I feel like there isn’t much more I can say about the Ogren Family beyond that they are such a blessing to us! They were one of our first clients who graciously took us on (and wow, they were trusting!). They are huge supporters of the church we attend, Hope Community Church in Cottage Grove. They are so giving in their time as well as willing to open up on what it’s like to raise two boys – Lord, please help us! And, Bethany graciously puts on an awesome and free parent & child music interactive class at our church on Thursdays that we love to attend (and have since Ethan was a little baby). I also should mention that our boys regularly “call Jeremiah” on their play phones at home to chat with one of their good friends :) 

​​All too often we hear people say that they have never gotten their family photos taken, they haven’t gotten them taken in ages, or they only have taken photos of the kids. And to be honest, all three of these make us so sad. We’ve been there. In fact, we can still be guilty of this very thing! Does it mean you always need a professional photographer to document the special moments of life? No. I very rarely drag along al my camera gear out into public with three little kids because #parenting. I often just use my iPhone for our own photos when we’re out and about and in everyday life. But getting your family portraits done? So important!

On average, a bridal consultation takes 45 minutes. Sometimes we get through it in 30 minutes, often we take an hour, but never have we sat down with a couple and talked for almost two hours like we did with Rachel and Dan when we all got together. We would have sat and chatted even longer I’m sure if it wasn’t for the fact that I needed to get back to feed our little baby girl! We are so excited to be Dan and Rachel’s wedding photographers this week, but we wanted to get a chance to share some of their fun engagement photos that we got to take while exploring the backside of Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, MN last week.

A lifestyle portrait session at a Woodbury family’s home during a beautiful summer night? Yes, please! It was so good to catch up with the Hobbs family on their newest adventure and addition to the family by meeting little Giana! We met the Hobbs family back when our families were only us married couples and one boy – now we each have two boys and a girl running – err, I mean roaming – the house! We have had the pleasure of capturing this family for a few years, and the first session involved a blue balloon revealing little Keelan’s gender. We’ve since documented Keelan's entrance into the world, gone on an adventure at the ice castles, photographed them at one of their favorite spots (Lake Elmo), and explored one of my favorite spots at LeDuc Historic Estates.

​Sometimes we take portraits of your close friends and relatives, and sometimes we take family photos of people we’ve only met over email before officially meeting. The Yang Family was a family that: we hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting until the time of their mini session at Lake Rebecca Park in Hastings, Minnesota. ​The minute their boys climbed out of the van and their sweet little girl hopped out I was so excited to start working with them! While some photographers don’t enjoy taking photos of kids, I LOVE the candid moments that they bring! Can photographing kids be challenging? Sure, but photographing any age—young or seasoned—has its challenges! Wa and Jason did so great at staying relaxed and just totally trusting me to start photographing. We laughed, we talked, and we enjoyed a beautiful night outdoors. In fact, we happened to schedule this mini session on National Night Out! I think that’s our second year in a row of happening to do mini-sessions on that night. What a great way to spend it!