Stephanie Dehler Photography

2009-06-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a few quick pics from my latest newborn session.

Svea was a little bit older than most of the newborns I generally photograph, but we were able to get some winners! It was somewhat of a chore to get her to relax and fall asleep but actually, I love the ones with her eyes open. She gave up eventually!

John and Claudine

2009-06-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

This week I'm playing catch up from the weekend. I went back to Rochester for my (dare I say it....?) 20 YEAR reunion. My parents moved to Wisconsin shortly after I graduated from college, and not only had I not been there since, but also, I really have done a terrible job at keeping in touch with most high school friends and classmates.

To be honest, since I hadn't attended any previous reunions, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I sort of thought I'd end up hanging out with a small group most of the time, and maybe even skip out early to head someplace more fun. I realized not long after I walked through the door that I had spent too much time worrying about how it was going to go; because I ended up having a PHENOMENAL time! My face hurt the next day from all the smiling and laughing I did the first night. It was just really comfortable and great to catch up with everyone, and I'm so glad I went.

I have heard mixed reviews about 5 or 10 year high school reunions, but I would recommend the 20 year to anyone! Some of my old friends (old meaning: I've known them for a long time!) and I have already decided to plan a yearly get together, and I can't wait!

So now on to John and Claudine: I photographed these two last Wednesday evening. It was such a gorgeous night at the Como Park Pavilion--there happened to be a beautiful sky, and we were serenaded with live big band music during our shoot!

They are such a cute couple. They share a love of music and they are both just so laid back and even keel. I think they just look so incredibly happy together. Even after weeding through these, I ended up with around 100 images that I can't seem to bring myself to delete. I decided I would let Claudine to make the final call since she and John plan on using one of the images as an underlay to their wedding invitations.

Claudine and I were both enrolled in the Interior Design program at Stout years back. (I guess now that I've told you about my reunion it's no big secret how many!) I had lost touch with her, but she heard through friends that I was now a photographer. I remembered that she has great taste and I'm so flattered that she and John picked ME to photograph their wedding this fall. It's going to be on a beautiful golf course in Stillwater and she has Mick Sterling and his band playing at the reception. It will be a fun one, for sure!

John had his guitar in the car and he decided to bring it out to play near the end of our session. One little boy there must have thought John was famous. He kept asking his dad, "Who is that guy?" :)

Claudine is half owner of an Edible Arrangements franchise in Roseville.

http://www.ediblearrangements.com/

She brought me an arrangement of chocolate covered fruit! How nice was that?! (I tried eating it on the way home, and it was no easy task!) It was beautiful and delicious--Thanks, Claudine!

More Tiffany and Jeff...

2009-06-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

One more by the shed...

walking back to the church...

Tiffany's mom and aunt own New Prague Floral and beautiful flowers were in ALL the details.

(I loved how the bridesmaid's bouquets weren't all matchy-matchy with the bride's, but the orchids tied it all together!)

Preparing to walk down the aisle...

The newly-wed Heaths passed out these candy bars to their guests at their reception !

Jeff and Tiffany

2009-06-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

I just spent the morning going through all of my images from the wedding Paul and I photographed just outside of New Prague this weekend. We were pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so we asked a farmer near the church if we could take some photographs near these very cool old sheds he had on his property. He was more than happy to let us use his land, and although it was VERY hot and sunny, Tiffany and Jeff were entirely willing to go along with all of our outdoor ideas.

Here are some of my first shots of just the two of them. I'll post more from their day later in the week!

On a side note: I had been asking Paul to take some new warm weather head shots of me for awhile now, so we used the time we had before we met up with the bride and groom to kill two birds with one stone: I was the model for our "light check" by this shed.

Paul; I just wanted to thank you, my friend, for my website's new profile pic! (I thank you and the dynamic skin softener!!) :) www.blackbirdportraits.com

Cousins

2009-06-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Funny Story:

Last time I photographed these two cousins, I found out only after I posted the gallery images that poor Avery's dad (who brought her to her appointment due to a last minute meeting her mom had to attend) had put her dress on backwards for the shoot! Fortunately, when Avery's mom saw the gallery images, she was able to find humor in the situation...She told me the dress had a really cute kimono front and was supposed to button up the back. I went back to check the photos and saw what she was talking about. (See March blog post; pink and white dress!) It WAS pretty funny and but she looked so cute anyway! To Avery's dad's defense, his sister-in-law and I were both there that day, too, and neither of us noticed anything wrong! You've gotta give a guy credit for trying!!

This week, Avery was back here with her cousin Natalie, and there were no wardrobe malfunctions to speak of!! This time, there was a lot of crawling going on, and once again, these girls did not disappoint!

Rainy Weekend

2009-06-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend's weather defeated two of my clients' plans for outdoor photos. I didn't get too upset about the rain, knowing we needed it and, well...all the alternate studio pics went smoothly as could be, anyway!

Here are some of the images from my Saturday morning shoot with a new client, who had two gorgeous little girls!

Special Offer for 2010 Graduating Seniors!

2009-06-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

Although I have some experience, I am looking to further break into the graduating senior market. If you know someone who is graduating in 2010 who has yet to find a photographer, have them contact me. I am currently offering an in-studio/on location combination session to graduating seniors for only $50 with further discounts on prints. If you contact my by June 30th I will travel to the Twin Cities at no additional charge.

Check out some of the existing senior photos on my "becoming" gallery, and please call or email me for more details!

Sarah and Ben

2009-05-29T14:10:00.001-07:00

This weekend is going to revolve solely around my daughter's dance recitals, so I won't have any new sessions to blog about until the end of next week. However, I just finished working on some of my favorite shots from the wedding Paul and I photographed last Saturday. I had to post a few -- some of these went straight to my gallery!

Sarah and Ben, if you are reading this; I hope you had a great time on your honeymoon! I can't wait to get started on your album. I just know it is going to be beautiful!

UPDATE: I see that my partner, Paul has also just posted some pics of this wedding to his blog. There is a link to his blog (blackbird diaries) to the right!

This next one may be my favorite. I wish you could see it here as large as I can view it. It practically jumps off my screen! (Investing in a nice photography blog with big images is definitely on my to do list.)

2009-05-27T17:47:00.001-07:00

2009-05-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

The above post and this one are from a couple of sessions last week, when I was blessed with TWO strokes of good luck: a sound asleep newborn AND an ideal sky for outdoor pics!

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

I really managed to pack a lot into these past few days!

I started out the weekend with a family photo session in Eagan on Friday night; Saturday Paul and I shot our first wedding of the season in Mankato, and Sunday morning my husband and I packed up the kids and headed to Wisconsin to spend the remainder of the holiday weekend at my parent's house.

I haven't had a lot of time to look at all the wedding photos yet, but I am happy with the ones I've seen. I will post some later in the week and tell you all about the cool house/yard we found near the church where we spent some time photographing the bride and groom.

In the meantime here are some photos from the very relaxing part of my weekend at my parents house. (Bear with me on some of these...it was very sunny on Sunday!)

My mom got the grandkids a Slip and Slide and a kiddie pool for the hot weekend, so they broke out their suits and cooled off in the water.

(What the heck is Audrey doing here? Is she channeling extra energy to help her cope with her little brother's shenanigans?? What a clown!)I'm pretty sure this kiddie pool was intended for my sister's younger children, but my kids had to make sure everything was in working order while hers napped! Enter Sophie:

Earlier this week my parents let someone go morell mushroom hunting on their land. I guess he brought back a bounty, and shared some of his findings with them. On Sunday night my mom fixed the mushrooms up Paula Dean style, by dredging them in flour and frying them in butter. (We always eat well at my parent's house!) They were so good I tried to find more yesterday, but with no success. I had too many "critter encounters" to go any deeper into the woods in flip flops and a skirt, and I was also a tad worried about poison ivy. I think next year I'm going to get myself some tall boots and mosquito netting and try again!

Here are some more random shots from at the cabin and down by the river:

My nephew, Brock:My husband, Jeff (left) with my brother-in-law, Travis:Aidan:My kids and me!: My mom:My dad:My sister, Nicci preparing her delicious grilled pizzas down at the cabin: (Did I mention we always eat very well at my parent's house!?)

And last but not least, a token shot of the sign that's been hanging down by the river for as long as I can remember. "Heaven" is what we affectionately call this place where the Bauers have been enjoying the company of friends and family since long before I was born!

Elyssa

2009-05-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Amy, for allowing me the opportunity to photograph Elyssa's first year... (and for letting me put my ridiculous flower on her head!) She is 100% sweetness!

Here is a fix for you until I can get the rest of your gallery posted later! You have some tough decision making ahead of you...they are all adorable!

On a different note: in case anyone has noticed I have been severely negligent in the upkeep of my facebook group and fan club! I think that new format messed me up a bit...I haven't even been updating my personal profile page or keeping up on what my friends are doing!

I have a goal to get back into the "facebook groove," but I have a feeling these next few weeks are going to get hairy! Watch for new photos, news, and promotions there soon!

Also watch my website for an expanding wedding gallery. I have my first two weddings of the season coming up this month, (which I will be photographing with my partner in crime, Paul) and so far, 6 more booked for later in the summer.

Brock

2009-05-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend my sister brought her kids down to visit so I could photograph Brock at 9 months. As usual, he was a complete angel...

We brought out some stacking cups and that kept him happy for a LOOOOOONG time!

Like his sister AND his mom, he has these amazing ocean blue eyes framed by jet black lashes. I loved the way his eyes pop on this blue background. I had to add some to my home page and my "beginning" gallery right away!

As I was working on these, I was struck by how much he resembles my sister. I had to dig up these old photos to compare!

(Don't be mad at me, Nicci; These are cute!) :)

I'm just about to start working on some newborn pics from this weekend. It's going to be a busy week, but if I get the chance I will post a few!

Audrey

2009-05-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were busy with our daughter's First Holy Communion. We had family from both sides down to help us celebrate, and it was a gorgeous day!

Audrey was beautiful in her dress and veil. I was pretty happy about that since we waited until the 11th hour to find something for her to wear! (By the way, this would not come as a surprise to anyone who knows me well...) My mom had actually come to town two days earlier to help me construct the veil and take in the dress a bit.

I was very proud of her, and clearly, so was her little brother, Aidan!

I think she looks very reverent walking down the aisle here:

It's hard to see here, but we had to draw an "R" on her right hand so she wouldn't forget which one to make the sign of the cross with! :)

My neice, Sophie, looks like she is ready jump into that cake!

Emmet

2009-05-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from last weekend:

I usually like to capture newborns sleeping, but since Emmet napped in the car on the way it was fairly clear when he arrived that sleeping shots were not going to be in the program!

Note his proud and very responsible big sister Olivia, who has grown up a LOT since I saw her last summer. (Or could it be that she just appears to be a lot more mature holding a twelve week old baby brother?!)

(Here Olivia has enough enthusiasm for both of them!!)

Luca

2009-04-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

I was hoping for some nice weather this past weekend so I could photograph Luca outside. Unfortunately it was rainy and wet with no sign of clearing the morning of our appointment. I was sort of bummed out because Jayme, Luca's mom, was up for outdoor portraits, and now that it's warm out I am SO READY to take advantage of natural light again!

As it turns out, I'm very happy with how the session went! I would post more of these if I had the time!

More Babies!

2009-04-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

I have been photographing Courtney and Quintin since their newborn session. I just love this family!! These twins crack me up so much that sometimes I have a hard time holding my camera steady-- They just have the cutest expressions and I have YET to see either of them in a bad mood!!

This was my first session with them both walking, so keeping them in the same frame was a little tricky! We just decided to "anchor" them in a chair long enough to get a few good shots. I am so happy we were able to get some great family pics as well. This summer we are planning to do our first outdoor shoot and I can't wait! :)

Here are some more photos of a little guy I just met this weekend named Tyler. He brought along his favorite stuffed sheep to the shoot. He wasn't quite walking yet, but he got around pretty fast in his own way!

My Kid! :)

2009-04-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

You would think I'd have photographs galore of my own children. At the very least, you'd expect me, someone who takes photographs for a living, to have more printed photos of my kids than your average gal. The truth is, I do have disks, digital folders, and memory cards FULL of them ALL THE TIME -- I am just horrible at having the images of my own children printed! The fact that most of them are organized by date just makes the situation that much worse, because I usually don't know where to go first when I want a specific photo of one of them! I've resolved myself to do better, but whenever we are asked to send a picture of them to school, dance, or in this case, religion class, I find myself in the same situation.

I remembered TODAY I needed to send Audrey to religion TONIGHT with a photo of herself to post in our Church for her First Holy Communion. The moment she got off the bus from school I had to rush her to the bathroom to fix her hair, then push her out the door to take some quick shots so I could then run across the street to have one of them printed at the store, (or rather, have my husband run across the street to have one printed at the store!) in order to have it back for her just in time to make it to her religion class.

Anway, here's what we came up with... Now that I sit with them it's clear...but in my mad rush to get a shot I didn't have the time to notice what a young lady she's turning into!

Fletcher

2009-04-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Emily contacted me a couple of weeks ago to photograph her son Fletcher. She hadn't had any portraits taken of him yet and was beginning to feel the panic of losing his baby-ness!

Funny thing; after some correspondence, we realized that we had met before! Emily happens to be a good friend of a past co-worker of mine, and I had attended a bridal shower at her house some years back! Small world, huh!?

Her baby Fletcher is three months old, (almost to the date!) and was really enjoying being in the lime light. He was a perfect angel the majority of the time--that is, until his mom and dad tried to get in some of the shots with him!! He was happiest just lying on his back and watching the lights. Maybe it's me, but I thought he had a keen awareness for such a young baby. He started out so awake and alert!

About halfway through, we all noticed his eyelids were getting heavy; and in the end, he fell fast asleep!

Mike, Becky, and Annabelle

2009-04-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago the weather was beautiful, and I took Mike and his daughters Becky and Annabelle to Northfield for some outdoor photos. The sun was intense that day, and we were forced to find whatever shade we could!

We made a stop at Tiny's for some hotdogs for the girls, (Gotta love Northfield--and Tiny's!) and then headed back to my house for some studio pics.

Mike is a VERY funny guy, who has a great relationship with his daughters. I think that really shines through in the pics from our session that day...

Tristen

2009-04-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

These past couple weeks have been kind of a blur! Due to my husband's 40th birthday, photo sessions, and this cold I've been trying to kick, I've found it hard to find the energy to get to the things that are easy to put off--like my blog, for example!

It would be a darn shame not to post some pics of this happy guy I had the privilege to meet on Monday night. Tristen was pretty much a photographer's dream! As you can probably imagine; seven year old boys are generally not the most willing photographic subjects. I thought I was going to have to pull out all the stops to get some great shots, but he REALLY came through for me!

I told Tristen's mom she should get him an agent! He was truly enjoying himself, and I have the pictures to prove it!! ;)

2009-03-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

I just sent in my registration form for the 2009 TCACCC (Twin Cities Area Council of Camera Clubs) Spring Break. It looks like there are going to be some really good classes this year. The event includes a full day of seminars, model sessions, portfolio evaluations, vendor booths and animals from Minnesota Wildlife Connections for nature photographers to shoot (with their cameras, of course!) if they so choose.

A couple of years ago they had wolves and tiny bear cubs. I have always been an animal lover, so naturally I was completely intrigued by them!! The people from the Minnesota Wildlife Connections let us hold the cubs, and I fell in love -- they were so incredibly soft and cuddly!

I started digging through some old CDs this afternoon and was happy to see I still had these photos my friend Paul took of me holding one of them.

NOTE: Some of the pics are a bit soft and grainy when we weren't by the window... We had to refrain from using our flashes to avoid freaking out the bears!!

Wedding Gallery Posted - and its ABOUT TIME!

2009-03-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I got most of the wedding gallery posted to my site today. (I plan on adding some more images within the next day or so, but I felt like I had enough to start with, anyway!) If you get a chance, please check it out and let me know what you think! (I'll take any criticism; Good or bad!! I can handle it!) I just have a tendency to drive myself crazy over analyzing everything... Choosing the right images was a bit of a daunting task. Paul and I had thousands of edited images from the weddings we shot; and I'm hoping I picked a well rounded bunch!!

I know now that despite my recent plans, there is going to have to be another site to feature the wedding gallery. There are just no two ways around it. (For lots of reasons, including the fact that I feel like my gallery drop down is now a bit heavy...but mainly because weddings are really a completely different business!) For now I just wanted to get something posted for those who have inquired about a wedding portfolio.

I have the wedding prices/packages pricelist in PDF format. Please contact me and I can email it to you right away!

Wedding Site Update

2009-03-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

If you happen to be one of the people I've spoken to about the upcoming wedding site this year, I just wanted to explain why I'll soon be removing the link to the wedding site on my splash page. Paul and I have decided, at least for the time being, to make the wedding gallery a part of my site.

When Paul and I first sat down with our plan to photograph weddings together, we both agreed that we both wanted to shoot no more than 4 or 6 a year. Our first wedding confirmed our suspicion that each job would be a huge time commitment, especially because we both really care about the final product we're delivering to our clients. The truth is, that once we leave a wedding, we each put hours into editing, from color correcting, to exposure correcting, to retouching and enhancing, black and white conversions, and finally applying effects to about 10% of our favorites.

Since our first wedding job, Paul has expanded his editing business to an effects and portraiture business as well. With all that and a full time day job, understandably he wants to stick to the original game plan.

I, however, have decided to expand my wedding business. I have shot a couple weddings alone, and the bride, groom, and I were all extremely happy with the results. I figured I can offer my services at a lower rate than with two shooters, and that might look pretty nice to couples getting married during these hard economical times. Of course I won't be able to be in two spots at once, but I fully intend to enlist the help of a knowledgeable assistant!

Paul and I are still moving forward with shooting weddings together whenever anyone is looking for complete coverage of their special day; but from here on out I'll be your contact person, and mine is the go-to site for the wedding gallery.

I'll be spending the next couple weeks getting the gallery up on my existing site. My goal is to have it posted by the end of March. Please contact me for the updated price list and other details!

Michelle, Radde, and Michelle's Belly!

2009-03-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Michelle is due and May, and wanted to have some maternity photos taken of herself along with her son, Radde, as a surprise for her husband's birthday on Friday.

Radde was just a doll, (with BEAUTIFUL complexion, I might add!) and at just two and a half years we really had to work to get him look at the camera!

He was a little shy at first, until I came up with the idea to let him draw on his mom's belly with a washable marker. I thought it would be fun to get a shot of the two of them showing their bellies with faces drawn on them, (since Radde seemed to get a kick out of lifting his shirt along with his mom) but he got a little carried away with scribbling. In the end, I drew a face on Michelle's belly--and even though Radde decided he wanted no part of that shot, I think the pic turned out fun anyway!

Avery and Natalie

2009-03-12T19:23:00.001-07:00

Wednesday morning (after the storm) I woke up thinking that the roads would be bad and little Avery and Natalie might not be making the drive from Richfield with their moms for their six month appointment that day. As it turned out they made it safe and sound -- not only prompt, but also ready to work it for the camera! (Despite the fact neither of them napped on the way!)

These ladies are not twins, but rather, first cousins born just four days apart. I get the feeling they spend A LOT of time together, and so I guess they may as well be sisters! I photographed them not long before Christmas, and as usual, was surprised at how much they've changed. (I see it all the time yet, I swear, I will never cease to be amazed at the progress a human being makes in a few short months of the first year.)

For just six months old, these girls had tons of personality! Just check out the expressions in some of these pics! I can almost picture them together 15 years down the road. Little Miss Natalie already has her own designer stilettos. (*see pic below!) If only she could walk in them!!

Not quite sure what was happening here but this next one has got to be one of my favorite expressions of all time:

Check the shoes!! Baby Blahniks!! :)

Gift Cards

2009-03-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been receiving more requests for gift certificates. I just think this is such a great way to give a special and lasting gift to new mothers, families, and couples!

My gift cards are printed on fine art linen card stock and are presented in a gift box. They can be ordered in any dollar amount, which may be applied toward session fees and/or prints. Shipping and handling is complimentary with all gift card orders.

Please contact me for further details!

New Logo

2009-02-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

After a few months of mulling it over, I have decided to upgrade my logo. Although I wanted it to be unique, I had always heard that simpler is better--and to be honest, I was always a bit on the fence about whether or not my name was legible enough.

This week when I was ordering some sticker labels, I was forced to take one more good hard look at what I had, and I decided to start playing around with it.

I didn't reinvent the wheel. I kept the bird and the dot, but just changed my name font to something a lot easier to read! It will probably take me a few days to get it changed out on my site and my documents, but anyway, here's the "official" unveiling:

Facebook!

2009-02-21T17:05:00.001-08:00

I am a facebook addict, and if you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet; it's about time you did! Any friends and clients are now invited to join the Stephanie Dehler Photography facebook group at
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?sid=8e676f7b79d667782b83a5eded5dba08&init=q&sf=r&k=200000010&n=-1&q=stephanie%20dehler%20photography

I will be adding lots of photos from sessions and weddings on a regular basis. You can also check here after your session to see if I may have posted any photos before they have had a chance to make it to your client gallery!

Once you join, feel free to browse the group photo album and decorate your profile with any of the images from your session by tagging yourself! If you don't see any images of your family, just drop me an email and I'll gladly tag you with a few from your session. (*restrictions may apply. Inquiries by phone or email.)

Once you have joined the group, I would be honored to have you become a fan at

http://www.facebook.com/editphoto.php?aid=67202&id=52766841692#/pages/Lonsdale-MN/Stephanie-Dehler-Photography/52766841692

Leave me a message on the wall, and as a thank you for becoming a fan and a member, you will receive your next session free along with an 11x14 print!

Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you there! Keep checking for more exciting news and promos offered only to loyal facebook fans!

Becker

2009-02-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

I've been photographing Becker ever since his newborn portraits. Everytime I'm working on his pictures I want to get lost in his big brown eyes. It was his dad's idea to have him sit on the paint can... so cute!!

Becker was so happy and easy to work with that the session flew by. We got all the shots we needed in around twenty minutes! We even used a few minutes at the end to snap some shots of the two of them together for his dad's facebook profile pic!

Whitney

2009-02-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

OK... Just for the record -- children's and family portraiture is STILL my focus!! However, on Monday I shot another calendar. These turned out so great I just had to post a handful. Whitney is giving the calendar to her hubby as a birthday gift. He is a soldier who will be returning to Iraq soon; and...this is just a hunch, but I think he's really going be happy he has it with him while on duty!!

Once again, it was a really fun shoot. Whitney brought her two sisters along for their advice and support, and it went really smoothly. We referred to retro pin ups for poses, and also came up with some good ones on our own!! Whitney did a great job. She looks stunning in every image and I can't wait to hear about her husband's reaction to the calendar!

Calling All Calendar Girls!

2009-01-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

I already knew that boudoir/pin up photos are huge, and still growing in popularity--but these past few months I have had a couple of requests for boudoir calendars.

I thought it was a genius idea (literally, the gift that keeps giving all year long!) yet I wasn't sure how the first session would flow ~ I mean, someone focused on children's and wedding portraiture doesn't usually have a lot of experience with sexy poses! I'm always up for a new challenge, however, and the thought of turning down the offer never once crossed my mind.

I gotta say, the calendars turned out great, and it was a lot of fun shooting the images. (I'm quite sure the recipients of the calendars were happy with them, too!) I really feel like I should carve out a niche for this kind of imagery--possibly an offshoot of the wedding business, since I want to keep my family portraiture site "kid-friendly!"

If you think you'd interested in boudoir photos or a calendar, give me a call and we can discuss rates!

Sophie

2009-01-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

I just had to make a post about my niece Sophie's two year session. What a gal!! She is loving and sweet, but when it comes to picture day at Auntie Stephanie's, she is one tough customer...God love her! Sophie is just one of those headstrong toddlers who are determined to stick to their guns, no matter how hard you might try to sway her.

I'm sure a big part of her plan to sabotage any attempt at getting a good shot of her comes from the fact that she just knows me too well. I experience this first hand with my own kids-- lately any time they see me try to snap a pic of them they either bury their faces or run the other direction! (I would be lying if I said I had never considered bringing them to someone else to have their portraits taken!!)

Anyway, this day I was up for the challenge.

Eventually, with a little perseverance and a lot of raisins, she came around!

2009 so far....

2009-01-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! Things have been a bit crazy around here lately. Between steady business, (which I half expected to slow down after Christmas--but who's complaining about that?!) Guitar Hero, (the top ranking Dehler family gift of 2008) and a series of unfortunate events, I haven't had a lot of time left over to write any new posts!

Christmas at my parents house in Wisconsin was great, as usual! My whole family was there, including my sister Sara, who traveled from Denver. The whole Bauer clan went out to sing Karaoke on the 23rd, (and anyone who knows the Bauers knows that we LOVE Karaoke!!) and Christmas Eve we celebrated in the usual way, opening gifts and just enjoying each other's company. Santa Claus stopped by while we were at church, and we all had fun watching the kids open their presents. (My son, Aidan thought everyone else could use a little help with theirs!)

Christmas Day the kids went sledding while the adults sat around and ate, and ate, and ATE SOME MORE!! Here are a few of my kids and my sister, Sara.

SO HERE'S WHERE THE CRAZY SETS IN:

When we returned home on the 26th, we found 0ur water heater had been leaking, and the water had seeped under our recently laid floor in the basement! I had two appointments that next day, (and anyone who has been here knows that I set up my studio in my basement...) so Jeff and I spent hours tearing up the flooring and trying to dry/salvage what pieces we could. We ended up having a new water heater installed, and we also had to purchase some new flooring. I still can't think of anything I would want to spend money on less!

Three days later, Jeff re-laid the floor, and now thankfully everything is back together. (In fact, as I type he is in the process of finishing the trim work!)

In the days following our water heater debaucle, I experienced major technical problems with my external drive. As I dealt with that situation in the best way I could, we soon learned that my mother in law was in the hospital with emphysema, too weak to stand. Right now she is under evaluation, and we are praying for the best. Fortunately, she has the support of her family, who all live close.

The way I see it, 2009 can only get better! As always I'm optimistic; but so far, I could stand for the new year to take a turn!

Vote for Max!!

2008-12-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

Exciting news!

This past summer I took outdoor photos of this adorable boy, Max. His mom, Suzi submitted one of the images from that day to the Gap Kids casting call (see pic above.) They got a call back, and a while later were flown to LA for the big photo shoot!

Max is one of 4 finalists for his gender and age group. You can vote for him and view a short video of him with his mom at the shoot at http://gap.eprize.net/castingcallphase2/index.tbapp?affiliate_id=2x

I, for one, think he deserves to win! He makes a terrific model!

Here are some more of the images from our session this summer, taken at Lyndale Gardens by Lake Harriet.

Blue Photographic

2008-12-01T13:00:00.001-08:00

I already know it's going to be a personal challenge to make regular blog posts. (At least in the months of November and December!) Here it is, over a week later, and I'm finally getting some of the images posted from our engagement session last Saturday.

First, I wanted to give a little background into Blue Photographic, the wedding photography business I started last year with my friend and partner, Paul Serafini. We have known each other since college (and he also just happens to be married to one of my best friends!) Paul really started taking photography seriously when he bought his first digital SLR. In fact, by the time I switched to digital, he was already very experienced with photo editing software, and taught me most (if not everything!) of what I know to this day.

Paul runs his own photo editing business, called Picturescue. He is now in the process of expanding his business to include portraiture and photo effects as well.

http://www.picturescue.com/

We decided to work together when I had gotten a couple of offers to do weddings through my portraiture business. I wasn't really sure I wanted to be a wedding photographer, (I mean, consider the PRESSURE!!) yet at the same time it seemed like the next inevitable step.

Once we got through the first couple weddings, we realized that not only was it a lot of fun, but also that we worked really well together. I think the best thing about us is that we each have skills that compliment each other. While Paul is probably more of a technically savvy perfectionist, I'm the one with the art background who doesn't mind breaking the rules. Paul has always had a love of nature and landscape, which shines through in the way he composes beautiful full shots. Since I'm all about portraiture, I'm always looking for great close up opportunities. We both love the energy and sense of reward we feel when we're photographing a wedding, and are truly honored to be allowed such an important responsibility.

When Paul and I started Blue Photographic, We decided to offer free engagement sessions to every couple who signs us on to shoot their wedding. We look at it as our opportunity to get to know our clients prior to their wedding day, and to give them a feel for how we work.

We have taken couples all around the Twin Cities for photo shoots, but we took this couple, Tiffany and Jeff, to Northfield. (One of my favorite towns, by the way!) It was seasonably cold and the two were great sports! Even though the wind was a bit harsh at times, somehow they managed to look comfy-cozy in all the shots...

I can't resist including a couple shots of a nine week old Basset Hound puppy that was out for a walk that day by the river with his new owner. He was so cute and kept stepping on his long ears!!

New Site, New Year!

2008-11-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

Today I'm officially going live with my new site and blog! I knew this was going to be coming for awhile now, so I have purposely been holding off on updating images on my last site for the past several months. (Although I've stuck with a lot of images from the other site, I wanted this one to look new and fresh--and I've been very eager to share it!) If you haven't checked it out yet, please take a look!

I'm a little sad about saying goodbye to my old site, which my sister generously developed for me when I was getting started. That aside, many of the families and children on that site were there from the beginning when I was looking for people who would let me take their photographs for free! (Fortunately, they are still coming back!) It was a beautiful site, and I kept basically the same color palette and fonts. I think I will have an easier time keeping this one current.

This new site is only a precursor of great things to come! Within a month or two, I plan to move forward on a second site for my wedding business, which is a partnership with my friend Paul. We have spent 2008 shooting weddings together and building a really beautiful portfolio. Again, I'm really proud of what we've done and I can't wait to get it out there to see how it will be received. We already have 3 weddings lined up for next year, with an engagement session coming up on Saturday! I'll post some images from that shoot, along with a little more background about our business early next week.

Thank you for visiting, and please come again! I'm really looking forward to the new year and all that's in store!

Oh, and just one more thing; IF, by chance, you ever need any portraits of your family, your children, or your wedding day, now you know where to find me!!