I'll admit, it's been about 6 years since I have been skiing. Gary and I used to make the trek out to Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek & A Basin each winter to enjoy some "real" mountains. We always had a great time! Turns out, I'm a darn good skier! Once I get in a groove, there's no stopping me!
Here's a shot of Gary and I at the back bowls at Keystone in Colorado.
Today Pete and I are taking Ben, Emily & Amanda skiing over at Highland Hills. Ben is a seasoned snow boarder and for Emily & Amanda, this will be their first ski experience. We all leave for Mexico in a couple of weeks, we'd all better take it easy! We'll be good Anne!
I bought a big package for the kids for Christmas and we thought we'd better try to make it out some- time soon so, today is the day!
Here's some shots of Dr. Joanna Perkins and her boys Nick & Alex. I met them over the lunch break at the Airport Hilton. The MOMF was holding a retreat there and this was as good a time as any to start taking the board member portraits. 3 down, 10 to go!
Thanks Jason Stenvold for coming along and lending your backgrounds. These are great!
Well, I'd better get a move on if I want to get these boots cleaned up....I hope my ski pants fit!! :]
.....(Hey, Bob Davis sent me a valentine yesterday! Okay, not really. BUT I did receive his DVD that I ordered a short time ago. Haven't sat down to view it yet...I know, TOTALLY not me...it's just that my vacation deadline is drawing near and I want my desktop clean when I leave. It'll be like coming home to a clean house! :)
I'll report on it when I get the opportunity to take a look at it. I'm really excited to sit down and be inspired! Maybe I'll reformat it and load it on my iPhone and watch it on the plane!
Have I mentioned lately how much I love my iPhone?).....
***************************************************** Now on to some fresh material...
Big day yesterday. **Finished Amanda & Marks images....YAY! **Went to the Hilton to photograph 2 Minnesota Miracle cancer families checking in. **On my way home from that my iPhone (that I love!) froze up on me and got all hot from being on so I stopped at the Apple store at the MOA and the Genius Bar wait was like TWO HOURS! So I kept on my way and went to Southdale's Apple store and they fixed it in a nano second!
**Lastly, on my way home from Southdale I got a call from Heather. I was her last and only hope to take a session up at North Memorial Hospital in Robinsdale. So I whipped around and met the most wonderful family. I met them in the Chapel where they were having a visitation with friends and family. They lost twin boys at about 24 weeks. There was an awful lot of love in that tiny hospital chapel. Then I followed the mom & dad to their room where I photographed the sweet twins....
need I ask for you to take a moment and pray for this family and their devastating loss??? Thank you!
I'll be heading to Mike & Kindra's to photograph Reese in a minute and then back to the Hilton to take some MOMF board member family photos then it out for a night on the town with Gary, my brother, Tim and his wife Laurie..dinner & comedy. I think I need that! ;)
Love to all far and near, Come tomorrow morning, I'll meet 'cha back here! (hu, I just made that up. I'm a poet and I..... naaaa, I wont' go there.
Today I woke up to the sound of plows. First from one direction, then the other. Not my favorite way to wake up, I must say. However, once I got to the kitchen there were 2 Valentines and a big Ghiradelli Chocolate bar (72%..my favorite!) on the counter! It's not just for breakfast anymore! ;)
Not wanting to brush the cards aside, I opened them first!
Here's the one from Gary....
Nice sentiment...NOT our anniversary tho'. Gary said, "WHAT!?? I even had my glasses on!" I love you any way honey!
And here's one from the Cats!
The inside reads "...and we might even come when you call us next time...love, the cats"
Thanks Hobie & Katie for thinking of me! :)
So I decided rather last minute to attend a lecture/seminar by a fella named Bruce Hudson from C@L (that's Seattle!). It was entitled New Directions/Reality Check Tour. Anyway, it was a packed room and much was covered. From marketing, finding the right clients and how to make certain that all the consumers with the new technology don't take anything away from us. The new technology is great, don't get me wrong. But what you do with it sets us apart. It's about relationships and rapport. It's about composition and light. It's about understanding the needs of the client and delivering.
So many new photographers offer CDs to their clients. Bruce tells us that those are NOT our clients. These are OUR images and we should protect them.
I tell people that this is my profession, not my hobby. I want to provide quality, long lasting, heirloom images that people are proud to display.
I resolve to welcome those looking for family portraits every 5 years, I want to capture a precious babies entire 1st year, I want to show the world how important even Kindergarten Graduation is and how beautiful our teens are as they prepare to head off to college. Weddings, oh my God, Weddings...I hate to even get started with Wedding Photography. I think I'll post an entry another day about that.
These are all perfect times for us to be sure that our clients recognize that these images are priceless...even before someone dies.
Bottom line here, folks, is...Do I want people to seek me out because I'm a good deal? No. I pray that I can develop relationships with people. I want to be the person that they think of first when something special is about to happen. I've been doing it for more that a quarter century with hair, so I know a little bit about rapport. (Thanks to all the generous people that have stuck by me all these years!).
Wow! Sorry for the rambling soap box....that was not my intension. But, now you know how I really feel!
Here's Bruce (left) and his son, NOT drawing my name!
Dave Johnson of National Camera...Hi Dave! Thanks for all the great deals!!
Here's Chad, the bartender at the new Hilton in Bloomington off France & 494. Bruce came in the bar, I was there really early (traffic did NOT suck for once) and he insisted on picking up the tab for my Cabernet! Thanks Bruce, GREAT show! A fabulous way to spend5 hours!! :) And congrats on the new house, enjoy your week off!
Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Eat just a tiny bit of chocolate today.
I forgot to post some images from my Bella Pictures engagement session from Super Bowl Sunday....
I've enjoyed working for Bella Pictures on the Wedding front and this was my first engagement session.
We met at the Mall of America at Lego Land. From there, we just kind of hopped around~looking for some spots that weren't completely taken over by guests of the park or under construction. Not an easy task that day!! We tore it up for about an hour and below are a few of my faves. Now, these are just mine to play with and do as a choose as they really belong to Bella Pictures but that's part of the fun for me. Go out, meet some fabulous couples and photograph them and turn the rest over to Bella. There are similar operations, here in Minneapolis, like Camelot & Bella Gala. Please don't misunderstand my focus here, I LOVE to deliver all my own work and throughout the year I do plenty. It's just a nice departure from time to time to attend weddings at new venues and meet other photographers without all the added deadlines. THAT said...here's Anne & Alan.
Anne & Alan are getting married this June here in Minneapolis. I secretly want to shoot their wedding as well! :)
I have just been made aware that the images that I post (and it's been the same for almost 2 years), are too large and that's why they keep disappearing~ much to my dismay and surprise as you can imagine. So in the future I will size them more appropriately so that they don't keep leaving those lovely little boxes, lines, "?" and such. Noted.
Okay, so last night I joined a bunch of my PUG folk in a little "shoot & share", if you will. We met at Excelsior's Mount Calvary Church on 19 in the sanctuary and flopped into the pews and began discussing our approaches to shooting ceremonies. Everything from settings to where we like to position ourselves and what light modifiers we prefer.
Then Stacey & Jason posed as Bride & Groom and we made a few test runs...
And then shared our shots with one another. It was great fun...REALLY!
Then we headed down Water St. to Jake O'Connor's for a little late bite & some libations and more discussion. It was really nice to get out of the studio and have that field trip feeling we had when we were kids..only no bus, and instead of cookies & milk we got to have wine, beer, mini filet mignon sandwiches and really good chicken tenders!! ;)
I posted a similar entry on my PUG blog this morning.
Here's more images from my trip to Mexico with my sister's family last March...
This has been one of the strangest winters I have ever experienced. Maybe because I'm getting older and less tolerant, true, but seriously the roller coaster of temperatures is making me MAD! I also think that the closer I get to a sunny, warm vacation the crazier I can feel too...agreed? I mean, c'mon, 40 degrees one day and then 40 below the next...We still cram a beach towel up against the front door, lay the foyer rug on top of that and then I rest Gary's big 'ol Timberlands on top of that...and the frost STILL covers the door frame at the bottom...I'm over it.
Let's find a happy place...
I'll be going to Cabo with my sister and her family 2 days after I get back from Playa with Gary...spoiled? No. A long overdue reward for myself. Wedding season is fast approaching and I'll be running like crazy after I get back.
Emily will be old enough to scuba this trip...I wonder if she'll give it a go this time? Here's Scuba Sue...
Scuba Ben...
And Emily, who was my inspiration for doing it!
Here's a shot that Jimbo took of us last year. My favorite time of day down there, the colors are just so gorgeous at dusk! LOVE the full moon too.
That's enough.
I"m taking Gary in for his cortisone shot this morning. Pray that this is going to do the trick. Altho' Gary has been feeling much better~he's not 100%. That's gonna take awhile. But in the meantime, shrinking the "jelly" between his C6 & C7 should hopefully lessen the pinched nerve stuff..tingling etc... I'll bring my camera! Gary loves it when I bring my camera!
Last night Anne & Pete (my sister & her husband) went to Redstone in Eden Prairie for dinner and then called us and I told them to c'mon over (they were out celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary). So they braved the elements and granted my request. It was about 9 below zero and wind gusts to like 30+ miles per hour taking what little snow we got yesterday and blowing it into 2 foot, rock hard, snow drifts! We were doing absolutely nothing, and by nothing, I mean nothing...NASCAR Bud Shootout and Willy Wonka (the one with Johnny Depp...so weird.)~ Hey, quality time is totally overrated! Pete thought we were kidding...NOT!
Earlier in the day, I picked up Sherrie at Fitness 19 and we drove to Valleyview Middle School (um, yea, NOT Eden Prairie...Bloomington. And it was snowing and blowing so bad and the roads were pretty awful. We made it there just fine and RAN in!
This was a Posing Seminar for NPC athletes competing in the upcoming Gopher State, Northland and one other show, I can't remember which. Anyway, Ken "Flex" Wheeler was there and WOW, altho' he's retired, he knows the business and was there to give insight & tips for posing to those preparing for upcoming NPC shows I was amazed at how funny he was!
Chris Bongiovanni was there and I went up and said hi to Chris. I wasn't sure that she would remember me but she did. It was fun seeing them both and I want to thank Sherrie Carnicle for asking me to come along. It seems like just yesterday that I was training for my show.
Here are a couple of "figure" athletes (Chris is far right)~
And here are two bodybuilding athletes 8 weeks out from their shows...
I got a cute e-mail from a Bride of mine the other day and I thought I'd zip a note back asking how things were going...I knew that shortly after her wedding, last July, that she cut all her hair off and donated it to Locks of Love and that she was still working on the maternity floor at St. Francis but what I learned next blew me away...She and Randy are expecting identical twin girls this June! That is SO incredibly awesome!
This will undoubtedly be a crazy, busy, tiring and blessed time for this couple and I know you will join me in prayer for this newlywed couple and their babies in the months to come. Thanks in advance and CONGRATULATIONS Randy & Megnan (yes, that's spelled right!).
Later this morning I'm going to meet Sherri Carnicle at the Eden Prairie High School for a Clinic/Seminar on posing and NPC Athletes meeting. I don't know really why I'm going but I will know some of the folks there like Chris Bongiovanni She was a client of a friend of mine "back in the day" and Chris offered to loan me one of her suits for my competition when mine was not arriving on time and I was in a panic. When you spend all the time and energy preparing for a competition like this and the thing that keeps you from it is a teeny, tiny regulation suit that is coming from LA...you'll do ANYthing. Fortunately for me, mine finally arrived. Anyway, Chris competes in NPC and I competed in NAMBAF, which is natural body building. WHAT? You mean to tell me that those other girls are not natural??? :)
(funny side note...when I posted that photo of me the other day at my competition from 11 years ago, Amanda, my 7 year old niece said.."Oh my gosh, someone put Sue's head on someone else's body!" hmmm, that's funny...No Amanda, that was your aunt Susan's photo! I'll show you the others someday when I'm certain that it won't scar you for life!)
I've mentioned he and his wife, Dawn, before so they are no strangers to this blog ("hi Dawn!"). I stole this photo off of their la Storia foto blog.
Well, I ordered his DVD and I am so excited for them and I'm looking forward to seeing the final product as Dawn has shared some of the footage from it during the process of creating it. It's pretty cool.
Moving on....
This is my brother giving his new daughter, Reese, an eskimo kiss at the hospital on Monday.
I'm heading to the Hilton this afternoon to greet 2 cancer families. A 2 year old boy and a 7 year old boy (different families). They'll be checking in for their "Minnesota Miracle" weekend...free of charge. This is the first 2 families of 2008. Unfortunately, this will be the first of many but what the Hilton provides along with the Miracles of Mitch Foundation it allows these families a little "time-out" from the cancer. It fills my soul to see these cancer kids get excited about their hotel stay. The smiles are priceless! I especially love it when they allow me to accompany them up to their rooms and witness them opening the door to all the balloons and gifts...sometimes, if they are in the mood and healthy enough I get them to jump on the bed with their friends and siblings! That usually doesn't take much coaxing! ;)
Well, back to editing. Make the very most of your day today.
I started a blog on Monday night when I got the news that Reese had finally come into the world... I was saving it to post on Tuesday morning. I forgot that I had started it so it's still sitting there. Boy, talk about your "2nd born syndrome", right?! Sorry Reese. You are darling, perfect and I love you!
When my mom & I got to the hospital yesterday, Sue, Kindra's, mom was holding Reese and the nurses were giving Kindra her "exit" speech. Interesting really, I've never heard one. I especially loved the part about stitches and stool softener....yeeeeooowwww!
Shortly thereafter, Mike arrived with Owen (the big brother) and he just went on and on about the whole experience. Owen is at that really funny age where he is all about what's going on. He sat next to Kindra on the sofa and pointed to her belly and said "it's empty now cuz Reese isn't in there anymore." so cute!
I took a ton of photos and Kindra tried to set one up by getting Owen to lean in and smell Reese... he then said.."she doesn't smell like cookies, she smells like a baby." again...funny!! :)
We stayed and had lunch with Mike & Kindra (Sue had taken Owen home for a nap) and then the 3 of them would pack up and head home to begin their life as a family of 4! I love you all so much and I'll see you again soon, no doubt!
Here's some shots of the newest Craig..just 48 hours old.
Oh, and guess who didn't get the eyelashes! Seriously, Owen has more hair on his eyes than some people have on there head!! I think they need brushing!
I missed making an entry yesterday! I'm so sorry. Things just got out of hand. I know I have loyal readers and seriously, I know what it's like to keep checking and keep checking to see if an entry has been made.
Xanga has a subscription button that allows you, the subscriber, to automatically receive a note saying that an entry has been made and actually sends you the feed..cool, right? Well, currently, Blogger does not offer that. Bummer.
ANYway, Did you caucus last night? I didn't. I wanted to. Someone had to vote for McCain, right? My neighbor, Jacquie and her daughter, Abbey, were headed out last night and she said she'd vote for Hillary for me...HA! In case you are not in the know... I actually have cat nip toys for my cats that are Hillary dolls. They are so funny. She has a book in her hand that reads "It takes a village... to do my hair." Pretty funny, right!? :) Well, let's just say that this toy has seen better days! Check 'em out at FAT CAT.
Still working on both weddings. Finished up my Fairview Southdale NILMDTS session and I'm just waiting to get the prints back from WHCC. I had to re-order Jane's invites due to an over site on my part....so sorry Jane, they'll be here today! Sales tax due yesterday and I needed to sort that out. I wanted to head out to Woodbury to see Reese who arrived on Monday afternoon but I'll do that today with my mom. So more photos of Reese to come!
Tonight I have a NACE meeting over near Tanya's studio. I always look forward to those!
Mike Miller..THANK you for all you are doing for me! You have much on your plate this Valentine's season and I appreciate that you are taking time out of your schedule to b a "cheerleader" for me and my business. You are amazing! Go McCain! ;)
Here's a couple shots from Lexi & John's wedding in St. Paul last weekend at Forepaugh's (FYI, the scoop is that ghosts live there...very cool!)
Oh, and Nedved's did the flowers and they were amazing! I have their card and I'll post the information later. They are in St.Paul off West 7th. GREAT people!!
Today I began to process more images for Amanda & Mark. In the mean time, I started to organize Lexi & John's. I Fed Exed my engagement session and then I got a call from Jessica Person... "Could you go to Fairview Southdale and take a session?" When I can, I drop everything for these families. Wedding photos will be there when I get back. These families are in despair. Broken.
I'll post more tomorrow. Thank you in advance for praying for this family.
Well, I just watched the Giants eek out a victory against the Patriots. Great game. Spent 3/4 of the game at Ron & Cindy's ~ totally impromptu.
Commercials, if you missed any, can be seen at MySpace. My favorite? the ETrade ones with the baby....OMG!! Especially the 2nd one with the clown! It KILLED!
I'm pooped, a very long day and I will have more time to post tomorrow.
Had fun at the MOA with Anne & Alan (engagement photos).
Ran to Linden Hills afterwards to drop off Jane's cards. She let me keep 2 for my records...they are completely fanTAStic so I just had to have them!
Sorry your boy didn't win, Gemma. But at least Tom Brady gets to wallow in his self pitty with Gisele Bundchen.
Dean & Lois, perhaps your town can get back to normal!
Good morning everyone! Today Alexis & John are getting married. Lexi (as she is called), is the eldest daughter of my mom's best friend, Judy, who died nearly 2 years ago. Judy's presence will be felt today.
This is Forepaugh's....
This will be a small ceremony in a very unique setting with just immediate love attending.
I stopped out at the Apple store to pick up a couple of things yesterday and saw my friend, Charlie. Charlie helped me with my iPhone purchase in December and is the greatest! I love how you just stand in the middle of the store and he rings you up with his hand held device and asks if you want the receipt e-mailed to you. It's just such a breath of fresh air to shop there...personal attention, fast service, no bull. Charlie even offered to place my new static screen on my iPhone for me...I hear it's tough. He made it look easy.
Thanks Charlie! I'll see you again. Seriously, ask for Charlie when you go in...
Jane's Valentine's Day cards arrived yesterday and they look FABulous! I suggested to Jane that we go with the "pearl" cardstock at WHCC and it absolutely MAKES the card POP! LLLLLOOOOVVVVE them! I hope she sends me one! ;)
Say, I did not end up going out to the Health Expo with Sherrie. I just couldn't do it. Too much on my plate. I apologized to her and told her that I would attend the function next Saturday at Jefferson. More on that later.
Ummmm, oh yea...cute story I MUST share with you before I close out today's entry. The other day, My sister in law, Kiki we call her, along with her mom, decided it was time to take Owen to see the hospital where Reese will be born so they packed up and drove out to Woodbury and sat through what they hope to be the final weekly visit (She's due on the 6th and everything is looking good). Now, keep in mind that Owen will be 3 at the end of March and they have talked a lot about his new sister, Reese, her room is ready and he understands some of what is going to happen. So, the 3 of them leave the hospital and head for the car and Owen says...."Reese didn't come." I just think that is soooo funny! Love you Owen.
Happy anniversary Sue (Kindra's mom) & Jesse!!!!
Saw this on Gary Fong's blog today....I like it. ...John Lennon said it best, "man plans, and God laughs". My life really changed when I saw the bumper sticker that said, "Since I gave up hope, I feel much better." ...
