I photographed this gorgeous mom and dad over this summer and now their little girl is here and she’s just a doll! We met in Uptown, just off Hennepin Ave in Minneapolis at one of my favorite spots that is a great mix of urban and lawns and not only did their little miss not cry one peep, but she was “talking” up a storm and had everyone smiling ear to ear. I love photographing babies at any age but it’s always so fun when they start to have personalities.
These cousins are two weeks apart in age and I’ve had so so SO much fun photographing them over the past year. They are such delightful little boys and so photogenic- what more could a photographer want? We met up on Theodore Wirth Parkway in Minneapolis for this season and I think it might be one of my new favorite spots!
Little Friday night dinner with my daughter. She got a bit impatient towards the end.
Homework struggles in the Parks house are no joke. Maybe I’ll just un-school her and she how she turns out…. ha!
Start of homework:
5 minutes into homework:
Sometimes you just need to snuggle your grandma at lunch.
Although I know it’s hard to tell from my married name, we are very Swedish here in the Parks house. I even grew up speaking it! So when my daughter started 1st grade, we knew it was time for svenska skolan (Swedish school) at the American Swedish Institute in south Minneapolis. We head down there Saturday mornings for class, which includes games, songs and even fika (snack time + social hour observed daily in Sweden).
The American Swedish Institute was originally the turn of the century home of newspaper magnate Swan Turnblad. It has a stunning interior and that is open to the public and just last year a cool new modern addition was put on. It’s old meets new- an homage to the old country and new Scandinavian design all in one and it’s so much fun spending our Saturdays there. There is even a huge playroom on the 3rd floor that was the actual playroom (and theater, a dress up room) of Turnblad’s only daughter.
Anyone ever in Minneapolis and looking for an awesome way to spend your afternoon, I highly recommend ASI!
Now head on over to another Rebecca’s site and see what she’s up to Chicago! Click HERE for her blog.
I’m taking a class in a few weeks on photographic storytelling and storymaking. The instructor is an amazing one who lives in Japan and brings a wealth of knowledge on honest and memorable photographs that tell a story to the class. I can’t wait for the class to start!
To get my creative juices flowing, this past weekend as we were coming home from our place up north I snapped a scene that I’ve seen a million times; my daughter and mother coloring together while we waited for our food. Normally I would have taken some pictures that were up close, maybe of their fingers coloring or their faces smiling. This time though, it finally occurred to me to move back. Get farther away to really get the whole moment in my camera frame. So I moved to an open booth at the back of the room and snapped this image.
It is not perfect… there were competing light sources so my WB is a little off and it’s not an image I would print as a 16×20 and hang on my mantle. But it’s real. It tells the story; the two most important women in my life sharing a moment of tenderness like they have so many times before, at a place that is near to our hearts.
It has happened; another summer has come and gone and school is back in session. I attempted some posed smiling shots of my daughter on our way to 1st grade this morning but she wasn’t having it. That’s one of the reasons I love more candid work- she doesn’t need to cooperate for me to capture her in all her sassy glory. 
I can’t believe I’m saying this but another summer has come and gone and it’s time for fall mini sessions again!
Date: Sunday, October 19th
Location: Anoka, MN
Price: $159 includes a 20 minute session for up to 5 people, 5 images via digital download with print release and one 5×7 luxury print. Additional images available for purchase from final gallery.
Available Time Slots:
3:30 p.m. – BOOKED
4:00 p.m. – BOOKED
4:30 p.m. – BOOKED
5:00 p.m. – BOOKED
5:30 p.m. – BOOKED
Black and white sunset in the forest. So, much, gorgeousness. <3 
