Coon Rapids, MN Business Photographer | Headshot Promotion

Image Is Everything

You wouldn't send your résumé in to a potential employer scrawled out on notebook paper, would you? Of course not. You want to look your best - to be taken seriously. However, many people forget to add this same level of professionalism to their online résumés, specifically when it comes to profile pictures.

Putting your best face forward with a great picture that shows you're serious about your career can speak volumes to prospective clients, colleagues and business associates. Take that image one step further with a photo that not only shows what you look like, but also showcases your personality and you'll really stand out from the crowd.

Anthologie is excited to offer professional profile photos at an amazing value. Join us Thursday, Dec. 13, at Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids, MN for our lastest business development workshop, Get LinkedIn. This event is perfect for recent college graduates, business owners, or those simply wanting to learn or imporove their LinkedIn skills. Choose a 90-minute session that works best for your schedule and in addition to receiving a new business portrait, you'll learn relevant tips and tricks to elevate your LinkedIn success, and gain valuable contacts while networking with other area business professionals. Best of all, the total workshop fee, including your photo, is only $50!

Our presentation will be led by business marketing pros — and LinkedIn gurus — Jon Bauer and Kari Switala of Magnetik Marketing Solutions in the cozy Harvest Grill at Bunker Hills. Short photo sessions will be provided on site and photographs will be digitally delivered following the event. Remember to bring your business cards for networking.

Click HERE to register.

Dress for success

We aim to capture your personality with your portrait so it's important for you to dress in a manner that speaks to who you are and your intended career path. Remember, with business photography, you want to dress for the job you want, not the job you already have. Think about the image you want to project to others and dress accordingly.

• Jackets and coats that are crisp and fitted photograph the best

• Dressing in layers is always a great option for multiple looks

• Solid colors rather than busy patterns add an air of sophistication

• Dark and neutral colors are great for outerwear

• Avoid vibrant colors with shirts unless that's a part of who you are

• Guys, bring a tie. Ladies, add a scarf. You can always take it off if it's too formal.

• What's slimming? Simple, solids, darks, vertical lines and single-breasted suits

It may sound silly, but it's not a bad idea to practice your smile in a mirror before your session. You may find that your "posed smile" makes you look less approachable. Don't worry, Anthologie photographer Dan Iverson is a pro at making you relaxed and at ease being yourself in front of the camera.

If you have additional questions, please email Kari Switala at kari(at)magnetikmarketingsolutions.com

Please share this event with others. Thanks for visiting!

Stillwater, MN engagement photographer | Kayla and Justin

As a photographer I always have to have an open mind and be ready for any challenge that comes my way, whether it be equipment failure, difficult lighting or an unexpected thunderstorm. Working on location means something can pop up to test your expertise at any time. Mental challenges also have their place in the world of professional photography. If my creativity is failing or my client is having a bad day it can make all the difference in the finished pictures. Few people realize how much a stunning image relies just as much on a trusting relationship with the photographer and the model as it does technical and artistic skills behind the lens.

That's why I was a bit apprehensive when the day came for Kayla's and Justin's engagement session. Kayla had had a lot of bad experiences with photographers in the past and she was cautiously optimistic about her engagement pictures. She had done her research and was a fan of my work, but still had plenty of mild warnings for me: "These had better not suck," I believe was one of them (at least to paraphrase). To make matters worse we had not had a chance to personally meet before the photo session, so building that trusting relationship I prefer  was several steps behind.

Fortunately, all of those uneasy feelings quickly washed away once we started working. We chose beautiful downtown Stillwater, MN as the backdrop for Kayla's and Justin's engagement pictures since it's a place the couple has frequented throughout their relationship. Above and beyond that, though, was how open these two were to all of my suggestions and I to theirs. The session time flew by, I was having a blast, and I think Kayla and Justin really got caught up in their emotions. It's plain to see how much love these two have for each other in the pictures. The icing on the cake was the beautiful make up on Kayla from the talented Brooke Fleetwood and an amazing full moon that put an exclamation point on the day.

Kayla and Justin were thrilled with their finished engagement pictures and we added a lot more trust to that photographer-model relationship. I'm so looking forward to photographing their wedding celebration down the road. I'd love to hear what you think of the photos. Please feel free to comment using the link at the top of this post. Thanks for viewing!

Trash to Treasure

The wedding was over. My wife and I had returned from our blissful honeymoon. And yet, we were left with a dilemma: what to do with all of this wedding stuff?

You know - the flowers, the centerpieces, all the little personal touches we worked so hard to make special. Well, now that the wedding's done, we can't just throw them away, right?

If you're like me, you held on to the stuff knowing someday you'd think of something to do with them — anything but putting them in a glass shadow box (it makes me think of funerals).

Sometimes you have to wait a long time for inspiration to come along. For me, it was seven years! That's when I met jewelry designer Heather Lawrenz of Lawrenz Jewelry. She makes amazing beads, charms and intricate pieces of art all out of stuff most people would throw away. You wouldn't believe how beautiful she can make a discarded bottle cap or a spent A1 steak sauce bottle look.

After seeing her work and getting to know Heather, she mentioned to me that she can make a piece of jewelry out of old photographs — the wheels started turning. If she could take a three-dimensional object and turn it into a charm the possibilities were endless.

Finally, I knew what to do with all those boxes of wedding dodads taking up valuable shelf space in my basement.

With Heather's talents, I could have her preserve those memories in an exciting new way. I turned my box of "stuff" over to her and let Heather work her magic. (Of course, I photographed everything first, just in case I wanted to look at it later). Within minutes, Heather was taking pieces of the materials and constructing tiny compositions.

It was great to see the way Heather thinks and not to give her too much direction. I knew I could trust her to do her thing and the results would be spectacular. What I didn't expect were some of the happy accidents along the way, like when Heather realized the newspapers stuffed around the dried wedding bouquets to protect the delicate flowers were from the newspaper I worked at during the time of our wedding. In fact, the newspapers had some photos that stick out in my mind since they were from meaningful assignments.

"I'm going to use that as a background for one of these charms," Heather said.

I couldn't believe it — fishwrap to some, colorful interest to Heather, a significant memory for me — and now it would all be preserved on this hip piece of jewelry for my wife to wear every day.

And the best part, my wife and I could finally part with all that wedding clutter. Meaningful, yes, but clutter still the same.

If you want to have one of these ah-ha moments, definitely visit Lawrenz Jewelry.

Building relationships

Franek Construction brings businesses together

When John and I signed our lease for our Northfield location April 2, we faced two challenges: One, we needed to spruce up our space - quickly. And two, we needed to convert the space for an unusual business arrangement - with Nick Sinclair and The Garage sharing 25 percent of the building footprint.

Fortunately Joe Franek of Franek Construction in New Prague crossed our path. Now that we have a proper blog functioning it's time for Joe's long overdue thank you.

We were first impressed by Joe's timeliness and commitment to our project. As you can see from date in the caption to the image above, Joe was on sight and at work within days of us signing a lease. Despite his obligation to larger jobs and prior bids Joe was able to find time to sneak us into his busy schedule.

Joe and other contractors survive on the integrity of their finished projects and do a lot more walking the walk instead of talking the talk but it's often what you don't see that can make the biggest difference. Immediately upon entering the front door Joe made sure the building was protected from cutoffs, sawdust and other small debris, making our cleanup effortless once the job was done.

Joe's experience lead him to easily come up with a solution to our spacial quandary -- a three-and-a-half-wall partition with an extra wide hallway improved the flow of our building, provided Nick with the room for the unique gallery he needed, made the Garage and Anthologie separate and together at once and actually made our square footage seem larger than before!

Above all, Joe is simply an honest guy with a great personality. He went above and beyond what we had originally asked for, coming back to our building each day after the drywall had been hung to personally ensure each coat of joint compound had dried properly, was sanded to perfection and a new coat had been applied smoothly.

Joe has since become an Anthologie client. We had a great time getting to know his extended family and photographing his son's first steps. Check out our new window display at 18 Bridge Square and you'll see what I mean.

If you're in need of assistance with home improvements, commercial construction or a new home Franek Construction is a building company you can depend on. Call 612-232-9288 for more information. Thanks again Joe!