Last year, I donated a session to the Minnesota Waldorf School Frolic Fundraiser & Gala. This wonderful family were the ones who bought it. I went to their home in Mahtomedi one of those terribly muggy mornings we’ve had in the past few weeks but we had a good time anyway. An actor and a violin player, these kids have their lives better planned out in high school than I do now! I enjoyed listening to their excitement and passion for working towards their goals.

A lotta love and silliness in this family.

Several weeks ago, Ashlee contacted me and asked if I’d be comfortable taking photos of her and her partner. I told her that I’d love to and then she let me in on the real plan. Her girlfriend, Novette, is a real fan of photos. Ashlee is a real fan of Novette. So she wanted to propose during our session so that I could capture it for them and would I be up for that.

Um, YES!

So I met them on a windy, windy Saturday afternoon and got to witness a special, private moment, followed by lots and lots of lip locking. I was really honored to be a part of that, not to mention the fact that they were just some really fun girls and I enjoyed photographing them.

(I believe love is love and people are people and the best kind of people are the ones who love photos so if you’re a people and you love photos, I am happy to make them for you, whoever you are.)

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted and I have quite a backlog of sessions to share! This was a special session because I’ve known Rachel since I was in high school. I attended her wedding in 2008 and her baby shower a few weeks ago. I’d also seen her recently for a big sushi dinner (my favorite!). So it was fun to get to see their new house and photograph the soon-to-be parents. I’ll be heading back pretty soon for photos of their newborn.

It’s been quite awhile since my sister has been featured on my blog so she’s making another appearance, this time with a partner in crime. :)

Her long-time boyfriend (I don’t even know how long it’s been, just that a)I’ve already had to sit next to him at way too many dinners during which he’s touched MY SIDE and b) they picked my birthday as their anniversary which is GROSS) proposed to her at Wrigley field over the summer. I was disappointed to find that Wrigley does not have a giant jumbotron to facilitate utter humiliation should she say no but settled for the fact that it would be a very long car ride home from Chicago if they did. Okay, just kidding, I was excited for them.

Anyway! Here are some photos from their engagement session. Yes, I will be photographing the wedding, no I am not sad that I won’t get to stand up with her. I’ll take a camera over a bridesmaid’s dress any day, thankyouverymuch!

And since she’s family and special and stuff, here’s a slideshow of all the photos.

Sara & Alan {engaged}

Six months later and Cass is one! He’s grown a lot since our last session but still has those beautiful blue eyes. It’s so much fun to have repeat sessions because I love seeing kids as they grow and getting to hang out with people I already know. Besides, any family who wants to do a session in flip-flops is definitely a family I want to see again!

Not only did Cass’s family pick a fun spot for our session, but I got to accompany Cass on his first trip to the beach. Sand is never so exciting as when you’re one and seeing it for the first time.

At first he wanted to eat the rocks. Then he just wanted to pretend to eat the rocks and snicker while we tried to stop him.

Don’t they look like a perfect magazine family?

And a little something different…the soft sand and creamy baby skin was just calling for some lighting processing.

I thought it was especially cool to find out that Cass is already taking swimming lessons. I foresee lots of trips to the beach for this family this summer. :)

I redesigned! I was ready for some brighter colors and bigger photos. I’m still tinkering a bit so feel free to let me know if anything is broken or missing. In the meantime, here are some photos I took last year and never shared, posted to celebrate the new largeness!