Mia | Class of 2021

The Class of 2021 is bringing it this year, you guys!!

The seniors I’ve met so far are all exceptional young adults with so much energy and perseverance - and Mia is no exception!

My session with Mia and her mom was so much fun. As we walked around Silverwood park, exploring different areas and ideas for photos, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know both her and her mom.

Mia competes in dance for Tonka high and is still exploring her options for which colleges she might attend after graduation. She has the sweetest personality and is a natural model to boot (how lucky am I as a photog!?)

She accommodated all of my nerdy photographer ideas and excitement with grace and kindness.

It was a hot day for photos, and it got me thinking… Although I’ve been having bundles of fun taking senior photos in the warm summer air and lush greens, if I am being 100% honest - I am SO ready for the transition to fall weather, lighting, and colors coming soon (also, bonfires).

This year has been weird… to put it gently. And as fall and the start of school approaches, I’m reminded of the unique challenges these seniors will face; But every senior I have met thus far has had an attitude of acceptance and positivity toward their unprecedented circumstances. It fills my heart up with hope to know that our future generation is one of strength, optimism, and beauty.

TeVogt Family Photos

This family makes my heart feel so full each time I get to see them. It’s been almost a decade since I met Darla through an ad I ran on my employer’s classifieds. I was just starting out and in need of clients to take a chance on me so I could build a portfolio.

Since our initial meeting I’ve been blessed enough to capture many years of family photos, wedding photos, senior photos, and newborn photos - marking some very important milestones in all of their lives.

Over the years this family has been a source of support and encouragement as I continue to grow my photography business and I cannot express my gratitude for them enough. Our time together is always filled with plenty of laughter and stories to catch up on happenings since the last time I’ve seen them.

A lot has changed in life since the first time I met the TeVogt crew, but my love and admiration for their family and the closeness they have for each other continues to grow each time I see them. I can’t wait to see what adventures life continues to bring for this lovely bunch.

Frankie & Issabel | Class of 2021

With the prospects of senior year traditions like homecoming and prom looking pretty dire this year, Frankie and Issabel got creative in combining their senior photo sessions to get some photos together that they may otherwise miss the opportunity to get - SO smart!

It was a joy to take photos for these two and see how absolutely smitten they are with each other.

As we walked around Silverwood park together we discussed the upcoming year and how their school weeks would look now compared to last year. We also talked about plans for after high school which included college and maybe even the National Guard.

I’m so honored to provide these photos for the Class of 2021 and wishing the best for Frankie and Issabel in the year ahead.

Nathaniel & Janelle | 8.01.2020

Late last summer I sat in a busy coffee shop in St. Paul to meet Janelle and Nathaniel for the first time. Amidst the hustle and bustle of activity all around us, we took some time to share a coffee and get to know each other. We bonded over our mutual love of the MN north shore and then discussed their photography wish list for an August 2020 wedding.

After meeting them, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Nathaniel and Janelle is the saying:

“Happiness is being married to your best friend”

As this strange year has unfolded, their wedding plans have had to change and adapt to meet the current conditions we’re all living in. However, in the year of cancelled plans, cancelling their wedding was never an option.

The way these two walk through life together is an inspiration to me. They seamlessly operate as a team to parent their two beautiful boys, they share many inside jokes and loving glances, and when they are together they both radiate genuine happiness.

Even though their wedding didn’t look like they originally thought it would, the day was beautiful nonetheless. Instead of a swanky night in at DeGidio’s for all their family and friends, the couple held an intimate backyard ceremony and catered dinner to celebrate their union with a much smaller crowd.

After the first glance and bridal party photos, we all took cover briefly as a raincloud passed by and graced Janelle and Nathaniel’s day with a good luck rain shower. As the clouds parted, guests gathered for a short ceremony followed by dinner and dancing on the patio.

Even though it’s clear to me that these two have been in-love and committed to one another for quite some time, I’m so excited for them to officially start their lifelong journey together as Mr. and Mrs. Hieb.

Congratulations Nathaniel and Janelle, you are truly blessed with the unconditional love and friendship that you have found in each other.

Emma | Class of 2021

With the school year fast approaching, senior photo sessions are starting to book up fast. I am so happy and thankful that my first session for the Class of 2021 was Emma.

Emma and her family were some of my very first clients when I got started in photography and now I am blessed to also call them friends.

Reflecting back before this session, I realized I’ve known the TeVogt family for almost 10 years! When I thought of how young Emma was when I first met her compared to where we are today, I was blown away by how quickly the time has passed.

Emma and I spent a good part of a day wandering around Chaska for her session. We started at Lake Minnewashta and eventually made our way across the highway to the Landscape Arboretum.

Poor Emma learned firsthand how easily I become disoriented as we went for a long and slightly aimless wander through the trails at the Arboretum. Luckily we had plenty of good conversation and laughs along the way.

I loved hearing about how her summer is unfolding and how life has changed for her and the rest of her class. My heart breaks for the seniors of 2020 and 2021 who have and continue to face so much uncertainty at such a pivotal point in their lives. But Emma has this natural optimism in her character that is infectious and so refreshing to be around. It is this optimism that has contributed to a very successful high school cheering career (check out those rings!!), a talent and passion that she is considering carrying on into college. She’s also interested in pursuing behavioral psychology and a career in medicine or mental health.

After finally finding our way back to our cars, I was so thankful and happy for the chance to spend time with Emma. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this wonderful young lady; she’s bright, she’s funny, and she’s incredibly kind. Best of luck on your senior year Ms. Emma!

The Arrival of Lars!!

If you recall my Front Step Photo Tour post from earlier this spring you may recognize 3/4 of this family. At the time in May, Kristi was still pregnant (and very ready to no longer be pregnant) for their front porch session.

When I got the text a couple of weeks ago that Lars was here and ready for his big photo debut, I couldn’t have been more overjoyed to see this newly expanded family of four!

I was so excited to meet Lars, but more than anything I was anxiously anticipating seeing Cecelia in her new role as big sister.

Cece has so much creative energy and sass, I knew she would thrive having a new baby brother to love and care for. She was a great assistant during the session. She also made sure to help herself to her favorite marshmallow treats as a reward for assisting so well. She kept us all entertained - including Lars - with songs and magic tricks and whatever else her imagination conjured up during our time together.

Lars was happily observing his sister and everything going on around him all evening. This calm, sweet boy didn’t cry once that I can recall in the time I was there.

It’s so uplifting to start scheduling sessions again to gain a small sense of normalcy back. It’s a reminder that even with everything 2020 has thrown at us, love and family will still prevail!

DiScala Family Photos

Not many kids, much less adults, have as much personality and sass as Miss Maddie. I’ve been lucky enough to call her parents my friends for several years and even more fortunate to watch Maddie grow from a newborn into the little lady she is today.

So naturally, I was so excited to meet up for her (almost) two year photos in early June.

However - on par with how the rest of 2020 has gone so far - our original session had to be moved several times due to weather and other calamities that overlapped with our meeting. I’ll be honest, it started to feel like it may never happen!

July rolled around and finally we were able to get together!! These three wonderful people endured a sizzling walk in Moir park with me on a day with heat indices nearing (if not passing) triple digits. But even with the stifling heat, we managed to have some fun.

Maddie has had some serious reservations about me and my camera in the past, but this time she was all smiles and a total trooper- especially given the uncomfortable weather we were in.

She frolicked in clover buds, played with dragonflies, and even spent some time watching the river and practicing her Spanish (“agua!”) with her mom and dad.

Since our last session, Mads has become an incredibly fast runner and had me struggling to keep up with her for most of our time together!

After saying our goodbyes, I sat in my car awhile to catch my breath, cool down, and reflect on how thankful I am for the opportunities photography has given me.

There is no doubt that this year has been full of challenges, loss, and heartache for what seems like the entire world. The future has never been so unclear.

But on this hot day with a simple walk in the woods with friends, I was reminded to focus on the moments we have together, right now. I was able to recharge my tired bones and drove away from the park with a heart full with gratitude for the people I love and the opportunities we all still have to share more moments like this together.

Tori & Jordan - Lakeside Vows

Tori and Jordan had originally planned a traditional wedding on June 12, surrounded by all of their favorite people at a beautiful venue. But then a pandemic happened and, like many others with weddings planned in 2020, their plans had to change.

They made the very difficult decision to postpone the wedding to October of this year with the hopes of a safer environment for everyone to celebrate their love.

Even with the postponed plans confirmed and communicated, Tori woke up the morning of June 12 feeling down about not having her original wedding day. Additionally, she was feeling very unsettled and nervous that the level of uncertainty around COVID-19 may require them to reschedule again, or even worse, cancel their special day.

It was at this time Tori and Jordan decided to take advantage of a standing offer for a backyard wedding at a friend’s lake home in New Brighton. Their friends, Dana and John, had offered their home as an alternative in the past and on June 12, in under 5 hours, the four friends were able to plan and execute a beautiful lakeside wedding.

I was on a boat, playing hooky from work and fishing for the day when I got the call from Dana at 11:30am. I was thrilled at the opportunity and spontaneity of the event.

Even with the short notice, almost all of Tori and Jordan’s immediate family and close friends were able to travel from out of town to witness their vows and celebrate with a catered Italian dinner with a lake view.

I’m still so amazed at how everything came together so perfectly for these two, it was a magical and miraculous day that focused on the true meaning of a wedding - Love.

I left the party with a full heart and re-energized with hope that the weddings on the calendar for this year may still actually happen. Love is definitely NOT cancelled.

Front Step Photos Tour

With self isolation weighing on me (and my social skills) lately, I recently surveyed some of my clients to see if they were in as much need as I was for a reason to get dressed up, showered, and have something FUN to look forward to.

I was so thrilled at the response to this request and for the opportunity to spend a few days driving around the twin cities with my camera to visit some of my favorite people from afar.

My first stop was to visit my colleague, desk-neighbor, and friend from work, Sanjay. I used to look forward to seeing his face every morning when I got into the office. It’s the little in-person encounters like comparing notes from our weekends, exchanging recipes, or lunchtime plant runs to Gertens that I miss so much lately.

During times like these, full of grief, stress, and uncertainty, I find comfort in capturing and reflecting upon the love we inherently share for one another as human beings.

Whether it’s the love you have for your neighbor when you clear snow from their walk after a storm, or the love you have for the people closest to you that make up the very fabric of your life; it’s this love that gives us the strength to not only survive, but maybe even find ways to thrive during this time.

So I jumped at the opportunity to get in my car (mask in hand) and seek out as much of this love as I could find. And let me tell you, I found so much!

Everywhere I went, even despite the collective grief we’ve all been feeling because of this pandemic, there were so many reasons to celebrate love instead:

The love of first birthday photos, marking a very special boy’s first full year being the coolest lil dude around.

The innocence and unconditional nature of a child’s love for a stranger. There were multiple times I had to run away, broken hearted, from these precious little darlings that just wanted give me a hug because they were happy to see me and don’t yet understand the danger in doing so.

The love of having a new family member and growing up into the best big sister you can possibly be.

The love of family and having so many people that care so deeply for each other through all the ups and downs that life throws their way…

… and the love and excitement that comes with expecting a new addition to that family.

The unconditional love of our furry companions, who are undoubtedly in full support of the stay at home mandates and are loving every minute it.

The love and appreciation for each other that comes with new routines and facing challenges that we didn’t ever think we’d have to face… but we’re facing them together.

The love of a parent. Love that nurtures our curiosity to learn and see the world, while simultaneously trying to protect us from the worst the world has to offer.

And the love for the new normal. As we’re forced to slow down and start looking inward, we find opportunities to adjust our perspectives and priorities. New joy and love presents itself in the simplicity of just being together.

So if you’re struggling with all the negativity like I was, I hope this post will help you remember that despite the unprecedented challenges and grief we are all facing, we are all facing this together and there is still so much love that can be celebrated.

Take care of yourselves… and each other. XO

Lucy's wild ride around the sun!

It’s time for my favorite type of blog post, the kind of post that shows the journey and growth of a precious little babe’s very first year on this planet.

It was this time last year that I got to meet Lucy for the first time. I was well acquainted with her mom and dad and big sister Cora by that time because I had the same honor of capturing Cora’s first year.

Right away, I could see Lucy was a sweet, calm, and very relaxed little girl - even as a newborn!!

As the seasons passed, Lucy continued to grow. During our summertime 3 month session she showed off her impressive tummy-time skills, and by the time our fall 6 month session came around she was sitting up all on her own!

I’m always giddy when I get to see the Schipper family. There is so much love here and it’s such a joy to take photos for them.

Cora and Lucy each have their own unique and wonderful personality, and both of these personalities keep getting bigger and better as the girls continue to grow up!

Cora is the spunky little firecracker who has an amazing giggle that is sure to make anyone laugh along with her.

Lucy is the calm, cool, collected one. She has endless amounts of patience for her big sister and goes with the flow for pretty much anything the family wants to do.

Oh… and have I mentioned how incredibly beautiful they are?

To celebrate her birthday, Lucy spent some time playing blocks with her sister, posing pretty for me, and lastly - having a treat almost as sweet as her - DONUTS.

Tasha always has amazing ideas to celebrate her girls, and this has got to be one of my favorite so far.

Lucy got to try donuts for the first time on her first birthday, and guess what? She’s a BIG fan!!!

We wrapped up our time together with some sticky fingers, frosting covered cheeks, full bellies and hearts.

Happy Birthday baby girl, I’ll miss our regular sessions together but I can’t wait to hear about all the wonderful things your 2nd year has in store for you.

XOXO (from 6 feet away)