what the eye cannot see

Claire and Cecelia turn 1

2011-06-06T14:50:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe a year can pass so quickly, isn't it? My hubby and I just marked our first anniversary, and not long after these twin cuties turned one. You might remember this photo from their newborn pics last year:

These girls continue to each become more and more her own little person - it's so fun to see their growth in a year! Such cuties they are...

Love... and hiking.

2011-05-18T11:51:00.000-05:00

I have incredible friends, and these two are certainly no exception.

After praying and dreaming and planning, J & N quit their jobs, packed up all their belongings, and set out to conquer the Appalachian Trail for three months. They've been hiking for a little over a week now, carrying on their backs only day-to-day needs. Listening to them talk and plan for this adventure, and now getting to read their blog updates, has been more than inspiring.

I am so, so proud to know them and support them... via blog comments and random Skype calls. They encounter obstacles with light hearts, humor and, most importantly, trust that God has their best in mind.

And here I raise my cup of (Dunn Bros) coffee to you, sweet friends: May you continue to see and hear all that He speaks to you - whether through rocky paths, perpetual rain, or sweet warm sun. Can't wait to celebrate your journey when you return!

I left my sock in Lake Superior.

2011-05-10T17:03:00.001-05:00

I recently ventured to Grand Marais, MN (if you've never been there, really - you must go). My soul was soothed, as usual, by listening to the Lake Superior waves crash relentlessly into the shore. Much to my delight, the afternoon I arrived it was beautiful (do not reference above image - that was from Sunday, when it was the craziest waves I'd ever seen).

I trekked out to Artist's Point and found the perfect spot to sit and relish in the shining sun. It was so warm that I decided to take off my Toms and socks (if you know me, this isn't surprising for me to enjoy my barefooted-ness) and placed them beside me on the ledge. All was right in the world.

So... I sat. Pondered. Soaked up that sunshine. Then my feet got cold (I attribute that to the clouds starting to cover up the sun... but it could have just as well been that 40-degree lake I was sitting next to...). So I reached for my socks. As my hand grabbed for my rolled up sock, the sock actually started to tumble away from me slowly. My better judgment kept me from lunging after the rogue sock (as the thought of dashing my head upon those beautiful rocks didn't appeal to me in that moment, cold feet or not). I watched it roll, slowly, off the edge of the rock face. I paused to listen for the faint splash below... yep, it had made it into the water.

And did you know that socks don't float? Yep. Not at all.

My work on another blog...

2011-04-22T12:28:00.002-05:00

So I was beyond thrilled to find out that one of my August 2010 weddings had been published on another blog. This couple was simply adorable. I will also note that I bonded with the groom over the smell of freshly-cut alfalfa (and you think I'm joking...).

Thanks to the Magnet Street blog for featuring my work! Check out my work on their blog here, or head over to my portfolio site for a partial review of Kara and Abel's August wedding.

Recent work: Infant portraits

2011-04-18T19:19:00.000-05:00

The images above are of two little boys - not brothers, but cousins - and photographed at the best place in the world: their grandma's house. With few weddings in MN in the spring, I turn my attention to the wee ones. These images were from a session several weeks ago. I enjoy keeping things simple and classic with baby portraits - and who can go wrong capturing these tiny hands and feet?

Ruby

2011-04-09T17:24:00.002-05:00

Who can resist blond hair and blue eyes? Sweet little Ruby turned three in March, and this was my third time photographing her. Favorite moment with Ruby: When her mom put some "make-up" (i.e., lip gloss) on her lips, she licked it all off.

Spring inspiration: DIY curtains

2011-03-30T14:26:00.000-05:00

Hang on for a day, folks - I'm venturing away from plain ol' photographs to interior design for today's post! (That's a joke, really - I would not call this interior designing. Anyway.)

I don't know about you, but once the temperature outside is at least 40 degrees, my windows are open. Now I live in an apartment with standard (read: UGLY) mini blinds. These particular ones are slightly broken, super heavy, get dusty (my least favorite chore - trying to dust mini blinds. Maybe that's why I don't do it...), and have fallen down more than a few times. And did I mention these blinds are ugly?

To remedy the problem, I wanted to hang curtains. However, I just didn't have the inspiration for patterns/colors/kinds/etc. Finally last night my hubby and I bought some curtain rods in faith that we could work something out with our living room curtains. This morning, after a cup (or two) of coffee, I vowed to get those darn curtain rods (and curtains!) up myself after seeing a curtain compilation on Design*Sponge.

The materials:

2 vintage curtain panels (I got these free from a friend's mom's garage sale... in 2002. Yes, I have been carrying them around for that long. Sometimes it pays to hoard.)
2 curtain rods (from Target)
1 paper punch
1 spool of jute/twine/whatever it's called

The process:

1. Hung the curtain rods; in doing so learned I am semi-ambidextrous when using a screwdriver.

2. Since the curtains had no pocket to slip the curtain rod into, I came up with an alternate plan: create curtain hooks with the twine!

3. Use the sewn-in "pleats" in the curtain to determine where curtain would fold.

4. Used a hole puncher to make holes in curtain (this only worked because the fabric is a kind of vinyl material - not sure what kind of material it is, but it's great), punching 8 holes total in each panel.

5. Cut strips of twine to loop through newly punched holes.

6. Once knotted, I slipped the twine loops around so the knot was hidden behind the curtain.

7. Hung my curtains.

8. Realized I should have used white curtain rods instead of brown. *sigh*

Better late than never: Favorites from 2010 (Part 2)

2011-03-28T14:51:00.000-05:00

Better late than never: Favorites from 2010 (Part 1)

2011-03-24T14:53:00.000-05:00

To my blog

2011-03-24T14:31:00.000-05:00

Why hello, little blog.
Where have you been?

Hmm... I guess I've been absent for awhile.

Absent? More like rocketed out of the earth's atmosphere by a gigantic marshmallow shooter.

Well, let me explain. Here's a bit of what I've been up since we last dialogued:

Been loving my new hubby
Adjusting to life as an official businesswoman
Taking pictures of lovely couples and super-sweet babies
Oh yeah - and giving in to that bad habit called procrastination. Especially with you, blog. (Duh.)

So there you have it. I've been reminded by a kind friend that if I'm updating my pics on Facebook, the least I can do is add the same ones here. True indeed! Here I go...

And blog? It's kind of nice to see you again.

new wedding post coming soon...

2010-07-23T22:55:00.002-05:00

I'm so anxious to post some of the photos from Danielle and Nathan's wedding that I had to do a little sneak peek here!

newborn twins

2010-07-22T14:14:00.001-05:00

Just a few shots I took several weeks ago for my friend's twin girls. (Their tiny feet were a bit difficult to photograph, as both girls were awake for awhile and kicking wildly!) More to come soon...

the many faces of aubrey

2010-07-01T21:30:00.004-05:00

jordan | senior photos

2010-03-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

the darling Faith

2010-02-09T22:52:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos of Faith, the daughter of a college roommate and dear friend. I just love these cheeks--don't you? I know most of these are serious, but I assure you she did smile!

oh winter, you are beautiful after all.

2010-01-20T10:11:00.001-06:00

for my mama

2009-11-10T23:13:00.001-06:00

My mom asked that I post at least one of my engagement photos here (her favorite) so that she "could look at it every once in awhile." Photos by the loveliest Stacy Kron--check out her beautiful work at www.radiant-design.info!

brenda + baby

2009-07-17T00:37:00.000-05:00

I'm adding my favorite shot from the maternity photos I took this evening with the dearest Brenda. (She and her husband Mark were my first-ever engagement session, and I did their wedding as well; it's such a privilege to photograph these significant moments in their lives.)

sigh At long last: a new post!

2009-07-01T14:33:00.000-05:00

marty + jessica

2009-02-15T19:44:00.000-06:00

Let's not even point out the fact that this wedding is from August 2008. (Yes... I am far behind on my posts.) Marty and Jessica's wedding took place on 490 Summit in St. Paul.

display @ mocha monkey

2009-02-15T13:18:00.000-06:00

From February to March, I have a display upstairs at Mocha Monkey, a quaint little coffee shop with great drinks (my particular favorite is the Jungle Mocha--mmm!). If you're in the area, check out my stuff!

Mocha Monkey

115 South Olive Street

Waconia MN 55387

the winter wonderland called MN

2009-01-08T00:46:00.001-06:00

I forgot about these... recent shots from visiting my family over Christmas break.

more brielle

2009-01-08T00:40:00.000-06:00

It's been such a terribly long time since I've added new stuff and I'm feeling guilty. And I'm up way past my bedtime and feel the need to be productive... and that's where this blog comes in. Besides, I can't help but show off this little cutie!

jleigh

2008-11-26T14:51:00.000-06:00

JLeigh is a friend from work and will be performing at a master's recital (I think??) next weekend. We did these photos at her home with her gorgeous Kawai piano. *sigh* What a piano. Anyway, these pictures are for her posters/invitations, and I thought she looked great in them and wanted to share. :)

mike + heather

2008-11-12T20:04:00.000-06:00

This wedding was WAY back in August. The whole time I felt like I was photographing models--seriously! Mike and Heather are both very creative people, which was obvious as we took the photos. I really enjoyed my time with them. Most of the shots were taken just off the banks of the mighty Mississippi, and my favorite was this crazy steel bridge tucked away on one side of the park. The reception was held on a boat that cruised down the river for the entire reception; we came back at night, and the skyline was breathtaking.

brielle

2008-10-29T20:19:00.000-05:00

At long last, here are the pictures of Brielle that were taken with the boys' a few weeks ago. My sister claims that Brielle fussed when she saw that her brothers' pictures were on my blog, but not hers. According to Brielle's onesie in the last picture posted here, I must not be so bad after all. :)

emilee

2008-10-29T13:31:00.000-05:00

My first senior photo session happened just a few months ago and I'm really pleased to share the photos here. Emilee is such a sweetheart and SO easy to work with; I immensely enjoyed the experience and will not be turning down senior photos any time soon. :) The only problem I had was figuring out which ones I liked best--there were too many good ones to choose from! I'll maybe post more images later (when I have more time--ha!)...

the boys

2008-10-14T15:41:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I visited my family and not only made my appearance as the usual 'auntie', but as 'children's photographer' as well. (Note: I'm not sure the 2 mix together very well) Knowing that I am starting my own business, my sister now refuses to have anyone else photograph her children, so we did a little photo shoot with "the boys" and this is what we came up with. Regardless of how the pictures may turn out, I always know that I'm working with the most adorable children on the face of this planet. p.s. I'm not forgetting the smallest of the bunch, the little darling Brielle, but I haven't yet gleaned from the hundreds (literally) of photos I took of her for the 'best of the best'. Those will hopefully follow shortly...

my first homework assignment.

2008-09-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

So I started my first class towards an MFA (a master of fine arts) in Photography. The class is "The Nature of Photography" and I just completed my first assignment on positive + negative space.

the schmidt family + micah

2008-09-16T20:08:00.001-05:00

I just came across these photos from a shoot in June. Micah is such a cutie! I think my favorite way to take pictures of children is to be eye level with them because it brings the viewer into the world of the baby or toddler.

mark + brenda, pt. 2: the wedding

2008-09-09T18:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have been terrible at getting my photos posted from summer clients! Really--where did summer go? I'll do my best to catch-up on my work, but I won't make any promises. :) Here are photos from Mark + Brenda's wedding; I just love those two! This was the first couple I've done engagement and wedding photos for, and it seems to establish a great connection. Or else they're just a really great couple who can connect with anyone (which I think is the case!). A great couple--they have a ton of fun together and it's great to watch them interact.

jess + marty (engagement)

2008-08-17T13:33:00.000-05:00

These photos were taken earlier this summer. It was fun to take pictures with these two, especially since Jess just so happened to be my cousin!

oldies but goodies

2008-08-08T13:57:00.000-05:00

A sampling of past work done on film, between 2002 and 2007 (most from the past 2 years). Many of them still remain my favorites!

welcome, brielle kay!

2008-08-07T13:29:00.000-05:00

The sweetest niece in the world deserves her own blog entry. Here are a few additions to the newest member of the family who is just 2 weeks old today!

mallory + traivis

2008-07-06T19:15:00.034-05:00

At last: my first wedding photos are now posted. I'm positive that neither Mallory nor Traivis could take a bad picture, so I had an amazing time taking pictures of them throughout the day. Favorite moment? It's way too hard to choose. All I know is that every part of the day was beautiful and impacting and intimate, and I had the best seat in the world!

jackie + family

2008-05-29T17:05:00.000-05:00

I recently spent an hour with a co-worker and her family and got some fun candids of both her and her boys (and husband, too!). she's expecting her third child in June and wanted to capture this season in her life one more time. my favorite moment was walking with Jackie to their backyard and seeing the way the brilliant late evening sun highlighted everyone's hair as the newest, greenest grass glowed behind them.

an april shower

2008-05-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

was sitting at my desk on a rainy day in april. I turned around and saw the bushes outside my office window were covered in these jewel-like droplets.

p.s. that's what mac's been wearing the past week or so, too...

mark + brenda

2008-04-30T16:33:00.000-05:00

ironically enough, I met Mark and Brenda while taking random pictures on campus. not too long after, here I am taking their engagement photos! the session with these two was really fun--we laughed a lot and they did a great job just being themselves: skipping rocks, swing dancing, (Brenda putting Mark in a headlock). I have a feeling it's going to be a really great wedding in August. :)

Mark + Brenda: thanks again for this incredible chance to share in your story!

this week, mac is a Ford fan...

2008-04-10T19:58:00.000-05:00

a collision of cuteness

2008-03-28T14:23:00.000-05:00

I was questioned by a certain older sister as to why I had no photos of my nephews on this blog. These were from Easter weekend and the collage currently occupies a picture frame that sits on the left-hand corner of my desk at work. (maybe now i'll be considered for that "auntie of the year" award...)

what mac is wearing this week:

2008-03-26T17:08:00.001-05:00

as winter melts away...

2008-03-18T17:25:00.000-05:00

... it is time for a poem about spring. (and a face lift of the blog title!) "spring" Just when I have resolved that winter will not release its fierce and frozen grip, birds begin their chirping beneath dripping eaves, and the smallest drop of sun sinks through wet snow to a ground ready to send forth growth so green I wonder if my eyes have studied a brighter color. Grace, in this tangible way, seeps into my earthen heart; when the everyday appears eternally impassive and stiff, something new begins from deep below the icy crust, and I see spring.

holy week

2008-03-18T09:39:00.000-05:00

pictures taken during "24", a 24-hr prayer event at emmaus. a reminder for this week--a week of death and Life.

what's mac wearing this week?

2008-03-10T17:55:00.000-05:00

hmm. I amuse myself. I just came up with this little random idea about posting a random picture that is on my desktop right now. and since I'm working on a mac, I figured that instead of saying something like, "this is my desktop image at the moment," I would rather post in the form of a question and have YOU ask, "what's mac wearing this week?" you'll get the answer by looking at the above picture.

good idea? we'll see if it carries through for the long haul. peace out!

ella

2008-03-10T17:25:00.000-05:00

if I'm so excited to put these pictures up on my blog, I'm not sure why it's taken so long. these pictures marked Ella's first birthday back in February. she kept climbing onto me to get closer to the camera (she's quite tech-savvy). we had a fun time. :)

p.s. my favorite is the one when Ella is taking a juice break. photo shoots are hard work!

allie

2008-02-12T18:34:00.000-06:00

a pictorial ode to my roommate. doesn't she look stunning?

molly

2008-02-04T18:28:00.000-06:00

What more can I say than this: Molly can sew a pretty sweet pair of mittens. It was fun to capture that process....

p.s. Molly is a fabulous artist. I love that this "artist-ness" comes out in the sparkle of her eyes.

from a heavy heart

2008-01-28T12:26:00.001-06:00

more for "downtown"

2008-01-22T18:00:00.001-06:00

a stroll downtown

2008-01-22T17:37:00.001-06:00

Also back in November (I know--that's a long time ago, but I've got some catching up to do!), I wandered down the streets of Minneapolis, camera slung over my shoulder. It was one of the most freeing things I've done. Ever. When I take pictures, it's me that's watching the world: not the other way around.

I also met a few people and asked them if they'd like to get their pictures taken. It's funny how these men with nothing but the clothes on their backs would be willing for me to capture that very fact on film. Neither of the men I photographed asked me for anything--except the guy with 90-some signatures on his jacket, hula hoop, and cane, but he just asked for my signature. As for the other man--I simply listened to his story for awhile. Have you ever stopped a homeless person and asked about his or her story? What they were doing 20 years ago? If they'd fought in a war, or played football in college?

Later I walked into Starbucks to warm up, I couldn't help but think about what I had walked across. One life after another; one story with real characters... real people. Why do I forget that?

photo shoot with Cassie Lokker

2008-01-22T17:05:00.001-06:00

In late November I headed to a friend's coffee house gig. We did a photo shoot in the morning and afternoon before she performed. These are a few shots from that time--some of which will be featured on her CD coming in March. (If you want to check out her incredible music, go to www.cassandralokker.com!!)

why I love winter in Minnesota

2008-01-22T12:18:00.001-06:00

A few favorites from extraordinary frost we've had this winter. I'm loving snow more and more every year, and have been especially giddy on the mornings of thick frost.

The photograph on the top (the one with the single snowflake) was taken while out on a hike by my parents house during Christmas vacation. There was a build-up of at least 3 days worth of frost... and then it started snowing. Huge clumps of snow landed in slow motion on every branch, every weed, every oak leaf. This snowflake was the biggest I'd ever seen. When you look at it, what do you think of?

a poem

2008-01-19T22:33:00.000-06:00

About a week ago I wrote this poem. It encapsulates this new season of my life--a season of becoming fully alive, fully present. "unleashed" Foolish was I to ignore that tremor beneath my feet, a hungry inferno yearning to rise and touch the lips of free blue sky. Then I watch liquid flame burst, spill over ugly crest, a fiery tidal wave pushing over scraggly weeds that half-heartedly grew on sterile embankments; it swallows alpine plateaus, burns beauty into summit side with breath-stealing speed: at last this once-dormant heart has erupted.

first one

2008-01-07T16:48:00.000-06:00

Well... as much as I said I'd never get into blogging--here I am. I've been poking around at other photographers' web sites and blogs, and it appears that I'm slipping into copycat mode and now I'm doing the same thing. What have I come to?! But enough of that. The intention of this blog is to share beauty with you: whoever you are. May you see more than a photograph.