There’s something extra special about capturing moments for families who are not only wonderful clients but also dear friends. That’s exactly how I felt during my recent fall mini session with the Moe family—Jason, Melissa, Grayson, Elijah, Rowan, and the ever-adorable Joah (affectionately known as “Joah Moah”). This sweet, fun-loving crew has been part of our church family for a couple of years, and getting to photograph them is always a treat.

  A Fall Family Session at Schaar’s Bluff with the Blackwell Family As a photographer, there are few things more rewarding than working with a new family and capturing the beauty of their unique dynamics. The Blackwell family was one of those wonderful sessions that I will remember for a long time. They were such […]

Family photo sessions are a wonderful way to capture the joy, love, and unique personalities of each family member—and when a furry friend is part of the equation, the experience becomes even more special! I recently had the pleasure of photographing the Smith family during their summer session at Whitetail Woods in Farmington, Minnesota, alongside their adorable Bernedoodle, Sophie. Together, they created beautiful memories that will last a lifetime. Whitetail Woods is one of the most picturesque locations in the area, featuring scenic trails, lush greenery, and tranquil ponds that showcase the beauty of nature in summer.

I’ve photographed the Mischke family going on 6 years now and so I always love when I get the opportunity to photograph them again. This time it was with the whole extended family on Allesha’s side to celebrate her grandma’s 90th birthday! I got to meet most of Allesha’s family, one of her siblings had […]

These peeps are my favorite peeps. Enough said. HA! Laura is my bestie and fellow photographer. I could tell you the LONG story of our friendship, but I won’t. She is the Frodo to my Sam.  I love these guys like they are family. The girls call me Miss Neffers, a nickname that goes back to Laura and Kevin’s second oldest couldn’t say my name right, so she called me the closest she could get to my name, and it stuck. 

Another year with the Mischke family! I see Allesha and most of her men folk on a regular basis through a boys book club we are both apart of, but it doesn’t hit me until their family picture time, that these boys are growing and becoming more mature. Ben was just a little guy when I started photographing their family and now look at him! He’s half the size of his dad! And Brad is a tall guy!

Family is the most important thing in the world.” – Princess Diana

Sarah reached out to me in early spring to book a family session with her her family and in-laws, as a gift to her mother in-law for Mothers Day. I thought that was the sweetest thing ever. Also something the matriarch of the VanBenthusyen family would cherish for years to come.

I LOVE photographing this family. I’m sure I’ve said this before in previous blog posts about them. But they are the kindest, most wonderful group of people that I have had the privilege to work with. Seriously. I’ve photographed Kayleigh and Taylor’s family with her mom, dad and brother at one session. The next year I worked with them again, but with Taylor’s mom, dad and brother. This year, Kayleigh wanted EVERYONE! They were all together to celebrate little Oliver’s 1st birthday and what better way to continue the celebration than to get some family pictures done!

I don’t do a lot of large or extended family sessions maybe one or two a year. This year I had the opportunity to do 4 of them! I love meeting new families to photograph, but this one extended family consisted of a smaller family unit that had someone who is special to me. My friend Kaye and her adorable family I’ve known for some time. Kaye and her husband Tim went to the same college as me and my hubby and two of our kiddos are 3 months apart!

I love this tradition I’ve started of going back through all the sessions I’ve done in the past year. It’s fun to remember all the families, couples and seniors I’ve had the honor of photographing this year. This year’s sessions was full of new adventures including new shooting locations, seniors with sports equipment, cars, wands and instruments. It was so much fun growing in this way, of adapting to situations that I haven’t encountered before in the 5 years I’ve been in business! I am SO grateful for each and everyone of my clients this year for allowing me to capture these memories for them!