 On this wintry November day, I'm going to throw it back to one of my favorite shoots from last month. This was one of the only sunny, warm days in November and I spent it with Melissa, Michael, and their sweet little ones, Madison and Ryan. They were another new-to-me family from Hudson whom I am lucky to have met. We got to shoot during that glowy golden hour, pose with pumpkins, and romp around in the crunchy leaves!            Is it strange that I'm already kind of looking forward to next year's October photo rush again? It was definitely been a busy time, but I absolutely enjoyed it!
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 Last Saturday morning, the weather thankfully cooperated and I photographed 10 families at Willow River State Park. I felt so fortunate to reunite with familiar faces and to also meet several new families. Here are about 4-5 images from each session that day:                                               Ta da! It's been a whole lot of me staring at a computer screen this week, but I did so with a smile on my face. I truly appreciate everyone's patience as I edited and got these galleries out. (I've definitely learned that I can't do editing all-nighters!)
I really had a wonderful time working with every single family and I definitely hope to see all of you again in the future!  Recently I met the Mayer family and we took family photos around Hudson, first starting at Birkmose Park and then ending at their newly purchased land (!!!). It was definitely a cold day, but the kids were so great about still cooperating for photos. (Not to mention, we got some cute shots of them bundled in blankets too!)        No matter if I am doing a mini or full session, if there are two parents who attend, I try to always get several pictures of them together alone. Let's be real. Once you have kids, only one of you is in a photo at all times. Those couple photos suddenly become rare occurrences! Even though these guys have been married for awhile, they still have that newly-engaged glow!     Corbin in suspenders... be still my heart!    We wrapped up our session by capturing some darling mommy and me moments with Chelsea and Ezra. I'm still swooning over these pics as well as their entire gallery. Thank you guys so much for asking me to be your photographer this fall!
 A couple weeks ago I got to photograph Jess, her husband Nick, and her two kids Nick and Mia. I met Jess at the gym when we first moved to Hudson and I used to frequent her yoga classes while I was trying to survive my last pregnancy (It helped so much physically and mentally!). I was so excited to meet her family this fall and get some photos done for them on their land. I have to say, it is such a cool experience to photograph big kids! They're at this awesome age where they are excited and cooperative for photos (not to mention very sweet and polite), which meant we got tons of shots!          (I love how this shot kind of has a southwest vibe with the rocks, direct sunlight, and blue sky!)
This was such a fun shoot for me! Thanks again for the opportunity to hang out! Let's get together again, k???  Last fall I had the chance to meet Kimber, James, and their two boys Jase and Cole. Since then, we've had two more sessions, our most recent one being at their home a couple weeks ago. Their adorable boys have stolen my heart during every session we've had! Sure, they have more energy in their pinky fingers than I have in my entire body and photographing them means getting in my cardio for the week, but I seriously love it! It was a delight to photograph them in their element... with their pets, in their fort, and running around their land! I also have to send a big thank-you and hug over Kimber's way. Not only is she an incredibly sweet soul, she's pretty much been my business ambassador and has referred about half the city of Hudson to me for photos. (Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously not by much!) You are the BEST, girl!              Seriously though.
#momgoals #familygoals #relationshipgoals Thank you, thank you guys for allowing me to add your beautiful family to my portfolio. I truly enjoy every time we get to work together!  A little over a week ago, I held my first round of fall mini sessions. I cannot say enough good things about my families who showed for these! I had eight slots filled with 7 families. These sessions were all back-to-back and the morning went incredibly smoothly! We got lots of fantastic shots during everyone's 20 minutes. Here are just a few pics from each family:    Pearl and Sessahly were my fabulous mother-daughter duo who kicked off the morning. The great thing about having repeat clients is that we are crazy efficient when it comes to mini sessions. I just love these girls (could they be more gorgeous??) I was thrilled when they signed up!     Next I met with the Masse family and ADORABLE 16-month-old Grace. I had taken photos for her last fall when she was four months old and one of the most smiley babies I had ever met. Turns out, she's still just as happy and smiley. (BUT NOW WITH PIGTAILS!) What a darling! Let's hang out again soon!     The Ross family came next with their little cuties. We did a bit of running around and goofing around to keep warm during their shoot. Fortunately, that worked to get some silly and candid shots which definitely captured those fun-loving personalities!     Next I got to shoot for my lovely friend Nora and her boys. I'm always so excited when she signs up for sessions because I love an excuse to see her and her family! It's been so cool watching Henry and Hugh grow!     Next I met with the Potts family who have two-year-old Amelia and another baby on the way. I definitely appreciated the opportunity to document this special time for their family. I remember the excitement and anticipation of adding a second baby to the family and wondering what life would be like with 2 babies... so much fun to come!         Katie and Trevor then brought their crew of 5 kiddos and wisely booked 2 spots so we would have enough time for family shots plus individual pictures of each kid, It was definitely a lot of eyes to get looking in one direction, but we totally did it! I also loved having a variety of a baby, little kids, and teens to photograph. Thank you, thank you guys for signing up!       My last session of the day was with the Ruprechts. Their adorable family was pretty much any photographer's dream, so sweet and smiley! I loved the shots we got and I definitely hope I get to work with this awesome family in the future.
Thank you so much to all who came out to spend their Saturday morning with me! I hope you all love your photos as much as I do! Next round of minis are 10/27 at Willow River. Every slot is booked and I even added two more! All of this business is a tremendous blessing and I can't thank you guys enough for picking me to take your families' pictures.  September officially kicked off fall photo season! Those who booked got to enjoy the last few warm rays of sunshine (and so did I!). One of the things I love about this hobby/job is meeting new people, especially friends of friends. Here are some shots from my weekend sessions in September. Below (and above) the Lindmark family brought all the smiles and style. I truly loved shooting as well as editing their photos!        I always appreciate when new clients decide to book full sessions because it gives time for kiddos to get warmed up and we can get to know each other a bit first before I start shooting. Plus it give opportunities for us to stroll and wander around more and get more of those candid shots which often ends up being the favorites!        A couple weeks ago, our friends Josh and Sapphire came over for dinner at our house with their adorable little boy Jameson. We quickly ran outside for a 15 minute photo session after dinner and snapped these shots as we were losing sunlight fast. These may be some of my most favorite photos I've ever taken. Josh and Sapphire are so dang in love and I barely did any posing or prompting. This is just them being themselves and I'm telling you that years from now, they will absolutely be looking at each other in that same way.       Also in September I got to meet the Brown family at their home. This shoot had all of my favorite elements: funny energetic boys, a German Shepard puppy, super relaxed (and stylin') parents, and fantastic locations to choose from for shooting.         I continued my five-year shooting streak for the Yost family too! Jess and I have been friends since our freshman year of college when were ice skating chums. We continued to cheer together at the U together and then remained good friends as grown-ups. I've been photographing her daughter Maddie ever since she was a baby bump, so by now, the Yost family (and their dog Harmon) and I are a well-oiled machine when it comes to family pictures! I love you guys!               My final project in September was a big ol' extended family session at Aamodt's Apple Farm in Stillwater with my neighbors, the Millers and the Andersons. Five adults and eight kids? Bring it. I love how high-energy these types of big family sessions are. There's never shortage of ideas, laughs, or excellent candid moments.
BIG thank you to the Millers and Andersons for coordinating this get-together. I had a great time! And so there is my September of shooting. Ta-da! As for October, I've completed 9 sessions already and I've only got 18 more to go! That means I definitely have more material to be posting soon! Thank you, thank you, thank you, again to all of the awesome families who reached out to me for pictures last month. Honestly, this type of work is such a pleasure for me to do and I'm incredibly grateful for all of you!  Big happenings around here! Summer has wrapped up, 2/3 of my kids are in school, and fall sessions are back on the books! One of my first sessions for September were for Bella and her family. Bella had her first birthday party and her photo session all in one weekend. One-year-olds are cute, regardless, but Bella kind of knocked cuteness out of the park! Here are some of my favorite shots of her session with her parents Nikki and Paul at Lake Elmo. My next set of mini sessions on October 6 will be held at Lake Elmo, so if you like the feeling of these photos, send me a message and I'd love to get photos for YOU at this great location.               I always feel so honored to document important milestones, such as turning one! Thank you to Nikki and Paul for choosing me to take photos for such a special occasion. Happy birthday, once more, Bella! You are an absolute sweetheart!
 A couple weeks ago, Joe and I and the kids packed up our van and set out on our first road trip with a destination that was NOT Wisconsin Dells or Chicago. We drove through Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado. That was a long time for five people (including a baby) to be in a car together, but we did it (with The Greatest Showman soundtrack blasting) and we are still obsessing over our trip as well as planning for a new adventure next year. Here are just a few snaps we took while at Mount Rushmore and also while hiking in Colorado.    I love that the girls were so excited to see Mount Rushmore! Cece keeps talking about how great South Dakota was and how we have to go back. It was perfect weather the morning we went to Mount Rushmore and afterwards, the drive through the Black Hills was just so scenic and cool.     Our time in Colorado was filled with activities as well as exploration. Joe ran a Spartan Beast, we perused small towns, frequented parks, and just enjoyed the freedom to wander. Our most adventurous day was the one where we hiked four miles with the kids and got caught in some afternoon rain/hail on the McCollough Gulch Trail in Blue River. Even though this hike had some dramatic weather moments, it was still something I will never forget and always be so glad we did!    It also needs to be noted that Cece lost a tooth on this trip and also got her ears pierced on the same day! (that's three holes in her head in 24 hours!) Fortunately, it did not prevent her from enjoying an ice cream treat with her siblings. As for Rosie, she wore her current outfit obsession as much as she possibly could (my sister's old ice skating dress). And Ares was pretty great at just going along with the flow, no matter what we were doing... so long as we had snacks.  Aside from one selfie at Mount Rushmore, this is the only photo of Joe and I on our trip (thank you, Cece! And hi, little Rosie!)
My parents, siblings, and I used to have the coolest and most memorable experiences on our road trip vacations and it was just so fun and surreal to do this as an adult with my own husband and kids. I absolutely hope the future has more of these types of vacations in store for us! Ok! Back to school and on to all of those fall family photo sessions! Hope to be posting again soon with photos of all my lovely clients!  Over the weekend, my dear friend Kristina hosted a berry delightful party for her daughter Addie's 4th birthday! The decorations, the food, the details were nothing short of exquisite and everyone, including Addie, had such a great time! I loved being able to attend and photograph such a sweet celebration! Below are more photos from the day.           I'm just saying, if I could go back in time 10 years, I think I would have hired Kristina as my wedding planner with her exceptional creativity, sharp eye for design, and thoughtfulness to the smallest of details to make people feel special!       There was even a huge photo op with props! As a photographer, I don't think you can ask for anything better when trying to get those must-have family shots!            As you can see, following cake and presents, there was A LOT of playing for the little ones to do between the water activities and the swing set. (Speak of cake, that strawberry cake was DELICIOUS!)  Miss Addie, you are one marvelous little lady! It's been a blessing to know you and your family and I can't wait to see how you grow and all that you do in the future! Happy birthday, once more!
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Welcome to my photography blog!Rachel again! Here's where you'll be able to find blog posts about all things photography: recent sessions, upcoming events, and just fun musings on photography in general. Can't wait to fill 'er up with content! Archives
March 2019
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