Bella Vita Studios

NEW BLOG

2010-03-06T08:46:00.004-06:00

HI everyone, I have a new blog, head on over to the new one and check it out!!

www.bellavitastudio.com/blog

Jake & Robin

2010-01-26T09:43:00.007-06:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! Now that things have slowed down a little bit after the holidays I am going to try and share a few more weddings that we photographed this past year. I am also working on a new blog, and I can't wait to share it with you all.

Jake and Robin got married back in October and it was a gorgeous day. The fall colors were beautiful and the colors they picked for their day were perfect. Their reception was at the Minnesota Commemorative Air-force Museum and it was really unique, I loved it! Neither of them are pilots but during the speeches we heard it said that one of the reasons they wanted it at the museum was because they want to be each others co-pilots through life. How cool is that! Thanks so much for letting us photograph your day guys, you two are definitely bound for happiness!!

She gave the bridesmaids all fun funky aprons from anthropologie, and I made them go out on the front porch and do a little Desperate Housewives pose :-)

If I am not mistaken, I think they made their own bouquets, aren't they gorgeous!!

I just want to mention that Robin was probably one of the most relaxed brides I have ever worked with. Her dress got mud on it during pictures and she looked at it and was like "oh well, we will just try and get it out" I LOVE when brides don't sweat the small stuff, it was a joy working with you guys!!

There were old war bullets at the museum, so I thought it would be cool to incorporate them somehow :-)

Probably one of my favorites from the day!! Love it!

Baby on the way :-)

2010-01-07T16:38:00.006-06:00

I can't believe how time flies. It seems like just yesterday Kassy and I were running around good ol' Parkston track at 1/2 speed (inside joke) and taping up boys coolers at track meets. Kassy was a great friend and amazing athlete in high school and college. I called her my little pea, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to hear that Kassy was pregnant. I knew that even if she didn't want me to photograph her belly, I was going to convince her. Seriously, I think she might have swallowed a volleyball, for real everyone....she is having a baby at the end of January here, and WOW she looks amazing!!

Thanks for letting me photograph your little belly! I think that every woman should have pictures like these so they can look back someday and show their kids and grandkids :-) She was my first session of 2010 and what a great way to start off the year! I can't wait to meet the little bundle!! love you kass!

Seriously Kassy, you are stunning!!

It was like -50 out so thank you Kassy for being a trooper and going outside for a couple!

something about this one makes me smile :-)

LOVE this one!

I love how her shirt doesn't quite fit at the bottom, so cute!

Hausmann Family

2010-01-05T09:22:00.004-06:00

Now that it has slowed down a little bit I am going to try and share some sessions with everybody that I did this fall. I photographed these guys back in South Dakota when I was back. Can you say BEAUTIFUL family!! Enjoy!

The outfits that they wore were so ADORABLE, I love this style! Color and funky patterns!

Weidemann Family

2009-12-21T11:04:00.006-06:00

I wanted to share this fun session with you that I did awhile back (yes yes, I am way behind on blogging) . These kids are all so adorable, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to photograph them again with their new baby sister. Enjoy!!

This is one of my favorites from the session, she is such a good big sister and loves reading books to her mom said.

Seriously, check out their eyes!!

Can you feel the love between these two already starting to form! Friends for life!

Miss Claire

2009-12-07T10:22:00.006-06:00

I know I have fallen off the face of the earth this last month, but I am back now. Things are settling down a little bit so I thought I would share this session I did last week with this little lady. She definitely stole my heart during the session. She looked at me and goes "I am having SO MUCH FUN getting my picture taken Amy"!! AWWW I loved it, I can't get over how stinking adorable she is!

We were over in St.Paul and stopped into one of the BEST coffee shops ever and snapped some photos there as well. The coffee shop is called Nina's and if I had the power to pick that place up and move it right next door to mine, I would be in some serious coffee debt :-) If you guys are ever over in St.Paul, check it out, you won't be disappointed. Have a great monday everybody!

Seriously! Can you even stand it? Her hat is to die for and look at her eyes, just stunning!!

I had to share this image because she was so ecstatic over her shadow, it was so cute!

I feel like this should be on the cover of a Christmas magazine or something

Again with the blue eyes!!

Miller Family

2009-11-06T11:01:00.006-06:00

These kids were so much fun to photograph! They really made my job easy. Their personalities really shined through in the pictures. You can probably tell that we didn't have ANY fun when you look at them :-) Happy Friday everyone!

This picture makes me smile!

What beautiful kids!

Rockin it OUT!

This series is so much fun!!

Jen, Will & Grace = Rockin it out!

2009-11-05T15:49:00.006-06:00

I was so excited when Jen asked me to do pictures of her and the kids because I knew they were going to turn out awesome. I love the fun, artsy, urban feel these photos have, thanks for rocking it out you guys!

IS she gorgeous or what??

This is totally Grace!! Love it!

Heart it!

Love this one!

HAHA! She cracks me up!

This is probably one of my favorites of the session!

Will, you are gonna be a heartbreaker :)

Love my Fam!

2009-11-02T12:00:00.004-06:00

Okay so this post is way overdue, but I wanted to share some pictures of Nancy and Casey's family I did when I was back home about a month ago. I love my family and I am so thankful that we all live within driving distance (with exception of my brother Andrew). It is always a treat photographing my family members because they all get to see the "photographer" side of me come out. I think at one point I looked at Nancy and was like "would you turn around and stop talking!" She was trying to get the kids to smile and cooperate, but it works the best when the parents just step off to the side and let me work my magic usually. I think I may have came off a little harsh, sorry about that sis! You know I love ya! With all the being said, I did really have a fun time! The different personalities in your family make me smile! LOVE you guys!

Love you Noah!

This is one of my favorite roads back home in South Dakota, we caught it at a perfect time!

I had to share this image of Casey and Misty! Casey and Misty are so cute together! He is a huge animal lover and it is so neat to see the special bond these two have. I know it sounds cheesy, but for real, it really is sweet!

Misty love!

Love this one!

This image was taken right after Ellie hit Nancy over the face.....hahaaa I love it

Neal & Tara: Married

2009-10-29T13:53:00.009-05:00

Yes blogger world....I am alive!

I wanted to share a wedding that Jamie and I photographed back in South Dakota. Neal and Tara were married on a nice, cool fall day in South Dakota, and their wedding day was perfect! Congratulations Neal and Tara! Thanks so much for asking me to photograph your beautiful day!! You two are such a great couple, and I couldn't be happier for you two.

This was their first look, I love Neal's face, so sweet!

Jamie captured this one of grandma and her little grand baby! I love it!

You both look stunning!!

How fun is this old bus?? I LOVE IT!! we totally ran upon this by accident. I love it when brides are down for doing out of the ordinary pictures!

Across the street from the bus was this old truck! What a great bridal party shot!

love the funky lighting in the bar

You two look awesome!! This is probably my favorite picture!

Happy and in LOVE!!

:)

2009-10-19T08:58:00.003-05:00

I know I have been horrible at updating my blog lately, but as I was going through some images today I decided that I wanted to share these two. For some reason they both make me smile :) I took the church picture the other day at a wedding and the image of my dad was taken by Jamie when we were back home a couple weeks ago. Have a great week everybody!!

This is hands down my favorite church pic ever! God was totally smiling down at me :) Oh and I should mention, I honestly didn't touch this picture up, so cool!

Is my dad adorable or what?? Thanks for being so awesome daddy!! LOVE YOU

Hoese Family

2009-10-09T10:22:00.006-05:00

I wanted to share a few images from this fun session that I did with this great family! I actually met them through my friend Kristi who I met at a photography workshop that I attended. She lives in Rochester and owns Urban Baby Photography and wasn't able to make it up here to do their pictures so she referred them to me. So if anyone is reading this from Rochester, check her out, she does great work.

I love how fun and funky mom dressed them, it totally makes the images more fun and fresh I think. The light that night was super yummy too, gotta love evening light, it's my favorite!

PS Mom and Dad...I think you may have your hands full when your girls are teenagers, they are only gonna get more beautiful!

LOVE this family picture!! What a good looking family and their outfits ROCK :)

YUM YUM light :)

Beautiful!!

These two were throwing out some fun model poses for me, so cute!

Check out her baby belly, so stinkin' cute!!

Britt Family :)

2009-10-07T23:01:00.007-05:00

I am so thankful that I put Tavin in Sports Mania about three years ago because I would have never met Steph and her beautiful family! Words can't express how much I love these kids. Steph you did such a great job with their outfits, thank you for being such a great mommy/friend. Gotta love you!!

this was his spiderman/mean face....love it!

can you even STAND his hair, i just want to take him home with me :)

Love this series

AHHH, LOVE it!

can they get any cuter!!

probably one of my favorite images ever, she is so beautiful!!

Josh + Emily

2009-10-01T16:11:00.012-05:00

So happy for you two!!! The love you have for each other is amazing and you can see it in both your faces that you are TOTALLY in love and happy!

Okay so her sister-in-law is an AWESOME wedding dress designer here in the twin cities. Here name is Carmelle Elizabeth and if any of you brides out there are wanting a dress that is unique to you, give her a call! Her work speaks for itself! She even posted a note inside the dress the night before the wedding from Josh, how sweet is that! Emily didn't know it was there until she opened up her dress to put it on for the wedding day.

love all the expressions in these two photos

This was their expressions after they first saw each other, do they not look so in LOVE!?

Watch out mom, he is gonna be a heartbreaker :) So cute!

So fun!!

Jamie captured this fun one during the ceremony! I love it!

Love these shots from the ceremony!

This was taken right after their first kiss :) love his face

Emily, you looked STUNNING!!

LOVE this shot with the tree in the background!

Love this one of the wedding party!

They had lawn games after the ceremony, what a FUN idea!

The flowers (done by Bachmans) were really pretty. Each bridesmaid had their own personal bouquet of favorite flowers. Fun idea!

cuteness!

2009-09-26T13:45:00.005-05:00

Hope everyone is having a fun weekend! This session should make you smile!

It was so funny, she was totally afraid of the balloons until she found out there was a sucker on the end of them to tie them down :)

Is she the cutest little lady or what!! I LOVE the outfit!!

Love this one

What a little cutie pie!!

Welcome Baby Gianna :)

2009-09-22T16:24:00.005-05:00

I was so excited to meet baby Gianna. After photographing her mom's pregnancy pictures, I knew she was going to be a beautiful baby. She was born on 9.9.09, how cool is that?? It took us awhile to get the shots that we wanted, but they were so worth it. Happy Tuesday!

How can you not smile when you see this picture....awwwww

She is going to have some fun with these two someday :) Gotta love big brothers!

Leischner Family

2009-09-14T15:52:00.004-05:00

When I was back home I got the opportunity to do some really fun pictures of the Leischner family. I love it when a family is down for doing pictures that are a little different than the normal. Growing up on a farm was such a huge part of my life, so I definitely appreciated it when Lindsay called me up and asked if we could do pictures around their farm with the family (maybe someday I will get around to getting my whole family together for a picture....not sure who would take the pics, but it is a great thought) Lindsay did an AWESOME job of coordinating outfits, and I just love how these pictures turned out! Enjoy!

I caught these two doing this!! Isn't it super cute?!

Love this picture, it was taken at the end of their driveway. It is a really significant tree to the family as I am sure it has been around for at least 100 years.

Tim (their dad) wanted a picture on the grain bin. They had to face into full sun, but it still turned out. Who would have thought I would have ever photographed a family on a grain bin, I love it!

This is my favorite of the session!! This needs to be a canvas on your walls guys :)

Is she cute or what?? I think this is as close to sassy baby as I have ever seen, love her expression!!

Love this series, her brothers were so CUTE with her!

Aiden ~ 1 year

2009-09-11T10:33:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures from mr.aidens one year session. He was such a bundle of chubby and happy, and has such a great personality, even the fits! I went to high school with his mom Jill and I was so excited when she called me and wanted me to do a session. They have such a fun, CUTE family and Jill is gorgeous, so that always makes for some fun pictures!! Enjoy!

Love this series!!!

Aren't they a beautiful family!!

had to throw this in here, every time they grabbed a hold of his hands, he screamed!! so funny!

there is something about this image that I love, shows the curiosity of childhood :)

how can you not LOVE his baby belly!!! so cute!!

Avery & Finley

2009-09-10T09:25:00.006-05:00

When I was home a couple weekends ago, I got to photograph a couple of my favorite clients, Avery and Finley. I have been photographing them for about three years now and I can't believe how cute they keep getting. Every year they just get cuter, I love it! It also makes me smile that they are polar opposites, brown hair brown eyes, blonde hair blue eyes, and their personalities are total opposites too! I had a great time and I can't wait to photograph them again next year. Oh and I should mention that their mom rocks. I locked my keys in my trunk at the end of the session so she called up someone that she knew (one of the local guys from parkston), and he was there in 30 minutes to open my car up. I asked him how much I owed him and he goes "I don't know, how about twenty bucks," gotta love small towns cause I know if I was up here in the cities I probably would have gotten charged $100. Thanks again Heidi!

Aren't they adorable!!

How cute are their outfits with this yellow pole!! Love it

Ummm....can I move this entire building to the cities please? LOVE this red building!

Little miss Diva!!

Dan+ Lacey: Engaged

2009-09-01T09:38:00.006-05:00

This past weekend I ventured back to my stomping grounds to photograph a few sessions. Lacey and Dan asked me to be their wedding photographer about a month ago and when they got out of the car the other night I couldn't have been more thrilled. They are so sweet together and so in love, it makes me happy that I get to document that kind of love. We headed into Mitchell and they pretty much rocked it out for me the entire time. Thanks for being down for all my silly ideas, I had a blast you two, can't wait to document your wedding day!

loved how this one turned out :)

HELLO!! are the a good looking couple or what??

they were seriously doing this cute stuff the whole session, so so sweet and happy, i loved it!

Okay so the ferris wheel picture didn't turn out quite how I wanted it to because the ferris wheel wasn't a traditional old style one...bummer. I was able to capture this one though and I thought it turned out cute!

LOVE this pic!! Probably one of my favs!

We had to get cotton candy and have a little fun with that, how cute it this series??

Grady

2009-08-27T08:20:00.006-05:00

I was so excited when Audrey emailed me and said that they wanted me to photograph their little mans one year pictures :) Audrey and I know each other through her husband Mike, who I went to high school with. I couldn't have been more thrilled when they showed up with their little wagon and one of the cutest boys ever!! Grady was a total ham for the camera, I just love his personality. Thanks for heading to my neck of the woods to get photographed, (even though you got totally lost in the city) it was worth it!

Daddy and Grady love to play baseball together, I love this series :)

AWWWW

Grady did this all on his own, I was loving it!!

He was getting a huge kick out of his reflection :)

love it!

Tanner 2 Years

2009-08-25T07:54:00.008-05:00

I always have so much fun photographing little Tanner, he is always full of smiles and a total boy all around. I have photographed him ever since he was 6 months, and I can't believe that he is 2 years old now! Wow time really does fly, so parents, make sure you cherish every moment with your little ones, even if sometimes they drive you to pull your hair out :) I was holding Tavin (my little guy) the other day thinking, wow, I won't be able to do this forever, so I should really enjoy it while I can. Happy Tuesday everybody!!

As you can see.....I like to obey the rules while photographing :) Better to ask forgiveness than permission right :)

Love this one!! Total boy all around

Probably my favorite of the session, gotta love it!!

Alena :)

2009-08-19T16:39:00.008-05:00

When I was back home a few weekends ago I got the privileged to photograph Alena's seniors pictures...(AKA a member of one of my favorite families from back home) I don't photograph a ton of seniors but when I get asked to do them I get so excited because they are always so much fun! As you can see, Alena TOTALLY rocked it out for me, can she get any prettier?? FOR REAL!! She is gorgeous! Thanks again for asking me to be your photographer for your pictures Alena, I hope you had as much fun as I did.

P.S. Sorry I have neglected the blog lately, I promise to be better at it :) Thank you everyone for following me.

This building made the shot, seriously, I wish I could move this building to Minneapolis :)

Alena is a very talented runner so we had to get some pictures on the track. I love the story of the bag. Her dad told her she could have the bag if she broke the school record in the mile, isn't it cute? Way to go Alena!

LOVE IT!!!

I love it when God sends his wind angels my way when I am photographing, makes me happy :)

Love this location, Alena, you sure do make old tires and tin buildings look HOT

LOVE this picture too. This old chair of my grandmas just made the shot :)

Oh how I heart this old farm that has turned into a cemetery for Volkswagen's, a definite photographers dream :)

Happy Wednesday!

2009-08-05T08:40:00.005-05:00

A month ago I helped Jamie photograph a wedding and it was an amazing wedding with a really awesome vintage feel to it. We took along my old medium format camera that my grandma gave me to shoot some black and white and this is one of the images that we got. I LOVE IT!! It totally fits the feel of the day. It feels like the guy is kissing his lady goodbye before he goes off to war or something :) I will probably share more from this day when I get the chance, but I wanted to at least share this one. This picture is right out of the camera, I love that I didn't touch it up at all :) Have a great Wednesday!

pregnancy

2009-08-03T20:38:00.004-05:00

I did a few more pictures of Jean and her gorgeous family about a month ago, (yea I am horrible at blogging) and wow, can you say photogenic. They are such a fun family and I am so happy that I met them. I can't wait to meet the baby because I am sure she is going to be just as beautiful as the rest of the family. Enjoy :)

This picture was taken with no instruction, yes they are just that cute and in love!!

for some reason I like this image, it was taken at the melt down stage and I think it turned out cute!! gotta love the older brother totally annoyed on the end :)

Love Love it!!

aren't they adorable??

can this family get any more beautiful??

another image that I LOVE because this is totally their family!!

Baby Leo

2009-07-30T16:20:00.005-05:00

I was so excited to photograph baby Leo a couple weeks ago. He is actually the baby of one of my wedding couples from a few years ago. He was such a good little model for me and I can't wait to watch him grow. Congrats once again Laura and Kevin, you two are going to make awesome parents! :)

Probably one of my favorites of the session!! SO SO CUTE!!

Isn't he adorable!!

Laura made this shirt and then gave it to Kevin as a way of telling him that they were going to have a baby. So of course we had to put it on little man. Isn't that a cute idea?!!

LOVE these two, love the little tootsies :)

Jake + Robin : Engaged

2009-07-09T16:07:00.004-05:00

Last week I photographed Jake and Robin's engagement session and had such a great time. I knew Jake from high school and I was so happy when they asked me to be their photographer for their wedding. They have such a fun love, and I had such a blast photographing them. They totally rocked it for me. Thanks you two!!

They wanted to do a pic on the hill that they lay on in his front yard, how cute is this picture :)

love love love this pic!!

Isn't this a fun pic!! totally makes me smile :)

Wiggle Your Toes Charity Golf Event

2009-07-01T14:55:00.003-05:00

Recently I photographed a fun charity even for the Wiggle Your Toes Organization. Here are all the pictures from the event. Enjoy!!
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One Year :)

2009-06-29T11:08:00.006-05:00

Thought I would share a few images of little miss B. She seriously had so many different expressions, I loved them!! Even though we had to dodge the downpours, we got some of the cutest pictures!! Enjoy!!

This picture ranks right up there in my favorite pics ever!! Love everything about it! Is she really posing like that with her hands!!

Check out her expressions :)

Pregnancy is Beautiful!!

2009-06-24T12:09:00.005-05:00

I have been doing a few pregnancy sessions lately and I wanted to share another one that I did with Jean and her two beautiful boys last week. I love it when pregnant women want to do something different, and these last two sessions I had were so much fun!! I think every pregnant woman should have photos taken of themselves. (I know you disagree mom haha) It is such a beautiful time in a woman's life, I just love it!! Enjoy!!

Seriously, can she get any more stunning!!??

I feel like this should be an add for Ralph Lauren prego clothes?? LOVE IT

so so cute!!

mommy and her boys/girl in tummy :)

babies kickin'

Expecting :)

2009-06-23T08:38:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share a fun little shoot that I did with one of my couples whom I photographed a few years ago for their wedding. They are expecting baby to arrive soon and I am so glad I got the opportunity to document her perfect little baby belly. Congrats to you two and I can't wait to meet baby!!

Strong

2009-06-21T18:48:00.003-05:00

If I had to describe my dad with one word I think it would be strong. He is strong in his faith, strong in his love for his family and physically strong also (he is obviously made of steel). He is also really strong when it comes to relationships with others. He is one of the friendliest guys I know, and would do anything for anyone if they needed it. He has set such a great example for us to follow. I am so thankful for all the sacrifices he has made for us and for him teaching us good morals and values. Happy Father's Day daddy, I love you!!

Neal + Tara: Engaged

2009-06-19T10:05:00.005-05:00

I had a great time photographing Neal and Tara's engagement session last weekend. I love South Dakota and all the fun old stuff!! I can't wait for their wedding!! It is going to be so much fun!!

Check out the rockin' shoes, love it!!

Serious with this fun building!! love it!!

love the emotion in this pic!

What a fun little family, their dog Remi (short for Remington) is so cute!!

Jeff & Jeanne : Married

2009-06-08T07:50:00.007-05:00

What a great wedding we had last weekend! Jeff and Jeanne got married on one of those picture perfect days in Minnesota. I was so excited to have some time with them before the wedding to take some fun photos. Thanks so much for being up for for the adventure you two, even though we got kicked off the golf course and probably would have gotten in trouble by the red barn too, it was so worth it!! Jamie and I had an awesome time!!

One of my favorite shots from the day!! Totally working it!

Jeanne's boys were so much fun!! They were totally rockin' it in these pics!!

Love the feel of this picture with the old car! Very 1920's!

Isn't this a fun cousin picture?

Gotta love red barns!

A few details from the day
WOW!! Simply beautiful!!

Love the facial expressions!! Can you say Happiness??

Welcome Baby Charley

2009-05-23T20:05:00.007-05:00

A couple weeks ago I photographed Anne a few days before she gave birth to their handsome baby boy Charley. She looks beautiful in these pictures and I could not get over how adorable their little guy is!! He didn't really want to sleep for any of the pictures, but we ended up getting some really awesome shots. Can't wait to see him grow up, he is going to be a cutie pie!!

Here are a few of the pictures from their pregnancy session. Pregnancy is so beautiful!!

loved this picture, wanted to document that the trees were just starting to bloom :)

Probably one of my favorites from the session!!

Now onto the baby pictures

LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Probably one of my favorite pictures ever, this image speaks volumes.

Isn't he cute!! He loves his hands, he always had them up by his face, so sweet!!

Love my Clients!

2009-05-14T08:27:00.004-05:00

Some of you may remember my wedding clients from last summer, Megan and Chris. They got married last July and we photographed their wedding. Well, guess who came into their lives almost 9 months later, baby Gavin. He was such a little peanut!! Megan and Chris are going to make awesome parents, and I can't wait to watch little Gavin grow up. Congratulations on your little man, I am so happy for you two!!

This picture is probably one of my favorite newborn shots!!! Don't think milk is going to come out of the nose :) cracks me up!

isn't he a cute baby??

Family

2009-05-13T14:22:00.006-05:00

A couple weekends ago I photographed one of my favorite families!! Doug and Alina have been friends of mine for a long time now, and every year they call me to get photos taken I get so excited because WOW, they have a beautiful family. Their girls are just stunning, probably because their parents are both good looking I am guessing :) We went out to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and had a great time.

This is probably one of my favorite pictures from the shoot!! Total 2 year old attitude! I'm just gonna stand over here and eat my oranges cause I am SO over this!! Priceless!!

Seriously, can she get any more beautiful!! look at those eyes!!

Gotta love the days when you are missing your two front teeth, so precious!!

She is just beautiful, love the way the wind swept her hair here :)

Look at how beautiful their family is!!

Loving this weather :)

2009-05-05T07:35:00.008-05:00

On sunday I had the chance to photograph some of my clients/good friends out at the arboretum (pictures to come). In the process I got a few pictures of the beautiful flowers that are out there. I only wish I had half the knowledge they have out there about flowers, oh and a yard to plant would be nice too, but I will settle with my deck pots. I am soooo excited for the summer and green grass, pretty flowers and green trees. It all makes me happy!! Enjoy!!

Oh and last but not least, Happy Birthday to my brother Andrew today!! This is one of my favorite pictures of us growing up. Don't we look so sweet?? Andrew and I were definitely little trouble makers growing up; or maybe he was the trouble maker and I just followed, either way I love him...even if I had permanent bruises on my legs from him my whole childhood. Hope you have a great day Andrew!!

Lil Man Carson

2009-05-01T15:27:00.005-05:00

Last weekend I had a great time photographing little Carson. His parents are always such sweethearts and I have been photographing him since he was 3 months old. I love getting the opportunity to watch him grow up!! We had a great time playing with the airplanes, trucks, and ladybugs and in the process we got some really great pictures. Enjoy!!

I'm loving this barn door!!

I am so excited to see green grass again!! can't wait for summer!!

Probably my favorite image from the session

April Fun

2009-04-17T13:18:00.006-05:00

Here are a few more photo shoots that I did this month. Enjoy!!

Ultimate family photo right?? Isn't this what always happens at the end of a photo shoot :)

probably one of my favorite images of the day, can their kids get any cuter!!

had to put this one in, love the reverse balding :)

SO ADORABLE

These next ones are from a different day, and estella and oliver totally rocked it!!

love the sweet innocence of this picture for some reason

one of my favorites of the day!!

how fun is this, she kissed him and then was like, whoa, did I just kiss my brother, yuck :)

Jama ~ 9 Months

2009-04-14T18:17:00.006-05:00

Here are some recent pictures I took of the lil miss Jama last weekend. She was such a cutie pie and FULL of smiles and curiosity. Not to mention, her mom and dad were super sweet and during the session we found out that we were both originally from South Dakota, and she knew my cousins!! Such a small world! Can't wait to photograph her again on her one year pics :)

Gotta love her hair in the back that sticks straight up, kinda reminds me of my hair back in the day when I used to spray my bangs straight up :) yea I was totally stylin'

Here is Jama's little doggie. Isn't he a cutie!!

LOVE this connection

Love this pic also!

Mason:6 months

2009-03-23T16:03:00.003-05:00

I recently photographed little man mason for his 6 month pics. I can't believe how time flies. He is getting to be such a big boy!! Love his baby blues, doesn't get much better than that. Oh and I had to grab a couple of his sister and her best friend. They were so cute together!! Enjoy :)

does life get any cuter than this?? for real!! his shirt was perfect

how can you not smile when looking at this pic, I LOVE IT!!

Tavin Jay: 4 Years

2009-03-11T15:47:00.004-05:00

Wanted to share a few pictures I took of my little man Tavin the other day. I know he has flip flops on and there is snow on the ground, but it's all good, I didn't keep him outside that long. I think it was 35 degrees that day and that is balmy for us. He loves getting his pictures taken and actually threw a fit when I told him we were done. I am planning on doing another photo shoot of him when I go back to the farm, but I wanted to share these with everyone in the mean time. Enjoy!!

He has the greatest facial expressions

love this one, it looks like he is really thinking hard about something!

Workshop Fun!

2009-03-05T15:04:00.007-06:00

This past weekend I had the chance to go the Brianna Graham workshop out in Sacramento California and I had such a blast!! I learned so much and made so many new friends and I can't wait to use all the new techniques I learned with my upcoming clients!! Brianna has such amazing talent and I am so thankful I got the chance to learn from her. She is super awesome and so much fun to hang with too!! Here are just a few images that I got at the workshop. The kids were all so cute and dressed perfectly. I love all the layers they had on and this is kind of the direction I want to take with my clients clothing choices in the future. Enjoy!!

love this image!! she was probably mad at me that i made her sit on the wet railroad track :) and the fact that it was pouring rain probably didn't help the situation...
This little girl was such a HAM!! loved her!

Fun in the SD countryside

2009-02-19T10:31:00.008-06:00

Last weekend when I was home I went out on a little photo adventure around my parents farm. I can't believe how many fun things there are to photograph around there. I am amazed at how many abandon farms there are. I think I ran into about six of them in a 2 mile radius, it is crazy! I am in love with old farms, there is a mystery about them that makes me want to capture it. I can't wait to go back and dive into another adventure, so much fun!! Enjoy :)

This image is probably one of my favorites!! I love the heart in the barbed wire! I think it would be fun to come up with a caption for this one :)

I really like trees in the winter, just something about them :)

check out the tree that fell into the other one, thought that was fun!!

love this old car!!

looks like a chevy and ford face off :) wonder which one will win...

love the light on the barn

love the clouds and color here

Gotta love South Dakota sunsets!!

I couldn't leave out this picture of one of my moms kittens. They sit up on her deck and peek in the window all day long :)

Happy 4th Birthday Tavin!!

2009-02-18T14:21:00.007-06:00

Today is my sons 4th birthday and wow, how time flies. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital as a newborn, and now he has grown into such a little man. I admire his energy everyday. I don't know where he gets it from, but he sure does have a lot of it. I am thankful for that though. He is a healthy and happy boy (most of the time) who can run around and wear me out everyday. Here are a few pictures from two of his birthday parties. He had two parties since we were at the farm this weekend. I looked at him this morning and said, Happy Birthday, and he said, "but mom it was already my birthday, am i having another one?? or am i 5 now?" I thought that was cute!!

I bought him trick candles that kept on re-lighting. I finally put a stop to it after he had spit all over the cake :)

He loved the blue frosting

Isn't this how you are supposed to eat your ice-cream cake??

Baby Logan

2009-02-11T16:17:00.004-06:00

Last weekend I traveled down to Chicago to photograph my cousins little man Logan. It was such a fun session. Logan finally calmed down after it got up to a balmy 85 degrees in the room. We were all sweating but it was totally worth it :) He is such a sweet baby, and I am so happy for their new family!! He has awesome parents, and I am certain that he will grow up with a fun sense of humor because both of his parents are so light hearted and fun to be around. I couldn't be happier for you guys, can't wait to watch Logan grow up. Love you guys!!

I love all the pics with the two of them!! so sweet

Love this one!! They are big John Deere fans!!

I think this was his sign to tell us that he was all done with the camera...so cute!!

Little Man Tanner : 18 Months

2009-01-28T14:11:00.004-06:00

I have been photographing Tanner since he was 6 months old now, and wow has he grown so fast. I know they all grow fast, but it is so much fun to see the progression from when I first started photographing him. He has such a fun personality. It took him awhile to warm up but once he did, he was a real ham for the camera. I loved all of the serious expressions that I got out of him, his eyes are just beautiful. Enjoy!!

This was hilarious. I guess he knows how to give really good head butts, he even gave his grandma a black eye they told me. So funny!!

he is totally daddies little man, he wouldn't let him out of his sight.

This was one of my favorites from the session. Mom was tickling him, isn't his expression priceless??

loved this one too!!

aren't his eyes just stunning!! I love his little hand up by his mouth too. so cute!!

love my family!!!

2009-01-26T13:42:00.006-06:00

So a few months ago (as you can see by the leaves still on the trees), I photographed my sisters family. As I was going through the pictures, I just sat here and laughed because every formal picture that I tried to get, there was someone making a silly face or hitting someone, or just not looking. I guess when you have 5 kids, their personalities all shine when auntie Amy is trying to take their pictures. We always have such a great time hanging out, and I am grateful that they live a short 20 minutes away from me.

this picture of the family is probably my favorite!! love it!! We did get a few good formal ones, but I love this one because it is so their family!

I really liked this one of the the hands and Jed who isn't quite tall enough yet, so cute

Typical Jaden face

try not to smile when you see this one.

one of my favorite also, so peaceful I think

more fun images

2009-01-25T11:01:00.004-06:00

yea yea I know, I am horrible at updating my blog. My goal this week is to put up different sessions that I did over the busy season for you all to enjoy. Sorry I have been slacking. My mom told me that I needed to update it, and when I heard that, I knew it was time. Hope you are all having a fabulous January!! Enjoy

Love this shot of Evan and his big brother

These next images are of Shelby and Mason. I have been photographing Shelby since she was a little newborn. Their parents have become really good friends of mine, I just love these guys!!

love this expression

check out the beautiful baby blues!!

Beautiful Aveyda

2008-12-25T14:56:00.005-06:00

Baby Aveyda is such a little DIVA!!!! She is so much fun to photograph, and always has the best outfits, I love it!! Can't really go wrong with a shirt that says "peace, love and lip gloss." Her parents and family are all so sweet and I am so glad I got the chance to photograph her again.

Can this family get any cuter??

Love this series with her mom

Check out the yellow shoes, love it!!

one of my favorites!!

can I call them family?

2008-11-22T17:35:00.008-06:00

So let me just tell give you a little history about this family. I met them when I first moved up here way back in 2001. They were looking for a nanny, and my friend Megan gave them my name. The next thing you know, I was watching their precious little boy Matthew, who I think was 2 months old at that point. I have heard it said that God brings people into your life for a reason, and the Bernier family was definitely one of God's blessings on my life that year as I started photography school. Needless to say, our relationship has grown over the 7 years that I have known them, and I now consider them some of my closest friends. They have been there for me through my ups and downs, and I am continually amazed at how loving and giving they are. I cannot believe how much Matthew and Mitch have grown up to be such big boys. Watch out girls, they are going to be heart throbs someday. Love you guys!!

love it!! so adorable

can you say Gap ad??

he lost his first tooth, how exciting!! I had to get a picture of that :)

WOW!! look at those eyes

boys will be boys

Jay + Amy:Married

2008-11-11T15:24:00.010-06:00

A couple weeks ago Jamie and I photographed another fun wedding for bellagala. The wedding day was beautiful and the weather couldn't have been anymore perfect. Jay and Amy are so much in love, and they are totally meant for each other. Thanks so much for letting us spend the day with you and document your perfect love :)

This was Jamie's view of the first look. Loved their expressions when they saw each other for the first time. I love it when brides choose the option to have a first look. It is always so much more intimate and makes for extra time to capture just the two of them in a more relaxed setting.

They hired a driver for the day from Classic Auto Limousine Services to escort them around in a Bentley, I would tell you the year of the car, but I'm not for sure. So if any of you out there are looking for a sweet ride to escort you around in, give this company a call, they're awesome!!

love this perspective!

Once again, another FUN wedding party!!

loved the car and detail shots that Jamie captured.

Their wedding was at Oak Ridge conference center in Chaska. Such a beautiful place to have a wedding, they really do a fantastic job with all the details, and the food was amazing!!
This picture of the purse was a really neat story that the grandma told us. She said that she needed a fancy purse for the day to go with her dress, and she knew her mom had used one long ago, so she went into the closet and found this one. Little did she know that when she opened the purse there would be a wedding program in there from Amy's parents wedding day. How special is that. Love that story :)
Amy and Jay had fireworks to top off the night. Such a great ending to a fabulous day!!

Gindt Family: Rockin' it!

2008-10-29T22:21:00.005-05:00

So last week I photographed one of the most fun families!! They totally rocked it, and I fell in love with them and this session. I love it when families are willing to try new things and be creative along with me, it makes my job so much more fun. Shawn has been such a sweetheart to me through this whole process and I think I have made a new friend in her :) She cracks me up and I can tell that her and her hubby are doing an awesome job raising the three boys. Thanks again Shawn, you and your family ROCK!!

such handsome boys!!

love this one!!

just picking on little brother having a blast!!

One of my favorites from the session, just because it isn't a "normal" family portrait

are they totally working it here or what??

Tracy & Chris: Married

2008-10-28T21:42:00.005-05:00

Okay so this wedding that I shot for Bellagala took place about three weeks ago now, and I have to say it was right up there with my favorite weddings of the summer. Tracy and Chris have such a special bond, and it was an honor to get to spend the day with them. Love just radiates from the two of them, and I know without a doubt in my mind that they were meant to be together forever. Thanks so much for letting us spend your special day with you. We had such a blast!!

Tracy did such an awesome job with the details of the day. They even had a signature drink called the Penntini (their last name is Penn) How FUN! Oh and they had matching bobble heads for each of the groomsmen and themselves.

Is this image rockin' or what?? Jamie captured this one!! We totally walked right onto this farm property that was across from the church. I went up to the house to ask permission, but no one answered so we acted like we owned the place and started taking sweet pics!!

Such a FUN wedding party!!

Love the casual feel to this one

Love the emotion in this picture!!

lil' cuties

2008-10-25T16:00:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share a few pics from a session I had last week. I am so bad at blogging, and I promise to put up pictures from my last month of sessions, but I wanted to share a few of these with my fun blog readers. Nothing says cute any better than a little blonde hair boy who is rockin' the mohawk! Him and his sister were such cutie pies!!

meet Kellen Charles....

2008-10-20T16:52:00.004-05:00

Hello fellow blog followers! Sorry i am really bad at updating this blog lately. It is the busy season for me, so I haven't had lots of extra time to put images up. I will try and get better with this, i promise.

Here is a newborn session I did a few weeks ago. I photographed his adorable siblings this summer, and what do ya know?? He is adorable too :) I love that I got to photograph him within the first week. It usually makes a big difference because they want to sleep most of the time. Thanks again Steph for letting me come and play. You and your family are some of the nicest people I know!!

SOOO sleepy!!

even when he looks at me funny he is still adorable

Trinity

2008-10-06T15:07:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, Jamie and I took my niece Trinity out into the country to have a little fun. Jamie and I are obsessed with heading out into the country and finding random dirt roads with yummy light. I bought this tutu and a few other things, and I wanted to use Trinity as my model, and she did a fabulous job. We came across the perfect location for this shoot, and I am for sure going back!! How perfect was this little fence and the changing trees??!! Can't get much better than that. Trinity was so sweet the whole time, and the only way we got her to smile was asking her what she wanted to eat at McDonalds. Yep, kinda lame, but she is a little shy and it took her awhile to warm up, but her sweet innocent look really made for some awesome photos.

*Oh and thank you Jamie for coming along with me.....love love love working with you :)

we came across this old red truck and luckily the farmer was out there, and he gladly let us use it, nothing better than old trucks, and tutu's!

this is one of my favorites!

love this shot, the light is insane awesome here isn't it!! I think Jamie took this one

Fun with Bella!

2008-09-29T14:35:00.005-05:00

Last week I had the opportunity to meet Bella, (love the name :) and what a blast we had. She is so adorable, and I can't get over how cute her curly hair is! She was a huge ball of energy, and we got some fun pictures. Her parents are so cute with her, I love the connection they had with her. Jessica (mom) is expecting soon, so I can't wait to meet baby #2 :) Thanks again for letting me come out and play with Bella, I had a blast!

Rockin' the TuTu

I love her hair and the lighting in the shot!

My little cutie!

2008-09-20T08:51:00.003-05:00

This past week my good friend and photographer Jamie took pictures for our Christmas card and I wanted to just show you a few of my favorites. I don't want to show you too many because I am not sure which ones I will use in my card, but I couldn't resist not showing these. Isn't he such a little cutie pie??! Jamie did such an awesome job, and I can't wait to show you more! They turned out sooooooo cute :)

More Family Fun!

2008-09-17T22:40:00.005-05:00

A couple weekends ago when I was back home, I photographed my brother's family and we had such a great time!! Downtown Sioux Falls was a little more interesting than I had ever imagined, but the pictures turned out pretty sweet! They are such a cool family and their kids are adorable! Tavin (my son) and Max are about the same age, and it is always nice to get those two together to play. Max and him are total opposites, so I think they balance each other out nicely. Tessa is kinda like Tavin, so I was happy when she came along because I felt like Brad and Wanda had it a little to easy with Max. For instance....after our photo shoot Max and Tavin took baths, and Tessa was so upset that she couldn't take a bath with them that after they got out, she just went and helped herself to the bath and sat down in the water fully clothed. Love that girl!! Enjoy!!

Brad just flips her around like she is a sack of potatoes, so cute!!

love this one of max!!

my favorite family shot

wasn't kinda the perfect look i was going for, but I thought it turned out super cute!! Max is giving out the peace symbol apparently :)

One of my all time favorite pics, i just love the emotion in this shot!!

check out Tessa's chub, so cute!!

Senior Pics!!

2008-09-16T11:38:00.005-05:00

This summer I got the opportunity to photograph one of my favorite cousins, Larissa. Every time I went home this summer we did pictures, and it was so much fun. Larissa is such a beautiful woman and so much fun to be around!! As you can see in some of the pictures, we laughed the whole time we were doing these, it was great!! We basically went to every little town around my parents farm and did pictures. We scouted out lots of old buildings and dirt roads and cruised around in my dads old F-150, it couldn't get any better than that. We also took pictures with her two best friends, katie and kayla. They were so funny together and thought I was crazy when I told them that I wanted to find an old car to sit on. So here we are, going through my dad's neighbors trees, scouting out the perfect old car and dodging cow pies, it was a blast!! Thanks Larissa for letting me take your senior pictures!! It was so much fun!! Love ya girl!!

She has got the most beautiful eyes, stunning!!

rockin' it with my grandma's old chair :)

These three are definitely going to be old ladies together going out for tea parties, such a close group of girls!!

Love this one!
Found this HUGE bike in Mitchell by some random bike shop, had to stop and get a pic of course :)

F A M I L Y

2008-09-12T11:39:00.004-05:00

Last weekend when I was home I got the opportunity to photograph one of my favorite families from back home. Everyone in this family is so genuine, caring and FUN, and I was so excited when Kassy told me they wanted me to take their pictures! Kassy and I were 4 years apart in high school, but we became close friends during that time. She is such a beautiful woman inside and out, and I know she didn't learn her awesome values on her own, her great parents had a lot to do with that. Thanks for the fun!!

These sunflowers were Lisa's pride and joy for the summer apparently and as I was taking this Bart said "if this picture works, it's gonna be huge :) I think they like to pick on mom a little bit, it did turn out really cool though.

Talk about one BEAUTIFUL family!!

This is kassy and her hubby, i thought it was a cute series :)

Love the huge tree!!

yep i made them hold hands, I think kassy was the only one who enjoyed this :)

Growing up way too fast

2008-09-11T16:02:00.004-05:00

Today was Tavin's first day of school, and I think it turned out really well. He was all fired up to go with his brand new spider man backpack. I was a little worried about his listening abilities, but the teacher told me that he was a very good listener. I then asked him how his day was and the first thing he said was "i didn't listen", probably because I told him that he needed to be a good listener and he wanted to see my reaction. I also asked him if he made any friends and he told me their names were caroline, jackson and benjamin. How cute, I love it!! It seems like just yesterday I was watching him take his first steps, now he is little big boy :) I can't wait to see how much he changes over the years, it is so much fun!

family fun!

2008-09-05T17:26:00.005-05:00

I also had the opportunity to photograph this fun family last week! We had a lot of fun running around, but I think I might have worn mom and dad out by the end of the session :) I love chasing kids around and being silly with them, it makes my job so much more fun!!

This is probably my favorite one of the kids

love the lighting on this one and the shadows :)

Summer Fun

2008-09-05T17:15:00.003-05:00

Last week I got the chance to hang out with some of my favorite boys that I get to photograph. I have been photographing these adorable boys for the past few years, and I think they keep getting cuter and cuter!! We had a blast!! They are always doing silly things in front of the camera, and are never afraid to bust out some moves and fun poses!!

Gotta love the fun pool shots!!

This is one of my favorites!

Family Camp 2008

2008-08-25T12:04:00.005-05:00

A couple weeks ago we had our annual family camp trip to the Black Hills. It is always so much fun to get everyone together since we are all kind of spread out across the country, there isn't always times when we can ALL get together. We had a blast like usual, and I wanted to share a few pictures from the fun weekend.

This was on our hike up the Devils Bathtub. It was so gorgeous!! It basically is a bunch of waterfalls into these deep pools. Apparently people use the rocks as water slides, we were not that adventurous.

gotta have arts and craft time with grandma and the kids :)

We celebrated Trinity's 3rd birthday and of course Tavin has to be right up in the mix. I think he blew out her candles for her, so we had to do it again :)

One BIG HAPPY family!!

My brother-in-law Casey brought along some fresh tuna that he ordered in fresh from the ocean. I never knew you could do that, and have it over nighted to you. Anyway, my mom has never had fresh tuna, so she decided to take a whole dot of the wasabi sauce and she quickly figured out how HOT it really is, that was her face after she put it in her mouth.
Tavin and Luke were practicing their flying skills.
A random sunflower in my parents trees. This one is for you mom, i know you love these things.

Andrew and krista brought along a bunch of games for the kids, and here they are playing a little badminton.

Girls Just wanna have fun

2008-08-21T14:27:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I got the chance to photograph these two lil' cutie pies. They don't look anything like sisters, do they? :) We had a blast, and I just love all the expressions that I captured. So much fun!!

this picture is probably one of my favorites from the day :)

Welcome Baby Henry

2008-08-11T09:12:00.004-05:00

Last week my friend Jamie and I got the chance to photography baby Henry at only 6 days old. I feel like you always get the best newborn pictures within the first week because they usually sleep the whole time, and they are used to being balled up, so they usually let you fold them and place them, and Henry was no exception. He was the perfect model, and he didn't even have an accident, so impressed. We met Henry's parents at a wedding we did, and they graciously let us use Henry as a model. I am working on some new baby announcements and needed some updated pictures of newborns within the first week, so I was thrilled to be able to capture some fun shots. (if anyone out there knows someone who is having a baby, send them my way because I still need a few more models) Thanks again Ryan and Lindsay, and Congrats on your new bundle of Love!! You two are going to be awesome parents :)

Isn't he just a lil' peanut

This chair was in his room. Lindsay used to have it in her room, her mom made it for her awhile back, and now Henry gets to have it in his room. It is a jungle theme, and sooo cute!!

How can you not SMILE when you look at this picture. LOVE IT!!

Here is a sample of one of the new announcements.