In the hustle and bustle of life I find it far too easy to set down my camera when I’m not working…I’m sure any professional photographers reading this can relate!  It’s nice every now and again to pick up my camera and shoot *just because* without any pressure or expectations attached to the images.  As my kids get older it’s also become increasingly important to me to capture details and memories so that someday my boys can look at these images and remember the story of their childhood.  So, I made it a personal goal to be more intentional with capturing images that tell our family story and spending more time working on personal photography projects.  In her book, “The Sound of Paper”, Julia Cameron writes that working on such projects can inspire change in the way you approach your art form and transform your end result.   I can safely say that this has been the case for me and as a result I’ve fallen in love with photography all over again.

Below are some images from just one of the photo projects I’ve completed this summer.   My goal with this project was to capture my grandpa (a.k.a. “Popo”) working in his garden.  I have so many memories from my childhood of working along side Popo in his garden and at 90 years old he still has his garden growing strong.  I wrote about it on This Lunch Rox if you’d like to read more, but I thought I’d share the images here as well.  I’m so happy to have these images of Popo and I know that years from now I’ll appreciate that I took the time to capture him doing what he loves most…gardening.

This little boy has grown up so fast!  It seems like just yesterday I was taking his newborn photos, yet here he is at 3 years old.  He is such a talkative little thing and has personality galore. It was so fun listening to him jump from one topic to the next and I love how serious he got at certain points in his conversation…as though he wanted to make sure I was giving him my full attention.  I could have photographed him all day long…so fun!

I first met Madison four years ago when she came to the studio for some headshots for an acting camp she was attending in California.  Now she is a student at a performing arts high school in downtown St. Paul and needed to update her portfolio with new headshots.  When Madison arrived for her session I had to look twice…what a difference four years makes!  The cute little girl I remembered grew up and is now a beautiful young woman.  Madison has personality galore and is so passionate about what she’s doing that you can’t help but feel inspired when you’re around her.  I loved listening to her stories about life at her high school and the various classes she’s had an opportunity to take.  It’s a far cry from the traditional high school experience that’s for sure!  Madison, I wish you the very best in all of your endeavors and I can’t wait to see you again in a few short years for your senior session!

Well, well, well…what an adventure this little man has been on for the past few months.  It all started when he decided to try to come into the world at only 27 weeks.  With a lot of determination and some wonderful care from the hospital staff his mom was able to carry him nearly full-term (not an easy task when you have a 12 month old at home).   While he arrived safely and was able to go home with his parents, he was admitted to the NICU just a few short days later for jaundice and a few other health scares.  As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one family they learned during the NICU stay that their family would be moving to San Jose, California in just a few short weeks for his dad’s job!  When I arrived for his first photo session my heart immediately went out to his mom as I tried to imagine what it must be like to have 13 month old, a newborn and the task of packing up and moving my family across the country in a matter of weeks.  She had such an amazing attitude about the entire situation and expressed over and over again that they were just grateful to have two healthy kids no matter where it is they call home…what a great perspective!

This little champ was such a trooper throughout the session.  Despite all the happenings going on around him he settled in and let me do my thing while he caught some rest.  His dad’s gloves from his new team arrived the day of the session and he wanted nothing more than to break them in by holding his son in them…something tells me this little guy is going to be daddy’s boy!

I’m sad to see this family go, but I know they are going to love California!

I’ve mentioned this before on my blog, but one of the best parts about my job as a photographer is meeting and working with people I may never have met otherwise.  These beautiful sisters were visiting the U.S. from Holland and when they arrived for their photo session I knew instantly we would hit it off.  The girls had me the moment they started talking about how much they love to travel, shop and both of them love to read…need I say more?!  We had so much fun that I had a very difficult time wrapping up the shoot.  I was sad to seem them go, but it sounds like they may come back for another visit in the future.  Here’s hoping we meet again, girls!  :)

It’s hard to believe that nearly a month has passed since the Van for Dan Workshop.   The event exceeded every expectation I had going into it and I’m thrilled with the amount of money we raised for the Van for Dan fund.  It was truly an honor to share that weekend with such an amazing group of women.  Even though we were only together for two-days it seems to me that we developed a bond that will last for quite some time.

I do want to take a moment to publicly thank not only the workshop participants and models, but also the vendors who donated amazing gifts for the event.  I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the vendors in the photography community who gave more than I ever dreamed possible.  If only I had a video of the participants faces when they dove into their bag of goodies at the start of Day 1… headbands from Paislee Lane, beautiful newborn hats from Spun Candy, camera straps from Made by Meegz and August Blossoms, hair clips from Starlit Nest, lens cap holders from Crafty Staci, custom image boxes filled with samples from Miller’s Professional Imaging, and last but not least a Barnwood Rug and Dry Erase board from The Savvy Photographer.

Needless to say, the workshop attendees were over the moon with their treasures.  It was so nice to reward them for giving to such a great cause!  To all of you who attended the workshop, modeled for the event, or donated items for the participants, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your contribution.  Dan is just a few days away from getting into his new van and he is beyond grateful to each and every one of you.

It’s so hard for me to believe this little lady is already 6 years old.  She has grown up right before my eyes and I have loved getting to know her and watching her personality develop and grow over the years.  Her sweet and gentle disposition and the fact that she loves being in front of the camera really makes her a photographers dream.   We had a great time together and I love that she brought an extra cupcake from her birthday party to share with me after the session…that really made my day.  Happy Birthday, my friend!  Until next time…

This little girl was so excited to show me all of her tricks as soon as I stepped into her room.  I was no sooner in the door and she slammed the door shut behind me as if to say that I would be staying a while.  I took a seat on the floor and watched her go on, and on, and on… She danced, twirled, climbed, pulled out a stack of books for us to read, and even squeezed in a game of peek-a-boo.  Oh, the fun we had playing in her room!  What I wouldn’t give to have a picture of the moment when she brought a book over to me, plopped down on my lap, grabbed my hand and patted it on the pages.  That was her way of telling me she’d had enough camera time and she was ready for me to read her a book.  Being the book lover that I am I seized the opportunity and put my camera down so I could enjoy the book with my little friend.

She saved my favorite tricks for last!  First, she showed me her camera skills…she would be a great apprentice, don’t you agree?

Then she showed me her toes, belly button, ears, and last but not least…her nose! Gotta’ love it!

The first frame I shot of this little guy shows that he wasn’t exactly sure what to think of me with my big camera in front of my face.  (See the first image on the left below.)  But, then look at the image right next to it and you’ll see that it didn’t take but a second for him to turn on the charm.  He started laughing and giggling just a few frames into the session and didn’t stop for quite some time.  He was such a sweet little boy to photograph and I love that he found me so funny! Happy 1/2 birthday, little man!

What an unbelievable spring we’ve had so far this year.  Between the snow, cold & rain one might not even realize it’s spring at all here in the north woods!   When Nora, a Mounds View High School senior, arrived for her session it was gloomy and rainy outside and it was snowing earlier in the day.  Needless to say, I didn’t have much hope for the outdoor portion of the shoot.  We went outside armed with an umbrella and coats and wouldn’t you know…about 6 frames into the outdoor session the clouds parted and out came the sun!  Nora and I were giddy with excitement to see the sunshine and had such a great time walking around downtown. It turned out to be a beautiful evening for a photo session.  This is my first outdoor senior session of the season and I’m so very happy that it didn’t take place in the snow as I imagined it would. Nora is off to study nursing at UW-Madison next fall.  Congrats, Nora and best wishes to you in the future!