Sweet sisters

How darling are these two sisters?!? Ivy, just over a year old, and Zoe, age 6, first came to us for our Santa Mini-sessions in the fall. They had so much fun that their mom decided to bring them back for a session all about being sisters as a Christmas present for Dad. Ivy, who was initially a wee bit shy, rocked the session which included some time in tutus! It didn't take long before Ivy was taking charge! Zoe, the doting big sister, helped "art direct" part of the session by choosing the tutus and the background to be used. She has quite the eye. We also spent some of the session focussing on Zoe on her own, allowing Melissa to create a stunning art piece all about Zoe being 6 years old. Precious. These two girls lit up the studio and we can't wait for them to come back!

Zoom Photography Camp for Kids!

June 13-16, 2011 9:30am-12:30pm daily

We are excited to bring back Zoom Camp for Kids this summer! We first introduced Zoom Camp in the summer of 2009 and it was a great success! As a result, we have decided to offer it again (partly because Melissa and I had so much fun doing it as well)! And it has been great following our former campers over the past couple of years and see how much they have grown in their photography talents!

The camp will be held at our Saint Paul studio location, in addition to local Saint Paul locations within walking distance of the studio.

During the week we will be creating a portfolio of images that will be displayed at the Zoom Art Show by the campers on Thursday June 23 in the evening (this was definitely one of the big highlights of camp last time). Images will demonstrate knowledge gained of basic composition, camera controls, location shooting and portraiture. Each camper must bring a digital camera (SLR preferred).

Registration fee: $255 required upon enrollment (enrollment is limited and on a first come first served basis)
Call 651.343.4823 to register!

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day today, we thought we would share with you our recent appearance on Twin Cities Live (KSTP-Channel 5) last Friday! Twin Cities Live asked us to be a part of their annual Valentine's Day Makeover by photographing the winner of their Valentine's Day giveaway. Joanna Carlson was the lucky recipient of the makeover and came to our studio last week for a "flirty" photo session-you can watch the segment by clicking on this link:

http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S1969813.shtml?cat=11137

In addition to the photo session, Joanna received a whole new look from Extrados Salon and Spa in Linden Hills http://extrados.com/index.html
and a complete fashion and accessory style makeover from Lillians in Hopkins http://www.lilliansshoppe.com/. It was great to meet and work with Leah from Extrados and Cindy from Lillians.

We also thought we would share with you our special promotion for our Flirt Sessions this month: Flirt sessions are a little flirtatious, a little sexy, and celebrates you. Of course you deserve a little oh la la!!! When was the last time you did something purely for you? We all need to feel special and celebrate who we are, which is why we have created this unique, extraordinary experience. If this sounds like something you want, we invite you to call us to book a session that promises to give you some glamour, sass, sensuousness and a whole lot of fun!

During February, we are offering individual private Flirt sessions for $99 ($185 value) or host a Flirt party for your girlfriends. Call us to book a session before February is gone!

Three Happy Faces!

These three cuties are very close in age: 2, 3 and 5 years old (with very brave parents!) And they are just as close as siblings-they are absolutely darling! We rocked the studio during this session - sweet Adeline, the oldest, who is just five years old and starting kindergarten in the fall; handsome Eli, who is "rockstar three" and has the best laugh; and adorable Stella, who just turned 2, and adores her brother and sister. We loved their energy, giggles and zest for life! They were a blast to have together! And we can't wait to see them again-maybe next time for a location session outdoors?!

We were honored to be approached by the Animal Humane Society back in the fall to photograph for a story for their Animal Tracks magazine about two very special Beagles, Bert & Ernie. Bert and Ernie are Beagles who came to the Animal Humane Society(AHS) in April 2010 as strays. They were found in rural Iowa and brought to the local AHS. Upon arriving, the staff noticed they were both limping. To determine the cause of their pain, they needed x-rays. Unfortunately, the AHS does not have the funds or equipment to provide x-rays on each injured animal they receive. They rely on the generousity of local vet clinics. In this case, a local clinic provided x-rays of Bert and Ernie and it was discovered that they had both been shot with a gun and both had broken legs as a result. Dr Lara Rasmussen (aka Dr Razz) donated her time and expertise to help out by performing surgery on both dogs and following up with them over the several months of rehab. Finally, after three months, they were ready for adoption. It was decided that because of all they had been through, Bert and Ernie needed to be adopted together. We are happy to report that they were adopted very quickly by a woman and her 12 year old son.

This story has touched many hearts, including ours! We wanted to share with you the images and this story which has made an impact on all who read it. If you would like to read the entire article, you can click on the link below: We look forward to working with the Animal Humane Sociey again for more touching stories.


http://www.animalhumanesociety.org/files/2ATFALLWINTER1011.pdf

Exploring with Crumpet!

The fall completely got away from us so we didn't get a chance to post on the blog some of our favorite sessions, and this is one of them! There is no time like the present! We first met Maren and her dog, Crumpet (Maren's mom is British so Crumpet is the best name ever!) when Maren was just an infant so we were delighted to photograph them again this fall. It was one of those gorgeous late October days that was warm and sunny. Maren and Crumpet had a grand time exploring the park we were at and capturing her smiles and looks of wonderment was a joy! Maren is turning 3 this spring so we are looking forward to a spring session maybe playing outside in some April puddles! Stay tuned!!!

Tutus & Tiptoes-a few spots remaining!

Thursday February 3rd is our big event-Tutus and Tiptoes Mini-Sessions! We are so excited to offer this special event again-and so are all the girls who are planning to come! What could be better than to twirl in a tutu? We still have a few spots still available so call us soon to schedule your 15 minute mini-session. Session fee is just $49 and we have fabulous packages designed especially for this event. You do not want to miss this!
To schedule your time, you can call 651.334.9838! Don't delay: we expect to be sold out by then end of next week!

A Brand New Baby Brother!

We thought we would start off the new year with a brand new baby: Sawyer! Sawyer was born the night of the biggest snowstorm we have seen in the Twin Cities in almost 20 years!! Luckily it was a relatively quick drive to the hospital for Sawyer's mom, dad and two big sisters-who all got to spend the night at the hospital! We were lucky to meet Baby Sawyer when he was just 5 days old and very alert!! (he wins the award for the most alert baby we have had at the studio!!) It was very sweet seeing him with his big sisters, McKenna and Ella! He is going to be a very well cared for little brother with these two sisters doting on him. Congratulations!

"Tutus and Tiptoes" - February 3- Mini Session Event

Happy New Year!! We are back from holidays and ready to start 2011 with a bang!! We are so excited to announce our next big event-Tutus and Tiptoes Mini-Sessions! On Thursday February 3, 2011, the studio will be filled with giggles, girls and lots of tutus! Back by popular demand...we have had so many requests to bring back this event, we have decided to offer this month in time for Valentine's Day! This will be an event you will not want to miss. During your 15 minute mini-session, we will provide the fabulous tutus (very couture) or you can bring your own. Capturing cute barefeet, playful smiles, and many twirls= it is a day to remember! Session fee for this special event is $49. We will have special packages to choose from that are available exclusively for these mini-sessions.

Only a limited number of sessions are available so call 651.343.4823 right away!


What: Tutus and Tiptoes mini sessions
Session fee: $49 due at reservation
When: Thursday February 3, 2011
Celebrate your daughter's simple, sweet (and stylish) heart!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas 2010!!!

As we finish our last minute preparations for the holidays, we wanted to pause to wish you all a very merry Christmas! We also wanted to share with you a small sample of the images we captured during our Santa Mini-Sessions way back in October (which, at the time, seemed so strange to be capturing holiday portraits when Halloween was around the corner!)What fun we had that day! It is just one of our many great memories from 2010-and we can only imagine all the great stories, images, returning families, new babies, new friends, and adventures that await us in 2011! Keep posted on the blog as we will share many of these with you all! Thanks for following us! Happy Holidays from Melissa and Robin