 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!
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 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!
 Exactly two months ago I worked with Sweet Roots Photography and helped photograph Dan and Kalyn's wedding. These college sweethearts got married at a Catholic Church and the reception was held on Dan's family's farm. Speaking from experience, being young and in love is kind of the best, and I feel privileged to have helped document their day. Below is some of the highlight reel!    Dan and Kaylyn had a sizable guest list (around 400) and a big ol' bridal party so this day truly felt like a huge celebration from start to finish.  Even though the day began with some serious downpour, it ended up clearing up and drying up after the ceremony and we managed some great outdoor bride and groom pics on the church grounds as well as the farm           It truly was a beautiful start to a new life together!
I wish these two nothing but the best in love and in life!Thank you again for letting me be a part of your amazing day!  I might be a couple months late with posting Ares's one year pics, but he's still plenty cute so that doesn't even matter. He might be just about the happiest fella there ever was. You can frequently find him clapping his hands and saying "YAAAAY!" He crawls at top speed over to Joe to steal sips of smoothies. He loves unraveling toilet paper rolls and throwing things into the bathtub or toilet. He loves climbing up and down the stairs. He is also a huge fan of water, swimming pools, and anything he can splash like a maniac in. He also gives great big bear hugs and enthusiastic high-fives.      Thank you, little man for keeping me constantly on my toes and incredibly happy! Can't wait to see all the places you go this year!
 A couple weekends ago I had a special opportunity to photograph a family reunion and celebrate a 25th anniversary! Although it can be a little intimidating, I love working with large groups. I love the challenge, the energy, and all of the ideas that flow! I also enjoy breaking people down to small groups too, that way everyone involved gets a variety of photos for their walls, albums, Facebook pages, whatever they need!          As you can see, we ended the session with Grandma and Grandpa posing in a classic car (#relationship goals right there) and then finished by throwing everyone in the pool!
Happy OFFICIAL START TO SUMMER, everyone! I'm so thankful to have been able to capture these awesome moments!  In between storms and clouds one recent evening, I got the chance to take photos for the Derus family. It was such a treat to work with new clients AND at a new location (The Walker Art Center). Working in unpredictable weather made us efficient and we got a lot of great shots in a short amount of time. Their boys, David and Daniel, were adorable, photogenic gentlemen whom I'd love to see again! We also got headshots for both Mike and Sara that they can use for their businesses. (I'll add those to a different blog post soon). I've been asking myself WHY have I never offered the headshot option for parents before during family sessions?? From now on, I will always give parents the option for a few individual shots of themselves. Thank you guys again for being such a delight to work with! Here are some of my favorite pics from the evening:               Thanks again for spending your evening with me, guys! Go on now and have a fantastic summer with those boys!
 In the spirit of mine and Joe's recent anniversary, I did what any totally normal wife would do... which is reexamine wedding memorabilia including our wedding album and my wedding dress. Cece, my fancy seven-year-old was 100 % on board with unboxing my wedding dress and taking it out! I haven't opened or looked at it since it got "preserved" post wedding eight years ago. We extracted all of the poofiness from the box, got some chip clips to tighten up the back, and Cece had one heck of a dress up experience!      As I said before, i haven't checked out the dress since we got married. There's still massive rips all over the train from a wild reception, but fortunately all of the spray-on tan got cleaned out! Cece loved the dress... especially since there was "built-in boobs"! (I mean, that's pretty much my favorite feature!) She also told me that she'll just plan on wearing my dress when she gets married so she can save money and not have to spend any on a new dress. I highly doubt that will actually be the case, but who knows? Maybe it will stand the test of time!
This was a pretty special and fun afternoon of dress-up! I can only imagine how weepy I'll be if /when she's grown and gets married! Love you, Miss Cecelia, you goofball.   Last month I got around to doing something that's been on my photography to-do list for a long time... hold Mommy and Me mini sessions in honor of Mother's Day! In one day, I got to shoot eight different moms and their kids. I had three former clients and five new ones whom I couldn't wait to meet. You'd think there'd be some hiccups with 8 back-to-back sessions, but the day was smooth like butter and the rain even held off! To be honest, I used to get pretty nervous before sessions, especially if I didn't know the family coming and had no idea what to expect from the kids. Instead of worrying about the right posing and perfect smiles and perfect camera settings, my number one priority is making sure my clients feel comfortable and relaxed. As a mom, I know that's NOT easy to feel chill right before pics with your own kids. I know that I don't! I assure that we are in no rush and we don't have to hold them down. We can let the kids run, frolic, find rocks, WHATEVER they need to do to get the wiggles out. I'll let them warm up to the idea of photos and to me and that's when the magic happens. (Oh, and it didn't hurt to have a basket of treats for the kids to pick through at the end of the session. #notmyfirstrodeo)  BY THE WAY... how gorgeous is Kimber with her little fellas? She makes being a boy mom look so dang good. This mama and her family ought to be in a magazine someday... and maybe someday Kimber can take me shopping and style me up??? I'd be ok with that! This was my second time working with Kimber and her boys and they are all so incredibly sweet. I definitely lucked out in the client department with these guys!     I truly could have photographed Kristina and her daughter Addie for hours! Instead we got a whole lot of beautiful shots in less than 20 minutes! I've been so lucky to have Kristina not just consistently as my client (as we are a well-oiled machine now when it comes to taking photos), but to have her as one of my most cherished friends for 13 years!     This was my first time meeting Emily and her three kiddos. This group was a total blast. Also being a mama of two girls and one boy myself we vibed right away. I'm like "Girl, I SEE YOU!" as soon as we met. I wasted no time, turned my shutter speed UP because you gotta act fast when you've got three cuties to capture. I'm so glad these guys got in on the action this morning!     This was also the first time I met Sara and her family. What I loved so much about her mini session was that I could tell her kiddos just adored her and I think it really came through in the photos. They were a delight and I would love a chance to work with all of them again!     Sessahly and her daughter Pearl honestly just made my day. They were both so sweet and every shot I took of them was basically a keeper. I'm so thrilled I got to meet that awesome duo.    Leah and her kids were my first session of the morning and they were the perfectly family to get warmed up with. I love photographing big kids as well as toddlers and they were the perfect blend of sweet, smiley, and spirited.    Nicole and her bunch came to the session with a whole lot of energy and I was A-OK with that! I just want to frame that last photo of them and put it on my fireplace. I kind of love it!    I ended the day with Katy-Jo and her three little ones. I've shot about half a dozen photos for Katy-Jo and her family (the first one was when Annabelle was turning one!). Watching and documenting their family grow has been such a special experience. They were the perfect note to end the day on.
Well, there you have it! Mommy and Mes 2018 was a total success! I love how unique each session turned out even with using the same location. These kids are going to be thrilled someday to have such special photos with their beautiful moms. If you missed these, FEAR NOT. I will be holding summer mini sessions (date/times TBA, but I promise they are coming). Also, if you're into more of a fall or winter session, I will be holding those as well this year! If you made it to the end of this post, thank you so much for reading and viewing! |
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
November 2018
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