Category: celebration

My Love, My Life, My Daughter {Rochester MN Baby Photographer}

January 6, 2012

Oh, Miss Beffers. Beef-a-licious. Beef. Baby Joy. It doesn’t matter what we call you, you’re always our little big ray of sunshine. I remember watching moms with their daughters at the mall or restaurants and wondering what it was like to have a little lady for a best friend, a little person I could tell secrets to. You’re more wonderful than anything I could have hoped for or dreamed of. I love every moment of being your mom; I used to wish that you could go back to being a newborn because I loved how you were small enough to sleep on my chest at night; now I just want time to stand still so I can drink you in, keep you from growing up, and freeze those moments where you just look at me, smile knowingly and snuggle up to me. This mother-daughter connection is powerful, so different from the fierce love I felt — and still do — for the boys.

You are soft and sweet and silky and curly and sassy and saucy and persnickety all rolled into one perfect little 16 pound(!) blonde-haired, blue-eyed, curly-cropped bundle. Pure Joy. Your middle name fits you so well and we flatter ourselves that we experienced a flash of prophecy when naming you.

In keeping with your independent and feisty spirit, you wanted nothing to do with me during your multiple one-year sessions. So I let you be, hung back with my camera, and just quietly snapped you exploring fruit orchards, running away from me, wandering through fields, smashing apples together, and tiptoeing around in your new little boots you are so proud of.

You may have turned one in November, but you’ll always be our baby.

Happy Anniversary, Baby

January 2, 2012

When Kelly first contacted me, I think my heart stopped beating for a second. Maybe even two. She’s a super talented and stylish designer and a photographer in her own right. She wanted to schedule a session celebrating her fourth anniversary along with a little peek of her new shape (she’s got a baby growing in her belly!). I loved the idea of anniversary pics, especially just in time for Christmas cards, and I never turn down an opportunity to capture the beauty and wonder of pregnancy. And a cool bonus? She and her husband D were spending the weekend in Lanesboro, so I was able to enjoy a long quiet drive to and from the session, and enjoy silence I rarely get to experience in the car with three small children. :)

The great thing about photographing another photographer is they understand needing to look for the light and that sometimes photographers say and do crazy things to get the shot. The bad thing about photographing another photographer is that I was incredibly nervous the whole time!

In the end, it was a slightly nerve-wracking but exciting experience to work FOR another photographer, and it reminded me of the many talented photographers here in Rochester and throughout Minnesota that I am blessed to know, both personally and virtually. Some are just starting out, some are seasoned pros, and many of us are somewhere in between.

Enjoy your last trimester, Kelly, and I hope you and D have a WONDERFUL, joy-filled birth!

Cousins {Rochester MN & Harmony MN Children's Portraits}

September 20, 2011

When Amy first contacted me about doing this session, I sat back and thought, “Do I really want to do this session? EIGHT kids? EIGHT kids running around outside, playing, screaming, jumping?” I called her back and told her I’d do it.  (I’ll try anything once!)

Amy and her son only make it back to visit family in Minnesota every few years, so she wanted to make this trip special and document what an afternoon in this extended family looks like. She spent lots of time planning, so we had plenty of props and toys to keep the kids busy. She supplied a parachute, a lawn sprinkler, a golf cart, watermelon and a slightly cranky dog that chased a few of the toddlers. I brought bubbles, umbrellas, kid-sized chairs and a couple of blankets. And the kids tossed in lots of smiles, a few tears and some funny faces.

It was actually kind of fun. :)

And at the end, we pulled the flag off the house and let the youngest hold it during the last few minutes of daylight before sunset. He and his sister’s daddy is deployed to Kuwait, and the family wanted a special patriotic photo of this little man to send overseas. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this little guy was holding a Buzz Lightyear superhero toy. So he holds a superhero while waiting for one to come home. Keep the faith, little man.