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 :) 

​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!

These two are one of those couples. Those couples? Those couples. The couple that is extremely giving, so relaxed, and you can’t help but leave smiling after being with them. So naturally, when they shared they wanted their portraits taken, I jumped at the opportunity! We finished our beautiful night of mini sessions with George and Phyllis, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We laughed and chatted for most of the photography session, teasing one another and having a fabulous time.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage! This is certainly the case for the amazing couple of Nathan and Cali! We just had the pleasure of hanging out with them for their mini portrait session after enjoying photographing their wedding day last November, and their engagement portraits two years ago! It’s so exciting getting to walk alongside an awesome couple like these two in all the special moments of life!

WARNING: Cuteness overload below! Seriously, not only did I have the chance to hang out with Kristina and Adam again this year for our mini sessions (Want to see their session from last year? We got you!) but also, Kristina’s grandparents came along to have their photos taken by us as well! We met up at Lake Rebecca Park in Hastings, Minnesota for their mini portraits and spent most of the time chatting while taking their photos.