TERRI+CARL FAM | right in their own backyard

When someone suggests that we do their pictures in their own yard, my first though is, “Wonderful! How meaningful!” and my second thought is “I sure hope there’s some decent light”. Some yards sit in full sun, some are covered in trees and have no sunlight at all, sometimes the only adequate light means shooting in the weird garage corner rather than the actual pretty views they were hoping you’d capture. Luckily, those scenarios did not come to light (FUNNY) here and we had wonderful spots for pictures all around the house. I loved it!

SARA+TREY | in love in the pee-less city

Happy three year anniversary to Sara and Trey! They contacted me about an anniversary session to commemorate both their marriage and their new lives in Minneapolis. They packed up their bags and moved straight into downtown - away from family, friends, and the small-town lives they were familiar with!

As we walked and talked and snapped these pictures, I was just so so so enamored with this beautiful city. Here’s a few of my favorite little things about Minneapolis…

1. It doesn’t smell like pee. I have spent time in New York and I have spent time in LA. Those cities smell like pee. This city does not.

2. Cobblestone streets and sky bridges. Old mill ruins turned into museums and those rentable green scooters (which I am DYING to do!!!!). Minneapolis has the charm of an old city with the amenities of a new one.

3. A river runs through it. Should I see that movie? I haven’t. Well, a river runs straight through our city and that river is the MISSISSIPPI.

4. A bridge with dogs in strollers. The Stone Arch Bridge is the icon of it all! Businesspeople commute to work via bicycle. If you’re delusional, you can arrive early in the morning on the 4th of July to get a spot on the bridge to watch the fireworks over the river. You’ll see bridal parties, tourists, locals, and occasionally those strollers with a tiny shaking dog inside.

5. Happy little trees. Not those sad CAGED trees you see planted along the streets of a typical city. Because the Mississippi River goes straight through Minneapolis, the city has tons and tons of green foresty parks smack dab in the middle of it with places to rent kayaks or take steamboat tours. I plan to do both this summer.

6. Not afraid to drive!!! I have been to New York, but NEVER driven myself around it. I have been to LA, but NEVER been behind the wheel there either. Same with Seattle, Miami, Las Vegas, and so on. But Minneapolis? I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU! I KNOW I can find parking! I KNOW your drivers are not all human scum! I will gladly take your roads anytime.

7. Pretty city. Skylines galore. Positioned for ideal portrait lighting every evening at golden hour. Thank you sun, thank you city planners. I love this pretty city.

SEE ALSO
LINDSEY+COLE | I made an ice cream mistake
AMY+JAMES | lds st paul temple and cotton candy fluffy clouds

CONFIDENCE | not your mothers prom pictures

These girls had a cold and rainy prom night so I insisted they put their dresses back on the following weekend so we could grab some photos to do these gowns justice! Honestly, hanging out with friends in elegant dresses in a dewy spring garden sounds more fun than actually attending a high school dance.

The thing that made me go “OMG YES these girls need pictures(!!!)” wasn’t necessarily the gowns themselves, but the confidence I sense in dressing 100% your own way during the teenage years many of us spend just wanting to blend in and dress and look exactly like everyone else. Wearing a replica of the 2015 Cinderella ballgown? CONFIDENCE. Making (yes MAKING) your own prom dress out of Nigerian fabric to honor your heritage? CON. FI. DENCE.

I would love to the confidence these girls exude and send it back to my high school self! Probs would have ended up with a prom look reminiscent of Leisl’s gazebo dress, Drew’s butterfly wings, or *anything* from Moulin Rouge.