a little senior session in the garden. { frost on flower }

I stopped by the Peace Garden in south Minneapolis again for a senior session. This is the same spot that I photographed this gentlemen's older brother for his senior photos as well. It was funny timing as the very next day I got to see him and his mom again when his cousin got married on a farm in Cottage Grove. :) This was also my second time photographing Sky.. I did his head shots last summer near the Stone Arch Bridge.



















Good luck in your senior year!

adorable engagement session. { frost on flower }

I met this lovely couple on a tiny beach on Lake Harriet on Sunday morning.  I'm photographing their wedding next month and we were trying to squeeze in a great engagement session beforehand, so they can use the photos as decor at the wedding.

The bride to be told me she wanted a beach and a grassy area as their locations.. they were going for something really timeless.  I suggested we meet first at Lake Harriet at this little beach and then walk over to the Peace Garden and use that location as well as the adjacent Rose Garden and open grassy area, if needed.



They were basically open to anything so I started off with their feet comfy and covered in sand.  :)



I wanted to make a point to start out with casual and comfortable shots and ease our way into the more posed and smiley shots.







I'm so glad that we were there early enough to use the beach before it was covered with beach goers trying to take advantage of the last days of summer break.





Olive and I actually visited this beach to swim and play in the sand the following day and it was completely crawling with teenagers!











These shots were a lot of fun.  :)





Tracy and Sam were both so great at taking my direction.





We took a stroll over the Peace Garden and stopped at the large accessible porta-potty so they could change.  I'm glad it was a large one!  And I'm glad they were willing to use it as a changing space.. sometimes there aren't great options and the weather was too warm for layering so they actually had to change their clothes.





























I really enjoy all of these in both color and black and white.. so I'm sharing both.  :)













I was ready to wrap things up when Tracy thought hard for any ideas to use up a few more minutes.



She suggested laying down on this bench, which I thought was a great idea.





She also suggested peeking around this tree so I could add their initials and wedding date.  Cute idea!

Can't wait to photograph the wedding soon!

a teeny tiny wedding. { frost on flower }

This was my second time with this cute little family.  I photographed the twins at the Guthrie last fall.  This session was quite different though - their mamas were renewing their vows and making things official with the recent legal changes in Minnesota.  We started our time off at the sculpture garden mostly focusing on the girls.





Overall... the girls were busy. They rarely stopped moving and were constantly in two different places. They were also really interested in being in the sculpture garden, which made them even more distracted.









We were about to head back to our cars to head over the Loring Park when I spotted this sculpture that I thought might help confine the girls a little bit...







I'm not sure this could be any more cute.













We arrived outside of the Eitel Building, where the ceremony and reception were being held. And, of course, the girls were immediately off and ready to go...







This landscaping rock helped keep them still for a few minutes.  :)





We then headed into the Eitel Building, which as a really neat lobby space.





Of course when we got up to the top floor the first thing I noticed were the cupcakes.  :)



There was even a gluten free cupcake!



The girls enjoyed some snacks and Leah and Jen reviewed their vows before we headed outside for the small ceremony.





It was a bright day with the sun peeking in and out from a few clouds.  Lots of squinting.. but overall it was a beautiful time.





As is super common these days, a friend officiated the ceremony.













The outdoor area had a lot of really great seating groupings.  Interesting angles, plants, and decor.











After they greeted their guests who arrived post ceremony, we headed into Loring Park for some photos without the girls.









Congratulations Leah and Jen!!  :)