They say when you love what you do.. it shows.

I couldn't love anything more than this. I have had people tell me they can see how happy I am when I shoot... and this shot shows me why they see my passion. I typically don't shoot in a bathing suit;)  Thanks to Karina, a friend of my dad, for grabbing this shot and reminding me of how happy I am behind the camera. 

The beach. The Ocean. The Sand. And camera in hand. All I need. 

Doesn't everyone want this "type love"....

A little bit of mexico

I met a fantastic couple on the airplane down to Cabo, and had the opportunity to do a shoot with them while we were there. 

Miss Audrey... she is the happiest baby ever. Her little smile, dimple, and big eyes are what caught me on the plane. She kept her big smile on the whole ride down!

Love the color.
Love it.
Seriously... is she not the cutest thing ever?
There are those baby blues.
I love her little feet on dad's! And a little love from mom.

Greg & Heather... Thank you so much for venturing the back streets of Mexico with me. I was so excited to have a great family to work with.

I found a new career

It is 7:15 am... and I have been up for an hour already. For anyone who knows me... I am never up this early. I woke up thinking about my career and passion for photography and have made the decision to give it up... yup... I have found a new career........

I have decided to become a Jazz club singer with my dad as my backup. LOL. YEA RIGHT!!! FIRST OF ALL.. I WILL NEVER GIVE UP MY PASSION BEHIND THE CAMERA. SECOND OF ALL... I CAN'T SING..NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT! 

There is something about jazz and the blues that draws me in. I think it is the sound of the old studio recordings, or the the story the trumpet tells, or the soulful voice, or that I can image the mood drawn from a black and white film shot in a jazz club... whatever it is... I love jazz clubs. 

Last night my dad and I spent my last night hanging out in the only jazz club in Cabo San Lucas. It was a very small and intimate setting with seating for 20 people max! The singers/owners/bar tenders/staff (pretty much all the same 3 people) were great. They got my dad and I up on stage for a little shot at the end of the night. Actually looks like I'm singing, huh? 

This place was not easy to find... and even if someone had given us directions.. we probably wouldn't have found it. Somehow, dad pulled it off and we had such a fun night. Thanks Dad!
I was not planning on getting up at 6:15am by any means. But, something woke me up and I poked my head outside and saw this. 

Serenity.
I will be posting more pictures from the trip when I get home. Check back!

Gotta Love Life

I can't express to you how blessed I have been to have a place to come and clear my mind. These past trips (including my current one) have been such a relaxing time and give me a chance to be at peace with my thoughts and ideas. It is also a great way to get in some Q.T. with my dad and get a little sun action :) !!

I had ANOTHER great session down here today!! SOOOOO FUUUUN! This 7 year old little girl that I shot was a dream... we hung out and swam in the pool together.. had lunch... and then went down to an exclusive beach to look for shells and start our session. Mom came along and joined us for part of the shoot and I got some ROCKIN' shots of the two of them! I cannot wait until I get home and am able to download my images and share them with everyone. On the way up from my shoot from the beach, a woman came running up to me and was irrate because we were apparently too loud during the session. We were definitely not loud by any means... but...

UMMMM.... THE BEACH IS PUBLIC LADY! 

I even took the nice route and apologized to her and told her she should've said something earlier... her reply.."I didn't think I HAD TO!!! " 

My thoughts on this lady: LIGHTEN UP! LOVE LIFE AND ENJOY THE SOUNDS OF LAUGHTER!!

Tonight, dad and I headed down to downtown Cabo for dinner. We ended up at this gorgeous place on the beach ONLY because we were on a waiting list to get into the place we planned on going. We decided to go for a little walk while we waited.. and found this gem. We had a blast. We decided to wear the poncho blankets that were used for decor (and chilly nights) and do a little photo shoot :) This is my Gotta love life photo. Oh yes... and these are all from my dads little sony cybershot cam... 

I love this shot of us.
Thanks to dad for this shot of me while we hung out before my shoot. He still has a little eye behind the camera as well :)

Keep your eyes open

I have mentioned before about being attentive, keeping your eyes open to opportunities, and trying to find good in every situation. For those of you who have just begun following my blog, or even those who have followed me for some time... go back and read this blog from china. It will express my thoughts on this in depth.

I believe that God will give you opportunities, and you have to be very conscious and aware of to know when one has been presented to you. I am currently down in Cabo San Lucas again with my dad. I needed to get away and have some peace and relaxation to get my thoughts back in order. On my flight down here, I could've been negatively focused on the seat I was in... but instead I found myself with a great opportunity.. all because I kept my eyes and mind open.  A couple of aisles behind me sat a fantastic couple and the most adorable little girl. The sheer joy the came from this little girl made my flight more pleasant. I ended up booking a family photo session with this family in Cabo. I was so thrilled, as this is something I have thought about for my past two trips down here. I ended up shooting them yesterday and it was a blast. They are a great couple and I know I will be seeing more of them as they are in Minneapolis as well!

So... keep your eyes open and don't let your frustrations get in the way of opportunities.

Unfortunately, I forgot my card reader at home.. so I haven't been able to download any of my shots from this trip.. so I will share a few from the first trip down here last July.

Greg+Amanda's Big Day

Lately I have been trying to sow positive seeds into my life. Give and you shall receive. Well, I don't really give so that I will receive.. I give because I enjoy it. It gives me joy to see others genuinely excited about something I have to give, offer, or help out with.  

A couple of days ago, I was running errands and made a stop at the mall. As I drove around the mall parking lot to find a spot, I noticed an older woman walking around looking for her car. Ok.. who hasn't lost their car in the parking lot? Well, it was really cold outside and I watched her walk through several rows of cars looking quite confused and discouraged. I have this soft spot in my heart for older people... I'm not quite sure what it is, but I am always watching out for them. (I might have inherited a care taking gene from my mom.) Anyways, I finally caught up to her, rolled my window down and asked her if I could help her find her car. At first, she turned me down assuring me she would find it... but I kindly said... I need a spot, and I could just take yours. I will drive you around. Now finding a parking spot was NOT my main concern, but I knew she was a little hesitant to get into a strangers car. She finally obliged. She was the sweetest lady with the purest blue eyes. "Wow... there is a blessing waiting for you. There really are great young kids out there. I can't wait to tell my friends about you. Bless your heart." My day that had been stressful, frustrating, and disappointing seemingly turned around in a matter of minutes. 

Moral of this story: Be attentive and help someone in need. At some point.. God will send someone to do the same for you when you need it.

Greg+Amanda's wedding was Saturday, Feb. 7th. I know Amanda through a mutual friend, and love being around her. She is very free spirited and fun to be around. I was not hired as her wedding photographer, but thought this could be a great way to give back and take a back seat on the wedding day. No directions given by me... just a "second shooter" of sorts. I haven't done this in quite a while as I am always in the mix running the show... but I had a great time just kicking back and watching the day unfold from a different spot. I was sooo excited with so many shots, and it brought me that sense of joy because I knew many of these shots were going to tug at her heart. I also had a special place in my heart for Amanda because her dad has been fighting cancer for the past year. As many of my readers know... I lost my grandpa and uncle a year ago (almost to the day the Amanda's dad was diagnosed) to cancer. 

Moral of the story: Do something out of the ordinary and unexpected for someone... it will make you feel good inside :)

Thanks for reading... now on to the pics!

Check out Greg's smile when he first sees Amanda.
This is one of my favorite first look shots I've ever gotten. I looooovvvvveee it.



She's so cute and has a fabulous attitude.. even in the freezing MN winds.
Seriously.. they are so cute.
This was one of my favorite candids of the day... check out Greg (in the center) and a couple of the guys crackin' up.
These are the shots during the ceremony that I just love, love, love.
Love the light.
The guys "chillin'"... literally.. freezing :)
Amanda and her dad did a polka for their father/daughter dance. It was sooo much fun.
Greg's mom was quite emotional.. and look at how genuine he's looking at her.
One of my favies from the day.
I heart first dances.
Greg, Amanda, family and friends... I can't wait for you guys to see the rest. Thank you for letting me tag along for the day!

An oldie but a goodie

I absolutely love the feel of old photos. They cannot be reprinted or copied to look the same... and digitally uploading a scan just feels plain wrong. BUT.. I had to pull this photo out for this occasion. If you follow my blog.. you will know I lost my grandpa and my uncle Tom last year. My grandpa's birthday was today (well the 13th). My uncle Jim's birthday was on Thursday the 12th. I thought I would bring out a blast from the past... hope this brings up good memories. :)

The importance of a memory

Some of my favorite memories include my blue rainbow bright bike growing up, watching my grandma play solitaire at the kitchen table, "long" bike rides with my sister (Megan you know what I am talking about) racing the neighborhood kids ( I was always as fast as the boys), drinking pickle juice straight out of the jar in the summertime, my first best friend,the prayer my mom would say to us every night, the rush I felt when competing my floor routine in gymnastics, and even the voice of my grandpa over the phone. I cherish the ability to remember that so many of us take for granted. Although.. I know there are many things we wish we could forget.. remember those experiences shape you and you wouldn't be the same without them. 

When I received a call last week for a request for this special session... I felt honored. Now granted, I feel honored with every wedding I get to be a part of, and every new baby that families are blessed with.. but this session was different. Ruth's mother was visiting from Columbia, and is in beginning stages of Alzheimer's.  This would probably be her last visit here from Columbia, as travel can be very confusing for someone struggling with this. Ruth wanted to cherish this time with her, and be able to remind her mother that she had seen snow, as this was her first time ever!

I absolutely adore this shot...  there is so much history behind those eyes and you can only wonder what part of her life she is remembering.

Although she did not speak or understand any English... her sense of humor about being photographed was heart warming.  I love this mother daughter shot.
A small connection can mean the world.
Ruth told me her mother loves looking out the window at the snow.
I was pleasantly surprised at how funny she is.... not many parents or grandparents will allow you to take so many pictures. But I couldn't stop.. she kept me laughing.. even though at times I wasn't exactly sure what she said.. it's amazing how much can be read through facial expressions.
We had to step outside for a few winter shots. 
Although we had some rain (yes it is raining here in MN right now) they both enjoyed it, and it showed.
One of my absolute favorite shots from the day.
I couldn't leave out Ruth's baby... isn't he sweet? :)
Ruth,

Thank you so much for remembering the importance of capturing the bond you share with your mother. There are many more images to come.. and I hope you find some memories that you will be able to hold in your hand always. I know your mother may not remember me.. but I will remember her forever and enjoyed spending the afternoon with you both.

Meet Kailee

World, meet Kailee. At 7 days, she was as sweet as could be. She wanted to be a part of her first photo shoot.. so fought her tired little eyelids as much as possible. 

A little love from her big sis and new best friend.

Check out those teeny tiny feet in dad's arms.
She was even cracking a little smile for us ;)
She loves her "paci".
A little family love.
And last but not least.. the other man of the house.. Rocky. Oh how I loved him. I think we bonded... he was so sweet, utterly excited to meet me and looked and me genuinely.. all the characteristics a girl could ask for in a man ;)