My Latest Work | Modern Portrait Artist, Heidi Soll Photography

Senior Picures Mendota Heights, Senior Portraits Visitation

2012-01-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

This summer Marie came over with her sister and a close friend for her senior portrait experience. She attends Visitation just down the street in Mendota Heights. She was lots of fun and had great energy. We spent almost three hours photographing at the studio and downtown St. Paul. These were the top selections from her shoot - beautiful!

Corporate Headshots St. Paul, Executive Portraits, Corporate Photographer

2012-01-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

Liz Fedor, a local business journalist, came by a few weeks ago to update her corporate head shot. The semblance would appear as an illustration for her new business column with the local policital website MinnPost.com. It looks great. I've never seen my work made into an illustration before.

Baby Photographer St. Paul, Infant Photographer Minneapolis

2011-12-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

Betsy came over for her four month photo session. It is her second of four in the Baby Steps Series. She really has grown so much from her infant shoot, it never ceases to amaze me how much babies grow in such a short amount of time.

Family Photographer St.Paul, Family Portraits

2011-10-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Family portraits are a great time to hit multiple birds with one stone - as the saying (sort of) goes. This West St. Paul family had out-of-town relatives visiting so we were able to do a large group shot with three generations, the little kids individually and each family.

Wedding Photographer St. Paul, Stillwater Wedding Photography

2011-10-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

Over the last few years, I occasionally photograph weddings for Bella Galla - a wedding industry booking/talent agency here in the Twin Cities. These were from a wedding I shot for them and are from the hour or so that we spent in the Stillwater area after the ceremony and before the reception.

Senior Portraits, Highland Park Photographer, Senior Pictures

2011-09-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

This senior from Highland Park High School wanted a natural and pretty outdoor setting so I suggested one of my favorite spots. We spent an hour photographing outside and had a great time. These were a few of the top selections.

Senior Portraits, St. Paul Photographer

2011-08-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Sophie, a senior at Henry Sibley in Mendota Heights, came over a few weeks ago with her mom for her senior pictures. Its was a good thing her mom came with -- she knew when certain details were potentially out-of-place and corrected them before I continued photographing. It truly was helpful. We photographed here at the studio and walked around the backyard here for the natural outdoor look. I thought we had great results, these were the family's top picks.

Senior Pictures Roseville Area Schools

2011-08-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Anna from Roseville had great high school senior photo shoot. We started here at the St. Paul studio and then headed downtown for more urban images. We stayed more clean-city urban vs. gritty and had tons of fun.

Senior Pictures, Sarah from Visitation, Mendota Heights Photographer

2011-08-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

Sarah is entering her senior year at the Convent of the Visitation catholic school in Mendota Heights. We scheduled a combination photo shoot and started here at the studio for a half hour then went to downtown St. Paul for an urban and a city look. Her session was awesome and felt a lot like a model photo shoot than a senior session, which is how I like things to go and look. There were so many great shots. These were her top 12 favorites.

Baby Photographer Minneapolis, Infant Photographer St. Paul

2011-07-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

This baby is so cute. His name is Maleki and his mom Yemi signed up for the Belly Before and Baby After Program. He was about three weeks in the portraits and was such a doll. These are my favorites.

Cornbread Harris and Cadillac Kolstad | Minneapolis Photographer Heidi Soll

2011-07-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Its been years since I photographed any live bands but at one time in my life, its what I did all the time. I had an old manual Pentax with a great 1.8 lens and I'd bring it with me to watch shows and document bands, friends and music culture in Portland, OR where I lived for many years. The other night I happened to have my camera with me for photographing the Bocce Ball-Star playoffs at the Nomad World Pub on Minneapolis's West Bank. We ended up across the street at Palmer's where you can often find incredibly good music and musicians. Cornbread Harris and Cadillac Kolstad were playing, two regulars on the West Bank. I asked Cornbread Harris if it was okay if I photographed him playing. He smiled really big and said sure - he seemed flattered.

Maternity Photographer St. Paul, Family Portraits, Kids Photographer

2011-07-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

Jill and Josh came over to my studio almost three years ago to document their first pregnancy. Less than a week later (four weeks early) Emma was born. We followed up with beautiful fine-art infant portraits of her.

Emma is a big girl now and has a little sister on the way. This time we did family portraits, maternity and some individuals of Emma and I have a special series specifically for this time in people's lives called, "Belly Before Baby After." Here are my favorites.

Minneapolis Baby Photographer, Infant Portraits of Miss Mae

2011-07-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

Mae visited my St Paul studio last week for her newborn photo session. I tried a different set than in the past and really liked the feel, rustic, earthy. She was a great sport, adorable and pretty sleepy. These were my top favorites.

St Paul Photographer, 4th of July, Turtle Lake, WI

2011-07-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July weekend, I visited my friend 's lake home in Turtle Lake, WI. I've been going up there for nearly 30 years and I've taken tons of picture over that time. This weekend I went more impressionistic. These American flags along the roadside caught my eye. The sunset was glorious as was breathing in really fresh air. ahhh summer.

Senior Pictures St. Paul, High School Senior Photographer | Heidi Soll Photography

2011-06-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

When Victoria called to talk about her ideas for her senior portrait session, she wanted to go downtown St. Paul but didn't want the really urban look, she still wanted the background to be pretty. So I suggested one of my favorite places, Mears Park and the downtown library for its strong clean architecture. Both places have lots of great options and are gorgeous. Some of the shots in Mears Park look like we are in a woods, which is a great testament to the diversity of downtown St. Paul.

Volunteering With At Risk Kids | St. Paul Photographer

2011-06-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

In December I started volunteering at St. Paul's Neighborhood House as a co-teacher of English language to adult immigrants and refugees. As I have gotten to know this non-profit, I have also started donating my photography services for events, promotional brochures and newsletters. This has allowed me to see the greater extent of the truly good work this non-profit provides for local people, communities and greater Twin Cities as a whole.

Recently they asked me to come over to take a group photo of the GRIPS (gang reduction intervention program) group which I didn't know anything about. I was sent a recent article about how the St. Paul police intervened days before a gang initiation of 11 girls and boys. Instead of arresting them all, they took a different approach and invited the kids and their families to a group where they could talk about what was happening, consequences and alternatives. After reading the article (which I unfortunately can't link to anymore) I was struck by the intensity of the circumstances and importance of the intervention which saved lives and life paths.The Neighborhood House plays a role in this because they offer positive, safe adult-monitored groups for high-risk kids to attend after school and resources like a gym, tutors and positive people as role models.

Cha-Cho, who is the amazing and inspiring leader and organizer of this group asked me to take individual portraits of the kids which I was happy to do. As I was photographing the boys, I never thought "at risk" or "gang" they just seemed like young men who were maybe silly or shy or trying to be tough despite a sincerity that came through while photographing. Cha-cho said these kids have probably never had a one-on-one experience with a photographer and may have extremely few photographs of themselves. I thought they seemed like polite nice kids. These were my favorites.

Maternity Photographer St. Paul, Pregnancy Photography | Krista & Matt

2011-05-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Krista and Matt had a winter wedding two years ago in Duluth. Recently she contacted me about doing maternity portraits out at their home in Scandia. Its always such an incredible compliment when my clients come back and invite me to continue photographing their family milestones. Its honestly one of the greatest rewards of what I do. I have always been naturally drawn to documenting the relationships between people and families. So to be allowed to continue documenting the same people with new life changes really starts getting into a deeper level of photographic art for me and I cherish the opportunity.

Benjamin | Woodbury Baby Photographer, Infant Photographer St. Paul

2011-05-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Benjamin, an adorable seven month old baby boy, came over to my studio a few weeks ago for his professional photo session. His parents were worried about him smiling, which is to be expected. With little ones, timing and preparedness really is everything because sometimes those smiles are few and far between but you wouldn't necessarily know it looking at the results. He was actually a wonderfully animated baby. I am always interested in capturing smiles along with the all the other looks that really capture a child's personality. Years from now, it will be all of those looks that help you remember his character. I did find while reviewing and preparing his images that his smiles were contagious and I found myself just smiling at how totally cute he was. Especially his little belly.

West St Paul Senior Pictures, High School Senior Portraits | Heidi Soll Photography

2011-05-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Jennifer attends Henry Sibley Senior High in Mendota Heights which is one of the local high schools in the area and where I went to school years ago. We started with a half hour studio session for more formal indoor images then went to one of my favorite outdoor locations less than ten minutes away for expansive natural settings. We got some gorgeous images and had a great time.

Senior Pictures | Mendota Heights Photographer | Heidi Soll Photography

2011-05-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

Russell and his mom had some fun ideas for his senior portraits. We started with the standard in-studio session for the more formal portraits then went drove about 5 miles back to their home. We photographed him inside, outside, with his dog, his car and on the trampoline where he's probably spent endless hours. We had a lot of fun and created really unique images.

For some reason I really liked the one of him in the chair although neither his mother, father or grandmother, who all came over separately, picked any from that series. That actually happens a lot and is why I don't dramatically edit the collection until the clients have had a chance to look through all of the images at the view-and-order appointment. Usually there is some little expression or look that really captures the child's personality and parents of course recognize it immediately -- but I might pass it over. So the view-and-order session is always very interesting for me for to see what people choose and why.

Senior Pictures, High School Senior Photographer | Heidi Soll Photography

2011-05-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

One of my most popular high school senior photography sessions is actually a combination session. Its when we do a half hour shoot at my studio in St. Paul for more classic studio portraits and then go outside for an hour session at one of many outdoor location options. One of my favorite spots for a natural outdoor look is the Dodge Nature Center. If your from this area, you or your kids have probably had field trips there. Its a local natural resource that the rest of the Twin Cities doesn't know about but is open to the public and gorgeous. It has rolling fields, a red barn, a lake and more. These were most of the images that Amy chose to go into her custom book, she really had a great shoot.

Baby Portraits, St. Paul Photographer, Kids Photographer

2011-04-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

Madeline's mom and dad came in for a maternity session about a year ago and signed up for the Baby Steps Series. She just turned one year old and completed her fourth of four sessions. Its hard to believe she was resting on her dad's forearm just a year ago.

I decided to have a birthday cake ready for her at the end of the shoot to smash into. Its always interesting to see what the kids do with the cake. Often times they don't really know what to do and we have to break it apart for them before they start tasting it and getting it all over. She figured it out with a little help and we got great one-year images.

Baby Betsy, Infant Portraits, Baby Photography

2011-04-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Little Betsy, a raven-haired 10-day old had her first infant photo shoot in her first of four sessions in the Baby Steps Series. She was a little more fussy and not exactly happy about her clothing changes but she pulled through. I am also a very patient photographer. Usually infants, kids and even adults will need to have their moments. Infants especially may need to eat or take a break for 10-15 minutes which I am more than happy to accommodate. When parents can stay patient with this, the kids normally will have enough time to move into a different mood so we can still capture beautiful images which I think we accomplished. Here are some of our favorites.

Landon, Professional Kids Photography, Childrens Portaits

2011-04-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Landon stopped by with his mom and dad last week for his six month photo shoot. He was so adorable and happy. It was a bright and sunny day so I was able to take advantage of the natural light that wonderfully flows into my studio. I like to mix up my lighting techniques to offer a wide range of looks and options in a photo shoot. The images of him by himself were with natural light and I used studio lighting for the family portraits and the image with the rings on his toes.

Hudson Infant Photographer, Woodbury Baby Photographer

2011-03-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Little Gracie was born the day her parents came over for their maternity session. Her mom could not have been any more pregnant and actually didn't look terribly large to me. Nevertheless, she arrived a healthy baby to her thrilled parents. About ten days later she made her in-person appearance at my studio and had a great session. This will be the first of four in her Baby Steps Series.

Senior Pictures St. Paul, Senior Portrait Photographer

2011-03-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

One of the things I really enjoy is when I hear parents saying to their kids, now that wasn't so bad was it? Having a professional portrait shoot should be a fun and positive experience. I like to talk with my clients, whether they are seven years old or seventeen. Its how I help people to feel more at ease and is one of the ways I am able to get natural expressions from y subjects.

Joe goes to Sibley and is a great example. His parents had specifically wanted a traditional formal portrait but were thrilled when his session additionally produced a number of images that really caught his personality.

Lino Lakes Childrens and Infant Photographer, Baby Portraits

2011-03-13T03:39:00.000-07:00

Nora is one of my Baby Steps Series babies. I have been photographing her since she was still in her mom's belly. Originally I was her mom and dad's wedding photographer back in 2009. Its been so much fun to see the progress and growth she has been experiencing since she was just a newborn and to see their family bloom. She is just a doll and has been featured in many of my promotional pieces. Soon she'll have a little brother or sister who will be showing up along side her. When Pete and Tara were here for the view-and-order session, Pete totally cracked me up and labeled the last image in the series "cakezilla" -- I still laugh.

Baby Roy at Home, Infant Photographer St. Paul

2011-03-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

One of the things I have come to realize is how amazing and unique in-home photo shoots can be. Sometimes people worry that if I haven't photographed at a location before, it might be a problem, but the opposite is true. Its very inspiring because I have never photographed there before so all sorts of new interesting things pop out to me. We can use your own furniture, your backyard, the kids' rooms and really document the time in your life with a lot more meaning because the environment is your home.

Not everyone wants their home to be photographed, but for those who do, the results offer a whole new insight into family portraits that is very documentary and photo-journalistic in style. If typical "family portraits" make you cringe consider having me out to your house to informally document your family interacting and just being you. Its pretty cool.

Kian is One, Kids Photographer

2011-03-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

Kian is a totally adorable smiley sweet boy. Its hard to believe he is a year old. Our first shoot was a maternity session, then his infant shoot where he was so little and tiny. Now he is plump, full of energy, walking and flirty. What a doll!

Pyrz Wedding at Minnesota Boat Club, St. Paul Wedding Photographer

2011-02-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

Wanda and John were married at the Minnesota Boat Club on St. Paul's Raspberry Island in June. The boat house is right downt the street from my studio and sits nearly in the middle of the Mississippi River. It was a beautiful wedding, these are some of my favorite images.

Kids Photographer, Asher is 9 mo.

2011-02-28T08:56:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago new mom, Anna, called to set up a time for her 9 mo. son's first professional photo shoot. They came over and baby Asher was just adorable -- wide-eyed, happy, and slightly mezmerized with the toys and lights over here. He crawled faster than any baby I have experienced yet and had has own one-legged method of getting from place to place.

When they were packing up to go, I asked her how she found me. She lived in the neighborhood and said, you have a cute place so I figured you would take cute pictures. Cool! I think she might be right.

Kids Photography, Eva and Jane

2011-02-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

Jane, who years ago brought in her baby granddaughter for an infant shoot, recently called to schedule an update. Eva is around four now and just beautiful. It struck me as so thoughtful that Jane is documenting them together. I don't have any professional images with any of my grandparents and would really value that now. It really reminded me of something I've always known, that professional portrait photography is transcendent. When you take the time to document not just what a person looks like but their personality and the connection they have with a dearly loved one, that lasts for decades and only becomes more valuable in time because its irreplaceable.

Three Sisters, Kids Photographer, Family Portraits

2010-12-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago the three Cole girls from Ellsworth, WI came bounding into my studio with tons of sunny energy. They looked so cute in their western shirts and jeans. They were obviously sisters -- similar but with individual styles and personalities. These were some of my favorite images.

Baby Portraits, Infant Portraits, Baby Photographer

2010-11-30T10:42:00.000-08:00

Lyla Gulley made her first appearance at my studio about four weeks ago. She was less than two weeks old and beautiful. These were the top picks from her session.

The Wilson Family Portraits, Family Photojournalism

2010-10-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Wilson Family recently called to schedule what I should probably start calling "the photographer's favorite" photo shoot. This is where I come out to your home and we start there, usually photographing the kids in their bedrooms, then family shots in and around your home and finish at a local park for a mix of classic and fun family portraits.

When I first started exploring photography as an art, I was always drawn to photojournalism -- capturing people as they are in their natural surroundings because its very real and informative. In continuing with photography as a profession, beautiful portraits are what many people expect and envision. So for me when clients are open to both, I am thrilled because the art side of my photographic ability bridges with the portrait side and its a glorious union.

Baby Photography, Baby Portraits, Infant Portraits

2010-09-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Last week a local mom scheduled her daughter's three month old baby portraits. She brought in a pink blanket that she had made and a native American blanket that was a gift. The blankets really customized her session and because they are in her infant portraits, will always be remembered as a part of her baby's first year. I always recommend bringing personal items for this reason.

A Day with Berit Writes

2010-08-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Berit is a freelance writer and is always working on new projects. Last week she invited me along on one of her stories about outdoor organic pizza farms in Wisconsin.

We drove to Wisconsin and south along the beautiful river valley to an organic farm just beyond Cream, Wisconsin. Berit started her interview with the owner and I wondered around photographing the farm.

Basically, the owner creates extra revenue for her organic farm by having a pizza night on Thursdays. All the vegetables are fresh and grown on the farm. The meats, flour and dairy are delivered from other nearby farms. So you actually know the source of your food and how its grown which is somewhat remarkable when you think about it.

People arrived in droves with whatever they wanted to sit on. Berit had a blanket I identified as being from college. The whole experience was really pleasant and relaxing.

As we were lounging there soaking up the atmosphere, Berit looked over and held up a four leaf clover. I thought it was really amazing but she said she finds them all the time and her grandma, Berit, was apparently the same way. Lucky genetics?

I felt lucky to have had the day trip with her and realized day trips are good things, I should do them more often.

Wedding Photography at Uof M | Jeanne & Matt Frisk

2010-06-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

Jeanne and Matt met fell in love while students at the University of Minnesota. Because the campus played such a big part in their lives, we decided to use it as a gorgeous backdrop for some of their wedding day photography. The limo dropped us off right by the walking bridge near dinkytown and I had a few locations picked out for their wedding photography. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and we had that unseasonably warm weather in May so the day turned out great. It was a beautiful and ideal spring wedding.

Baby Mason | Kids Photographer St. Paul

2010-06-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

Recently I received an email that said, "I think you're in the cute little house that I drive by every day on my way to work in downtown St Paul." It was from Julie Dotas. My St. Paul studio is in a converted brick house on South Robert Street which is a major commercial thoroughfare in the area. It is really cute. So was Mason, Julie's six month old son. We had a great conversation before the session about photographing them together and came up with the idea of using her husband's Harley jacket in the photography and bringing some special blankets to personalize his portraits. The props looked great and the session turned out fabulous.

Western Baby | Baby Photography St Paul

2010-06-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

Little Royal had has second photo shoot at just over three months old and was in varying moods. This is common with babies, toddlers, kids, high school seniors, adults and retirees. Really, people are not always glowing with happiness, it comes and goes, that's why I shoot for personality. You come away with a more real idea of who and how a person really is and by me, that is all good.

Engagement Photography at the Stone Arch Bridge | Minneapolis Wedding Photographer

2010-05-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Anna and Steve are getting married mid-July. Because their wedding will be very natural they wanted to have a more urban engagement session. I thought immediately of the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. It offers a little bit of everything -- the downtown cityscape, multiple cool urban buildings and of course, nature. The session went really well and was lots of fun. I am so excited for their wedding.

High School Senior Portraits

2010-05-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

Matt McDonough is a high school senior at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. He is very active in the theater department and was able to gain access for us there to start his senior portraits. We also photographed around and outside of Minnehaha Academy and finished up down the street at Minnehaha Falls.

Race For the Cure

2010-05-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Race for the Cure was this Sunday. It was my first time participating and was an incredible experience.

At first I was primarily concerned with navigating the traffic and meeting up with my family on time. Upon arriving, the visuals were so amazing - the range of people, the matching and colorful outfits, custom posters, etc. When I began to actually read the signs on the backs of all the individual walkers I could barely hold back tears. Breast cancer affects so many people. When I realized what a show of force this event is for survivors, family members, neighbors and friends I felt optimistically overwhelmed and so happy to be around all of these wonderful people that showed up to express their love, appreciation, memory and hope for their loved ones affected by breast cancer. It was a deeply meaningful event.

In my family, we walked in memory of Jennifer Legus Edgar -- she was the sister of my brother-in-law. She passed away two years ago from breast cancer.

My niece Grace who goes to Minnetonka brought five friends to walk with us.

Here we all are -- except me -- I'm taking the picture.

Minnetonka Football

2010-01-27T15:34:00.000-08:00

My nephew Rudy loves sports, especially football. This was his last game of the season. My brother-in-law coaches and is apparently a highly sought after coach because he does such a great job with the kids. Unfortunately, the team lost but like the Vikes, there is always next season.

MacPhail Recital

2010-01-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

My family boasts many creative people. One of them is my niece Grace. She has followed in my mother's footsteps and is becoming a great harpist. I try to attend her recitals throughout the year and love watching her grow into a confident and gifted musician. These images were taken at an honor recital at MacPhail Center for music -- she competed for placement and won.

The Great Get-Togther

2009-09-02T20:48:00.001-07:00

This year at the fair was great -- totally my style. Arrive late (4pm vs. 8am), eat food, ride rides. Each year I bring my camera and since I went with a friend (instead of my mom), I photographed the rides (instead of the animals). These were my favorite images from an evening on the Midway at the Minnesota State Fair.

My Civic Duty

2009-08-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

Some may know this but I am an avid bicyclist and all around "green" environmentally-oriented person and have been for many years. I ride all over town -- to Minneapolis from West St Paul and back, to the bank or post office for small errands, etc. So I decided to volunteer for St. Paul Smart Trips. They are a non-profit who are granted funds to educate about, support and promote alternative forms of transportation in Saint Paul. Generally, with the intent of changing people's behavior and consciousness about how they choose to commute. Also, to show and educate people about how to access and use alternative transportation - this includes biking, walking, the light rail, buses, etc.

Today I counted commuters. Once a month volunteers return to the same locations in St. Paul to count and track how many people are walking, running or riding bikes. These numbers are then entered into data bases and all sorts of results are concluded.

In general, from my 2 hours observing a small sample during rush hour, I concluded that men are commuting more than women - they generally had slightly better numbers in all fields and it was as beautiful and perfect a day as you get in Minnesota in the 70's, slighty breezy, clear sky . . . .

The woman in the last photo is Laura who organized the count and is one of very few employees -- she was checking in with all of us and bringing cookies.

Cosmo the Wonder Dog

2009-08-02T20:26:00.001-07:00

This weekend I went up north with my friend Katy and her dog Cosmo. Katy is a quintessential dog mom. We were planning on canoeing so she bought Cosmo a life jacket. As it turned out, the life jacket beefed up his toy poodle body and she felt better about him looking less like an afternoon snack for the local eagle population.

At The Lake

2009-07-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

My Dad is selling his fabulous lake home on pristine Lake Wabana a few miles north of Grand Rapids, MN. Fortunately for me its not selling. I love going up there. Its so northern Minnesota -- quiet, clean, gorgeous. I secretly hope it doesn't ever sell although I'm sure it will, its beautiful. These are some of my favorite shots of my long weekend up there. The frolicking dog is Jaeger who hung out with me the whole time.

The Terrific Two's

2009-06-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the Berman family came over to have two-year-and-one-week old Calleigh photographed. This age is one of my absolute favorites to doucment and not because its easy. Toddlers, Calleigh included, do not sit still for more than 10 seconds and they will not look at the camera -- but for fleeting moments.

Everything is so interesting and distracting to a toddler -- like an ottoman -- climb up, climb down, climb up, climb down. The watering can or unsightly clamp is now like a beloved friend that cannot be separated from them without serious protest and silent colluding by the adults.

Nevertheless, I find the most amazing shots come through in unpredictable ways with this age. With Calleigh, she was curious, energetic and happy -- especially with her patient and adoring parents.

Two-year-old's are a raw bundle of sincere energy and expression.

Truly a unique age and stage to document.

Kara and Jason's Wedding

2009-05-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Kara Wagner and Jason Lundrigan had a beautiful spring wedding on May 1, 2009. The reception at the Varsity Club was amazing and was my first wedding event there. En route to the Varsity Club, the limo stopped at the Stone Arch bridge in Minneapolis and Nye's Polonaise Room -- both were great wedding day photo opportunities -- as was riding in the limo with the bridal party.

My Photography Career -- a short story

2009-03-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

My photography career started with my sister's trip to Russia. I was a supportive but jealous seventh grader. She was going to be a “student ambassador” representing the United States and traveling beyond the former “iron curtain.” That seemed really cool. I decided that when my chance came, I too would travel abroad.

After she returned with great fanfare from my parents and family we listened to her stories about the KGB escorting them around the Soviet Union and some boy nearly getting arrested, etc. Then the shocker that would years later, spawn my photographic career. After two weeks of waiting for anywhere from 20-30 rolls of film to be developed, we received the devastating news – not a single image had turned out. Not one.

No one could figure it out – not even my uncle who started Proex had an answer. She had used my dad’s “nice” camera – but maybe didn’t really know how to use it? Or something was wrong with it? Or the lens? No answer ever really came. She got some copies from friends on the trip, we all felt bad for her and didn’t bring it up.

Years after this debacle, I was living in Portland, OR attending Lewis & Clark College. It was the end of my sophomore year. The summer was ahead of me and beyond that, my junior year abroad. My father, potentially still affected by my sister’s blown photographic experience in Russia, bought me a brand new Canon EOS Elan and I was required to take a class. So that summer I learned how to use a camera, earned a very easy “A” and went to live in Germany.

During my year abroad, I was as much of a camera-toting tourist as a person could be -- never putting it down. When I returned to the U.S. to finish college, my love affair with photography was well underway.

After graduation, I had many and at times very “unique” jobs in the photography field. My first (and worst job of my life) was as a glamour shots photographer. The hair and make-up girls sent through legions of very non-glamorous women from the farthest reaches of rural Oregon and Washington wrapped creatively in varying colors of shiny metallic fabric. I did learn how to pose people and communicate effectively what I wanted them to do – chin up, right shoulder down, etc.

Following that, I worked at a professional processing lab where I learned the significance of color correcting and tonal balancing in making professional quality prints. This has proven to be an invaluable skill that I use every day – seeing good color and knowing how to get it is something every photographer needs to thoroughly understand.

There were other important building-block jobs along the way -- a contributing photo editor position at CitySearch, a five year photo and sales position that took me out and into people's homes (which produced incredible stories on a daily basis) but by far, the greatest opportunity I had was not a job, but to be a member of Photoworks Northwest.

Photoworks NW was a photographers’ co-opt in Portland, OR created by Cherie Hiser, a well-respected local photographer who had deep roots in the world of photography. She had started the group as a life-project. She organized, built-out and leased a large warehouse space for photographers to come together, critique one another, display work, have an accessible darkroom, shared lights, hold workshops, host visiting artists etc.

As a novice 25-year-old photographer, I was very shy and quiet because I was clearly out of my league. (Although I did use the darkroom more than anyone else.) The other members were accomplished fine-art photographers, commercial shooters and in some cases experimental photographers creating amazing and awe-inspiring work. Exposure to that group continues to influence me especially because some of the members have gone on to become major contributors to the field of photography in the United States.

In 2003 I moved back to Minnesota with the plan of starting my own studio. The previous ten years had taught me much of what I needed to know and I needed to start photographing people the way I felt it should be done. For me this is being “real” with my subjects like the great photojournalists and street photographers -- capturing expressions and moments that you can relate to but also to create beautiful images like the polished commercial shooters. Then throwing it all up in the air for some really creative shots that you just weren’t expecting – like the experimental artists that were so inspiring.

In a nutshell, this is the life that has formed me, has made me who I am and how I shoot. My path is still winding with new people and influences always coming along -- for which I am humble and grateful. For me, photography knows no bounds, dares me to find them, is full of surprises and I love it.

Saint Patrick's Day

2009-03-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

The day started with brunch at Cassie and Rich's house. We mixed up ingredients for omelets in freezer bags then boiled them for 13 minutes -- it was surprisingly good. Eventually we walked over the Wabasha Bridge to watch the parade. A few of us were bold and joined the parade at the very end to wave at all the people from the middle of the street. We ended up at McGovern's for some celebratory green beer. Check out more photos on my facebook page.

My Favorite Engagement Portraits

2009-03-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

These are some of my personal favorite images from different engagement sessions over the last year. Usually customers pick different images for their final shots but these are the ones I love.