I grew up on a farm in Faribault County, and so when another Wells farm girl reached out for some farm family photos, I was sold! Kayla connected with me when she was still pregnant with Baby Werner. He was about seven weeks old for these photos, and it was clear big sister Nora had already stepped proudly into big sister role. I’m always struck by newborn folds and appendages and yawns, but I was equally delighted by Nora’s independent farm girl spirit — even if it meant sidetracking any of my photographer plans!

When a family busts out their ugly Christmas sweaters and favorite books for a family session, you know it’s going to be fun. The Farley crew definitely delivered on the fun. We got plenty of fun, goofy photos, but also some completely sweet ones, and I feel like that captures their day-to-day dynamic. Their uncle — Bret’s identical twin, Guy! — was in town, so we got some twin and uncle photos, too.

We kept the kids up just a bit past bedtime to take advantage of that glowy late spring sunshine, and these photos were so worth it! These were some of the first family-of-five photos of the Niemann family. Baby E was just 7 weeks old, and it was adorable seeing how sweet his big siblings were with him.

I love when high school friends slip into my inbox. I love seeing the partner they’ve chosen, the kids they’ve created, the interests they’ve pursued. It’s even better when I get to check back in on their siblings. Simon and I were in percussion together, so we spent a lot of time messing around with the other drummers when we should have been practicing our small group ensemble. We also went to college in Milwaukee together, and Milwaukee is the last time I’ve seen him. So, I was delighted to hear that he and his family were moving back to Minnesota after some time in the northwest. We had a lovely early morning with the fully crew!

One of the reasons I started carrying a camera was to document my own life and the life of my family. My oldest brother and my sister-in-law have given the Rollenhagen side the only grandchildren my parents will likely get. My nieces and nephew are some of my favorite people — as well as the best subjects to photograph! Anna and Emma are twins, but each with their own big and unique personalities. Little Ethan gets happier every day, and he’s just a cuddler! And, Pat and Nicole are just the best parents…it’s really a joy to see your sibling as a parent.

I love shooting families year-after-year. It’s fun to see how kids’ personalities get stronger and how they get a little more comfortable with the camera. This year, I could not get over Logyn’s ruffle butt pants or Judd’s adorable wiggle dance. It was a chilly morning, but this entire family were such good sports. Nichole is an amazing project manager at work, and I could see she brings the same organizational skills to family life…this crew was exactly on time for yet another early morning session.