“Should we?” they thought. And then the truth became clearer than the excitement of the moment. The truth that they treasure their family and friends dearly, and could not imagine commiting their lives to each other without them there. The truth that while this is a special moment between two very private people, it was important to open their hearts and love, and take the day to show everyone what they mean to each other. So they boarded their flight home to Minneapolis and continued on with their wedding plans.

Then January rolled around and their big day arrived, and Jess and Brian dedicated their lives to loving each other. They never wandered far from each others’ side. They kissed {a lot}. They were completely in tune to the other. They laughed and danced and gazed into each others’ eyes. They were connected in a way one rarely gets to see. In a way that only two independent and capable people whose lives are happier because of each other can connect. It was wonderful. And all their loved ones were there to share in their day – which made it all the more special for Jess and Brian.

Thank you Jess and Brian for letting us be a part of your day. You have a wonderful way of putting forth the effort to create beautiful things while still maintaining perspective and fun attitudes. You are two wonderful people whom I hope can come over for dinner and wine and friendship when this whole business relationship is complete {Well, you can all have wine – give me another five months!}! Many blessings to your future, which I know will be nothing short of wonderful…

I was so in love with Jess’s jewelry for the day {she has amazing taste in everything!}. The jewelry was designed by Meg Lammers of MEG Jewelry, and Jess purchased it at bridiesbaubles.com. It was so gorgeous that I want an excuse to buy and wear this, but for some reason a pregnant mom of two young children at the grocery store just doesn’t seem to fit this jewelry. Oh well.

Jess and Brian wanted a day full of candids and shared moments between loved ones, so we really didn’t do many posed images. But my Luke managed to sneak one in while hanging out with Brian. My, oh my, Brian is so handsome and confident.

This is Jess’s reaction to Brian when she saw him at their first look. She was so emotional and excited, and about a half a second after this last frame she was almost running to him. It was very touching to see their joy in each other, to say the least.

And we couldn’t forget Gavin – one of the nicest little boys I know! He was so ga-ga over Jess all day long…

Her beautiful bouquet was from Richfield Flowers and Events.

The weather was frigid that day {high of five degrees!}! They were such good sports to step outside for a minute so I could get a few shots in the entry. I cannot decide which of the two images below I like better, but they are both two of my favorites from the day…

We almost didn’t do any group shots {again, Jess and Brian LOVE the candid moments best}, but I am so glad we did. This is such a fun group of people, and their group shots, although “posed,” were still very relaxed. Perhaps a bit too relaxed…

The atmosphere at the Campus Club for the reception was so perfect. Elegant and not overdone – Just like Jess and Brian. Richfield Flowers and Events did an amazing job on the lighting.

Dear family friends of Brian’s won the “Married the Longest” dance, and I think you can tell that Jess and Brian were thrilled…

Final note – these two are amazing dancers! So good, that when Luke and I left and got in the car, Luke turned to me and said, “Wow, Brian can really dance!” What a fun day…

And then one day in late-December I was walking into Chipotle and I was giddy. The kids and I were spending the day with some of our dear friends and I went on a Chipotle lunch run for my friend and I. And I was suddenly conscious of feeling joyful again. That moment is so clear in my head as I parked the car and walked in the snow to get our goodies.

The snow was falling so beautifully – what a blessing. I got to eat Chipotle for lunch – what a blessing. The kids were happily playing with their best friends and I got to hang out with one of mine for the day – what a blessing. I was not tired – what a blessing. I had survived my first trimester with a 2- and 3-year old and a major cold – what a blessing! Yes, I was giddy. As in giggling to myself while waiting in line and chatting with the people behind the counter and singing loudly to the radio my whole drive back to my friend’s house. My life was good.

But the funny thing is that my life was good the entire time and I knew that. I just couldn’t feel it. I didn’t have the mental and physical energy to feel my life. I was just surviving. And now I get to live again. To have the energy to play with my kids. To kiss my husband. To stay awake for life…At least until July when I am up feeding a newborn all night! Hum…I had better take full advantage of it while I can!

Part of “waking up” means that I get to work again (yea!). Since I am thinking of joy and friendship I wanted to post a couple images that go on that same theme from a wedding we shot on Saturday. Beautiful Jess was so joyful and giddy on her wedding day, and this moment she shared with her friend makes me smile…

I have known Brian for a while. Actually, he was my professor when I went to the U of MN to finish my degree. {Before you find yourself doing calculations, I was an older student and he was a young professor which made us about the same age.} We developed a friendship filled with mutual respect.

And then there I was, photographing his engagement session to Jessica. And their love was so true and joyful that I had to stop for a moment because inside I was incredibly happy for my friend.

Happy that they share true-love laughter often. Happy that Jessica looks at him with the most beautiful googly-eyes I have ever seen. Happy that I got to spy on their private moments and that they are wonderful. Brian and Jess are companions and friends and really two of the nicest people I have ever met. They are considerate and intuitive and kind and smart. And madly in love. And it shows.

It was a joy to photograph them alone, and with Brian’s son, Gavin {who, by the way, is three days younger than my Bella!}. They are an exceptional family and I am so excited to photograph their wedding in January!

A special thanks to Brain and Jess for braving the cold. We made a perfect plan in the summer to do a fall shoot with the beautiful leaves. We had no idea that it would snow so early this year and be in the 30s during their shoot. I do not know how they managed to look so happy and comfortable while shivering. I guess that’s what love does to you…

How could we resist cupcakes at Cupcake? We had so much fun and I am pretty sure that Gavin will only want to go there with me in the future as I was encouraging him to eat more and put frosting on his nose! If only my kids were so lucky.:)

I just want to say one more thing…Gavin is one of the nicest little boys I have ever met. To use Jess’s words, he is very disarming. He made me feel so welcome, and even though I was behind the camera, he insisted on me being a part of the cupcake-sharing rituals too. He is definitely a special and much-loved little boy and I cannot wait to see him again in January!

“I get to marry Ben!” she told me excitedly. “I get to marry Ben {insert huge smile and rockin’ arm movements}!” She wore her joy on her sleeve. His joy was a little deeper, but still evident as he smiled. Evident as he gave her one of those looks like I-am-pretending-to-be-embarrassed-by-your-enthusiasm-but-really-think-that-you-are-the most-precious-thing-that-I-have-ever-seen. Yes, that is how they roll.

And when their wedding came that joy overflowed into tears. There were so many touching moments. Like when they invited her daughter in for their first look before the ceremony and “Benny” was telling Abigail how today it was going to be official. Today he gets to be her official step-dad. And the look in her eyes was so precious that it was too much for Megan. (It was too much for me too – It is not easy to take photos while getting all emotional!)

Then came the ceremony and we all cried with them as they committed to their lives together.

And then it was time to party. And all the joy of the laughing kind was back. And it was a wonderful day.

Many blessings to you, Megan and Ben (and Abigail too!). Thank you for letting us into your special world. Your joy is wonderful.

This next shot is one of my favorite shots of all time! While I would like to take credit for it, I cannot. It was taken by the best second shooter in the whole world. Yup, by my hubby Luke!

Megan’s dad officiated. Her sister was her bride’s maid. Her daughter was the flower girl. What a wonderful family affair! And what a beautiful walk to take to the ceremony…

After the ceremony we got into the limo. I asked the driver if we could stop by a spot so I could take some photos of the wedding party. “Leif Erickson Park?” he asked. {We were in Duluth, afterall, and that is the “scenic/cute” park on the lake.} “Nope,” I said. “To an alley downtown off of Michigan Ave.” He did a fairly good job hiding his surprise but it amused me anyway. You see, while location scouting for this wedding, I had fallen in love with this doorway. And despite the rain {check out the sidewalk} the images were so much fun – just like all of the wedding party themselves!

We had just finished the traditional groups shots. Then we did a more formal shot outside of the stunning church.

Then somebody said, “How about a tummy bump?” In my head I thought, “Did I really just say that? Did I just suggest that the bride and groom do a tummy bump in front of the church right before their ceremony? Huh, I guess I did.” Then I saw it in their eyes. They were eagerly looking at me, ready to go! Yes, ready to do the bump – right then and there. Oh how I love people who are willing to go along with my crazy ideas!

So, Megan and Ben get a fun little sneak peek, just like them! I hope it was worth the little grass stain before the wedding.:)

And because I know that it will be a while until you see your images, I thought I would give you one more…:)

More to come sometime in the future…

Lisa and Mike have had full lives. They have been married before. They have children and step-children. They have their own quirks and hobbies and interests. They are not new to life. But they were never home. They were searching.

Like Dorothy.

Lisa has loved Dorothy for a very long time. You know, the Dorothy. The midwest girl who gets thrown into a situation and has some crazy monkey-witch battles. The girl who stands tall and strong and keeps on the path, hoping to go home in the end. The Dorothy, who, along the way, meets some of her best friends. The kind of friends who help each other on the path only to discover that they were helping themselves too. And all the time she has a little dog under her arm. Her constant companion. Yes, Lisa loves that Dorothy.

And let me assure you that this is no coincidence. This is Lisa’s story too. This is her core and she is wonderful for it.

And now she headed home to where her heart is. Where Mike is. Where they both can laugh freely and rest their souls without fear. Where Lisa can hang her fancy red shoes and her barn boots.

Welcome home Lisa and Mike.

Mike is a talented piano player who worked hard for months before the wedding playing and recording all the music for the big event! Lisa did her part too – she wrote the entire ceremony.

You may recognize the little pumpkin in the images below as she is my little Bella! Lisa is a dear family friend of ours. I was so honored when she asked Bella to be in the wedding and me to photograph it. It was a blessing. And fortunately Bella didn’t do too bad for her first wedding.

Lisa and Mike, we wish you many blessings over the years. It was so wonderful to be a part of your day and feel the love between you two. It has also been my pleasure to work on all the wedding images and re-live your wonderful day. It was beautiful.

Here is their slideshow if you would like to view it…

Danyel had just started her cleaning business not long ago, and through our conversation I could tell that she loved cleaning, but still could not get used to seeing herself in this “cleaning lady” role. It felt like she just wasn’t seeing the big picture.

I was having a rough week last week and I know you can all relate to my story. I was overwhelmed with my job, my kids (who are home with me full-time – yes, you try to get any work done with a two- and three-year old around!), and trying to maintain a sane house on top of everything else. I felt like I was a bad mother and a horrible house-keeper. Those two things were coming second and third to my client shoots and meetings and photo edits. I felt so bad about myself.

I had two options:

1. Keep going as I was and start saving money every month for an adult therapy fund for my children.

2. Get help now.

I started calling babysitters for regular babysitting/daycare and not just on an as-needed basis. It was time to give myself this consistent break so I can work more efficiently and have more fun-time with my kids.

And then I called Danyel. And she agreed to come clean my house on short-notice, just in time for my final two client meetings of the week. And I took a deep breath. And again. You see, it wasn’t just about the clean toilet I was going to have.

It was about one more three-hour task that I could cross off my list. It was about being able to spend that time getting my work done rather than cleaning so I can spend more time with my kids. It was about having a presentable place to invite my clients so I could feel more relaxed. It was about my sanity. It was about feeling good about myself again.

Yes, she carried in her vacuum, and yes, she cleaned my toilet. But what she was really giving me was a bit of myself back.

And I believe that all of our jobs work in the same way. Yes, I take pictures. That’s the technical bit. But really, I give people memories. I give them images of their lives that they can have for a lifetime. I help them to stop and think for a moment. About their love. About what makes them happy. That is the big picture of my world and I feel blessed to have this life as a photographer.

What is the big picture of your world? I bet that it is about more than just the clean toilet too.

Because I am a photographer, here is a little image of cute Freya…

When I first decided that I wanted to do photography professionally, my plan was to take awesome photos and hand over a disk of images to my clients for them to do what they would like with them. 

A month after I purchased my first digital SLR, I gave a CD of images from Christmas to one of my sister-in-laws. I printed out a few for myself, they looked great. Then one day I was at my mother-in-law’s house and I saw a terrible picture. It looked kind of like one that I had taken but it was orange and dark and blurry. My mother-in-law said that my sister-in-law had printed out a few of my images from Christmas at Costco and had given them out to our family. So there were my images, with my name on them, in the hands of people I love…and they looked terrible!

And I saw so clearly how much I love photography and think of my images as my babies and how I want them to be the best they can be.

I saw what a difference a professional printshop (and Photoshop) made on my images. That neon sign said that I needed creative control from start to finish. I knew that I wanted to be more than a photography chop-shop. I wanted to give my clients full service. I wanted to spend quality time with my clients and not try to squeeze as many sessions in a week as I could. I wanted to make sure that all images bearing my name were as good as they could be. I saw clearly the direction I wanted to go and never looked back.

I can’t show you the print quality until you come to my office, but I thought it might be fun (and a little nerve-wracking on my end) to share some before/after Photoshop images with you! 

Although a good image needs to be well-composed and exposed with great lighting and expressions right out of the camera, every image needs a little tweak before I share them with my clients. Some tweaks are so minor that no one would ever notice but me. And some images just cry to be played with a bit more like two recent images below.

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I liked this image. Beautiful Dani. The pose. The lighting. The blues. The wind in her hair. But straight out of the camera it deserved a little something. A little special Photoshop effort…

This is now one of my favorite images! So warm and soothing and I cannot take my eyes off of hers.

Again, right out of the camera this had potential. These two were so full of affection and they were having a great moment (on a cute bridge)…

But this Photoshop technique made this image even more special! This is also one of my new favorites!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a little behind-the-scenes and saw how I came to run my business the way I do. It was really guided by the love of photography and commitment to quality (that sounds like such a warm and cozy corporate moral phrase!).

This may be the first time I have publicly shown my straight-out-of-the-camera shots (I hope you still like me!). I am feeling a little naked at the moment but I know I will get over it. Maybe I should have paid attention to the flashing buzzing sign in my window now that says I should keep some things to myself! What fun would that be?

You know those days. When I think about how I should have taken more time to read them a story. How come I didn’t just let Bella mix the cookie batter instead of having to do it myself? Why am I so desperate for them to take a nap today?! (Moms, I know you feel me.)

Yesterday was one of those guilt days. It was my little Abe’s second birthday. I didn’t have any presents for him. We didn’t have a cake. We don’t have a party planned. I didn’t even take a photograph of him (gasp!)! But before you pass out from gasping too hard, I need you to know that I did sing to him over and over again and he did have presents from his grandma to open and we did let him stay up late so we could all snuggle and watch The Jungle Book together (his pick, by the way). But life has been so busy that I didn’t do my good motherly duty and go all birthday crazy. I keep telling myself that he will not know the difference if we celebrate on his birthday or sometime in July…or August! I am kind of kidding, but not really.

To make up for my lack of birthday spirit for my son yesterday, I thought I would get into the spirit today for an oh-so-cute little girl named MeMe, whom I met at Lisa & Mike’s wedding. Today is her first birthday! How could I let the day go by without posting some photographs of her? She is so precious and good, and with parents like hers, will grow up to be a lot of fun. When we left the wedding, MeMe and her parents were just getting warmed up on the dance floor!

So, Happy Birthday to MeMe! You are too cute…

In case this wasn’t obvious, these two love their dogs and these solo portraits made it to their list of desires. To be a dog in their world is a pretty good thing…

Full post to come in a few weeks…