Celebrate fall colors with Anthologie

It’s our favorite time of year at Anthologie! It’s time to don your favorite hoodie, grab a hot cup of apple cider and bask in the brisk autumn air. Fall is the perfect time to celebrate family traditions (or start some new ones), like picking pumpkins, navigating corn mazes and collecting beautiful foliage. And now is the time to have us preserve those memories for a lifetime.

While you’re out enjoying the fall festivities with your family, let Anthologie do the work of capturing all the emotions of the day. Reserve your one-hour, on-location photography session by Oct. 7, 2011, for $150 and receive an image disc with copyrights to reproduce your images up to 5x7 inches (a $275 value). You’ll also receive the edits and enhancements of your best images — a mix of black-and-white and color processing — plus an online proofing gallery with no purchase requirements. All sessions must be completed by Oct. 31, 2011, and promotional pricing is valid for groups of up to 5 individuals. Please request a quote if you have a larger group.

Contact us to reserve your place today!

Star for a day

Two-year-old Stella knows how to party

Children have always been one of my favorite subjects to photograph, even more so now that I'm a father. The importance of documenting milestones for little ones has become even more apparent to me now. So when some of my good clients contacted me to photograph their daughter's second birthday party, I couldn't wait. Not only would I get to work with so many familiar faces, but now I'd be seeing this tradition with new eyes — those of a parent.

While scanning the home and yard for opportunities to capture peak moments of the day it occurred to me just how quickly time passes. There were so many young couples and babies there, many of whom I remembered from Stella's first birthday party, only now they were much, much bigger (the kids, that is).

Stella was very particular about her party this year, right down to picking the color scheme, the menu, the decorations and, of course, the bounce house for she and her friends to play in throughout the afternoon. You can see from the images how much personality she already has! I wonder what she's dreaming up for next year?

Do you have a birthday party, family reunion or other big event planned? Sit back, relax and enjoy the party and let Anthologie worry about collecting all the memories from the day. Contact us today to learn more.

Perfect in every way

Newborn Gallery: Asher

Having become a dad for the first time only six months ago, I was interested to see if my paternal instincts would come into play while photographing another baby boy. I think it may be too early to tell, but I can say for certain, proud papa Brandt received a little more time in my viewfinder than he would have before as I sought opportunities to capture him bonding with his family's latest addition, Asher.

When families are blessed with new life, I work with them, in their home, in their newborn's most familiar environment, not only focusing on the creating images of the baby's portrait, but of how the entire family reacts to his arrival.

It was wonderful to see the excitement of Asher's big sister Reeve as she found someone new to read stories to, and with whom she'll soon play. And Amy's and Brandt's love for their son was plain for anyone to see. It's amazing to bear witness as these families grow and strengthen their bonds. I can't wait to see what Asher will do next.

Happy Father's Day, Brandt!

Win-win photography

Katie sounded genuinely excited when I relayed to her the news that she was the winner of Anthologie's "No Foolin' Spring Photography" promotion. Truth be told, I was just as enthusiastic to make for her some great family pictures. That's because Katie is just the sort of person I love to work for — she's a  photographer.

Does that mean I relish the idea of a fellow shutterbug critiquing my creative work with a fine-tooth comb? Not exactly, though it does help to get constructive criticism. No, the reason I enjoy having photographers as the subject of my pictures is because, like me, they're never in any of their photos!

Katie and I go way back, probably 15 years or more. She was actually a classmate of mine in high school, a photo classmate to be specific, as was her husband, Stephan. I hadn't talked with the couple regularly in some time, and hadn't even seen them face to face in about a year, so it was a welcome surprise when their names were selected at random to win an Anthologie custom photo session.

We chose the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden as the backdrop to their lifestyle portrait session. There, the couple's three children would be free to explore the grounds while physical space provided some meaningful context to the pictures, since the Stombergs live in the neighborhood.

It was a challenge to balance catching up with old friends while at the same time doing my best to be a fly on the wall for the kids as they did what they did best — play. What impressed me most was just how close all the siblings were despite their separation in age. When I'm working, posing for pictures is kept to an absolute minimum. All the images of the kids walking together, holding hands and enjoying each other's company was all real! And despite the ever-plummeting temperatures and bitter wind, everyone had a picture-perfect disposition.

Thank you, Stomberg family, for being such great models. This photography session was a win-win for all of us!