Class of 2013: Cassie

           Cassie is an all-star athlete.  She placed 2nd in State for the 300M hurdles.  She is an excellent volleyball and basketball player.  I didn't hear any of this from Cassie- she is much to humble to list off her many accomplishments.  But it's hard to live within the Zimmerman community without knowing this Senior's name.  What I learned throughout our sessions together last month is that she is also incredibly sweet, beautiful and super fun.  What a well-rounded grad!  

          It is a good thing that Cassie and I clicked so well- because we spent quite a bit of extra time together during the end of her second session.  I set my keys within the trunk of my car as I switched lenses and prepared for a new location of shooting.  I could blame this mistake on pregnancy brain but I am pretty sure that had nothing to do with it. The moment I slammed the trunk I knew.  Within seconds, I also remembered that being this car was new for us, we had only ONE set of keys.  Did I mention we were near railroad tracks, in the middle of no where, at 9pm on a Friday night?  And yet, what could have been awkward and embarrassing, was truly an adventure with Cassie and her mom.  They were so kind, patient and willing to help as we awaited the police.  Cassie expressed how exciting the ordeal was and all I could to was laugh and think of how lucky I was to be with such great people. 

So, without further delay, here are a few highlights of the images we captured of Cassie! 

Princeton Family Session: The Johnson's

I pulled up to this beautiful farm- complete with a rustic barn, vintage truck and many other beautiful areas to work with- it was photographer paradise.  But as soon as I stepped out of the car, the humidity and heat hit like a one-two punch.  I brushed it off and didn't think much of it.  Just moments later, we began our session and I was ready to photograph this beautiful family and get images that they could treasure for a lifetime.  Only, there was one minor issue-  it was so humid my camera wouldn't cooperate.  

This was a first in my years of business.  For an instant, I panicked, but after 20 minutes, the camera acclimated to the weather and was good to go.  Thankfully, I had a gracious and wonderful family in front of me who were patient and reassuring throughout the delay.  Once we got going, the session was fabulous.  With beautiful smiles, lots of laughter and a little bit of sweating, we achieved images that capture this family in all their glory.  

Here are a few favorites from our time together last month: 

Class of 2013: Samantha

  

        I first met Samantha a few years ago during a family portrait session.  Her and her family were so fun to photograph and I was thrilled to be capturing images that Samantha and her mom were so excited about featuring within their home.  

       In the two years since I saw her last, she has grown from a young teen to a beautiful girl on the verge of adulthood.  She was sweet, thoughtful and so enjoyable to be around.  

     We had a great time during her session last month- and she didn't complain once about the crazy heat we were facing that day- even when her outfit choice called for a black sweatshirt!  Perhaps what I respected most about her is her willingness to work so hard.  She pulls long day and weeks working hard at the local car wash and seemed to think nothing of it.  Yet in today's world, teens with work ethic's like hers are rare and I truly hope my own children will work as hard as Samantha does.  

She didn't have to work hard though to be adorable in each picture! Here are some of the highlights: 

Class of 2013: Helen

I loved getting to know Helen during her session last month!  I had photographed her older sister, Maria, two years ago and just feel so honored when I get the opportunity to continue photographing a family through the years!  Maria joined Helen and I as we traveled throughout my favorite Zimmerman locations to get the best portraits.  As any good sister, she provided Helen with both sweet encouragement and sisterly opinions.

This fun session got even more interesting during our trip to the beach.  There was an event going on with a bunch of campers in the area and lets just say there was a lot of screaming, face and body paint and throwing of large and heavy bags of flour...yes, flour.  At one point, I was decked in the back by a 17 year old camper with bad aim and a solid arm.  Still, Helen took all of this in stride and was a joy to photograph!  Here are a few highlights from our session:

Wedding Sneak Peak: Destination Brainerd!

Ashley and Jason's wedding this weekend was one of the most beautiful and breathtaking weddings I have ever had the pleasure of photographing!  Here is one sneak peek of the gorgeous bride and groom- you can literally FEEL their joy come through the image!

Class of 2013: Suzi

Suzi is sweet as can be.  We had so much fun during her session last month traveling all throughout Rogers and Otsego to get her the best images possible.  She was so relaxed and at ease- I loved every moment!  I especially appreciated how kind her and her mom were during the entire session- making sure I was OK and helping to carry any chairs.  Being 17 weeks pregnant, I am willing to take a little help with those things here and there.  We were close to Coldstone and these two stopped for a sweet-treat during the middle of their session- I loved it and thought it showcased just how comfortable everyone felt during the entire session! 

Here are a few highlights from Suzi's session:

Minnesota Newborn Photography: Cali

I arrived so excited to meet Cali and to see her wonderful parents once again.  The sun was setting slowly and Otsego Park was packed- it was a beautiful summer evening in every sense.  Justin and Brianna introduced me to their little sweetheart with grins from ear to ear and I could tell within a moment that they were doing a wonderful job caring for this little angel.

It hadn't been too long since I had photographed their wedding- just 10 months prior I had been honored to capture their wedding day in all its gorgeous glory! See those images HERE.  Just month before that I had met them during family portraits organized by Bri's mom.  And here we were once again, watching them go from boyfriend and girlfriend to wedded bliss and now to the joy that parenting brings!

Words cannot fully express what this family means to me.  This is why I love my job and do what I do.  I am so blessed to capture the most important moments within their lives and it is my hope that for decades to come, these portraits will bring them back to the emotions they felt in each unique season of life.

Besides being incredibly important to me, they were, as always, incredibly fun during their session!  Little Cali managed to go poo or pee on nearly every pieces of clothing within a few feet radius- including her sweet mama!  Still, Bri and Justin and I laughed the whole way through and took it in stride!

Here are a few highlights from our time together last month!

Class of 2013: Molly

I had photographed her before.  After photographing the PHS sports teams for three or four years, I was getting to know many faces.  Still, Molly's was more memorable than most.  She is a natural beauty- but even more so, she is as sweet and kind as can be.

This past season, while I was photographing her on the diving board, I blurted it out.  I asked if she wanted to be one of my 'senior reps' at PHS for the Class of 2013.  I had never done this before- randomly and suddenly approached a Junior for this opportunity. But I knew without a doubt that Molly would be a GEM to photograph.  What I didn't know is that she would also be ready and willing to try anything out of the box-including jumping right into the Mississippi River for some creative, unique and fun images to showcase her love for swimming.

Here are some highlights from our time together last month!

Class of 2013: Alex

I love my job. I love it when I get to see children grow up and photograph milestones, I love it when I document a couples beginning with engagement and wedding pictures, only to see and photograph them again a year or two later with the new edition of a baby to their family. It makes my job meaningful, purposeful, special and fun.

 Alex and his family are just that. They are special to me. I photographed their BEAUTIFUL family just days before having my son Isaiah. Not even two years ago, you would think it was 5 or more as Alex went from a boy to a young man during this time.

When I pulled up and saw him standing near his beloved truck, I couldn't help but smile. As a mom, I now picture my son in 16 years- and given that Alex is blonde-haired and blue-eyed, just like my toddler, I realized yet again what an honor it is to do what I do. Alex is kind, easy-going, an athlete and fun to be around. I so enjoyed photographing him and our previous session seemed to make him feel at ease instantly. This family will always be near to my heart- always.

 Now, for a few highlights from his session- Alex proved he is incredibly photogenic!

Class of 2013: Amanda

Sweet. Modest. Beautiful. Relaxed. These are the first four words that come to mind when I think of Amanda.  You can just tell that this girl is the real deal- genuine in every sense of the word.
She did such a fabulous job during her session and we truly captured unique images in a great variety of gorgeous locations throughout Elk River. Here are the highlights from her session!