Lakeville, MN event photographer | Christensen Christmas

A home filled with life, laughter and lefse

It's amazing how a little water, milk and potato flakes can say so much. For the Christensen family, it's part of a recipe that's been carried on for generations and is continuing to thrive today. Each year at Christmastime, the family gathers to partake in the time-honored Norwegian tradition of making lefse (those of Polish descent are also welcome, but are certain to endure a few lighthearted barbs).

Whether you coat your lefse with butter, cinnamon or lingonberries — fold it or roll it — is up to each on their own, but each family member must take their turn, kneading the dough, and flipping the bread on a griddle. The result is as tasty as it is enriching. The youngest of the family are learning a lesson in the olden days that will most likely be passed down in the future.

Do you have a family tradition you'd like to carry on? Take a load off this holiday season and let us do the work. While you're entertaining your guests and enjoying the company of loved ones, we can help you by photographing the food, the folks and all of the fun. Contact us today to schedule your holiday photo session as spaces are limited.

Elko New Market, MN newborn photographer | Maeva

One Month: Part Two in a Four-Part Series

A lot of times people ask what they can expect from a newborn photo session with Anthologie. Or better yet, they wonder how creating photo sessions on a monthly basis with the same child can yield photos compelling enough to merit doing them with such frequency. Some of my favorite clients have answered these questions time and time again.

As for what to expect, we work on building a relationship with you so that you're most comfortable simply being a family. Sure, we talk about different ideas for your session, but it's more about how your child is developing and showcasing those special changes in her personality rather than where the session will take place.

For a one-month-old like Maeva, that can be a challenge. There's only so much such an infant is interesting in doing other than eating, sleeping and exploring the world with her eyes. At this stage of development I like to work in the family's home. It's nice to have a record of where you were living at this important time, plus, it makes the whole family feel more at ease. There's plenty of time for a baby like Maeva to simply bond with her mom and dad.

Maeva also has her big sister, Stella, around to keep her entertained. This is been the most noticeable shift since working the first time around to document the first year of Stella's life. Now, when I work with the family to see and preserve what's new with Maeva each month, I also have an energetic toddler adding to the family dynamic.

This works perfectly, though, with our approach to family photography. Since Anthologie doesn't focus on bringing props a session, or what set-up poses to work through, we're free to simply let the family interact and create a lasting memory that, hopefully, tells more about who the family was at a given time rather than just what they looked like.

These are some of my absolute favorite pictures from Maeva's one-month photo session. I think you can tell just how honest these moments are between mom and dad and their babies.

I don't know what a photo session would be like with this family without Stella hamming it up for the camera just a little bit! Frequenters of our homepage may notice a similar image of Stella when she was 12 months old and making her parents laugh tears of joy. It's featured on our "relax" tab.

If you'd like to create some wonderful memories for your family and get stunning photos in the process, contact us today to reserve your photo session, and start telling your own story today.

Elko New Market, MN Newborn Photographer | Maeva

Welcome to the world, Meava: Part One in a Four-Part Series

I was enjoying my day off, staining my deck 10 feet up in the air on a ladder when my phone rang. On the other end a familiar voice responded to my hello. It was one of my favorite clients, whose family I've closely worked with for more than four years. In a very calm and collected tone she said: "We just had the baby. Can you come up to the hospital right away? We'd like to get some photos of Stella seeing her for the first time."

After getting over my initial shock of just how nonchalant Cari was about the whole scenario (after all, she had just given birth), I excitedly said I'd be there as soon as I could and proceeded to get down on the ground and get my paint brushes in water. I don't think I had time to change clothes before I jumped in the car and rushed up to beat two-year-old Stella who was en route to meet her baby sister.

As a former news photographer, I was eager to start photographing. Opportunities such as the one I then just been presented with don't happen often. In my newspaper days I'd do what so many photographers do and compare my work to others in the industry. I'd see stunning work from other shooters and think to myself: "I could do something like that if I only had the time." Some of my most favorite work comes from long-term projects and when working in a small market, enterprising projects you'd like to do for yourself often get trumped by annual used book sales and the prized russet potato someone harvested that bore a striking resemblance to Abraham Lincoln (OK, in fairness, there really were some well-done, hard news stories, too).

One of my biggest takeaways from newspapers was what I deemed the three Ps of photojournalism: prepare, prepare and prepare. When you ethically cannot recreate a moment, the only thing you can do is do as much homework as you can to ensure you're in the right place at the right time so you can capture the essence of a story as it actually happens. So, with being invited to a birth, this means developing a trusting relationship with the family well in advance of when you're needed to actually to photograph the life-changing event.

All of this actually only added to my anxiety as I approached the hospital. I've photographed the events surrounding births before (I'm not much interested in photographing the live birth itself), but when you're given such an opportunity you don't want to screw it up. I also had a brand new camera in tow that I hadn't yet had a chance to put through its paces, so that had me sweating, too.

I barely arrived in time to congratulate Cari and her husband, Eric, before Stella hurriedly walked into the room with a gift. I put the camera up to my eye and ...

... was able to get this photo of Stella as she turned to see the newest member of her family.

... 2.5 seconds later ...

... and finally, as she got to see her then-unnamed sister up close.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur as I worked to capture these moments while being respectful of how significant this time was for the family — and figure out the technical aspects of my new camera in the process.

I was, and am, so grateful to Cari, Eric and Stella for allowing me to be on hand for such personal moments.

There are so many more pictures I am proud of from this day, but I want to save many of these moments for the family to enjoy by themselves.

After a day in the hospital, Cari and Eric called to let me know they had decided on a name for their little girl: Maeva. More of her pictures and story will be coming soon.

Contact us today if you'd like to document your own special life story.

Related: Click here to view photos of the cake party when Cari and Eric learned they would be welcoming their second daughter to the world.

Elko New Market Event/Celebration Photographer: Stella's Third Birthday Party

Have your cake and eat it too

I often hear the refrain: "I know, I should put this camera down and enjoy myself." My answer to that is. Go ahead, do it!

Anthologie specializes in capturing life's important moments as they  happen. I recently had the pleasure of working with one of my favorite clients who understands this approach well. They had me out to photograph the third birthday party of their daughter, Stella.

Rather than fret about the lighting conditions or fumble through f-stops and shutter speeds, the family was free to simply enjoy the day and have plenty of time to talk with all of those who showed up to share in the celebration. Believe me, it's hard enough to manage a big party: keeping refreshments - well - refreshed, serving food based on every child's specific allergies, and staying on task to meet the needs of demanding nap schedules.

While the hosts had enough to keep them busy, at least they could take one responsibility off of their plates and let the professional handle getting all the best pictures of the birthday party.

Are you planning your own special celebration? Please contact us today so that you can enjoy each and every moment. We'll make sure you have meaningful memories preserved so you can relive the event always. You can call direct, 952-232-5830.

Please let us know what you think of these photos, and if you like what you see, comment or share using the handy-dandy links at the bottom of this post. Thanks so much for visiting!

Minneapolis Photojournalist | Father's Day Photo Promotion

As you're wandering the corridors of your favorite big box store on Father's Day eve this year, think to yourself: "Does dad really need another World's Best Dad chef's apron? Or another tie to add to his collection of formal wear he avoids like the Plague?" The answer is no.

Dads are good at doing man stuff, like fixing things with duct tape, brewing their own craft beers, and creating fishing lures. You know, MacGyver style, with a paper clip and thread ripped from his shirt sleeve. And they work, too!

So this year, instead of getting dad a gift that says you had no clue what else to get him this Father's Day, get him a meaningful surprise that will stand the test of time: a photo session that documents dad working on his favorite hobby.

Whether your dad plays guitar or rebuilds transmissions for fun, we will simply tag along and let the man do what he does best. And before you know it, we'll create some amazing pictures that celebrate your dad's unique talent and show that you truly know what makes him special.

Contact us before Father's Day (which is Sunday, June 17, 2012, by the way), and tell us you'd like the Man Cave Special. You'll receive an awesome photo session at an even better price, and you'll have until July 31, 2012, to then schedule your actual photo session. So, what do you get in this manly collection?

• Up to one hour of on-location photography in the Twin Cities

• Up to four individuals participating in the session ($25 for each additional person)

• Edits and enhancements of your best pictures (you know, like the nifty B&W and muted colors you see in this post)

• A password-protected online gallery for photo sharing and convenient ordering

• Usually about 100 finished photo files!

• All your best images on CD with the copyrights to make unlimited 4x6s on your own

• The satisfaction of knowing you thought of the best gift this year

What's it cost? $100 (save $50)

The non-so-fine print: You don't actually need to be a dad to get in on this deal. If your man rides Harleys and you want cool pictures of him tinkering on the motor, we can do that. Just let us know if you have any questions: info@theanthologie.com

So what are you waiting for? Reserve your session today!