Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!

Shooting at Stages Theatre Company is always a pleasure! The kids truly love what they do there and they do an amazing job putting on the show, of course with the help of a handful of adult creatives!

Junie B, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, DOES NOT disappoint. It's taken from one of the books from the beloved children series. Not only do all the children who come to watch love it, but you can hear just as many adults laughing in the audience.



This shoot was even more special knowing that my Aunts and two of my cousins were in the audience, as they'd driven down from the north for the show. After a great performance and shooting, my family as well as the family of Stage's creative director, Sandy, went out to dinner. Little did we know that all the while we were eating, freezing rain had been coming down and coating the roads. Despite my insistence that I'd be fine driving the 90 minutes home, it only took a few steps outside and nearly landing on my behind to agree to stay the night with Sandy and her family. (My relatives already had plans of staying there).

By the next morning, I was actually thankful for the horrible weather because I truly enjoyed every minute with Sandy's family, including two ADORABLE little girls, and my relatives. I finally made it home the next afternoon.

I'm excited to be back up at Stages in January for their next production!

Roma Di Luna

Nothing makes me happier when I get to combine my two favorite things, photography and music. And even better when it's at my favorite coffee shop, The Coffee Hag, and put on by my favorite radio station, The Current. As part of their Minnesota Road Trip series, The Current brought the amazing group Roma Di Luna to Mankato for a performance. It was a packed house and as expected, Alexei and Channy were amazing!

Here's a lil peak at the show and band!

Karaoke and Kisses

I'd been looking forward to Cassandra and Andy's, or "Cassandy" as I like to call them,wedding for quite a while. I shot their engagement photos this past spring and they were so much fun! Their wedding, their families, their wedding party and friends were just as amazing as they are! Did I mention that the entire wedding stopped off for karaoke at a VFW on the way to the reception? awesome.

Puppy Love

I'm a huge dog lover, so when a couple tells me they want to include their pups in some of their engagement photos, I'm totally game! Paige and Chris and their dogs joined me for a couple hours of shooting in the woods and the prairie.

Love in the windy city

It was a chilly day in Chicago, but we kept warm with plenty of laughter....and a jacket for Bre inbetween shots!
I love taking couples into the middle of traffic for shots, and Bren and Drake were totally onboard!



We had a great time running around downtown Chicago together!

Thanks Bre and Drake!

Love and Laughter

We've been unbelievably blessed this autumn with unseasonably warm weather. I'm very happy, especially because a year ago there was snow on the ground! Sam and Joe also are grateful for the warm weather, as they had a beautiful outdoor ceremony on October 2 at Joe's Aunt and Uncle's home, who were generous enough to offer their beautiful backyard for the ceremony.

Their entire wedding party was a blast to shoot and spend the day with....and Kate and I both agree that it will take A LOT to make us laugh more than this moment did.



Here's a little video of some other great moments through out the day.
Thanks Sam and Joe--your wedding was a blast!

busy busy bee

It's been a busy couple of weeks....I've been shooting, and editing, and shooting and editing, and traveling and shooting some more....and it's not over yet.
Here's a bit of what I've shot in the last couple weeks:









































And then Jason and I went to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. As many of you know, besides photography, one of my other great passions is good beer. mmmmm

I've got a busy couple days of editing ahead, and then I'm off on another adventure. Details to follow. :)

Up at Lake Luca

Way up north on the edge of the wilderness in Minnesota, lives some of my favorite people on earth. I started visiting the small town of Bigfork, MN when I was about 8, as my aunt moved there and opened a dental practice. I fell in love with the land, the lakes and the lefse (if you don't know what that is---message me, I'll give you a recipe).

About 16 years ago when my aunts told me they were thinking about adopting, I was NOT HAPPY. I'll be honest, I was totally selfish. I didn't want to share my aunts. THEY WERE MINE. But against my advice, they traveled to China anyway.....and thank god they did. I now have 3 amazing cousins that I couldn't imagine not being a part of my family. Both Nikki and Kate were in my wedding 9 years ago, and a big deciding factor to go to college in Minnesota was to be close to my aunts and cousins.



Fast forward to now, where the oldest of my three cousins, Nikki, is a SENIOR IN HIGHSCHOOL (someone buy me a cane, because I feel super old). When Nikki asked me to come up and shoot her senior photos, of course I said yes. She's grown into a smart and beautiful young lady, whom I'm so proud to be related to.

Here's to my aunts not taking the advice of a selfish 14 year old. Congratulations Nikki, I love you!

GOAL!!!!

I love wedding days when my the end of the night my face hurts from smiling just as much as the bride's does. Saturday was another one of those days. Kristina and Brent met at a hockey camp years back and were instantly drawn to each other, not just because of their shared love of the game...but their shared love of their families and life, and living each moment to the fullest.

This was a HUGE wedding party......but EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of them was a blast to be around, and helped bring happiness, excitement, love and joy to the images.


Thanks Kristina and Brent, and your entire wedding party, friends and family....it was an absolute pleasure to be part of your wedding day!

August in the Park

It was a beautiful late summer day in Lowertown St. Paul last Saturday. Mears Park was the perfect location for Leah and Dave's wedding....a place very much like their relationship, sweet yet surprising, an oasis in the midst of a bustling city.

Their wedding was a BLAST, and the reception was ridiculous amounts of fun! Wabasha Caves is a former speakeasy in the bluffs and caves along the river in St. Paul. It was so unique and fun!

Congrats Leah and Dave, and thank you for choosing me for your special day!

On the road again

You know you travel a lot when one of the first questions people ask you upon seeing you is, "so, where are you off to next?" It's going to be a really busy couple months for me in the travel department, and luckily most of it revolves around photography. :)

After shooting tomorrow's wedding, I'll be hitting the road again and going down to Chicago for a few days to attend the GraphiStudio American Convention at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It should be a very informative and educational event. In all honesty though, it doesn't take much convincing for me to go to Chicago. It's my hometown, so I go back often to see friends and family, not to mention shoot quite a few weddings and attend conferences.

I'll be out with my brother and friends the night before the convention and the evening of once it's done--so if you see me out and about, HOLLA!

over and over again......

I've said it many times, but it's really true; I fall in-love all over again every weekend. Nearly every weekend, two people who love each other so much that they've chosen to spend the rest of their lives together, have chosen me to share in their joy and narrate their story through images. I fall in love with their story, their sweetness, their silliness and their sass. I love my couples.
Meet Cassandra (or "C" as she prefers to be called)and Andy. In C's words, "we're meat and potatoes, t-shirt and jeans type...weathered/worn look...off the beaten path." In my words, they are the salt of the earth, with a bit of spice to boot. They're the kind of couple you'd gladly sit at the bar with, or around a campfire until the sun came up.
C and Andy met at a softball game and wanted to make sure to capture that in some photos, as well as their sweet and simple love of life and each other.

They also had no problem when I asked them to climb into a fountain and start having some fun! (although, Andy certainly had second thoughts when he realized how cold the water was!)



Congrats on your engagement C and Andy, I can't wait to share your special day with you in October!

rockabilly revisit

She was born in the wrong era. She's a retro goddess and a rockabilly girl. After a great pin-up shoot last fall, I couldn't wait to shoot Tiffany again. She's got a wicked sense of humor and a killer look.

We're still on the look out for some old wooden bleachers, so if you have the 411 on them in the Midwest, let me know. :)

We found a couple great barns out in the countryside along the Blue Earth River too. After our little trespassing session, I found out the name of the land owner from the kind folks at the Dam Store just down the road. (and if you're ever in south central Minnesota, I implore you---go get some pie there--it's A.MAZ.ING. )

Biking Beauty

At first I was really sad that one of my best friends and assistant photographer, Kate, moved 70 miles away, but truth be told, I think we're seeing each other outside of shoots more than ever. There's great trails and exploring to be had in the twin cities, and as she's just over an hour's drive away, my truck and I happily make the trip with my Garry Fisher in the bed.

Kate and I have a passion, no, an obsession with cycling.....and lucky for us another good friend is a bike mechanic and has a knack for custom bike building. Tuesday, Kate and I took our newest rides out in Minneapolis. Naturally, I couldn't help but bring a camera with and shoot Kate.

Here's a lil' video for your viewing pleasure.



PS, Kate and I will be in Chicago the 29th-31st of August on a shoot and attending a conference, if you're in the area we'd love to say hi!

Spin Cycle

Having gorgeous friends has it's pros and cons. Although it's frustrating that no matter how much time I spend on my outfit, hair and makeup...they will always look amazing even at their "worst"...but on the upside, they're great models and guinea pigs for shoots! (and better yet, they're happy if I just buy them a beer afterwards!)
Kersten and I had some fun shooting recently. At points it was more fun for me though--as I was forcing her to cram her body inside a dryer in a laundry mat. If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words...many of those words would contain 4 letters. Somehow she still loves me though. (I'm certain it's the beer)

Uptown Minneapolis Photo Shoot

It was disgustingly hot out, the streets were crowded with people, my feet hurt...........and I was loving every minute. :)

Randy and Rachel, July 30, 2010

I love facebook. No, really, I do! And I'm not talking about bejeweled or farmville here,lol!

I love how it's kept me connected with friends, family spread out all over the country, and my clients! When I get home from a wedding, even if I'm dead tired, I can't wait to get some photos up for brides and grooms and their families and friends to see right away.

This Saturday was no exception--I arrived home around 1am, but I couldn't wait to get a sneak peak out to the couple. Spending the day with Rachel and Randy on Saturday was simply wonderful...an easy going, fun loving, bride and groom with a passion for giving back to those in need.

Their ceremony and reception took place over a sprawling 100 acres of antique buildings, autos, bridges and landscapes at Little Log Cabin Pioneer Village in Hastings, MN. Being an American Pickers junkie, I was in hog heaven!

Thanks for sharing your day with me Rachel and Randy, it was a true pleasure and honor!

Gretchen and Sam, July 31, 2010

Check out this past Saturday's wedding! An adorable, sweet couple, strong in their faith and love.

Both Gretchen and Sam's fathers are Lutheran Pastors and together performed their wedding ceremony. The love of their fathers, faith and family was very evident and touching throughout this VERY WARM day in New Ulm, Minnesota. (and both the bride and groom, as well as their wedding party, including a VERY pregnant bridesmaid, were such great troopers as we traveled to several locations to photography before and after the ceremony) I'm still not certain how Gretchen managed to not get shiny or sweaty despite wearing a wedding dress! (I MUST know her secret!)

Thanks Gretchen and Sam! Couples like you remind me why I have the best job in the entire world!

"It's hard to find good help"

or so they say..........I happen to have an awesome assistant though.
Meet Kate.

Kate's more than good at just carrying stuff, she's quite a talented artist, writer, and lucky for me a great friend. (that's right--she likes to hang out with me even when I'm not paying her!)

Kate and I were both feeling a little edgy the other day and needed to get out of town, but seeing as we both had a hectic schedule we only had 90 minutes, so laying at the lake was out of the question. Luckily, we live in an area where a quick 5 minute drive will put you what seems like in the middle of nowhere. As Kate mostly does wedding and event shoots with me, she's never on individual shoots with me and had never seen my "super secret trespass truck" (as I like to call it) lol. So, off we went over the hill and through the woods (but not to anyone's grandma's house).

It was a perfect short 90 minutes of relaxation and fun. I hurried off to a client meeting when we got back into town and Kate headed to her night job. (rumor has it she makes a mean steak!)

Thanks for being you Kate, I heart you girl!

senior photos special

SPECIAL! SPECIAL!
READ ALL ABOUT IT!



It's that time of year for incoming seniors! Lets have some fun and let your personality shine! 2 hours of unlimited shooting, outfit changes and locations, PLUS all your images on DVD for $275

Special ends August 31, 2010

Sweet Sixteen

Sophie turned 16 this week and her mother surprised her with a sweet 16 photoshoot. How fun! I was more than happy to spend Saturday morning with Sophie. She's a sweet, smart, bubbly girl with a bright future ahead of her.
Sophie told me she had no idea what she wanted to do/be when she "grew up," but I told her she's only 16; no need to worry about that, after all, I just figured that out a couple years ago and I'm 31!

A truly Minnesotan wedding

Their invitations read "cold hands, warm hearts," and it couldn't have said it better. On March 6th Monica and Ryan were married ON Madison lake atop of 3 feet of ice. The bride didn't have on the traditional dress and veil, but rather carhardts and a warm beanie she knitted herself and the groom.

The amazing thing about this couple and having their outdoor wedding during the Minnesota winter, is that there wasn't a single "filler guest" (as I'd call them) in site. Every single one of these people truly wanted to be there and witness Monica and Ryan's lives come together and celebrate their love. I was especially impressed with the amount of Californians (Monica's home state) that made the long trek and bared the cold. (watching them trepidatiously walk on the ice for the first time also provided great entertainment for the native northerners!)

Their reception was later that evening and featured both a jazz and a bluegrass band. (The groom's brother is quite a musician and plays in both!) Everyone danced the night away and had a great time!

I'm so thankful that Monica and Ryan let me be a part of their special day!

54 Ford

I've been holding off on blogging this shoot for a couple months as it was present for the model's boyfriend....but the holidays are over, so here it is!
Shooting Tiffany was a lot of fun!


I love getting the chance to do pin-up style shoots. Combining the retro feel of Tiffany's look and her boyfriends classic Ford was pure photographic heaven!



I've been holding off on blogging this shoot for a couple months as it was present for the model's boyfriend....but the holidays are over, so here it is!
Shooting Tiffany was a lot of fun!