As a photographer, Iceland has loomed large in my imagination for years. I was leery of locking this trip in, given how popular a destination it’s become, and with that, how expensive it is. However, I’m so glad I made this trip happen. It was otherworldly. We could drive for hours and barely talk, there were so many jaw-dropping views to absorb. From the charming fjord towns to steaming earth hot spots to geothermal spas to art-infused Nordic cities, this was a dream trip in so many ways.
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A Florida Escape
This is going to be one of those years where spring never comes to Minnesota. We’ll slip right from winter into summer, with only a long, grey, wet, cold blur of a March and April. Given everything going on — family health issues, the decline of a beloved cat, a bad case of Covid, not to mention the war in Ukraine and Elon’s purchase of Twitter — the weather feels apt. But as a person who barely makes it through February each year without a seasonal affective breakdown, I was never more thankful my dad decided he didn’t want to go to Florida to see my brother. I got his ticket instead.
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Happy Rebel Product Shoot
In the endless grey, wet, and cold days of spring in Minnesota this year, my friend Kelly offered me a creative challenge: my first product photoshoot! Kelly is the owner of Happy Rebel, a small, woman-owned, Minnesota-based business that offers intentional products and courses that “embrace both the light and the dark” — of ourselves and of life. Given the strong light/dark theme of the Happy Rebel brand, I went against the norm for people-centered photography of minimizing shadows by leaning into them for this shoot. Luckily, the sun peeked out long enough to create some moody, witchy, vibrant vibes that really suit these projects, and Kelly herself.
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At Home with The Streets
If you ask me what kind of dog I want, there is no particular breed, just a very strong desire that it has the lovable trait of a little tongue that can’t stay in its mouth. (A severe underbite will also suffice.) In that regard, Winston is my dream dog, by the fact of not having many teeth left. He’s lived a long, life where he’s both loved and been loved well. In his older age, his mom, Kelly, asked if we could capture him at home with the family.
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Northfield Studio Session with Wilma
I love toddler sessions because they teach me to let go of any sense of control and just follow their energy. It’s amazing that even at the age of two, so much of our personality is already developed. Wilma was bubbly, curious, independent, and playful — and rightly suspicious of the stranger with a camera trying to coax her into a tent fort! So, we changed plans and her wonderful mother started reading to us both instead. The camera (and person holding it) melted away, and I got to see Wilma’s shyness fall away and her wonderful smile and laugh slip out.
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The Parlour at The Charmant Hotel
La Crosse, WI Winter Weekend Getaway
One goal for 2022, especially after two years of the pandemic keeping us close to home, is to travel more. First up: La Crosse, WI. I took the recommendation of my driftless sister Courtney and booked a night at the Charmant Hotel. We almost exclusively stay at Airbnbs these days, so being in a hotel felt like a true luxury. Also, La Crosse is just a two-hour drive from Northfield, so it felt like enough of a getaway, but still doable for a weekend. The Charmant is a 67-room boutique hotel in downtown La Crosse, and housed in a former chocolate factory (so of course you get fancy chocolate upon check-in). It is right off the Mississippi River, and even in the negative temps of January, there were still runners jogging along it.
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A Winter Repreive: Wild Rice Retreat Center
As a child, I used my allowance to buy my first architecture book: Thomas Fisher’s profile of Duluth-based architect, David Salmela. I had forgotten about it until a few years ago when I went to a panel of women in real estate at The Coven in Minneapolis. There, one of the women talked about a new development she was working on near Bayfield, Wisconsin. A retreat called Wild Rice Retreat Center, perched on the shore of Lake Superior near the Apostle Island National Lakeshore. She was partnering with Salmela as the architect, who had designed the original restaurant on the site years ago. Since then, I’ve been biding my time, waiting to see what it is actually like inside one of his spaces.
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Library to Snow: Beau's Senior Session
I first met Beau a few years ago. They were sweet yet cool beyond their years then, and even more so now. We did these photos with a good friend of theirs at one of their favorite hangouts: the gorgeous Saint Paul Public Library. Turns out, I love photographing double-header senior sessions because it lets you see even more of the seniors’ personalities — who they are with their best friends, in their special spaces, at this big moment.
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Isa's Saint Paul Senior Portraits
Isa has a warm, friendly, and calm personality, paired with quiet confidence and effortless cool-girl style. She always had a laugh at the ready, even when standing in the negative temps in tights on a Minnesota January afternoon. When it started snowing toward the end of our shoot, her on-point black beret and leather jacket caught the flakes in the best kind of way for photos.
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Whitetail Woods Camper Cabins for the NYE Win
We were lucky enough to snag one of Whitetail Woods’ new Prairie View camper cabins to ring in 2022. If you can get one, these camper cabins are one of my favorite winter camping options in Minnesota. They are the perfect distance from home, heated, cozy, well-designed, and peaceful.
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