How dashing does Louis look! He was gracious enough to allow his little sister in on a couple of pics too.

How cute are these guys?! It was a crisp but sunny fall afternoon together as we caught each of the four kids’ personalities on camera (and their awesome parents). I love the one of the little guy’s bottom lip out, classic 3 year old!

This adorable family was a delight to photograph as they played, laughed, breastfed, and played some more. That evening sunlight through the trees adds some sparkle to the magic, wouldn’t you say?

This shoot was lots of fun including balloons, an antique mirror, outfit changes and of course, CAKE! Happy Birthday to this sweetie!

One thing about St. Olaf – and all of Northfield really – is that the fall colors are spectacular. So when old college friends of mine needed new family portraits, I jumped at the chance to go back to this beautiful college town for a family photo shoot.

We couldn’t have had better weather. It was nice and overcast. We started near Carlton college and then worked our way to St. Olaf, running and playing in the fields then dodging college students for a picture in front of our old dorm. After the shoot we were off to a yummy dinner & ice cream treat at Hogan Brothers. Just a great day full of good memories and friends.

Amber and her family were one of my first clients. She was pregnant back then with her first. Now here she is with her two kids. . . Here’s a sneak peek at our session:

It has been so fun to watch this family grow. My first session with the mom was when she was pregnant with her daughter. Now here they are with two kids!

Special thanks to this awesome family who were gracious and flexible about rescheduling due to Baby Simpson’s birth.

A while back I posted the sneak peek for this family and spoke to how we came up with the location. I am done editing and the clients have their prints – so it is perfect timing to show a little more from our adventure, including their totally adorable kitten!

Summer is always a fun time of the year for many reasons – no snow, no freezing temperatures, swimming pools, the sun, long days. . . It is also the time of year that several dear college friends come “home” to visit. I am always excited when their visit includes a stop at our house.

On this day my friend Brooke was back in Minnesota with her husband and kids. So what do you do when your college friend comes in town? Throw a party of course! Eight adults and ten kids strong, we had a great night of eating, playing and catching up.

While I had them there, I snapped a few family shots. . . The first set is of Brooke and her family:

How did I not realize before how much they look alike?

Next I got to take some shots of our college friends Pete & Karyn and their kids:

Can you tell which kid is more quiet and which is more lively? I think she giggle the entire time!

And finally I caught Amy having a little lovey time with her hubs:

Last night I enjoyed a fun session with a mom I have known for several years. I took pregnancy pictures of her with her first; now it was time to take a couple of her pregnant with her second. She also wanted a shot of her and her daughter and then her daughter alone as she is just about to celebrate her second birthday.

I just loved how her daughter’s hair curled in the humidity. In fact I set up for this amazing shot with the sun framing the back of her head and all the curls when I started feeling this pain on my leg. I ignored it at first, but then there was more and more. I looked down only to see hundreds of ants all over my legs; they were stinging me! I had inadvertently kneeled on their nest while setting up to take the picture. Ahhhhh. . . it was a bit traumatic. Luckily mom and child were unscathed. And seeing the pictures, it was all worth it. Here is a little sneak peek: