Khrys & Sam (again!)

This shoot was TORTURE. My cousin and his girlfriend made me climb the Hill of Doom, which was really more of a wall because it was so steep.

Two days later, my legs are still aching.

Ok, all suffering aside, it was a lot of fun to hang out with them again! We were at Willow River State Park in Wisconsin. It has a lot to offer, besides hills of death, of course. I look forward to heading back that way with my kids!

Wyatt

Jackie was nice enough to actually sit *in nature* with me for an hour so we could get THE SHOT that I've had stuck in my head for months. Little Wyatt is an eating-cuddling machine, so we actually spent most of that hour just chatting - it was pretty darn relaxing and just plain nice to hang out in the middle of a giant field, oogling a perfect little baby and cracking jokes about our thugness.

We got the shot! The one on the right is exactly what has been in my head, and I'm so happy to have it in front of me now. I also just have to say, when I sat down to process this session, the shot on the left here brought tears to my eyes. Just look at those perfect baby feet. So sweet.

Dawson

I've been looking for different ways to get out of my VERY TEENY comfort zone.

I decided to host a photography "class" with my mom's group to get some experience teaching a bit about photography. I am incredibly shy, and when I'm BEHIND the camera, my shyness...well, it doesn't disappear, but it does dull behind the joy of doing what I love. In all honesty, I was so nervous, coming out from behind the camera, and talking about photography. I don't think I did a very good job, but it was a learning experience for me and I did it, so I'm proud. I'm really looking forward to doing similar things in the for some non-profit organizations in the area.

My friend, Beth, brought her son, Dawson, along to serve as our model to practice some of what we discussed! He is such a cutie and sooo happy. I didn't have much time to shoot while I was helping everyone figure things out, so we took 5 minutes afterward to take some cute photos of the little man.

brought to you by the letter C {Maplewood, MN Child Photographer}

Just a few more shots of the girls and their big brother, Camerin. I had to include some of them out of their awesome fancy threads!

Sunrise and Musing

I am always at my absolute best just before sunrise. There's a magic that exists only before the sun climbs up over the horizon, and it always manages to inch it's way deep into my bones and fill my spirit up with hope for the coming day.

I have a few really amazing projects coming up, new things to introduce to my blog, new challenges to introduce in my life. I am so excited for all the big steps I have been taking and so appreciative to all of you who are coming along for the journey and supporting my efforts to turn this little photography business of mine into something really great.

I have no grand announcements to make today, I really just wanted to share my joy with the visitors who have been stopping by over the past couple of days to take a peek. Things are about to get really fun around here, and I can't wait to start unveiling all the things I've been working on!

Here's a photo, because of course, I can't leave without one.

Collin, Olive, & Elaine

This trio was SO darn cute. It was a bit late in the day by the time I met with them, and Olive wasn't feeling the portraits, but she sure had a blast exploring her world - and especially loved the drinking fountain! (Don't worry guys! We still have plenty of good Olive shots, I just happen to love these the most!)


Right away Collin, who is 8, dove into the woods and came out bearing a real treasure: A toad! He was named Hoppy and later released, after keeping residence in Collin's pocket for most of our session.
And then there was Miss Elaine. What is there to say about 4-month-old perfection? I have one this age and I still wanted to cuddle her up!

Kinzey

This session was SUCH fun, largely because Kinzey is blessed with an awesome mom and a spectacular (if a bit wacky) grandma. Mom and Grandma were WORKIN' for those hard-to-find smiles and it was so great. I love working with such playful families!



I still cannot get over her eyes!