The Stephanie Newman Photography Journal

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!

Kaitlyn’s session is my first spring senior session and I want to do more spring senior sessions! Check out the gorgeous flowering trees in the background. LOVE!! I’ve shot at this park a couple of times in the past but never in the spring when the foliage is so different than late summer early fall.

The weather was playing games with us all day the day of her session. It threatened to rain most of the day, then part of the day and then finally, just a little bit of the day.

You’ve found the perfect photographer for your senior session, you’ve booked a date with them and spent time figuring out the perfect location for your session that speaks to you and your style of what you want your session to look like. Now the hard part, choosing what to wear. It is a HUGE decision that can make or break your senior portrait session! If you wear something that you don’t feel confident in, or that doesn’t photograph well, it can ruin this amazing experience for you. So, here are some great tips on what to wear to help you feel confident and that photographs well.

This year’s senior class has created so many fun opportunities to be creative as a photographer. I’ve done sessions with cars, sports equipment, fun props like wands and light sabers. For Quinn’s session it was planes! It was so cool to head to the small airport in Lakeville and use a small plane for some of his photos!

Also, this is my first winter senior session. And as you all know with Minnesota weather in general, it is unpredictable sometimes

The new year is here! I get equal parts twitchy and excited about planning for the new year. Partly it’s to look forward to a fresh start with my business and all the ideas that have been floating in my head for the last few months I finally get to put into action.

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!

My final Class of 2023 senior was with Anders. ? I can’t believe the time has come for my final senior session of this year. It has been one wild and crazy ride this fall but it’s also been good. Hanging out with Anders and his mama, Laura was the best way to end my senior season.