paintball version (I just really needed some good splats!) But here is a small sample from the weekend. Enjoy.

Chuck the puppy

2011-09-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

My wonderful sister Kayla had me puppy sit her little puppy way back at the beginning of summer, and I of course had to take a bunch of photos of the cute little pup, and this weekend I finally got around to finishing them up. So for all you puppy lovers.... here is the adorable Chuck.

Trash the Dress and a photography class

2011-09-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well this post has been along time in coming. Apologies! My schedule gets a bit hecktic and if the photos are not for a client then I tend to put them on the back burner, but I really should not have because this experience was such and incredible one that I should have shared right away! I have had several interns and many people who have asked me for advice/tips so I thought that this year I would host a class. Not really knowing if I would be any good at teaching or not, and I still dont know but man did I have fun doing it. We had 3 models for the class. Miss Sophia, who is aspiring to be a professional model, she did an excellent job. Also my friend Monica who wanted to Trash her wedding dress and her husband who she dragged with, and I dont think he planned on modeling but we pulled him in :) Our outline for the class was this:

Understanding you Camera,

Exposure, ISO, Shooting Manually, Equipment Bodies/Lenses/Flash

Understanding people
Posing, focusing, positioning, light, and finding emotion

Basics on Photo manipulation, Model session and instruction, starting with portraits, and ending with Trash the dress.

And I think the biggest challenge and most rewarding for people was shooting manually with help. I think everyone had a great time, I know I sure did. And I think I will be doing it again. So stay tuned I will let everyone know when and where we will have fun again. I will in the future post another post with some of the work from people in the class they did such a fantastic job!!

Here we all are! Such an awesome group.

Us, a little family fun with photography

2011-09-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

It was such a beautiful evening after school on Monday, the sun was just dipping low in the sky we had finished dinner and the kids were playing outside. I decided to grab the camera and capture a little bit of them in the fading summer. My Ella - always the fashion model was right there ready to pose, so I also grabbed the reflector and got a little bit of some pretty backlight with reflected light to get her being her oh so cool self. And my little Athena girl got an owwie at daycare falling down some steps, so between that and the dirt that she was throwing around (and possibly eating??) She looked the part of a country tom boy. And Mason aww mason, such a cute guy! Ella not only loves to pose for the camera but also loves to take pictures. So I credited my Ella girl when it was her taking the photo.

Isnt she cool. I totally dig my cool little girl.

Oh yes - dirt dirt and more dirt. Silly little girl.

Above photo taken by Ella. Her view of mom.

The cute look I got from Mason when I said "Smile buddy.

Above photo taken by Ella. A sweet hug from Athena.

Above photo taken by Ella. Cant you tell? This is the look Ella always gets from her brother.

Above photo taken by Ella.

Terri and Pats Stillwater Engagement Session

2011-09-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

**** REVISION*****

I asked Terri if she could tell me a bit about her and pats love story, because I adore love stories, and even though I knew the two of them forever and know a bit of their history I didnt know how they got to where they are today, so Terri was so awesome and wrote a bit for the blog. Here is her version of their love story:

Pat and I knew each other in high school. We have known each other for 20 years. We decided to date after high school and ended up doing things backwards. Dalton (our son) was born after we had already gone our separate ways. The best part of our friendship, even after we weren't together was that we could always pick up a conversation where we left off - no matter how much time passed. We both had gone in very different directions in our lives, different relationships etc. But, I was digging around online one day and saw this person - no picture, but all of the information was familiar, so I decided to send an email - you know curiosity killed the cat they say, When that person responded - it was Pat! I was excited!! We continued to correspond by email, chat, text and phone calls for about a year. During that time, he had told me he wouldn't come back to Minnesota unless "someone" picked him up. That someone was me. We made the decision, my friend and I took a day trip to Iowa where he was living and brought him home to Minnesota. And the rest they say...is history. We have been inseparable since, we are best friends and I am happy to say that I am marrying my best friend.

-Terri

************

I had so much fun walking around Stillwater with these two love birds. They have been friends of mine since high school, so its always fun to catch up and hear about their family. These two have a wonderful family together and I have photographed them a few times before Here and Here, but this time it was just the two of them, and I really enjoyed "grownup time" to chat. I cant wait to hear more about the upcoming wedding, and congratulations you two... you guys are really the best!!

I love this one:

Wow Terri! You are soooo beautiful!!

The almost kiss :) I love this one too its so cute, so them!

Laughter, it is just such real happiness!

Jessica's sweet family

2011-08-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with this beautiful family, in fact I think one of the images is my favorite of the season! We had delicious evening sun...oh how I loved it, and the love that shines through in this family was even brighter! The two little guys were so sweet and smiles all the way and Jessica and her husband were the kind of wonderful couple you just aspire to be like! Oh I could go on and on, but it would most likely drive you all nuts with my do-goody sunshine-y-ness.

Aren't they just adorable????

ok... Ready... I LOVE LOVE LOVE this photo. So much happiness, and I love happiness. :)

Naomi and Jasons Beautiful Family

2011-08-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with Naomi and Jason's family pictures. Jason and my husband are friends from way back so we made it a cookout and photo session. It was great fun and it allowed for the kids to get warmed up, It was great... because at first they were not to sure about me or my big camera :) in the end we got great images and had a great afternoon with friends.

A fun Family shoot (a little preview)

2011-08-08T06:02:00.001-07:00

A Full blog post to come later this week, but I thought I would post a Monday morning preview Enjoy! And thank you Naomi and Jason for a fun afternoon!

Josey and Jaceys beautiful baptism

2011-08-05T06:35:00.000-07:00

Two beautiful girls Josey and Jacey got baptised outside, and it made for such beautiful photos. My dear friend Shannah had me out to document their day and I am so happy that she did. It was so neat to see this family all so happy and enjoying the great day! Thank you so much Shannah, I hope you enjoy the photos.

Lindsey's Senior Portraits (North Branch Senior)

2011-08-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

I love love love this first one. How beautiful is she!

I love when Seniors bring along a friend, they help with styling, and with getting some great smiles. I love it. Thanks for the help Taylor!

Kristyn and Gregs amazing Detroit Wedding

2011-07-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

Greg and I are friends from way back and I now feel so blessed to have Kristyn as a friend as well. They are the sweetest couple and I was so honored to be a part of their big day! Greg is a writer and Kristyn is a news anchor and greg wrote a story about the two of them and since I tell stories with photos I dont feel nearly as qualified to tell their story. So I am copying the "news" story here to go along with the photos.

It all started in a quaint town in northern Wisconsin. Fate brought two city slickers together in the home of the Hodag. They were both never expecting to find the love of their life –– things changed. Greg Bates grew up in Isanti, Minn., which is about 45 miles north of Minneapolis, and was looking for a career advancement when he got a job as the sports editor at The Daily News in Rhinelander. Bates –– who graduated from St. Cloud State University in 2000 –– had already inhabited Rhinelander for two years when Kristyn Allen brought her charm and talents to the local NBC affiliate, Newswatch 12, in Rhinelander, where she became the morning show anchor and reporter. Allen –– who is an alumnus of Michigan State University, earning her diploma in 2006 –– made the 9-plus-hour move to Rhinelander from Gibraltar, Mich. Bates met Allen not long after she moved to the Northwoods. The two had many mutual friends at the TV station. However, Bates and Allen didn’t make a connection until they knew each other for over one year. They had their first meaningful conversation on Dec. 12, 2009, while Kristyn was celebrating her 27th birthday. The two talked at the bars that night and Bates said he’d contact Allen soon (but she wasn’t holding her breath) and sent her an e-mail on her birthday, Dec. 14. The two texted each other a few times around Christmas when Bates was in Minnesota and Allen in Michigan. After the new year, Bates and Allen were able to go on their first date at their favorite watering hole in Rhinelander, Bucketheads, on Jan. 8. They hit it off and spent many afternoons hanging out and getting to know one another. Early in the summer, the couple decided to move in together after just seven months of dating. After Bates was laid off at The Daily News at the end of September, he got the opportunity to join Allen and work at Newswatch 12. Bates started as a sports photographer/reporter in November. In early December, Bates and Allen got engaged. The couple has had a hectic last six months getting ready for their wedding. It’s been a stressful time, but they’ve enjoyed it thoroughly. Bates and Allen still work together and have gotten the opportunity to anchor together on a few instances. Bates and Allen are more than ready to start their new life together.

Stops along the way:

Elizabeth Park

Campus Martius Park

Hart Plaza

Rush City High School Senior Rosie

2011-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

This girl is so amazing! She is so Beautiful and into so much stuff, She is in Track and Feild (Discus throwing), Speech, weight lifting, pokemon and the president of the art club! How cool is that, and beyond all of that she is really really nice. I had a great time with you Rosie, thanks for being so cool and loving all of my ideas. Enjoy your images. (oh and Renee your daughter told me it was your birthday and I totally forgot to say Happy Birthday, sooo Happy birthday a day late!)

Here is the pretty girl,

And here is where she gets the coolest senior ever award :

Detroit Wedding Teeny Tiny Preview

2011-07-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

I just returned home last night from the busy weekend of traveling, and I have so much post processing to do but I did want to post just a little preview for everyone. There will be more to come soon, but until then...

A Fun and energetic reception at Tobies

2011-06-28T06:29:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of photographing Jackie and Jeris' reception on Saturday, June 18 at

Tobies Restaurant & Bakery you can see their super fun engagement session Here I had so much fun with this reception, it provided a creative challenge for me. I generally shoot with a more editorial feel, with some posing and some event coverage, but this time it was almost all photo journalist, no posing, just the events unfolding and the emotions real. And truthfully i really liked the results, I loved the feelings that seemed to pour through the photos. And because of the dark atmosphere it made for great black and whites which are even more powerful!.

Jackie and Jeris got married on May 12 on beautiful St. Pete's beach in Florida and enjoyed all the fun of a destination wedding, and then came back here to celebrate with all of their friends and family with dinner and dancing. They are a wonderful couple full of love for each other and their beautiful family. My sincere thanks to the couple for having me be a part of your wonderful reception!

Kelly and Seth Engagement

2011-06-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

I remember not to long ago kelly saying rather dejectedly that she just wished someone would come into her life and sweep her off her feet. Sometimes life throws us tough stuff to deal with and I know that Kelly has had her share of tough stuff, but she is tough herself and has come through all her trials and now is just shining with the blessings in her life, her kids , her faith, her health and then she met Seth, and guess what... He swept her off her feet!

awwww ... dont you just love people in love!!!

The Anderson Family

2011-06-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

I got to spend a wonderful morning with the Anderson Family, we hiked around Robinson Park in Sandstone and snapped away in all the shady areas we could find. The bugs started to get to us a bit, but other than that it was so awesome. Shelly and Jeremy have such wonderful kids, they each have such wonderful and different personalities, but they are all so polite, happy and respectful of each other. I just love to be around families like this, its like they are all best friends. How great is that... in a house of 5 best friends! :) Thanks Shelly and Jeremy for allowing me to photograph your absolutly BEAUTIFUL family! You all will see, I am not lying - they truly are beautiful (ok ok better not call the boys that..how about handsome for the boys) !

CUTE!!!!

2011-06-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

I have been editing the family shoot from this last weekend, and I know I promised a full post...and that will still come, but I just could hardly handle how cute this little guy is and I had to post a photo I thought was ADORABLE!

Brandon and Jaime's beautiful wedding

2011-06-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

This wedding took me awhile to blog about, because I simply could not seem to convey the feelings that were at this wedding. This wedding was the most tear evoking I have ever been to. Jaime and Brandon are so sweet together, and I loved all the details and love they put into planning their wedding. One of the most amazing moments was when Jaime's dad went down the aisle with her. He is and has been very sick with cancer and they were not even sure if he would live long enough to see his daughter get married. So for him to be there and be able to bring her down and to stand up to give her away was so amazing, so sweet, so sad so everything all at once. It made me cry behind my camera, and it made everyone else cry to. In the shots where he is hugging her all you see is tears. I am so happy for Jaime and Brandon, and I feel so blessed to have been able to see and photograph their very special day, and I am so amazed by the love shared on this wonderful wedding day!

Getting Ready!

The first time seeing each other on their wedding day.

Rings!

Girl you are soooo beautiful!

Jaime and her Dad!

The very sweet ceremony. Her dad looks so proud!

Dad giving away his daughter. Oh my I get teared up just seeing the photo again.

The kiss - yeah!!

Wow girls, you are fantastic :)

Getting ready and hair at Studio A Salon and Spa in Osceola WI

The wedding was at the Peace Lutheran Church in Dresser, WI

And the reception was at the New Richmond Golf Club in New Richmond WI

The Carpenter Family....

2011-06-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

We met at their family farm in Isanti for photos and let me tell you this family was so amazing! They are so welcoming and kind, and laughing all around. I loved the love that flowed all around. Just being there to photograph them made me feel like I was one of the family, and let me tell you that energy makes you a bit giddy. Here are the beautiful photos of a fantastic family.

Preview from a Family and an engagement

2011-06-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

Super tons of fun with these two shoots at Robinson Park in Sandstone. Full posts to come next week.

First Up is the cute kids from the family shoot

Then on to the engagement :)

Laura and Matts Engagement photos

2011-06-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Laura and Matt met me at my favorite park in Sunrise (near North Branch) for a fun engagement session! They are getting married in Laura's dads church in Stanchfield just outside of Rush city in October and I am sure its going to be fantastic. Just look at these two, they are so much fun, and so in love!

The long (busy) weekend

2011-06-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

I had such a busy weekend and full blogs will come in turn but I wanted to give an update so everyone can see the fun I have been having :)

First up is a fantastic family shoot I did, I have just started my edit and I loved the expression on this little 4 year olds face!

And this one I think captures exactly what it must be like to be the only sister with 4 brothers!

Then on to a little fun with my three!

Oh yes he is this stinkin adorable! Just look at those unique eyes. I love my little mason dude.

And miss Ella and her kitty they love each other. And I think she is fantastic!

And it just would not be complete without a hello from Athena! She is the happiest girl ever! I got her a toy at a garage sale that she was just in love with!!!

And Monday I did a quick engagement shoot with a lovely couple that is getting married in October. They were wonderful and we had some lush light and it made for fantastic photos! More to come soon. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Before and After Sharp Eyes (How to)

2011-05-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

How to get your photos to have tack sharp eyes:

Before I get into post processing the most important step takes place in your camera, making sure your focus is on the money. Be sure that you are familiar with the focus point and if its a center focus then point it at the eye closest to you focus on that, hold the shutter button half down so that it locks the focus, then reframe the photo to the composition you would like. So after you practice and get the focus on the eyes than we can add more drama in the post processing. Here is my before shot:

The first step I took was to select only the colored part of the eye. You can do this with either the lasso tool or the mask tool, whatever your most familiar with.

Next step is to go to your unsharp mask filter

Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask

Then start playing, and you can sharpen a little more than what is usually ok, here are my settings for this picture.

Then After the sharpening I burn (I have highlighted the burn tool below) The eye lashes just a bit using an exposure # on the burn tool of about 20%

Here is the result:

To add even more drama I used an action I purchased from kubota to change it to black and white. Now I love it!!

Corry and Natalies Love story

2011-05-23T14:04:00.001-07:00

Corry and Natalies Wedding in Grantsburg WI was an intimate and sweet wedding. The outdoor in the woods ceremony with close friends and family was so wonderful and I truly enjoyed my time with them! After the wedding I asked Corry a bit about their story and this is the sweet way that they met, I love it! Corry met Natalie met through a mutual friend, and after the initial meeting they ended up liking each other but found that life took them in different directions for a few months but Natalie did not forget Corry she hounded the friend to give her number to Corry and finally he did, Corry called and the first time they talked all night (awwwww!!! I love that) After that they camped, star gazed, cycled, and hiked their way into a lasting, sweet and loving life together, In Corrys words "it was a match made in heaven" ...and I agree! Here is there wedding and reception story in photos. Enjoy.

Osceola Wisconsin Wedding Preview

2011-05-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

I am busy busy busy on these photos, so just a quick preview for Monday morning :)

A full blog post will follow later this week, also a new How-To (before and after) blog is coming too, stay tuned later in the week.

A spring time hike

2011-05-20T06:56:00.001-07:00

Athena and I love to hike! She is an on the go kind of girl and on nice evenings we all try to get outside. Sometimes with Mason and Ella and sometimes just her and I. This week we have had some beautiful days, so we went and explored and found all sorts of beautiful things to take photos of.

Our old buildings are just too cool.

and our trees are flowering! So pretty!

Oh and look an attack cat. We better look out, he is on the prowl! Our indoor/outdoor kitty has been loving the nice weather.

AHHHH the perfect end to a wonderful day!

A Beautiful Wisconsin wedding in the Forest

2011-05-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

I didnt have much time this weekend to do much with the photos from this wedding because of the busy wedding day saturday, and my little Ella's 6th Birthday party on Sunday, but I pulled a couple of my favorites to share. We had such a cold day for Mid May but everyone had a great time anyway. (Hey that rhymed) You all can expect the full story later this week, until then enjoy some of the previews :)

Under Exposing and Skin Softening Before and After

2011-05-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Ok ... Confession time. I shoot manually and I am not always perfect. Sometimes I over or under expose. But I usually am watchful and catch myself. In this case I am going to show you a fix for an under exposed image as well as a skin softening technique that I use. To start off here is the before photo:

The first step I took was to adjust the levels

Here is where to find the levels adjustment slider

And here is my adjustment for this particular photo, but each one is different, so play around with each of the sliders to get the best adjustment.

Now on to skin softening.

The first thing to do is make a copy of the background layer so I have 2 identical layers, then the top layer I add a mask to it (that is a the little box with the circle in it at the bottom of the layers pallet) then you will see a white box next to the layer fill that with black. Then click on the image layer and go up to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur then go ahead and blur it until the skin looks smooth. Click apply. then go and select your mask layer and then select a large soft paint brush and the color white and start painting on areas of the skin you would like smooth and soft. If it appears over photoshopped when done go ahead and adjust the opacity down on the layer, then flatten and then your done.

Here is the final product:

Molly is 1!

2011-05-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Look who turned 1!! Its Molly! The same little girl that I took photos of in the fall Here

And oh my gosh is she adorable! She was a premature baby and seemed so tiny when she was little, it is so cool to see her so big, and even with a couple rolls and smart as can be! It makes her even more special. We went around her Grandma's farm and took photos and also we had some fun with a little cake for her. Her mom even made her Tutu, how cool is that! She is so creative. We also had her sister Hannah in for a few shots, and they seem to love each other so much. There is one photo where we tried to put her party hat on, and she instantly started crying, it made for a cute photo. Its so fun to see a little one at this age, it make me so excited for my little Athena's one year photos and birthday party. Enjoy the pictures!

Look at her... face in hands, the whole deal. One year olds can be very dramatic :) I think this one should be titled "Its my party and I'll cry if I want to" :)

North Branch Prom - Kyle and Abby

2011-05-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

My little brother and his beautiful girlfriend went to the North Branch Prom this weekend and we did some fun and creative pictures of them out at Fish Lake beach/park and also at his house on the dirt bike and wheeler. What a fun couple. Abby is a great soccer player so we incorporated that in as well. Enjoy. And thanks Kyle and Abby for being willing to suffer through the cold, you cant even tell in the photos that you two were ice cubes :) You guys are the best!

Look at the way she looks at him...Cant you just feel the love?

Love this one - Abby you look fierce and beautiful!

Maternity Photography

2011-04-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

I photographed Jamie and Wes's wedding back in 2008 (here is their amazing wedding) and now guess what?!! They are expecting a baby! I had a wonderful evening photographing Jamie's growing belly. Girl you are truly beautiful, and I cant wait to meet your little guy, hopefully you will get to see him in just a few weeks. Thank you both Jamie and Wes for having me out, for allowing me to photograph you, for sharing the beauty of your love, for showing patience with my little Athena, for delicious pizza, and best of all for being great friends. You guys really are the best!

Twin Newborns

2011-04-26T07:06:00.001-07:00

I posted a few photos earlier, but as promised here is the full post. It was a challenge to get these little guys to both sleep at the same time. But we finally had success and got some beautiful pictures of the two of them. They are just 11 days old here, so teeny tiny. Enjoy.

Samantha and David's Story

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Samantha (lovingly called Sami by her family and friends) and David got married April 9th at Braham Evangelical Lutheran Church and had their Beautiful Reception at the Hinckley Casino ballroom. They are such an amazing couple and you can tell that their family and friends agree! I have never seen such an animated wedding, the second the music started at the reception everyone was out there dancing! And not just dancing but really getting their groove on. Samantha is going to school to become a pastry chef and David for Child phycology. I loved the pastor he joked that they were going to have the perfect marriage because they would be rolling in the dough and have perfect children :) hahaha. I really had a great time at this wedding and I am so thankful that samantha, her mom, and her aunt picked me to be part of their big day. Here are the photos to tell the rest of the story.

Newborn Twins photography in St. Paul

2011-04-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Awwwwwwwww - twin newborns!

I wish I had more time to post a full post, but this week has been so very busy for me. I am sorry but all you get is a sneak peak of what is to come. I will have the full shoot and post ready next week, but just to tide you (and me) over here are 2 images from my newborn twins shoot.

awwwwww babies, I love babies!!!!

Before and After & info on Photoshop Actions

2011-04-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Before (straight out of the camera)

and After

I will post more before and afters as I go along this year. I will try to cover a wide range of issues, and style choices. In this one I wanted to show an artistic black and white. So my process on this photo was to create the black and white with an action, then added some sepia tone, some grain (or noise) and then add a vignette and a little burning in photoshop. Now I know this sounds like a lot, but with the help of photoshop actions it really only takes me about a minute. The action set that I purchased is from Kubota actions http://kubotaimagetools.com/ and a great place to get freebies is deviant art http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/applications/psactions/?alltime=yes&order=9

And all you do is download your purchased or free action go into photoshop, select your action pallet under Window > actions then go to the corner drop down menu and select "load action" go find the action you downloaded and say ok, then you have the action in your window. Then open a photo, select the action and push the arrow to play and sit back and watch the magic :)

I love them. One of my favorite freebies is the action on deviant called custom Vignette Action (just do a search) and the Holga Remix Square BW (this one adds some very artistic grain) So there you go - happy Action hunting. It will change the way you work with photos.

Samantha and David's Wedding

2011-04-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick preview of the wedding that I shoot on April 9th at the Braham Evangelical Lutheran Church and reception at the Hickley Grand Casino ball room. I am just starting the edit but a few photos just stood out and I felt like I really needed to share them. Their will be a full post to come with all sorts of details about the day and this beautiful, unique couple. Also I need to do a shout out to my awesome assistant Sherry. She did a FAB job on Saturday! Thanks girl! Before and after post to follow tomorrow. Enjoy everyone.

A Beautiful Engagement session in Cambridge

2011-03-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

This couple was so wonderful, I really enjoyed the session and I cant wait for their April wedding. Here are my favorites for the day. I will be creating their guest book with the photos so I will post about that soon. These two are so perfect together and are ready to launch their life together. They are sooo busy I cant believe they have had the time to plan a wedding between her going to school to become a pastry chef and him a Child psychologist with a minor in Theatre. Sheesh.... and I thought I was busy!

I Love this one!! I call it "ewwwww boy germs!" :)

Newborn Gus!

2011-03-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

Gus is such a sweet baby, he fell asleep shortly after I arrived and stayed asleep all through the session - yeah! He was so fun to pose, he is such a stretcher though that he would not let me put him into a scrunched up ball :) Thats ok though, its the way he is, and I am happy to photograph him just the way he is. His whole family is so in love with him, and I can see why, he is so cute and so quiet and seems to have such a laid back personality. Even his cute older brother loves him. What a great family, and a great photo session. Enjoy the sweetness!

An Engagement session in the snow

2011-02-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

I had tons of fun last sunday with Jackie and Jeris. They were anxious to get their photos done because their Florida destination wedding is fast approaching, so when it started snowing...and the forecast said 12 inches... we said oh well lets do it anyway. And guess what??!!! I loved the results. It made for a fun, unique, although cold, experience. Cambridge was a ton of fun to kick around, and we found some very cool places to take photos. Enjoy!

Learning about lighting

2011-02-08T07:16:00.000-08:00

I am a natural light shooter in most cases, but use flash to fill or in situations where there is no other option to get the shot that I want, and I prefer to continue to shoot that way. But that does not mean that I should limit my options. So I am experimenting, learning and reading about lighting. Both Studio and on-location, to help round out my abilities as a photographer. So as usual my test subjects are my children, and here are some results from a practice session. You can see that I have one willing subject and one who sabotaged my efforts :)

Here we go a wandering, a wandering we must go!

2011-02-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

We had a fun adventure snow shoeing with friends this last weekend. The kids just loved every minute of it. It was so fun for them to explore the lakes and woods.

awww loving snowshoes :)

I love my book shelves!

2011-01-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

My built in shelves are so fantastic, they have become something so personal. They are a way I can express myself in my home, they hold my art, my photos, my books. All my favorite things. I love to find things that add to them, I am always looking at thrift stores, antique stores, book stores and garage sales for the next unique item that just has to go there! The content is always changing and shifting, but always reflects who I am or my current interests. Yup I love my shelves and what they hold.

Progress

2011-01-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

Ive been working on it slowly, and it still has a lot of work left (and some rework as i am not happy with Masons Mohawk, it looks like a point not a mohawk) But I still thought I would show how its been coming along. Its going to be interesting to see its transformation as I get further along.

Oh no a monkey on my back...oh wait I like this monkey

2011-01-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Athena and I took a walk together this past weekend. She loves the backpack and would be willing to stay out longer than would be ok in the cold. I love her monkey hat on her, its too cute but she likes to chew on the strap which then gets cold on her cheeks. While we were out and about we took a picture of the sun light filtering through the trees along the driveway, I loved it. The photo really captured the beauty of the day, I can even see some of the sparkles on the snow, I am not a fan of the cold but sometimes winter wonderlands can be so...I dont know...Wonderful!

Girls.

2011-01-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice,
And all that's nice;
That's what little girls are made of.

My Daughters:
Ella (she is the Sugar) is so smart, and creative. Her work from school never comes home plain, its always colored and designed. I love her free spirit. And i love her.

Athena (and she is the Spice) is also so smart, her smile lights up the whole room... Its huge! She is so loud and so excited all the time. She is such a fun girl! And I love her.

Boys.

2011-01-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.

My son is such delight, he makes us all smile (ok maybe not ella), he is fun, and smart and always quick to smile. Here is a fun picture of him and his "crew" of friends they were having fun for his birthday this last September.

Painting

2011-01-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~ Pablo Picasso

I am starting an oil painting of my 3 kids, Cant wait to share its progress. I think its good for my soul to paint!
(Although if I am unhappy with it, we may need to forget this post existed!)

Here is the very start, just a rough draft drawing to start from.

Noah.

2011-01-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun with this tiny newborn this last weekend. We tried so hard to get him to sleep for some sleepy baby pics but he did not want to miss any of the excitement so we got awake baby shots instead with a few exceptions when he closed his eyes for a moment. Here are my favorites. Enjoy.

Jen and Matts Engagement

2010-12-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

So we planned a photo session for Jen and Matts Engagement photos in Taylors Falls but the snow threw a wrench in the gears, but thats ok we roll with the punches! So out came the 4x4 truck I so lovingly call "The Duke Truck" (yeah its bright orange!) and I met the beautiful couple at their home in Stacy instead. The first thing Jen says to me is that "we are not to photogenic" HA! I so beg to differ! Oh my gosh I love how these two photographed. Here are my favorites, Enjoy!

The Klanderud Family

2010-12-02T06:24:00.000-08:00

I have so much fun with this family. This is the second time that I have gotten the pleasure to photograph this family, we did so photos last year around this time (here is the blog post The Klanderud Family with cute little Tate!) Only this year there is soon to be a new addition :) yeah! I cant wait to meet the new little one, Tate is so totally adorable I am sure the next little one will be too. Here are the photos from our fun session. Enjoy!

Colette and Chris's Family Pictures

2010-10-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

We had such a great day for Colette and Chris's family pictures. It was bright and beautiful. We met at Colettes childhood home and had fun kicking around the farm. There are soooo many photos from this shoot that I adore, and I had a super hard time choosing some for this post. There are a few here that I loved but you never know I may post a few more as I go along. They are just too fun. Little Hannah you may recognize from a previous post
Hannah
She is so precious and the newest little one Molly is just as sweet.
Enjoy!

A Pine City Graduates Senior Pictures {Cassie}

2010-10-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

I spend a bit of an afternoon with Cassie last weekend for her Senior Photos and man o man did she rock it. She is amazingly comfortable in front of the camera and it ended up being a shoot that I really loved. Here are some of the pics. Enjoy and thank you Cassie and her mom Rachel for having me shoot for you guys - you're both awesome!

Nick and Sarah's beautiful Family 2010

2010-10-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

A fun photo session in Downtown Minneapolis at the Gutherie theatre and Mill City Museaum
Watch how they grow!

2009
http://expressivestudios.blogspot.com/2009/11/nick-and-sarahs-fall-family-shoot.html

2008
http://expressivestudios.blogspot.com/2008/10/nick-and-sarahs-family-shoot.html

This wonderful family has booked with me three years in a row and it is so much fun watching the kids grow up right before my eyes. One of the little girls Sophia hit a growth spirt this year and is almost as tall as me! I love this family and I couldn't be happier with their photos.

Enjoy their Awesomeness!

Allison and Aaron's Wedding

2010-09-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

Allison and Aaron had a beautiful wedding they met us at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul for some photos before the ceremony which was just a family affair at Upper Landing Park in St. Paul. After the beautiful and touching ceremony it was off to The Happy Gnome http://thehappygnome.com/ for a fantastic reception. I could rave all day about that place. I have been to many receptions and I dont think I have ever been to one that compared to the intimate and beautiful setting that the Happy Gnome provided. Fantastic! I love this wedding and it was a great one to round out my year. Enjoy the photos.
Aaron and allisons engagement (in case your curious):
http://expressivestudios.blogspot.com/2010/05/engagement-session-downtown-st-paul.html
Also My dear friend Sherry was my second shooter for this wedding and here are some of her beautiful photos:
Pretty in Pictures

These first photos are from Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul

The ceremony at upper landing park in St. Paul:

Now off to the fabulous Happy Gnome:

Amazing dinner!!!!

Then the dance! So sweet!

What a fantastic day! Thank you to both Allison and Aaron for having me be a part of your beautiful wedding.

Jamie and Chads wedding!

2010-09-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

Jamie and Chad got married at the Immaculate Conception church in Pine City. Such a pretty place to get married. After the ceremony we headed over to the Carlson House at Firefly Acres http://www.fireflyacres.net/
Such a beautiful place with an amazing set up for guests to eat and stay and have fun. Thank you Jamie and Chad for having us as part of your day. Hope you enjoy the photos.

I loved the firefly bed and breakfast it was so beautiful and they had such a delicious spread of food I thought I would post some more photos showing how cool of a venue it is!

Brandon and Jamie Engagement

2010-09-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

Brandon and Jamie met me at Como Zoo to shoot some pics in Como Park Conservatory and in the grounds around it. We had lots of fun and there were so many possibilities for cool backdrops that I could have taken pictures for a lot longer than an hour! Here are a few of my favorites from the day. Enjoy!

Shannah and her girls!

2010-09-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed taking pictures of this awesome family. Shannah has the most darling little girls, and they are all so sweet together. The two little ones play and hold hands and seem to love each other. Its so sweet to see that, nothing like my two that are close in age, if I would have had them spend that much time next to each other there would have been a cloud of dust rising up from the two of them fighting on the ground...for sure! Anyway here are the girls on there grandmas farm - enjoy!

The Neighberz

2010-09-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of taking pictures of the local band "The Neighberz" over the weekend. They were a fun group and had friends with a smokin hot corvette to take pics next to, and an old Harley too. So much fun! They were missing a band member unfortunately but we still got some cool shots for their flyer. Check out their Website to see more about them http://neighberz.com/

Nicole and Dustin, Pinehaven Farm Wyoming mn

2010-08-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

This was such a fun wedding! Nicole and Dustin choose such a unique venue for their wedding. Pinehaven farm was fun and beautiful, they have so many things for the guests to do while they wait for the reception. From baby goats to baby kittens and beautiful farm grounds to walk. These two Metallica fans added a bit of spice to their ceremony by having Dustin play the guitar while the bridal party walked down the isle, and it seemed like they were going to have a really fun reception too. Here are some of my favorites form the day - enjoy!

Terri and Pats Family

2010-08-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

This group is so fun to photograph and they were up for anything which always makes my job fun! A family of this size sometimes is a challenge to photograph but they made it so easy. Thanks for having me do your pictures again this year it was just fantastic! You all are so wonderful to hang out with and remind me so much of my own family.

Devon!

2010-08-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

I had a newborn shoot this weekend with the cutest little guy, we had a hard time getting him to sleep so I may actually be adding more to this post next week, we are going to attempt again and try to get some sleepy shots. But here are some of my favorites.

NIA and COREY's Wisconsin Field Wedding

2010-08-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

Nia and Corey's wedding was so beautiful! They had a perfect day for an outside wedding. I really loved all the small details that were in this wedding, tons of flowers...even floating in water and birch bark logs for dessert platters, and candles everywhere. I wish I could have seen it after dark I bet it was incredible. Here are some of my favorites.