Minneapolis Maternity Photographer | Jason and Lisa

A wintry (mostly) maternity session

As much of Minnesota enjoys record highs today, it seemed like a perfect time to look back at one of my favorite winter photo sessions from this year. I like to photograph outdoors in all seasons. It's fun to get out and work in all sorts of environments, even when it's freezing cold outside. It just so happened that the 2011-2012 winter here was pretty darn mild, though. So much, in fact, that Jason's and Lisa's maternity photo session ended up happening very close to the birth of their daughter. The reason? They wanted snow.

I like to schedule maternity photo sessions at about 35 weeks. That way, the mama has the curvy belly she likes for dramatic compositions, without the session being so close to the due date that we all end up in the delivery room.

With Lisa estimating her delivery to be in late-January or early-February, we decided to play on the winter theme. With five weeks out, we figured there would be plenty of snow on the ground and frigid temperatures to boot. We were wrong.

Instead, Minnesota was covered in a brown, desolate landscape due to the sissy winter we were having. Finally, as Lisa approached 38 weeks, the snow finally fell - hurray! Jason, Lisa and I made plans to immediately get together for their outdoor maternity session.

We chose the trails and bandshell surrounding Lake Harriet near the couple's new Minneapolis home. Despite the (finally) dipping mercury and our numb fingers we were able to create some beautiful images.

You can see just how much Jason and Lisa love their little baby girl even before she was born. I loved the pictures so much that I decided this blog post needed a classic layout. I think the images were too timeless to squeeze into a modern, magazine-type layout. But I want to know what you think.

Let me know what works, what doesn't work, what you like and what could be improved upon with these maternity pictures. Feel free to comment below. And if you like what you see here, please use those cute little sharing icons at the foot of this post (You know, where you see the neon-green "+" sign and the word "MORE.") That would be awesome. Thanks for viewing!

Beautiful and Meaningful - Anniversary Collage

This weekend Anthologie celebrates its third anniversary! To honor this milestone we've come up with a unique product that shares your story in stunning style.

Prominently display our anniversary collage in your home as a daily reminder of your wedding day and your love for one another. Perfect for any couple marking their first year together as husband and wife, their 75th, or any year in between.

Photos from your wedding day and today are combined with meaningful quotes about your relationship. Don't worry guys — we make answering the tough questions a snap and let you look like Prince Charming.

Anniversary Collage Details

• Up to 11 unique photos can be used in your design (scans included)
• Anthologie provides a brief interview to create the quotes
• Fonts and colors are completely customizable
• Standard sizes: 30x30 and 24x36
• Materials include luster paper for enlargements, or fine art canvases
• Use existing photos in your collection, or let Anthologie create new images for you (separate fee)

Standard pricing: $285 for 20x24 luster enlargement, $450 for a ready-to-hang, 30x30 gallery-wrapped canvas. Save 20% this week with introductory pricing in celebration of our anniversary (promotional pricing expires 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10). Is your anniversary months off? No problem. Pre-pay now to take advantage of our special offer and have your collage created any time before Dec. 31, 2012.

So what are you waiting for? Contact us to learn more or to reserve your custom artwork today!

New Market, MN Family Photographer | cake reveal celebration

A baby sister: How Sweet it is

Cari came before the crowd of friends and family gathered in her home and made her way to the kitchen counter. Only a layer of bright-red fondant separated her from her future. Cari, her husband, Eric; daughter, Stella; and the rest of the giddy audience were about to find out if that adorable bump on Cari's belly was sheltering a baby boy or girl. The news was just the frosting on the cake.

This New Market, MN family is part of a growing trend of couples hosting gender reveal parties to add to the exhilaration for parents-to-be that are too excited to find out the sex of their child in the delivery room. To do so, couples have an ultrasound tech simply jot down "boy" or "girl" on a note and place it in a sealed envelope. The results are then passed on to a baker that creates a confection with layers of either blue or pink frosting to indicate boy or girl, respectively.

The contents of the cake are then shrouded in layer of decorative icing so that the mama and papa can cut into the cake and simultaneously discover their sweet, sweet news with all those in attendance. The event makes for an emotional display, and just the sort of true life I love to capture with my camera.

Through a conversational poll of those gathered, it seemed most believed two-year-old Stella would soon be welcoming a baby brother to her home. But as Cari passed her knife through the layers of marble cake and frosting, everyone soon learned Stella will be passing down her wardrobe, doll collection, and almost certainly, her spunky personality. A baby girl is expected in May. Thanks to Eric, Cari and Stella for allowing me to document this special day for their family!

Eagan, MN Family Photographer | The Christophers

When the Christopher family first contacted me they had a dilemma: with triplets, they were often approached by photographers seeking to photograph their adorable toddlers, but they were never too pleased with the "cutesy," posed shots. They had seen my work and wanted me to try a different approach, one that wasn't so contrived.

I knew the perfect alternative was to call upon my background as a photojournalist and simply capture the entire family playing together. And, rather than focus on the triplets as a unit, observe and photograph their individual personalities.

For the Christopher family photo session, we simply used the family's Eagan, MN property as the setting, allowing the children to feel more comfortable than working in front of foreign backdrops and unsettling studio lighting. At home, the children were able to romp in the leaves, start some new family traditions and even get some chores done in the process. Oh, and we were able to create some beautiful family pictures, too!

Thank you so much, Christopher family, for allowing me to document this wonderful fall memory for you!

Minneapolis/St. Paul Cyber Monday photography event

Reserve your "Let it Snow" mini photo session today!

Your stomach is full from Thanksgiving dinner and your patience is wearing thin after tangling with competitive buyers over the weekend - sit back, relax and let the simple shopping begin.

Anthologie announces a special event to cure your retail woes. Our annual "Let It Snow" photo collection now comes in a smaller package. And on top of avoiding the massive department store lines this holiday season, our "Let It Snow" mini session provides professional and creative photography with valuable extras the big box stores simply can't match.

All of our photography collections include an image disc of all of the best pictures created during your session (not just a handful), and you can actually make high-quality prints from the files (not low-resolution, web-ready files). We work on location for a truly unique photo session and provide custom edits of your pictures. In addition, we work with you to create a fun and memorable experience catered to your family's specific needs. Best of all, for the insanely busy holiday shoppers, you can order reprints directly from Anthologie via your online proofing gallery, and have us send your cherished pictures to the front door of your family and friends!

Included in the "Let It Snow" Mini Photo Session:

• 30 minutes of custom photography at an outdoor location of your choosing

• edits and enhancements of your best pictures (typically about 50 total images)

• online proofing gallery posted for 30 days

• image disc with copyrights to reproduce your photos up to 4x6 inches

• web-ready image files with studio watermarks removed for convenient online sharing

Total Collection: $100

* CYBER MONDAY ONLY! Reserve your session by 11:59 p.m. today and receive a bonus file of your favorite (1) image as a high-resolution file capable of making prints up to 8x10 inches when you want, wherever you want!

Mini sessions must be completed by Friday, Dec. 16, 2011

Contact us to reserve your session today!