Bia's second senior shoot

Since moving back to the US in July I've slept in my little sister Maria's room, and we've been spending lots of time together. She's a senior in high school this year and I did a summertime photoshoot with her and some of her friends in the summer. Last week we did a second senior photoshoot at a nature park just outside of town, capturing the chilly weather and fall colors.

She's a reader-writer-philosopher-thinker and she makes it look easy.

I've loved that Maria and I have hung out so much since I've been back, she both keeps me sane and keeps me in my place! This picture makes me smile because it's her in a nutshell.

Plus she's adorable.

She also recently got accepted to her dream college! Big smiles ensued!

I'm so happy I get to enjoy this last year of your life at home before you move on to great things Bia!

Isabel + Matt #2

These two cuties came for a visit on the first of October, and we spent a morning in downtown Brookings taking some more engagement photos, as a continuation of our quick shoot back in July.

Matt and Isabel are so naturally classy and adorable, it made my job easy!

Little sister Maria came along to help, and the whole shoot was relaxed and lots of fun for everyone.

I can't wait to photograph their wedding next July!

Much love to you both!

Sisterly Photoshoot #1: Tessie

The past three weekends have involved three photoshoots with my three sisters! The first was on a Sunday, when Tessie said "I look good today, let's do pictures!" 

So we did.

We found some nice new places down town that worked really well as shooting locations.

My baby sister is a cutie!

Two years and we'll be taking senior pictures!

A Morning at the Zoo

On Labor Day we decided to visit the Como Zoo in the morning, since it wasn't far and was a nice, small, and walkable. Plus neither of us had been to a zoo in years and years, so we thought it'd be fun!  

We laughed at the cute monkeys first.

There was a big family of Gorillas who were just beautiful.

There was also a super cute baby orangutan who was entertaining a big crowd.

We also saw some cool aquatic animals,

 and photogenic giraffes

and zebras.

We stopped by the gift shop on the way out and spent way too much money on gifts there, and then I had fun photographing some of the gorgeous water plants on the way out.

Next up: Labor Day afternoon!

Reconnections

Labor Day weekend meant a day off, and meant O and I wanted a road trip/mini vacation! We headed 4 hours East to the Twin Cities and had a really lovely time staying in an Airbnb and visiting new places and old friends! 

I worked with Catherine and Brian last year at Casablanca American School, and they just moved into a charming old house in St. Paul, and we spent a lovely Sunday with them! First we got a tour of their house and had fun reconnecting and playing with Julian, their 2 and a 1/2 year old.

We had lunch at the amazing Midtown Global Market, where we were too busy eating to take pictures. Then they took us to the Guthrie Theater, which had a really beautiful overlook of the river, as seen above, and a fun golden box overlook too.

We all were feeling a bit pooped at that point and lay down on the benches and chilled for a while, and I took a few pictures because I liked the fun tint to the nicely diffused light.

Even Julian took a little nap during our tour of the theater.

We then walked down next to the old mill, while Brian told us all about the history of the flour milling industry in Minneapolis, and this building which had been the site of both a giant explosion and a fire later on, and is now a beautiful venue for weddings and events. We even saw a wedding getting set up on our way back. 

We took a few pictures on the long bridge over the water.

Julian had just woken up and wasn't really into the idea of getting his picture taken, but he was definitely having a fun time looking at the waterfalls created by the dam and spotting dogs accompanying the other Sunday strollers.

What a cute family! 

Thanks for a lovely day Brian and Catherine! I can't wait to visit again once Julian becomes a big brother in November!

Senior Photoshoot: Thomas

Last weekend I took the senior pictures of Thomas, the big brother of Tessie's friend Hope. He plays football with his highschool team, so first we took some sports shots.

Then we went downtown for more pictures.

Finally we went to my favorite park for photos.

Thomas was a super easy and cooperative model, and we were all happy with the results!