I have extended the dates for my Christmas specials.

November 5-20

$25.00 session fee (30 minute session)

I am also offering an image disc of five of your favorite images for $250.00

You may also choose between two different set designs. 

The Winter Wonderland is perfect for the snowy outdoor setting.  Think warm fuzzy sweaters, coats, mittens and scarfs. 

Our Vintage Christmas tree set design is perfect to show off those adorable Christmas outfits.  If you would rather keep your backdrop simple you may choose a plain backdrop that compliments your outfits. 

The choice is yours. 

All you have to do is let me know when you schedule your appointment. 

To sweeten the pot even more I will also offer 12 free Christmas cards with the purchase of 24 cards.  Crazy I know.  What are you waiting for.  These deals won't last forever.

Dates are filling up fast.  Schedule your appointment today!

Heaven received another angel

I have been through a tough week.  As many of you know, my mother has been battling cancer for the last four years.  Last Wednesday I received a call from my dad to get right over there because mom's health took a turn for the worst.  On Tuesday she was good, running errands in town and doing her normal day to day stuff.  By the time I got there Wesdnesday afternoon she was on oxygen and could hardly talk.  She could only drink a couple sips of water and had not eaten all day.  She continued to decline everyday.  For 5 days we had family and friends by her side.  Laughing, crying sharing stories.  Even though mom was unresponsive most of the time, we would catch her smiling at some of our stories.  On October 24th at 12:31am she lost her battle.  I went from pleading with God not to take her to pleading with him to please just take her.  It was so hard watching her deteriorate like this. 

I would like to thank everyone for your prayers and your understanding.  I promise once the funeral is over I will get back on track editing and posting your sessions.

I have one more thing to share.  This was taken by another photographer on October 24, 2011 of the Northern lights.  I can't help but think it is a sign from my mother.  I asked her to give me a sign when she reached heaven.  What a beautiful angel she is!  Love you forever mama.

Lauren's Sneak Peek

I had to add a couple of Lauren's pictures from today's session. She is such a beautiful girl. We had so much fun going all over Northfield and then back to the studio. Even with the crazy winds we were able to get some gorgeous portraits. Here is just a little sneak peek for now.

Where has the time went!

I can't believe it is the end of July already.  I have been so busy photographing and editing pictures that I haven't had much time to blog lately.  I did want to pop on quick to post some images from some recent sessions.  This adorable couple came in for a maternity session. I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful expectant mother. She was truly glowing.

 I get such joy in documenting this beautiful time in your life. To encourage pregnant mom's to come in I offer this session absolutely free. I was asked why do I offer it for free. To be honest with you, it gives me a chance to be creative and try new ideas. Not enough expectant mothers want portraits at this time in their life.  But these pictures are priceless.  You will never be able to go back and get them later.

And yes...I also hope that you will be so in love with your portraits that you will bring your new baby in for newborn portraits. :)

Vintage Lifestyle Portraits

Avery and Jamison came in to model for me for a new set design called Vintage Lifestyle Portraits.  I Looovvvee the way they turned out.  They were the perfect models.  I could seriously photograph them every single day.  We had so much fun.

The wheat fields are just perfect right now.  If you want wheat field pictures you better make your session for this week.  My guess is it will be harvested by the first week of August.  I will miss it when it's gone.  I love wheat field pictures.

 I love everything about this picture!  It turned out exactly how I had imagined!

If this is something you may be interested in please drop me a line.  I am in the process of figuring out a special and dates for this new set.  I may even incorporate it in with my lemonade stand and let clients pick which set they would like.

When should I book my outdoor session?

Well that depends...outdoor settings are constantly changing with the time of day and the month you book?

Here are some ideas for different outdoor settings you may want to consider when booking your appointment.

June - We have lots of green!  The wild flower field is starting to bloom.  We have white daisy's and Lilly's blooming.  The tall wild grass looks awesome in portraits.

The best time for outdoor portraits in June.

Flowers and Grasses - Between 4 and 7pm.
The woods - Between 10-5pm.
Sunset Pictures - Between 8 and 9pm.

July - Still have beautiful green grass and trees.  Lot's of flowers blooming.  Wild flower field is in full bloom!
Last week of July - Wheat field is perfect for pictures.  (Harvest time will possibly be the first week in August although there are no guarantees.)  The last 2 weeks of July will be incredibly beautiful this year.  The field behind the wild flowers is planted in wheat this year so it should be spectacular for pictures! 

The best time for outdoor portraits in July.

Flowers and Grasses - Between 4 and 7pm.

The woods - Between 10-4pm.
Sunset Pictures - Between 8 and 9pm.

Mosquito's are a bit of a problem.  We do spray and encourage our customers to use repellent.

August - Green grass and trees.  Tall grasses.  Black Eyed Susan's are blooming.

The best time for outdoor portraits in August.

Flowers and Grasses - Between 4 and 7pm.

The woods - Between 10-4pm.
Creek - Usually by this time the creek is low enough to get in for some fun water pictures.  If we get a lot of rain it may be too deep.  You will get muddy so I suggest doing these pictures at the end of your session.  The best time is around 4 or 5pm.
Sunset Pictures - Between 7:30-8pm.

Mosquito's can be insane!  Again we do try and spray but by this time of year I'm not sure anything will get rid of them.  Repellent is a must!

September - Still have lots of green.  Some trees and shrubs may be starting to change colors by the end of the month.  Grasses are starting to change to a nice golden color.

The best time for outdoor portraits in September.

Grasses - Between 4 and 6pm.

The woods - Between 10-4pm.
Sunset Pictures - Between 7 and 7:30pm.

Mosquito's can be insane! Again we do try and spray but by this time of year I'm not sure anything will get rid of them. Repellent is a must!



October - The first two weeks are typically the best for fall color.  These times do book up fast so if you are interested you need to book as soon as possible.

The best time for outdoor portraits in October.

Grasses and Fall Foliage - Between 4 and 6pm.
Sunset Pictures - Between 6 and 6:30pm.

And yes, the mosquito's are still bad unless we get a hard frost.
They may not be quite as bad as last month.

These are only suggestions for times.  I do book anytime of day but for the best color and lighting I do encourage you to book between these times. 

Please note: the prime times do book up quickly so to ensure a spot please book your session as soon as possible!

Cal - 6 months

Marisa & Evelyn

I love going to the clients home for sessions.  The children seem so much more relaxed and it is a nice change of pace for me.  I had so many cute portraits from this session I decided to make a video showcasing some of my favorites.

I would do anything to have a cute little playhouse like this in my backyard.  What a fun prop to photograph against.

 The perfect little red barn.  I'm thinking of moving my studio here.  ha ha

 I just love the pictures with Evelyn.  All of her polka dots were to die for.  She is such a doll.

 How playful.  I just love this one.

 I'm pretty sure she was checking to see if Grandma was going to yell at her for picking her tulips. lol

I was packing up to leave when I seen Evelyn on her little trike.  I couldn't resist getting a few more shots.