Somehow, by 1:00 when we started shooting, the frost had not melted.  The drive from Anoka out to the Oliver Kelly Farm was absolutely stunning.  What a great day to be a photographer.

For Sara’s session, she wanted to start with a country feel, and then head into the city to glam it up a bit.  For the country images, the sun stayed away long enough to keep the frost.  Then as we were heading into Minneapolis the clouds went away and we had full sun.  With Sara’s dark hair, having full sun for a back light was perfect.

Sara’s mom, dad & sister joined us for the shoot.  Having the family part of the experience is always fun.  Thanks Stephanie for being an awesome reflector girl!  Sara’s grandpa is on the board of directors at the Kelly Farm so a huge thanks to him and the Kelly Farm for providing us with access to a really great place to photograph.  What a treat!

Sara, great job on your session.  Hopefully you had as much fun as I did.

BT

On Thursday afternoon I had a session with Mike and Joanna.  In the summer of 2002 I photographed Mike for his HS senior pictures.  Now that I think about it, I think he was one of the first 10 high school seniors that I photographed EVER!

I’ve watched Mike grow up.  His dad is the pastor of my church and his mom is the secretary.  I led worship at our church for many years and during that time Mike played guitar and worked in the sound booth.  To say that Mike and his parents are near and dear to my heart would be a huge understatement.

This fall Mike took a job at Google, so I haven’t see as much of him.  But when he has been back in town, there was someone new in his life!  Joanna is her name.  Before I even met her I knew she had to be someone amazing because, let’s face it, Mike is really picky!  And, let’s face it, Joanna’s really picky too!

Not too long ago Mike proposed and shortly there after I got the call about photography!  Woo hoo!!

The first images were created at an airport in the Minneapolis area.  Mike has his pilots license and spent many hours at this airport as her learned to fly.  So while airplanes are really cool, they are even cooler when there is a connection.  Talk about a perfect pick-up line too.  “Hi, my name is Mike.  Would you like to come and fly with me?”  And…..cue the Frank Sinatra music!!  Come Fly With Me…..

After the plane images we headed into Minneapolis.  When I’m doing an engagement session I usually have 6 or 7 options in my head, and then when I see what the couple (especially the bride to be) is wearing, I finalize the plans.  When Joanna showed up in red, my mind went immediately to gold.  Red and gold is a classic color combo, the color of Chinese royalty.

Last year at this time we had almost 40 inches of snow.  This year?  Nothing.  The images look like late fall, which is OK by me.  It meant that Joanna could get around better in her super cool boots!

Thanks for a fun session Mike and Joanna.  I can’t wait for your big day!

BT

My wife Natasha assisted too.  Now that our kids are a little older, she is able to join me on shoots from time to time.  Love the entourage shoots!!!

As you scroll through Jennifer’s images I’m sure you’re thinking that she isn’t a high school senior.  This past season I photographed just over 100 high school seniors which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Lately though I have had requests to photograph people in their 40′s and 50′s, images to be used with eHarmony, for their own enjoyment, and to share with a spouse and other family members.  Having been focused on high school seniors for so long, the thought of photographing all ages is really appealing.  The approach is still the same (take time to get to know each person and bring out their best), it just gives a much broader range of expression.  Photographing kids and families are great, but the other end of the spectrum I find really interesting too.

Back to Jennifer.  Essentially this was a model session, complete with hair, makeup, photographer and assistants.  This was Jennifer’s chance to be a model for a day and she made the most of it.  We met at the makeup artist’s place and then headed into Minneapolis together.  I love that Jennifer and her roommate Amanda had her wardrobe dialed in from head to toe.  When I walked into the makeup artist’s studio, there were 5 options hung neatly for me to review with shoes and accessories.  I gave the order in which we would use each outfit based on my session outline and away we went.

The first series was created in the yellow room on the 9th floor of the Guthrie.  I love this space.  I like it even better after I pull the yellow out of the images in post production.  It provided beautiful light and a great fit with Jennifer’s wardrobe choices.

After that we headed to other parts of the Guthrie, then outside the Guthrie and finally back to Jennifer’s place for some images with her girl dog Charlie.  Charlie by the way, was as close to human as I’ve seen in a dog.  She was 5 pounds of funny little noises.

Thanks Jennifer for a fun session,

BT

The dad’s idea was to book a photo shoot, get the guys all dressed up and create some images that mom would absolutely love.  (I think this is husband of the year stuff!)

Let’s take a small step back for a moment.  Earlier this summer I photographed the older son Jake for his senior images.  I had a great time working with Jake and his mom.  Jake and his mom had a great experience and the images were a hit.

Fast forward to the fall and the husband called me and explained that he wanted images of the 3 men in the family.  (it gets better)  Last Saturday night the family went to dinner to celebrate the mom’s birthday.  The dinner reservation was for 7:15.  At precisely 7:20 PM after the family was seated I sent an email to all three guys with an image from the session and a happy birthday message.  All three guys brought up the image on their cell phones, turned the phones toward mom and said “happy birthday!”  I wish I could have been a mouse in the corner to watch it all unfold.

Great gift idea, and a great job on location fellas.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

BT

Erik is the youngest of 3 kids.  I’ve had the honor of photographing both of his older sisters and have been looking forward to photographing Erik for a long time.  It is crazy to think that the little kid brother is all grown up!

As I was thinking through the approach for the session, all I could think of was “all American boy.”  Boy and his dog.  Boy with the killer smile.  I love it.

For his session we started about a block down the street from my house.  I was driving back to the house earlier that day and saw some great color and the light coming from the right direction.  I love too that it feels like a street in small town America.

After that we headed into Minneapolis where we explored some new areas where I had never photographed before.  The gray steel wall, the old truck and the bridge were all new places, places I had never been before let alone photograph there.  I love finding new things.  Wouldn’t it be boring if we always took the same path every day?

After that we headed back to Anoka for some bridge shots (yes, I could have photographed there earlier in the day, but the sun was in the wrong place).

Photographing Erik was a real treat.  He has such a great outlook on life and just rolled with it all.  So much fun.

Great job Erik.  I’m looking forward to seeing you and your family again in a couple weeks.

BT

Dani is 5’11″ and plays volleyball.  She didn’t want to go all fashion model on me, but didn’t want to be frumpy either.  Casual, but still stylin’.

We started at Avante Garden in Anoka.  This is my favorite coffee shops in the whole world for so many reasons.  The moment we walked in I could tell it was clicking for Danielle.

After that we did some rustic farm images. I love the rich colors and textures.  Again, I could tell Dani was eating it up, and it was coming through in the images.

After that, cello images.  I love the fall colors next to the cello wood tones.  Everything just clicked.

Now I’m officially moving on to winter images.  What a great way to end the fall season.  Thanks Danielle for a really cool time on location.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

BT

Mr. Evan is not at all like his older siblings.  Evan would prefer to spend as much of his life as possible on a skateboard, a snowboard, anything with a board.  This winter he will be working at the Elm Creek ski hill.  Does that really count as work?  I should talk.  Can photography really be counted as “work” when it is so much fun?

I love that Evan is totally comfortable in his own skin.  He loves to be a dork, and everyone he rubs shoulders with eats it up!  He is laid back and social.  People are magically drawn to him.

For Evan this is the first half of his senior picture experience.  The second half will be at Elm Creek with some snow.  I saw on Facebook that he just picked up some rockin new boots.  Can’t wait to see the new gear up close & personal!

Great shoot Evan.

BT

I photographed Ryan on Saturday 10/22 @ 1:00, my last session of the MEA weekend.  I’m glad to have ended the week with Ryan.  He was great to work with and I had a great time getting to know his parents too.

Before I left my day job 4 1/2 years ago, I managed my company’s business with Target.  When I resigned and shared the news with my senior buyer Sue, she mentioned that her daughter was going to be graduating and wanted me to photograph her.  From that one experience with Sue I can trace back 25 clients?  30?  I am so grateful for how she has supported me along the way.

Ryan’s mom called me for Ryan’s images because of Sue’s recommendation.  Easily 90% of my clients come to me because a friend or family member pointed them my way.  I don’t advertise and yet my business continues to grow each year. What an honor.

Enough sappy business stuff.  Let’s talk about Ryan.  Ryan is an athlete, a runner.  He is happiest when his legs are moving.  He is smart and has a great sense of humor. If he could live anywhere after he graduates, it would be in Colorado.  Oh, and he likes to bike up hill, up mountains, until his legs burn.  Some people take the lift to the top and bike down.  For Ryan, the uphill experience is where it is at.  He has a thing for pain!!

For his images, he wanted to work around Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles.  We also photographed in the Loring Park area. 

Casual
Fall colors
Places that he likes to run
Great light
Showing Ryan’s best

Love it.

Thanks Ryan for a great shoot.

BT

For Katie we created a canvas piece for the wall.  For Nick’s session we wanted to create a canvas of the two together and a solo Nick image for the wall.  It will be really fun to see the 3 together as a grouping.

I enjoyed photographing Nick.  He has a sense of humor that sneaks up on you.  Even though he isn’t Mr. Chit Chat, you know there is plenty stirring beneath the surface!

Great job on your session Nick!

BT

At her consultation Annelise had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, sweats, and a t-shirt.  She was totally comfortable and had I not been in a client meeting, I would love to have been in sweats and a t-shirt too.

Fast forward to the shoot.  She stepped out of her car with full on diva attire, right down to the Hollywood shades!  The only thing missing was a little white fluffy dog and the ensemble would have been complete!  I knew she would clean up well, but not THAT well.  Great job Annelise!

When we got to the bridge where I wanted to photograph, a locomotive was sitting in the middle, just idling.  As I started shooting the conductor poked his head out with a smile and flipped on the train headlights.  During the shoot Annelise’s mom mentioned that her husband works for the railroad.  Good stuff!

My favorite images from the session?  Normally I have 4 or 5 that I really connect with.  For Annelise, 10?  maybe 12?  The closeups with the leather jacket and rusty corrugated steel are probably my favorite.  The background color and skin tones are such a good fit.

Thanks for a fun session Annelise.  Great job!

BT