{grand prize} winner

i am over the moon excited for my son!!!
i may be a little bias as he is my child . . . but together we found a perfect combination:

ingredients:
* the cutest baby {again i may be bias}
* my “extreme” photography skills {spoken with a little sarcasm}
* and a FABULOUS network of friends, family, co-workers + clients {truly thee very best}

when combined . . . led us to the capture the $1000 GRAND PRIZE WIN in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune’s “Cutest Holiday Kiddo Contest.”
~ a wonderful way to build on his college fund {or get mama a new pair of shoes}

thank you again to everyone who voted for caelan, we are incredibly grateful!

Official Site: http://startribune.upickem.net/engine/Winners.aspx?PageType=WINNER&contestid=11765

{married} sarah + aaron

i love love.
i love when two people find their best friends. i love weddings.
i love family. i love friends. i love celebration.
but mostly, i love love and capturing it for my clients makes me smile like nothing else
{except for love}.

i shot this wedding this past june with a talented friend of mine, erin johnson {www.erinjohnsonphoto.com} and haven’t had an “extra” second to post it. but today, i needed a break and wanted to post those special moments that weddings bring. *enjoy

{baby} caelan

i’d like to introduce you to my new love: caelan wondreis alves.
thank you very much for your patience as my husband and i welcomed our first child into this world. we are blessed more than ever this holiday season!
i promise to catch up on blog postings soon.

{married} rachel + mike

little did rachel and mike know when they met in high school, that one day they’d be exchanging vows in front of their closest family and friends. they are perfectly matched . . . mike has a genuine soul and rachel has the biggest heart {and a gorgeous smile, look at those red lips . . . it takes a fabulous bride to be able to wear red lipstick}. they had an amazing wedding, 50’s inspired at two outstanding venues, the loring pasta bar and the varsity theater. i loved the uniqueness they infused throughout their day, not conventional, nor traditional . . . it was pure rachel and mike. thank you for standing outside the box and proving weddings are beautiful no matter how they are done. if there is love and the day reflects you, it makes for a fairy tale. thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day!
(and a special thank you to my husband, who selflessly allowed me to share his birthday with rachel + mike}

{family} gabbey’s

the gabbey’s are the cutest little family i know! her two boys are incredible. they are so well behaved and they both have the most beautiful blue eyes that make you just melt when you look at them! if they were my own . . . they’d have me wrapped around their little pinkies and they’d be spoiled rotten, getting every last thing they wanted. we had a great time {once again battling the abnormal october cold}. thanks for bearing the outdoors to get fabulous photos!

i love the outfits they chose {and the perfect hat mom found the day before}, they complement one another perfectly without being “too matchy.” and the fact that little cameron “had to wear his rain boots” made me smile from ear to ear. in my opinion, the frog boots make the photos!

{engaged} taryn + michael

at least once a week someone asks me, “why don’t you do photography full time?” and then they typically take the next 5 minutes to tell me how great my work is and that i should really chase what i love. and most of the time i just smile and nod but kindly let them know . . . i love shooting and i currently love doing it part time {my husband + friends however, may argue that it’s simply because i love to be busy}. but i stand back and ponder this decision in life when i meet fabulous clients like taryn + michael. taryn is the most passionate girl i have ever met, and her emails inject me with inspiration and motivation that i can’t explain; you just need to meet her, she’s phenomenal! fabulous clients make me love my work even more than i knew i could . . . and when they turn out as glamorous as this {engagement} shoot, its what makes me say to my husband “i love, love” {my very favorite line}.

*not to mention, i also love {stylish outfits, incredibly open clients, fun shoes, lots of color + props} michael is a big bass fisherman, so i loved the idea of bringing a couple poles along!
you two are the best! an absolute compliment to one another and i am excited for to celebrate your big day with you!

family {lund}

the lund family fought through the bitter cold october temperatures {after a light snow} to capture the perfect family photo. their two beautiful girls were so fun to photograph and we made the day {popping inside and out} adventurous! thank you for letting me capture your amazing family. *enjoy!

{maternity} brandis + paris

*meet me + my husband.
if you didn’t know, we are expecting our first child in a month and we are over the moon excited to meet our little guy!! as you can probably tell, we had a lot of fun at this shoot . . . these beautiful photos were taken by my ever so talented friend, erin johnson {http://erinjohnsonphoto.blogspot.com}.

{family} goerndt

the rain didn’t hold us back . . . photographing the goerndt’s at melissa’s parents family farm was a photographers dream come true. not only does the property hold so much family history {from the barns to the old tricycles} it was a beautiful playground. rolling land filled with hay bales, a pumpkin patch, a mini apple orchard, old barns, red barns, log piles, tractors + more ~ just an afternoon full of excitement! *enjoy.

{family} bengtson

how adorable is stella? she was incredibly fun to photograph and her parents hold a special little place in her heart. after three outfit changes and a full afternoon, we captured an unbelievable number of outstanding shots!! *enjoy.