There's something about the Christmas season...

One of the most peaceful times of the Christmas season for me is enjoying the beauty of Christmas tree lights.  There is nothing more relaxing after a hectic day than quietly sitting in front of the tree as it lights up the room with a soft glow.  When kids are tucked in, backpacks and lunches are packed for the next day (ok, I'm really not that organized) and the house is quiet, I love nothing more than to enjoy the Christmas lights on the tree as they reflect onto the window.  To me, this is such a peaceful photo.

 
Here are some tips on creating beautiful Christmas tree light photos:  Use only the lights on the Christmas tree when capturing your image.  You can accomplish this without a flash if you slow down the shutter speed and use a tripod or steady surface.  You can open the aperture of your lens as wide open as possible to allow more light into the camera.  This image was shot at 1.8f, 50mm and a slow shutter speed of .4 seconds.  Experiment with your camera and have fun capturing the beauty of the lights.

Cool Family Session!

Having worked with this High School Senior last fall, it was great meeting his entire family for their turn behind the camera!  Despite the cooler temperatures in Minnesota, this family braved the cold air!  They had just cut their Christmas tree that morning and were ready for their family photos that afternoon!  Although, we are past the bright fall colors this time of year, it is still one of my favorite times to photograph.  I love the warm brown tones and tall soft prairie grass which give a country feel.  We had some fun, cracked some jokes and got some great images for this family!  Thanks so much for being such great sports!   Here's a sneak peek:

This mom is so gorgeous!

Love this one....I could just jump in and be part of this cool family!

Love this Family!

I love this family!  They put a smile on my face every time I see them!   I've known them forever and have enjoyed seeing their family grow with these two awesome kiddos!  We took advantage of one of the last 50 degree days here in Minnesota for their session.  I may have to hire their little girl as my assistant.  She was great at scouting out spots as we hiked down the coolest path!  Here's just a sneak peek for this family!  

  

On the other side of the camera

As photographers we are so comfortable behind the camera.  It's rare that we get a chance to be on the other side.  This was a great opportunity for me to put a fellow photographer friend on the other side of the camera.  A busy mother of three, I knew she would treasure a few of just her and her hubby too!  I love how these turned out!  I'm grateful that we still found some fall color and even more grateful that in exchange she was able to capture my family this fall.  Thank you so much!!!  Here's your sneak peek!

Three little darlings!

Three little darlings...what can I say?  Cute as can be!  And a huge Kudos to dad - who brought them to their session by himself!  Mom wasn't able to join us but with the weather growing cooler and wanting fall photos of the kids, she sent her husband with the three kiddos to the session!  I couldn't help but picture my husband taking our kids to a photo session without me there to supervise!  That thought actually made me LOL!!  But their dad was cool, calm and collected.  The afternoon went so unbelievably smooth!!  Mom can be so proud of how great her children did and how wonderful her husband was to take on this task....I'm extra excited to show their sneak peek so mom can see what we were up to yesterday!  

I mean seriously, could they be any cuter?

Another gorgeous fall day!

Another gorgeous fall day, another gorgeous HS Senior!  This stylish Senior brought along a little friend for a few of her Senior Photos....her sweet little puppy!  What a perfect morning with still so much color in Minneapolis near the Falls.  This gal was totally fun to photograph and we captured so many great images that it was hard to choose just a few for her sneak peek!  But here they are:

A day in a junkyard!

Well, it was more of an antique junkyard!  I love photographing these kiddos.  They are all friends of each of my own kids and therefore their mom and I are friends by default....although, she is one of the nicest people I know and I'm sure I would have picked her to be my friend even if it weren't for the kids!!  So back to the junkyard.  We made a day trip of it.  Packed seven kids up (mine were with us too) and drove south.  The kids were all off from school so we decided to make a day of it.  I had been trying to schedule their fall session and we decided no better place than an antique junkyard!   And, it worked great!  The kids had SO much to explore that they didn't even realize they were hungry for lunch until well after 2:30pm!  At some point I'll blog my own kids from our trip but now here are these beautiful children!!

Cuteness Factor Running High!

I woke up to a beautiful morning with temps almost in the 50's!  Knowing I had a morning session, I was hoping for a warm start to the day! Whew!  I also woke up with no voice!  Yikes!  Luckily, I had a singing duck puppet that was going to take the place of my voice for getting the attention of these two cuties!  But, these two sweet girls didn't need the silly duck or my voice!  They did great!!  As did the family!  Grabbing the last bit of color from our Minnesota fall, we headed to a gorgeous park!!  Here are just a few from our morning session:  

(see guys, I didn't even mention the 'camping' or 'roughing it' segment of our adventure!)

So grown up!

I can not believe how grown up these sisters are now!  It amazes me because I've known them both since they were babies.  That must mean I'm growing up too!  I had a ball with these two girls!  Despite the windy day we found a great spot protected from the breeze.  I won't sneak peek too many since I know they were looking for a Christmas picture....shhhh, here are just a few:

A Fall Session in Stillwater

There is something about the crisp fall air that is just refreshing!! I have to admit it's a nice change to put away the cropped pants and sandals for jeans and boots.  This adorable HS Senior agrees!  She planned to have her photo session when fall was fully under way and her favorite comfortable cardigan sweaters were appropriate attire.  I had a great time meeting her and her fun family during our walk around Stillwater finding all sorts of neat backdrops!  Here's a quick peek....

wow, just gorgeous! Is it me or does she have a little bit of a Demi Moore look?

Party of Five!

Whenever I get the chance to photograph a lifelong friend it's a special treat!  I've known this gal since college and it's so fun to see her sweet family!  Little did we know back then where our lives would take us and who our children would be.  She and her sweetie just celebrated their wedding anniversary this month (I remember the day like it was yesterday)!  Congratulations you guys!  And, seven years later they have their party of five!  Thank you for the fun evening session!!  Such a beautiful family!

The twins and their big brother....oh so sweet!

An Uptown Session

I encourage HS Seniors to think about their interests and who they really are when they choose a location for their session.  Because I know this HS Senior and his love for the arts and theater I knew he chose the ideal location;  Uptown, Minneapolis.  We had a perfect day to be exploring the alleys and the theater district.  We even checked out the new Guthrie Theater.  I'm sure someday I'll be watching him on stage!  Here's a quick peek from our session.....

New Christmas and Holiday Greeting Cards!

Christmas is around the corner (crazy, isn't it?) and I am excited to announce this year's new Christmas and Holiday greeting cards!  You can choose images from one of your sessions with me or feel free to submit your own photos.  If you are submitting a professional photo, you will need a print release from the photographer.  Peace to you this Holiday Season!

and the popular Boutique Luxe style: