Winter Wonderland

Old Man Winter has finally gripped Minnesota with snow and freezing temperatures and we can be sure there is more in the forecast. Winter is a special season, with quiet snowfalls, pristine white landscapes and clear blue skies; the “Quiet Season” is a great time to kick back and enjoy winter. The season of cold also presents great photo opportunities whether it is ice-covered terrain, people enjoying outdoor activities, or just plain walking in the winter wonderland. Getting out in the fresh air with my camera is a perfect reason to enjoy this season to the fullest.

While winter is a great time for photography, it can make for cold subjects. So hats off to the Tuma Family for meeting me at Hyland Park on a cold, windy day in January. 

Fall Photos

The fall came and went as fast as the leaves changed colors and fell. I was so incredibly busy and having so much fun taking photos I haven't had a chance to update you all. So here are a few handfuls of photos of what I've been up to...

The Brooks children looking as cute as ever!

Drew is going to be a big brother...

Lot's of giggles from the Rothstein family!

The easy-going, fun Nate & Kelly.

Mancini family, of Mancini's Restaurant in St. Paul

Miss Evelyn turns ONE!! 

Love my family! How sweet are my niece and nephew!?

Beautiful girls, each with such different personalities. Guess which one liked the frogs? 

Love this shot of Heather smiling at her husband!

The ever so fun, Stevens family. Three teenagers, tough crowd, but I got some real smiles!

My BFF and her fiance'. Maurice and Rachel, we had so much fun!

The motivated and driven senior, Corie, Her future is as bright as her smile. 

The Kelly family. With all these beautiful girls I kept mixing up names! But I got some laughs anyway!

The Celander family, Oh how Theresa LOVES her boys. 

The Rasmussen family had lot's of giggles and a gorgeous warm, fall day!

Dan and Rachel took me to a beautiful rose garden in Minneapolis. Their love was so obvious!

Senior Success

Seniors are at an awesome stage in their lives, they have their whole future ahead of them. I enjoy talking with them, asking them questions, finding out what their plans for the future are. I take the time to encourage them and invest in them while I am with them.

Most seniors have never been in front of a professional photographer other than the cheesy pictures their parents had them take when they were younger. I do my best to make them feel comfortable. I praise them when they look good in front of the camera. I love to turn my camera around and show them some little peaks of how well they are doing. THEY LOVE THIS! It will encourage them to keep up the good work, and will give them confidence in their appearance.

Posing. You may have some go-to poses you use for your seniors. But since each person is uniquely different, you need to have several tricks up your sleeve. Enter my i-phone. Recently I have been taking screen shots of poses I am inspired them and putting them into albums on my i phone. When I hit a rut, I whip out my phone and look at my posing guides. At first I thought this was like “cheating” during a shoot, but my seniors LOVE IT! They think it is so cool that I thought of them enough before hand to plan for their poses during their session. Again, this makes them feel valued. 

Props. I love to bring small props for my seniors to hold or sit on during their session. This could mean an old folding chair, a cute beach hat, an old quilt.. or even some books. Some people feel really awkward in front of the camera at first, so these little props give them something to do with their hands while they are adjusting to your presence.

Summer Solstice Wedding

Why The Summer Solstice Is The Perfect Day For Love

The longest day of the year may also be the hottest day of the year — for love.

The summer solstice is here and if ancient tradition proves right, today could be the best day of the year for romance. The summer solstice, derived from Latin words sol ("sun") and sister ("to stand still"), is the longest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere when daylight lasts over 15 hours.

This astronomical event usually takes place around June 21 and has long been associated with love, sexuality and fertility. One reason is because people wanted to ensure that their children would be born in the springtime, when they would have a better shot at staying healthy. "Spiritually, the summer solstice is a time when Cancer, the nurturing feminine energy, is entering the world and the season of harvest begins. Therefore, it’s a great time for love and sexuality."

Throughout our civilization, the summer solstice has been celebrated as a major holiday by cultures around the globe. The Chinese honored Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light, and the Druids believed it was a marriage of masculine and feminine dieties, or the wedding of heaven and Earth. Ancient Pagans celebrated the solstice with bonfires where pairs of lovers would jump through the flames for good luck. They called the midsummer moon the "Honey Moon," using honey in wedding ceremonies in June. They also wore gardlands of herbs and flowers to ward away evil spirits because they believe it was a magical time.

The summer solstice is especially significant in Sweden where it is called Midsummer, and a tree was set up and decorated in each town for the villagers to dance around. "There is a sweet Swedish proverb that says midsummer's night isn’t long but it sets many cradles rocking," says Henes. Shakespeare's famous play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was about the solstice and Midsummer Festivals still take place in Europe to mark the occasion.  

"It was considered lucky to mate at the summer solstice," "In Egypt, there was a special ceremony at the temples that were dedicated to the goddess Vesta and her vestal Virgins, where the fires would be extinguished and rekindled. There was a saying that you shouldn't mate until the ashes from Vesta's fire are washed down the Nile. That would signal to folks that it was time."

Rockin' Senior Session

When it comes to planning for sessions, seniors are some of my favorite people to work with. Don’t get me wrong, I love families, children, engaged couples and wedding ceremonies.. but seniors are close to the top of my list.

Why, you may ask? It’s simple: seniors are excited to model, seniors are some of my best marketing tools, and seniors know what they want. They also have a great sense of style, which translates well in their photographs.

When a high school senior books a session with me, I do several things right from the start to help them know I am excited about working with them. I also do my best to get to know them so I can tailor their shoot to fit them perfectly. I find that if you do these things, your session will not only run smoothly, but you will have a client who LOVES to refer you to their friends.

In post processing senior photos, always remember that you are photographing for their parents as much as you are your senior client. I keep “fad” type editing out of the equation because I know ten years from now their parents will want a solid (not overly processed) image on their wall.

Instead of using “fad” editing techniques, I always let the style speak through the locations I choose. You can easily do this by choosing old brick buildings, abandoned farm houses, fields of cotton etc. The seniors love this, and their parents will appreciate the timelessness of the photographs they receive.

It is not hard to rock a session with your seniors, it just takes some extra things to go above and beyond so they know you appreciate them and want to know them. All of those extra things will make your client feel special, and will translate into those coveted word of mouth referrals for you and your growing business!