6.29.2009

sass and circumstance

Michaela cracks me up. Maybe it's because she's seen too many Hannah Montana movies or perhaps because she says whatever pops up in her pretty little blonde head. Either way, she was hysterical to work with and I guarantee that at least 90% of these poses were all her. Work it, girl!!!

The boys were equally as cooperative. Well, taking into account that it had just rained earlier that day, it was hot and there were promises of pool time and a pass by Dairy Queen in their near futures, they did better than I could have hoped! Photographing kids is hard work and whoever says it's not is either lying or has a ridiculous amount of energy and needs to find another outlet. :-) They are always on the move; making funny faces, standing in odd places, making use of useful spaces...having three-legged races...with cases...wearing braces...(trailing off...) Anywho, the effort is well worth it. Capturing your child in their own environment, doing their usual thing, is just so rewarding and just utterly fantastic.

Amy, thanks for letting come and photograph your kids, yet again. They rock my socks off; can't wait till the next time!

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Yeah. This was all her. Can we say attitude? Love it!
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and this one makes me laugh. All their expressions are basically tell-tale of their personalities. Perfect.
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so sweet!!!
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I wish I could take credit. It's all her. :-)
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and who doesn't like a little bum-crack to finish up a post??
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6.26.2009

Kelly ♥ Dusty

Obviously, it was a Monday. The air was thick and heavy, not a breeze to be found. It was 98 degrees and sunny with no clouds in sight. Heat didn't accurately describe the conditions of the day. Blazing, steaming, suffocating. Hot.

But it didn't really matter. The three of us wandered the countryside, aimlessly stopping here and there to snap a few shots. A giggle here, a story there. It made for a comfortable evening, despite the weather. Kelly and Dusty have been together for just shy of a year, but looking at them, you wouldn't know it. They had no problems following my instructions, no matter how odd 'stand in this ditch' or 'walk down the middle of this busy road' or 'sit in this decrepit, burned out house' or 'be comfortable, stare at each other, look away' sounded to them. And they did it all with smiles on their faces and obvious love in their hearts.

I was so psyched about this shoot that I couldn't sleep and had to process these images right away. What an awesome couple, I cannot wait to photograph their wedding next July...!!

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6.24.2009

sneaky peek

...my cousin Amy has the most adorable children. Actually, all my cousins have super cute kids. On both sides of the family. My one cousin goes so far as to not even have any ugly friends, too. I offered her $50 this week if she could show me a photo of one friend who was ugly. She could not. haha...

Anywho, there was talk of storms and tornado warnings yesterday, but Amy and I decided to keep our date (having rescheduling it before due to weather) and came out with some awesome shots. Love these kids.

I had a seriously stellar engagement shoot that I took Monday night, heat humidity and all, and stayed up until the wee morning hours to process...and actually finished it. But more on that later. Because of my late night obsession, I was able to get quite a few of the shots from last night finished at some unknown hour this morning, but I'm going to be a tease and just show one for now. Teehee.

Post script: Thanks Amers for all the Kix, tuna and peanut butter! Lovely.

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6.22.2009

Isabella :: Wyatt

Leslie started out a bit nervous that she didn't have enough space in her house for me to come in and set up my little studio...alas, it was not a problem at all!!! Isabella was full of giggles and smiles--and has the CUTEST little dimple!!! Of course it didn't hurt that big-brother-Wyatt hammed it up (in front and behind the camera) to get some priceless shots of little miss sweetness.

Lovely, don't you think?

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Leslie and I were laughing throughout the shoot because Miss Isabella kept throwing her feet in the air-It was so cute and so funny! That girl is going to have some really good abs someday!
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Wyatt has over 60 of these monster trucks! Super cool...I had him pick out his most favorite and strike a few poses. He reminds me of my cousin, Ev, in that he was so NOT shy or stubborn when the lens was focused on him. Ha, he wasn't even shy when the lens was pointed toward baby girl. Sweet kid!
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6.19.2009

it's ALIVE!!!

Or, rather, I am!

That's right; long awaited, my website is finally up and running! Check it out for information about sessions and prices, photo galleries, info about yours truly (Oolalah!), and more. Let me know what you think, feedback is always useful.


Have a super weekend!


6.15.2009

First time a go-go

I think Rachel and Brian managed to score the only fabulous weekend we have had -weather wise- so far this summer. Last weekend, we topped out at 50 degrees. Both Saturday and Sunday this weekend were a balmy, blue-skied 80+. Gorgeous, just like this stellar bride (and groom!)!!

Rachel and I graduated high school together and Brian has been good friends with my cousins for years, so it was great to be a part of their wedding and I'm super pumped at how the photobooth turned out. They had all sorts of little give-aways for their guests including glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets (which looked pretty cool on the dance floor), an economical donation to the wildlife refuge which came in the form of a wedding cake shaped paper cutout (a piece of paper with the seeds made inside it. Plant the paper and the seeds will grow-cool, huh?), even the beta fish which served as a focal point in the table centerpieces were given away along with instruction and little food pouches. But they also wanted something else; something for their guests to have as a little keepsake and something for them to look back and remember the day with. Thus the wedding photo booth was born.

This wasn't like a traditional booth where you pull the curtain and find yourself squished in a 3x3 foot box with a sticky floor and a blinking light always catching you just a titch off guard. Nope, we made this bigger for everyone to see! I printed off a 4x6 for each of the guests to take a copy home and Rachel and Brian will get a copy of each one as well.

I had helped awesome local photographer Lori Momberg do a Santa photo booth in December and, more recently, a Girl's Night Out photobooth in downtown Northfield. She gave me some helpful tips on how to get this set up and I ran with it. Thanks Lori!!!

These are just a few of my favorites from the night, enjoy!!


The oh-so-happy couple, Mr. & Mrs. Brian Trnka!!!!
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So good...
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Seriously, how cute is the flower girl (daughter of the bride and groom) with both her grandmothers (who were both looking mighty fine that night, if I do say so!!)
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Hahahaha...can't do this in one of those little tiny booths!!
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You stay classy, San Diego! ☺
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6.10.2009

• brown paper packages tied up with string •

I love days like today. Days that I get to plan fantastic things in advance, but still make room for a bit of the unknown. I mean, seriously, if everything in life were planned it would get ridiculously boring. Finding my afternoon wide open, I decided to take a drive downtown, grab a steaming skim latte and settle into a new update for this blog. Oh, Wednesday, I love you so.

I’ve been working hard the past couple weeks at getting my website up and live. It’s been a crazy, time consuming project, but I’m really enjoying being able to study my images and think of new ideas and where I see my work and career in five years. As I mused about life (past, present, and forthcoming) over my caffeinated goodness, I decided this post would be a personal affair; giving credit, thanks and praise to my favorite things.

There is the standard list of my favorite things which would feature happenings such as line-dried laundry, sunsets and rises, bright colored Sharpie markers, Hillshire Farm and Real Men of Genius commercials, nephews, getting up before the alarm, the buns (speaking about Thor and Kujoe, not sir-mix-alot topics), bonfires, coffee, oversized sweatshirts, volleyball, late night philosophical conversations, rainy mornings, sunny afternoons and anything homemade from the roommates. But…every post is just that much better with a photo, right? Without further ado, I present my top three favorite things:


Travel.
Yep, I am a mover and a shaker. Being in one place for too long does not suite me nor my spirit so I find that going someplace new not only helps me become more motivated when I return, but also provides inspiration and zest for things yet to come. Plus, it’s way fun to go some place new and explore. Wicked.

(a few of the best places I've been)
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Photography.
Who would have guessed that would be my one of my favorites? It’s true though. I had this amazing epiphany a few days ago that I am absolutely in the right job. I love talking with other photographers, I can’t wait to get my hands on the monthly magazines that come to my doorstep, I have dreams about poses and locations (no joke), and I just get so pumped when I have a shoot coming up or have photos to edit. It is seriously the best feeling to know that I enjoy what I do and I do what I enjoy. Rock it! Strangely enough, right along with photography comes another favorite (a two-for-one, if you will)…
Memories. 
I have some of the best friends and family anyone could ever ask for. They have been there for me through more things than I would have ever thought possible and I love them all so much. Sure, on occasion we argue, bury each other in seaweed, start the occasional chocolate or flour fight, get into a bit of mischief with hidden Kailua bottles or almost get thrown out of casinos, but who doesn’t have the hilarious ‘Remember the time when…’ story to tell?
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Mr. Nick.
Quite possibly my most favorite of all my favorite things (he totally knows this cause I say it to him all the time). I don't believe I've ever mentioned him in a blog this far, but we've only been together for a few years, so cut me some slack. (wink, wink). A very big high-five to the guy who can always make me laugh, never tells me to hurry up (what’s the point when we both know we’re gonna be late anyway), shoots me texts just because, fixes the cords my rabbits chew thru (two phone chargers, an electric skillet, an extension cord and soon to fix my computer mouse cord—why do they chew EVERYTHING!?), hangs out with me for no particular reason, lets me be myself and basically just rocks my world. Hoo-ya. (The most favorite of all my favorite things also came up with the PERFECT gift for his lady friend’s special day. What a rockstar.) ☺
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Can’t wait to see what the next 25 years have in store and Jen I sincerely hope it holds more than just an opportunity to become an AARP member. ;-)

6.05.2009

Baumberger Bash 2009

As the old saying goes; a family who plays together, stays together...right!?

In the Baumberger's case, this is most certainly true. It was a surprise for Grandpa Geno's 70th birthday and almost the entire family was able to make it for a weekend of camping, paintballing, fishing and all-things-lakeside. They had a beautiful weekend for it, I'm so thrilled that I was able to get some family shots! These guys were hilarious, cracking jokes, egging each other on...they were all so great to take photos with I ended up hanging around a bit afterward, too!!

On another note, I learned a very important lesson that weekend. ALWAYS check your driving route for unplanned construction. I knew the way to the cabin fairly well...I mean, this wasn't my first rodeo! :-) Apparently, there is ongoing construction on 35w all the way through Faribault and I didn't figure this out until there was absolutely NO opportunity to exit the freeway. Sweet. Anywho, after leaving my house early and excited to actually be well ahead of schedule for once (I planned on cruising down and taking a bit of the scenic route), I showed up 43 minutes late. No joke. But, that's another thing that's great about this family--they were having so much fun playing bean bags and hanging out, that they barely noticed my absence (and those who did notice were more than gracious--THANK YOU!!)

The guy next to me was reading a magazine so I though, what the heck, and busted out the camera. It helped to pass the time...
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Yeah, there was actually this much traffic on 35W just outside of Faribault...the end was NOT in sight...
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But I finally made it!!!
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This one makes me laugh (I love photos like this!)
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6.02.2009

Hudson :: Leighton

One of the many perks of being a photographer has GOT to be the networking. Hob-nobbing, rubbing shoulders, working lunch, call it what you will, I love to talk shop! A couple girls and I became quite close during my two years at DCTC and I want to give a shout out to one in particular on this post...

Congrats to Liz and husband Crist (and big sis Autumn and big bro Brecken) on babies 3 and 4!!!! Leighton Ann and Hudson Christopher are so adorable, thanks for letting us come into your house, completely destroy your livingroom (note to self: newborns potty alot) and take some really fun photos. It's crazy that they are already three weeks old today (only seven days old in these photos)!!! I am so excited for you and your new family of 6. Good luck with everything, I can't wait to photograph these little gems again!!!

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