Kage Imagery :: Twin Cities Wedding Photographers

Goodbye, old blog

2011-06-22T22:01:00.001-05:00

You served us well for three years. You stuck by us even when we neglected you. Thank you for showing off our pretty photos and getting us kick-butt SEO.

Yep, after many months (maybe even years?!) of me saying I was building a new blog, it’s finally true! Proof I wasn’t lying can be found here. Update your bookmarks and check back often because we have LOTS of fun stuff planned over there :) This blog will stay up so our older work can still be found. See ya over at kageimagery.com!

The Grand Proposal

2011-02-02T10:18:00.001-06:00

I’m sure those of you who follow our blog have noticed I’ve been absent, severely absent, for the past several months. I am currently designing a more functional and awesome NEW blog and in that process I’ve held off from blogging our latest weddings and sessions. Plus, the boudoir photography business, Blush Twin Cities: Bad-Ass Boudoir Photography, that I co-own with Jeannette Nargelenas has taken off this year so a lot of my time has been spent on that.

Our new Kage Imagery blog is being designed to be a combination of a personal blog & photography blog, and we cannot wait to launch it! So stay tuned and I hope to have an update very, very soon!

For now, I wanted to post about this awesome contest. Contest entries must be submitted by this FRIDAY, February 4th. The grand prize is $5000 worth of wedding services and includes $500 towards your photography package from us! So if you’re engaged, hurry and submit your story today for the chance to win fabulous prizes from talented vendors! And if you’re not currently engaged, be sure to share this with your friends who are! For more details about the contest and instructions on how to enter, visit the Make it Grand events page.

Contest winners will be announced at the Grand Proposal Wedding Fair being co-sponsored by Make it Grand! and the Wedding Shoppe on February 13th, 2011 from 12-4 p.m. We hope to see you all there!

Meet William and Katie—the creative geniuses behind Oh Dier

2010-10-18T16:12:00.010-05:00

A few weeks ago I met up with William & Katie to do a promotional photoshoot for their business, Oh Dier. Not only is this couple extremely photogenic, they are also over the top creative. By day, they are an architect and an editor, and by night, they manage their growing business. Based in Minnesota, these two create some of the coolest home decor around. Vintage inspired wooden signs, funky wooden toys, photographs from their travels, and unique graphic prints fill their online store. Even long before I did this shoot, I purchased a wooden bird and butterfly print from their etsy shop, both of which I absolutely adore. Recently, we had the chance to collaborate again when William beautifully crafted a custom made sign for our space at Make it Grand (pics of that coming soon!). When they contacted me to do an urban themed shoot to get promotional photographs for their new web site, I was thrilled!! Oh Dier’s wooden signs have many purposes, not only can they be used to decorate your home or office, they would make great decor for weddings or other celebrations which can then be hung in your home after the event! They can customize the pieces in the color of your choice, so incorporating your wedding colors into your artwork is a breeze.

Be sure to check out the Oh Dier web site to see more of their work (I promise you will want to add many items to your cart—I know I do!). Gene’o & I are planning in the process of buying a new home and we can’t wait to commission these guys for some funky artwork. When I was getting photos ready for their blog post I seriously wanted to post them all, but I was able to narrow it down to a few favorites to share here. Enjoy! William and Katie gifted us one of these super AWESOME block bots! I love this little guy! He is sitting on a shelf in our living room, and someday I am going to add another one to my collection as well :) After we had some fun around downtown St. Paul, we headed up to Dayton's Bluff for some sunset photos. I got to play around with different lighting techniques. I'm glad we made it up there because these are some of my faves! This photo is one of my absolute favorite photos that I’ve ever taken! The light, the expressions, the grasses—just everything about it makes me happy :) Thanks again for inviting me to photograph you guys! You both rock and I can’t wait to see your business grow :)

Sarah & Rich {married!}

2010-10-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Back in August, Gene’o & I traveled to Hillsdale, WI to shoot Sarah & Rich’s wedding at the Enchanted Barn. I had wanted to shoot a wedding there for a long time because that was one of the places we were considering having our own wedding! Though I had never been there in person, I had seen their web site and was super excited to finally have a wedding there. Rich and Sarah are awesome. They are kind, genuine people and we couldn’t ask for better clients! Enjoy some of the photos from their beautiful countryside wedding.

Credits~ Photography: Kage Imagery | DJ/Entertainment: Blooms and Tunes | Flowers: Jerry’s Floral | Venue: Enchanted Barn

Lindsay & Steve {engaged!}

2010-10-14T13:11:00.001-05:00

We met up with Lindsay and Steve on a beautiful fall afternoon in late September. We met up in Highland Park in St. Paul which was fun because we’ve never shot there before. The light was beautiful and Lindsay’s red sweater added that pop of color that I always love in photos. I often get emails asking what to wear for photos and I always recommend something bright and fun, even if it’s just an accessory or pair of shoes and this is why! We are super excited to celebrate our first wedding anniversary with Lindsay & Steve during their New Year’s Eve wedding!!

Tamra & Nat {married!}

2010-10-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

Fall weddings are my favorite and this one was no exception. Tamra & Nat got married on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon in September. The small ceremony was held on the rooftop of the Stillwater Library, with a big barn dance held at their family farm the following Saturday. Although I had talked with Tamra on the phone several times, we hadn’t actually met her or Nat until the day of the wedding. This is very rare for us and can be difficult because we really like to get to know our couples before their weddings, but immediately after meeting them it was like we were old friends. Their photos are some of my recent favorites, the colors and light were perfect for photos, and Tamra & Nat are gorgeous!

They did a first look on the top of the library before the ceremony. Everybody knows that this is my favorite part of the wedding day! We’ve done it both ways, and in my opinion, the reactions we get during first looks are more emotional and genuine so I am always grateful for our couples who see each other before the ceremony because of photos like these.

And their portraits! We didn’t even have to leave the block that the library was on to find some great locations. The exquisite flowers were done by Tami Johnson of Studio B Floral Designs. We’ve worked with Tami before and she always does beautiful work!After our quick portrait session, we headed back up to the rooftop for the late afternoon ceremony. I love this photo of Tamra’s brothers walking her down the aisle. Then, on Saturday, we headed out to Grant Township for the party! Nat’s family farm made a perfect setting for a fall barn dance. The sun was shining and the sky was vibrant blue. We took a hayride to the Gasthaus for a few drinks, and then headed back to the reception for dinner and dancing. Thank you so much for inviting us to be part of your wedding celebration! We loved photographing you and hanging out with your friends and families :)

Credits:
Photography: Kage Imagery
Makeup & Styling: Brett Dorian Artistry
Flowers: Studio B Floral
Ceremony Venue: Stillwater Public Library
Dress: Our Shop
Pastry Chef: Fresh Field's Bakery

Jenny & Justin {married}

2010-10-12T21:04:00.003-05:00

I’m happy to present Jenny & Justin’s wedding photos! Gene’o & I had such a great time with these guys, it couldn’t have been a more perfect day. We traveled down to Hampton, MN for the ceremony and then back to Minneapolis to the Profile Event Center for the reception. Jenny had these fabulous green shoes (a girl after my heart—green is my favorite color!) and her dress was fabulous!

We love first looks! It allows time to get portraits like this:

We weren’t able to get our group portrait at the end of the night with the bride and groom together, so we did two separate ones instead :)

Credits:
Photography: Kage Imagery
Florist: Simply Elegant Floral
Church: St. Mathias Catholic Church
Reception Venue: Profile Event Center
Pastry Chef: Grandma’s Bakery

Abby's Senior Photos

2010-10-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I met up with Abby to do her senior photos. She was my first senior of the year but since then I've scheduled several more sessions so I guess it's that time of year! Wedding season is winding down for us (although we still have 3-4 more this year) and seniors and family sessions are ramping up! Contact us soon if you're interested in doing your senior photos as our calendar for fall is nearly booked!

Thanks again to Abby and her family! I love photographing high school seniors!

Casey & Andrew {engaged!}

2010-10-01T13:27:00.005-05:00

So once again I've fallen behind but I've made a list of 15 blog posts I need to do and I'm going to start catching up, one by one. Casey & Andrew's wedding is tomorrow so I wanted to get these up on the blog! Andrew got us access to the building he works at so we took full advantage of it for their engagement photos.

Casey & Andrew had some fun ideas for their session. We did kind of a 2 part engagement session but all at one time. First we did photos around the building.

And then, we got to go up on the roof! What an awesome view! We had full sun but we didn't let that stop us. Casey & Andrew brought the fixings for a cupcake & champagne picnic and there couldn't of been a better place to do it.
We wanted to get some sunset photos on the roof, so we headed back down to get some more photos while we waited. We liked the colors of parking garage.

And we had fun playing with our lights a bit in the wine bar.

Once the sun began to set, we headed back up to the roof for some of my favorite shots from the day.

And our self portrait at the end, complete with the shadow from holding the camera and using lights :)

We are super excited for their wedding at the Walker Art Museum tomorrow!

Allison & Jonathan {married!}

2010-08-27T18:01:00.008-05:00

Last week I posted Allison & Jonathan's engagement photos and now I'm super excited to share some of their wedding photos! I was really looking forward to this wedding for this wedding for two reasons. First, because from 2005-2007 I worked with Allison at the University of Minnesota. She was one of my favorite student assistants when she was still a budding young architect, and her then boyfriend, Jonathan was president of the student chapter of the MNAIA. Since then they've both graduated, moved to Seattle, and now have moved to Georgia where Allison will be attending grad school and Jonathan just started a new job.

The second reason I was excited to shoot this wedding was because of the church. Let's face it, churches aren't typically a reason to get excited from a photography standpoint--they are usually dark and not great for photos. But when Allison told me they had selected the Bigelow Chapel for their wedding I was SO excited! I am a huge architecture buff and this chapel is stunning.

So now, on to the photos! I tried my best to narrow down photos to post but it was difficult, there were so many great shots to chose from :) Some of my favorites are below.
First up, is the chapel. It was designed by HGA and built by Mortenson Construction. A storm came in just before the ceremony so I went out to get these shots.

Allison's four sisters were her bridesmaids, and one of them left this cute message, I love it!

We did their first look inside the chapel, as usual I love these photos and we recommend all of our couples to do a first look.

Next we moved on to portraits, and we didn't have to go far to find some great places for photos. I LOVED this big window. Here's my photo:
And here's Gene'os view:

We saw Jonathan's grandparents sitting inside and rather than ask them to move we thought it would make a cute picture!Because of the heat, we decided to do the formals inside the chapel--the stone wall and natural light were perfect.

After the ceremony we headed to the stone arch bridge for some bridal party portraits. I've photographed there many times but this was the first wedding party we've taken there so we had to get a famous jump shot on the bridge :)And some fun portraits of the bride, I LOVE these photos!And finally, we headed over to the Campus Club at the University of Minnesota campus for the reception. This one was taken outside of Coffman.Jonathan had the honor of taking our portait at the end of the day. Not sure why we're doing the thumbs up, but I like it :)
Thank you Allison & Jonathan for inviting us to be part of your wedding day! We wish you the best of luck on your new life in Georgia!

Allison & Jonathan {engaged!}

2010-08-27T16:56:00.007-05:00

This post is a little late because Allison & Jonathan aren't engaged anymore, they're actually married! We met up for a quick engagement session the day before their wedding which is usually not the norm. However, Allison & Jonathan lived in Seattle and they weren't in town until two days before their wedding so this was our first chance. I am going to write about how I met Allison & Jonathan in their wedding post, which I'm scheduling for next week. But for today, I'm going to share these photos from their engagement session that unfortunately Gene'o wasn't able to join us on because he was at the day job. I did this one solo but we still had fun and got some great shots! We walked around the University of Minnesota campus and even got to go into the Alumni Center for some photos (with permission, of course!) Enjoy!

Stay tuned for their beautiful wedding photos!

Sonya & Mike {married!}

2010-08-13T17:19:00.010-05:00

Sonya & Mike got married July 10th up north in Nisswa, MN. Their ceremony was at Fritz Loven Park, which is really cool because Fritz was Sonya's great uncle and he used to live on the land that is now the park. The reception was at the nearby Grandview Lodge. Gene'o and I drove up on Saturday morning and as soon as we arrived we immediately wished we had come up earlier in the week so we could've relaxed at the lodge! The grounds were beautiful and we're definitely going to plan a mini-vacation up there in the future.

Their wedding day was the complete opposite of when we did their engagement photos! We did their engagement session in February, whereas their wedding was a HOT summer day with full sun. That seems to be the theme with most of our weddings this summer :) I'm really excited to share their photos with you. I've neglected this blog way too much this summer and that is going to end now!

I absolutely loved the photos from their first look! I'm sure I've mentioned it before but photos from the first look of the day are typically some of my favorites.

There was a cute little candy shop at the Grandview Lodge so of course we had to go in to get a few treats and cute photos.

Check this out, this is a Virtual Tours of Fritz Loven Park, and you can start to see the incredible beauty of this place.

The ceremony was beautiful, despite the heat, and Sonya and Mike filled it with personal stories and lots of heartfelt moments.

After the ceremony we headed back to the Grandview Lodge, which was just five minutes away, for a wonderful reception and dance. They had some fabulous details incorporated throughout the day, including having their names embroidered on the backs of the guy's ties.

Another fun detail was that Mike had set up a photobooth, complete with props and a backdrop. So for our trademark photo with the bride and groom we were incognito--photo courtesy of Mike & Sonya :)

Thank YOU both SO SO much for having us be part of your day. We had so much fun and are excited to have gained two wonderful friends!

Emily & Ted {engaged!}

2010-07-27T17:03:00.005-05:00

We shot this engagement session back in May and I am finally getting around to posting it on the blog! Emily and Ted are getting married THIS SATURDAY! Yay! So, I thought I better hurry up and get this up here!

So, what have we been up to, you ask? Well, we've shot 7 weddings since the end of May, several engagement sessions, and other portrait sessions....so needless to say, blogging has taken a backseat while I get through the thick of wedding season. On July 1st, we also moved into our shared office space, at Make it Grand! We are SUPER excited to have a "home" -- a place to display some of our work and meet our clients. I am still putting the finishing touches on our display, so stay tuned for more information and photos!

So now, on to Emily & Ted's super fabulous photos! We met up in downtown St. Paul on a muggy afternoon in May. Emily and Ted were so much fun, we can't wait to shoot their wedding! Plus, Ted had some fun ideas for photo set ups (one of which you will see below)Same moment, different angle and lens. Cool how different they look, huh?
With Harriet Island in the background, the place they met.My first attempt at an animation! Ted had this concept where he wanted some photos of him checking Emily out while she walks by.
And finally, our group shot, I like how I'm the "superstar" of this photo, lol :)
See you guys Saturday! Can't wait!

Paws on Grand :: Photos of your Pooch for a good cause!

2010-07-23T01:40:00.010-05:00

We are very excited to announce we are participating in Paws on Grand!
Who: Kage Imagery and the Make it Grand! marketplace
What: Dog portraits to benefit Red Lake Rosie's Rescue
When: Sunday, August 1st from 12-4
Where: 1274 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN

See full details on image below, or contact us at kage.imagery@gmail.com or
612.801.8823

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SESSION . There are only 6 spots remaining!

Canvases!

2010-07-14T10:04:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago I made a HUGE canvas order (more details on that to come soon!) and they arrived on Monday! I LOVE canvases. They have a very clean and simple look to them, and sometimes it's nice to be able to display your photos without a frame.
Josh & Kayla, one of our awesome couples from 2009, ordered a canvas of their favorite wedding photo. Unfortunately, I had to photograph it in my house and the photos don't do it justice. But trust me when I say it looks beautiful in person!

The corners are neatly wrapped and tucked.

Our canvases are UV protected and come in several shapes and sizes. Let us know if you're interested in learning more!

Kellie & Derek {married! part one.}

2010-06-29T20:33:00.003-05:00

Warning: this is not our typical wedding blog post. I'm working on editing Kellie & Derek's wedding and I thought this series deserved it's own post! We've had rain almost every Saturday in June which has made for an interesting wedding season, to say the least! Kellie & Derek had planned to go mini-golfing with their bridal party at Centennial Lakes Park (the place they got married) right after their ceremony. Well, mother nature had other plans so the party moved to a nearby bowling alley! We had a fun time coming up with some bowling-alley themed portraits and although I'm sure the mini-golfing would've been fun, I am totally in love with these photos!

Stay tuned for their full, regular blog post that documents the rest of the day!

Andy needs your help!

2010-06-29T11:32:00.002-05:00

Meet Andy.

Isn't he cute? Not only is he cute, but he is the biggest love you'll ever meet. He was rescued last week by a good Samaritan who volunteers for Feline Rescue, in St. Paul. Andy had a run in with an animal and has a badly injured back leg. Our wonderful vets did all they could but unfortunately, his leg will have to be amputated later this week.

We are looking for donations for Andy's medical care. To find out how you can donate and to read more about Andy's story, visit the Feline Rescue Blog.

Some of you know that I volunteer my photography to help animal rescue groups all around the city. Mainly, I do photography for Feline Rescue and Home for Life, but we're planning a photography fundraiser for Red Lake Rosie's Rescue on August 1st as part of the Paws on Grand event. Stay tuned for details!

And remember: Don't breed or buy while shelter animals die! And spay & neuter your pets!

Anding Family

2010-06-23T22:29:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago we were in my hometown of Spring Green, WI, to shoot a fabulous wedding. I had a little time for some quick family sessions so was excited when I connected with Melissa who had been wanting a family photo session for awhile. As luck would have it, she emailed me two days before I was going to be in town and our schedules worked out so we could meet up for a session during the gorgeous early evening light. I have to say, taking photos in Spring Green is one of my favorite things to do! Everything just looks so much prettier there, and these photos prove it. They were so much fun to hang out with and we got some wonderful photos!

I was glad we got a few cute ones of mom & dad, too. They've been married 12 years!

And finally, a family photo on the Wisconsin River. Love the colors, this was all natural light and minimal photoshop!

Thank you SO much for asking me to photograph your family! Can't wait to do it again someday :)

Sarah is 9 months old!

2010-06-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

I met up with the Huot family in May for their third photo session. You can see their first one here and I don't think I blogged the second one but you can see photos from all three sessions in their facebook gallery facebook.

The weather was gorgeous so we were able to do some photos in Mike's parent's backyard. Sarah is such a little doll and I love seeing how much she's grown each time I see her! She is so cute with her thick dark hair and dark eyes, and she is usually good for the camera which is rare for a baby :) Here are some photos from our most recent session below.

Looking forward to our one-year session in August!

Eve is three!

2010-06-22T09:00:00.003-05:00

I photographed the Gardner family back in 2008 when Eve wasn't even two years old yet. It was fun to meet up again this spring at Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis for a late-evening family session. The colors were great and Eve was very happy to pose for my camera and did everything I asked her too! She is a beautiful little girl and was so fun to photograph! See for yourself!

Anne is expecting their second child in August, and I'll be photographing him/her, so check back later this summer for pics of baby Gardner! But for now, enjoy this adorable photo of Eve with her mama's belly :)

This was at the end of the session and when I saw Eve take off towards the other kids. Once I saw this I knew we were done :)

Thanks again for inviting me to photograph your awesome family!

Jenny & Justin {engaged!}

2010-06-20T12:52:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Father's Day weekend! I'd especially like to wish my dad Jim in Spring Green, WI and my husband Gene'o (asleep on the couch downstairs!) a very happy Fathers Day!

After shooting weddings the past few weekends, we finally had a weekend off from shoots so I'm finally getting caught up on the back log of editing and blog posts I wanted to share. We photographed Jenny & Justin's fabulous engagement session on the University of Minnesota campus back in May. We had gorgeous late afternoon light and had fun walking around campus looking for fun spots to photograph. Jenny, Justin, and I all went to school there and I used to work there so it was fun to be back at my old stopping grounds. Here are a few favorites from the day.

We got a little more creative with our group shot at the end :)

We're looking forward to their wedding in July!

Photos in Central Park

2010-06-03T16:00:00.002-05:00

Central Park in Roseville, that is :) We met up with our friends Eddie, Shelley & their absolutely adorable little guy Kingston a few weeks ago for a family photo session in a hot, muggy Sunday. It was an overcast day, so perfect for photos, and the colors were amazing! You wouldn't know it now, but Kingston was born premature approximately 2 months before his due date. This was the first time we got to meet him so we were impressed by how healthy and strong he is. And a happy little guy, too.

Kingston is turning one next month, so we wanted to do some one year old photos, too. But unfortunately, the geese had taken over the park and there wasn't a "safe" sitting area so we had to use this red bench to get these sweet photos.

See, here is the evidence that the geese were everywhere. There were cute little families waddling around near the pond. I never realized how protective they are of their young, they were hissing loudly every time a dog walked by!

Eddie was the photographer of this last image. I think it's the first time we've had a baby in our signature Kage portrait at the end of the session! Eddie is excited about photography, too, and right before Kingston was born he got a Nikon. We've enjoyed looking at his photos and videos on facebook.

Teresa & Edward {married!}

2010-06-02T14:15:00.007-05:00

Back in April, Gene'o & I had the priviledge of shooting his cousin's wedding at the Fort Snelling Chapel. It was a cool, rainy day but we made the best of it! It was fun to shoot a family wedding, especially because we rarely get to see this side of the family. Teresa & Edward are a military couple and until recently didn't even live in the same state. But I'm happy to say the newlyweds are now together in their new house in Oklahoma! Since they have family located in different parts of the country, they decided to all come together in the Twin Cities for their wedding day.

Here are the other vendors that made the day possible

Florist: Make it Exceptional

Dress: Angelique's Bridal Salon

Bustle: Alterations and Veils

Photography: Kage Imagery

Videography: Tallgrass Films

Cupcakes: Bread Art

DJ & Band: Jukebox Express & Pearl Brothers

Officiant: Father Steve Prokop

Ceremony location: Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel

Reception location: Commemorative Air Force, Southern Minnesota Wing (CAFSM)

So now, here's a quick snapshot of the story of their day.

I just loved Teresa's cowboy boots with her wedding dress!

The couple's grand entrance into the airplane hanger.

In true military tradition, the cake was cut with a huge sword. This was a first for me, it was so cool!

Some of the details from the day.

First dance.

And us after a LONG day of shooting! Taken by the bride and groom.

Thank you so much for inviting us to be part of your wedding. We hope you love the photos!

Lucas is one!

2010-06-01T20:03:00.007-05:00

I hope everybody had a safe, relaxing, and fun Memorial Day weekend! This past weekend was our two year "anniversary" of being wedding photographers! It's fun to look back and see how far we've come and how much we've learned over the past two years. In May 2008 we traveled to Grand Rapids, MN, for Kit & Valerie's awesome wedding. Thank you to Kit & Valerie for giving us a chance and inviting us to be your wedding photographers! Happy Anniversary!

Now, on to the subject of this post. Sweet little Lucas turned one year old back in April. Shortly thereafter we met up near the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis for a quick photo shoot. Lucas' parents, Cassie & Towle, are friends of mine and are the creators of our awesome promo video. Be sure to check that out if you haven't already!

Lucas was full of energy and was all smiles and giggles for his one year old photos. His brilliant blue eyes are a photographers dream! Here are some favorites, enjoy!

Of course, we did a few family shots as well. Here are some fun ones!

Thanks for having me photograph your family again! And thanks for the super awesome Thai food appetizers and drinks, too :)

Kaia & Erik {engaged!}

2010-05-24T16:49:00.008-05:00

We were so excited to meet up with these guys back in April for their fun engagement session around Uptown and Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. We met at Duplex, the restaurant where they had their first date. Unfortunately, we didn't get many photos there because the owner wasn't the most accommodating person, but we had fun nonetheless!

Kaia & Erik are positively adorable together! They were referred to us by Hiedi & Jake, one of our most favorite couples from 2009. They met at Luther College early in 2009 and were engaged in less than a year. It is so obvious in the little time that Gene'o & I have spent with them that they are made for each other. Here are a few favorites from our session.

You can see more photos from their session in their gallery on our facebook page.

And I am embarrassed to say that we totally FORGOT to do our self/group portrait with these guys. Kaia reminded us after the fact and we felt so badly! Needless to say, we owe these guys some extra special group photos at their wedding in October. We can't wait to work with these guys, especially because we should have some great fall color for their wedding!

Brenda & Chris {married!}

2010-05-17T16:41:00.005-05:00

I greatly apologize to those of you who check back often to see our new work and you had nothing new to look at for over a month! I have no excuses for why I haven't been blogging lately, because it certainly isn't due to lack of photos! LOL.

So now I'm thrilled to finally be sharing some of Brenda & Chris' photos from their April wedding! They got married at a very unique place for a wedding, the Wabasha Street Caves which is allegedly haunted by some of the old gangsters that used to frequent the place. If you haven't been there for a tour I highly recommend you check it out. Even though it's a cool place to get married, given it's a cave the lighting conditions aren't ideal for photos so we did our pre-ceremony photos around downtown St. Paul. It was a gorgeous spring afternoon and we had a great time with Brenda, Chris, and their families.

Here is a photo of the outside of the caves. Supposedly, other photographers have seen "orbs" in their photos which signify the presence of a spirit :) If you look closely by the front door under the sign you will see a green blob. I did not photoshop that in! Some would call it lens flair but I think it's an orb, lol!

Now, enjoy some of our favorites from the day!
The first look of the bride and groom are always some of my favorite photos and Brenda & Chris did not disappoint.

We found this cool staircase with great light so we though we'd give it a try.

And here's Gene'o & I, which was our final shot of the day, taken by Chris. I think it characterizes the moodiness of the caves quite well :)

Now I'm off to keep working on editing photos and prepping blog posts!

Jerri & Aaron {married!}

2010-04-07T23:23:00.004-05:00

Hello, and welcome to April! Here we are a week into the month already and this is my first post, but for good reason. Not only have I been busy shooting, I've been busy spring cleaning for the past week. G & I are cleaning out every nook and crannie in our house. I still have several drawers do go through but the amount of "junk" that has left our house this week has been staggering! I feel so much better and seem to be more productive as well, so it was all worth it! I suggest you do the same, even if it's only one closet or one drawer that's been bugging you, you'll feel much better when it's done.

Secondly, you may notice we have a new URL for our blog. We are about to launch a portfolio site so we have added the blog as a subdomain as that. So be sure to update your bookmarks!

And now I'm pleased to present Jerri & Aaron! We photographed their small, intimate wedding on March 27th at Lighthouse Community Church in Rosemount, MN. Only their parents, siblings & their spouses, and nieces and nephews attended the ceremony. This was a rare circumstance for us because we only were there for about four hours. We normally don't accept wedding commissions for less than six hours because we really like to tell the story of the day, but since it was such a small wedding we made an exception. The ceremony was preformed by pastor Josh Edwards and he rocked! There were both tears and laughter which always makes for a great wedding!

And finally, the photos! Jerri & Aaron are having a reception this Saturday so I wanted to be sure to have some photos ready for them. Here are some faves!

Love this one Gene'o caught during the signing of the marriage certificate!

Prayer with the parents. This was really neat. I don't think I've seen this done during a ceremony before.

Thumbs up :)

Just married! I love Jerri's smile!

I thought this candid moment was cute. Wonder what was so funny?

We had about 5 minutes to head outside for some portraits before we headed to the Embassy Suites for the dinner.

And once we got to the Embassy Suites we only had about 1/2 hour to do some portraits in the atrium. They are some of my faves from the day.

Us taken by Aaron, or Jerri? I can't remember which one took it but it's cute!

Be sure to check out the slideshow below, it tells the story of their day a little better than I did!

Kellie & Derek {engaged!}

2010-03-26T21:04:00.007-05:00

We met up with Kellie & Derek last week at Centennial Lakes Park in Edina. They are getting married there this upcoming June, and we lucked out with a gorgeous day to be out doing photos. Kellie work a fabulous pink jacket which I loved! It makes the photos pop!

The day after our session I found the most awesome email in our inbox. It's emails like these that make us love what we do even more. Kellie said I could share it here on the blog, so here it is.

Just wanted to Thank you for making our engagement photo session so fun and enjoyable. You are Gene'o are talented and and amazingly compassionate about what you do and I am so happy that we will be able to look back at our wedding day through your eyes. Now having the engagement photos done, have worked with you, I am not one bit worried about that day.

I can't wait to show off our pictures!!

Emails like that make my day! Now, I'm happy to present Kellie & Derek!

This was the one photo Kellie really wanted. A shot of Derek kissing her forehead. So sweet :)

Kellie & Derek are Minnesota Wild fans, so we did a quick wardrobe change at the end of the session.

Our group shot was taken by "Ma". Derek's mom was in town so she came along on the shoot! I think she has skills behind the camera, don't you ;)

Thanks, Kellie & Derek! We are SO looking forward to your wedding in June!

Catching up....let wedding season begin!

2010-03-26T12:57:00.004-05:00

We have our first spring wedding tomorrow and then we're pretty busy throughout the spring/summer/fall with weddings & engagement session, so in preparation I'm cleaning off the hard drives, archiving, and organizing previous work so I can start off this wedding season (somewhat) organized.

So I'm happy to present a July 2009 wedding that I wasn't able to post last summer!
Josh & Kayla were AWESOME to work with! They got married at Josh's parent's lake house near St. Cloud. Even though the wedding was last summer, I'm still going to put up just a few of my favorites because this wedding needs to be shared!

Nobody could understand why I was so excited about this barn/shed type thing, but for me it's all about the color!

A few of the wedding party as well. Of course, we had to take advantage of the nearby cornfields for some group shots.

The ceremony in front of the lake.

The gorgeous flowers were done by Tami with Studio B Floral. She did fabulous work! Even Princess, the "flower girl" got a corsage on her collar!

Enjoy this slideshow with more photos from the day!

Arbonne Headshots

2010-03-24T16:52:00.005-05:00

The day after we got back from Las Vegas I met up with Rene & Wendy near my hometown in Wisconsin to do some head shots for them. I was super excited when I got Rene's email asking me to do them because head shots aren't something I normally do and I knew it would be fun. I have photographed Rene's family before, but because I'm sometimes a bad blogger I don't have a link to the photos.

Rene & Wendy are super successful representatives of Arbonne International. They have both done really well with the company and coincidentally, were about to leave for Las Vegas to a conference in the same hotel we were at the week before!

It was kind of a cold and dreary day when we did these photos, but we made the best of it. We did them in and around Rene's house using natural light which was fun because they give them kind of a personal touch--something different than just a boring head shot against a studio backdrop.

I put together a few montages of my favorites from our session.

Then we went over to a pole barn I spotted on my way into down that was a few miles from Rene's house, just to give a different look.

And of course we had to end the session with a few photos of them with their awesome new cars that they've earned through their work at Arbonne. Mercedes, not to shabby!

Thanks again, ladies! You're both beautiful inside and out!

Wyn is ONE!!

2010-03-22T15:59:00.004-05:00

Some of you regular readers may notice that I've changed the look of the blog. I've been in a "less is more" kick with everything in my life lately so I decided to transfer that attitude to the design of the blog and keep it simple allowing the photos to take center stage. It'll likely change again in the future but for now I like it!

Now, on to the subject of this post!

It was almost a year ago to the day that I photographed this adorable little guy when he was just six or seven weeks old (you can see his baby photos here). He was SO much fun to photograph yesterday as he is at the fun age where he can walk but he can't really go to fast yet so I didn't have to chase him much :) Plus, he was in a great mood so I got lots of smiles and cute expressions. We met up near the Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis for this fun little photo session. Here are a few faves!

His eyes are the most amazing shade of blue!

We did a few family shots, too. I love his cute expression here.

With mom.

And with dad.

Yep, he's a happy little guy!

Even his "serious" face is cute! He was mesmerized by my camera, I think. These next few are my faves. The hat is SO SO cute!

Thanks again Julie & Brad! It was great seeing you guys again!

Las Vegas Shoot!

2010-03-19T23:17:00.008-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, when we were in Las Vegas we participated in the Victor Sizemore mentoring session in the desert outside of Las Vegas. We spent a couple of hours outside shooting alongside other photographers from around the world. We had such a great time meeting everybody and photographing the awesome models! It was so nice to take a break from the Minnesota landscape and get to shoot something totally different.

I had lots of favorites from our session but I tried to narrow it down as best as possible. It's hard to tell from the photos but it was COLD! Us Minnesotans shouldn't have been bothered but since we weren't dressed appropriately the cold and wind really got to us. The models were troopers though and we managed to work through it :)

We first photographed Victor's daughter. She was absolutely adorable!

Then we switched stations and photographed the lovely Anna. She was a natural in front of the camera and posed like a rock star!

I was bummed we only managed to get a few shots of these two, they were hot!

Victor and his crew had a lighting set up that we played around with to get some dramatic shots at dusk.

Here is a behind the scenes shot of all of the photographers in action.

And a big group shoot of everyone involved!

Thanks to our new friend Hillary for taking this photo of Gene'o & I!

Special thanks to the following vendors for making this shoot possible:
Victor Sizemore Photography
Styling by Summer Watkins
Historical Jewels
Make Up & Hair: Jill Guin of Darling Bride
Video: Elysium Productions

Update

2010-03-16T14:19:00.004-05:00

Hello blog readers! :) As usual, life has been more than hectic for us lately, but I am going to make it a priority to update our blog more often.

Gene'o & I just returned from the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI)Conference in Las Vegas last week. Attending this conference was one of our business goals for 2010. To say we learned a lot on this trip is an understatement. My mind is positively swimming with ideas for Kage! We feel that attending these conferences is important for us to keep up with current trends in the market and to learn from and network with some very talented photographers from around the world. We attended some very inspiring classes and we're excited to incorporate what we learned in our day-to-day work! One of the highlights of our trip was participating in a mentoring session with Victor Sizemore, which included an awesome styled shoot in the middle of the desert. Stay tuned for photos!

On another note, our sweet, gentle, and elderly St. Bernard, Delilah, passed away on March 2nd. It was a very rough time for us, me in particular, and I miss her very much. Here is a photo of our old gal enjoying the dog park last spring. This was her last trip there as she had a really hard time getting up and down the hill and I could see it took her a few days to recover from that trip.

Her ashes were returned to me today which has me thinking about her more than usual. We miss you sweet Delilah!

That's all for now, I hope to update with photos from our Las Vegas desert shoot tomorrow!

All About Weddings--Landscape Arboretum

2010-02-28T21:47:00.005-06:00

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is a wonderful place to get married. They have a variety of gardens and indoor locations to chose from making it a great venue for a variety of seasons. We spent the majority of our day out there today because Gene'o & I participated in the "All About Weddings" fair that they hosted today. It was our first bridal fair and we had a great time! A lot of prep work went into our booth, I've spent the past month designing a handful of new sample albums, creating our displays, and creating our slideshows. While I was the creative mastermind behind our booth, Gene'o helped by making sure our display was able to be put together effortlessly. It truly was a team effort!

We met tons of great people today, both potential clients and other vendors. If you met us today, thanks for stopping by! We'd love to hear from you!

Here are a few photos of our booth. We didn't bring much of our gear along with us so they aren't the best photos, but they give you an idea of what it looked like.

A few details showing our materials (and candy that I carefully hand-picked to make sure it matched our branding, I'm crazy like that.)

And here is one of the slideshows I put together to play at the event. Hope you enjoy it!

Sonya & Mike {engaged!}

2010-02-26T10:28:00.009-06:00

Last Sunday we met up with Sonya & Mike in Minnehaha Park for their engagement photos. We've photographed there in the winter before and it was super icy so we've usually played it safe and stayed up above the falls. Well this time we took the risk and went down into the cavern where the falls are located.

This one was taken up above the falls before we braved the climb down.

Then we headed down the stairs to reach the falls themselves. I didn't think it would be that hard to get down there because when we saw several people, including young kids, down there. Well Gene'o went down two flights of stairs on his butt (but didn't get hurt) so yes it was a bit dangerous but it was so totally worth it.

Mike & Sonya had their first date in this location. To commemorate, they brought a bottle of wine! G and I even had some and I must say it did help warm us up a little :)

We spent a little time around the creek getting some fun shots.

After we were done with the "safe" location we started the hike to get behind the falls.I think Mike even coined one area during the climb as "the hot bed of death". So don't try this at home kids (unless you want some amazing photos!). Once we were there it was so beautiful! The shades of blue, green, & aqua were stunning. We used a video light on this one and the blue is natural, hardly photoshopped at all!

It was getting late in the afternoon and we were losing light, so after we climbed our way out of the gorge we hurried over to this little corner in south Minneapolis near the Riverview Theater that I've always wanted to photograph at. I'm so glad we made it there, even just for 15 minutes, and I'm so glad Sonya brought her cute hat with!

It is my dream to have a photography studio in this red building! It's been vacant for quite some time and the "for sale" sign taunts me everytime I drive by it!

And finally our group shot! The one on the left is the outtake that Gene'o took while setting up the self timer and I'm trying to warm my fingers :)

What a fun session we had! We are so, so fortunate to be able to work with such great people. Can't wait for their July wedding near Brainerd. I can already tell it is going to be a blast!

Andrea & Nick {engaged!}

2010-02-23T21:02:00.005-06:00

On Valentine's Day weekend my cousin Andrea and her fiance Nick drove up to the cities from Milwaukee, WI, so we could do their engagement photos. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, even though it was pretty cold. We decided to wander around downtown Stillwater because that always makes for some great photos!

It had been a few months since we shot engagement photos so we were super excited to get started again this season. Now it seems we have several shoots coming up so stay tuned for lots of great couples to make an appearance on the blog.

But for now, here are a few of our favorites from Andrea & Nick's session!
So sweet.

This one is my favorite from the session.

With this one being a close second!

Andrea had heels on so Nick graciously carried her out of the snow bank ;) Made for some cute photos!

I like these next two, Gene'o & I captured different angles of the same moment.

At the end of the session we went down by the river where the sky was amazingly blue and the colors just popped!

And the last thing we did was throw snow on them. Just for fun. More than once. As if they weren't cold enough already!

Here's our group shot taken after a super unhealthy dinner at Madhatters. I love their grilled cheese and fries!

We are so excited for their December 2010 wedding!

Bandit & Bonnie (and Rascal) need a home!

2010-02-11T15:11:00.005-06:00

One of my favorite things to do is photograph animals! I've been volunteering for Feline Rescue in St. Paul since 2002 and one of my "duties" is photographing kitties in their foster homes. Bonnie, Bandit, Rascal & Peanut were abandoned without their mama at a feed store last year when they were little babies, very malnurished and very shy. They received lots of TLC in their foster home and now they're ready for forever homes! Peanut was adopted awhile back, and not pictured is their brother Rascal, who was being camera shy and decided to hide while I was there :)

How can you resist this face?

For more information on how you can provide a loving, forever home for these cuties, please call Cathy at 651.230.3263. And I'll leave you with one of my favorite messages: Please don't breed or buy while shelter animals die!

Kate & Adam {married!}

2010-01-22T18:05:00.004-06:00

Kate & Adam were our first wedding of 2010, and they just happened to get married on one of the coldest days we've had in January so far! Despite the cold, the wedding was warm and cozy inside of the gorgeous Woman's Club of Minnesota, located near Loring Park in Minneapolis. Kate's grandma is a member there, so it was a very fitting that the wedding took place there.

We started the day as we typically do by doing some getting ready shots. You may notice that the activities of the guys are much different than the ladies during getting ready :)

First looks always produce some of my favorite photos of the day. Theirs was no exception.

But the bride and groom portraits are what I love the most! The Woman's Club had all kinds of great locations inside with good natural light, which was awesome considering how cold it was outside. The chandeliers were especially awesome to me, and I took lots of photos with them in them!

And a few other faves.

We did brave the cold for just a few minutes! This was outside on the balcony, and it was only about 10 degrees.

One of my favorite group shots from the day.

After photos we headed downstairs for the ceremony. It was dark by now and the candlelight ceremony was beautiful.

Like I said, I couldn't stop photographing these chandeliers!

Here are some of the details. The flowers were done by Dawn at Appleblossom Flowers. The white roses were perfect for a January wedding.

And finally, the first dance.

And our last photo of the day was taken by Adam. It was the first wedding that Gene'o & I shot as a married couple! Horay!

Kate & Adam, we had so much fun with you guys! Your full gallery will be ready very soon :)

Inga & Kevin {married!}

2010-01-08T15:33:00.004-06:00

Happy 2010 everybody! I hope your first full week in this new year has been wonderful! I know ours sure has. On December 31st Gene'o & I tied the knot at the St. Paul courthouse! It was very low key, intimate, and just plain awesome. We loved the whole day and had fun celebrating with a few friends and family. I can't wait to share photos when I get them.

Ok, on to some photos! Remember when I said I had some weddings from last summer that I never had a chance to blog about? Well, I'm finally getting around to posting one of them! Right before we left for Mexico in December I finished up Inga & Kevin's wedding album and I realized that I never shared those photos! Since it's SO cold outside here in MN, you can enjoy these photos from a beautiful August day in rural Wisconsin.

The wedding was at Inga's grandparent's farm near Menominie, WI. It was the perfect setting for this wedding. It was evident that family and friends were very important to Inga & Kevin. I loved these photos we did in the woods around the house.

All of the flowers were grown by a nearby farmer who sells wildflowers. They were gorgeous and they fit the theme of the wedding perfectly.

The next two are a few of my favorite jump shots ever. Most of Inga's bridesmaids were her cousins. All of the cousins on that side of the family are girls!

The woods near around the farm made for some romantic backdrops for photos.

And Inga's uncle pulled out the old tractor so we could get photos with it. So cute.

The ceremony with the barn for a backdrop.

And a few pictures of their album, that prompted me to finally get this awesome couple up on our blog!

To see all of the spreads in their album, you can view the slideshow here .

Our week in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

2009-12-22T13:02:00.009-06:00

Well, we are back to the snow and cold of Minnesota, just in time for a big snow & ice storm here in Minnesota! We had a wonderful week in Playa, the people were great, our resort was beautiful, and we packed as many excursions and activities into our week as possible (and still managed to relax a bit, too!).

I am going to do my best to tell the story of our week through photos. We never go on vacation so this week was so needed! We have vowed to make it an annual tradition, or at least every other year. In 2007 we bought a time share in Las Vegas. We got a good deal on it, and we can trade it for resorts all around the world. So since we own it and it's almost paid off, now we can start taking advantage of all of the great places this world has to offer!

The first night we got into our resort around 4:30 after traveling all day. We were exhausted so rather than going into Playa del Carmen for dinner we headed to the restaurant in the resort. We sat on the patio over looking the beach. The week before we left, we just got a new Nikon D700 camera. We were a bit nervous to bring it with but I'm so glad we did. The following photo was taken at ISO 4000 (which won't mean much to most of you) and our previous camera the Nikon D300 would never be able to get shots like this in the dark.

The next day we started out at 9:00 with the resort orientation, where they tell everybody about the amenities and activities going on that week. Since we stayed in a time share everbody was there for about the same time, Saturday--Saturday (we extended ours one day, though). Then there was a welcome party on the beach.

Then, for the rest of the day, my view was this. I sipped Dos Equis while reading "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle". It was heaven :)

That evening we went in to Playa del Carmen and walked along 5th Avenue (Quinta Avenue). We ate at Babe's. It was super yummy thai food, my favorite! Highly recommend eating there if you're in Playa. Gene'o is in the red t-shirt towards the right.

Next day, we hung out at the resort, went swimming, and went to the complimentary taco party at the resort. It was a fun way to meet people staying there, and the food was decent, too.

In the evening we went to the show at Xcaret. We heard it was good so we went to check it out. The show was 2 hours long and it was about the history of the region, beginning with the Mayans, and then the Spanish invasion. It was a well done show with great dancing and costumes, and I left with a greater understanding of the culture.
Here we are before the show.

The park is huge and many people go for the whole day.

On the walk over to the amphitheater, there were people dressed up as the ancient Mayans.

They definitely were in character and were a little bit scary!

The begining of the show.

The reenactment of a Mayan ball game.

Later on in the show.

On Tuesday we spent the day at Hidden World, which is near Tulum. It was in the jungle and had Cenote snorkeling and zip lines through the jungle canopy. It was fun!

Wednesday's highlight was a trip to the Jungle Spa. This is a MUST do if you're in the Rivera Maya. The spa is not fancy, it consists of a screen hut with thatched roof and sheets dividing the massage tables. But it was clean and the owner, who is originally from Ohio, is very friendly. The massages themselves are done by Mayan women and the money goes to support them and their families. The massage was wonderful, and very reasonable! We also had an aloe wrap with banana leaves at the end. Heaven!
This is the spa building.

Gene'o getting his pedicure by our masseuses. The one on the left gave me my massage and the one on the right gave Gene'o his. They were great!

On Thursday we made the three hour trek to Chichen Itza, an ancient Mayan city. We both loved this and it was completely worth the trip. The first stop on the tour was at a recently discovered Cenote where you could dive if you wanted. We didn't bring our suits so we happily stayed at the top and took photos. It was 150 feet deep!

Self portrait at the Cenote.

The tour bus stopped in a tiny community for lunch before entering Chichen Itza. There were Mayan women there who did a traditional dance for us.

Then we got to the ancient city. It was awesome. The movie Apocalypse was not filmed here, but this area was the subject of part of the film. It was a very violent culture, and the temple of Kulkulkan is where many sacrifices took place.

You can see a storm coming in towards the top right of the temple. It hit us for about 20 minutes and rained pretty hard.

Archeologists have barely started to uncover all of the Mayan ruins in the jungle, and they are still restoring many of the famous sites in Chichen Itza.

This serpent is in the ball court where the Mayans would play their Pok-ta-pok ballgames. The captian of the losing team would be beheaded. This was a great honor to be sacraficed. Very small, towards the top right of this photo, you can see the hoop that they had to get the ball through using only their hips.

The Wall of Skulls depicts the many people who were beheaded during the games.

The elephant like trunks you can see on the left are the rain gods. They are on various temples throughout the complex, but they are most intact here.

All along the paths are Mayan vendors willing to negotiate their prices with you. We bought a hammock!

We almost bought one of those devils, but I didn't know where I'd put it :)

Then on Friday and Saturday we just spent the day relaxing and reading by the pool at the Royal Haciendas. We loved our resort and highly recommend it if you're thinking of visiting the area. We got a great deal on it because we exchanged our time share week to stay there.
Here's one of the lap pools.

The main pool with swim up bar.

Palapas on the beach.

The view of the ocean from the pool. Felt like you could swim right in!

Here's the Aqua Grill, the waiters were great!

And I loved all of the detailing of the tile.

Gene'o during happy hour!

At dinner that night in Playa, we ate at El Diez, an Argentinian restaurant recommened by people at our resort.

And Gene'os racoon eyes from a day at the pool :)

Then on Saturday, our last day there, I went out at sunset to get a few last photos.

So, if you can't tell, we had a great time. We can't wait to go back, and would LOVE to shoot a wedding here someday! Playa del Carmen will always have a special place in our hearts!

We've headed south!

2009-12-12T05:00:00.001-06:00

We're out of the office from December 12-20th. Gene'o & I are taking a break from this snow and cold in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We were originally planning to get married here in Minneapolis on December 19, but about three weeks ago we found out our venue was closed by the fire marshal! We said the heck with it all, canceled the wedding, and bought tickets to Mexico! We plan on eloping there or when we return to Minnesota.
All emails and voice mails will be responded to promptly upon our return :) Have a great week everyone, and we can't wait to share pictures and stories!

Krystal & Jamie {engaged!}

2009-12-11T13:00:00.002-06:00

The Monday after Thanksgiving we met up with Krystal & Jamie for this fun and unique engagement session. We always like to try to incorporate our client's personalities into photo sessions if possible, so when we found out Jamie is a diesel mechanic we thought it would be cool to get some shots with the big "toys" he works with! I think they turned out cute!

Then we headed to St. Anthony Main near downtown Minneapolis to get a few more urban type shots right before sunset. I love the colors--the muted tones of their outfits look great with the grungy backdrops.

As we were walking back to our cars we had to stop so we could get a few shots of the sunset, it was gorgeous that night!

We are excited for Krystal & Jamie's September 2010 wedding! 2010 is booking very fast and we're grateful to all of our wonderful friends and clients for the referrals :)

Baby Sarah

2009-12-10T09:00:00.001-06:00

Last August, one of Geneo's coworkers and his wife had this adorable baby girl named Sarah. It is their first baby and I can really tell they're loving being parents! But how could you not love this little girl? She is so adorable and at three months old her personality is really starting to develop. I was happy I could meet her and capture her at this precious age.

And being the animal lover that I am, I always have to take pictures of the family pets if they're being cooperative. Ten year old Rosa, a beautiful Maine Coon, gladly posed herself in the window light for some portraits.

Thanks Mike, Katie & Sarah for having me over to photograph your lovely family!

Gretchen & Cole's Family Session

2009-12-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

Gretchen & I have known each other for over five years. We've worked together on many projects related to my old day job, and we still work together on projects even though I'm no longer with the University. I was thrilled to be able to take these photos of her and her super fun son, Cole. We went to Minnehaha Falls this fall to get these fun shots.

Also, because my back long of blog posts is miles long, in an effort to get through the many sessions I want to share, I am trying to pick just 4-5 of my favorites from each session. But I kind of cheated on this one because I combined photos into a collage :)

It's LIVE! Kage Imagery has a promo video!

2009-12-08T13:57:00.006-06:00

We've been working on this project the past few months with our friends Towle & Cassie Neu of Tallgrass Films (they've been mentioned on this blog before!). Gene'o and I had been wanting a promo video for awhile and was so excited when Towle agreed to work with us!

Towle is super creative and he put a lot of hard work and talent into creating a video that really represents Gene'o & I and our work. We didn't want to have a video with us talking or with our clients giving testimonials about us. Instead we wanted a fun video that shows what it's like to be on a shoot with us. I think he did it! See for yourself!

|| kage imagery || from Towle Neu | TALLGRASS FILMS on Vimeo.

Jeannette & Paul

2009-12-08T11:12:00.004-06:00

Jeannette is my awesome friend and the face behind Wild Curl Photography! I was stoked to be able to do these fun and sexy holiday photos for her and her husband Paul. We spent an afternoon out by her house in River Falls, WI finding all sorts of cool locations. We even had her two boys Bruiser & Willy with us for some of the shots.

I think a lot of times if couples don't have kids they don't think to do Holiday photos for themselves, but that isn't true. Everyone should have gorgeous photos of themselves, kids or no kids!

Enjoy!

This is Jeannette's favorite rock so we definitely needed to get photos here!

Thanks guys! Jeannette, it was fun to finally get you on the other side of the camera! You are a natural!

Erin & Josh {married!}

2009-11-12T13:38:00.005-06:00

We ended our 2009 wedding season with Erin & Josh's wedding at the end of October. It was a great fall day, a little cool but then again most of October was cold, right?! They got married at a church on Lake of the Isles and had their reception at the Minnesota Boat Club on Raspberry Island in St. Paul. We had a great time with them and their friends and family! They've been waiting patiently for a few weeks for this sneak peak. Warning: there are lots of photos below, I couldn't narrow them down! Enjoy!

Their first look of the day in front of the church.

Then we went across the street to get some photos with the fall color near the lake.

I loved this willow tree.

I like this photo Gene'o took while I was taking the above portrait of Erin.

Fall is such a great time to get married! Look at these colors!

A few details.

We got so many great group shots but I liked this one! People kept coming out the door while we were doing group and family photos :)

And I LOVE these ones of the guys!

The black and green look great with the yellow backdrop.

And a few fun group shots as well.

Before the ceremony the groomsmen decorated their car. I like the "heart"!

I like this shot, even though I'm in the background :)

The ceremony was very touching...and funny. Josh's dad preformed the ceremony and he has quite a sense of humor!

Then it was off to the reception which was beautifully decorated and had a very intimate feel. The speeches and toasts were great!

Instead of one cake they had a cake table and it was covered with yummy and beautiful cakes made by friends and family. I thought this was a great idea!

The first dance.

And lastly, one of our famous self portraits :)

Even though this was our last 2009 wedding, I still have 4-5 from our peak busy season that I didn't manage to share on the blog and I'm hoping to get them up here. Oh, and our 2010 wedding season starts early next year (we have a January wedding!) so we'll still have plenty of weddings to share! Plus, OUR wedding is in December (which I am getting really excited and nervous for) so we'll be sure to post an update with some of our wedding photos!

Sydney's Senior Photos

2009-11-10T16:15:00.002-06:00

Sydney's mom helped out with a class I teach at the U during the winter, and we had been trying to schedule these senior photos all summer! We were finally able to meet up in Stillwater on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in October. Sydney was a natural in front of the camera and we got all sorts of great looks! Here are some of my favorites, I tried to narrow it down to five or six, but I couldn't!

And this is my favorite. Aren't her eyes to die for?!

Also, lately I've been really curious as to who is visiting our blog. According to our stats we get lots of visitors each day, but not many comments. So come out of hiding and say hi and let us know who you are! We love comments! :)

The Brickl Family!

2009-10-26T23:14:00.006-05:00

I'm sharing yet another post from one of my sessions in my hometown! We did a LOT of them while we were there!

We met up with Matt, Heather and family on a cold Sunday morning at the Frank Lloyd Wright visitors center for this quick family session. I went to high school with Matt & Heather so it was fun to spend a little time with them and meet their kids! Morgan, their adorable 4 year old daughter, was excited and very cooperative but little Blake was not so thrilled! We made the most of it and managed to get some cute shots!

Enjoy!

See, Blake = not so thrilled!

Still not thrilled :)

We were practicing for Morgan's senior pictures...

Then when Blake had had enough, we went back to warm up in the car for a few minutes. He was all smiles when he was popping out through the sunroof of the car :)

Matt & Heather just celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary a few days after we did the photos, so I'm happy we ended with a few cute shots of just mom and dad!

I am slowly getting caught up and hope to have all of my October sessions finished by the end of the week! There is still time to get your family photos done, I am running family photos until November 15th so contact us today if you want to book a session! After November 15 we cannot guarantee they'll be ready for the Holiday season. We are running a special, $25 off the sitting fee and $100 off digital negatives!

Whitney's Senior Photos {part 2!}

2009-10-22T15:01:00.002-05:00

Last May we met up with Whitney for a quick photo session around my hometown of Spring Green, WI. We always intended to do another round of photos later in the summer but had a hard time coordinating our schedules for when I would be in town. Well, I'm happy we got to meet up for our second half of the session a few weeks ago when I was home for my bridal shower! We spent about 45 minutes doing photos around her parents' farm near Plain. We did them super early in the morning and it was about 30 degrees out so we went fast but we got some great shots. Here are some of my faves from this session.

Then we went inside and did a quick change into her prom dress! It was so fun helping her get all dressed up, she was so excited that she got to wear her dress again!

Thanks again, Whitney! Good luck deciding what to get printed :)

Olivia!

2009-10-13T11:09:00.005-05:00

This past weekend we spent a few days in my hometown of Spring Green, WI. We had a great time as usual, and I had a wonderful bridal shower thrown by my mom and sister. We also managed to fit in several photo sessions as well. A trip to Spring Green wouldn't be complete without them anymore!

First up was my good friend from childhood, Jamie, and her adorable daughter Olivia! We met up in downtown Spring Green for a fun photo shoot where we explored some of the back alleys. Many would say those aren't good places for photos, but I think they make some of the best backdrops!

Below are a few favorites from the session, enjoy!

Of course we did a few of them together as well!

And I thought Jamie might like a new profile pic for facebook, so I made her do a few alone, too :)

This last one is funny, we were trying to do a more serious look because Olivia was all smiles for the whole session, so she and Gene'o were in a staring contest so I could get some more serious shots!

That's all for now! Thanks again Jamie J and Olivia for being AWESOME subjects to photograph :) We had a blast and I love all of the photos!

Too cute not to share...

2009-10-08T13:52:00.003-05:00

As I am putting the final touches on Courtney & Matt's wedding gallery, I found this photo of Gene'o showing the flower girls their photos and I just had to share it.

That's all for now...back to work!!! My to-do list is loooonnnggg!

Courtney & Matt {married!}

2009-10-06T14:14:00.008-05:00

We photographed Courtney & Matt's wedding in September before this nasty cold & rainy weather hit. It was still beautiful and warm for their wedding at the Theodore Wirth Chalet. Before the ceremony, we met up for a very quick portrait session near the Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis and then headed over to the Chalet just in time for the ceremony! Courtney & Matt, we hope you enjoy your sneak peek! Your full gallery will be ready very soon!

Here is their first look!

And some beautiful portraits. Don't they both look amazing?

We literally only had about 20 minutes for portraits, and then we raced to Theo Wirth just in time for Courtney's dad to walk her down the aisle. It was emotional and I even teared up a bit!

The ceremony was beautiful, and the forest made a great backdrop for photos!

Now these guys know how to kiss! Their first kiss was awesome...and long! A wedding photographers dream :)

Courtney & Matt both enjoy golfing so immediately after the ceremony they went and hit a few golf balls. It was fun!

On our way back we saw this gorgeous light in the forest. I love this candid moment of them looking at the new ring!

The flower girls were VERY comfortable in front of the camera, so cute!

And it's been awhile since we've shared photos of us taken by the bride and groom! We had a super busy summer wedding season and seemed to forget doing it...but they have returned! Yes, we really are that dorky.

And we'll leave you with one of us with Courtney and Matt!

Courtney & Matt thanks for being such an awesome couple to work with!! Oh, and on a side note, today is my 32nd birthday! Happy Birthday to me :)

Meet the Animals of Home for Life!

2009-10-02T15:55:00.009-05:00

Happy Friday everyone! I've now recovered from Krystal & Dustin's awesome wedding last week and am now having a very productive week! Lots of processing to do but I'm am getting lots of blog posts ready :)

I spent two afternoons in September at the Home for Life Animal Sanctuary. Those that know me know that I am a HUGE animal lover, I have volunteered for Feline Rescue, Inc. in St. Paul for 7 years and I do pro-bono photography for animal related causes. Home for Life has a special place in my heart because I truly believe in their mission. Lisa, the director of HFL, has a heart of gold and these animals receive top notch care and love. The staff at HFL knows each animal by name (and believe me, there are LOTS of them!) and can tell you each one's heartbreaking story.

Home for Life is a long term care facility for cats and dogs, and they even have a few birds, bunnies, a goat AND a tortoise! They do not adopt animals out, rather once animals enter the sanctuary they truly have a Home for Life. These animals have come from all kinds of backgrounds, some have suffered severe abuse and neglect by humans, some have various health problems that made them difficult to find traditional homes for, and some have come after their owners have passed on or could no longer care for them. They have come from all over the country, all over the world in fact. Each one of them touched my heart.

Gene'o & I have been donating our time by photographing Home for Life fund raising events for over three years, and I was honored when Lisa asked me to come to the sanctuary and photograph the animals. Each month the sanctuary sends sponsors photos and updates of their sponsored animal, and they were in need of updated pictures. I know that my four pets (three cats and one dog--all adopted or personally rescued by me) would be considered unadoptable by many animal shelters due to health or behavioral issues and although I would never dream of abandoning any of them, I am happy to know that other animals have a safe haven because of HFL. Although HFL is a dream come true for many animals, there are still thousands if not millions more nation wide who are not so lucky to end up in a loving home or sanctuary such as this one. Please, I urge you, do not add a pet to your family unless you are ready to make a lifetime commitment to him or her, and please SPAY AND NEUTER your pets! Even one litter of puppies or kittens will contribute to the horrible overpopulation problem that this nation faces. That is a whole nother topic for a different day!

Anyway, I will get off my soap box and share the photos that you came here to see in the first place! First up, are the cats! Cats happen to be my personal favorite (although I love dogs too, don't get me wrong!). All of these cats are in need of sponsors. There is a cat of every age, shape and color so please check them out on the HFL web site and pick one (or two or three!) to sponsor today! What a great Christmas gift for the animal lover that already has everything!

Check out these cuties! They were born on Labor Day and were only 1 week old when I took this. Their mama, Valentina, was taken in by HFL shortly before giving birth. I don't know her full story but she is missing a leg. She is such a good mama and was a total sweetheart when I went in their room!

Next up are the dogs! Wow, were the dogs challenging to photograph! Unlike the cats, the dogs are housed all throughout the sanctuary grounds. Some share community living space and some have their very own "suites" because they need to be alpha. All of the dogs have access to shelter that is heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer, and they all have access to a fenced in run area so they can run around and socialize. The staff also takes them out into the fenced in fields for exercise time each day. Despite their varied and sometimes sad pasts, they all seem very happy to be where they are now!

And one of my favorite dog pictures from the day was of Doty, a beautiful Great Dane!

Oh, and of course I can't leave out Candy! He is 20 years old and has quite the vocabulary and really likes to use it! Once you enter the cattery that Candy lives in you immediately know he's there! This photo is a little blurry but I still like it...he was madly flapping his wings and showing me how handsome he is!

If you're interested in seeing more photos of the animals I photographed, check out this short slideshow.

So don't worry, I am already working on a new post that is wedding related so you'll be back to normal viewing soon! I just couldn't wait to share these! And local TC photographers, if you're interested in donating your time and talent to spend 2 afternoons out at HFL let me know and I'll put you in contact with them. They are looking to feature a different photographer each month!

Dustin & Krystal {married!}

2009-09-29T20:47:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday Dustin & Krystal got married! Dustin is Gene's brother and he and Krystal have been together for 3+ years. Gene'o was in the wedding of course, so Dustin & Krystal asked my good friend Jeannette from Wild Curl Photography to be their photographer. Jeannette and I drove to Bismarck, ND last Friday and shot the wedding on Saturday. I helped her out by second shooting the wedding. We had such a great time with everyone, and I worked harder than I ever have at a wedding!

I have many, many images to sort through, but here are a few that stood out as I was going through them today.

Krystal is a stunning bride! I LOVE this photo of her!

Dustin is looking pretty sharp himself.

I thought this one was sexy.

Dustin & Krystal had a cool old car come over for some photos, this is my favorite one by far.

Here are the ladies, what a hot wedding party!

The ladies again.

The guys are looking pretty good too.

We have a whole series of these photos--the guys were running towards us. Jeannette and I were genuinely scared for a few seconds, we had 8 big guys running at us full force while we were sitting on the ground. I have to admit, I was more worried for my camera than for myself :)

I normally don't share very many family photos, but since this is my family I thought I'd post it. G & I are on the far left :) I love everyone's expressions here, Jeannette told everyone to "kiss" and this is what we got!

While Jeannette was taking large group photos, I pulled everyone aside to get individual family shots. First up is Gene's sister Tanya and her family, Rod, Austin, Lucas & Dylan.

And one of Tanya alone, I was teaching her some poses on Friday night and she practiced them for me. haha :)

Next is his brother Delaney and his girlfriend Kristin.

The three brothers with their cousin, Danny.

This is Krystal's sister and her husband Dave and son David.

And finally we have Krystal's brother and his wife Kelly and daughter Jozie.

This next photo is one of my favorite "finds" of the day. I was downloading my cards and came across a bunch of photos that I hadn't taken. Gene's son got a hold of my 2nd camera and took some great shots. I love this one he captured of his cousin Dylan. If you look closely you can see him in the reflection of the sunglasses.

Oh, and of course we had Jeannette take a few shots of us!

Believe it or not, we got through all of the group shots, portraits, and family shots in two hours. That is amazing considering how big of a group we had. We made it to the church with plenty of time. The ceremony and church were beautiful.

If you look closely at Delaney's expression (far right) you can tell he his fighting back tears.

After the ceremony the wedding party went to a bar down by the river. Jeanette had Dustin & Krystal go down on the dock for some photos, it was easy getting down but hard getting back up. Check out how steep the ramp is!

And of course, Gene'o & Delaney had to show off by running up the ramp.

When we got to the reception we did a few more portraits outside. Here are a few favorites.

I made sure to take a quick portrait of my soon-to-be husband, Gene'o! Look how handsome he is in his tux!

And I have a ton of dance photos to go through, but this is one of my favorites of Tanya and Rod! They were having so much fun!

So all in all I think it's easy to see that we had a wonderful time! It is certainly different shooting a wedding for family. It is very weird to know everybody but it made it that much more fun. We are so lucky to have such great people in our lives and we're blessed to be able to do what we do! We had a great time and I cannot wait to see Jeanette's photos, I just know she has some awesome shots as well!

Kelly & Erik {married!}

2009-09-18T14:37:00.007-05:00

Wow, after months of scarce blog posts, you get two in one day! I bet you're shocked ;)
Kelly & Erik were married at the end of August at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in downtown Minneapolis. It was a wonderful, and unseasonably cool day for a wedding! I am not done processing the entire gallery yet but wanted to share a sneak peak on the blog because they have been waiting very patiently and haven't seen any of these yet!

Kelly and Erik hope you like your sneak peak--I will have the rest of the gallery ready very soon! Katie

Kaitlin & Paul {married!}

2009-09-18T11:21:00.004-05:00

I'm excited to finally share Kaitlin & Paul's wedding photos on our blog! They got married in St. Paul on a Friday afternoon and had an awesome reception at the St. Paul Hotel following the ceremony. Kaitlin & Paul didn't want to see each other before the ceremony so we didn't have a lot of time for photos, but we still got some wonderful shots with the time we had.

Another fun fact about this wedding was that they were the first ones to order a guest sign in book featuring their engagement photos! It turned out awesome and all of the guests had a fun time looking through it. Here are a few photos I took before I delivered it to Kaitlin. Check out the funky red cover, I love it!

Now, on to some of our favorites of the wedding day. The wedding wouldn't be complete without a few shots of the bride getting ready!

While I was taking photos of the girls getting ready, Gene'o was out taking pictures of the guys (who of course don't take as long to get ready!). One of the reasons we love being a male/female photographer team because although we shoot together most of the day, it's nice to be able to divide and conquer during certain moments. And there are some times when it's nice for our brides and their bridesmaids to have only a female photographer in the room :)

We headed over to the church for the ceremony. I love this shot Gene'o captured of the mother of the groom giving her son a thumbs up right before Kaitlin walked down the isle.

We couldn't use flash in this church (which many photographers will agree can be very difficult) and it was DARK, but we got some great shots of the ceremony.

Kaitlin had sang and pre-recorded a song to play for Paul as a surprise during the ceremony. This next photo was when he found out it was her singing! It was so sweet.

After the ceremony we all headed outside to blow bubbles as the couple exited the church. I love it when couples do this, the photos are always great!

After the ceremony we rushed back to the St. Paul hotel and got some portraits around the Rice Park area. We only had 20 minutes before they were supposed to make their grand entrance into the reception so we went fast!

I love this portrait of Kaitlin.

And this one of Paul.

A couple fun ones with their friends.

The beautiful flowers were created by Lexington Floral. They were stunning and held up really well throughout the day!

After dinner the couple shared their first dance to the song "True Companion" a classic and beautiful wedding song.

The father daughter dance was so sweet that I had tears in my eyes while I was trying to shoot this!

And the last photo is one of my faves, Kaitlin's parents dancing with Paul and Kaitlin in the background.

Yay, I'm so glad I was able to share these and update my terribly neglected blog! I have about 5-6 more weddings ready to blog soon. Woo hoo! I'm shooting the Feline Rescue Gala tonight and tomorrow we have another great wedding. Have a great weekend everybody!

Tatum & Patrick's "Save the Dates"

2009-09-03T19:20:00.005-05:00

Now that Tatum and Patrick have sent out their "Save the Date" cards to all of their guests I can finally share them on the blog! I am so happy with how they turned out. Tatum wanted "Vintage Glam" using their colors of pink, black, and silver. I came up with a few ideas and these are the ones she picked. I LOVE designing products like this!
Contact us if you're interested in having us custom design your Save the Dates, prices start at $2 per card, and discounts are available for orders over 100.

Kallie & David {married!}

2009-08-18T13:52:00.003-05:00

Kallie & David were married on a beautiful Saturday in June in downtown Minneapolis, and I'm finally getting around to sharing it on the blog! We had a lot of fun with them last spring when we did their engagement photos so by the time their wedding came around it felt like we were old friends :) Here are some of our favorites from the day.

We started the day with their "first look". This is a great option for couples who want to do all of their photography before the ceremony (which we HIGHLY recommend). We set up the first look so that we can get some fun and memorable photos of the first time the couple sees each other in their wedding clothes.

After the first look and before the ceremony, we took the entire wedding party to Loring Park for some portraits. This gorgeous vine covered wall was perfect for photos.

This is my favorite from the day! I love their expressions and the different textures on the building.

Here is Geneo's view of the same moment.

I think Kallie is stunning in this portrait!

I like this one of the guys.

The wedding party and Kallie's fun blue shoes!

Prayer before the ceremony.

I love wide shots from church balconies!

Kallie had the cutest expressions all day, and one of my favorites was during the vows.

First kiss!

And from another angle! The benefits of having two photographers :)

The reception was held in the basement of the church, and there were some awesome details. The flowers by Rum River Floral and the cake by Gateaux, Inc. were amazing!

And the last event before we left for the day was the cutting of the cake. They had the best expressions!

Thanks Kallie & David for letting us be part of your day!

Melanie is six months old!

2009-08-16T10:50:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe my niece Melanie is six months old already! I was lucky enough to be able to take some photos in honor of her 1/2 birthday. I spent a few days in WI in early August and then she came to Minnesota to visit my this past week, so we had two mini photo sessions. Here are some of my favorites!

You may have noticed a theme, she LOVES to stick her tongue out! So her cute little tongue is hanging out about 90% of the time. So cute! Can't wait to do 9 month pictures next time I'm in Wisconsin :)

Tatum & Patrick {engaged!}

2009-08-09T11:44:00.004-05:00

What a crazy busy summer we've been having! The first week in August started out to be one of the busiest yet. I spent Sunday evening until Wednesday a.m. in WI with my family, got together with photographers for some fun photo shoots on Wednesday, I had an awesome baby session last Friday and a wedding yesterday. Yes, it was a busy week! This is my week to get caught up on the blog and processing photos, so I'm working on Sunday to try to get ahead before my next super busy week starts.

We photographed this awesome engagement session with Tatum & Patrick on a gorgeous Friday evening in June. The light was perfect, we had a great location, and Tatum & Patrick looked great! All of those elements combined made for a fun photo shoot which resulted in some great photos.

I loved this simple blue door on the white building.

Love these three!

We pulled the wide angle out to get a different effect on the same shot.

It was like this location was made for photos! So many great colors and textures.

There were some skateboarders hanging out and we asked if we could use them in the photos and they gladly obliged!

They can pull of serious well!

And hot too!

Here's one of Geneo's shots, this one went on their Save the Date cards, which I'll be sharing on the blog soon!

Here's my view of the same moment.

I love this classic romantic photo, I think Tatum does too, it's here facebook profile pic :)

This one is my personal favorite from the session, I love the contrast between their dark hair and the white wall!

Mirror image.

We managed to get some green photos as well.

And of course, no photo session would be complete without a few traditional headshots in the mix.

Gotta love gorgeous light as the sun was going down!

LOVE this group shot of us all at the end!

We had tons of fun with these guys and we're SO looking forward to their May wedding at the Depot in Minneapolis!

Shannon & Tom {married!}

2009-07-23T19:25:00.008-05:00

Let me first start by saying that I did not mean to be away from the blog this long! Seriously, where has summer gone? We've been keeping busy this summer with weddings and portrait sessions and once in awhile trying to find time to enjoy summer as well! We've also started booking 2010 weddings like crazy the past few weeks, so if you're getting married next year now is the time to book your photographer! ;)

It's hard to believe it's been almost seven weeks since we photographed Shannon & Tom's wedding in Spooner, WI. They got married on June 6, 2009 on the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad wedding train--what a unique and wonderful wedding it was! They are a very special couple to us not only because they were referred by friends of ours, but because they were the first couple to set their wedding date according to when we were available! That was so flattering to us and I'm happy to say they've now become our friends.

We drove up the night before so we'd be ready to start bright and early the next morning. We met Shannon at the hair salon at 8 a.m., much earlier than we typically start, that's for sure!

While she was finishing getting ready at her mom's cabin, I took her shoes outside for a few quick shots.

Then we headed over to the train to meet up with Tom. We were supposed to photograph their first look when we got there, but by the time we got out of the car Shannon had already jumped out and hugged him. If you look closely, you can see she Shannon still has her keys on her hand.

We had lots of time for their portrait session, and the railyard had wonderful backdrops. I know I've mentioned this before but we love when couples allow plenty of time for portraits!

Here's Geneo's take.

And my view of the same moment.

While I was taking the portrait above, Gene'o got this cool shot with the Spooner sign.

We did some goofy stuff.

And some romantic stuff.

And of course, some traditional stuff as well.

They had the most adorable flower girls and ring bearer!

I like this one of Tom.

And this one with his soon-to-be mother-in-law

The guests started arriving and we all boarded the train car for the ceremony. It was really close quarters and was one of the most challenging weddings we've photographed. This photo gives a sense on how crowded we were. This was taken as Shannon was walking down the isle. I wanted to get the look on Tom's face but I also got a million guests and their point and shoot cameras, including the one the ring bearer, in the shot as well! LOL

The train stopped for about 15 minutes for the ceremony. It was filled with prayer and love.

Then the train started back up and the guests enjoyed drinks and snacks on the dining car. Here's a shot before everyone filtered on to the car. We loved the green ceilings!

People enjoying the reception.

When we got off the train it was raining a bit so everyone pulled out umbrellas. I like this one Gene'o caught of an unposed kiss between the bride & groom. Yes, that's me on the right.

Shannon & Tom traveled in style to our next destination--Bistro 63 in Barronette, WI. It's the place where they met AND it had the BEST pasta I've EVER had at a wedding. I mean the BEST! Being a vegetarian I often get icky food at weddings but not at this place. If you're ever in the area you have to stop by!

Sharing a laugh with their officiant before dinner.

Cutting the cake.

And our final photo of the day, taken by Shannon! Thanks, Shannon! You may notice we look tired but better than we did in our last portrait--Gene'o has lost over 30 pounds and I've lost 12!

Now I'm back into blogging mode and I have loootttss of wedding to share and a HUGE exciting new project that I can't wait to unveil!

Canvases!

2009-06-11T21:23:00.004-05:00

Wow, I can't believe how quickly June is flying by! I had so many plans and goals for this month and I'm behind on some but I'm working hard to get caught up. We photographed an awesome wedding last weekend, and have an engagement session and wedding this weekend, so needless to say we've been busy. Oh, and we've also had family portraits, newborn sessions, and senior photos! Whew!

I have a large backlog of blog posts to write, but I couldn't wait to share our new products with you! We've been working really hard this year to create a product line that we're really proud of. We only work with the highest quality vendors to create beautiful products to showcase your photos. Well, this week our first canvas samples arrived! I couldn't decide what size to order or which photo to get so I got three! You really must see them in person to truly appreciate their quality, and to see one is to want one!

I don't have good light in my house, so I took all of the products out in the garden for a mini photo-session this afternoon. First up, is the 30x30 canvas featuring one of Hiedi & Jake's wedding photos.

30x30 is a really great size, it's big enough to make a statement but not too big to overpower a room.

Next up is little Gene'o! This is my favorite photo from his five year old photo session, and I decided to make it big! This is a 24x36" canvas and it is fabulous.

Finally, we have a canvas of Whitney. This is an 18x24 and it's the smallest of the three. After seeing the three of them side by side, I definitely think the larger ones make more of an impact but the smaller one is nice for a headshot. For family or group photos, the larger canvases would work better.

Here's a close up of the back, it's sealed off neatly with black paper and has a secure hanger.

Detail of the corners, they are tucked in very tightly.

The sides are 1 1/2" thick with the photo wrapping around.

I'm so excited that we now offer these to our clients. They come in many more shapes and sizes than shown here. They are also available with a frame around them. Contact us for pricing information and more details.

Coming up soon, engagement guest books and coffee table books!

Happy Monday!

2009-06-01T12:13:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted a photo of little Gene, so I thought I'd share this goofy photo to tide you over while I prepare lots of blog entries for clients this week!

Whitney's Senior Photos

2009-05-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

Senior season has started! Last weekend we did Whitney's senior photos in my hometown, Spring Green, WI. Seniors are one of my favorite subjects to photograph, and Whitney was awesome! Gene'o & I had so much fun walking around town with her and finding great places to photograph. Small towns usually make great locations for photo shoots. We did all of these photos within about a 2 block radius, it's amazing the variety of backgrounds we found!

I love this natural smile!

We did some serious looks, too. She pulls them off well!

Also--we are running a special on Senior Photo sessions--Book your session by June 15, 2009 and get $25 off the sitting fee and 24 FREE wallets! Contact us today for more details.

Photos on the farm!

2009-05-23T09:00:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we headed to Wisconsin for my niece Melanie's baptism. A trip to WI wouldn't be complete without some photo sessions and last weekend was no exception! First on our agenda was the Miller family. I grew up with Christi, we've known each other since we were six (or maybe even younger!). It was fun spending a morning with her and her family at her parents' farm right outside of Spring Green. I've never done a photo shoot on a farm before but I know I will be doing them again! I LOVED all of the great locations that we found! So many great colors and textures out there.

So now, I'm happy to present the Millers! Enjoy!

Poor little Austin wasn't really in the mood for photos this morning. It was a bit chilly and the wind was fierce. I don't really blame him!

Mom trying to get Austin to smile!

And there it is! He smiled!

I love how he's peeking over dad's head. :)

Change of scenery--I liked this big white barn/shed.

I thought this one was cute.

Little Rock Star!

A little clingy now--he's almost done for the day!

Christi tried to reposition him so we could see his face better but it just made him snuggle into her more!

At this point we knew Austin had enough so he got to go hang out inside with Grandma & Grandpa while we took Christi and John off to do some shots of just the two of them. John just ate a Snickers and Christi was laughing at him because he smelled like chocolate and peanuts!

This is my favorite of the two of them alone.

A different perspective.

At the end of the shoot, John suggested we go into the barn to try some low-light photos. I wish my asthma wouldn't have acted up so bad because I would've loved to do more shots in here, but I love the ones we got.

Christi & John, it was so great to see you guys! Can't wait to do it again :)

Kelsie's Senior Photos

2009-05-21T18:00:00.001-05:00

You may recognize this beautiful young lady, I photographed her dad's wedding last fall and she was in some of the photos. This time, it was her turn to the focus of attention! We met up at Ritter Farm Park in Lakeville, MN for this mini-Senior session. We had great weather and beautiful late afternoon light. Her younger sister Alex was with and joined in on some of the photos as well!

Here are some of my favorites, enjoy!

Sister's goofing around! I made them jump together :)

Welcome Baby Lucas!

2009-05-20T17:45:00.004-05:00

I have been unintentionally away from the blog for a few weeks, but that's because G & I have been busy with photo shoots! I'm finally caught up and have lots and lots of fun photos to share over the next few weeks.

But now, on to the subject of this post! Little Lucas was born in mid-April. Lucas is lucky because he has two awesome parents, my friends, Cassie & Towle! It's hard to believe I've known them for 10 years now. I went to grad school with Cassie so we spent many long hours working on projects together. She's a talented Landscape Architect. Towle is a lawyer AND very awesome filmmaker. He started his own company, Tallgrass Films. We'll be working with him this summer on a fun project for our web site so you'll be hearing more about him in the future.

I spent a morning (and I think part of an afternoon!) with them at the end of April when he was almost two weeks old. I had so much fun capturing a day in the life of a newborn! This entailed lots of sleeping, a little nursing, and just a little crying. But really, he was so good! He endured a change in routine so we could pose him and move him around to capture the best light for the photos. What a little trooper :)

Here is one of my favorite classic baby photos. Thanks for cooperating so I could get this shot, Lucas!

He was so sweet. He gave these little smiles in his sleep when mom and dad rubbed his cheek.

It doesn't get much cuter than this.

Of course, we did some shots with mom and dad, too. I love this one.

Dad trying to warm him up.

He's flashing us the peace symbol, love it!

A change of outfits and a tiny yawn.

Of course, the photos wouldn't be complete without a few shots of the family pets. Unfortunately, Pushkin the cat didn't grace us with his appearance so there are no photos of him. But Romeo (Bernese Mountain Dog) and Guinness the cat were happy to pose!

Thank you, Cassie & Towle for inviting me to photograph your little family! Can't wait for our next session :)

Kaitlin & Paul {engaged!}

2009-05-08T19:17:00.006-05:00

We had a great time hanging out with Kaitlin and Paul last Sunday in Loring Park for their engagement photos. It was a beautiful day to be outside, we're so lucky that our job often allows us to be outside taking advantage of the spring weather! Kaitlin has also done wedding photography so it was fun to get to photograph another photographer.

I think both she and Paul had a good time as well. Engagement photos are so much fun because rarely do we have a time limit and we can just have fun finding good locations and getting great photos. It's also a nice way for us to get to know our couples before we actually shoot their wedding, kind of a "practice" run for their big day. For our clients that have engagement sessions with us, by the time we shoot their wedding we are like friends which we love :)

So with that, I will present Kaitlin and Paul!

I really liked the expressions in this one.

This is the bridge Paul proposed on! Check out Kaitlin's smoking hot red heels.

Kaitlin's bling...

They both had on sweet shoes.

This doorway had one of my favorite shades of turquoise.

When G & I were scouting locations for this shoot, we found this red building and wanted to use it for photos. We had no idea Kaitlin would have on red shoes to match!

Here we all are at the end of the photo session. We used the timer on the camera to get this one. I love it!

Kallie & David {engaged!}

2009-04-30T14:10:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we photographed Kallie & David's engagement session. We first met Kallie last October but we hadn't met David until Saturday. They are so cute together and we had a great time getting to know them better.

For this photo session we explored the area around the Guthrie Theater and Mill City Museum. We haven't done a session down there yet and there were so many cool places to photograph! Kallie & David were naturals in front of the camera, they needed very little direction and we got some great shots.

We're photographing their wedding in downtown Minneapolis this coming June. We thrilled that we'll get to photograph a whole different area of downtown with them, but for now, enjoy their engagement photos!

Be sure to check out the blog in June to see their wedding photos!

Hiedi & Jake {married!}

2009-04-28T12:45:00.005-05:00

Hiedi & Jake couldn't of had a more beautiful day for their wedding. They were married on April 18 in Stillwater, MN and it had to be the nicest day we've had all year. The sun was shining and it was warm but not too hot. Both Hiedi & Jake looked amazing, and their hapiness was contagious! Gene'o & I had such a great time, photography was important to Hiedi & Jake, and they had allowed plenty of time before and after the ceremony to capture some great shots. If you're looking for unique and creative photography on your wedding day, it's so important that you schedule lots of time to allow for those shots to happen (more on that in a future post).

Another cool thing about this wedding is that it was featured on the Rock 'n Roll Bride web site because of Hiedi's cute and stylish tea dress! Rock 'n Roll Bride is a fun web site to gather cool and unique wedding ideas, if you're planning a wedding be sure to check it out!

Here is a sampling of some of our favorites from the day.

Before the ceremony, we had about an hour to capture photographs of the bride and groom by themselves. We began with their "First Glance", them seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day.

The benefit of having two photographers on your wedding day is that you can capture different perspectives of the same moment happening. It allows for a lot of variety that is impossible to get with just one photographer. On the image below, Gene'os photo is on the left and mine is on the right.

We explored a little near downtown and found some great spots for photos on the side streets and in the alleys.

For this series, I asked Hiedi to give me a "coy and serious" type of look...not sure we got that but I love her expressions anyway!

Shortly after our pre-wedding photo shoot, it was time for the ceremony. I love this photo of Hiedi and her dad just after he walked her down the aisle.

The church was beautiful, too.

After the ceremony, the wedding party got on a trolley which drove us around to different photo locations. Everyone had a good time relaxing with a few drinks and enjoying the beautiful weather.

It was so fun getting a chance to do group shots at a variety of locations, it's a luxury we don't often have! As you can see, they had a large but very good looking wedding party!

We snuck in a few more portraits along the St. Croix River while we were down there.

Then it was off to the reception. Their first dance was to Etta James' "At Last". It was just before sunset and the natural light was great.

A quick pose outside of the reception...

After the first dance the band The Rhythm Junkies took the stage and kept everyone dancing all night, they were awesome.

At the end of the night, Jake's band played a few songs for the crowd. They were awesome, too!

Hiedi took this great photo of us at the end of the night right before we packed up to leave.

Thank you Hiedi & Jake for the great time and allowing us to be part of your wedding day!!

Leah & Jeff {married!}

2009-04-24T13:26:00.005-05:00

Back in March we photographed Leah & Jeff's super awesome wedding in St. Paul. Leah and Jeff are both reporters in Washington DC but Leah is originally from the Twin Cities. We knew right from the moment we met them at a Dunn Brothers that their wedding would be a lot of fun and we were honored they chose us to photograph it!

Even though they got married in March which can be risky, the weather cooperated and we were able to get a few shots outside. It was still a bit chilly but the sun was out. Enjoy!

But, there was still a big pile of snow by the door!

Leah looked absolutely stunning in her amazingly simple and elegant gown. It fit her so perfectly.

This was taken in the room that Leah used to have Sunday school in :)

There is this cool old gym when you walk in the church. We loved the old woodwork.

Appleblossom Flowers did the amazing bouquets. Be sure to check them out, Dawn is awesome and very talented!

More of Appleblossom's handiwork in the church.

The ceremony was beautiful and full of singing. I think this image captures how happy they were!

The kiss :)

Just married!

After the ceremony, we headed over to the James J. Hill Library in St. Paul for the reception. Gene'o got this shot from the very top floor, not sure if it was "legal" but we knew we had to have a shot from this view!

There were some heartfelt and funny toasts by Leah & Jeff's friends and family. I had fun watching Leah to get her expressions, they were great!

After dinner, the Johnson Family Band took the stage. I only have one word for them, AMAZING! They are a funky blue-grass band with a great sound and style. They were so much fun!

They had people dancing all night long...seriously.

Leah did a fine job with our final portrait of the day. Yes, we look exhausted but I think we were on our feet about 10 hours at this point :) Good thing we love our job!

Leah & Jeff...thank you SO MUCH for allowing us to be part of your wedding day. We were truly honored! Your friends and family are great!

Kage Imagery, St. Paul, MN, Photojournalistic Wedding Photography, James J. Hill library,

Melanie :: growing up!

2009-04-20T18:40:00.004-05:00

My niece Melanie is nearly 10 weeks old already! I saw her last weekend when I visited my family over Easter. Here are just a select few of the hundreds of photos I took of her :) She's smiling now and is such a cutie. Can't wait to see her in May when I go home for her baptism. I am her god mother and am so excited!

Spring Green, WI, Photographer, Twin Cities, MN, Photographer, Baby, Kids

Looking for Class of 2010 Seniors

2009-04-15T16:14:00.004-05:00

Calling all high school juniors (soon to be seniors)! Now's the time to book your senior photo session as summer is right around the corner.

Book your session by May 1, 2009 and get $50 off your session fee and 50 FREE wallet sized photos!

Contact us at kage(dot)imagery at gmail(dot)com for complete pricing and details.

Also, we will be in the Bismarck/Mandan, ND area June 25-28 and in the Spring Green/Madison, WI area at least a couple times this summer and would love to do some senior photo sessions there! Get timeless, unique, and classy photos unlike anyone in your class!

Twin Cities Senior Photography, St. Paul, Minnesota, Outdoor Senior Photography, Unique Senior photography, natural light photography, Senior Photos

Kayla & Josh {engaged!}

2009-04-06T21:34:00.005-05:00

Last Sunday we met up with Kayla & Josh at Lake Phalen for their engagement session. It was a bit cool but we had a nice sunny day for photos. Gene'o has known Josh for several years as he went to college with his twin brothers. We're really excited for their wedding, not only because it will take place at a beautiful location near St. Cloud, but because we will also know lots of the people there which will make it even more fun!

Check out their awesome engagement session! Kayla has such great style and they were both very photogenic!

Yes, even at Lake Phalen we managed to find some "urban" looking locations, we couldn't resist!

Sun flare!

Then we headed over to a different area of the park and found this cool old bridge.

I love Kayla's expression in this one.

I love this cool tunnel!

One of my favorites! Love both of their expressions here, so serious!

Stay tuned for their wedding photos in July!

Kage Imagery, Wedding Photographers, Engagement Photos, Lake Phalen, MN, Twin Cities

Hiedi & Jake {engaged!}

2009-04-02T19:54:00.000-05:00

I'm a little behind on blogging a few of our weddings and engagement sessions, but I'm happy to finally present Hiedi and Jake! We met up in late February for a fun shoot at the Landmark Center in St. Paul, and then headed out for a few snow shots in Rice Park. We had never shot at the Landmark Center and it was Hiedi's idea, and I'm so happy she picked it! It was nice to be able to do a winter shoot without freezing to death, and there were so many locations to pick from. The lighting was great considering it was indoors, which is always a concern for photos.

We are shooting their wedding in Stillwater in just two weeks! I am so excited to work with these guys again. They have planned plenty of time for photos which is so important on your wedding day. I can't wait to have the luxury of spending lots of time to capture some really great moments with these two!

We had fun working with the light in this stairwell.

Aren't they gorgeous together?

This one features Hiedi's gorgeous eyes, I love it.

After a quick outfit change we went outside to capture some true Minnesota winter shots.

Of course, a snowball fight started up. :)

Group shot!

I can't wait to post photos of their wedding later this month!
Kage Imagery, Rice Park, MN, Minnesota, Landmark Center, St. Paul, MN, Wedding Photographers, Engagement Photos, Photography, Winter, Snow

Wyn

2009-03-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to present little Wyn! I went to college with Wyn's parents and it was fun catching up during our afternoon session. We had our fun photoshoot last week and he did excellent! Wyn is about seven weeks old in these photos and he is really developing a little personality. Here are some of my favorites from the day.

He really liked his fist. In fact, 90% of our photos involve him staring at his fist with an intense concentration!

Here is said fist. Adorable.

We almost managed to get a smile...

He almost looks like a "big boy" here, doesn't he?

This hat and his baby blues make a great combo...this one is one of my faves from the day!

He didn't so much care for the hat though, and immediately tried taking it off :)

Mama and son, so sweet!

Thanks J & B for inviting me to photograph your adorable son! Can't wait to watch him grow :)