New Family - St. Cloud, MN Lifestyle Photographer

I took these pictures back in April of this precious little one and his parents. He was 6 weeks old and as cute as a button!It was great to capture this new family together. This was my very favorite picture from the day. There are very few moments in life that are more precious than a mother and her baby.

Spring Wedding - Cold Spring, MN Wedding Photographer

I was honored when Mrs. J asked me last winter if I could take the wedding pictures for her wedding this past spring (yep, I am a little slow on posting them!). Weddings have really become a joy for me to photograph and I really love the whole process of telling a bride’s story.
From getting her hair done. To getting her dress on...which for this one was special. Mrs. J. had her nieces be the lovelies that helped her get ready. It was wonderful to be there capturing that moment. My partner in crime with weddings took pics of the guys getting ready and so many other . She captured some amazing shots and sometime they will be found out here.
Mrs. J. picked out amazing shoes and amazing details. Within the short amount of time that she planned her wedding, she didn’t miss anything. She is fantastic and so was the wedding!Sometimes the weather is tough on wedding days and this one indeed was cold, windy and rainy. It certainly didn’t put a damper on how special this day was. We couldn’t take a lot of pics outside, but I was proud of everyone braving the cold and getting a couple outside shots. Mrs. J. was such a beautiful, beautiful bride!!!The two flower girls were extra special. They were the great nieces who were even born on the same day. So special to have them be a part of the day.They had the first look earlier in the day. The great thing about the first look is that it gives time in the day for formal portraits and for the couple to enjoy the “whole” day together. Something I am noticing though is that it doesn’t detract from special moment when the bride walks down the aisle at all. The grooms are just as excited as if they were seeing the bride for the first time that day. The ceremony was beautiful too!
Yep, it was an altogether great day! I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to shoot this wedding. Congratulations on your life together Mr. and Mrs. J!

July Photo Assignments

I have been doing a 365 project for a year and a half now. Amazingly enough I haven’t missed a shot yet and only one was at 10:00 at night. This past month on top of my regular weekly assignments with the 365 I have been doing a daily one for the month of July. I thought I would toss those shots out here and see what you think about my responses to the daily assignments. They have another one lined up for the month of August, but I am not sure if I can keep up with two sets of shots each day or not. Every now and again my shots could be used for both assignments, but definitely not every day.  What do you think…keep going with double assignments or go back to just one?

In any case, this will be a long post since I decided not to break it up into a bunch. So here are my choices for the daily assignments.

Something You Enjoy – Lavender, I love lavender. Snuggly – My little boy in his robe.Home – My front door.Patriotic Water – Down by the railroad bridge.Treat – Coffee is always my favorite treat, especially a Cinnamon Soy Latte. Hot Summer Day – Enjoying the Blob. Wheels – From my snow blower that is not in use.

Something Old – I love old barns, especially on blue sky days.GardenRainbow – My daughter coloring oneFruit – Yummy apples.In Your Yard – Flags to mark where my electric lines are in case they decide to put a rain garden in our yard. Out and About – At the Shining at the River Car ShowGreenHair – Wet from running in the sprinkler.Something Odd – The catch lights in her eyes where not the same. Haven’t noticed that before so it was my “odd” thing for the day. BUT, beautiful baby all the way, love her!Black and WhiteHandmade – Aren’t all buildings hand made? Cold-Ice, brrr.Tradition- Playing Bingo at our family reunion is a yearly tradition.Fun-Playing kids games at the family reunion is FUN!Emotion-HappyStreet – The end of one.Rough –Rocks are rough and make for pretty bokeh.Upside Down-it was more me upside down, but I do love seeing what the flowers look like upside down.Flower-ooops, did that the day before too. Not many flowers left blooming in my flower beds anymore. Seems like some of them bloomed early, leaving my flower beds less than amazing anymore.Out in the Country-Taken outside during a photography workshop.Calm-Flowers ALWAYS make me feel calm.Self Portrait-My daughter did actually snap this shot of me, but I had gotten all the settings just right for her and tested on her in this same spot. Then I told her how to focus and where and shazam, she did great! The question is, why is my one eye always half closed when I smile, when I am resting…it doesn’t do that. Just curious.Freebie-Grabbed this freebie of my littlest son who is no longer little.There you go, the end of my July photo a day project.