This was the most fun, luckiest Thanksgiving photoshoot I’ve ever done. The whole family was coming in for the weekend so there was going to be no possibility of a reschedule shoot in the case of bad weather. We lucked out and were given sweater weather with no snow!

There was no doubt that little Kathryn was the heart of the family. Ridiculously cute and full of energy, it was amazing to see how people just lit up by being around her.

In addition to doing posed portraits, it’s always a great idea to center the pictures around a family activity. Whether that activity is riding bikes, playing a game, or doing a marshmallow roast, I think people feel less nervous about the camera pointed at them when they have something to do. Plus, it gives me the opportunity to capture beautiful, real moments like these.

Isn’t their backyard gorgeous too? We chose the location for convenience, but the leftover fall leaves provided the most beautiful, warm backdrop for family portraits. For those of you blog readers considering a portrait session, I think it’s worth considering a location with personal meaning. Whether it’s a backyard or favorite park or wherever, I think it lends a touch of familiarity and emotion to the pictures.

Nick was such a fun high school senior. He wanted a variety of outdoor looks, so we headed to the area around Lake Harriet which is so gorgeous in the fall. We realized after taking these shots that there was a sign saying not to climb on the rocks. Oops! No one was injured in the making of these photographs.

I love, love, love how bright these yellow leaves were! Being inundated with Minnesota winter every time I go outside makes me miss our beautiful fall weather.

Nick was giving some serious model face in these grove portraits. He was incredibly relaxed in front of the camera. I love the sunlight coming through the scene, giving the branches texture and depth behind Nick.

One of the magical things about being a photographer is taking joy in the unexpected. When we got to the photoshoot, I had a mental list of looks I wanted to create and Carli brought her beautiful face, personality, and sense of style. But then the magic happens when we get together and the unexpected happens. Just by chance, we stumbled upon this gorgeous old car that just happened to go with Carli’s retro style outfit, hairstyle, and make-up. We really lucked out and it helped us to create something we had never even imagined when we went into the photoshoot. Can’t wait to post a few more from this photoshoot because it was one of my favorites this year.

Although taking still images is still very much my passion, I love taking video for fun. Ashley and Kalea were kind enough to let me join them for a beach excursion in Woodbury. Kalea is such a little darling who loves hamming it up for the camera.

Goodness this was a fun session. Ben had so much personality and energy so his senior photoshoot was non-stop action. Since he plays guitar and loves rock music, we tried to go with a living on the edge, rock star vibe. I love it when seniors come to their sessions ready to play around and have fun with their senior portraits!

Ashley is an old friend of mine from high school and her daughter is one of the happiest, sweetest toddlers I’ve photographed. We took Kalea to Carver Lake in Woodbury because she LOVES the beach and it was incredibly fun to capture her enjoying the sun, sand, & water. We took mostly video, but I could help myself from getting a few still photographs as well. Ashley and Kalea were just so perfectly happy in this moment to resist capturing it.

A couple of weekends ago, I took portraits of Jack and Pat’s family in Woodbury. They were a lively bunch and up for trying many different poses, but one of my favorite images is a very traditional portrait of just the two of them. It’s impossible not to smile when looking at it; Their smiles are contagious.