Monday, January 30, 2012

Noah and Lauren




Meet one of my favorite set of little people from Fairmont, MN. Noah is full of fun and Lauren is full of spunk.
Mom and dad moved and needed some up to date portraits to fill the walls of their beautiful new home.
After seeing some snap shots of their wall space, I was happy to assist them with picking images and crops shapes and sizes that would work well in their space. I love square crops- I think they give a contemporary feel to the images and they are also a nice 'base' image to build around with other images from the session- or add on to later from a later session. 16x16s and 20x20's are popular sizes and look great in wall galleries.

If you have a space you'd like assistance with- I'd be glad to give you some suggestions. I'm only a call or email away!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Meet Archer | Newborn Baby Photography






Taking advantage of trying to catch up the blog with 2011 session peeks. I always have good intentions and then life gets in the way- sick kids, new sessions- you know how it goes. I've had a burst of newborn and baby plan inquiries this past month, and so I thought it would be timely to catch up with Mr. Archer- (don't you just love his name?) He has a head of wild hair and sweet tiny little features. I look forward to watching him grow bigger and bigger at each session.

If you your someone you know is expecting a baby in 2012- check out our baby plan that includes a 3, 6, 9 and 12 month session and a free 10x20 storyboard.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

USA TODAY | Jackson MN Photography





It was fun to see a picture of mine in today's edition of USA TODAY. The article features my nephew who has a condition called Cold Urticaria and was featured with my photos in the MAYO HEALTH magazine recently. The story was later picked up by USA Today and can be seen HERE. It's an interesting concept--- a boy living in MN who is allergic to cold!? The story has gotten a lot of feedback and it looks like there are many other people who have symptoms of this same condition. It's not just an allergy to cold- but to any drastic temperature change- and therefore even going into an overly air conditioned building after being outside in the summer, or guzzling a very cold soda too fast can result in the hives or at worst case scenario- anaphylactic shock.
Luckily Grant and his family are learning how to manage the disorder and I think they will be sticking around MN for a while.
I took a variety of pictures for the USAToday article- they requested something outdoors in the snow--- and ultimately chose the one of the boys standing that you see in the article.
A shout out to my friend, Paula Swift of Paula Swift Photography for helping me learn a little more about the photography process of news articles and assisting me with the print and press release contract. Not something I do everyday, so it was nice to have some help from this amazing portrait photographer who spent the beginning of her career as a photo journalist and has had her work published in a variety of publications, including The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Times, Time, Newsweek, USA Today, and Esquire. I always love looking at her site and especially her photo journalistic photographs. I encourage you to check out her PHOTO JOURNALISM GALLERY to see the way she 'saw' the news. (Click Gallery 2 and you will see the PJ link at the top).

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Gallery Wrap Wall Gallery | Jackson, MN Photography




I've been meaning for some time to post images of the wall display at Dr. Roggow's Dentist Office-- I've gotten so many nice comments on the way it turned out. Many thanks to Dr. Roggow and staff for requesting a little face lift to their reception room. The display contains a few images of some of their clients (and mine). We both share a common cause----SMILES are important to us both! :)

Here you can see the display before, the blank wall, and after.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Valentines Day Pictures





What a fun time we had at the Valntine's Day mini sessions. The mini sessions was something new for our studio this year, but with the great response we might be repeating it again in 2013. Here are just a few samples of a few of the 'sweethearts". Watch for more session peeks closer to February 14th. :)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

HEART DAY Valentine Mini Sessions | Lakefield, MN Photography


I have three remaining slots open for the Valentine Mini Sessions. The first day of mini sessions was a success and as you can see, Ms. Kennedy seemed to have her modeling smile on. The mini-sesssions will be held Friday January 13th and Saturday the 14th, so please contact me if interested. For just $20 receive a mini session, 24 valentines and a 5x7!
Special pricing on additional orders and products.
Wouldn't your sweetheart like a special valentine to enjoy year round?

Monday, January 9, 2012

Guitar Portrait Art | Lakefield Photography


This pretty little miss came to me this fall, especially wanting a variety of images that featured a couple of items that meant a lot to her-- her guitar and her bracelet. This is one of my favorites from the session and she loved it as well.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Tressa's Mini Session | Children's Photography MN




Tressa was certainly "Little Miss Sunshine" for her mini-session. Mini-sessions are perfect if you want a session with quality and beautiful images but want a quicker session with fewer images to choose from. Tressa took a minute to warm up and then she flattered the camera with her sparkling blue eyes and smile. (Don't you just love those little white pearl baby teeth?)

Here's how mini-sessions work~
For only a $35 session fee you receive
20 minute session for one child
select one background
8-15 images to make your selection from
discounted prices on all prints
Special portrait packages available as well.

Sometimes a mini-session is perfect for toddlers who don't have a long attention span or when you only need a few portraits to document a special occasion, special dress, outfit, etc. Give us a call to learn more or if you'd like to schedule a mini-portrait session for your little one.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Choosing a portrait photographer | SW MN Photography

Photography is fast becoming one of the most popular hobbies. It's the age where every moment of our lives and our children's lives are being captured in images and video and preserved. It's becoming a fast growing profession as well. There are probably many "Open For Business" signs going up this week from all those that received their new camera for Christmas last week. So in a sea of photography options, it's becoming more and more important to not only examine your options for portraits, but to examine what you want to capture in your images when you decide to have your portraits done.

Photography is an art and each artist has a different style, so be sure to look at the photographer's portfolio and work. Many photographers have websites or blogs that are easily accessible on the web. Does the artist's style match what you are hoping to capture in your family's portraits? Be sure to look for more than one image from a session to demonstrate the artist has the consistency and skill to produce many quality images from a session versus one or two nice shots.

Be leery of the artist who can be everything to everybody. Do they specialize in weddings, seniors, newborns, engagements, couples, pets, children, newborns, reunions, and bar mitzvahs? Do they offer traditional portraiture, candid photography, natural light photography, studio light photography, and photojournalistic photography? While I'm happy when my clients come to me with confidence in my abilities to shoot whatever they want, the greatest compliment are those that call having seen my website, are familiar with my style and confirm it matches what they are wanting for their images. I'm not hesitant to refer clients to a photographer that better matches their needs if they are looking for a style that I think would be better matched by someone else. Photography certainly isn't a one- size- fits- all profession.

Having a friend do your portraits? That might be a perfect option for you- if you know what to expect. I recently had someone tell me how disappointed they were in some preschool pictures that were done of their son. I asked if they were "discount priced" and she responded that she considered them MORE expensive considering they were useless to her and paying any amount was too much for something she would never use or look at again. In addition to that, her son's birthday had passed and she was left without any images from his 3 year old pictures .

I came across this IMAGE recently and thought it was a telling image- that shows a little of what goes into a quality professional portrait session. Posing is one element of a portrait session that really impacts the final result of your images. A bend of a joint in a certain way can elongate the torso and eliminate love handles. A turn in a different direction can help hide a thick neck. Understanding light - finding it, molding it, seeing and understanding shadows and highlight and how they flatter (or unflatter).

Focal length, lens selections, lighting, angle and composition can also add to an image that will flatter (or un-flatter) you. After the images are taken, the final editing done by the artist is yet another element that results in a professional final image. Things like skin softening, under-eye touch ups and other finishing touches are something that will vary from artist to artist and is something that should be compared when choosing a photographer.

Consider these elements in addition to budget when choosing your photographer to get results that you will be proud to show off.