What I have been up too!

I thought since I haven't blogged all winter I should probably get on that : ) I have just started jumping into photos again for the season. Its been so much fun and I have been very lucky! (My shoots keep falling on the one nice day of the month...) A couple weeks back I met up with a friend and had the opportunity to photograph her kids. I love these two!! I call them my Americas Next Top Models. You see that Smeyes! Tyra would be so proud : )

Then the following weekend I met with a super fun couple of girls in Eden Prairie. BFF's!! I know this will come back to Haunt me, but I totally wish I had a digital copy of my senior photos with my BFF so I could post. I think we would all have a good laugh. This was one of the chillier days but nice diffusion for photo taking!!

And then off to Big V's to support an amazing singer and friend Samantha Leighton. I'm not sure when the big CD release is but be sure to pick it up when its available! If you haven't heard Sam sing, I highly recommend it!

And just to thoroughly lengthen this post to make up for my lack of winter posting : ) I will add my first engagement session of the season. Super fun and awesome couple who drove all the way from South Dakota for this photo session, so Thank You B & L! One of my favorite parts of being a photographer is the first look at the photos. When I'm sitting all by myself laughing and smiling at the fun we had and seeing that it shows through in the photo, I am totally fulfilled and know I did my job to the best of my abilities! I'm excited for my up and coming season and this was the perfect way to kick it off!

WooHoo! I had my first wedding of the season last weekend so look for those soon. Also, the first MNMBS event, The Freewheel Frolic, at Salem Hills In Invergrove Heights is less then three weeks away so make sure you check it out!!

Dustin and Cheri - Engaged

My friend Dustin asked if I was available to photograph his engagement. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to be there for the actual engagement. I love engagement sessions. They are fun and laid back and present the opportunity for my clients and myself to get to know each other, preferred angles, photography sytles etc. This was my first time getting to capture the actual event and i was excited, nervous, anxious I almost felt like I was being proposed to! I think having a photographer there really added to an already special moment, so guys if your thinking about proposing....

Dustin and I met up a week or too before the proposal and scouted the location, in this case Minnehaha Falls. We planned where and how he would do it and were I could be positioned, paparazzi style to capture the moment without a dead give away.

When the day finally came, it was a balmy 12 degrees or so. I got there early, then started panicing, what if they pull up at the same time I do, so I got my gear ready, did a couple gazes up and down the road to watch for any cars then darted to the steps at the far side of the falls. The funny thing was, in my panic I totally forgot to pay the meter. Whoops!

So as Dustin and Cheri pull up, they see a cop car lingering. They head over to the falls and Dustin has a hard time getting Cheri to climb over the "Closed" Sign on the steps of the falls to get down to our location. Shes worried about the cops and getting in trouble....

Well, needless to say, she goes along with his plan. Was extremely surprised! And she said Yes!

After she clamed down a bit, I popped up from my spot and was able to be the first to congratulate them! Then we walked around the falls and captured a few images before seperating for the day so they could share the great news with their families.

Well, yep that cop she seen was giving me a parking ticket, LOL! But it was totally worth it and Im glad Cheri's a rebel and didnt let that cop scare her away from her perfect moment!

Congratulations Cheri and Dustin!! and thank you for allowing me capturing this amazing peice of your journey together!

Helmich Family: Minnesota Family Photographer

I met with this great family at Highland Park in Bloomington. Nice fall day, a little bit of cloud cover, a touch of warmth, and one shy little girl. Lucky for us there was a large playground near by. We started the session out letting the girls be girls, playing around at the playground together, getting used to me being there and taking their pictures. The family really wanted to focus on them just being who they are and this worked out perfect. After a lot of fun at the playground we head down by the lake and found a nice pile of leaves for the girls to play in, of course a leaf fight ensues along with a ton of smiles and laughter! All around a super fun session!

Jacqueline and Brian

Jacqueline and Brian were married at the beautiful Millenium Gardens. This place is fabulous for an outdoor wedding and there are tons of locations for photos as well. Better yet, its still fairly small so the wedding party/family doesnt have to hike to far to get to each photo location. The reception hall is also stunning and unique. Jacqueline and Brians day was cloudy and gloomy but the mood was not. The couple along with the wedding party had a long history together and it was soo apparent that these two were sooo in love and that everyone present was over joyed that J&B would be taking this next step together. I wish you two all the happiness in the world and appreciate so much the opportunity to work with you on this fabulous day!