Madeleine is 3 | Minneapolis Child Photographer

I love photographing this little spitfire! She is so full of energy and smiles, which always makes for a fun session.  Here are a few of my favorites from her recent 3 year portrait session (and I couldn't resist throwing a few of big sister Grace in too!). Happy birthday Madeleine. Love you girl!

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Capturing Memories

Every morning I welcome the day with my children.  We sit on the couch and read books, have breakfast in our pj's and get ready for our day.  Some mornings it's smooth sailing, other mornings, not so much.

Every day I watch my children learn, discover, play, laugh, cry, and grow.

Every night I put them back into their pajamas, read them a story, sing them a lullaby, tuck them into bed, give them kisses and hugs and, in my heart, give praises and thanks for the beautiful girls before me. 

I see them, every day.  Grace and Madeleine.  And yet, I don't really realize how much they have grown in the past year, until I see a photograph of them.  Grace once stood as tall as Madeleine when Gretchen first started photographing our family.  Madeleine has always needed to be held, and now she is able, agile and active. 

It is these reasons that we treasure our sessions with Gretchen.  We want to remember those days when Grace was still shorter than us ('cause someday, I know she will be taller than me!), when Madeleine made that goofy expression, when Grace wore those bright pink, sparkly shoes and when Madeleine never let go of her Daddy. 

Thank you, Gretchen, for your beautiful photography, for capturing our personalities and for being such a wonderful friend!

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Day at the Park

A couple of weeks ago, I took the girls to the park.  It was a lovely spring day and I happened to have my camera with me.  I figured it would be a good time to practice all that I have been learning.   

Here is what I learned that day:

1. Kids move.  Fast.
2. Noon-time sun is not so flattering in photographs.  Clouds were a welcome relief.
3. Playgrounds force you to photograph from different perspectives.

And finally, I need to practice MORE!  Camera settings have not become second nature to me yet.  Right now, I have to think too much about where my ISO, shutter speed and aperture need to be at and end up missing the shot I was hoping to get.  I know that this will all come with time and more practice.  

I’ve been spending a lot of time shooting on Program mode (the P option on your camera dial) until I get the hang of recognizing the proper ISO setting for a given environment.  However, after this day at the park, I may try shooting in the shutter speed priority mode (the S option on your camera) when trying to photograph my girls! 

Hey  - have you been practicing too??  We’d love to see your photos!  Post them to our facebook page and feel free to ask us any questions.  We love helping other parents capture their kids in photos! 

Have a great weekend!

~sarah

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Practice, Practice, Practice

I brought my camera with me to the Mill City Museum for Madeleine's one year photo shoot with Gretchen.  I felt that I had a good grasp of the three basic properties of photographs, ISO, aperture and shutter speed, but needed some real-life applications.

I always have more shots of Grace, for two reasons... 1) She sits still more and 2) She is a ham in front of the camera, as you can tell by the following photos.

Thanks for taking a peek!

~sarah

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Go Vertical!

Are you still with me?  My life has gotten a bit chaotic in the last couple of weeks... okay, month.  Between trekking my preschooler to and from school every day and a teething toddler, it's been tough to even find time to pick up my house!  With Gretchen being on vacation, I haven't had any more "lessons" (not that I really had the time anyway).  But, rest assured, we are both back in action!   

So!  On with my apprenticeship and my tips to you as I learn the ins and outs of composing a great photograph! 

A little about me:  I am a person of routine.  I like predictability.  I like to know what I should expect and when I should expect it.  I don’t like surprises and I am generally not spontaneous.  I like to have a plan so that I know what sort of results I will get.  

But, life is not predictable.  Life is spontaneous.  Wild.  Uncertain.  And often times, I am forced out of the norm.  I must “think outside the box.”  This is good.  This is healthy.  I will admit that even if I am hesitant about making a change, it feels good to let go and be different.

Rule #4… Go vertical. Make a conscious effort to turn your camera to the vertical (or portrait) orientation occasionally. 

I LOVE horizontal photos, especially if it’s a close-up of a sweet child’s face, but, your photographs will be more interesting to look at when the orientation is switched up a bit.  And besides, there is no way that you can get your one-year old on his birthday holding his balloons without turning your camera on its side!

~sarah

 Madeleine and Alex playing while at the Como Park Conservatory.

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