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 I was thinking lately if I had to just choose only a few different outdoor spots for photo sessions, I definitely have some clear favorites. So, today I'm listing out my top three favorite places to take photos in the Twin Cities. Depending on the season, area, and time of day, photos taken at these locations can look drastically different.  The first one is Willow River State Park in Hudson. If you've ever been, you know that it's a massive park. The waterfall area is gorgeous as you can see from the two photos above. But there are lots of other great areas to shoot!  This grassy areas and field near the campgrounds is one of my favorite spots. I love that you can see dark pines in the back and I love the grass stalks that add texture and whimsy.  This big, endless looking prairie is just yards away from the green grassy area. You'd never know that those two spots are so close together and provide two totally different looks!  Lake Elmo Park Reserve is another go-to of mine in spring or fall.  The birch trees, the vibrant fall colors and well as the gentle light greens in the spring make for gorgeous photos, no matter the season.   But also look check out how Lake Elmo photographs in late summer!  
Dreamy, dreamy, dreamy. I joke about enlarging these clients' photos over my fireplace. I haven't done it... yet.     In and around The Guthrie Theater and Mill City Museum in Minneapolis is one more frequently visited venue by me. Between the glossy blue building, the backdrop of the city and the ruins, it's extremely versatile and a perfect location for family photos, engagement pics, or branding and headshot photography.  Oh man, I thought I was cool when I managed a mirror selfie in this area a couple years ago.
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 Hi, hi, hi! I've pulled myself off the sofa, put that baby down for a nap, and am excited to dig into blogging again after a big ol' break. I knew I would be pulling back from blogging regularly this fall/winter due to the high volume of sessions and weddings followed by our baby's arrival. But I'm glad to carve out some time to start recapping life and work again! Anyway, this was a far more fantastic year I could have dreamed of. And when fantastic things are happening, you really ought to have pictures of it. Fortunately, one of the perks of being a photographer is knowing other photographers who happen to be mighty talented. This year our family got professionally photographed various times, in very different ways, by some very exceptional photographers. Let me share! (Above headshot from this summer is by Scherer Photo Co.!)    Last winter I got bitten by the boudoir photography bug and started offering boudoir sessions. THEY WERE SO FUN! Fun enough that I was inspired by all of my beautiful clients to have my own boudoir photos taken which I did by Britt of Render Photography. I literally had the time of my life getting my hair and makeup done and then getting to roll around the dreamiest studio all scantily clad. Britt made me feel so very comfortable and dangerously confident, I have to say. Best of all, I declared this experience as "educational" because I felt that by putting myself in my clients' shoes, I would be able to better serve all my boudoir babes.      As life would have it, Joe and I found out we were expecting our fourth baby in the spring. After experiencing a miscarriage in the fall of 2018, we were thrilled. My friend Rachel ended up taking some photos for us just around our 9 year wedding anniversary and we were able to squeeze in some pregnancy announcement pics into the session too. These are probably my favorite photos of Joe and myself that we've ever had taken.       You're probably all like "Rachel, could things get more magical?" To which I respond "Hold my beer." In the summer my friend Jenessa of Scherer Photo Co. offered unicorn mini sessions with Sparky the unicorn and how could I NOT sign my family up for those? Of course it was hot outside and my kids were totally expired after having attended a birthday party earlier that day and were being rascals during the shoot. But that's how magical Jenessa is. She still managed a bunch of adorable photos even with my kids in surly moods. I bow down to your talents, girl! And of course when my kids were all done, I'm like "Outta my way! My turn for pics with Sparky!" And I regret nothing.         Can't stop, won't stop. We also obviously needed fresh photos in October for our holiday card and updated photos of our kids NOT taken by me. Enter McKenzie of KNZ Photography who managed to make us look all normal and delightful. You can't even tell that I'm alternating between yelling idle threats and also bribes in the form of McDonald's happy meals in order to get these kids to freakin' smile (and not look like lunatics). At this point I was about 30 some weeks pregnant and in the middle of my own busy season. My feet hurt, my belly was bursting, and I was not feeling like a babe most days, but I still love these preggo pics of myself and I'm so, so glad we made this session happen.          To finish off our year (and complete our family), we had our baby's birth documented by Brianna of Brianna Lane Photography. (SHE IS OUTSTANDING) Our boy's arrival was a little wild, but he was born healthy, alert, and beautiful. Archer's whole birth story and more photos is on my personal blog if you want to read about it. I will forever be grateful to Brianna for doing such a phenomenal job of capturing one of the most important days of our lives.
Yes, I know. So many photos. So many fake eyelashes. At this point you're probably glad you aren't married to me (or one of my kids) as you can see how many photo sessions I subject my loved ones to. But I think eventually they'll be glad that I was hyper vigilant about recording our lives. Because from my experience, I have to say that life goes by pretty fast and those teeny, wrinkly babies become big kids practically overnight, those first dates turn into 15 years together in a blink of an eye, and everything changes constantly whether you want it to or not. SO. At this point I am still on leave but will be back to shooting next month. In the meantime, I'm hoping to get all my ducks in a row for 2020 and catch up on 2019 session recaps. Thank you to for reading, for caring, for hiring me, and for supporting me this past year! So much love to you all in 2020! Rachel  Last weekend I shot a few short mini sessions at Willow River State Park. My first two sessions of the day happened to be maternity shoots! It was so fun to be a part of the excitement and anticipation. The first set of pics is from Mallory's and RJ's session. They are expecting a baby girl, just about any day now! I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to hear for news of her arrival. Mallory basically photographed like a goddess and I'm so thrilled I got to take these photos for their family!        I also shot photos for Kayla and Jeremy who are expecting a baby boy in just a few short weeks. They were such a fun couple to work with and a breeze to pose and prompt. Hoping for more sessions with their sweet family in the future!      
 So, people! Stay tuned for baby arrival news and family photos for these adorable couples in the near future!
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Welcome to my photography blog!Rachel again! Here's where you'll be able to find blog posts about all things photography: recent sessions, upcoming events, and just fun musings on photography in general. Can't wait to fill 'er up with content! Archives
July 2020
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