SBliss Photography / St Paul Photographer Minneapolis Photographer Grand Ave Photographer

HS Senior - Dakota

2011-08-02T12:16:00.003-05:00

As soon as he sat down on the tracks, a train decided to whiz past!

I really enjoyed my time with Dakota. I think I really like shooting Seniors!

He's on his way to Art School next year and I can't wait to see what kind of creativity he brings to the world!

I hope you guys enjoy your sneakpeeks! I really had a great time getting to know Dakota!

(Almost) Running Wild! / Brooklyn Park Baby Photographer / Minneapolis Child Photographer / Saint Paul Baby Photographer / Champlin Child Photographer

2011-07-28T19:28:00.002-05:00

I arrived at the "B" house bright and early last Sunday morning to find the cutest little boys, both oh, so close to running wild! I asked Jafton's mama what his favorite songs were and wasn't I surprised when she said, "Oh, he LOVES Adele, Rolling in the Deep!" Well, I can tell you, so do I!....but I'm no songstress, so I said, "ummm ok, how about the ABCs or Eeensy, Teensy Spider....or anything that doesn't require skills?? - I really don't want to scare them to tears!" Oh, yeah, he likes those, too!, she said. Whew!

Jafton's cousin Jaxson came along for some fun, too! I just love his happy attitude!

I'm so glad I made this banner just for Jafton's session! It turned out great. I can't wait to make more!

Mom brought "clean" little snacks! :) Yay! That seriously made my day!

Can you stand that mohawk!? The most adorable thing on a little boy... EVER!

And a VERY special thanks to crazy Auntie Kourtney for making a complete fool of herself making ALL sorts of monkey, monster and who-knows-what-else noises behind me!!! She made my day, too!

I really enjoyed Sunday morning with you guys! I hope you enjoy your sneaks.. The rest will be up in your private gallery soon!

Accordion Mini Albums / Minneapolis Family Photographer / Twin Cities Child Photographer / Otsego Photographer

2011-07-23T16:44:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh, studio samples! I just received these Accordion Mini Albums and I absolutely LOVE them. They are so cute and perfect to stuff in your purse to carry around and brag about your adorable kids!

These come is sets of one, two or three of the same design. I ordered these with the Art Watercolor paper and you can see the texture in the close up below. Other paper finishes available are semi-gloss, art linen, art recycled and pearl. The cover texture is ultra smooth with a custom front and back design, also available are covers in black, brown and red leather as well as black, tan and chocolate fabrics.

Each Accordion Mini also comes with its own little semi-opaque plastic slip-cover for protection from the other things floating around in your bag... How perfect is that!

This is just one design of many that I have available and new ones being added all the time. I'll be adding these to the products tab as well as some template examples of some of the other designs I have available.

What to Wear - More Summer Inspiration

2011-07-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

My session calendar is over full for the rest of July, but I've got a few dates available in August for those summer sessions you've been meaning talk with me about... I can't wait to hear from you!

I am so honored….. // Minneapolis photographer / minnetonka photographer / st paul photographer / twin cities family photographer / minneapolis event photographer

2011-06-25T19:29:00.004-05:00

I am so honored to have been asked by my good friend Alicia to come and capture some memories for her Grandparent’s 50th Wedding Anniversary party! Honestly, some of the nicest people I have ever met. Really, I didn’t expect any less because Alicia is about the biggest sweetheart EVER! We only had an hour or so to get everyone in…I hope I was able to get the images that everyone wanted before dinner started without you!

What to Wear - Summer Inspiration

2011-06-21T20:13:00.000-05:00

As promised, more photo session "What to Wear" inspiration! I really hope this helps, because the most frequently asked question I get is, "What should we wear!?"

Related: I think I NEED those blue wedge sandals!

I found love today...in the shoe department.

2011-06-09T21:15:00.001-05:00

Forgive me for not touching up my polish before going to town with the camera... I was so excited to get these before the light faded too much!

What to Wear - Spring Inspiration

2011-05-21T13:45:00.001-05:00

I'm excited to announce that I'll be bringing a "What to Wear" post for you now each month! The first edition will give you some inspiration for Spring (and Summer) sessions. I just absolutely LOVE the color palette! It fits right in around here, don't you think? As always, each What to Wear edition is posted in the What to Wear page of this blog. See it? Right up there... second to last tab. It will always be there for easy reference. To make it even easier on you, here's the direct link! ;) SBliss Photography - What to Wear

A little nibble of something sweet / Minneapolis Photographer / St Paul Photographer / Otsego Photographer / Maple Grove Photographer / Plymouth Photographer

2011-05-03T21:55:00.001-05:00

She's a nibble alright! I could just eat her up, but if I did, I'd go into sugar shock! Those itty bitty fingers and toes and sugar lips pack quite a delightful little baby punch.

She was worth the wait and so much more.. I could barely put her down to start snapping!

Congratulations, Fritzy and Shana! You've got quite a little knock-out heart breaker on your hands.....

From time to time....

2011-04-20T21:52:00.000-05:00

.....there is a contest worth taking the time to blog about. This is the one to beat ALL of them. Its all expenses payed, which should be enough.... I'd pretty much go anywhere to learn more about photography from anyone... but it get WAAAAyyyyy better. Crave Photography is nothing short of amazing and it would make my decade, to win this and spend two days learning from Andee. So here it is. I'm blogging to win a contest. Heres the link, even if you're not interested in learning more about photography. The work is amazing --- Check it out!!

http://cravemyphotography.com/blog/

And because no blog post is complete without a photo... I was outside the other day looking for stuff to point the camera at.... well, there ya go. A pretty spigot! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll need to use it soon!

The MN State Fair is ALWAYS fun! / St. Paul Photographer / Minneapolis Family Photographer / Otsego Family Photographer

2011-04-16T18:42:00.000-05:00

Can I just say... the MN State Fair grounds are a fantastic and fun place for a photoshoot!? It was actually a little warmer than it looks. We had such a good time after we got the kids relaxed! Can I also just say that 3 year olds move FAST?? Enjoy your sneak "I" Family!

(ps. I'm already planning your next photoshoot wardrobe!)

Peace, Anticipation and Swollen Ankles

2011-04-10T21:13:00.000-05:00

Evelynn Rae has already made her appearance, but I wanted to share this one image from Shana's Bump session a few weeks back. Doesn't she look peaceful? I think she is just lovely. Despite her understandable discomfort at 37 weeks, she was a complete trooper! She is bringing little Evie over next weekend and I can't wait!!

Seven Months Perfect // St. paul baby photographer / minneapolis baby photographer / twin cities child photographer / blaine baby photographer / eagan family photographer

2011-02-20T14:05:00.004-06:00

Two weeks ago, I had the true pleasure of hosting a baby shoot in my home studio. Lynn and Polly brought little 7 month Mackenzie over for her milestone “Sitting Up On Her Own” shoot! We had so much fun and she is a FANTASTIC outfit changer! Just whippin’ those cute outfits on and off like a pro, not a single whimper out of her! I just love this little peanut! She was my very FIRST newborn, besides the fact that she is my great-niece! :) Remember her? click: Mackenzie - Seven Days Perfect
I’ve learned so much and come so far since last June! To me its like night and day. Anyway, enjoy Seven Months Perfect, Mackenzie….. Adorableness!!!!!!

Don’t you agree!!??

I Heart Faces / Fix-It Friday / St. Paul child photographer

2011-02-12T15:01:00.001-06:00

This morning, I was in the mood to give the “I heart faces” Fix-it Friday image a go. I love her red hair and the shy girl expression!

Baby goodness / Minneapolis Newborn Photographer / St. Paul newborn photographer / Maple Grove newborn photographer / twin cities newborn photographer /

2011-01-18T21:03:00.002-06:00

Awhile back, I met gorgeous little Delaney. So soft and sweet and perfect. Thank you, Brent and Alison for letting me get to know her when she was so new :)

Everyone, eat cake!

2011-01-13T16:42:00.002-06:00

Last weekend, I had my first double session. It was a little chaotic and a lot of fun!

Happy Birthday Reesie and Landon!!!!

The New Year and the Slow Season

2010-12-29T20:51:00.001-06:00

As you might bring yourself to imagine, January, February and March consist of the photographer’s slow season. They tend to make the best of it, however, by dedicating the time to brainstorming marketing ideas for the new year, sorting the “what was I thinking!?” props from the new, fun and beautiful ones… dreaming up ways to wow the throngs that you know are the crowds of new clients begotten by your ingenious marketing ways…. and most importantly, studying how to improve your craft… all while nibbling on yummy organic chocolate you received for Christmas. Oh. Well, maybe that last part is just me. Like right now. ahem.

Ok, so where was I? Right. Starting with marketing. To some, it might seem like marketing should be classified as a four letter word. I get that, I really do. No one likes to be ‘marketed’ to. Ok, maybe some do. But they’re rare. Like my sister Polly who looks for any good opportunities to spend money. I love it when she wants to take me shopping ;) But I digress. Gosh, I’m really distracted tonight… chocolate, shopping, I wonder whats next…

Ok, so anyway… while most people don’t like being marketed to, most also realize that its a necessary evil, so to speak. Small business’ must find customers and to do this, they must market themselves. No clients, no growth, no business and thats that. I don’t want to have to close up shop… I’ve barely begun to dazzle you with my amazing photographic skills! And so marketing, I must study. And research. And scheme… I mean brainstorm! Brainstorm. Much prettier word, isn’t it? I don’t really scheme, honest! Pinky-swear…

Contests, networking, getting folks to click ‘like’ on my Facebook page, referral programs, promotions, to sale or not-to-sale… all decisions and thoughts I’ve never had to have before I started this fun little photography gig.

So lets just say that I have some fun stuff up my sleeve… Don’t try to get it out of me! I can’t be bought.. well… except for chocolate. Truffles. Lindt. Just sayin’. ;)

So stay tuned for soon-to-come contests, promotions and specials. Can you say, “Watch out! Sharee’s got a Marketing Calendar!” Seriously. Get ready to invite your friends and neighbors!

In the mean time, thanks for reading my rambling and enjoy some of my favorite images from my warm and wild holiday season! Happy New Year!

PS. Up next: prop sorting, making pretty packaging decisions and most importantly, shooting, shooting, shooting cuz I gotta keep learning :)

PSS. I had to include this…has nothing to do with the holidays or the new year or marketing..its just cute!

Sweet Sixteen / St. Paul Photographer / Minneapolis Photographer / Fridley Photographer / Senior Girl Photographer

2010-12-07T20:35:00.008-06:00

Sixteen years ago, our family was blessed with Mariah Renee. She is above all, the most genuine person you will likely ever meet. Sweet, loving, strong, outgoing, resilient, funny…oh! and beautiful!! AND FUN! I had such an awesome time hanging out with her!

Rye, we are all so, so proud of the outstanding young woman you’re becoming. The first leg of your journey through life has been…… quite frankly, hell. No one deserves the pain that you and your brothers have been through. No one. But, you are quintessentially making perfect lemonade out of the sourest lemons that life can throw at you. Just look at you! Just look. So grown up. And so happy. We love you, Rye <3

In loving memory of Jeni. We miss you so much. I know you are the proudest of us all.

I Will – St. Paul Engagement Photographer / Minneapolis Engagement Photographer / Golden Valley Engagement Photographer

2010-11-07T13:59:00.003-06:00

My friend, Nicole was engaged a little while back and asked me if I would like to do her engagement photos… I was thrilled! This is my first attempt at engagement/couple photography and I really enjoyed it! Jason and Nicole were a lot of fun to work with and its so abundantly evident how in-love they are! It was a gorgeous afternoon and a bit windy and got pretty chilly toward the end, but they were troopers…. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to capture your engagement!!

If Sunny, Golden and Beautiful were a family, they would be it.

2010-10-24T19:20:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, I had so much fun with this gorgeous family! And talk about photogenic… and the autumn morning light was just as stunning. Enjoy your previews W Family!!!

Accordion Mini Albums

2010-10-23T14:15:00.002-05:00

The 'accordion' is just what it sounds like - a sturdy cover and back which expands to reveal six photos on the inside and four on the back. You may choose all 10 photos or opt for a panoramic perspective of one horizontal photo on the front and another on the back. Or mix and match - the choice is yours! Opt for a standard fabric or leather cover or trust me to design custom covers for you. For the pages, choose from standard UV protected semi-gloss, Art Linen, Art Watercolor or high-end Pearl paper. Each Accordion Mini Album comes with a protective frosted slip-cover.
These are so cute! The first pic is the template view of one I designed awhile back and the second is a finished product example (not my photo) of what they look like in real life.

I can’t wait to order my own sample! I’ll post pics of it as soon as its finished!

Family Love / St. Paul Photographer / Minneapolis Photographer / Plymouth Photographer

2010-10-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

This is my gorgeous niece and her two BEAUTIFUL kids.. I love them all so much! Bobbijo, though... she's demanding! Making me be all hurried and all with these sneaks.... j/k I'm happy to make her happy! Can you stand how adoable these kids are!? I can barely. Seriously.

Images brought to you by my most trusted sponsor: Jellybeans! / St. Paul Photographer / Blaine Photographer / Minneapolis Photographer / Child Photographer

2010-10-10T11:54:00.003-05:00

No Kidding, Jellybeans saved my life on this beautiful, but chilly Sunday ;) I’m so excited to show off these images…I just love autumn! We are having just the most amazing fall season here in Minnesota… and their red heads fit the season so perfectly! And these kids were so fun to chase around…once I broke out the candy!

St. Paul Minneapolis Photographer / River Walk Fun

2010-09-26T14:33:00.003-05:00

A few weeks back, I got together with a friend from work and her family. I made them get up super early on a Sunday morning just for torture’s sake! Of course, I’m kidding ;) Its because the closer to noon it gets, the more difficult the light is to work with, especially if its very sunny. Natural Light photographers will usually try to get you to pose for the camera during the magic hours, which, depending on the time of year, are the 1-3 hours right after sunrise and before sunset. Her beautiful family includes and teen and a tween, so I can completely understand the challenges on her end! They were a lot of fun to work with and were up for anything I asked. They even had some great ideas!!

We were down on the Mississippi River near the Mill City Museum. Isn’t all that texture fantastic!?

I’ll definitely be using this location again! Thanks B Family!! I’ll be getting the rest of your gallery up this week.

To a photographer, light is everything

2010-09-18T22:36:00.001-05:00

And the light was JUST RIGHT when I returned home this afternoon. I happened to have my camera with me, so I dropped everything on the front step and stepped into the front garden. Mind you, our front garden is a narrow strip along the sidewalk in front of our condo building. Its usually only exciting in the spring when the tulips are blooming, but this year someone put out some mums and other vibrant red flowers and some yummy yellow daisies. I don't know what either of the purple ones are really, but today the late afternoon autumn light was hitting them in just the right way. I just had to share! enjoy!

The Luckiest Little Girl / St. Paul Photographer / St. Michael Photographer / Minneapolis Photographer

2010-09-12T17:05:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, I met the most amazing, kind and gracious little family ever. And Marlie is the luckiest little girl because they belong to her. The time of day was a little contentious and there were a bump or two along the road, but all in all I had so much fun with your family, Annie and Ryan! I really did. :)

And just when we thought Marlie was finished for the evening, we brought out another surprise! Annie made this huge cupcake herself and I think it was awesome! Don’t you!? Happy 1st Birthday, Marlie!!!

Despite the late hour, I think Marlie was thrilled, too! She is hands down, the biggest fan of of the birthday song and loved giving it a big round of applause every time we sang it! So funny!

I hope you enjoy these sneak peeks while I finish the rest! Talk to you soon!

I Heart Faces - Fix It Friday

2010-09-10T21:54:00.001-05:00

This is my first time participating in this, but here goes! I Heart Faces is a website/blog for photographers and every Friday they publish a random photo for digital editing practice. I'll show you the SOOC (photog lingo for 'straight out of camera') and my edit. Remember, this image is not mine, but the edit is! Let me know what you think!

SOOC

My Edit

How did I do it? Magic! Its a special potion called Photoshop ;)
Here are my steps. First thing I did was play up the eyes a little. In Lightroom, I used the adjustment brush to add sharpness and clarity as well as a little brightness and saturation. Brown eyes are so much harder to enhance then blue! I upped the vibrance and lowered the saturation and then brightened the whole image. It was looking a little cool to me, so I adjusted the White Balance just a little to add some warmth. Then I added a pretty strong s-curve pop because I LOVE contrast. My last step was opening it up in Elements and adding a texture to the background to give it a little more interest.
Did you get all that? :)

Sequins, Frosting and Blue Eyes / St. Paul Photographer / Belle Plaine Photographer / Minneapolis Photographer

2010-09-05T11:01:00.003-05:00

Ok, so its been awhile since I posted to the blog! I promise I have a long list of good reasons ;) However, I won’t bother you with too many of the details… I’ll just say that living with and caring for a little munchkin of a dog with Kennel Cough is NO FUN! No fun at all. Almost 3 weeks of coughing and I think we’re headed back to the vet this week for chest x-rays. She’s just not getting better and its so sad to watch.
Anyway…on to the fun stuff! I got together with Kayla and Emma a few weeks ago and I just had a blast! Kayla is just a little ham who loves the camera and Emma…so cute and cuddly!

You’ll probably also notice my new colors and logo… ? In between doggy coughing fits, I’ve been working on putting together all the fun new components of my new business. Let me know what you think!
I hope everybody is having a fun Labor Day Weekend… Will someone out there have a brat for me? Someone should have my share so it doesn’t go to waste!

St. Paul / Minneapolis Photographer / Fun Photographer

2010-08-09T22:13:00.001-05:00

I know! I know! Its been so long since I had a blog post…I totally agree! Life has been crazy busy lately and I don’t even see the light at the end of the tunnel…

Its late, but I just wanted to share some friends and family photos from the last month or so. The rugrats in the back alley belong to a great friend of mine…they were so much fun that hot, hot evening!

Beneath them, we have a few groups from my lake vacation over the 4th of July weekend and contain members of my beautiful family :)

Simplicity Photography

2010-07-26T00:13:00.001-05:00

This is not my usual kind of post. Tonight, I’m writing about a photographer, but I’m not writing about me. Angie is a photographer in Salt Lake City, Utah…and she’s a fantastic one. I’m burning the midnight oil tonight, just to share with you a post of Angie’s that literally stopped me in my tracks a few minutes ago. Mouth agape, I had no words…. except ‘wow’, ‘WOW’ …and “Holy criminy, this is awesome awesome stuff !!!!!” This is the type of photography that I aspire to, folks. Angie is my new hero and her work is now my biggest inspiration. I don’t even know her last name yet! Crazy. Anyway, check out this blog post and then check back with me in a year or two or three. Maybe some year in my lifetime I’ll come close to her awesomeness ;) Just maybe…..

Just click it, you won’t be sorry……. Simplicity Photography, Senior Girls

St Paul Photographer Minneapolis Photographer Grand Ave Photographer / Mini Me's!!

2010-07-24T16:27:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I got together with the kids of my nephew and niece-in-law. If you happen to be wondering what my nephew and niece-in-law look like, look no further... They look EXACTLY like these kids, just taller!!!! Well, except for Mom's teeth, she has her all grown in ;) I just can't get over how much of Mini Me s they are!

"Cheese" was wide-spread this hot afternoon, but I was able to capture a few natural smiles, too :) They're so cute - check it out!

St. Paul Minneapolis Twin Cities Otsego Photographer / Sweet Gerber Baby

2010-07-23T22:32:00.003-05:00

I've been playing catch up lately! I've got so much on my to-do list, its mind-boggling (insert googly eyes here...theres no emoticon here for those!) So honestly sorry to those who are waiting on their sneakpeeks and photo galleries, I'm abolutely working as quickly as my fingers can move across the keyboard :) Just the other day, I received my new (FAST) laptop and I'm so excited to get it all up and running!! Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me right out of the box, so its going to take a little bit yet before my workflow will actually improve. For the moment, its just one more thing (or a dozen!) on my ever growing to-do list. Well..enough excuses out of me... I have some photos for you! A few weeks ago, I did this 6-month session for a good friend of mine and her son, Landon. Isn't he just a delicious little gerber babe!? He is so happy and smiley. I only had about 45 minutes with him, so it was just a mini-session, but I got a few good ones! My personal favorite is (of course!!) the tootsie-in-mouth........ but thats just me! What do you think?

Oh my gosh, he makes me smile!

Have I mentioned lately how awesome it is when you click 'add comment' below.....? ;)

St.Paul MN Photographer / Grand Avenue Photographer / Columbia Heights Photographer / Giggles with Attitude....AND an on-looker!

2010-07-11T14:26:00.003-05:00

Oh, my gosh... I think this was the funnest and my most successful yet photoshoot that I've had! And to top off the funny factor, I just now noticed that I forgot to edit out the onlooker in the bridge shot! See below....lol!!

I had such a good time with your girls, Cris! I'm really in love with them and hope to see you all again soon :) I hope you like these as much as I do!

ps. I'll edit out the on-looker if you're interested in that image....but for the blog, I think its hilarious!! :-)~

St. Paul MN Photographer / Summit Hill / Cambridge Photographer / Sweetness, love and sugar delivered at long last

2010-07-09T23:38:00.003-05:00

I am so honored to have been the first to photograph this long, long awaited sweet delivery. Her parents have been ever so patient for her arrival, and their wait has paid off in the best of ways. Patrick and Nissa have been dear friends of mine since high school and they've been waiting for almost as long since then to be parents. I can't think of a more deserving couple, to be perfectly honest. Thank you again for inviting me into your home and letting me get to know sweet little Ms. S. Thanks also for being so patient with me in posting your sneakpeeks...Its been a crazy, crazy two weeks! She is ever so beautiful, isn't she? Enjoy :)

St. Paul MN Photographer / Summit Hill / Elk River Photographer / Love, blended

2010-06-28T10:20:00.005-05:00

I had so much fun with these kids a few weeks back.... I'm so glad I can finally share them with you!!

What a gorgeous blended family, Tonya & Jeromie!!

St. Paul MN Photographer / Summit Hill / Blaine Photographer / Seven Days Perfect

2010-06-24T22:19:00.004-05:00

One word: Spoiled. I am spoiled. Lil' Mackenzie has spoiled me. Six hours flew by like nothing and I loved every minute of it. This little peanut slept when I needed her to sleep, was alert and awake when I needed alert and awake.. she was as accomodating to her photographer as a week old babe has any right to be. I am in love with her.. and with photographing newborns! :) I am lucky because she is family and I can see her as often as I want. I am hopeful, because I know now that I can do it and because since this session turned out so well, other Moms that perhaps don't know me so well, will also let me capture the precious moments in the first weeks of their new precious one's life. Enjoy :)

St. Paul MN Twin Cities / Minneapolis / Lakeville Photographer / Family Fun...on a weeknight, no less!

2010-06-22T21:21:00.004-05:00

What a fun family this was so photograph! It was evening and it was almost bedtime, but they gave me just what I needed. Beautiful, too! Thanks again to my friend Cherie for referring her favorite aunt's family to me... they had a short window of opportunity to all be together and I can't thank them enough for trusting me to their new and improved family photo. Much improved due to the addition of beautiful little Madalyn, of course!

I'm trying something a little different this time around - I hope you like it :) I just got some new templates and after fighting the very steep learning curve over the past few days, I'm happy to show you sneakpeeks in the form of a collage-type page filled with a handful of the more casual and downright funny shots. Enjoy!

W Family: I should have your proofs up before the end of next week. I'll let you know as soon as they're ready! :) Thanks again for the fun evening!

edit: to add one more I couldn't fit on the template!

St. Paul / Summit Hill Photographer / Family & Filler

2010-06-12T22:08:00.004-05:00

I don't have anything new for you right at the moment, but it's been awhile since I posted, so I thought I'd dig around the computer a little and see if I could find a little something for you to look at! These photos are from the baby bump session I did for my niece-in-law, Lynn, last month. We also took some time down at the park to snap a few family photos, which I think turned out really well.
The past two weekends have been wet and dreary, hence the lack of new photos. I really hope Mother Nature will cooperate next weekend! (fingers crossed everybody...thanks!)

Some good new I have to share, on the other hand. Last week, my new backdrop stand and pair of lightstands arrived...I'm so excited!! No more fretting on whether the clients indoor shoot situation will drive me straight to Stress-ville. Babies and Moms-to-be can be photographed indoors without low lighting woes! yipee!! As you can see, this makes me very happy :)

Coming up before too long, I'll have some more new stuff.... I have some ready to go from the 'gaggle of girls' shoot two weeks ago...I'm just waiting on an "Ok to blog". I've also scheduled my first Newborn shoot for the weekend after next, and this makes me really REALLY happy :) Lynn is also just about ready to become a Mom (any day now) and so we'll have even MORE curly baby love! Stay tuned :)

Summit Hill / St. Paul Photographer / I was walking in the park by the river last night.....

2010-06-01T09:57:00.002-05:00

There were some kids splashing around in the parks water feature and I couldn't resist snapping a few!

I was able to develop this one to show you today. It sure was a beautiful evening.

St. Paul / Summit Hill Photographer / I LOVE long weekends! AND more Baby Love

2010-05-30T10:43:00.005-05:00

Happy almost Memorial Day, everyone! I just finished a few more edits from Ms. Reese's photoshoot last weekend and wanted to share. She is such a doll, isn't she? I'm off to photograph my friend, Tonya's family this afternoon - two adults and FIVE girls and one boy! This should be fun!! I just wish I had 5 tutu's to go around..... ;)

You'll probably notice also, that I've been playing around with the blog and logo design. This isn't final, I'm just trying some things out, so let me know what you think....things are sure to keep changing.

PS. I STILL love comments! :)

St. Paul MN Twin Cities Photographer / Grand Avenue Photographer / Baby Love

2010-05-24T11:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of photographing this gorgeous little creature. She is my great-niece and I love her ever so much. She was such a good sport amidst all the wardrobe changes we inflicted on her!

St. Paul / Summit Hill Photographer / Will work for 'Family'

2010-05-15T17:26:00.003-05:00

I'm thrilled to post these.. I really am. My beautiful niece-in-law was up for anything during our photo session and despite the difficult lighting conditions on location at her parents house, she was a complete trooper for me. I am so glad I was able to give her something she otherwise wouldn't have had. We had a great time and I hope she (and my family) enjoy these sneakpeeks : )

Summit Hill / St. Paul Photographer / As promised, a few more baby bump sneak peaks for Mrs.U

2010-05-14T10:35:00.004-05:00

I'm pretty excited today. After days of frustration dealing with color management and my new home printer, I'm literally thrilled to know that no matter how funky the home printer is, my pro print vendor gets it absolutely right and matches what I see on my monitor just about perfectly! I received Cherie's proof book last night and actually did a little happy jig with Mushu to celebrate :) YAY!

As promised, here are a few more shots from Mrs. U's baby bump shoot. I love sharing these! A little note for her... I'll have all of the proofs up for viewing by this weekend. Thanks again for letting me practice on you, being an amazing subject and being so easy to work with!

I'm also working on Mrs. I's proofs from last weekend's baby bump shoot. I'll have a few sneakpeeks up for that soon, as well. Thanks for stopping by! :)

ps. I LOVE comments!

And without further adeu..... / Summit Hill / St. Paul Photographer

2010-05-05T10:49:00.015-05:00

Here are a few sneakpeeks of the maternity session the other night. These shots are all from the indoors portion. I may post a few more from the outdoor portion in a few days! I'm so excited to show these off and for Mrs. U to see them! And without further adeu....

Summit Hill / St. Paul Photographer / Filler Time

2010-05-04T14:35:00.003-05:00

Well, its been a little while since my last post, so I thought I'd better bring in just a little filler to let you know what I've been up to. I don't have anything photographic for you at the moment, but that is soon to come - I PROMISE! :) (edited 5/14 to add a few ;)
I had a bit of time off last week and spent the majority of it business planning, information gathering, prop chasing and not nearly enough laying around and/or relaxing. Every time I sat down to relax, stampedes of thoughts began running through my head reminding me of all the things I need to get done... I didn't really even have time to keep up with Facebook, as crazy a concept as that sounds!
A few weeks ago, I went to Stillwater with my friend, Tony and while there spied this perfect, perfect, perfect antique doll bed.. I think the price tag said '$45'.. anyway, I did not pick it up for reasons I can't think of right now.. I kept thinking about it and seeing other photographers using similar props in their newborn photos...I had to have it. So on Wednesday, I drove back to Stillwater, spent some time wandering around the shop again, selecting a few more items such as a hand-knit pair of hi-top baby booties and a little hand-knit baby yellow infant cap. I grabbed the doll bed (happy to find a now lower price of $28!) and headed downstairs, only to figure out that I did not have any money or cards with me!! Ugghh! Luckily, they were able to save them for me and I went back the next day. I'm VERY happy with it, it photographs amazingly and I can't wait to USE IT with a newborn!! Maybe soon, maybe soon you'll see it!
On Friday, I went with my friend, Luke to shoot some stills for a documentary that he is shooting for a class he is taking. I can't really begin to tell you the basis of the documentary itself, but I did meet a few really awesome people and the whole experience really makes you think twice about how your perceive people with handicapps.

On Sunday evening, I had my very first baby bump photoshoot, which was SOOO much fun! I am extremely happy with how the shoot went, how the raw images are looking and what an incredibly beautiful, cooperative and helpful expectant mother I had to work with!! I can't express enough how thankful I am to Kari for making it so easy for me. Honestly. She was amazing! I only hope that the experience was as positive for her. I'm hoping to have some sneakpeeks available by tomorrow evening. Its taking me a little bit, getting use to the new photo editing software I have. I can tell its going to help the final images in amazing ways, but it does have a significant learning curve. With each photo session that I have, I learn more about what to do, what not to do, what I'm capable of doing and learning, what I'm forgetting and what I'm not noticing in the moment, lol. Planning, scheduling, and on and on and on. I love this practice, I really do. I'm enjoying myself so much!

Today, I presented to Cherie the two 8x10 test prints she selected. She loves them, which I knew she would, but I'm not thrilled in how they came in relation to how they look on my monitor at home. They seem a little dark with a grayish tint. They're not horrible, just a little off. I've ordered a monitor calibrator, which should arrive tomorrow, so I will try a few more test prints as soon as I'm finished with a few of Kari's proofs. Hopefully, that will help ensure that what I see on my monitor is what I get back from the printer.

Coming up this weekend, I have another maternity session with my beautiful niece-in-law Mrs. I who is expecting my much-already-loved new great-niece, tiny Ms.Mac. Oh, how her life will be well documented, I suspect! :) After that (at least at the moment) I'll have a little break to finish and then present these sets of maternity proofs. Currently, I have open the dates of 12/13/19/20/27 June for practice/free sessions, if you or anyone you know are interested in my photographic services...I'm open to newborns, baby, toddler, children, couples/engagement or even high school seniors.

Summit Hill / St. Paul Photographer / Testing...testing 1 2 3

2010-04-25T13:15:00.002-05:00

Today is an exciting day. I've set up an account with a professional photo printing company, and sent in my choices for the 5 test prints that they provide for free. I gave Cherie choice of two of them, so she will get 2 8x10s for free. The above photo of Aubrey is one of them :)

I posted her proofs online yesterday...her family and friends are pretty impressed, so I am thrilled!

Here is another photo I sent in for a test:

I'm really interested to see how this will look on the wall as an art piece!

And this one, my sister, Ivy is interested in, so hopefully it turns out well and she likes it on HER wall.

I am on a MUCH needed vacation from work this week, so my time will be filled with cleaning, sorting, business planning, photo/dog walking and catching up on all the other things I never have time or energy to do during the regular work week. I also need to put some thought into how I'm going to handle the documentary shoot I have planned for Friday. So, all in all, it will be busy week, but I'll try to relax as much as possible!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Summit Hill / St. Paul Photographer / Sibling Practice Photoshoot #2

2010-04-20T09:44:00.002-05:00

I spent this past Sunday evening with the kids of a good girlfriend of mine. Beauty #1 is 8-year-old Aubrey and Beauty #2 is 2 1/2-year-old Jenna. We had sooo much fun! Thank you so much to Cherie and Brian for inviting me into their home and neighborhood to chase their children around with a camera! And for feeding me grilled brats afterward! hehe

I got a ton of great photos. These girls are extremely photogenic and easy to work with. The natural smile of little Jenna is absolutely priceless even if not just a little challenging to capture. Aubrey, on the other hand is a natural model (read: complete ham!) and fun fun fun and easy peasy to work with! We hung out in the backyard, hula-hooping, blowing bubbles, sliding, swinging, tree-climbing as well as going into the neighborhood park to monkey on the jumgle gyms, dance on tables and pose super-cute for me on the bridge

Here are a few sneak peeks of our session. Out of 104 potential images, I need to weed it down to 30 or less.. its going to be sooo hard! It was hard enough just to get it down to 104 from about 350!! There is a saying amongst photographers: "Take lots and lots of pictures. The more you take, the more good ones you end up with." I may have gone a little bit overboard given this piece of advice ;) But maybe not! Oh well... shoot and learn, I guess! A few other things I learned: Other neighborhood kids are great helpers and I'm going to need to work out my left thigh so it stays as strong as the right one, given the insane amount of exercise the right one gets when lunging down constantly to get on the children's level!

I really did have tons of fun! How can I call this work!?

Coming up this weekend, I don't currently have any photoshoots planned. However, I do have a 5K planned. Will I be 'running' it? mmm not so much :/ With all this photography business, my run training has taken a serious hit. My friend Nicole, who is doing the 5K with me has also not been running so much lately because she and her boyfriend just bought a house... so at least I won't be walking most of it all by myself...yay!! Next week, I am off of the "9-5 gig" on vacation and I have 3 shoots planned. A maternity on Tuesday, a sibling lifestyle on Thursday and on Friday, a just-for-photographic-experience-sake, a documentary shoot with my friend Luke who is a film-maker. That should be interesting!

Lots of fun and interesting stuff coming up, so please keep stopping by!

Summit Hill / St. Paul Photographer / This is just oh so exciting!... and scary.

2010-04-16T14:57:00.001-05:00

Ok, heres what I'm worried about. I'm worried about coming off on this blog as someone that I'm not. Sometimes I do that... I worry too much (sense a theme here?) about what to write, how to write it, what personality to exude. I'm just not a natural at this blog-writing business. BUT. I'm going to give it a whirl anyway and this time I mean business! Literally.

About two months or so ago, I splurged. On a camera. An expensive one. I've always wanted it and finally one day after obsessing over which one to get for weeks, I just did it. And I haven't looked back. No regrets, not even as I scan the financial damage on my credit card statement -- now thats serious, folks! Since that wonderful Saturday at National Camera, I've been more obsessed than I thought possible. I have learned sooooo much and I want to learn more. I want to "do it" all the time. Photograph, that is! I've joined a meetup.com group of local photographers and met some new friends. Our first meetup was veeeerrrry early one Sunday about a month ago. The Como Park Conservatory was opening it's doors two hours early for photographers and artist to bring in normally not permitted tripods and easels. Since I'd never met any of these people, I decided to get up extra early and meet a few of the meetup group people for coffee at Caribou beforehand. Such nice, generous (and knowledgeable) people! I had a fantastic time and really felt 'at home' with other photographers. I was no longer that girl with the camera. I just blended in. I loved it. Here are a few photos I took that day:

On other days, I just take the camera (and my dog!) on photowalks around my neighborhood. Several weeks ago, the rivers in our area were flooding and I got this:

This is Mushu. She is a celebrity...at least in my neighborhood. She's a gracious celebrity. She loves her people!...and they love her. What does she not love? The Paparazzi!!! Yes, thats right. My own dog will not let me take her picture properly. Any good photos I post of my dog are a result of plain luck. Here is one:

Early on, I discovered Flickr.com Once I started looking at other people's work, I was transformed. I love this. I want to do this. I want to create beautiful photographs. Whats this!? This beautiful child... and this one...and this one...and this....and so on and on and on. These are soooo good and the photographers are soooo talented. Wow. Just wow. As I continued to browse (and lose complete interest in ALL my TV shows!) I started to realize some of these photographers hadn't been 'photographers' for very long. I also discovered how helpful they are. Forums and groups exist for the soul purpose of helping new photographers get their feet wet without making too much of a mess. Could I do this? Could I? A few days later, I was still thinking about it and asking myself that question. Could I? Why not give it a shot. Thus began the pestering of all my friends and family to let me photograph them and their children. Brenda was the first to oblige with her two-year-old twins and 3 month old infant. I was sooo excited! To be sure, it was a novice attempt and I got few good photos out of it, but I learned Oh, so much. So much. What I could do better, how I could prep the client better, what I shouldn't do... and most importantly, what not to expect. Here are a few examples from that day. I know they're not great, but they were my first try.. and I am proud of them. And I had fun that day...thats the most important point of all. I loved it. Thanks, Brenda!!

This is the adorable Meghan.

This is sweet little Landon.

My intentions for this blog are to keep customers up to date in whats going on with SBliss Photography as well as to show clients "Sneak Peaks" of their sessions before the proofs are complete and published. There is also a link at the top which will take clients directly to Storefront Ordering of prints when they are ready. There is also some links on the right which will take you to the blogs and portfolio/websites of a few photographers that I admire. They inspire me greatly. I'll also be sharing with you how my sessions go, whats upcoming on my calendar as well as with occasional off-topic photography subjects.

For a limited time, I am Portfolio Building and am offering my complimentary photography services for my maternity, baby, children and family natural light portraiture business. Once, I feel confident in my ability to offer quality to my victims (I mean clients!) I will remain in Portfolio building mode, but at a 50% discount off of full pricing. Current pricing will be subject to change at anytime prior to your booking an appointment with me, but I will surely keep you informed of any changes here on this blog. Full Pricing structure has not been worked out yet, in case you were wondering.. again that will be posted as soon as it is relevant.

Thank you so much for reading SBliss Photography's first blog post! I hope to hear from you soon ... I want to photograph your family! ....and please stop by often! It'll keep me posting :)