Kelley Jo Imaging

{Splash School Instructors | Headshots, Brainerd MN Portrait Photography}

2012-02-28T15:23:00.000-06:00

This weekend I did some quick headshots for a few of the fabulous instructors over at Splash School {www.splashschoolusa.com}. Some gorgeous girls, and fun swim coaches! {oh, and then there's my boss Curt.. ;) hehe}

{His Peace | Personal}

2012-02-20T13:47:00.000-06:00

"You will not find lasting peace in the world around you, in circumstances, or in human relationships. The external world is always in flux - under the curse of death and decay...
"Take time to delve into the riches of My residing Presence." {Jesus Calling, Sarah Young}

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in on body, and be thankful." {Colossians 3:15}

Each day remember that we are called to let His peace rule in our hearts, nothing else, just His peace. Everything else fades away when we concentrate on His peace and Presence in our life.

{John and Jill - Preview | Aitkin, MN Wedding Photography}

2012-02-13T13:39:00.000-06:00

John and Jill got married this weekend! :) Glad I got to be a part of their special day, and capture it for them to keep. Quick preview of their portraits!

{My Family | Motley, MN Portrait Photography

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Finally getting around to sharing these :) It's always challenging to take self-timed family pictures.. but my fam is pretty great at cooperating and waiting patiently for me to run back and forth between my camera and the group {yes, I should probably just buy a new battery for my remote}. I really love how they turned out, and they just make me love my fabulous family even more. I'm so grateful to God for planting me in this family, and for the opportunity to be the oldest. Love you all so much!

{Amy | St. Cloud, MN Portrait Photography}

2012-02-03T09:00:00.007-06:00

You've seen this beautiful girl on the blog before... and yes she's my sister, but she's also quite the model. I've been cleaning out my computer and wanted to share these that I'd taken last October :)

{Miracles | Personal}

2012-02-01T09:00:00.022-06:00

"We have insulated ourselves from miracles. We no longer live with such reckless faith that we need them... If we get sick, we go to a doctor. If we need food, we go to the store and buy it. We've eliminated the need for miracles." {Shane Claiborne}

"We say things like, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'... and then we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to set up our lives so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through." {Francis Chan}

"But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises." {Chan}

I have to ask myself, what in my life would turn out to be a disaster if God didn't come through? Is there anything in my life that is requiring me to put my total trust in Him, and just jump?

I say I trust Him, but do my actions and my plans and my dreams show that I do?

{Call2All Global Congress and The Call | Long Beach, CA Event Photography}

2012-01-17T16:06:00.001-06:00

There is so much I could write about this congress. I’d really like to share some of the stuff God did there, but I think it might have to wait until a later post (or posts!). For now I’m just going to share pictures.

A quick synopsis of what Call2All is, and what went on during the week. I’m also including pictures of The Call with Lou Engle (to find out more about The Call, and upcoming events go to www.thecall.com )

“Call2all is a worldwide movement calling the church to a renewed, focused collaborative effort to complete the Great Commission.” – Call2All Website {click here and visit it for more info}

Call2All is an umbrella organization that’s aim is to bring Christian ministries from around the world together to network and work together, so that efforts aren’t be duplicated and there is access to every ones unique talents, gifts, tools etc.

It’s called a Congress (in place of a conference) because it’s not just an event where delegates come and listen, it’s much more interactive than that. Over 600 people from over 40 different nations attended. Every morning there were “round table sessions” where everyone would come together around tables and hear a speaker talk about a certain un-reached people group, a ministry technique or something along those lines, and then the delegates would discuss it at their table. The mic would then be passed around so people could share thoughts and ideas.

At the end of the week there was a commitment ceremony, where people would fill out commitment sheets and commit to starting houses of prayer or prayer watches, evangelizing or funding evangelizim, starting churches, or reaching un-reached people groups. The numbers for this congress were:

New houses of Prayer: 70,310

Un-reached, un-engaged people groups: 1,410

Oral Bible Teams: 46,448

New Church Plants: 217,829

New Evangelism Salvations: 584,645,463

It was SO awesome to get to be a part of this! I went as a volunteer, which means I didn’t participate in the whole congress.. but I got to make sure it happened! Along with doing all the photography {which was such an awesome opportunity from God}, I got to do lots of other stuff such as ushering, handing out information, answering questions, lots and lots of set up {including World Vision’s African Village}, and tons more. I’m hoping to get a few posts written on my personal experience soon….

{Amy working the World Vision Experience}

{Registration}

{Prayer times. Lots of them}

{Mark Anderson president of Call2all and YWAM, and Paul Eshelman, the Jesus Film}

{Steve Douglass, Campus Crusade for Christ}

{Two amazing staff members finishing the map}

{Sharing thoughts during the round table discussions}

{Loren Cunningham, founder of YWAM}

{Prayer on the world map}

{Commitment Ceremony}

{Commitment Ceremony - including the hard working volunteers!}

{These next ones are from The Call on Saturday, a 7 hour prayer and worship event that was focused on ending abortion both here in the United States and in China, along with the one-child policy}

{Prayer on the 150 foot world map}

{Lou Engle}

{Prayer on the world map for the ending of abortion}

{The Friendly Rider | Creative Writing

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

The white bus with blue and red stars, tinted windows and the name “The Friendly Rider” drove quietly through the small town. The slogan under the innocent name proclaimed “an easy way to get from here to there”.

The sun was sinking on the horizon, signaling the end of the calm summer evening. The only sounds were an occasional car as it drove by, and a dog barking a few blocks away.

A tired girl sat on the bench on the corner of 6^th and Illinois Ave. She’d had a long day at work, and she had an even longer walk home. Her black shoes hurt her feet, but were a requirement on the job.

Just then the Friendly Rider pulled up the curb. She wasn’t at a bus stop, and she hadn’t waved them down, but the bus ground to a stop alongside her. She’d never taken the bus before, but tonight she thought, “sure, why not?”

She didn’t pay much attention to the driver as the doors slowly folded open and she reached in her purse to find her fare. She mumbled her destination and made her way to the third row, vaguely noticing the absence of other passengers, other than an older lady in the very back, and plopped down on the seat.

The girl reached down to loosen her shoes, and leaned her forehead against the window. The boulevard trees flew by and she closed her eyes, listening to the soft noise of the engine. Before she knew it she had dozed off.

When she opened her eyes it was dark. The sun had finally slipped behind the horizon, and there was just a faint glowing line left. She rubbed her eyes as she peered out the window, her mind groggy and confused and she didn’t recognize the road passing by. She shook her head and just as she began to realize that this wasn’t the way home, the bus slowed and pulled onto a dark dirt road.

She could just make out a few dilapidated buildings, and what looked like an old fairground. She began to panic and started up the aisle, questioning the driver. “Where are we? What is this?” she asked, but her only answer was silence and a blank stare ahead.

She pushed on the doors, thinking that if they weren’t going too fast she would jump, but they were locked shut. They rounded a corner and came to a sudden stop. The doors opened and the girl jumped out. Bright lights lite her panicky face as she stared up at a Ferris Wheel, the only apparent life in an abandoned fairground. And then she noticed the clown.

_____________________________

I don’t usually write stories like this, but this one popped into my head one day when thinking about how utterly creepy the “Friendly Rider” bus is. Not to mention fairgrounds at night. My sister say I have too much of an imagination… but hey, it runs in the family.

{The Z Family | Kimball, MN Family Photography}

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

{Elevator Etiquette | Creative Writing}

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

Elevators. Why were they invented? I understand that sometimes they are useful, but more often they are just plain awkward.

I just spend ten days in hotel that only had stairs in case of a fire emergency. Needless to say I had lots of experience riding elevators. The more I rode, the more I wished for a set of stairs, even if that meant being out of breath and taking a little longer to reach my room.

I still haven’t figured out the proper way to act in an elevator. Do you engage the people in there with you? Or do you pretend to stare intently at the screen and watch the floor numbers change? Is it rude to make small talk, or is it rude to pretend that they’re not there?

Both ways can be equally awkward. Like when the older man in the elevator started making slightly unnerving remarks about how beautiful our eyes were when we still had multiple floors to go. Or when you ride nine floors down with the big guy who is wearing gold chains and has tattoos that doesn’t say a word when you get in.

If you do start a conversation, it’s always rudely interrupted by the elevator doors opening, but if you don’t start one…. the time feels like forever.

What if the ones you're stuck there with five times in just two days, don't speak much English but try to ask you questions?

Do you say goodbye when you leave the elevator? It feels like you should, but when it’s the only thing you’ve said… it feels even more weird than saying nothing.

What about getting on the elevator? The best part is when neither of you realize there’s someone on the other side of the door, and get fairly surprised. Best reaction to that situation? “Oh! Hello! And WELCOME to your floor!!” (this particular instance was made even more awkward by the fact that we were in swim suits, and that the above comment was followed by, “your clothes are in your room!”)

What do you do when the door is closing? Do you run and stick your hand in to make it open? Or just wait until the next elevator comes? It feels kind of dumb to sit there and wait, when there was just one there, but it feels even more dumb to go racing to the door, start waving your arm and then jump in to a group full of people (“Hi!”).

I guess the only thing I’ve figured out for certain is that elevators can be handy for times when you are carrying big loads of luggage, or when you are all by yourself and can jump and sing, but usually it’s better to take the stairs.

{Gabrielle and Maddie - Just for Fun | St. Cloud, MN Portrait Photography}

2011-12-14T09:00:00.001-06:00

I think this is one of my favorite shoots from this year. It was just for fun, but the light was insane, and the girls are so beautiful! Way to be models Gab and Maddie. :) Love you two!

{The G Families | Motley, MN Family Photographer}

2011-12-12T09:00:00.001-06:00

It's taken me a long time to get these up... but I did this extended family earlier this fall, and they are a bunch of fun people!

{Quick Family Preview }

2011-12-11T18:01:00.000-06:00

These families are going to be coming to the blog soon!!

{ "That" good of friends | Creative Writing - Personal}

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

The girl waited impatiently to leave the plane. She stood in the isle with her backpack slung across one shoulder and her suitcase at her feet. She pulled at the neck of her Twins sweatshirt and shifted. Thoughts flashed through her brain, ‘was this really a good idea?’ she second guessed herself.

Eventually the line started moving and everything went from the quiet calm on the plane to busy people rushing here and there, the sound of roller bags on the linoleum, here and there a different language. The girl briefly wished she wasn't wearing a sweatshirt and tennis shoes in the California airport, but the thought was interrupted by the sound of her name.

“You’re here!” Hugs, parking lots and cars followed, then two years’ worth of catching up. It didn’t take long to skip the small stuff and jump right into what God had been doing in their lives, but still the quiet doubts lingered.

The next day the two found themselves in San Diego, looking for a gelato shop in the midst of all the crazy ComicCon goers. After enjoying cappuccino flavored gelato they ventured up the outside staircase to find the bathrooms. Laughing and talking as the followed the sign the pushed open the door and stopped when they realized it was a single bathroom.

“Ummm, go for it,” one of them said, and the other walked back to the main room to awkwardly read the bulletin board. Before she could get to the board however, one of the men sitting at a table looked up from his computer with a laugh and remarked, “Not that good of friends, huh?”

“Ha… yeahhh not that good,” she managed, and the man went back to his work.

The girls had a good laugh about it on the two hour drive back, “What an awkward comment!

Nine days, a wedding, four days of camping in a small tent, tramping all over Yosemite with their bibles, a day of rock climbing, being mistaken for sisters (and mother/daughter), meeting crazy people, brushing their teeth in the street, 24 hours in the car and hoards of adventures later, they were sitting at a picnic table in the dark, somewhere in the mountains, talking.

One of them remarked on how they both had such similar taste, “I mean we never have to argue about what kind of music to listen to, we get the same kind of coffee where ever we go, we like the same kinds of food, and the same kinds of activities. It’s kind of a good thing...”

“I know! It’s a really good thing… Otherwise I don’t know how the ten days would have gone. To be completely honest I was kind of wondering how good idea this was,” said the CA girl. “I was thinking, ‘I liked her at Photoj and all, but that was two years ago..”

“Since we’re being honest… I had the same thoughts!” admitted the one who came to visit, “What if we didn’t have any of the same tastes!? What if we didn’t get along very well and had to spend all that time together?!?” The two laughed about how unfounded their fears had turned out to be, and tried to ignore the fact that they wouldn’t be together in another day.

The next night was her last night in Cali. She cuddled up on the floor while her friend crawled into bed. “What are you doing down there?!? Get up here and bring your pillow!”

She laughed, “I guess maybe, by now, we are ‘that good of friends’.”

{Call2All | Personal}

2011-11-25T12:05:00.000-06:00

Ahh, I'm in LA! Crazy story, but basically God provided a way, and pushed me along to this. :D It's so exciting. I just decided on Tuesday afternoon that I was coming, and we arrived yesterday morning. Today we start training for Call2All.

Basically we're volunteering for a global congress, where Christian ministries and leaders from over 100 nations are coming together to strategize and collaborate to fulfill the Great Commission, to reach the rest of the world with the gospel of Christ.

Me, my sister Amy, and two of my aunts are here for ten days. I'm not exactly sure what we'll all be doing, but it looks like I'll be taking pictures, since the coordinater told me that the photographer had to cancel due to a surgery.

So, anyone who would like to pray, would be awesome! If you could pray for the Congress it'self, that God would be there, that He would direct the plans and actions of everyone. That the volunteers would be organized, that everything gets worked out. For us, that we would stay healthy, and focused on God and serving Him rather than ourselves. Thank you!

Here's the website if you'd like to find out a little more about it!

http://call2all.org/Groups/1000075743/Call2All/Events/Call2All_Global_Congress/Call2All_Global_Congress.aspx

{God the Artist | Personal}

2011-11-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” {Genesis 1:1}

We’ve ignored a huge side of God in today’s Christianity, the creative. In the beginning, the very first thing He did was create.

God is the Ultimate Creative; He designed not only this world, but the universe, but we tend to forget that fact. In the church today we recognize the need for Christians in math and science, and even business, but the arts? Nah. The arts are evil, but there’s no need to take them back; they’re just for entertainment after all.

But God created the arts. Losing a Christian influence in the art industry has limited our view of God to the left-brained scientist. We’ve put Him in a box, ignoring His freedom to create, and reducing Him to a mathematical formula. If you get one small part of that formula wrong, the project (i.e. your life) won’t turn out.

This is where we begin to believe that being a good Christian looks a certain way, and that it takes a specific equation, because that’s our view of how God works.

This is why I feel we desperately need to take back the arts, because without being an active part of them, from movies and music to photography and painting or potter, we fail to grasp the importance of the "other side" of God.

God’s path for your life (and others) is beautiful, and a lot of it is due to the fact that it’s different than anyone else’s. He takes pleasure in creating unique places and roads just for you. Don’t forget that He’s not limited to one formula, even though we tend to think He is.

{Abbey | Just for Fun Portrait Shoot}

2011-11-21T09:00:00.002-06:00

A couple months ago I was visiting Abbey and she mentioned the fact that she had this dress she had always wanted to do a photoshoot with. So of course I made her put it on ;) And of course we had a blast taking pictures. Abz, you're so insanely gorgeous it's not even funny. I love you!

{fav!}

{hahah, such good times!}

{Kyle and Jill - Married | Nowthen, MN Wedding Photography}

2011-11-18T09:00:00.005-06:00

I'm finally getting around to sharing these pictures with everyone! Thank you both, for choosing me to be a part of your day!

{picture from my second shooter, Amy!}

{this and the next two pictures from my second shooter, Amy}

{picture from my second shooter, Amy!}

{Our Past and Purity | Personal}

2011-11-16T13:24:00.000-06:00

I read this post on Stuff Christians Like, on “Guys like girls with a past” the other day. There are a lot of things I could say about this, and there were a lot of good arguments in the comments, such as why guys *shouldn’t* like girls with a past and other topics but it really just sparked some different thoughts for me.

____________________________________________

Wait a sec…there’s a difference? You mean there are girls without a past? Woah woah woah. When did this happen? I don’t know any.

I think sometimes we need to realize the fact that ALL of us have a past. Maybe the guys are attracted to the ones with an “open” past because they’re more real*. They’re admitting that they’ve messed up. That they’re not pure.

Because none of us are pure. I don’t care if you’ve never slept with a guy, never even kissed a guy, never watch a PG-13 movie, listened to secular music, or been around people who swear [much less use one yourself], we were born with sin. We were born marked, tarnished… UN-pure. In Christian circles we talk about “losing our purity”, but how can you “lose” it if you’ve never had it? We talk about, strategize and stress [and stress and stress some more] KEEPING your purity, but how can we keep what we’ve never had?

“All have sinned and fallen SHORT of the glory of God.” {Romans 3:23}

We can only gain purity. We can only be given purity, it’s not something we already have. We were never whole, we were never blameless, and never spotless. Jesus came to give us that, He came to make us that way. Pure is something you become, not something you were.

Accepting this fact, for me, is freeing. Because instead of being something on me [I need to keep my purity, I need to be so careful because if I lose it… I can never get it back], and turns into something on God [He’s the only one that has it, and the only one that can give it]. It turns our focus from us to Him. Exactly where it should be. It frees us to do, and be, and say exactly what He wants of us because we have forgotten that it’s on us to save our purity.

Never forget, only Jesus can give us purity, it was never ours in the first place and it’s gift. But it’s a gift He’s more than willing to give.

“Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us. He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.” {Hosea 6:1-2}

_________________________________________

{The P.S.'s}

*This has nothing to do with the "past" or the "cooler past" that they were talking about in the post. And this is not me saying that guys should be attracted to "bad girls", it's more me saying that really we're all bad girls [and boys].

Links to the two blog posts that sparked these thoughts of mine [they were also feed by some of the talk at Junction last night]

http://laurennicolelove.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-makes-woman-good.html

http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2011/11/stuff-christians-guys-like-girls-that-have-a-past/

{Jake, Class of 2012 | Staples Motley, MN High School Senior Photography}

2011-11-11T18:59:00.000-06:00

{Chasing my Soul | Personal}

2011-10-31T12:18:00.000-05:00

"But the Jesus of prostitutes is chasing my soul // the Jesus of prostitutes is calling me home."
- Hawthorne, Mat Kearney

Because we've all sold ourselves to something {or someone} else. For too cheap. Because He thinks we're worth more than that. He thinks we are worth His life. And He's already paid the price.

"Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us. He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight."
{Hosea 6:1-2}

Let Him chase you. Let Him heal you. Always remember that He paid the ultimate price.

Don't sell yourself.

______________________

P.S. The song that I linked to isn't very high quality sound, but it's the only one I could find on You tube... you should still go listen to it, or go look it up on Grooveshark.

{The Denning Family | Staples, MN Family Photography}

2011-10-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

Like I said in their quick preview... this family was great! So much fun... and I think their pictures show it :)

{Cute Kiddos | Pillager, MN Childrens Photographer}

2011-10-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

quick picture from one of this weekends shoots. Three adorable kids, beautiful light and lots of fun! Can't stop smiling over these images.

{Fall at Ski Gull | Personal}

2011-10-24T09:00:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago when the colors were AMAZING, I took a quick break from all the editing and important stuff, and ventured to the top of a ski hill close by. It was crazy windy out, but so gorgeous. God's painting is so much better than we can ever hope :) Enjoy!

{Zac and Amanda - Married | Motley MN Wedding Photography}

2011-10-21T09:00:00.010-05:00

Yay! Things are starting to slow down a little, and I'm starting to get caught up... and you might start to see more full length posts versus a bunch of little peaks :)

First up: Zac and Amanda. These guys were great! Their wedding was beautiful, the wedding party tons of fun, and the two of them... SO in love. Enjoy their pictures!

{Image by Amy :) }

{Image by my amazing assistant Amy}

{Amy's Image}

Congratulations you guys! May God Bless your marriage :)

{Jake - Preview | Staples Motley, MN High School Senior Photography}

2011-10-10T17:52:00.000-05:00

Trying to keep up!! A quick preview of last nights senior session... one of three shoots this weekend, including and extended family shoot with four families :)

{The Denning Family Preview, and Trusting | Staples, MN Family Photography}

2011-10-09T15:36:00.001-05:00

I have totally not kept up on posting... there are 19000 pictures on my computer right now, many of which I'd love to show, and I have LOTS of thoughts floating around in my head that I'd like to put on paper, and a bunch of cool things I've found that I'd love to share... but for now I just have to say that life is busy, and I'm learning to trust God through it all. Life will never be easy, but He's there through it all, and He never fails.

And a quick preview of the amazing Denning family... we had so much fun during their shoot at the Living Legacy Gardens in Staples. They're great (as you can see).

{Restoring | Personal}

2011-10-05T15:27:00.000-05:00

"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten." {Joel 2:25}

______________________

{someone pointed this verse out to me at Junction last night and it really encouraged me. Jesus restores the years that we've lost}

{Cardinal Swimming | Staples Motley High School Sports}

2011-10-03T10:44:00.000-05:00

{Kali Klimek (getting the hugs) broke her PR in the 500 yard free}

{Saturday Sharing: The Good Woman Project}

2011-10-02T15:36:00.002-05:00

I know this is Sunday... but I meant to write this yesterday, I did!

The Good Woman Project has posted a LOT of really good messages, but this one has been one of my favorite..

{Click here to read Singleness - Trying to write a Love Story}

I think this applies to every area of our life... Are we *really* giving it all up into God's hands? 'cause we should be.

{Stealing the Show | Wedding Moments, Motley MN Wedding Photography}

2011-09-30T12:04:00.000-05:00

The grooms uncles are a riot.. and they were having fun stealing a little of the show during the Zac and Amanda's first dance. :) [Can't wait to finish their full blog post to share!]

{Sitting at His feet | Personal}

2011-09-29T23:26:00.000-05:00

My purpose here isn't to win hundreds of people to You, or to do awesome things for You; my purpose is to listen to, and love You. Even if I do nothing for the rest of my life but sit at Your feet, You'll still love me. And I'm okay with that.

{Football against Pequot Lakes | Staples Motley, MN Sports Photography}

2011-09-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

{Grant - Class of 2012 | Staples, MN Senior Photography}

2011-09-23T10:01:00.024-05:00

{Jose and Katie - Engaged | Detroit Lakes, MN Engagement Photography}

2011-09-20T10:01:00.003-05:00

Told you there were *lots* more coming! Love all these images :)

[Also, there's a lot more coming to the blog... just trying to keep up!]

{Commonplace | Personal}

2011-09-18T20:04:00.000-05:00

"Commonplaces never become tiresome. It is we who become tired when we cease to be curious and appreciative... we find that it is not a new scene which is needed, but a new viewpoint." {Norman Rockwell}

{Kyle and Jill sneak peek | Nowthen, MN Wedding Photography}

2011-09-18T12:27:00.001-05:00

Beautiful wedding yesterday. Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Duccomon! More beauty coming soon :)

{She decided | Wedding Moments, Motley MN Wedding Photography}

2011-09-14T16:59:00.000-05:00

I think she decided being a flower girl was too much work....

{Jose and Katie - Engaged Preview | Detroit Lakes Engagement Photography}

2011-09-13T10:41:00.001-05:00

Excitement for today?? Editing these :) Seriously they're so cute together... I can't wait for their wedding next summer!

{Zac and Amanda Wedding Preview | Motley, MN Wedding Photography}

2011-09-06T13:56:00.000-05:00

Little teaser from Zac and Amanda's wedding this weekend! Love it! :)

{Moises and Angela | Rialto, California Wedding}

2011-09-06T13:50:00.000-05:00

Earlier this summer I got the super fun opportunity to second shoot for my friend at Katherine Allison Photography . The wedding was gorgeous! The most laid back and beautiful wedding I've been to. Everyone was happy and relaxed and having fun, and the cute couple was just very excited to be married.

I'm so glad I could be part of the day, and get to see Katherine in action :)

Enjoy my little glimpses of the day.

{Logan | Wayzata MN Class of 2012}

2011-08-24T19:27:00.000-05:00

{We love our Starbucks}

2011-08-23T22:11:00.000-05:00

We love our Starbucks... we even take it on a three day canoe trip in the wilderness.

{My Summer | Staples, MN}

2011-08-18T10:12:00.000-05:00

I wasn't even planning on doing this LDPS... Summer's been so crazy busy... but as I was editing a shoot for a book I'm designing for someone I found this picture I had snapped at the end of the night... and realized it really said summer for me.

I could have picked a picture of all the hours of baseball that I watched this summer [my bros' team placed fifth at State so it was *lots* of hours] or my trip to California with the camping and pictures and beach time, or teaching loads of little kids to swim, or camping out in the yard and eating smores with my sibs....

But this one really kind of says it all for me... amazing photoshoots, insane light and beautiful evenings with fam and friends. That's what *my* summer has been.

PS. I am SO blessed

PPS. This is SOOTC {straight out of the camera} It really was this insanely gorgeous. {and yes, I don't care if that qualifies me as a nerd, Mark!}

{Logan | Quick Preview}

2011-08-17T13:27:00.000-05:00

Quick preview from Sunday's shoot with Logan, a Wayzata highschool senior. I love the boats in this one :) More coming...

{Taylor | Class of 2012 | Staples Motley Senior Photography}

2011-08-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

Finished up the gorgeous images of Taylor. There were so many beautiful and fun ones that I had a hard time narrowing down this post.. so enjoy them all!

{Taylor's Seniors - Quick Preview | Class of 2011 | Staples, MN Senior Photography}

2011-08-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

I need to finish editing the wedding that I second shot for a couple weeks ago, before I start on these gorgeous portraits, but I wanted to share one quick!

Thanks for choosing me to do your seniors, Taylor!

{Yosemite National Park | Personal}

2011-08-10T16:19:00.000-05:00

Figured I'd better get this post written quick... since I have a very busy next week with three senior sessions, and lots of other stuff on the schedule.

This is from our four day camping trip to Yosemite and up higher in the High Serrias at June Lake. We did everything from rock climbing to biking to people watching, oh and lots of pictures :) There were a lot of good times, and lots of epic nights!! On our road trip home [8 hours] we filled five pages of my journal of memorable quotes. Ahhhh yess.

{Katherine | Banning California Portrait Shoot}

2011-08-03T18:27:00.000-05:00

Ahhh I'm getting to some of my trip pictures :) It was a fabulous trip, but I've been running ever since my plane hit the ground on Friday night [two and a half hours late, I might add] and this weekend and the next two weeks look like they are going to be even busier.

The last night I was in CA [yes, I know I haven't gotten to the other parts of the trip:) but these are what I have edited] Katherine and I did a quick improptu photoshoot. We originally went out to find graffiti [part of my bucket list] and although we failed there, we still got some gorgeous images of Kate, and succeeded in having quite a bit of fun [just like the rest of the trip]

Enjoy! [more trip images to come... hopefully soon]

{Coronado | California Trip}

2011-07-23T19:03:00.000-05:00

{The Hotel Del Coronado... google that and haunted if you want some stories}

{Summer Happenings | Personal}

2011-07-17T20:02:00.000-05:00

Oh gosh, life's been crazy! Crazy good. Quick picture update... because I've the days are full until I leave for California.. IN FOUR DAYS! I'm going to be there to second shoot a wedding with Katherine [who I featured here] and then we're going to road trip and do fun things for the next seven days. :) So excited for it all, but it's coming up way too fast!
Anyway... here is a little of what my summer has looked like:

Garage saling with friends

{Chilling at the beach with the fam after long days}

{Photoshoots - engagement pictures, seniors, a family, a dancer....}

{teaching swimming lessons}

{drinking coffee, lots of it, eating ice cream}

{running a 5K with a friend [without training, ugh!] }

{learning new music}

{watching lots and lots and lots of baseball. And then some more} which I currently do not have pictures of...whoops!

{writing baseball stories for the paper}

{annnnd..... weeding the garden, milking goats, butchering chickens, visiting camp for the day, fun 4th celebration, playing volleyball, soaking in all the sun that's finally here, giving haircuts, planning trips, cleaning cabins, a lot more}

What about you? What's your summer entailed???

{Zac and Amanda | Motley, MN Engagement Photography}

2011-07-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

Here they are... the rest of the cuteness! To quote what my assistant Amy [my sister ;) ] told Zac, "You guys are too cute". haha It sounds like their wedding this September is going to be lots of fun... can't wait!

{The Zahms | Kimball, MN Family Photography}

2011-06-27T21:01:00.000-05:00

Oh my, get ready for a long post. I absolutely love this family, and we have lots of fun together! They're all such a bunch of cuties, have amazing eyes, and they tell the best jokes :) We had good times hanging out with my camera....

{Sarah's the second oldest [you already saw Luke's pictures over here] }

{She's one of my good friends, and a beautiful girl. We have lots of good deep conversations together}

{Natalia is next... and she's a girl after my own heart :) my type! Plus she laughs at all my jokes... which makes me feel like I'm actually funny}

{I did a happy dance when I saw this picture, isn't she *gorgeous*?!}

{Daniel is Zahm number 4, and he's pretty cool}

{He always helps clarify the jokes that Benjamin and Ian tell wrong}

{Sometimes I wish I had hair like his}

{He and Daniel get along pretty well}

{And they're pretty good on the tramp}

{And then there's Benjamin, the mischievous one}

{But he's also quite the gentleman, and thinks deep thoughts}

{you can't forget Ian... he tells the *best* stories}

{and has the cutest giggle}

{Isn't he a cutie!?}

{annnd the littlest one. Zoe.}

{But just because she's the littlest doesn't mean she isn't tough... "Zoe's tough, one time she got hit by a shovel!" ~Benjamin}

{They like their big bro}

{all of them!}

{Yes, they're cool}