Meet the lovely, Susan. This girl is an absolute rockstar and killed her senior photos at Afton State Park! She literally hit the ground running and was a natural right from the beginning, so much so that I had to stop and say, “You must’ve been a model before!” To which she humbly raised her head and blushingly smiled saying, “Yeah, I modeled when I was little.” How cool is that?! She also previously rode horses, so of course we had fun chatting about that as we walked around Afton State Park… and, if that isn’t amazing enough, she comes from the rare breed of women that enjoys playing video games. When you ask Susan about what she wants to do after high school, she doesn’t hmm and haw like some seniors can, she has a plan and a pretty solid one at that. She plans to start training to become an EMT, and then once she is able to do that, she’ll study to become a nurse – she’s hoping specifically to work in pediatrics. If I can tell you anything about this girl after spending the afternoon with her, it’s that she would be an awesome pediatric nurse. She’s so gentle, soft-spoken, and just beams with love – I can see my own kids loving her (up until she’d have to administer shots!).

I can truly say that it is not every day that senior photos involves a gun. A gun? Yes, a gun. Don’t worry, we didn’t get held up – praise the Lord! Park High School senior, Connor, is on their trap team. The gun wasn’t the only thing that came along with Connor for his senior portraits at Vermillion Falls. Connor’s mom and grandma also joined in the fun; and it definitely was fun as they teased him many times throughout the session, keeping it light-hearted and relaxing!

I think one of the coolest things about high school seniors today is that they are often not "just seniors" but are already working on their college degree. Am I wanting them to rush through their high school experience? No! But, as a college grad from a private school, I totally understand that college can get very expensive quick and getting as much time doing PSEO done helps keep the student loan debt that much more at bay. This is the case for Park High School senior, Erika, who is currently a PSEO student at Inver Hills Community College. She shared during her senior photos that by the time she graduates, she should have about a year and a half of college credits done -- way to go, Erika!

I’m always amazed how fast time goes by in one of our child’s lives and for every senior photography session, wedding day, and family portrait session, I look at other parents with their children and think to myself, “That’ll be me before we know it!” This was definitely the case in taking Cameron’s senior portraits in Elk River when Cameron and his mom get out of the car. It felt like just yesterday that we were taking Cameron’s older brother’s senior photos in the same downtown Elk River area and here we were already taking Cameron’s. 

Wow, oh wow, oh wow. As I sit here and have a chance to look back at every wedding day, engagement session, family portraits, anniversary photos, mini sessions, maternity portraits, lifestyle sessions, newborn portraits, senior portraits, and more, all I can say is wow. 2018 was such a blessing. You blessed us! So many special announcements, new steps and chapters in life, and stopping to document life are seen below. You trusted us and invited us to walk alongside of you in these precious moments -- allowing us to live vicariously through you and celebrate the best parts of life with you. So below, you'll find some of our favorite photos as wedding and portrait photographers that highlight many more photos and moments not shown, each freezing memories to be looked back on for a lifetime.