Kristin & Neil Engagement

Let the engagement/wedding season begin! Kristin and Neil were officially our first engagement session of the 2009 season. I was a little nervous in the morning because it started out chilly and rainy with a ton of cloud cover. Luckily by our session time the clouds had rolled away and it turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon. The session took place at our favorite park in Prior Lake. Take a peek at some of my favorite shots from our session.

Alexander Michael

Meet our nephew, Alexander Michael! What a cutie he is! Alex was born on March 24 and in the following photos he was about 4 weeks old. I can't believe how much he has grown already—he doesn't even look like the same baby. He looks so much like his daddy now. During his session, little Alex was not very happy, but you would never know by the great shots we got! He wasn't a fan of his sweater vest outfit. His mom Jenny and I tried so hard to get him to stop crying. I guess all we needed to do was take his clothes off because then he was happy as a clam! When he was born Troy and I showed up at the hospital with a big stuffed lion to go in his jungle themed nursery, so we had to get a few shots of him with the lion to see the size comparison. He is so tiny! I am sure we will have another photo session sometime this summer or fall so stay tuned. Welcome to the family baby Alex!

Gia Fink

Gia Fink was a joy to photograph! It took a little bit for her to get warmed up to the idea of Troy and I photographing her—for the first portion of her session she pretty much stood in one place and looked at us like we were nuts! But once she got into the swing of things she was all smiles and we couldn't get her to stand still! At one point during the session she figured out that she could lay back and support herself on the backdrop. She thought this was hilarious. Gia LOVES bouncy balls so we played a lot with those and tossed around balloons. These portraits were for her first birthday so we, of course, did some cake shots where she just got to tear into the cake. She was a little apprehensive about this and needed a little guidance from Mom. What a cute little girl! Take a peek below at some of my favorite shots from this session.

The Breyak Kids

This session was so much fun! It was a blistery Minnesota day but we all toughened up to take a few outdoor pictures. Afterward we came inside, ate some gingerbread cookies, and Annie played the piano for us. I loved getting some candid shots of the kids. One picture that had to be captured was Emma, Jack and Annie all in Santa hats. Mission accomplished! At the end of their session the girls cried out in unison, "Do you babysit!?" They are just adorable. Below are a few of my favorite shots from our session.

Katrina and Brian

Katrina (Katie, to those of you who've known her since high school) and Brian were married on a BEAUTIFUL October day at the Basilica in Minneapolis. The sun was shining with minimal clouds. For this particular wedding we were invited as guests which can be even more fun because instead of taking in all the little moments through your lens and thinking of how best to capture those moments, you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the fun. Don't get me wrong—I love what I do. But sometimes it is just fun to attend.

Katie and I have been friends since we were just wee ninth graders. Thanks to the wonderful world of MySpace/Facebook we re-connected after our college years and are once again great pals. She even blessed us with her spectacular voice at our wedding (where Brian sat in the section of pews in front of Katrina where no one else was seated. We will never forget looking down at the crowd and when we couldn't pick out anyone else who attended, we could certainly pick out Brian). The great thing now is that her wonderful husband Brian and my wonderful husband Troy are pals as well, so when the four of us get together we will no doubt have a great time.

Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the day. Katie was such a gorgeous bride. They looked so incredibly happy. We love having them as our friends.