Congratulations, Melissa!!

Melissa was recently named a Silver Medalist during Professional Photographers of America 2014 International Photographic Competition.  Melissa’s work will be on display at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee, February 1-3, 2015.  This International Photographic Exhibition is held in conjunction with Imaging USA, an annual convention and expo for professional photographers and several photographic associations.

A panel of 45 eminent jurors form across the United States selected the top photographs from nearly 5,000 total submitted entries.  Judged against a standard of excellence, just over 1,800 images were selected for the General Collection and 918 (roughly 18%) were selected for the esteemed Loan Collection—the best of the best.  The Loan Collection images will be published in the much-anticipated “Loan Collection” book and over 200 selected General Collection images will be published in the “Showcase” book by Marathon Press.

The level of the award is determined by how many of those four images receive the highest possible honor: acceptance into the PPA Loan Collection, which is displayed at photographic exhibitions, conventions, and other photography events.  Miroslavich was named a Silver Medalist, meaning that one of her four merited images entered the PPA Loan Collection.  In 2014, she was named one of only 104 Silver Medalists.

About PPA:

Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is the largest international non-profit association created by professional photographers, for professional photographers.  Almost as long-lived as photography itself, PPA has roots that date back to 1869.  It assists more than 27,000 members through protection, education and resources for their continued success.  See how PPA helps photographers be more at ppa.com.

Kobis the star!!!

Reeently, we began photographing for the local Stonemill Farms/Dancing Waters Connector magazine and were selected to be the exclusive photographer for their Pet Feature each month!  It has been a blast meeting and photographing local pets (and sometimes their family members).  Recently we met Kobis who is a bearded collie and one of his family members, Gwyneth, age 12.  Kobis, who is now 3 years old was adopted through Second Hand Hounds by Gwyneth's family when he was an 8 week old puppy.  Kobis was the star of the session and certainly loved his moment in the "spotlight"! Melissa so adored photographing him. What a sweet boy!!!

Pretty in Pink!

So far, 2014 has been the year of babies!! Newborns, 6 month olds, nearly year old babes- you name it!   With each new baby, we marvel at the new-ness and sweetness of each one! Baby Lauren came to us at just a few days old with her family including big brother Jack who is all of 21 months old. After almost 2 years of little boy cuteness, Mom is certainly excited to be adding pink into the mix!  And it seems to be Lauren's color! Next up-Jack's 2 year old session this summer when Lauren is closer to 6 months old and when we can be basking in the summer sun!!
And keep posted for more baby session blogs coming soon!  We can't get enough of these babies!!

Border Collie Fun!

Roni is a 6 year old border collie with so much personality and spunk!  Her owner, Tom, contacted us awhile back to set up this session to capture Roni.   Tom has had all of his pets photographed around this same age and proudly displays them in his home. He knew that Roni is the "perfect" age for her portraits.  We couldn't agree more! She was darling and so well behaved!!  The result? Stunning portraits of Roni - and some lovely images of Tom and Roni together that are so heartwarming.  We can't wait to meet Tom's other dog, Sarge, once Sarge is ready for his photography debut!!  

A little Jamaica on a cold day!!

On this cold wintery day in Minnesota, we thought everyone could use a little bit of "Jamaica" to warm them up!! Jamaica, our furry friend, that is!!  Jamaica warmed our hearts a few weeks ago when she and her owner, Mark, came to the studio for her very own photo session! Jamaica's older "brother", Parker (who is a bit of a rock star himself in the studio with his very own collage on display!) had his own photo session awhile back so now it was Jamaica's turn! All decked out with a gorgeous hot pink collar, Jamaica dazzled us during her session!!  Her portraits will now be added to Parker's portraits at home to make it complete.  Next up: Parker and Jamaica together someday soon!!!

Tucker the Boston Terrier!!

Okay.  How ridiculously adorable is this pup?  He can stop being so darn cute already!!  Tucker the Boston Terrier was about 10 weeks old when he came into the studio for his modeling debut!!  Tucker is lucky enough to be a part of a wonderful family we have known at Miroslavich Photography for many years!! He is an awesome addition to their home and we can't wait to see him again when he is all grown up!

Thanks & Giving 2013

Thanksgiving First! 

    

Open your heart to someone this holiday season - and thanks for giving us the opportunity to open ours! We are so grateful for the opportunity to continue to have a business that creates such joy in the lives we touch.  Thanksgiving 2013 may be later in November this year but we love to honor this holiday by pausing to appreciate the significance of it.  

Our Thanks & Giving event started in 2009 with the purpose of giving the joy of photography to a family in need. Over the past four years, we have been humbled by the recipients of this gift. We created lasting memories of a family who lost their husband/father a few short months after we made portraits for them.  We photographed another family who was given the gift of senior portraits for their twin daughters who would not have been able to have them without it. This year we met two special kiddos who have been blessed with a wonderful home after a less than ideal start to their lives.  We are always amazed by each families' strength but we are also incredibly grateful for the thoughtfulness of the people who nominate them.  

This holiday season we are giving you the opportunity to give once again. If you are a client or friend, please join us by nominating someone in need. You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, has someone in their family that is terminally ill or someone who is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who would cherish portraits of their loved ones this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a lifetime reminder of their family's spirit, love and beauty.  

We know you know someone to nominate. We want to know who they are, and want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography. $1500 worth to be exact. Whether it's a beautiful canvas, or an art book or multiple wall portraits, what better reason to show some love could there possibly be?

The Rules:
- You cannot nominate yourself.

- The nominee must be able to come to Woodbury for a studio or location session. 

Tell us who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve a gift of photography. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself. Please put "Thanksgiving Giveaway" in the subject line and email the full story to: melissa@miroslavichphotography.com . The deadline to nominate is Wednesday November 27, 2013 at 12 noon.

The winner will be notified on Thanksgiving Day ... get nominating!! We are blessed to give another family an amazing, beautiful experience, and start to the holiday season!

All round good Sport!!!

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to spend the morning with Megan, a University of Minnesota veterinary student, and her lovable rough collie named Sport.  Megan is a sweetheart and Sport is a gorgeous boy who absolutely adores Megan.  Seriously, he could not take his eyes off of her!!  Sport had fun running and leaping on the grounds of the U of M St Paul campus.  We couldn't resist capturing Megan and Sport among the stunning late spring flower beds.  Honestly-we hardly wanted to return to the studio that day!!  Megan fell in love with these images and the fact Melissa captured Sport's personality!  We look forward to having Megan's family enjoy viewing these images on the blog from afar and having them come by the studio when they visit later this summer!!!

We are family.

Oliver. Louie. Jinx. Gus.    These four win the prize for the four best behaved dogs together in our studio EVER. Not only are they the sweetest family of four legged friends, they were a pleasure to photograph.  Each with his own personality.  Gus as the smallest guy with a big personality .  Oliver as the big grandpa of the group (even though he is the second youngest of the group!) Louie was the one who was a little nervous at first but quickly warmed up and was so sweet.  And finally Jinx whose name certainly suits him.  We loved working with their "dad" Mike whose love for these four was very apparent!  Mike is the owner of a local pet store, Pet Evolution ( http://www.petevolution.com ) where Melissa has gotten to know over the past year or two.  Pet Evolution is a great spot to stock up on all of your pet needs!  If you are in the area, be sure to stop there Saturday May 11 from 1-5pm for their Customer Appreciation Day. You may even recognize some of the portraits on display in the store!!

AAHA moment!

Meet Dr Kate Knutson - who wears many hats in life:  mom to several four legged children, veterinarian extraodinaire at Pet Crossing in Bloomington, MN, and currently President of the American Animal Hospital Association for the 2013-14 term.  We were honored when she asked us to create portraits for her and head shots to be used professionally.  For her session, Dr Kate was accompanied by Annie and Collin (the gorgeous black and white terriers) and L.D. (the equally stunning Siamese).


We captured these great moments with Kate and these beauties.  What struck us the most was the love and affection Kate holds for animals of all kinds. It was a pleasure to witness and to be a part of.