This Season: Engagement of Sami + Collin

Last fall, I photographed Sami and Collin during their season of engagement before their wedding.  I design this type of session to be a date. We highlight favorites that represent their story and their normal type of ways to celebrate and enjoy their relationship.

For Sami and Collin, this meant a sunrise picnic (Collin and I surprised Sami with photos from this part of their date; She didn't know I was there!), running, walking, and laughing as we took a long walk around Forest Park in the early morning hours as the fog rose off the Grand Basin.  We then switched gears and headed to one of their top coffee shops- Foundation Grounds- in Maplewood, near their new home, and took a walk and explored another favorite- a bookstore along Manchester in downtown Maplewood.

I am thrilled to present a show highlighting that day with a mix of real moments, striking portraits, and many details that surrounded their morning date. Grab your lemonade, sit back, and enjoy!

A Boy and his Rocky Donkey

As a business, I am in particularly interesting season, because as a person I am in a particularly interesting season. We thought that right now I would be on maternity leave, so most of our Purple Lemon work is on hold.  We are adopting a son from Ghana and his homecoming has been delayed. (To keep up with that story, you can follow our adoption blog, Ghana Love.)  This has left me itching to photograph, and with time for small personal projects. 

A few weeks ago, the sun came falling in soft stripes across our floor in the familiar way that it does each fall as the sun sits lower in the sky. Our not quite three year old's Rocky Donkey (his rocking horse) sat right in the shafts of light, accompanied by a sole cowboy boot.  As I began to photograph this little scene, our son began to engage with the scene and realized there was a stray string on the boot. Determined to fix the problem on his own, he got a table knife and began the detailed child's work of cutting the string. 

It was a such a pleasure to document this everyday scene, seeing the artfulness in our common occurrences, as my child matures and does the hard work of learning and figuring out his world. 

There are so often moments we have with details you'd rather not soon forget.  I love the photographs we have of my kids reading books with my husband on the couch. With projects spread across the kitchen table. Or of our family getting apples ready for apple sauce.  These are moments that are full of beauty and memory, and I have found a great love in capturing that with my camera both to share and remember. 

A year or two ago, it really struck me how valuable these tidbits are and how much enjoyment I get in photographing the experiences and the details. It's part of why I love our specialty of photographing weddings, it's full of experiences and details.  But it applies to so much more of our lives than big noteworthy events.  The little things are, too. 

We have even created a package called This Season that does exactly that. It lets me be a fly on the wall of whatever it is you do as a couple, a family, even an individual- as you do it on purpose with those you love. I'd spend a few hours just capturing the details of This Season of your life. 

As winter comes, often full of warm fuzzies, and you think you are stuck indoors for months on end, (First, consider going outside. It's nice.) consider it as a perfect time to use your own home as the location you have for This Season. 

(Yes, I know I have this exciting maternity leave coming sometime, hopefully sooner than later, but it won't last forever, so let's get something on the calendar...)

Then he climbed on the trampoline, which perhaps, lacks some of the darling aesthetic of his Rocky Donkey with it's neon orange duct tape, but still, a photograph I'd like to keep.

Foggy Sunrise Enagagement

A few Fridays ago, I was preparing for a day full of mini sessions the following day to help us with our adoption fees. And as I was driving down the road, I happened to tune in my ears to the radio when they mentioned fog the following morning. Didn't seem especially likely, but all of a sudden, it hit me. The location I was going to photograph later in the day would be a perfect location for a series of foggy sunrise photographs.

But then I thought, who would I shoot? It was the next morning.

Then like a bolt of lightning, I was full of excitement. My dear friends had been engaged for only a week.  I called up Beth and asked if they'd want to do it. So at close to 10 pm, we had it set. They were to meet me before sunrise at the lake.

I drove there under cloudless night sky, wondering if you can have fog without clouds. I'm never up early enough to know. My heart was racing- would it work? I turned off the highway to see a fog hovering beautifully, mysteriously over the river next to the lake.

My heart sung as I photographed in the quietness of the early morning hours.

De'Angelo and Beth were a perfect fit for this adventure.  Their comfort with each other and their enjoyment in each other's company led to a fantastic series with a great mix of sweet contemplation and laughter.

I love you guys so much and I'm looking forward to seeing how God uses your marriage!

Fall Sale

We are offering two days full of mini sessions later this month- October 17 and October 25. All sales are for our adoption costs.  Space is limited, but we have room for you.

We are still arranging the details on our locations, but they will highlight autumn and be awesome. As we get confirmation we'll let everyone know our locations.

In the meantime, if you want to reserve a spot, send me an email (nikki@purplelemonphotography.com) and let me know which date and time of day.  If you are wanting the 17th, we'll have morning and maybe afternoon slots. If you are wanting the 25th, we'll have morning and late afternoon/evening slots.

This is a huge savings.  If you've been on the fence about a session for your family, kids, yourself, your spouse, your...pet monkey, this is it.  Really, if you have a pet monkey, I want to meet your monkey.

Also, we'll also have another set of unique minis coming up in the winter.  It's specially tailored to those with a sweetheart, groups of friends, and small families. Save the date for December 6.

Carnival, Fairytale Engagement

Last weekend, I got the chance to do a last minute photo session of Reannon and Seth at a carnival! It was a great chance to shoot at night, stretch myself as a photographer, and take an idea in my head (and Reannon's) and bring it to life.

Since Reannon was dressed as a modern Snow White, I threw a few into a technicolor style, reminiscent of the film's older coloring.

This photograph, as I created had feeling and intention, even though it seems rather chaotic.  Though at first I had a hard time placing words to it, after some help, I realized it shows the whirlwind, fairy tale romance that Seth and Reannon have.  Like these carnival rides, it's fast, exciting, bright; and I dare say love can be dizzying.