Relay for Life : Freeborn County
Giving back to the community is such an important part of being a business owner, but even more importantly, it’s a crucial part of the human experience. Doing things for others, while expecting nothing in return can help boost your mood, and reward you with a sense of fulfillment that money just can’t buy.
The American Cancer Society helps coordinate volunteers across the country to help raise money for cancer research, supporting the families of those dealing with it, and helping educate the public on ways to prevent and detect cancer.
I was honored to be asked to volunteer my time to photograph some of the teams that raised money for the Relay for Life in Freeborn County.
It was a hot and humid day that turned into a beautiful evening. I encourage anyone who has never experienced attending the Relay for Life to try to make it to the next one in their community. You don’t have to be on a team or even donate money to just go and walk the path lined with paper bag luminaries. The luminaries are decorated with the names and sometimes pictures of people who are fighting, survived cancer or in memory of someone.
It’s pretty rare to find anyone these days who hasn’t had cancer touch their lives and it’s a moving experience to see all the names and faces on the luminaries… especially after dark when they light the candles inside.
I want to comment on something in particular that I found very inspiring. It was all the purple shirts I saw at the kickoff event. Purple shirts represented survivors. Seeing so many people who had battled cancer and are doing well. You wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at them either and I believe Relay for Life and the work of the ACS has something to do with that. Let’s keep kicking cancer’s butt!!!
Enjoy!
Becca
Taylor-Davis Wedding Photography – Superior Shores Resort, Two Harbors, MN
When a past senior portrait customer asks you to photograph her wedding in the Duluth area of Northern Minnesota on Lake Superior, what’s a girl to do but say “YES!”?
Saying Yes to photographing Rachel & Tim’s wedding seems to set off a domino effect and I’ve been booking weddings left and right. The good Lord must be telling me it’s time to start serving more brides again. I used to do quite a few weddings each year until we built the house and I had our second son, when I backed off from doing wedding shows and all that. At that time it felt like there were so many weekend warriors out there photographing weddings and at that time I saw more value in focusing on high school seniors and families.
Times seem to be a changin’ and I for one am grateful for it. I keep getting the feeling that families have seen too many of those weekend warriors fall flat or make mistakes… or just plain deliver less than dazzling results. There’s a reason wedding photography should be a big portion of your wedding budget… it’s hard, takes a lot of time and equipment to do it right, and it’s a huge responsibility (and honor).
Rachel and Tim’s idea of the perfect wedding was a beachside ceremony at noon with just immediate family & grandparents and a casual BBQ lunch to follow. Even with their desire to keep things casual, they realized they wanted a professional there to capture the milestone event and provide them with heirloom quality memories.
It had rained quite a bit the day before so the water in a few of the photos looks a bit muddy but I have some photoshop magic up my sleeve for whichever ones they decide to order reprints of. And since it was a 89-degree, full-sun kind-of-day, we didn’t do too many on the beach and then headed for the shade for the rest of the family groups.
I hope you enjoy a few highlights from the day. Feel free to share this with family and friends. I love you guys!
Hugs,
Becca
Baby Victor – Newborn Photography
I’m excited to post the gallery online today for Baby Victor’s parents! They’re close friends of mine. His mom and I go way back to story hour at the public library! So it’s no exaggeration to say I care deeply about her and I was so thrilled when I found out they were expecting and then I prayed with all my heart for a healthy pregnancy and baby.
When she texted me to say their little one had entered the world a healthy, (almost) 8 lb baby boy and they named him Victor, my eyes filled with tears of joy. I was THAT happy!
So without further hesitation, here are some of my favorite portraits from his newborn session. I captured all these images at their home in the Twin Cities. Needless to say, I had LOADED my van down with blankets, backgrounds and wooden crates… anything that might be needed for this monumental photo session! I am sure they thought I was moving in when I arrived. I suppose they would have been grateful for an extra set of hands to help, although Victor’s daddy is not averse to changing a dirty diaper! He jumped at the opportunity to handle any of his needs, which I admire.
Congrats M & J!
Enjoy,
Becca
Extended Family Portraits
One of the best investments you can make is doing an “Extended” family portrait session. And no, I’m not talking about having a photographer come to your family reunion where people are just trying to have fun and are wearing their comfy clothes and flip flops. I’m talking about a fully coordinated effort to get all your adult children and grandchildren together in a well-coordinated photo shoot. To be totally honest, it is a bit of work sometimes. Making sure everyone is on the same page. But if you pick out three colors for people to pick from when pulling together outfits. Think Navy, white, khaki and denim or jewel tone fall colors… red, white, black and denim… you get the idea.
Another tip would be to get the sizes of everyone who will be in the picture and having one person purchase all the shirts so you KNOW they’ll all go together. (This works great if you’re a bit of a control freak or can’t trust your in-law to know what you mean when you say cherry red and you’re certain she’ll show up in a maroon sweatshirt)
Having an on-location session is a wise investment for this type of photography session as well. Many adult children will agree they love visiting mom & dad’s home and to capture it in the background of your images, part of the yard, or a nearby park you associate with “home” is always a great choice to add that extra level of meaning to your images.
I feel like after doing so many weddings early in my career, it gave me lots of practice posing large groups and now I have a talent for working quickly and keeping them entertained.
Here’s a selection of my favorite extended family photo sessions from the last year. (and here’s a previous post where I shared an extended family session)
The great part about these sessions is that I’m able to capture a beautiful image of the big group and then do individual family groups and portraits of each group of grandkids… and the ultimate shot… all the grandkids together (+ grandma & grandpa!) And they all LOOK AMAZING TOGETHER on grandma’s wall in a artful grouping because they’re not a hodgepodge of sessions in different colored outfits/seasons/photographers… they all coordinate beautifully for that high-end designer look in home decor.
If you’d like to schedule your extended family portrait session, just call the studio at 507-383-2344. Things like this are best booked well in advance to coordinate so many schedules and get the time most ideal for your whole family.
Enjoy these images to get the ideas rolling…
Brennyn : Newborn Girl
This angelic newborn is the daughter of one of my wedding clients from way back. I was so honored to have them back in my studio with the birth of their first child. She is a doll!
It’s not easy getting ready for a photo session while trying to tend to a newborn, so I always do my best to reassure the moms (and dads) once they get here not to worry about a thing. If they forgot an item or just had a rough morning, not to worry, I will take it from here.
I have LOTS of great newborn hats, headbands and hairclips to style a little boy or girl’s newborn photoshoot. I also have blankets and baskets galore. Another wedding client that recently returned with her baby said I needed to post a picture of all my stuff so people realize I have it for them to use.
So here it is! Last year I worked on updating the look of my dressing room and created this cute display of a lot of my baby girl accessories. (The boy ones are in a tote! I ran out of room!)
And here are some beautiful images of Brennyn and her adoring parents.
Enjoy!
Rebecca
Kenison-Smally : A Rustic, Country Wedding
It’s amazing how complicated life gets sometimes. It seems so wonderfully simple when people see you in the grocery store, they say hello, smile at your kids, you both agree the summer is going to quickly and the kids are growing so fast, and you move on… but when you own a business, things are never quite a simple as they seem. LOL!
Case in point: I had been talking back and forth with a bride, answering questions about wedding pricing and she had told me I would be the photographer for their wedding. She was excited and so was I. A few weeks later, I get a call from a wonderful family friend, Jordan…
Jordan is a girl I took senior portraits for back when I was just getting started doing photography full-time. She loved her photos, we ended up doing a “cousins” family photoshoot, then I photographed one of those cousins the next year for her senior portraits as well. After all that, I asked this same gal to babysit my oldest son for me when he was born (I was pregnant when she was graduating and she seemed so genuinely excited and interested I knew I could trust her with my new precious baby boy.) She was beyond amazing. She brought him back to her mom & dad’s house and was never impatient to get him back to me even though I worried he must be getting in the way of her social life. She didn’t feel that way at all, in fact, her and her mom took him all over the place to eat out for lunch with the rest of their extended family, go on little shopping trips and all sorts of other interesting adventures. He (and I) inadvertently became “adopted” members of their extended family and we often celebrated birthdays, holidays and just regular old Sunday afternoons with them. I also ended up photographing her older sister’s son’s newborn portraits a few years back. Needless to say, we are all very close.
… back to the phone call…
she’s asking me about wedding photography and the date has not been set, but she’s thinking about the same date as the other bride I’ve been talking to and who “unofficially” has booked me (AKA: no deposit has been given or contract signed). I beg her to pick one of the other dates but she warns me it’s pretty likely this will be the date because it also happens to be her parent’s anniversary! How can I argue with that?!
{It also just so happens to have another element of ginormous significance… it’s my BIRTHDAY!!! 😉 Hahaa!}
… When it all was said and done, that was the date, June 25th, so I had to debate whether or not I risk upsetting the other bride, possibly ruining my reputation and delicately retract my commitment to photograph her wedding, or risk missing one of the most exciting moments in one of my friend Jordan’s life… Oh, decisions!
Obviously, I knew I couldn’t miss out on Jordan’s wedding, even if I wasn’t photographing it. So, I picked up the phone and gave the unlucky bride a call. She was so amazingly gracious and I was so full of gratitude and relief that she still had plenty of time to find another photographer and not to worry. Happy dance time!
Fast forward to Engagement Pictures… which you can find HERE.
And now it’s time to share some from the BIG DAY!!! It was the most beautiful, rustic country wedding. Set at her parent’s home with all her closest family and friends in attendance. It was a nail-biter though! There was predictions of lots of rain but we only ended up with LOTS of wind, and no rain until later that night around 10pm when everyone was safely under the tent and a little too tipsy to care that their feet were getting all wet.
The wind did make portraits quite challenging. Think wispy hair and ties flying sideways… yeah… not cool. I just had to let go of some of the ideas I had to take pictures in other parts of the yard and stick to an area behind a couple of sheds to keep my subjects from looking like they were about to be swept away. But even with all that, we have a TON of amazing images to choose from for Jordan’s wedding album which I’m excited to start designing soon.
Don’t miss noticing the amazing bridal party flowers that were created by Flowers By Bree. She is a local, Kensett, IA florist that works out of her home and she has a God-given gift for coordinating colors and textures with flowers in the most amazing ways. She can take any bride’s vision/request and bring it into a spectacularly beautiful reality. (Was that enough adjectives for you??? Seriously, she is THAT good!)
Enjoy!
Becca
Camellia + John Paul : Children’s Portrait Session
These littles are very dear to my heart. They just so happen to be my niece and nephew who live just far enough away to make taking photos a little hard to coordinate with school and work schedules. Needless to say, I was thrilled to finally have them back in my studio for some fun portraits documenting their ages (4 & 7).
The outfits their mama dressed them in were adorable and classic and so fitting for their ages. Camellia loves the camera and strutted her stuff like a girl who has seen a few episodes of America’s Next Top Model. Such a honey.
And JP, he’s golden. He really is. My parents get to spend lots of time with them since they live right next door and they never have a bad word to say about either of them. Gotta love grandparents.
I hope you love these images as much as I do… well, maybe that’s asking a lot if you’re not also related to them, but leave me a comment below and let me know which picture is your favorite!
Enjoy!
Becca
Daisy Blue Naturals – Commercial Product Photography
Hello friends!
This time of year is just INSANE! I’m taking senior portraits, I’m doing a couple weddings, I’ve got a business headshot and a couple kid/family photo sessions in the mix… it’s just hard to keep on top of it all in the late summer. Not to mention the fact that my oldest son isn’t in school but isn’t real excited about daycare anymore and it’s not like we live in town and he can go play with the neighbors. It’s a crazy, but GOOD, very good life.
But you might wonder, what do you do when it’s not the busy season, Rebecca???
That is a great question and I’m about to share a photo session with you that I did in my slower season (AKA Jan/Feb/March). In addition to filing my taxes, taking care of any newborn sessions, attending conventions and creating new marketing materials… I pick up a session for commercial product photography here and there. (I was thinking that was a slow season, but it still sounds like I’m doing a lot, doesn’t it???)
This past year that included a photo shoot for a local company, based out of Albert Lea, MN that has been creating natural based products for 16 years now. It’s owned/managed by Jena Thompson who is a wonderful, inspiring woman with a great entrepreneurial spirit. She has decided to use the direct marketing model for her products so she has consultants that host home parties as a way to encourage other people to try these amazing lotions, soaps and other great products.
I had the honor of seeing Jena in action speaking passionately about her company for the June meeting of the Albert Lea Entrepreneur Advancement Program (ALEAP). It was there that I finally got to see the images I had captured of Daisy Blue Products in print, in their Spring/Summer Catalog! Here’s the link to view the catalog virtually. You’ll be able to see my images below so you know which ones are mine in the catalog.
My main objective capturing images for Jena was simple. I wanted to blow her away with some really great, lifestyle product photography. I made sure she knew I had a beautiful new home that would be perfect for staging some “real life” type of shots. Thankfully, she was game! I’m excited to see what kind of images we can create in the future with live models and put into action all sorts of other ideas we have.
Do you have a business that has product photography needs? Give me a call today and let’s chat about what Rebecca Lynne Photography could create for you to elevate your marketing materials and help them convey just how amazing your products are.
Enjoy!
Becca
Shay – 1 Year Old – Children’s Portrait Session
Hello my friends!
Today is a beautiful summer day here in Iowa. I’m thrilled to be sharing these photos with you today because this little lady just turned the BIG 1!!! She is a sweet, smart, expressive little girl who loves to go-go-go! This wood on my studio porch is actually from Shay’s great-grandpa’s barn! So that is pretty awesome and significant, if I do say so myself.
Her actual birthday was Wednesday, but the big bash is this weekend so I can’t wait to see all the fun pictures they post on Facebook. She really loved the cake they let her dig into Wed night so I’m thinking after a little practice she’ll be a pro at it come tomorrow!
Enjoy!
Becca
10 Tips for a Fabulous Senior Portrait Session
Have you booked your portrait session for your Senior Pictures? I’d love to have you call my studio and inquire about our services. This is the time to book your session. July and August are almost full and you don’t want to be stuck doing them once school starts in the fall, that’s just asking for a headache when it comes to schedule conflicts.
I’ve put together my top 5 tips to get you prepared for a successful portrait experience that leaves everyone, even mom, feeling good at the end of the day. Read on!
- Check out all your options
You think I’d just say, call me, fall in love, be done! LOL! Well, that’s all fine and dandy, as long as you’re a very go with the flow kind of person… but if you haven’t researched the options, you won’t have any point of reference to judge quality, service and price. Is quality important to you? If the answer is a resounding yes, then choose a professional photographer, someone who has been in the business for a while and you’ve heard delivers a great product. Service is huge too! There are amazing photographers out there, delivering high quality photos at high and low prices, but if they’re so overbooked (because they’re cheap) or so high and mighty (because they’re so ridiculously expensive) then they are not going to treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Finding someone in the middle ground who is going to appreciate your business and work hard to please you, that’s who you’ll want to hire. - Find the person you feel comfortable with
As soon as you get on the phone… and PLEASE, get on the phone with your photographer… you’ll know if this is a person you and your child will “click” with. The personality of your photographer is going to make or break the outcome of the session (AKA the beautiful portraits you hope to hang on your wall). Don’t sacrifice price for someone who takes forever to get back to your or seems annoyed by your questions. Having someone who is cheerful and patient is going to result in images with genuine expressions and natural poses. - Ask the right questions
Instead of asking “How much is this going to cost?” instead ask, “What will I get for my investment?” You might be able to spend $500 at two different places and you would be amazed at the difference in the quanitity and quality of what you’ll be walking away with at the end - Choose outfits with care
It used to be that there were “rules” about what to wear. Dark colors, solids, no prints, v-neck & long sleeves. Now days those rules are blown out of the water. Yes, if you follow those guidelines you’ll be able to get a nice, classic, simple portrait that focuses on your beautiful face… but life is so much more interesting and colorful than all that. So I always recommend one “classic” outfit and then ANYTHING GOES for the rest. Keep in mind, you’ll want to pick items that fit well, that flow over your body and don’t cling to areas you’re not wanting to showcase. Also, if you wear a print, just make sure it’s a flattering proportion to your body and if it’s paired with other items, let those be more simple so they don’t compete. - Communicate with your photographer
My favorite part about almost everyone having a smart phone with a camera is that they are able to text me pictures of the outfits they’ve chosen and I can spend a day or two thinking about their upcoming session and where I might want to take them if we are going on-location. I also love when moms send me pictures they have of their older children that they want to capture something similar to, to complement the wall arrangement. Waiting to announce something like that at your ordering appointment isn’t a good idea, best to be proactive and that way your photographer can make sure they capture it, versus trying to find something that “fits” later.
Well, there you have it! My Top 5 Tips!
I’m super excited for all the upcoming senior portrait sessions this year. I hold off on doing them until after July 1st if possible, which most photographers would tell me I’m crazy, not to take advantage of June, but I just feel it’s too early! I think kids need a little break after school ends, and the mosquitoes get horrendous around here. We spray for them, but all those great places to get photographed, in the long grass or just off the beaten path will still be bad. And what about the June winds and rains? That’s just asking for rescheduling headaches. So I, along with my high school seniors take a break. I connect with my kids, take them to the park and the pool and just enjoy being with them. I hope you’ve been doing the same this month!
Enjoy,
Becca
Jake : Senior Portrait Session
I had two boys I photographed for senior portraits named Jacob within two weeks of each other so I was doing my best to keep them straight. LOL! Luckily one went by Jacob, and I shared his pictures a little while back on the blog. And I actually wrote a post about Jake’s session already, but the power went out that day right as I was finishing it! Ugh! Usually my blog’s autosave feature keeps me from losing too much of my work, but I must have just written it so fast, it didn’t have time to save it. 🙂
Sooooo… we got into the holidays, and trying to get people’s Christmas Cards and holiday orders to them in time and poor Jake here never got shared! 😦
I’m thinking his mom and dad will be pretty happy to see this blog post as I know how excited they were for their son’s senior portrait session. He’s their only child so it’s even more sentimental, since you know as a parent, you’re not going to get to experience this moment again.
Jake’s really into sports! Baseball and basketball in particular! He’s REALLY good at both and is going to SDSU on a baseball scholarship! Isn’t that awesome!? I’m thrilled because that’s where my younger brother and a couple of my younger cousins went and I know it’s a GREAT school! Hopefully he loves it.
We did some indoor and some on-location sports portraits so they could have a variety to choose from. My favorites are always the on-location. It just adds such a great element of realism to the image.
The hardest part of Jake’s sessions was scheduling them (oh, yeah, I forgot to mention we did two of them so we would have plenty of time to do the studio lighting in the gym and not overwhelm Jake taking so many on one day)… with all the sports games and practices, and mom & dad’s busy schedules… it wasn’t easy, but we made it work!
The easy part was Jake’s great attitude. He was attentive and generous with his smiles and he’s just so darn genuine that it shows through on his images.
Well, everyone, better get rolling! Have a great weekend! Hope your 2016 is off to a fantastic start!
Enjoy,
Rebecca
Little Abel : Newborn Portraits
As I wrap up 2015 I’m pleased to share this little hunk of sweet baby goodness with you. Isn’t he such a stud? I love his eyes!!! And all that hair!?
**Swoon**
His big sister was one of my past baby portrait clients so I was so happy to get this wonderful family back in the studio again.
Needless to say, it was a bit of a challenge to get big sister to sit still… at 3 years old, it’s just hard to behave sometimes! We just rolled with it and got some AMAZING family portraits and just a couple of the baby and older sister Eve together, that’s all their parents really wanted anyway. No need to push them too hard at that age so they might dread the thought of portraits in the future. Best to keep it easy and fun.
Abel wasn’t too sleepy, but he was content to just lay and gaze at me contently with those big, beautiful eyes of his. I did finally succeed in getting a few of him sleeping and those are just so angelic.
What do you think? Leave a comment below to let me know!
Happy New Year!
Love, Rebecca
The Johnson Family Portraits : Albert Lea, MN Photographer
Happy Friday Everyone! I’m sad to see the beautiful fall foliage disappear off the trees, but today I get to re-live some of that amazing fall weather we were having a couple weeks ago. This family has been customers of mine for a while now and this year they decided to update their professional family portrait I had taken for them back when they’d first discovered me.
They are amazing and helped me find a great location to do their family portrait in the town where they live. I always like to take that responsibility on my shoulders, because my clients who are busy moms & dads don’t need one more thing on their to-do list. But, in the fall, every day the leaves are changing and what might have looked great Friday morning is a brown, bare tree come Saturday afternoon. Right?!
I love the outfits the Johnson family chose to wear. They just coordinate so well. I love jewel-tones and the rich peacock blue color just harmonizes so pleasantly with the rusty reds and golden tones of the leaves.
I am excited to meet with them and find out which ones they decide to use as wall art to decorate their lovely home. I know she’s used this color throughout her home-decor so the images are going to tie into that so nicely.
If you ever need help planning clothing for your session, I’d love to assist you so you can have portraits that truely become part of your home decor just like the Johnson family.
Enjoy!
Becca
P.S. These are going to make some AMAZING holiday greeting cards!!!
The Acton Family : Extended Family Photo Session
This on-location family session was just down the road from my studio! It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and everyone had gathered for a little celebration.
The two sisters were going to be together with their husbands, grown children and all their spouses and grandchildren, so it just struck them as the perfect opportunity to get a family portrait captured.
Once your kids have grown and married we all know how hard it is to get everyone back together at the same time. I was so glad they decided to give me a call, and though it was a little short-notice, we were in luck and it just so happened to work out for me as well.
Normally though, if you want to schedule for a specific date, especially a weekend, it’s good to call at least a six weeks in advance.
We did lots of fun combinations of the smaller family groups and then the whole big clan. By the time we got done, the kids were really tired and ready for their naps. I have to admit, I was ready for one too!
Enjoy!
Rebecca
Joey : High School Senior Portraits : Mason City Iowa
Today I’m sharing images from a recent photo shoot for a high school senior. This good-looking guy is a stepbrother to a girl I photographed a little earlier in the summer. I was thrilled when we were wrapping up her session and her mom said she’d like to book her stepson’s portraits since his mom hadn’t arranged anything yet because they just had so much fun themselves.
Secretly, I wondered how the mood of the session would be when I found out both moms would be there… and it turned out we didn’t just have both moms, but also his sister and his girlfriend! Quite the entourage!
I was so happy to see how well his mom and his step-mom got along and the whole time we were laughing and the girls were teasing Joey. Everyone really had a fun experience. Even Joey! (Although I did kick them out of the camera room at first when they were all watching him like hawks over my shoulders, poor guy!) I’ve gotta say I’m very impressed with how well Joey handled all the women he was surrounded with that day. He’s definitely a great guy.
Looking at these photographs brings back so many awesome memories of that day, the beautiful weather, and the fun we shared.
Thanks for choosing Rebecca Lynne Photography!
Enjoy!
Becca
The Ebbings : Sioux Falls Area Family Portrait Photography
I’m excited to share some beautiful images from the Ebbing family’s portrait session. I recently had to head out to Sioux Falls to photograph my husband’s cousin’s son who is going to be a senior. They have a neighbor that had me take family portraits quite often when I’ve been out there in past years. When I sent her a message to say I’d be out there again, she was happy to take advantage of the opportunity to have me capture their family once again.
It’s been a few years since our last session.
Here’s a throwback portrait for you… aren’t they cute??!
Now, their youngest daughter isn’t a baby anymore! Both of their girls are so lovely, and it almost feels like I’m visiting relatives when I take their pictures too, because I’ve known and photographed them for so long.
I was just giddy with excitement when I sent the email to share the gallery of images with their mom, and I got this lovely email in return this morning…
“I love the pictures! I realized I was showing coworkers and friends and I never let you know that they turned out great. The pictures of Allison with Mike & Anna with me are amazing.
Thank you!”
I love getting those messages in my inbox on Monday morning. Such a perfect way to start the week!
Enjoy!
Rebecca
Chloe – Mason City High School – Senior Portraits
Here’s another session I had scheduled for the day it rained. Chloe was also a great sport about trying to do a few outside that day, but she had a lot more outfits and had booked a session that included on-location photography. She had some specific locations in mind we were excited about that just wouldn’t work in the rain. She also planned on wearing her ballet leotard and ballet slippers and we did not want to ruin those in the muddy puddles!
So, what’s a girl to do? We rescheduled some of the outfits for the next day I had available AND that the weather forecast was promising a beautiful day.
We struck gold! Not only did the in-studio shots turn out amazing, but we were able to do the outdoor on-location portraits in a town I never go to with Seniors because it’s usually a bit too far away to stick within the time frame I normally have allotted for the sessions… but since we were able to schedule it separate, it worked wonderfully. I was very inspired and my creativity just took flight. I love these images and have already heard from Chloe that she does too.
Hope your Thursday is great!
Enjoy!
Becca
Jacob : Mason City High School Senior Portraits
I’m bringing you some images today from a photo session I did in the rain. That’s right! I did a full indoor and outdoor studio session in the rain. And I’m not just talking about a mist!
Most high school senior guys aren’t really big into the whole “portrait experience”. I make it as enjoyable as I can, but if the weather isn’t cooperating that day … the idea of doing the indoor studio shots and then needing to come back another day for the outdoor portraits, just isn’t appealing to them. It’s especially hard this time of year now that school is in session, sports practices/games are in full force, and there’s only so much time in the day.
I appreciated the fact that Jacob and his mom were so laid back and relaxed about it all. His mom just enjoyed herself, hanging out in the lobby/gallery area of my studio while I photographed Jacob in the camera room and when that part was finished it was still raining but not down-pouring so I suggested trying to do some outdoor shots.
They both were on board so I grabbed my umbrella for Jacob and found the outdoor spots around the studio where he’d be able to stand and not have the rain falling on him.
If you have your settings with a shallow enough depth of field and you provide cover so your lens doesn’t get water drops on it then you can take beautiful portraits like these, even in the rain.
Sure, I got a little wet, but it was worth it to give Jacob and his mom the best experience I could and got one more item totally crossed off their to-do list.
Here’s a few of my favorites from that day.
Enjoy,
Rebecca
Katie : Northwood – Kensett High School Senior Portraits
Hi there! Wow! Where did August go?! I can’t believe it’s September, my older son is in school and the thought of decorating with pumpkins is starting to creep into the edges of my mind. I just have to say, I LOVE fall! The cooler weather, beautiful colors, and more structured schedules make life more enjoyable for this country girl! I am heading out to Sioux Falls for a couple photo shoots this weekend for past customers and I am wishing the weather was a little more fallish and not so summer-y (is that a word? LOL. Probably not.) today. It’s going to be roasty toasty warm from the sounds of it.
I have a new senior to share with you today, she is a stunner and totally down to earth and funny. I just had a blast with her and her best friend while we captured these great senior portraits for her. She just so happens to be another younger sibling to a senior guy I photographed a few years back. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I love my repeat customers! Loyal to the core! 🙂
It was quite the session, about everything that could go wrong, did… somehow we managed to get locked out of the car a couple miles down the road from the studio… but luckily her mom had decided to stay back in the studio lobby and work on paperwork she had to do and so she was able to bring my van to come pick us up. Then, we went over to their farm to take some portraits with her horse and what does the horse choose to do? Whips his head and smacks poor Katie right in the mouth, splitting her bottom lip and so that was the end of his photos! Bad boy!
But, we knew with mine and Katie’s schedules, finding time to re-shoot wasn’t a great option and the weather was perfect, so we pushed on quickly, before her lip got puffy. I am in LOVE with the portraits we captured on the farm. So many pinterest worthy images, if I do say so myself!
Katie, thanks for being such a great sport! I appreciate your good-natured attitude through it all!
Enjoy!
McNaughton Family : Professional Family Portraits
Hello again!
I’m excited to share a few great images from my most recent session with you. They are of the McNaughton family who has done several sessions with me over the last few years and it’s extra special because they come all the way from the Washington D.C. area! They are just THAT loyal! … Oh, and her parents live about an hour from my studio so they stop by there for a visit since they’re in the area. 😉
This time around, we have the little guy who is 2 years old, almost 3… and little miss who is 5 years old now. I laughed when I was taking these because for her 2 year old portraits, she was “challenging” my photo taking skills and her brother tried to follow suit, but in both cases I worked my magic and captured some of the family’s favorite portraits.
Carys now, after 5 years of working with me was amazing! Last session I was so impressed by her willing and eager attitude, but this time she just blew me away. I think she’s taken up watching America’s Next Top Model, judging from some of the poses this girl was giving me! Love her so!
Here’s a sampling of a few of my favorites. I really love the outdoor ones of Carys with the flowers and the family ones turned out great too!
Enjoy!
Rebecca
Jenni : Mason City High School Senior Portraits
I love welcoming old friends back to the studio. Jenni visited in 2011 when her brother, Taylor was getting his senior portraits taken. Here’s a cute picture of them together back in 2011… #tbt 
Well, since then, Jenni sure has grown up and is a gorgeous young lady who is very athletic like her older brother and very much interested in sports.
We actually did two full sessions in one day to capture all her cheerleading, track and softball images as well as all the more classic looks. She picked a wonderful variety of outfits so I felt like she opened a door for me and all my creativity just started flooding out.
I’m in love with these images. I had such a hard time narrowing it down but luckily since we did two sessions, I get to show twice as many for their proofs! LOL! Now they are faced with the hard part, choosing! (Yikes!)
But that reminds me to mention…. One of the best parts about choosing my studio is that I am there for my customers, every step of the way, with an amazing ordering experience where we work together, in my studio with their images and lots of samples and I’m able to show them different creative ideas for displaying their favorite images with my state of the art ordering software. It’s so great, why don’t you call and book your session today and see what it’s all about?! 507-383-2344
🙂
Enjoy!
Rebecca
The Carlson Family : Austin, MN : Family Portraits
This is one of my most loyal customers, and I have grown to love her and her children dearly! (Her hubs is pretty great too!) 😉
I’m always in for a treat when she calls to book her session… we’ve photographed her kids with baby chicks, and balloons, and their favorite things… well, this time we did an update of their favorite things and … wait for it… (pause for effect)… Fainting Goats!!! How fun is that???
Check out all these great pictures. Taking the time to plan something with your photographer that is unique to your family makes for much more meaningful family portraits = better memories!
Enjoy,
Rebecca
Rachel : Senior Portraits : Clear Lake High School
A lot of photographers who focus on high school seniors tend to ignore the guy side of the market and focus mostly on the teenage girls, knowing they are usually much more invested in the process than their male counterparts. I would have to agree on this statement, as a general rule, although I’ve had some really great guys walk in my studio that had some great ideas and were really wanting to do what they could to make their portraits amazing.
Well, I love photographing both the girls and the guys in the high school senior market because with the guys, most of the time, it’s really about bonding with and marketing to their moms… and their younger siblings! This summer has been filled with younger sisters of boys I photographed two, three, or four years ago. The moms just loved me so much and the girls… well, I’m just guessing they’re thinking… “Heck! If she can make MY BROTHER look THAT GOOD, think of what she can do with ME!” 😉
I guess that’s for you to decide… what do you think of gorgeous, natural, Rachel? She has such flawless skin, with the cutest freckles and strawberry blonde hair. I barely touched these images. She needed no blemishes retouched, whatsoever. Gotta love that!
We have some beautiful, classic images, but we also captured some really fun ones in her softball and volleyball uniforms in the studio. Rachel is hilarious and she kept me laughing throughout the session.
Enjoy!
Becca
Holm Family Portrait Session : Extended Family
Wow! What a blessing this summer has been. I’ve been booked solid and loving all the great customers, new and returning, that have been walking through the studio door lately. This great family I’m featuring today is one of my new ones and they look amazing, don’t they?
I traveled about 45 minutes to their home, on a Sunday afternoon, to capture their portraits. I usually don’t book many Sunday sessions, but sometimes you need to make an exception when it comes to larger, extended family portraits. It’s often the only day you can get everyone together.
So we got a GREAT family portrait with their home in the background and then some of just mom & dad (grandma & grandpa) and then each of their grown children with their families. Of course, we did lots of fun shots and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves even though it was a HOT day! 🙂
Enjoy this sneak peek!
Becca
Rebecca Lynne Photography : Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota's Best Photographer! 