closeWhen I met up with Joe and Jamie to do their engagement shoot I was so excited. The lighting was incredible and the two of them were even better. We strolled around Nuremberg Gardens in Wayzata for their session, and I have to be honest, I can NOT wait for their August wedding!
Our family met the Chaffin family about 4 years ago. Since then, we have loved serving at our church with their family. Brittany is my most wonderful awesome baby-sitter that comes over once a week to let me work. She is truly amazing, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Her parents are just as great as she is. Her mom asked if I would be willing to do some photos of their family, and we were able to catch a date and time that didn’t conflict with one of the five kids’ schedules. As always, it is a blessing to be around you all!
I was met by Pete and Angie with a big hug and kiss. I would love to call this family my own, they feel like realities, but they are very dear friends. I have known the Peters family for quite some time. Kirsten and I graduated from college together, and I was able to shoot her and Josh’s wedding almost 7 years ago. Shannon and Kieth were married about 3 years ago and her family flew Kevin and I out to New York to shoot their beautiful March wedding. This past weekend they were all together in the Cities and we set up a time the entire family to be photographed. They were all troopers in the humidity and heat, and I have to say I was sad to see them go…especially because Pete carried my bag around the entire shoot!
So we all have them, even photographers. I just get to show you my good stuff, but here are some of the things that I deal with on a regular shoot.
1) Screaming babies. Yes, they all do it, and they are so darn cute. So mommies, if I am ever photographing your newest addition, don’t feel bad. It pretty much happens at every newborn session and I do like to take their photo…even if it is for your blackmailing purposes when they are 15!
2) Non-cooperative pets or kids. In the past few years of having my own kids, I have learned that dogs are much like them. All you need is some kind of distraction, and you have their attention again…. even if it takes photographing their stuffed monkey.
3) Props not working the way you intended. On a few engagement shoots I thought it would be fun to incorporate some balloons…. um probably not the best idea when the wind was 20!! miles an hour. I should have thought about that before the shoot, oh well!
4) Fish eye mistakes. Yes these are my children and I take full responsibility in photographing them this way. We were having such a great time with this lens. I think I laughed until I cried. But in all seriousness, I would never recommend photographing someone this close, unless you are wanting them to look like they just came from the circus.
5) Clients… You will get a work out if you choose me to be your photographer. The top shot was the goal I was wanting to achieve, but it took about 3-4 tries of Wade jumping in the air to get the desired look.
6) The bolting kid. Yes, I do get a work out as well. Here is the series of a 2 year old. Here one minute, gone the next.
Going..Going….Gone!
7) The “I’m all done” phrase. As the photographer, I’ve gotta be fast, especially when this phrase comes out, or a baby will be falling! (i think his parents had this phrase memorized because they were ready to catch the baby before he fell! I love it!)
8) Exhausted baby. Here is where we stop the shoot and bring out the puffs, or bottle, or call it a day!
After all the screaming, crying, laughing, running and walking, it is all worth it to get the desired photo for the client. I love what I do, and have a great time doing it!
Have a great weekend!
It was a sweltering afternoon as I headed downtown to the stadium. There was no game, but I was headed down to the field where thousands in MN come to watch the game of baseball, and I have to admit, I was so pumped!
Lorelei and Doug are Twins fanatics. They are season ticket holders and know more statistics about baseball than I will ever know! On a spring day Doug pulled out the ring and proposed to Lorelei who happily accepted. It was only fitting that we head to the field to do their engagement photos there. We had an hour to work with and used it fully from the stands, to the outfield and even to the dugout. Here are a few from our session.
One of my favorites… so creative!
Looking forward to this February wedding!
Special thanks to Jessica who was our sidekick all over the field! If you are looking to do a session at Target Field contact her at jessicadooley@twinbaseball.com. She’ll take great care of you and show you some great inside places!
Including siblings in your newborn session… yes or no?
My answer is always yes.
It might feel a little chaotic in the moment, but those are often the images you end up treasuring the most—the real connection, the tiny interactions, the beginning of a new family story.
I’ve loved watching the Luong family grow through all three of their children’s newborn sessions, and those sibling moments are always some of my favorites.
If you’re wondering how it all works (and how we make it easy), I wrote a full blog post about it! Check it out in my stories
#newbornphotography #minnesotaphotographer #familyphotography #siblinglove
NEW WEBSITE. SAME HEART.
After a long time behind the scenes… it’s finally here.
And I want YOU to be one of the first to experience it.
So I made it a little more fun 👇
✨ I’m giving away TWO mini sessions for 2026 ✨
How to enter:
• Visit the new website (link in bio)
• Look around
• Enter the giveaway
That’s it.
If you’ve been thinking about booking photos this is your sign!
Tag a friend who should enter with you below and add to your stories for another entry!! (Make sure to tag me!!)
No one said you had to do newborn photos inside! Taking lifestyle newborn photos outside and making them true to your style makes them even more meaningful and significant!!
Based in the Twin Cities area and available for travel worldwide.
Karen,
You did an amazing job, once again. You captured the joy in the hearts of this couple. 🙂