Baby E

K Family - sisters, cousins, a windstorm, and a fountain!

What a fun afternoon I had with these sisters and their baby cousins! First off, I am pretty sure it was both the hottest afternoon AND windiest day I've ever had for a photoshoot and it happened to be both wrapped up in one! I think it hit 90 that day and should have checked the mph on the wind -whoo eeh! Nevertheless, the kids were such great sports and after we did a series of some more posed group portraits they had a chance to REALLY have some fun in the fountain! What a blast, especially on such a hot day. Wish I could have posted all the photos from it - they were so happy and carefree and I nominate their mom for the 'coolest mom ever' award :)

Four Generations - Happy 100th Grandma! / Minneapolis Family Photographer

I teamed up with another photographer friend to do a 4 generation shoot for this family - grandma is 100! Here are a handful of some individual shots I was able to capture of the kids after we finished with the group shots. More to come of the family - but here are the two cuties for now.

Two / Minneapolis Children's Photographer

This little guy is a good friend of ours, I met him when he was just a few months old and it's hard to believe he is already 2! With an athletic big brother he is cruising along on bikes and scooters to prove he will not be left behind!

A field and a 4 year old / Minnesota Children's Photographer

Lets Play on a windy day! / Minneapolis Children's Photographer

The cold and wind couldn't stop this big 2 year old from having fun! His blue eyes are so bright and smile is contagious and he was such a good sport and joy to be with despite the temps. It was so fun to watch how much he's grown since doing family photos last fall and I'm looking forward to meeting up with the whole family later this summer. Enjoy!

Welcome Baby G / Newborn Photography

Ah spring, the perfect time to welcome a new baby when all the world is waking up after winter. Baby G was like that for me this day - the promise of new beginnings, and all the excitement that it offers. Baby G is in such good hands with such a wonderful and loving family. She was lucky to have her grandma visiting so we could get some special 3 generation photos - a treasure for sure in the years to come. And her nursery!? Wow, could I please have this be my bedroom? An amazing place for girly dreams to unfold. It was such a pleasure to spend the morning with these 3 gals and I look forward to documenting her as she grows -Congrats T Family!

Hill Murray Teens / Minnesota Senior Photographer

Little B is One! / Minneapolis Children's Photographer

How sparkly blue are these eyes?! I had a great time meeting up with these two cutie pies at their home near the river. Altho it was sunny it was marginally warm and the trees did not yet have leaves so we had to skirt around for some cover. Little B couldn't be sweeter and seemed so content to have big sister do all the talking and coordinating on his behalf. Super fun to watch them together as surely they have a ton of fun. Thanks for the great morning!

Urban Senior Models / Minneapolis High School Senior Photography

I was fortunate to meet up with these two stunning juniors on a brisk spring morning in downtown Minneapolis. Both of these women have so much going for them and carry themselves with such grace, poise, and maturity. They juggle athletics, work, modeling, being top students, all while maintaining a busy social calendar. I will be eager to learn what their post high school plans turn out to be - an exciting time for sure!

4 kiddos and 2 new backdrops / Children's Photographer, Stillwater Minnesota

A day with a good friend / Minnesota Family Photography

I was so honored to meet this family at their home on yet one more, cold and snowy winter day - seems to be the theme for days I do photos. I felt immediately welcomed by this family with their warm welcomes and smiley, bubby children. This was a special day because their beloved family dog was ill and it was important to do some shots of them altogether, not knowing how much time they'd have their best friend with them. Pets are indeed, such an important part of our lives and the prospect or reality of say goodbye is such a painful one and difficult time. I was so glad to be invited into their home to document some moments and memories for them, to help remember Oz by when his time comes.

Fun to be One / Minneapolis Children's Photographer

I met up with this doll on another cold, sub zero January morning. When people say that 1-2 year olds are 'on the go' they must have met this client to coin the term. He was constantly on the move, entertaining us with his adorable antics despite the fact he was just shaking an winter cold. It was such a pleasure to meet baby D and his doting parents and puppy on this winter day.

The T Family / Minnesota Family Photographer

I got to meet up with these 4 cuties on a freezing cold, dark, and sleeting January morning at the Como Park Conservatory. Despite the yucky weather the conservatory never seemed brighter! It was an 'artists morning' there where you are able to shoot groups of more than 2 people, and bring in tripods. Every other person there was shooting or painting flowers, and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. That is, until we arrived :) The girls were fantastic and had their whispers packed along for the morning and it was pretty fun all the attention we got being so obviously different than most of the flowering subjects :) They were asked if they were posing for a magazine, everyone wanted to know if there were twins and triplets in the bunch, etc. Thanks T Family - for being such great sports and tons of fun!

Waiting for Baby W / Minnesota Maternity Photographer

Closed for the Season :)

I am going to close shop and hibernate for the winter :) With the exception of a few photo shoots I have scheduled yet in 2008, I will not be posting anything on my blog until next spring.

We just sold our house and moved homes and communities during the busiest time of year for child and family photograhers, so when I wrap up all the holiday cards I need to take a little breather and spend some times with my own wonderful family :) I plan to use the next couple of months to settle into our new home, explore our new neighborhood and community, and work on my new (and improved!) website. I will most likely be taking a photography class or forum here or there as well.

If you would like more information or to schedule something after April 1, 2009 please contact me! Thank you and have a great winter!

The M Family / Minneapolis Newborn Photographer

The U Family at Minnehaha Creek / Minneapolis Family Photographer

The J Family- studio pics downtown MPLS

Red Stamp Cards! One more Holiday Card Option

Teresa Hermes Photography is partnering with Red Stamp to offer you some additional and amazing designs for your holiday cards this season!

Simply go to www.redstamp.com and look at their holiday photo cards. If you have purchased the digital image from me, you can go ahead and order it all on your own! If you have not purchased the CD outright from me but would like to do cards through Red Stamp please contact me for pricing information and additional instructions.

Red Stamp is also offering a discount on their holiday cards for all Teresa Hermes Photography clients - a generous offer by them! You'll need to use holiday code HOLLYTHP10 in the promo area and the discount will apply.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Some Additional Holiday Options

the same design but with the photo done in a 'vintage color wash':

More Holiday Card designs and layouts

• All of these designs are 5x7 cards with the exception of the last one is a 5x5 tri-fold.
• Some are designed to be flat cards with a front and backside, while others are meant to be a folded card that has another image and message on the inside.
• All of the colors are fully customizeable and can be any combination of the colors shown or colors that are not shown! Choose the color scheme that best compliments your family's images.
• All wording is is customizeable.

PRICES:

• There is a $10 set-up fee for holiday cards that covers my time for setting up drafts for you to choose from, changing out images, wording, colors, etc.
• All cards must be ordered in quantities of 25
• You have a choice of a semi-gloss or art linen paper
• All cards come with envelopes
• 5x7 and 5x5 flat cards are $25 for 25 semi-gloss cards, add $3.50 for art linen paper
• 5x7 and 5x5 folded cards are $35 for 25 semi-gloss cards, add $5 for art linen paper
• 5x5 trifold cards are $42 for 25 semi-gloss cards, add $6 for linen *note that 5x5 cards require extra postage
• You can pick up your cards from me in Minneapolis or I can ship them to you and bill you for the shipping costs, as this will vary on card quantity and area shipped to.

There are additional 5x5 trifold and 5x7 flat and folded additional holiday card samples in my blog under my September posts. 'Tis the season! :)

The next 5 photos are a part of the 5x5 trifold layout. This next image is what the front would look like:
then there is an inside flap and this can be anything that fills the 5x5 page so here i chose a collage but it could be a single photo too:

Then on the inside spread there are 3 panels/pages when the card is opened, so this is what the left page/panel looks like: The center panel:
The right panel:
and the back would be plain

Holilday Card Designs

These 2 are the 5x5 tri-fold - the top sample is the inside spread

The bottom sample is

inside flap back front

People are starting to ask about holiday cards so I wanted to begin sharing the various different design sets you will have to choose from if you wish for me to do holiday cards for you. All designs are 5x7 and the squares are 5x5 and can be 1 or 2 sided (same price). All of my holiday cards are press printed with your choice of glossy or art linen paper and can be ordered in sets of 25. I will also be offering a few 5x5 trifold styles. Over the next week or two I'll be displaying the other designs available so keep checking back!

The A Family at the Peace Gardens / Minneapolis Family Photographer

The M Family at Morgan Park

Family W at the Arboretum!

Another P Family :) at the Arboretum

The D Family at Lake Nokomis

=

The S family at Como Park

The P family at the Peace Gardens

The F family at Minnehaha Creek

W Family at Boom Island Park

A Favorite Park and Favorite Chair

Class of 2009 Class Act

the above one is a sort of vintage wash coloring fyi..


I had a chance to do photos for this senior last week and per usual, had a difficult time choosing just a few photos to post because there are so many good ones! He is such an all around great guy and his easygoing personality made it so easy to get such great photos (doesn't hurt that he is so handsome and incredibly photogenic!) :)

Thanks again 'A' and enjoy your last year of high school and good luck on your college decision! :)

Big Brown eyes!

Having just turned 3 not too long ago this little guy was out to melt my heart with his big brown eyes! The youngest of 3 he was so active and most certainly 'all boy' in his activity! I think he was fooling himself at first, pretending he didn't really want his photos taken but after a little while I think he was really enjoying the attention :) We threw some rocks into the muddy, dried up creek and that was fun - the highlight tho, was the game of hide and seek with mom behind the huge trees near the of the session - all of those pics are still on my card so I'll upload some later.

Thanks little D! :) happy belated!

All booked for 2008 except for maternity and newborn shoots

Thank you so much everyone, for all your business and referrals! And thank you to everyone who has stopped along the way to visit my blog or website (new one currently under construction), this year. It's been a busy one and my fall is even busier than I could have ever hoped.

As much as I'd like to, unfortunately I just don't have the capacity to take on any more appointments for the remainder of the year. Unless however, you are expecting a baby or have a newborn or newly adopted child and wish to enroll in the milestone plan - those appointments I will still find room for. Otherwise I am taking appointments for after the holidays.

Thank you so much again for all of your business, friendship, inspiration, and patience this last year! It's been a joy to work with every one of you and hope to see many returning families in 2009!
Tree :)

The V Family at the Peace Gardens

Here is a quick sneak peek from this fun photoshoot Sunday nite to finish off the weekend of 3 days with 3 beautiful families.

This lovely mommy to 3 is talented photographer that I met earlier this summer at a workshop. We decided to swap family photos this month so that we can actually have some photos ourselves with our own families - what a novelty after spending so much time BEHIND the camera! And it's good to periodically do this to remember what it feels like to prepare for a photo shoot and actually have your photo taken. So I'm looking forward to that.

Anyhow, these kids were so fun and quite familiar with the camera which was fun :)

It was great to finally meet the rest of your wonderful family, I had so much fun!

A perfect way to start the weekend....

it was a incredible, warm and sunny morning and with the exception of a few people walking their dogs we had the entire park to ourselves! so what a great way to spend it with this beautiful and amazing family who happen to be dear friends. i had fun with these vibrant kids as always and i think their favorite part was splashing in the fountain. i was lucky to sneak a few sweet shots of mom and dad together - happy anniversary this past weekend!

The O Family at Arneson Acres Park

I met up with this gorgeous family at the start of the weekend and it was so great to see them as I had not yet met their beautiful little girl. The boys seem all grown up now and were ready for some photo fun. They are quite the doting big brothers and I'm pretty sure this little princess will have it made with having them look out for her as she grows up :)

I also posted a new 5x5 tri-fold holiday card template near the bottom so scroll down and check it out!

5x5 tri-fold card option

Card above is in 3 sections - the front flap, the back, the front

Card below is in 3 sections - inside left, inside center, inside right

colors and text can be customized

Four and Fun!

Our dear sweet neighbor on her 4th birthday right before they moved out of state :( We had a lot of fun kicking around the block and the pink pettiskirt was a HUGE hit! a girly girl all the way, she was twirling up a storm. i had some fun playing with some different photo processing techniques on these, some are more of a painted look and a few are really punchy and colorful.

we are going to miss her so much!

Baby A!

This is one of my oldest friends in the world and her new baby! She was visiting this summer from NYC and it was so great to finally meet her little girl. You may recognize her and her belly and husband from some of the maternity photos on my blog from when I visited her at 7 months along. Anyhow, I could hardly get over this beautiful baby girl with her big bright eyes, intense eye contact, and gorgeous head of hair! I hope you guys enjoy a glimpse of the photos from our extenda-session :)



...the doting grandma :)...
i had to include this photo cuz it was the newest thing she had discovered the day before (her hands!) so i was constantly competing for her attention as she stared at them and studied them over. it was soooo darling but it wasn't something we could take away or change, hee hee.come back soon! :)

Down on the Farm

M - I did a little vintage coloring on some of these photos in case you are wondering...

Does this family know how to have FUN or what?! I had such a blast 'down on the farm' last month when this entire family got together for some photos since part of the family lives out of state and arrived with a new sweet baby boy. The photos I have posted only represent a small portion of the good times they all had in the short time I was able to spend with them before their family dinner. It was such a welcoming group I was wishing I could stick around all weekend to relax, ride the 4 wheelers, horses, and enjoy the gorgeous setting and great company. Thanks gang!

Watch me Go!

I got to meet these cuties a few weeks back to capture little 'P' as a new one year old. Doesn't he have the prettiest blue eyes and longest lashes? I could hardly get over his 2 tooth smile with the dimple - super yum! I think it's just one of the very best smiling stages to document. :)

But wow he is maybe the busiest one year olds I've seen yet! We started at the studio and quickly realized we would probably have more success outside where he could be free to crawl and explore and we just chase him so that is what we did and got such fantastic results from a happy guy on the go! :)

thanks for making the long drive to minneapolis! :)

The N Family at Arneson Acres

I met up with this gorgeous family a few weeks ago when it still felt like summer outside. I hadn't seen them in a while so to see little brother 'I' toddling all around was so much fun! He is at that age and stage where his main agenda is to be on the move exploring! It was also very cute because he had learned the word 'no' just a day or two earlier and thought it was quite fun to practice it :)

College bound!

I had the pleasure of capturing some fun family moments just a few nights before this college bound freshman drove off to campus for the start of a new chapter. Being this was my son's preschool teacher from last year, it was really enjoyable to see 'Mrs. J' in the role of a mother vs. a teacher as I'm so used to watching ten 3 and 4 year olds swarm around her! They were such good sports with a great sense of humor - we have so many fun family moment shots!

I hope the college send-off was a smooth one! :)

Blog Vacation / Website currently down

Two big things -I will not be posting any sessions to my blog this week again as we're still preparing our house for sale. I will return next week with soooo many great photos from all my most recent sessions!

Also, my website is currently down (a bit prematurely) as I am in the process of transitioning to a new and improved website. I will post my price list to my blog and apologize for any inconvenience. I should have my new site up by mid-September!Stay tuned for recent posts, holiday cards, etc! Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Come Play!

I had the pleasure of meeting up with this super fun family last weekend on a gorgeous sunny morning and whoa! 3 kids under the age of 5 is a lot of crazy busy fun and movement! The kids are so friendly and outgoing that I immediately got a tour of their rooms and a chance to see their special toys.

All 3 of these siblings have these HUGE brown eyes that just sparkle and I was in love with catching the sun in them on their front porch. I'm not sure how their parents can ever say 'no' when their kids have eyes like these?

And then gave dad a workout with all the spins and twirls on the lawn...And then the attempted hogpile :) Thanks for a great morning H Family!

Someone was ready for a nap after all the busy photos :)

It's a GIRL!

Welcome baby sister!

What a lucky baby girl born into this wonderful and loving family just 1 week ago. Such a beautiful little peanut and she behaved just perfectly for her first photo shoot ;o) I think that is because her big sister taught her everything she knows - you may recognize her from my posts a month earlier. I decided to highlight images of daddy and baby here since we did so many special shots of Baby E and her mommy while she was in utero.

I hope you enjoy a glimpse of your photos with your new baby girl and are enjoying every moment with her!

Meet the B Family!

I had the pleasure of meeting this family for the first time last weekend and had so much fun with them and their 3 vibrant boys! I was immediately swept up in conversations about the trials and tribulations of various superheros, and love how passionate these little guys were about their interests! They were so friendly and outgoing I felt like we were old pals. We had a lot of fun bounding around the park grounds and hoping for the rain to hold off (it did!).

I hope your family vacation up north was relaxing and you enjoy your glimpse at the photos! Thanks again for a fun nite!

Natural beauty

I had the opportunity to do some headshots for this gorgeous girl, a gift to her by her loving auntee in preparation for some agency work. She is a natural in front of the camera, don't you think!? Not only is she obviously a stunning beauty on the outside, but just as beautiful on the inside as well. She is such a sweet, smart, and genuine girl and that shines through on her photos - she has the most amazing eyes that draw you right in.

We had so much fun and if you can believe we did all 4 outfit changes in an hour and a half with a friend and a 4 year old cousin in the room too? Amazing! It was so much fun for me and I loved how in between shots and set changes she would play with her little cousin or giggle with her friend and auntie, and then the next minute she'd be flashing her covergirl smile looking like she walked off the cover of the latest tween magazine. So fun!

Thanks again and Good luck!

Little Mr. Charmer

A very new '2' this guy sure knows how to turn on the charm! He was so talkative and flirtatious I had to remind myself he was just 2 and not 4 or 5! Super cutie in his little GQ outfit he chose himself (ok, maybe mom helped give some choices) :) and he sure loved hearing how handsome he looked. Thanks for exploring Centenniel Lakes with me!

3!

Happy Birthday Little Girl!

A Photographers 'Playdate'

With two young kiddos our weeks are typically full of playgroups and playdates so it's ooooohhh so fun when I get to do my own grown up version of this!

This a group of women I met at a workshop in June and have been chatting with regularily online about photography. I have been blown away by the kindness and generous nature of the group! Everyone is so eager to learn and help each other as we've all either recently started our own businesses or else are on the verge of doing so. At this particular 'playgroup' we met in my neck of the woods at a 'best kept secret' park in Edina. I didn't get many shots that nite since I was the coordinator and felt responsible for keeping things rolling; plus our time was fairly short because a storm was rolling in! We beat it by minutes and kept shooting all the while the sky grew dark - the brave bunch we are :)

Anyhow, here are a few of the shots I got - thanks to my photographer cohorts and also the beautiful models who gave up a summer evening to hang with us :)

PS - I should make sure to mention that because of the nature of these sessions I can't claim all these photos as mine - sometimes I was shooting over the shoulder of a friend :)

Their very own Fairyland

Fairies seem to be one of the latest and greatest among young girls these days (leave it to Disney!) but what I think is so fascinating is that they are one of the oldest of characters you'll find in European folklore.

When these sisters arrived to the gardens the sun was dancing and the butterflies were abundant. They even brought along an heirloom book of Fairies from great grandpa and we had such fun imitating some of the photos in this precious and well-loved storybook. This flowery place at the edge of the forest was such a perfect setting for some sisterly photos, especially for those with an affection for magical fairies. Thanks so much for a fun afternoon!

What are Fairies? Garden Fairies: You will find them dancing and playing amongst the flowers with flowing dresses and transparent wings. At dawn they pour out blessings to the world.

Puppy Love

Could these two be any cuter? They have been married two years already but you'd almost guess they are newlyweds by the way they interact :) They are expecting their first baby this winter and I think it is so great they decided to get some photos to remember this special time in their marriage with their first 'baby' ! My guess is that Daisy will have to adjust to a new role in the family once the baby arrives but for now she sure loooooves being the center of attention!

Counting Down to Baby...

I'm so excited to get these photos online for this adorable mommy- to- be but had such a difficult time choosing which ones to post as there are just so many! Her perfectly round baby bump looks so natural, like it is just supposed to be there. And you may recognize the cutie big sis from a month or two back when we did her 'two' photos. She is so in love with her mommy and excited about the baby coming so our whole session was such a blast.

As you can see, mom was up for trying a lot of different things so that was fun! We started with some casual and fun shots of the two of them together...

And then tried out a few of the wraps with some silhouettes, big sister wrapped up (which wasn't as easy as it sounded!) ...

And lastly a series of some stunning shots to really capture the beauty of a woman's body during pregnancy ...

Thanks again you two - hope you enjoy your sneak peek! :)

Yummy chubby cherub

Wade's childhood friend was visiting from Boston last week and showed up at our house with her adorable baby girl! Of course I had to break out the camera, especially because she is a photography enthusiast and admits there are so few photos of herself actually with her children - that she is usually behind the lens! So before the bugs chomped on all that sweet babyskin we got a few quick pics.

Goodbye Sunshine

My sister just sent this photo to me from Colorado. It was a sad day as they said goodbye to her dog and best friend of 9 years, Sunny. This photo was taken on their most recent camping trip near their home in the Colorado rockies. We will remember her spunky spirit and all the happiness and comfort she provided.

New Beginnings

This is a very special pregnancy for a very special friend.

We started with some quiet shots indoors...
Then moved outdoors to take advantage of their unique landscaping at their gorgeous new home on a super HOT summer day...

And all the while we were taking photos my kids were running wild in the wide open space and rolling down hills with their friend in between her photo takes...

Then we moved our hot and tired kids indoors to cool off and changed pace a little, capturing another side of this pregnant beauty...


Thanks you two, for a memorable afternoon! xo

Just me and my brother

Well we picked about the hottest morning so far this summer to do photos :) Despite the sweltering heat and the fact that the big ONE year old got robbed of his full morning nap (you guessed it, big bro!) we still had some fun down by the creek.

I had the pleasure of taking pics of these two last summer/fall when I was building my portfolio so you'll have to look at how much baby C has grown since then. We got to meet him when he was about 3 months old when he arrived to MN into the hearts and arms of his amazing family.

Speaking of amazing family, super mom who I might start calling WW short for wonder woman, just finished her first triathlon last weekend and came in 1st in her age group if i can brag a bit! She is also participating in the Lifetime triathlon next weekend, wish her luck. On top of chasing two busy boys, training for triathlons, she also owns her own business and watching her get her biz up and running was a huge source of inspiration for me last spring as I helped take the product photos for her website :) http://www.marthasbabybundles.com/ Thanks guys! Way more cute stuff to come...

Tons!

Tons of curls, tons of energy, tons of fun, and tons of 'two-ness'! This little guy is all things two, just a day after his birthday!

Little C lives on our block so I've been lucky to know him since he was born. He always has that twinkle in his eye and that sweet smile is pretty much always on his face. But mom admits, almost like someone flipped a switch just before his birthday he now likes to asset his own opinions and do things 'by myself'. Needless to say, he pretty much had us following him around (just the way he wanted it!) and let us know quickly if our plans were in accordance with his. He found it more like a game to run and dodge FROM the camera and didn't let down easily! :) SOOOO fun and funny and as a parent of two kids who just went through this glorious 'twos' stage of newfound independence it's all too familiar.

Will get the rest of your photos to you soon!

Scheduling updates!

Just thought I'd post a little update as to where I'm at with scheduling sessions now that the weather is finally consistently gorgeous and people are really thinking about outdoor photos :)

I am completely booked for July and may take 1 more appointment in August. September - November is booking really fast for fall family photos, I started booking appointments this spring so call now if you would like something during those timeframes, especially the weekend.

The last day for Holiday card photos is Saturday, November 15th.
Hope everyone is enjoying the great weather and let me know right away if you want to set up fall photos! :)

Summer fun!

I met up with these two cuties last week on the perfectly hot and sunny summer day - it was the day that made everyone say 'summer is really here!' We ran around Bush Lake Park - an area I need to keep in mind for future photos as it has such a varying landscape, lakes, and of course you'll see - a playground that we saved til the end and got some really fun stuff while they were goofing around.

I had never met these two before our photo shoot and was bummed to learn that jobs will be taking them out of state soon, boo hoo! They were so fun I was looking forward to watching them grow. Can you get over all the dimples?? One of the highlights was a tiny little inchworm (wormy) that big sis found and quickly adopted as her pet, in case you are wondering what the little green guy is on her arm :)

Thanks E family and best wishes on your packing and upcoming move!

Tiny Dancer

Little Miss R and her mom met up with me at the studio after much deliberation about the weather. Will it rain, will it hold off, back and forth til we finally had to call it and good thing we did because just at the time our appointment began it started to pour. Still, we made the best of the indoors and I'm certain the studio felt like one big stage as she was twirling and on tiptoe so much of the time - a ballerina in the making I'm sure of it! She was so much fun, look at her sparkly, big blue two year old eyes.

She is going to be a big sister in just a month and is so excited and going to be such a big helper! She kept tickling her mom's belly saying she was tickling the baby - how adorable!

Thanks for coming to see me on a rainy day and I am eager to get the rest of the pics to you soon! :)

For a Good Cause

On Saturday evening I had the opportunity to photograph an annual Gala event downtown at the Hyatt. It was an 'An Evening of Hope', a fundraising event for the Chron's and Colitis Foundation and a successful event! The evening was a lot of fun, they had a silent and live auction, live music and a dance performance, and a wonderful dinner. I hope they raised a lot of money - a good friend of mine is very involved with the organization because her son and niece are both affected. I was honored to be a part of the evening and am excited to share the photos with the committee. I'll upload a few more later when I can sort through them.

OH! and the photographer I'm pictured with is a fellow photographer friend I met this winter who is launching her own business as well. She was a doll to come along and help cover the event - it was a big crowd and lots happening so it was nice to have two of us there. In return I'm helping her with a wedding in July.

Gorgeous senior to be

Last but not least, here is our senior model from Kari's workshop. It was so much fun to photograph her, she was a wonderful sport with all of us crowding around her asking her to look this way and that, pose this way and that. She is a natural beauty with such a sweet demeanor - good luck in your future endeavors!

A few more cuties from Kari's workshop

Here are a couple more models from Kari's workshop. I'm behind about 6 more entries of recent shoots so I'm hustling to keep up. Enjoy!

Model #5

I don't know that there is much for me to say about this beauty - let the photos speak for themselves! I only had a few minutes to play with her but it only took that to get these winning photos. I loved to watch her play the doting big sister, her little sister is sure lucky to have her! thanks J! :)

Model #4 from workshop

This 2 week old baby boy was such a little star - he slept the whole time we took his photos! He stirred once but then Kari lulled him back to sleep like a seasoned 'baby whisperer' :) Therefore, I really can't take much of any credit for these photos since she was the one handling the baby while the rest of us looked on and then quick snapped some shots as fast as we could for fear he'd wake up, which he never did.

Thank you so much baby R and mom, for making the trek out to spend your morning with us!

Model #3 from workshop

Baby 'I' has the biggest and sparkliest eyes you've ever seen! Look at those baby blues. What a sweetie and such a good sport as most of the time he had 10 of us crowding around him at one time, jockeying for position and his attention :) Thank you!

Model #2 from workshop

This cutie is a seasoned pro at photos! You will recognize him if you visit her site. We didn't get to spend more than just a couple of minutes together at the park but definately caught his sweet spirit in the short time. Thank you 'C' and mom for participating! :)

Model 1 from workshop

Say hello to 'D' from Saturday's workshop shoot! He was one of the first models I had a chance to work with at the park, doesn't he look like a walking GAP ad? I thought so too! We had fun throwing rocks in the pond and climbing on the boulders. Thanks D and mom!

12 inspiring hours

That's Kari in the above photo, waving at me shooting the 'momarazzi' in her backyard :)

I spent all day yesterday at a photography workshop - yep that is right, 12 straight hours that flew by all too fast. It was an incredible and inspiring day to be surrounded by 10 other photographers, doing what we all love and have it being led by one of the twin cities most sought after, talented, and humble photographers - Kari Layland http://www.kariphotography.com/ . If you haven't seen her work before you need to check her out - she's amazing!

Kari invited the crew into her home and spent an entire day sharing with us the knowledge she has acquired after spending the last decade perfecting this wonderful art of photography. It was truly inspiring and I am so thankful for her generous nature in sharing her talent and passion with us. Ever since I came across Kari's website last summer she has been a virtual coach/mentor for me over the the past 9 months or so as I have worked to start my business. I admire her for helping others get started and for always taking the time to answer my silly questions and feel so thankful and blessed to have met her. It is people like Kari who have helped me to make this idea and dream of photography a reality for me so thank you Kari! :)

AND, as great as it was to spend a day with Kari it was equally as wonderful to meet and collaborate with other photographers who love this as much as me and are also juggling kids and life along with this wonderful art. It was such a blast to meet all these women (plus Bob, our token male!) and I truly hope to keep in touch with them so we can help each other out along the way. Thanks everyone - for such an awesome day! :)

Oh, and over the course of the next couple of days I will be posting a few shots from some of the various models we had the pleasure of photographing throughout the day, ranging from newborn to high school senior! So stay tuned....

How fast does a year go!?

It's amazing to me as a parent, how fast the time flies by but I am starting to think that now, from the viewfinder of a camera, it goes by even faster!

It was this time last year I began soliciting friends to let me photograph their children as I worked on building my portfolio for the website I launched in January. This family, was one of my very first 'subjects' and they have continued to entrust me with the photos of darling baby 'G' throughout her first year of life - a big job and I have felt quite honored. :) I have very much enjoyed watching her grow and it wasn't until I looked back at the pictures of her at 2 weeks old did I realize just how much she had grown over the year, pretty amazing.

Thank you so much, Family W, for spending 'oh so much' time with me during the year to document the various stages for all of little G's photos. I have definately learned so much and grown immensely as an artist and truly appreciate your time and trust in allowing me to follow your beautiful daughter's first year of life -it's been a joy.

I will also be using G's photos from newborn through this first year for examples of my milestone program that I hope to launch this summer. Stay tuned....

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this 'sneak peek' - it's longer than normal and deserves to be, she has been with me for a whole year :) She is a blast and her big brother is such my bud - he deserves just as much kudos for being such a good sport and enjoying some photos along the way too :)

See me go...

It's so fun when our babies are just learning to walk - making them suddenly less babylike and more toddlerish; bittersweet for everyone mom! Yet it's such a great stage to catch on film. Those first wobbly, stiff-legged steps and the look of surprise and pride on their faces when they can do it, as well as the look of joy as they take their steps in the direction of mom or dad's waiting arms. Summer in MN is such an ideal time to hit this milestone because of all the chances to practice outdoors on the soft grass. My friend and I had so much fun on this quiet morning at the Rose Gardens before the rain fell, there was hardly a sole in sight so little miss 'L' got to let her new walking legs take all over the open area :)

Anticipation

When I met the 'F' family last week at my studio space I just knew we were going to have a great time. Spunky big sister to be can't wait to be a big sister but more immediately couldn't wait to put on a few dress up clothes for some pics :)

I've decided that photographing pregnant women has become one of my new favorite stages to document. Mom and dad were so sweet and loving with each other, I really enjoyed just being there to capture their moments.

I hope you enjoy your sneak peek and that the rest of your pregnancy continues to go smoothly as you wait for baby sister's arrival :) Thank you again for inviting me to share in this special time of life with you!

Tulip Gardens

My neighbor and I took our kids on a little picnic (and of course threw in a few photos) at the Lyndale Gardens by Lake Harriet the other day and had so much fun! The tulips are still bold and beautiful, the fountains are running, and there are so many flowering trees in blossom. For the people that are asking me 'where is it pretty right now' - here is one great photo destination! Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Show Stealer!

I had a chance to photograph my friend's darling 6 week old twins a few days ago. Well, the twins (and big brother) had some plans of their own and that was to make sure that whenever they were together one of them needed to cry :) ! So we did our best - we got a ton of gorgeous shots of them individually, some 'memorable' shots of them together, and then Mr. Show Stealer cooperated his best when there were no twins in sight :) So I had to feature him here because he was so darn cute and a guy after my own heart - he is REALLY into Thomas the Train just like my Ryan was at this age (he is growing out of that phase now, sniff sniff), so I enjoyed 'talking trains' and sharing my train collection with him.

I look forward to photographing the twins again this summer - look for more photos of them then!

Urban Energy

Question: What do you get when you take a young, hip, totally gorgeous mom and her two, highly creative and energetic pre-teen boys at a downtown studio?

Answer: A totally fun, super spontaneous, unpredictable and put on your joke hat urban setting photo shoot!

This festive group came to the studio on gloomy Saturday morning so we were able to capture a lot of hamming it up inside the studio/building grounds before heading outdoors for a little fun right as the rain started.

The whole session was such a different energy than what I am used to with all the babies and young tots I spend most my time shooting so it was a super fun change of pace!

Our main focus was capturing personalities and relationships and we definately got that covered, wouldn't you say? It was so hard to choose just a few to post so I went a little crazy! And, since mom was up for it and the boys welcomed the break to hang out in the coffee shop, we did a few photos of her just for fun. Would you believe me if I told you she does not do modeling? I didn't think so!

Thanks gang, for a fun morning - hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Mr. Easy

My morning with sweet 'A' and his mom was one of those mornings that I get extra excited about pursuing this photography love of mine. It was pretty much a perfect photo session - how can you go wrong when a face like this arrives in the studio?! On top of being such a cutie he was so laid back and easy - whatever, wherever we wanted to go or put him he was just plain old happy and according to his mom that is his easygoing way. It seems to be the case with all 3rd and subsequent children I meet - they are just so content to go with the flow and generous with their smiles. It sure makes my job a blast! So we had a lot of fun and I tried to just pick a sample of the million photos we took and am so excited for the baby parts collage.

Thanks so much you too, for making my morning such a cheery one! :)

Cutest sibling pair ever!

I had so much fun at this house last weekend! Little Miss A just turned 2 not too long ago so she was the main star of the show. However, she didn't like to be more than just a step or two away from big brother, the whose lead she was so happy to follow - it was sooo cute! Whether it was him playing guitar and her dancing, or them teaming up to play hide n seek with me they just played so well together and are the very best of friends.

Thanks for letting me come see your awesome new house and hang with you guys again!! :)

p.s. How much would you pay for Mr. M's curls?! Aren't they the best! I'd give anything for locks like that...

Celebrating a special milestone

I felt so priveledged to be able to take photos of 'A' in her First Communion dress as she prepares for this special upcoming event. She is every bit as angelic as she appears in these photos - so sweet and beautiful on both the inside and out. She exudes such warmth and compassion it was like my camera had a magnet right on it and was clicking away on it's own!

It was so neat to meet someone at such a young age with so much poise and sense of self, it just made me go 'wow'. I loved how one minute we would be having a rather serious conversation and the next minute she could be so silly and girly, it was so charming! It was a lot of fun and got me excited for the upcoming years with my kids (so often we wish they'd stay so little!)

Thank you so much Miss A, for letting me help document this special time in your life! :)

The K family

It was so great to see these guys because the last time I really saw baby 'I' was last summer when she was probably 3 months old and I cannot believe she is now toddling about. She is so dainty and sweet, like a little flower petal just floating about. As far as this handsome big brother, I wish I could bottle up his energy and save some for when I need a pick me up! If I had just half that energy wow, the things I could get done in a day. I guess I don't have to think too hard about where his energy comes from because his mama is currently training for a triathalon (whew!). It was fun to watch baby sister watch big brother's ever move and try to figure out how to keep up. My guess is that in no time, she will be! Thanks guys! :)

Meet sweet Baby G

I met this family for the first time this weekend and felt these waves of nostalgia over me because this was the same age Ryan was the first time we had professional photos taken of him with us. Along with the flood of good memories it struck a chord with me in remembering what an important time it is as you are watching your baby quickly grow out of that newborn stage and begin to show their own personality. You want to make sure you get photos together because suddenly they aren't a tiny baby swaddled in blankets and you are beginning to realize how quickly they grow.

These two were SO sweet with each other and with their son, it was really quite beautiful to be a part of their magic. Baby G is one lucky little guy because he has wonderful parents that are wrapped around his little finger :o) . Thank you for trusting me with your first photos together! :)

Baby A!

I was so excited to meet darling baby A this weekend because her mom and I used to train for races together years ago! It was also a great excuse to see her wonderful mom after several years :) Anyhow, this dreamy baby girl has her mom's beautiful big blue eyes and happy demeanor and was so much fun to follow around. Look at all her smiles and sweet expressions!. They were a huge burst of sunshine in the studio on a cold and rainy day. Thanks so much you two (and grandma), for coming to see me! Hope to see you again :) Tree

Sisters!

You may recognize these two beauties from my website! I had the pleasure of taking their photos last summer at Como Zoo and we had SOOOO much fun that day! They are so incredibly sweet, silly, and ultra girly and look at how much they truly love each other! Thanks K and K for another wonderful afternoon!

H family session

What I'm finding that I am loving so much about this 'job' is that I am not only getting to meet and play with lots of cute kids and their parents, but am also witnessing families expanding and evolving and it's REALLY cool.

The last time I saw my buddy 'M' was last fall when we cruised all along the Minnehaha creek for a super energetic session on a crisp fall morning. M has such a radiating personality we were instant buds and I was so glad that I had my running shoes on to keep up with him along the way! Fast forward only a few months to this weekend when they arived at the studio with his darling baby sister and I see another side of my funny guy, the doting big brother! Miss L was just so sweet and easygoing and amused by just the sight of her bro - it was really neat to see them together.

Thanks gang, for kicking off my session weekend!

Mini Sessions!

What a fun weekend I had at the studio, photographing a whole bunch of kids, moms, and families! It was busy but sure a lot of fun to meet some new people, greet some new additions, and see how much other kids have grown since last summer or fall! Keep watch in the next day or two as I post a few highlights from each session.

Thank you so much again to everyone who participated! I plan to make it an annual event and will likely do several 'mini sessions' with various themes throughout the year since they were such a big hit. If anyone has any suggestions or feedback for future mini session events I will gladly welcome it. Have a great rest of the weekend and keep watch for those pics!

Recent session updates