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!