I need newborns from 1-12 days old to model for JyB Photography. For a limited time only, get a free newborn session (normally $175) along with a complimentary 8×10 (normally $45) of your favorite image. Newborns will featured in upcoming JyB marketing materials as well as on our website. Please contact me for more details by sending an email or calling us at 651.485.0173. If you know someone who is expecting, please pass this information along to them!

I hardly ever make New Year’s resolutions. I admire people who can look at an entire year and decide to change one or two things about themselves, but that just doesn’t fit my short attention span. I’m more of a monthly goals type of person because I find it WAY more manageable. However, this year I actually made a resolution. One I knew would be easy for me to keep

Because I really, really like my job, I can get caught up in work and do nothing else for days at a time. But there are tons of other things I enjoy doing that I’ve promised myself I’d make time for this year. One of those things is making more time for reading good books. I used to be such a voracious reader. In recent years, however, good books have fallen a little by the wayside.

For some reason, I was never assigned any books by Charles Dickens in high school or college and I’ve always wanted to read at least one of his stories. The other day I stopped by a local Twin Cities bookstore and this gem caught my eye. Isn’t the cover just beautiful!? It was calling me to pick it up off the shelf and read it. I’m so glad I did because I’m halfway through “A Tale of Two Cities” and I’m loving it so far.

Are you as swayed by book covers as I am? Any recommendations on what I should read next?

I’ve been going through old files and cleaning out the random stuff that somehow accumulates on my hard drives. During the process, I came upon this portrait of my father. It was taken during the summer so I was in the midst of peak photo season insanity and I never got the chance to edit or post it.

I am so happy that I happened upon it though because it is difficult to get portraits of him! I usually have to sneak pictures of him because he hates being in front of the camera so much. But I love this one; it fits his personality to a T.

As a photographer, it’s easy to get so involved in making art and showing the beauty in things that you forget the WHY in portraiture. Why make portraits in the first place? There are lots of reasons why I make portraits, but one of those reasons is because a meaningful portrait can continually remind us of the love we have for the subject of the portrait.  I’m sure most of us have had the experience of looking at an old family portrait and have memories and feelings come rushing back to us.

Maybe it’s the cold and snowy Minnesota winter making me emotional, but this photograph hit me hard (in a good way) this morning. Love ya lots Dad!

This winter has been brutal to the Twin Cities area this year. Or at least it’s felt that way to me. With negative temperatures and over 50 inches of snowfall this snow season, I’m getting a little stir crazy.

Still, the season is so beautiful in many ways. We don’t do as many outdoor portraits in the winter, but the portraits taken during the season of snow and ice always have a special feel to them. This portrait of Taylor definitely has that feeling to me. It was so cold outside, but it’s almost like the winter surroundings showcase her strength and beauty.

A special thanks to Taylor’s boyfriend, Thomas, who froze his buns off with us to make this lighting set up possible!