Ahhhh…boyhood!  Tattered cowboy boots, wranglers, the big ol’ belt buckles and hats.  You’ve gotta’ love it, right?!  The taller of the two cowboys even tipped his hat to me when it was time to go…what a little gentleman.

The boots:

The buckle:

All in all…classic cowboys!

Last year I received a call from Rebecca who was planning her Minnesota wedding all the way from her residence in Boston, MA.  We chatted several times on the phone but never had a chance to meet in person until the wedding day.  As soon as we arrived at the venue I knew we were in for a treat.  They planned such a beautiful event from beginning to end and it was truly an honor to be a part of it all.  Rebecca and Gintas, thank you again for inviting me to share in your very special day and I hope you enjoyed your trip to Italy!

A few of the “getting ready goods”:

Father of the bride:

The girls had me giggling here too…

And the adorable niece/flowergirl carefully analyzing the “bling”:

And last but not least…the very happy bride and groom:

Growing up in Nebraska I spent my fair share of time surrounded by farmland.  When I arrived at this session I was immediately reminded of my childhood days when I could look out the window and see green fields for miles and miles.  It’s crazy to me that such a place exists within a few short miles of the St. Paul/Minneapolis metro.  The story behind the location was fascinating to me…so rich in history and still going strong after all these years thanks to a crew of very hardworking people.  Annie is one of them and what a treat it was for me to photograph her in her element.  After the horses made their debut Annie took me around and gave me a tour of the grounds and the old farmhouse, all of which served as a perfect spot for her senior pictures.  Annie, I wish you the very best as you head into your senior year and good luck with your upcoming competitions!  Your horses are beautiful.

It’s hard to believe a year has gone by since the last time I photographed this adorable little girl.  She recently celebrated her 2nd birthday and her parents invited me out to capture her at this very busy age.  What fun we had exploring the yard looking for bugs, watching airplanes fly overhead, and even visiting with the puppy next door.  It was all so very “2″.  Happy Birthday “A”!

Here is an example of one of the many holiday cards I’ll be offering this year.  More to come in future posts.

Well, it’s official…high school senior picture season is in full-swing and needless to say, I’m having the time of my life.  When Hannah, a Hudson High School senior, walked into my studio I knew we were destined to have a good time.  Her style and personality is very much like mine so when we stopped talking long enough to take pictures everything  just clicked (pardon the pun).  Have a great senior year Hannah!

When I showed up to photograph baby “P” his mom let it be known that her son has no interest in being bare.  She told tales of the yelps, hollers, and squeals he gives anytime she gets him ready for a bath.  Evidently he is just one of those babies that prefers to be warm and toasty…can you blame him?!  All I said was, “Never say never because you just never know!”  Toward the end of the session I was feeling brave and confident that I could take on this lil’ babe…guess what:

I won. 

I know if my uber-talented, opera-singing brother-in-law happens to stop by my blog he just did a double-take at the title of this post.  Yes Sam, you are reading that right (cool name, eh?!). Meet Aria, a beautiful soon-to-be senior at Stillwater High School, who was an absolute natural in front of the camera.  Her passion for books, music, swimming and academics was nothing short of inspiring.  It was a pleasure working with you Aria and I wish you the best as you head into your final year of high school.  Go Ponies!

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph Molly and Nathan in Sioux City, IA.  It’s always so exciting traveling to new locations as I never quite know what I’ll have to work with.  I found myself slightly overwhelmed with possibilities in this photographers paradise…luckily they were both troopers and made no bones about it as we roamed from one end of town to the next.  We wrapped things up downtown and headed out to the country where Molly’s family owns property as I just had to go take a look at the ratty old truck she was telling me about. Oh, the fun we had…nevermind the two horses nibbling on my hair while taking the last few shots.  Ha!  Thanks again Molly and Nathan and I’m looking forward to the wedding!

Speaking of childhood friends… in 7th grade my friend Katrena and I were absolutely determined to start our own clothing line called “Statement”.  Our first design was a pair of jeans decorated with puff paint complete with our logo and brand name on the back pocket.  (The first clue that the our odds of making it big as fashion designers were slim to none . HA!)   Life has taken me in many different directions over the years but shooting high school seniors is something that helps me live out my dream of doing something fashionesque.

Nikki is a senior at Stillwater High School and has dreams of going off to college to study (get this!) fashion design.  I loved listening to her describe the visions she has for her own line of clothing she hopes to create someday.  And to top it off, she found a stash of my old records in the loft (yes kids, I’m really that old) and she went crazy over them!  What?  Someone thinks my taste in music is “cool”?!  Gotta’ love that!

On the first day of school in 9th grade I was seated next to the “new girl” in school as her last name happened to fall right behind mine on the roster.  Within 30 seconds of sitting down we were doing that hyper-speed-chitter-chatter 14 year-old girls are known for.  From that moment on we were joined at the hip and before long we were officially “BFF’s”.  While other friendships faded in and out over the years this one remained through thick and thin.  It’s been almost 19 years since the day we met and although we don’t talk as much as I’d like it seems we never miss a beat when we do get together.  I recently made a trip to visit her and meet the newest addition to her family…a beautiful baby girl!  So without further ado, I proudly introduce Baby “A” who was welcomed home by mom, dad, big brothers Chase and Jacob and watched over by big brother, Ethan, from above.