A rainy day session in Carver County

I first met Danielle and Shane last fall when I had mini sessions in Waconia. Then, little Paisley was just a few months old so when Danielle contacted me about doing 1-year-old photos as well as some new family photos I was thrilled.

We choose an evening in one of the hottest weeks of the year and planned to get some fun "golden hour" shots of the family and soak up the yummy sun at some of my favorite outdoor spots in Chaska, Mother nature had other plans, though. It was a rainy, overcast day. 

So we rolled with the punches and photos of Paisley inside at my in-home studio. She was pretty stingey with her smiles but we still got some adorable photos of her. Her momma had ordered her adorable outfit from Etsy.com. I couldn't get over those "shoes."

After working hard to get some photos of Paisley we went outside and got some family photos. We went to a location that had a little trail so they wouldn't get soaked. I love the moodiness of the photos and how the smiles and love shines through. 

An engagement shoot in Minneapolis

Meet Lee and AleSha. They're getting married next September in northern Minnesota. Currently, they live in sunny California but used to live in Minneapolis in the Mill City District - the downtown side of the Stone Arch Bridge. Naturally this was the spot they chose for their engagement photos.

We met over drinks at Tuggs Tavern to go over wedding packages and the vision they had for their wedding. After deciding to book we took advantage of the fact that they were in the midwest and opportunity to shoot their engagement photos as long as they were in Minnesota and did them that night. I joked that I would have happily would have taken them in San Francisco and spent some time out there but I think this was easiest! Ha!

I loved hearing about their wedding plans and the nature theme they'll be going with. I could not be more excited to head up to northern Minneota in the fall to capture this wedding. These two have had so many adventures together already traveling around the country I am sure their wedding, as well as their marriage, will be a beautiful reflection of their relationship. Can't wait!

Annual R family photos in Eagan, MN

This family is one of my "frequent fliers." I've been taking their photos for about four years or so and it's been so fun to watch them grow. For the past few years I've been making a trek to their beautiful home and neighborhood in Eagan. You may recall a video I took of these guys last summer, it's here on YouTube.

I adore how Katie chose to dress them - the teal/mint and tan and white dresses from Old Navymade sure the kids were the focus. How cute are these kids? They're just so adorable and the weather looked a little gloomy when we got there but it held off and made for PERFECT photos.

We walked around their neighborhood and found spots to take some portraits. I love how the kids have parts of the community they love and had ideas for photos. Some of my fvorite photos were from a spot Kyle chose - full of tall grasses and yellow flowers. It was perfect!

I think the photos of the girls with their mom and Kyle with his dad are my favorites from this session. The love these kids exude when snuggled in with their parents makes me so happy!

When Katie told me the last professional photo they had as a family was one I took when 4-year-old Evy was a baby I knew that was a high priority for this shoot. We used their home as a backdrop for one of the family shots. I've done that a few other times and I think it's a great tool for thie kids to later recall memories from that home. I look back at photos from when I was younger and am amazed at how much the landsacape has changed, or certain toys or seasonal decor we had out triggers other memories.

As I have blogged before about the importance of photos of parents together we made sure to take some of just "mom" and "dad" so the walls can feature their smiling faces, too!