Ginger Murray ~ Photography and Life:)

Facebook Page

2011-03-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

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I don't update this blog too often as many of you know...:)
So come join me on Facebook to see more of my recent work!!
It's an easier place for me to upload images, at least for the time being!

Click here to come check it out! ---> http://www.facebook.com/gingermurrayphotog

Make sure to hit the "Like" button at the top, if you feel inclined to do so!
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Courtney & Dan's Wedding / Minneapolis St. Paul MN Wedding Photographer : Ginger Murray

2010-09-24T19:52:00.001-07:00

Hi all!

I received a message that someone was worried since I hadn't posted in so long... I swear I'm still here! It's just the busy season:) As a lot of you are aware, I'm not the best blogger, haha:) I wish I was! I'm more active on facebook, and I do post some photos there from time to time, but I do neglect this blog... especially during the insanity of wedding season!

So here are some photos for you... Enjoy this happy couple!
Also, this wedding will be published in Minnesota Bride's next Spring/Summer wedding... I am not sharing all of the details, since I want some of the images to be saved for the magazine (even though we're not required to do that;)).

Courtney and Dan got married at St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel in St. Paul, Minnesota.

It was a rainy day, for most of the day, but cleared up later!

I tried to fit them all onto a step first, and they didn't all fit, so I just had them make awkward faces instead, haha... (Don't worry, they're good friends, so they could handle it;)).

There... that's better...

She's enjoying herself, despite the rain:)

The reception was held at Prestwick Golf Club.

Toasting his bride:

They fake dropped her... too funny:)

Wedding teaser. Ross and Breanna

2010-07-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

A quick pic of a lovely day and couple....
More, later;)

Cute wedding shoes...

2010-07-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I love Anthropologie... Love love love.
Love, love.

I wish I had a reason to purchase THESE shoes.
Just like the title of the shoes (Wedding March Skimmers), I feel like they would be super cute wedding shoes, with the right dress.

David & Erin: Engaged. ( Engagement Photos Minnesota )

2010-07-15T16:44:00.001-07:00

Erin and David met while going to school at St. John's and St. Benedict's in Collegeville, Minnesota. It only seemed appropriate to do their engagement session there! We drove up together, and it was only my 2nd time on campus, but first time exploring the campus. All I can say is WOW and GORGEOUS. I loved the history, the architecture, and the variety of places to shoot. The campus was very empty, giving us lots of space to shoot. We even shot on the edge of the monastic gardens... talk about a beautiful, romantic (in a holy way, of course), and peaceful spot. What a truly lovely place.

Erin and David are sweet together, and it is quite obvious to me that they are meant for each other. I can't wait until their wedding day in October!

Here are just a few pics from our session (And don't miss a couple more pics from a few days ago, on a previous post).

Erin said that there was this funny ad in a St. John's/ St. Ben's school brochure that they always joked about, but was kind of a fun idea... so they decided to do something similar themselves.

Braving the cold water...
Want to know how they got out there without getting soaked...? Only we will know;)

4 Years Together....

2010-07-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Today, Aaron and I have been married for 4 YEARS....

It seems crazy to say! Just yesterday, it seems like we were celebrating our 1 year anniversary. Although, I will say, that it does seem like a long time ago that we were engaged, or dating (when I was in college)...
Time is a weird thing...

I am thankful for four amazing, sometimes difficult, almost always awesome years with my husband (those of you who are married know-- it can be a lot of work, but SO worth it!).

This year we celebrated at our favorite Bed and Breakfast-- The Rivertown Inn in Stillwater. Anyone who says, "I'm not really a Bed and Breakfast person," has not been to the Rivertown Inn. We've been there three times, and cannot wait to go back again.

Along with staying there being a treat in itself (the rooms are amazing, the hosts are wonderful, the social hour rocks, and the 4 course breakfast is AWESOME), we also went out to eat two nights, watched DVDs together, went golfing, drank yummy drinks, walked along the St. Croix at night, and saw a matinee -- Karate Kid (such a feel good movie! Loved it.). It was a really great 2 1/2 day celebration... I can't wait to do it again next year! Well, not all the exact same stuff, although I'd be happy with that... I love any chance to spend time with my husband.

Before and After...

2010-07-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't done one of these Before and After posts in awhile! And I think they're pretty fun.

BEFORE Editing::::

AFTER Editing::::

Side by side::::

I'll show you more from this session soon;)

Getting back into it...

2010-07-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

YES, I know, once again, it has been a long time since I've blogged photos!

Here's how it works... It is usually an expectation I have of myself...to post at least once a week, or to post every session that I shoot... (which may or may not be silly). I WANT to blog more... I truly do. In fact, I really enjoy blogging. I used to have another personal blog, before I was a photographer. I go back and read it sometimes, and I think some of it was actually pretty funny. (No, I won't post that blog link here:)). Usually, I get so far behind in posting the photos, that I think I need to blog everything that I've missed, which gets entirely overwhelming. I think I just need to start blogging... from here on forward... instead of worrying too much about what I've missed in the past (not that I wouldn't love to share those photos). Sometimes life happens-- as we all know!

So in the next couple of days, look for a few photos from a more recent shoot. :)

Here's a teaser! The lovely, Erin and David:

Minnesota Summer 2010 Intern Wanted - Wedding Photography / Business

2010-06-01T18:39:00.001-07:00

Hi all!

I am looking for those who are interested in a summer internship with me.
For the next week, I'll be gathering names of those who are initially interested,
and I will then mail the deets (...details). I should be choosing an intern from
the applicants next Wednesday or Thursday.

If you are interested in finding out more details and get your name on the list,
shoot me an email!

ginger@gingermurrayphotography.com

I'm a blessed girl.

2010-05-25T15:11:00.002-07:00

Not only do I get to be married to an amazing and wonderful man, but I get to look at this pretty bling on my finger that reminds me of that! Thought I'd snap a close up of it since I haven't done so since he proposed like 5 years back! We will have been married for 4 years this coming July.:)

An engagement/wedding band really is something quite special.

Rachel & Butchy::: Getting Married Saturday!!

2010-03-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

These two are getting married just outside Minneapolis on Saturday. I know this is going to be a unique and amazing wedding, and I am so thrilled to be their wedding photographer! SO thrilled. Rachel and Butchy are such beautifully genuine people and are going to have a beautiful marriage, as well.

Can't wait! It's also the first wedding of the year! Next up, two weddings in April:) I can't wait until Spring comes. The weather has been pretty nice the past few weeks. I'm thinking it will snow at least one more time before Spring is official (not official by calendar date, but officially official based on weather), but I can't be sure, of course. No snow is in the forecast for this weekend at this time, so I'm pumped about that!

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Engaged! Anna + Rob

2010-02-12T13:24:00.000-08:00

Anna and I went to high school together, but did not necessarily know each other. She was the grade below me, but I knew of her, because we had a lot of mutual friends, her dad was the band director (and I was in orchestra) and her sister was 2 grades ahead of me and in all of the musicals. It was only obvious that Anna would end up with someone who was musically inclined:) Rob and Anna met at St. Olaf college, in Minnesota (which is well known for it's music program -- it was in my top choices for colleges-- beautiful campus, too!). I can't wait to shoot their wedding there in August! It's going to be gorgeous. And they're having some of my favorite people do music... including my old high school orchestra conductor, Mr. Halstenson... (Both my husband and I had him, we play in the community orchestra he conducts when our schedules allow, and he also played and arranged a piece for our wedding!).

Anna majored in English/Education and is now teaching English and Theater in Iowa. Rob majored in Music and is currently getting his Masters in Opera/Musical Theater in Illinois (so they're apart at the moment, but try to get together as often as possible). Rob proposed to Anna ON STAGE after one of the plays he performed in. Um, can you say FREAKIN' ROMANTIC!??? So, it was only logical that we did their engagement portrait session at The Guthrie Theater in Downtown Minneapolis! We also headed outdoors afterward to get some fun wintery shots with Minneapolis in the background.

"Wow.... look at that couple making out over there!"

Snow in her shoe! What a gentleman:)

Good luck with the rest of the school year, Anna & Rob-- I know it's hard being apart, but so very soon you'll be together! I can't WAIT for your wedding day! I'm sure you can't either.:)

Up for Showit Photographer of the Year

2010-02-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

Showit is a company that creates a software that allows photographers (or whoever, but was made for photographers, in particular) to have a completely customizable website. It allows me the freedom to update my site however I want to, when I want to, and I can do it with ease.

I worked with Michael at Myntd to design my site, and it's SO me... I love it!
If you haven't checked out my website yet, please do! I think it can give any viewers a good feel as to who I am as a photographer, and as a person!
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http://gingermurrayphotography.com

I found out this week that I was voted into the top 25 finalists of the Showit Photographer of the Year contest.

("best and coolest" photographer who uses Showit to showcase his/her skills.)

I'm not begging for your vote, but if you want to vote, and check out the other nominations, go here (have to be a part of facebook) :
http://apps.facebook.com/opinionpolls/poll.php?ppid=1265229298&_fb_q=1

I have not cast my vote just yet... I am determined to check out all of the other photographers' sites-- they have put such hard work into them, so I want to make sure to check them all out! It's such honor to be nominated (as cheesy as that sounds), and to be nominated with such a fabulous group of other photographers. I have met a few of them, and I know of many of them. Those who I have not met yet, I hope I do at some point!

Minnesota Bride Spring/Summer 2010

2010-02-09T11:40:00.001-08:00

Minnesota Bride is one of my favorite wedding magazines. The thick, glossy pages, the fashion section that features some pretty photography, and specific advice for Minnesota brides.

I finally had to go get a copy of the Spring/Summer 2010 publication. It was super fun to see my first wedding magazine publication. Really pretty cool. It's an honor to be a published wedding photographer. :) As if my job weren't awesome enough already!

Kathy and Tony's wedding is featured in the Real Weddings section. Pick up a copy today at Minnesota Barnes and Noble, Borders, Target, or Cub Foods, to name a few locations. You can also read about it on the Minnesota Bride website. Click HERE to go check it out.

(But the photos are prettier in print;)).

I miss you, sunshine!

2010-02-05T00:22:00.000-08:00

February has arrived and it is technically the beginning of the 3rd month of wintertime in Minnesota. Sure, snow is great for when you have time to play in it on the weekends, and when it looks all lovely after a fresh snowfall... but after a few months, snow gets annoying... And I miss the sunshine! Not that the sun doesn't come out during the winter, but it's definitely not the warm sunshine we Minnesotas love in late Spring, Summer, and early Fall.

I needed an updated Facebook photo (the one I had up was from summer), so I snapped a quick pic outside in the snowfall while wearing one of my favorite chunky sweaters. (One of the things I do love about winter... sweaters!)

I do like the overall pretty-ness of the snow. Don't get my wrong... the blue tones in the background of the photo give the photo an overall cool (no pun intended) feel. (Not like "Cool" as in I'M cool. Cool as in A "chilled vibe.")

A few photos of sunshine to remind us of the warmer times...

In a month I will be headed to Las Vegas for a photography conference, which will be awesome in itself, but I honestly can't wait to feel the warm sunshine for a week!

Another way to help :::

2010-01-13T12:21:00.001-08:00

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Another easy way to help save lives::: Text HAITI to 90999 and $10 will go to Red Cross ($10 will post on your cell phone bill).

Haiti needs us.... they need YOU.

2010-01-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

I am so saddened to hear the news of devastation in Haiti as a result of the earthquake. I spent over an hour looking at the different options for donating money to support the relief efforts-- I didn't know which organization could help the most... and then I heard on the radio that they needed medical assistance more than anything... and they needed it "NOW."

The Red Cross website says,
“As with most earthquakes, we expect to see immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support.”

Remember that even the smallest amount can help... it's hard to imagine that even $5 could help save a life... but it could. Even before the earthquake, 73% of Haitians do not have access to uncontaminated drinking water, and I can imagine getting access now is almost impossible with the roads filled with rubble, and people dealing with injuries. And, most of these people are not trained in even basic medical assistance... so we need to help them immediately...

My friend Anders mentions that they will also need donated blood.

I encourage you to donate blood and/or to one of the listed organizations here, as soon as possible-- and encourage others to do the same!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34835478/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/?ns=world_news-americas

(If you are not sure which one to give to, the American Red Cross is a good one. http://www.redcross.org/ (Red button on top right-- "DONATE NOW.")

A photographer over there, Daniel Morel, is documenting exactly why they need our help....

NEW WEBSITE!!! :)

2010-01-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to announce that my NEW WEBSITE is completed!!!!

Take a looksie;)
http://gingermurrayphotography.com

Giggle

2010-01-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

Rachel and Butchy are getting married in March, so they needed to get their invites started this weekend. I edited up just a few of the images from their session so they could choose one to send with the invite. I selected a variety of poses, and I put this goofy one in too... in case they wanted to go the cute and silly route. This makes me giggle. They are way too cute and have far too much fun together!

Minneapolis St. Paul Weddings::: The Bridal Party

2010-01-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

I will be at the Bridal Party wedding fair this coming Sunday at the Minneapolis Depot. The show starts at 10:30 - 4pm. Come say hello!

Click HERE to go to MSP's website for more info.

Short-Term, Personal Goals

2010-01-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

Setting goals for oneself is an interesting thing to do.

Why do we set goals?
So that we can achieve them.

But the reasons for achieving each goal is sometimes different.

It is good to set goals that are reachable. It is good to set goals that have steps (if it's a complicated goal).It is good to set goals, period.

Goal setting has made me a better person... stronger, more confident, more successful in life...

I'd like to share with you my personal goals for January through March!
(Because while I'd love to set lots of goals for this year... let's be honest, most people, including myself, might put those goals off, OR, time would just fly by, and all of a sudden it's New Year's Eve 2010, and I'd realize, "Wow, I didn't achieve those goals!)

Goals for January 7th through March 31st (in no particular order) :

1) Get back on a normal sleep schedule.
Now, this is a toughie for me. Because I am now in the off-season, my schedule is super messed up. I have a busy brain in the evening, and a difficult time waking up in the morning -- this is how it's always been with me. So, I always try to use coping strategies. However, these coping strategies become less effective when I have nothing important to get up for! All I have to do, most mornings, is get up, and go into the next room to my computer. Days that i have something going on (like say, a wedding!), I have no trouble getting up... because when I wake up, my brain is stimulated and thinking about the day, and that i have to be there at a certain time. Also, Aaron can help wake me up. And, on wedding days, Steph and I usually text each other to make sure we're both up. And I set lots of alarms. But, on weekdays, I have nowhere I need to be early in the AM. And so as it goes, I go to bed early in the AM, and wake up 8 hours later. SO, I'm always getting enough sleep, but it's not on a "normal" schedule. Now, don't think I haven't tried to fix this... Oh, I have. Trust me. Anything you name, I've tried it(I have had very off schedules off and on for 2 1/2 years). But, I feel that actually having a goal might be a motivation that my brain needs in the AM to click on, and in the PM to force myself to wind down. So, that's goal #1. And by this, I mean, going to bed by 2am, and waking up by 10:30am. Of course I'd like to even adjust that schedule, but I think that's where I'll start.

2) Schedule a Lasik exam.
This scares the poo out of me, but that's exactly why I need to do it. My contacts have been driving me nuts for over a year(yes, I have tried different contacts), and I'm sick of worrying about contacts, or having to wear my glasses because my eyes are too tired for contacts. And, this might sound funny, but I feel like on the days that I don't have anywhere to be and still want to get up at a decent hour, actually being able to SEE the alarm clock and be aware of what time it is when I hit my snooze button might help me reach goal #1. (Seriously.)

3) Workout at the gym every 10 days.
Sounds like I could to better, right? Well, I'm starting with this goal. I still do some exercises at home, too. But once this is consistent, I will set it to a higher frequency.

4) Create one new recipe every 10 days.
This is something I've wanted to do for awhile... and I feel like a bad wife sometimes, because I am so busy working, so I make some weak sauce food. My husband is not picky, which is great. However, I want to be able to have lots of recipes under my belt so that we can have more variety, so that I can be more confident in the kitchen, and so I can create different things for guests, as well!

That's what I got for now... I'll keep you updated on how this goes;)

2009 Weddings::: A Good Year

2009-12-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone!

I am SO excited for 2010... I have big plans for business, and for my personal life! (No, [insert names of people
who always think I am referring to pregnancy]... we are not planning on having a baby! You just be patient! :))
I just mean different personal goals and such. I'll share them in another post, perhaps.

But before we move onto 2010, let's take a look back at 2009... it was a fantastic year.
I had the honor of photographing 24 AWESOME couples' weddings.

Here are their pretty (and handsome) faces...

Funny faces.

2009-12-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

Things are going better than when I had my bad day! :)

I thought to lighten the mood, I would post a few photos of cute and funny faces.

My cousin Laura's little boy...(She has three kids). We just told him to smile, and he did this, and said, "Cheeeeeeese!"

My cousin Katie's little boy (She has two kids).
I think his dad mentioned that he'd get a treat if he was good during the photos...

Yeah, that's how I feel about treats too!! :)

My friend Leah and her cute little family. This photo just cracks me up!!!

Oh Photos, how you brighten my day:)

Just a no good day.

2009-12-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

I am having one of those really not so greaet days. So not great that I see I just spelled "great" like I just did.

Nothing is going according to planned!

Sometimes just looking at a pretty photo on my desktop helps a little, and reminds me that although things aren't going perfectly, taking photos is still what I love doing, and I am happy that I get to do that. This is the pic I currently have up. It's from Kelly & Ian's wedding that I shot back in September.

There is a lot of beauty in simplicity. Especially when my life is not being so simple at the moment! There can be beauty in chaos too, but as far as I know, no one ever said that simplicity makes you feel overwhelmed.

I don't know if that makes sense, but today isn't making a lot of sense.

A Great Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T15:17:00.001-08:00

It was such a great Thanksgiving.

All photos in this post were taken with my point and shoot, just FYI.
I wasn't "allowed" to take my big camera-- which really was for the best, ha;)

I slept the whole way up north, as I only got 45 minutes of sleep the night before-- I was trying to get so many things done!
Here was our view from our cabin when we arrived on Wednesday:

30 minutes later, I got a massage at the Grand View Lodge's spa... a gift from my parents-- it was SO NICE, and it was
a perfect way to start the mini vacation.

Aaron sat in a huge, but cozy and warm room reading the paper while I was getting my massage. I thought this corner was pretty...

View from our room when we got back:

The next morning, we had a wonderful breakfast, and tried not to eat too much, because at 1pm, we were scheduled to be seated for the huge
Thanksgiving meal!!! After breakfast, we came back and watched the Thanksgiving parade together, which I haven't actually done in years.

Then we headed to Thanksgiving meal!
It was a little walk from the cabin, but 'tis the season for cold weather!!

We not only had turkey, but basically, everything you could want at a Thanksgiving meal... it was a super pretty room
(big chalet-type building, with large fireplaces, and seasonal lighting), and the food was amaaaazing... they even had
shrimp and scallops, other sea food, tons of good cheeses, and of course all the traditional stuff. I loved it all,
but the mashed potatoes were pretty fantastic.

We went back to our room and of course took naps in the sunshine:

In the evening, we sipped wine and ate chocolates by the fire, and watched a re-run of The Office
(Jim and Pam's wedding:)). The next day was relaxing as well... it was really just a great time-- good food,
good relaxation, good company... and so much to be thankful for.
When we drove home, I was awake the whole time, because I finally felt rested! :)

Happy Thanksgiving! Things I'm Thankful For.

2009-11-25T02:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!!

I will be out of the office until Saturday, just FYI!

I love Thanksgiving... the food, the company, and the thankfulness.

A few things I am thankful for, in no particular order:
1. My clients, my job, and the fact that I have a job. I know it's a tough economy right
now. And I love my job... I am thankful for that too. And being able to use my gifts to serve others.
2. My home.
3. My health (even though I had the flu of sorts earlier this week).
4. My family... Aaron, immediate family, and extended family; and my family's health.
5. My friends.
6. Having enough food and water.

Pretty standard, right?

Here are a few less-standard things I am thankful for:
7. Lightroom (it helps me edit lots of photos at once, instead of having to do them individually in photoshop).
8. That my husband warms up the bed for me. I hate cold sheets, and he loves them... and so, this means we are perfect for each other.
9. Almonds... I have been eating them lately, and I really love them. And chocolate too, but that's a given. And coffee...
10. Pet meds. We found out that Sparty has always had hip problems, but he started taking a supplement
last week, and it will hopefully help him be in less pain (pain we did not know he was in).
11. Recent contact with long lost family. Pretty crazy.
12. My cozy sweatpants. Then again, that should be under the "standard" list.
13. Bath and Body Works' hand foam... it's a must have for a germaphobe.
I particularly like that Midnight Pomegranate doesn't give me a migraine.
14. That God loves me, even though I am such a mess sometimes!
15. A new desk that just came yesterday... I can't wait to have room to work.

Anne and Drew-- Getting Married Saturday!

2009-11-20T19:14:00.001-08:00

Hi all!

I have been busy, as usual, except for even moreso in the past 2 months than ever before. I am afraid I took on too much this fall! But, it is a learning experience none the less. I am already making a New Year's resolution to blog at least 1 time a week. I will reconfirm this after New Year's... but I really think I can do it, and you know what?? I WANT to. There are a couple blogs I read often, and Jasmine Star's is one of them. I realized that what I absolutely love about her blog other than the fact that I love her writing, she is a sweet person, and her photos are pretty to look at-- is that she updates so frequently. I absolutely love having something to read and look at on a regular basis. And while I would suck at being Jasmine Star, or anyone else for that matter, I want to do this for me, and for you-- because it will be fun, because I have so many photos I want to share that I am not posting because my time is squished to the max right now.... but I want it in my plans to be a more frequent blogger.

Like I said, I am crazy busy right now. Basically trying to catch up on all my fall weddings and portraits. But, for next year, I want my blog to have more of a priority. At the end of the wedding season, when I have all the weddings done, I'll do a post where I pick one or two faves from each wedding I did this year (24:)).

Here are some photos from a quickie engagement session I did for Anne and Drew. (Can we call them "ANNEDREW" when they get married? Maybe;)). They are getting married on Saturday!! This will be my last wedding of this year, and I know it will be wonderful. I've known them both since high school, but moreso Drew because we hung out in the same group of friends Sophomore and Junior year... He is such a good and funny guy-- I know he will make Anne very happy for all of their years. :)

Kara & Noah's Wedding: Five Faves

2009-11-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

A couple funnies:

Where am I?

2009-10-21T16:44:00.001-07:00

Apologies for my absence. As if that is any different than normal for blogging;)

The past 3 weeks have been the busy weeks in my career so far... shooting, editing, and all business related task-wise! Honestly, I don't even know where the past 12 weeks have gone!

That said, everything is going pretty well, and I can't complain that I have work. I feel very blessed.

I'll do my best in November to have at least a few updates!

October 12th... and it's snowing!?

2009-10-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Oh man... While Minnesota weather is always unpredictable, sometimes, it still surprises us! It is, indeed, snowing a significant amount today. The past few days have been SUPER cold-- especially as a photographer, and for my subjects! Julianna and Kyle tied the knot yesterday, and they knew that, while cold, we would still get fantastic shots outside with some of the fall colors. The bridal party and families all braved the brief bit of cold while we did our best to snap some quick photos-- photos I know they will absolutely love, and not ever regret going outside for!

From what I've read on Facebook status updates, most people are enjoying the bit of snow today. People are coping by purchasing specialty seasonal coffee drinks at our local coffee shops, lighting holiday scented candles, and keeping warm and snuggley with sweaters, sweatpants and sweatshirts (Side note: Writing those three words together makes me wonder why the creators of those words used the word "sweat" in all three... sure, they help us to stay warm, but "sweat" is a little gross! I mean, a "Sweater." Why couldn't we have called it a "warmer?" That's what it does for me-- makes me warmer!).

Here are a few photos from out my window earlier today:

As you can see, most of the leaves haven't even had a chance to change colors yet!

A snow this early is never expected to last... So I think that's one reason that Minnesotans aren't' complaining... yet, ha:)

Stay warm!
(I know my friends in other states are... you punks!)

Five Faves: Michael and Erin's Wedding

2009-09-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

"What if I posted only five favorite photos from each wedding," I thought. "Would I then blog more?"

So, I thought I'd try it... especially since there are so many weddings that I have not shared... not because I don't want to, but because of how busy I always am!

Five faves turned into 11 faves from Michael and Erin's wedding(I always have more than five faves, ha!)

Michael and Erin = Amazing. As individuals, and especially as a couple. I cannot wait to see them grow old together. Their love is so beautiful, and I can tell that they will have a TON of fun all throughout life. What a great thing to marry your best friend.

Also, I'd like to give a shout out to Lisa:

I met Lisa at Michael and Erin's wedding festivities. I knew of her, because she married John, who I went to high school with. John was one of the ushers for the wedding. When he introduced me to Lisa, he said, "She reads your blog." I was shocked and honored to have the wife of Anoka High School class of 2002's voted "Heart Throb" reading my blog!! ;)
Aren't they super lovely together?? Lisa, it was great to finally meet you-- you are awesome. And it is not just because your gorgeously awesome freckles (I am pretty partial, though!). You are well deserving of the title Mrs. Heartthrob. ;)

Do you read my blog, and haven't said hello yet? I would love to hear from you! Don't worry-- I won't think you're a stalker if we haven't met in person yet. I know that's a common thought about "Blog Stalking." I'm a blog stalker, and I leave comments, and I still wonder, "Is this person going to think I'm a weirdo!?" I definitely won't think you're weird at all. I'm the type of person who talks to strangers in the elevator. Yup! I'm THAT girl. The weird one.

NOW BOOKING for Christmas Card Sessions!!

2009-09-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

NOW BOOKING for Christmas Card Sessions!! :D

The sessions will be on Sunday, OCTOBER 4th.
Mini-photo sessions at a reduced portrait session price-- With each package, you receive 25 5x7 Christmas cards + envelopes to send to friends and family.

(Tax is already included in these packages)

*Package A ... $239
25 5x7 cards with envelopes (choose from different card designs)
8x12 Canvas of favorite image
CD of the images, with printing permission

*Package B... $209
25 5x7 cards with envelopes (choose from different card designs)
8x12 Canvas of favorite image

*Package C ... $189
25 5x7 cards with envelopes (choose from different card designs)
CD of the images, with printing permission

*Package D ... $145
25 5x7 cards with envelopes (choose from different card designs)
2 - 5x7 prints

There are a few SUPER GREAT 5x7 card templates this year. I can share them with you once you contact me!

Location is yet to be determined, but it will be in the Anoka and Hennepin County areas. I know, that's a big spread! Still trying to find the perfect location-- as if all places aren't pretty that time of year with the fall colors!!

Please contact me ASAP if you are interested, as the spots can fill up quickly.
Email: ginger@gingermurrayphotography.com
OR, Message me on Facebook

$10 of each session goes towards Operation Christmas Child.

Here are a few photos from the fall last year, and while these are photos of families and kids, of COURSE I can do just couples, too!!! Aaron and I are having our photo taken for Christmas cards this year. Just because you don't have kids yet, doesn't mean people don't want a Christmas card of you guys! And besides... I LOVE doing couple sessions.:

Cat Nap.

2009-09-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wish I could be Spartacus.... here he is, napping on the bench in my office, while I work.

I would like to take a cat nap right about now!

Aaron likes to joke and say to him, "Sparty, you need to start pulling your own weight
around here. There are dishes and laundry that need to be done, and you just lay around all day."

Do you see Sparty's black lips? He's an emo cat, haha:)

Edit:
I just took these photos of him yawning.

Children are cute.

2009-09-09T12:02:00.001-07:00

These little girls make me laugh SO HARD. These are a couple of my favorite videos.

CLICK HERE to see Sophia in one of her early videos:

A few years later, THIS VIDEO(<-click there) was made...Bella is the younger sister. I have SO many favorite parts to this video (This is my favorite vid!!).

And THIS VIDEO features Sophia again... more grown up, and so very creative.

A fun weekend.

2009-09-08T01:42:00.000-07:00

I had an AWESOME Labor Day Weekend. It was my only full weekend off until October 31st, so decided to plan something special... A getaway to the Red Wing area with a few surprises for Aaron...
Including this!:

More to come:)

Minnesota Bride: Kathy and Tony's Wedding

2009-08-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

I would like to announce that Kathy and Tony's wedding has been chosen to be published in Minnesota Bride! It will be on newsstands in January.

Minnesota Bride is my favorite wedding magazine, along with Martha Stewart Weddings.

If you are a Bride-to-Be I highly recommend picking up a copy of Minnesota Bride! They do such a fabulous job... a perfect mix of Minnesota decorative flare, fashion, and advice! I am HONORED that my photos will be in it!

Here is one of my faves, which will be published.

(I always love me some cool clouds!)

G.

A photo from the weekend...

2009-08-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick pic from Erin and Michael's Wedding, shot Saturday! Congrats to Erin and Michael-- HECK of a wedding celebration! More photos to follow in a few weeks.

On Friday, I ordered a HUGE canvas of this photo from Michael and Erin's engagement session last fall! I will be hanging it on my wall in my home, and will use it for any bridal shows I may be a part of in the future.

I also ordered a canvas of this photo from Noah and Kara's e-session:

Noah and Kara are actually getting married this Friday! I know it will be awesome.
Saturday is another day of love when Lorenzo and Laura tie the knot! Busy weekend, but I'm looking forward to it.

Out of Office-- Again!

2009-07-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone!

It's been such an irregularly scheduled past 2 months... I'm looking forward to August and beyond, because I feel like it will be more consistent. In the meantime, I'm headed out of town for the rest of the week(one last time before the BUSY season of 15 weddings in 3 months hits!!). I'll be back in the office on Monday/Tuesday.

Just got a new point and shoot camera, so I'll be testing it out-- yay! Will share pics from it later.
Here it is:

It's a Canon Powershot SD1200.

This is a secret, so don't tell anyone... The last two Point and Shoot cameras I've had were Nikon... but I shoot Canon for weddings... However, my first Nikon P&S was way more impressive than the 2nd one I had... so I thought I'd switch it up!
Just for reference, though... I'm not one of those "Canon is better than Nikon!!!" photographers... I know nothing about Nikon cameras, ha:) But i do have to say, I will miss shooting with my 5d Mark II up north this weekend! Thought it would be more safe when left home, however.

I wanted a green one, but they didn't have it... only crazy bright colors, which aren't so much my fave.

Random-- I really enjoy wearing dark purple lately.

Everyone have a fantastic weekend!

.

Volunteering

2009-07-21T23:15:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I was on call for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, and I got a call. Often times when a volunteer is on call, he/she doesn't get a call, but every so often we do. People sometimes say to me, "I don't know how you can do that... I would just cry the whole time." The truth is, sometimes I do cry later. During the actual session though, my main focus is to help the parents enjoy the photo session with their baby, and my goal is to get photos that they will love-- which is not difficult, because these are photos of their baby who will not make it, or has already passed... and these are the only photos they may ever have of their beautiful little one. Yes-- it is terribly sad, and it does effect me... but I really am in professional mode when photographing. It comes very natural for me, and because I CAN do it, I believe I SHOULD do it.
If you are interested in finding out more about the organization-- whether it be for support for a child you have lost, or to volunteer, please go to their website here:
http://nowilaymedowntosleep.com

I also volunteered today for 4H. Actually, I can't say that I volunteered, really-- they paid me, AND gave me lunch. I judged the Photography Enhancement and the Video entries of 4th through "13th" graders. It was a good learning experience for me. I loved talking to the kids and young people about their work. I was so impressed with some of them and what they knew. It's interesting, because there is always something new to learn about photography enhancement, and there is always new art to be created. I really enjoyed looking at some of the art that these individuals created.

During part of the judging, around 4:15, there was a HUGE storm that rolled through. A huge chunk of the people at the country fair piled into the 4H building to hide from the ridiculous down pour.
Here is part of the 4H building during the storm:

And here is the deserted street during the storm (You can't really see how hard the rain was really coming down... but on the tin roof of the 4H building it sounded like it was coming down 10x's as hard!)

(Pics taken with my camera phone, obviously;))

After the storm passed, I was able to have my dinner break, and I got a super yummy gyro.... and then of course I saw the Cheese Curds stand. MMM! So of couse I had to have some of those. And no, I did not, and could not, finish them. For those of you who do not know what Minnesota fair cheese curds are... it's fried cheese... full of hot grease and goodness. Nothin' like them. There are different kinds of cheese curds in Minnesota, but the ones at the Anoka County Fair and the State Fair are the best.

Alexa and Joshua's Wedding

2009-07-18T14:35:00.001-07:00

As promised: I am doing two posts today. I have so much catch up to play on posting images on this blog!

Alexa and Joshua got married on a lovely day in May.
This couple is SO very much in love that it moves me. It's beautiful.

Here are a few of my favorite pics from the day:

They were very proud of their cake. Isn't it AWESOME!!???

Ok, this isn't a serious photo-- I just happened to snap it as Alexa was walking out, and Joshua was probably shifting his weight-- it makes me giggle!! :)

The song in their slideshow I created is by Amy Seeley. She partnered with David Jay and Showit Web(the slideshow software) and offered the song for Showit Web users to use for their slideshows for a very reasonable fee. There is a lot of royalty free junk out there(going through royalty free websites gives me a HEADACHE!), so it was AMAZING of Amy to put this song out there for us to use. Being a musician myself, yeah, I'm a bit picky I'm sure-- but really-- there is such a limited amount of good royalty free stuff out there. I only use royalty free music (or, I purchase the necessary licenses) on my website, slideshows, or for anything that promotes my images or business. Amy, you rock my world:)

Mindy Miller was my 2nd shooter for the day. She captured some beautiful stuff. My favorite image of hers from the day is the shot of Alexa on the stairs, coming up to meet her groom (I photographed from the bottom, while Mindy was at the top).

***You can watch the slideshow of more of the images RIGHT HERE!!! :)

My new Logo!

2009-07-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

My new logo is completed!

I very much like it. A client of mine, amazing person, friend, and professional graphic designer designed them for me(that's one person-- not four:)). She was so patient through all of my indecisiveness and little tweaks. Amanda, you are wonderful!

Soon, I'll be having my new website designed... and I CANNOT WAIT!!!! It will feature a lot of my new work, my new colors and logo, and my promo vids!

I realize I need to do more posting of photos. Some of the blogs I mentioned in a previous post are updated almost daily-- I enjoy reading them BECAUSE they are updated daily. AND, I enjoy that people like Jasmine Star always try to put at least one photo with a post. You'd think this would not be so difficult for me, right!??

Ok, well I will try to change my barenaked posts by adding a photo to each one, from here on out! I'll do two posts today!

Out of Office

2009-07-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

FYI:: Will be out of office until Wednesday.

Also, Aaron and I will be celebrating 3 years of marriage on Tuesday!! :)

Websites/Blogs that I frequent....

2009-07-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

If you are wondering, these are the blogs and websites I frequent most/have bookmarked!

Facebook.
A way for me to stay connected to a lot of people & learn about people. I honestly enjoy people. I enjoy encouraging others, commenting on photos and videos and statuses. I have had people ask me if I am constantly on facebook. Yes, and no. I am in front of my computer most of the day, editing, emailing, writing up quotes, doing some research for business, reading about business, and getting inspired. In between exporting some newly edited photos, or resizing them, I will jump on facebook. It's a little break of sanity for me during the day, because I am at home alone (well ok, Sparty is here with me), but for those of you who do not know me, I am a people person! I love going out for coffee/drinks/food with new people. Because I can't do that during the day while I'm working, Facebook serves as an awesome outlet for me. I can honestly say that I am interested in all people. Not in the sense that I want to be a stalker, LOL! But I have an honest interest in people. I care about them. What is going on in their lives, what can I help them with, connections with them, etc. Sometimes, a person's status update can make my day:)

Open Source Photo forum
It's the "nice" photography forum for photographers who are looking to help others succeed, get some answers to questions, and just commune with other photographers. There are a few forums out there, and some of them are full of competition and mean people. Seriously! If you are a photographer and have not joined OSP yet, please do so! I love the community there.

FastTrack Photographer Forum:
My new friend Dane Sanders started this community. I went to Dane's workshop in May, and it was fantastic. I highly, highly, recommend it. I'll be starting a Minnesota group dedicated to encouraging one another, setting goals, and so much more. If you're interested, contact me. He'll be coming to Minnesota in a couple weeks-- sign up on MNPPA.com asap! Also, if you're able to, sign up for his workshop-- you will not regret it. It is life changing.

****Photographers' Blogs*****
Paul Johnson's Blog:
I think Paul is one of my favorite artists in the country right now. His work is inspiring. He sees things in a way that are so refreshing, and breathtaking. You rock, Paul!

Ohana Photography Blog
If anyone knows how to have a good time, and take photos of that good time, it's this family!!! I don't feel I need to say much more-- go check out the blog!

Braeden Rogers/Ambient 11 Photography
Inspiring that someone so much younger than me (ok, not THAT much younger) can have such a developed feel for his own style already. His style is consistent, and love for light is obvious. Braeden, I hope we'll get to meet in person at some point! Continue to be awesome in the meantime. Much love!

David Jay's blog
The creator of Open Source Photo forum, and the owner of the Showit business(tools for photographers), DJ has been an inspiration for me for the past 2 years. Had the pleasure of meeting him in Vegas and hear him speak in Missouri. A truly genuine guy, interested in helping photographer's succeed. I admire his faith, honestly, and ability to deal with so many fans and haters at the same time, ha! He's now put aside wedding photography (for awhile, or forever?) and pursued speaking gigs and Showit. He's almost 30 and could retire if he felt like it. I'm way jealous, ha!! But he's worked hard for it, and continues to bless so many people (including myself). Love ya, Deej!

Photo Lovecat Blog
Sharing the love, is what they do! Lovecat, a term coined by Tim Sanders, I believe, is simply all about being a loving person, and helping others-- and you'll get so much in return for doing so. A blog written for photographers to help them get ahead in the business-- we're in this together! :)

Jasmine Star's Blog:
Does this girl need an introduction in the photography world?? NOPE! But to ANY lover of photography and of blog reading who hasn't checked out her blog, go now! She is definitely an entertainer... and she takes some pretty photos too;)

The Blog of Stacy Cross
The spunky/crazy gorgeous curly haired, Texan photographer-- I adore her work, and her personality, and I can't wait to meet her in person someday. She is an inspiration with both her photos, and her amazingness. You are fantabulous, Stace! Love ya!

The Blog of Amy Wenzel:
Her work is absolutely phenomenal.
Aside from that, she has a true strength-- her faith in God. Her husband was diagnosed with brain cancer recently. You can read about it on her blog. I pray for her husband, and their whole family.

En Pointe Photography Blog:
Susan takes TRULY breathtaking images.... just fabulous!!

Brandi Thompson's blog:
A friend from Open Source Photo forum, we are similar in age, and amount of sass.

Melissa Koehler's Blog:
Been following Melissa's blog for a year and a half, about? This girl gets better and better, as if that were even possible! She has an adorable son with the most amazing blue eyes, too! She is one to be admired for being both a mom and a business owner, all while taking some pretty great pics!

Jesh de Rox:
A true visionary...
An amazing person, and artist. Sometimes words can't express... just go look at his work:)

Megan Elle's Blog:
Just came across her while doing the I (Heart) faces contest! I love her style-- looking forward to possibly getting to know her!

Andrew Vick/Living Room Studios/Vick Photography:
A friend of a friend, I was introduced to Andrew's work when a classmate of mine had him for her wedding photography. I recently decided to look into his blog again, and BAM, I am slapped with incredible imagery. I told Andrew he is my favorite Minnesota photographer, and he has got to be one of the best in the country. Truly wonderful work... just WOW!!!!!

Other sites I visit frequently:
The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep metro/MN blog. As a volunteer and member of the NILMDTS community, it's where we can find out what's going on, support other volunteer photographers, sign up for on call days, and post some of our work. It's a private forum only for members, but it is a site that I frequent.

Anthropologie.com, BananaRepublic.com, and JCrew.com
(I don't feel I need to explain myself with these:))

ResellerRatings.com
When I was starting out as a photographer, Brad Person pointed me to this website because I didn't understand, "Why is this lens going for so cheap!? Is it too good to be true!?" "Yes!" He said, and sent me to this website. I now check out all photography gear sellers on this website, and also compare prices between all the reputable sellers.

Of course I visit other blogs, and other websites from time to time!

These are the fabulous blogs of my Minnesota "Photo Girls."-- A group of fellow female photographers who rock! :)
Melissa Louise
Olivia Wagner
Photogen/Eliesa
Erika McCauley
Sally/La Vie Photography
Dolce Studios

OH!!! And I can't forget YouTube, and the Fail Blog -- both often provide me with a good laugh! :)

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I had an annual July 3rd get together. We've been doing this for something like 11, 12, or 13 years. Anoka High School has fireworks on the 3rd, and that's how the tradition started. We eat, play yard games, head to the fireworks, come back, and eat more and have a bonfire.

The night of the 3rd, my good friends Sarah and Dan(who are now married, and back from their 2 week honeymoon!!) slept over at my parents' with Aaron and me, in tents down by the river. It was really fun! I swear I heard an animal in the water, so as long as I know it wasn't like a wolf or a bear, I'll be sleeping down there again. (Then again, I'll probably never know what it was! Maybe just a raccoon?)

The next day, we watched some of Wimbledon, took naps, and Sarah read 2/3rds of a book. We ate a ton of Special K bars, and did some more sitting on the couch. We were trying to decide when to have dinner, and I go, "Well what time is it?"
Dan goes, "It's about... (checks watch)..5:30."
"FIVE THIRTY!" Sarah and I exclaimed.
We did nothing all day, and all of a sudden it was 5:30.
It was a truly wonderful lazy vacation day! :)

Here is a photo of Dixie from the night of the 4th... all tuckered out from having company for two days, ha!

(Pic from my camera phone).

(She'll be so embarrassed I put that pic up!!!:))

.

I♥ Faces Photo Challenge!: Wedding Bells

2009-06-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

Jasmine Star is a photographer who's work I admire-- and more importantly, I admire her as
a person! There are a list of photographers' blogs who I have bookmarked and check on daily--
her blog is one of them. For my clients, and fellow blog readers, if you have not checked out
her Blog, it is sure to entertain. Click HERE!

Jasmine announced on her blog this week that she will be the judge of the i(heart)faces contest.
I had not heard of this website before, so I'm really glad I got a chance to check it
out HERE! I encourage all of you to check it out weekly-- I'll be doing the same!

There are a TON of people who entered the contest this week, and there is a lot of great work out there! Thought I'd give it a whirl anyhow!

My entry for this week's Wedding Bells contest:

This is one of my all-time favorite photos! The bridesmaids are the bride's sisters,
and one is a cousin. They were giggling and laughing the whole day... One thing I
learned about this family-- they absolutely have true joy in life.

Hot and Cold.

2009-06-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

OH.

MY.

LANDS.

Current weather:

Heat wave in Minnesota!! Happens a couple of times a year, typically. In Minnesota, we never know what to expect for weather. One day it's 80, and the next day it snows... or 85 degrees on day, and then 40 and rainy the next. (For real! That's how it is sometimes!)

I prefer it to be 65-69 if I have to be inside all day (then I can have the windows open!) Or, 75-80 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze if I'm going to be outside:)

On Friday, I photographed Ashley and Nick's wedding in Maple Grove. It was a beautiful day, but pretty humid. We got to the reception, then the HUGE and pretty scary cloud rolled in. Stretched across the sky for miles. Everyone was a bit concerned for severe weather of some sort. Dinner at the reception started... heavy rain, some lightning, spinny clouds...warm and cold air swirling around... then the storm passed... then the sun came out.. there was a rainbow... and shortly after, a gorgeous warm-glowing sunset! Crazy how weather is sometimes.

What's your favorite weather??

Funny... right now I have Katy Perry's song in my head...
Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up

Testing, 1.2.3.

2009-06-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

I am just testing some things out with a mock-up border. In the meantime, please enjoy some photos from my May 2nd and May 9th weddings.

My schedule! FYI:

2009-06-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

I will be away from my office for a few days.

Tonight: Rehearsal for best bud's wedding.
Saturday: Wedding day!
Sunday: Photos for Food non-profit event.
Sunday night - Wednesday: Flying out to Chicago for Dane Sanders' workshop! I am super pumped.
Wednesday night: I'll be flying back home.

I am not positive I will have email access (although I think the hotel has free wi-fi.... maybe?). You can always text me or call me, too.

Next Friday I will be shooting the wedding of Ashley and Nicholas!
Next Saturday, I will be shooting a reception in Stillwater.

Not sick, buuuut.....

2009-06-11T21:53:00.001-07:00

Ok, I promise not to always update you on my health issues, but it's really all I have to write about at the moment, and...I could use some prayers.

I haven't been feeling 100% Tuesday/Wed/and Today. I thought I was feeling better when I wrote the last post... but I was dealing with a weird stomach feeling that i thought, "Hey, this will go away-- no big deal-- I'm better!" Finally went to Walgreens tonight at 10:30pm to figure out if there's something I could take to relieve the pain I've been having... I couldn't figure out why i was having this constant burning feeling in my stomach and esophagus. My worse fear was that it was cancer (because naturally, that's what I always fear anyway even with the smallest symptom!). My second worst (and more logical) fear was that it was an ulcer. I've had h-Pylori in my stomach before (it's this bacteria that they've found is the cause of ulcers). That was when I was 20 years old. A possible ulcer at 20? I know, crazy, right? When I had that bacteria I had to take 2 weeks worth of this REALLY not fun medicine. And a week through one of the medicines, I realized I was taking too small of a dose, so I had to continue with that med for an additional 3rd week. I remember crying on the phone with a nurse at the clinic, asking if there wasn't ANYTHING else they could prescribe, or if MAYBE it would just go away on it's own. It was just a very unpleasant 3 weeks. But, I did get rid of the little jerks in my stomach. HOWEVER, they can come back, apparently?

So, when I was having this burning, I was concerned I had an ulcer. I couldn't take it tonight anymore, so I stopped at Walgreens, and didn't know what med to get for relief, so I talked with the pharmacist. I have pretty regular acid reflux (but have not been officially diagnosed with acid reflux disease, as I have not been to the doctor about that yet...and probably should soon). So, I was telling the pharmacist about the type of burning I was feeling, and told him that it's not really even like acid reflux-- because that isn't usually constant... but this burning... this was constant. I told him that I had been sick on Monday and Tuesday, and that on Tuesday I threw up 2 times--blood and stomach acid only-- I hadn't had anything in my stomach. According to a nurse I talked to, the blood was because my stomach was empty both times-- which made sense. So, the pharmacist tonight asked me how hard my stomach was working to throw up on Tuesday(which was very much, for quite some time-- it wasn't fun at all), and he guessed that I had an acid burn in part of my stomach(the entrance) and up my esophagus. Ahh--makes perfect sense again... and that's what it feels like... that it's all burned. AND, it completely sucks.

The last 3 days, nothing has tasted good because it doesn't feel good going down, and when it's down, it just burns in my stomach. Now I know it's been because of the normal stomach acids doing their job... but with an acid burn, it doesn't feel so great. :( I am sooo hungry, but nothing sounds good, and everything hurts to eat... so I've been eating so much less the past 3 days. UGH, only God knows how hungry I am right now, and I'm so torn between eating and having pain, or being hungry. Not even a glass of milk feels good.

So, per the pharmacist's request, I picked up some Maalox (strawberry flavor, which really isn't bad--and I typically HATE liquid meds) to settle the current acid goin on and hopefully coat the acid burn, and some Prilosec to start in the morning to help prevent further acid at least for a couple weeks so my stomach and esophagus can heal(I have no idea how long it will take to heal). So, I could definitely use some prayers...
Wedding rehearsal today (Friday), and then the wedding is on Saturday. I don't want to be uncomfortable for the entire day, and I would really love to enjoy my steak dinner... I mean, I would REALLY love to enjoy it. Did I mention I am SO hungry?... Food is my hobby, and one of my true joys in life (as dumb as that may sound, it's very true)... I really hope this doesn't last much longer.

I'm going to go try to eat (I'm just far too hungry) and chug some Maalox...

Sorry for all the medical info, and the Debbie Downer attitude. Things just aren't good the past week! :(

Not so sick anymore.

2009-06-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

Feeling a lot better today. Only thing I've still got is some acid reflux, somewhat sensitive stomach, and some sore muscles, but I'm doing so much better. Which is good, considering the big event coming up this weekend! :)
I am going to try to write part of my Matron of Honor speech tonight (worked on bits and pieces of it today), and some tomorrow. Not that it really matters what I write or practice, because I might not make it through anyway, ha:)

Also-- if you haven't already checked out www.photosforfoodmn.com, there are only a few more days to sign up! I'm not positive how many spots are left. I am available to shoot for the 12-2pm slot, and I can shoot no later than 3:30pm, so you can sign up 12-2, or 2-4 pm slot times and put my name in the comment section. There are also many other talented photographers, so if you see their work in the gallery and like it, you can request them, also!

Sick:(

2009-06-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

Just an FYI: I haven't been feeling well the past 2 days. My apologies for any lack of communication yesterday, and today. I'm praying it's nothing serious. I'll be going to the doctor or urgent care if my symptoms get any worse, or persist.

Bachelorette Party!

2009-06-07T20:22:00.001-07:00

One of my very best friends is getting married in a week!! We had her bachelorette party on Friday night. We first went out to the very fun Loring Pasta Bar, and listened to some jazz/blues music, and ate fabulous pasta. We then headed back to my place for some drinks, gift opening, entertaining conversation, and ice cream. They slept over, and then we went to breakfast in the AM too. We had a blast! I can't wait for Sarah and Dan's wedding in a week... in which I will bawl like crazy.

Steph and I passed the camera around during dinner. Here are some shots! Steph did the editing-- love them!

The gorgeous bride-to-be!:)

Marie and I shared some apps:

The groom's sisters!

Sarah and Cor.

Steph and Sar.

Quick shot before leaving for my place. Kris, Deanna, Sarah, me, Tricia, and Corrie!

SIGN UP TODAY!!!

2009-06-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 14th!!!!!

FANTASTIC opportunity to have your photos taken!! Family, couple, solo... pet photos-- you name it! Sessions start at ONLY $50 (A steal, mind you), and 100% of proceeds go to Second Harvest. Want me to be your photog? Sign up for the 12pm-2pm or 2-4pm (I will be available for slots until 3pm). Or, there are many other amazing photogs too!! Don't wait--
SIGN UP TODAY!
http://www.photosforfoodmn.com/

This photo, and photos on the website by my friends and Dolce. Love you girls!

Sunny Days.

2009-06-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

I love it when it's perfect weather so I can work in my office with the window open. Pretty soon, summer will be here and it will be too hot and/or humid to have the window open, but I am enjoying it for now!
So is Spartacus. Here he is enjoying the sunshine and watching the birds:

--taken with my camera phone--

He's my buddy during the week while I work at home. Aaron gets every other Monday off, so we can spend a good chunk of the day together. Today is his Monday off. I think we'll probably go for a bike ride through the park later in the day. It's great that he has the opportunity to have every other Monday off, since I'm busy shooting most weekends.

New Shoes.

2009-05-28T21:25:00.001-07:00

These are my new sneakers (much needed:)), and I love them!

They are SOOO comfortable, and I feel that while this is my first pair of Puma shoes, this will not be my last!

I am sure my friend Johanne would have something to say about the colors :P

This is the song I sing when I wear them!!! :)

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Passion....

2009-05-27T00:34:00.000-07:00

(A photo from the wedding I am currently working on.)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

2009-05-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today Aaron and I spent some time riding our bikes on the trails at a park near our neighborhood. It was absolutely gorgeous weather outside today! We hope that it's as nice tomorrow. We'll be headed to my parents to chill by the river and play some frisbee. They said they'll be doing some work around the house and yard, but we'll get a chance to have dinner with them.

A couple pics from a different park by our house (taken last week). We love being outside!

Hope you all get outside tomorrow! Be safe, also!

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Bergen and Justin's Wedding in the AM!

2009-05-22T23:24:00.001-07:00

I am so thrilled to be shooting Bergen and Justin's wedding today!

I realized that I was absolutely terrible at updating my blog last fall, so here are some engagement photos that we took last fall at the Minnesota Arboretum. The leaves were PERFECT that day, as you can see!

High five!!

She fits perfectly into his arms, doesn't she!?

This made me giggle, so we just had to:)

Everyone have a great holiday weekend!

HOT HOT HOT! Tornado season is upon us.

2009-05-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

It is currently 91 Degrees in my city!

In May, in Minnesota? Unheard of! I heard that Minneapolis (about 35 miles from where I am) broke a heat record today by a degree. (92 or 93 I think?) Insane!

Thank goodness for the wind gusts(which are "up to 40 mph!") -- I can't imagine how hot it would be otherwise!
Although, the wind is still coming through the office window cracks and making this irritating whistling noise. Grr!

Aaron and I had the windows open earlier today until we realized, "Wait a minute... it's 90 degrees outside!? That's why it's so flippin hot in our house!" We thought we were just being babies who weren't used to the seasonal heat yet, ha! He is working from home today down at our kitchen table, and when we had the South windows open, a wind gust came and pushed the screen right off the window! Seriously? Haha!

I love knowing what's going on with weather. As I've probably said before, I really like learning about storms, and the jet stream, and all of that stuff. I will be the one outside with my camera when there is a storm rolling in. However... HOWEVER... I am scared of tornadoes to the extent of that I believe they should be respected, along with severe weather. If those tornado sirens go off, I am in the basement in a half second. The thing with severe weather sirens, is that you don't know if a tornado is "possible" or if it just surprised everyone and came out of the sky ("WHOA! We better sound the sirens!"), or if one is already on the ground. Last year, on May 25th, a tornado landed in my city, and another landed in a city(Hugo) about 20 miles from my house, too. That tornado in Hugo surprised everyone, and people had to scramble to their basements. It ripped out a whole street-- some houses were ripped completely off their foundations (exposing the basement). Seventeen people sought medical attention, and a little boy died too, which is so tragic. They said the sirens had JUST went off when they looked down the street and there was the tornado. That's the thing... just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it hasn't already landed behind your house.

Click HERE to see the Hugo tornado (you can hardly see it, but it's there).

And, here is the devastation from a bird's eye view:
http://www.swiftweather.com/relief/hugo.jpg
http://www.foxnews.com/images/372624/6_67_052508_tornado_minn.jpg

Oh, and to help you remember what a tornado actually looks like and why you should not be friends with one,
here is a photo of an Iowa tornado, taken from WAY TOO CLOSE!!!!!!!

(I did not take this photo, and not sure who to give credit for it, but to the dude who took it... get your butt inside next time!!)

And so, I just want to remind all of my fellow Minnesotans, and, those in tornado country, to be aware of the weather, and respect severe weather! Here's the thing... tornadoes and severe weather don't give a care about your life. They don't have any feelings at all, contrary to popular belief. So don't be idiots, and take care of yourselves;)

Being in a bridal party....

2009-05-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

is FUN!!!!

While I love being behind the camera on a wedding day, I had such a great time being in the bridal party for my brother-in-law's wedding!! It was so fun to enjoy the family, hang out with the bridal party, meet new friends, catch up with old acquaintances, dance like a crazy person, and just seriously enjoy the day whenever possible.

When Liz walked down the aisle, all of us 4 bridesmaids were already crying, haha! It started with Meredith, Liz's sister, and then it just went right down the line as soon as we knew the bridesmaid ahead of us was crying. It was such a happy day! And now, Jon and Liz are on their honeymoon in Hawaii-- a place they are sure to thoroughly enjoy.

Here are just a couple pics of Aaron and me. I took a few photos at the wedding, but there was another photographer to capture most of the stuff! I will share some of the quick photos I snapped as the week goes on.

(No, this is not a serious smile, in case you were wondering;) This is me goofing off while my sister in law took a pic.)

Helping out the ring bearer with his boutonniere that fell off before formals... LOL! Look at that face he's making!

The gorgeous couple!

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More photos to come.

Out of the office.

2009-05-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

Just an FYI...I will be out of the office until Monday due to my brother-in-law's wedding and rehearsal and such!

Have a great weekend!

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Mother's Day

2009-05-14T00:18:00.001-07:00

Here is Dixie, enjoying a glass of wine.

(Or, so it looks like it, ha:))

She did her share of entertaining us on Mother's Day evening....

The best part is, she doesn't share her slobbery ball all that often. You usually have to go and take it from her if YOU want to play with her.

And, I know I just posted photos of trees from Washington DC, but I love plum and crab apple blossoms. I had to share these pics from my parents' yard... Spring is so pretty here in MN, and it smells heavenly!

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day last weekend. Much love to Mom, and Mom Murray!

Jonathan & Elizabeth: Engagement Photos !

2009-05-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law is getting married on Saturday to the wonderful Elizabeth. I love them both, and I am super excited for the wedding! I get to be in the wedding, so I am trying to narrow down my hairdo ideas... I think I'm just going to have the stylist help me decide! And as far as makeup goes, I need to get some waterproof mascara... I might just cry when Liz walks down the aisle. Or, at some point, I'm sure of it!

Here are just a couple images from their engagement session:
(They met playing the viola, so we started at the Schmitt Music wall in Minneapolis... I thought it seemed appropriate!).

|

This one is totally "them" and makes me laugh.

Watch out!

Azalea Gardens!!

2009-05-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

While in MD and Washington DC area, we went to the National Arboretum. It was rainy, but we had our umbrellas and rain coats. The rain and overcast sky really made the colors stand out!!

Here are a "few" photos from that day (I took so many more than I'm even showing, haha!:))

This is Aaron's great Aunt Barbara, and Uncle Bob.

I love these branches...

We then drove through the coniferous gardens...

We came across this HUGE tree!!

(What was under the tree)

These are the columns from the original capitol building!

A successfully fun day:)

(The rain made my hair this way, just FYI:))

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Update coming soon....!

2009-05-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

I know, I know! It has been SOOOOO long since I have blogged!!

Basically, I was getting ready to go on a week vacation, and so I was busy trying to get everything done! I just got back from Baltimore/Glen Burnie/DC/Chesepeake Bay... We saw a bunch of sites, and I shot a wedding yesterday... it was all such a great experience.

I will post photos soon!!

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Happy Easter, and Happy Bday to my husband:)

2009-04-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from my Easter!

Part of brunch at my parents' house...

This is Dixie... She's just enjoying the sunshine.

This is Dixie creating a few bubbles over the smell of bacon...

My new camera!!! I took some senior photos with it on Saturday-- I am SO excited to share them with you soon!

The family Bible that's from like... 1800-something. It's HUGE!

We finished up the day by going to Aaron's parents' place for dinner.
And cookies....

...And birthday cake!

Happy 28th Birthday (Monday), Aaron!!! Love you!!! :)

Nationwide Tea Party Protest ~ Wed, April 15th

2009-04-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

I will be participating in this event.

This is not about blaming one party or the other... it is not an event supporting
one party or the other... it is about taking back our voice as United States
citizens; it's about responsibility.

United we stand; Divided we fall.

The short story: The government's spending is out of control. To get the money they
need, they raise our taxes-- we can no longer support their overspending habit, and
we must voice our concern as a country.

National Debt:
$11,176,599,687,949.20

That's eleven TRILLION + BILLION + MILLION....

There will be hundreds of protest locations throughout the United States. To find
the one closest to you, and to learn more about the protest, go here:

http://taxdayteaparty.com/
(You'll see on the right: "Choose a State.")

A good start to the weekend....

2009-04-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I went to see our friend Dan in The Thorn tonight. We knew it would be a big production, but wow. It was really something. I'm not good at counting how many people are in a room, but the church sanctuary was huge and packed, and there were SO many cast members involved too. There were live animals... bunnies, roosters, chicks, goats, big sheep, baby lambs, a freaking CAMEL and a donkey. So impressive. Aaron and I sat on the end of a row, so we got to pet a very tiny baby lamb one of the women was holding during one of the acts. There was also angels (actors) suspended throughout parts of the play, and our friend Dan who plays Jesus is suspended in the air at one point as well. Very impressive. And while I know the story, it still moved me to tears. Also, to see Dan playing Jesus was very powerful. He did a fantastic job.

If you live in Minnesota, there are a lot of performances left if you want to check it out HERE.
(Yay! There's Dan on the first page:) Props to Kinsey Anderson for the pics!).

Dan is one of my besties, marrying one of my other besties. You may recall their engagement session photos I posted. Check them out HERE. I'm looking forward to being in their wedding in June. It's funny, because I photographed them just north of Duluth... I will also be in my brother in law and his fiance(Liz)'s wedding this May. In the morning, I'm headed up to Duluth for the first of two bridal showers for Liz.

I really enjoy Duluth. I was up there about a month ago to meet up with two of my former couples who live up there, just to see what they're up to and such.

I decided to stop at one of the parks along Superior and take some photos. There were a lot of people out that day. The ice on Superior is such an odd thing...
Here are a few pics from a month ago:

This seems odd to me, because whenever I think of sand, I think of warmth on the beach... not snow!

Taking the color out of it makes it look so much colder than it already is!:

A lot of ice chunks on the shore, still, and a lighthouse:

Little bit windy that day, too:

But the sunshine felt SO nice:)

Headed back over the dune...

Rumor has it, we'll be getting snow for 2 or 3 days this week, but then I would guess that would be the end of it, and we can start looking forward to spring! (Unless we get one more snow fall... which can always happen in Minnesota... but we always hope that it WON'T, ha! :))

Off to bed I go. Early morning ahead of me, and a long drive up to Duluth. It should be a fun time, though:) Have a good weekend, everyone!

Gina and Mark: Engagement Session!

2009-03-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

Gina and I went to high school together, and we were able to stay in contact via the lovely facebook. When she updated her relationship status a few years back, and she posted photos of this new man in her life, I could see they were very happy together. In fact, I hadn't even met him, but I thought they looked so perfect together that perhaps he was indeed "The One."

Turns out, Mark was "The One!" I was thrilled when Gina booked me to do their wedding, which will be in November 2009. I met Mark for the first time when we did our engagement session, and just like in the photos, I could see that they were perfect for each other.

We took these photos near Lake Harriet and by the bridge that connects Lake Harriet to Lake Calhoun.

(This one makes me giggle:))

Congrats again, Gina and Mark! I can't wait to take part in your big day!

Just becuase I love him.

2009-03-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Spartacus:

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Babies!

2009-03-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

I miss seeing babies everyday like I got to do when I worked with First Day Photo! I worked with them for two great years and we estimated that I photographed around 1000 babies. Isn't that insane?? That's a lot of babehs! When I first started the job, I knew nothing about newborns... I learned a ton in those two years! It also trained me real well in capturing the moment when it happens because you can't ask a baby, "Could you do that again for me? That cute face?" So I developed a very quick eye and shutter finger thanks to those little ones! I got to see Jessica and Brad (the owners... my former bosses and good friends!)a week ago. I hadn't seen them in months. We stayed up talking until WAY early in the morning!

I had the pleasure of photographing two babies this winter-- both babies from couples whose weddings I photographed! Both couples are going to be fanTASTIC parents. Truly!

I had a blast with Rebecca and Benjamin....

This is Rebecca, 3 months old!

And this is Benjamin, 2 weeks old!

I have a lot of friends who are about to have babies right now(or just had one!), and I am so excited for them all! As for Aaron and I, we plan on waiting awhile still, but look forward to that time! Babies and kids are tons of fun. As long as we don't get a little spitfire like I was when I was little, I think we'll be safe(ha:)). And as long as we keep them away from Uncle Jonathan, they'll be safe too. He says he is going to teach our kids that blue is red, and yellow is green.... but not if they have kids FIRST... then I will teach HIS kids that.. muah hahaha! >:D He's getting married this May, and we are excited for the wedding!

If you would like baby photos, please let me know! I don't do a lot of baby sessions during the year because I'm busy with weddings, but I love doing them and welcome the chance to do them! :)

NEW!!!! VIDEOS ON MY WEBSITE!

2009-03-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

We have uploaded my new videos to my website!!!

I would love for you to check them out!

I feel they are a great way for my prospective clients (as well as my friends and
family!) to see what it is that I actually DO on a wedding day! To see how I work
with my clients, and to see what my clients say about me!

Go here:
www.gingermurrayphotography.com
Then go to the "LOVE" Section.
Then to "The Difference (Watch videos)."

There are 4 videos total.

A huge superthanks to Ben at Myrick Visual He was the director, videographer,
and a ton of other stuff-- the guy who did a TON of work on these!.. oh yeah,
and he's one of my best friends... but I'm not sure he sells friendship as a
service of Myrick Visual). I will be indebted to him for life, most likely.

**Also, Big thanks to**
Ameen-- our incredible sound guy who knows more about doing
sound than I know about anything, really.

Lindsay & Andy, Amanda & Ryan W., and Terese & Ryan K!!!
You all rock. I am so blessed with amazing clients!

We also obtained the proper licenses and permissions for all of the music used in the videos(which is very important to me).
Thank you to Sara and Troy Groves for the Master License for Sara's gorgeous song, "Add to the Beauty"--
which is at the end of the 1st video. The song could not have been a more perfect fit!
Also, thanks to Jorge for the song at the beginning of the 1st vid-- it was exactly what we were looking for.

This is Ben....

This is me and Mao. I got to see her everytime I'd come over to Ben's to discuss
the videos. I love Mau. (She belongs to one of Ben's roommates.)

This is how Ben often feels about Mau:

Ben and I also discussed Yoga and balance. This is Ben showing me how to do it.
(This is also Ben looking like he has a partial stem.)

My attempts...

...Failed.

What else is new???
I am currently working on my brand so that it reflects who I am today
versus who I was when I started as a photographer nearly 3 years ago. I will let you
know when that is all finished, too;) It is quite the creative process, that's for sure!

Photographer friends

2009-03-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

I love making new friends. I truly do!

In March of 2008, Steph and I went to the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers
International) convention/seminar/tradeshow in Vegas. Before we went to Vegas, we
wanted to find a roommate to share hotel expenses. We emailed back and forth with
Callie Crass, a photographer from Wisconsin, and made hotel arrangements. We had not
met Callie before, but she sounded nice enough, so we were excited to have her as a
roommate!

The second she arrived to the hotel room, I knew I would love her. She is SUCH a
great person, and really ended up being the absolute best roommate ever. Steph and I
felt like we knew her for ages. We could talk about photography, and ANYTHING else, really.

Well, none of us went to WPPI in February this year, so we hadn't seen each other in
a year. We knew that we had wanted to all hang out again at some point. A couple
weeks ago, Callie emailed Steph and I and said she would drive to Minneapolis to see
us!

So yesterday, Callie and I talked from 1:15pm until 5:30pm at Panera, and then we
headed to meet Steph at 6pm-- and we all talked until 8:30pm! I really wish Callie
lived closer!! But Steph and I plan to drive out to see her in the fall-- which
seems like SUCH a long time away! But I know with the wedding season approaching,
the time will go by quickly. Especially for Callie... who has 32 weddings booked for
this year!!!! Holy smokes, right?? She is so inspiring:)

Thanks for driving all the way out, Callie! Can't wait to see you again;)

(At TGIF's, it was only logical that we order Margaritas, because we went to
Margaritaville in Vegas 3 times, haha! It was super convenient for us to eat there,
so that's where we always went, ha:))

While we were eating there, our friend and fellow photographer Erin Benner sent us a
text to tell us she found out the sex of her baby who's due this summer....
"It's a Girl!"

Oh man... with as many photographer friends as Erin has, she will never by short of
having enough baby photos when this little girl comes!!! Congrats again, Erin and Matt!!

Exciting week ahead!!

2009-03-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

I just bought a new camera last week-- so it's on it's way in the mail to me!!!!
I am thrilled, people. THRILLED. It's the 5dMarkII. I will of course share some
images as soon as I take some with the new cam!!

Also this week, I will be announcing the launch of my promo videos!!!!
Stay tuned;)

I also have something planned for every single evening this week-- Monday I'll be
meeting up witha photographer friend at her gym so we can burn some calories
together. Tuesday I'll be meeting up with potential clients(I love meetings!! :-D),
Wednesday is a super full day-- it begins with a 7:30AM photo shoot, and ends with a
dinner with my aunt. Thursday I'm meeting up with Steph and Callie. Callie was our
roommate at WPPI in 2008, and we are so excited to meet up with her-- she is driving
all the way in from Wisconsin. Friday, Aaron has off (He usually has every other
Monday off, but he couldn't last week, or this coming Monday.) Saturday, I'll be
hanging out with my friends Sarah, Corrie and Steph(again...!:)) -- a bridesmaids
get together. Sarah and her fiance Dan were over here on Friday night, and we made
dinner together, played Mario Party, and watched some Flight of the Conchords. Good
times!!

I'll also try to share some recent engagement photos with you all!

Matt and Jennie: Engaged!!

2009-03-11T00:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the engagement session I said I'd post!!! :)

Love these two! We braved the cold, and had a ton of fun. I'm sure their July wedding will hold much promise for warmer weather (which, as Minnesotans, we are very much looking forward to!).

(really crazy story.... my dad's company actually designed the screens that are used for the look of this building! They typically do screens/filters for water, but lately, the company is getting more requests for screens to use for architectural design.).

You see that balcony of the blue building in the background? That's the Guthrie... and, where we started the photoshoot! Look back at the first pic in the post! :)

Busy Bee!

2009-02-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

I've been a seriously busy gal the past 2 weeks! I've been editing photos, meeting with clients and potential clients, and I met with a friend who is looking into starting her own photography gig, and with another friend who wants to start a young women's entrepreneurial group for our area. I've been doing a lot of reading, phone calling, and emailing. Ben is finishing up on my promotional videos, and we've been talking back and forth about the finishing touches. I can't wait to show them to you all! We are working on the music licensing and royalty free music part of it right now. I've also been trying to get all of my tax information together-- which I thought I would finally have done last week, but it's difficult to get just a straight 2 hour time period to get it all done-- that's about all the time I need, so I'm closed to finished with those!

Yesterday I was at my in-laws putting invitations together for my brother-in-law's wedding, which is coming up in May! Two weeks prior to that, Aaron and I will be in Washington DC-- taking a week of vacation, and then I'll be shooting his cousin's wedding out there. We are very excited to see our family, and see the sites! I've been out there before, but that was 13 years ago-- so I definitely won't mind being in DC again.

This week I have a photoshoot with my friend Kallie, the dancer (you've probably seen some photos I've done of her before). I'll also be finishing up some photos from an engagement session-- I'll share those with you as well!

Have a blessed week.
Ginger

Monte and Theresa

2009-02-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

I did headshots for Theresa at her home, recently, and we HAD to get some photos with her dog, Monte. He was so funny the entire time I was there... chewing on this squeaky toy, and galloping around the house like a horse-- I just loved him. I'll share some more of Theresa at another date, but here is a Monte Montage that makes me LOL.

Bah to the Interjet!

2009-02-13T17:37:00.001-08:00

Hello friends!

So, I know you all probably think that I am pretty terrible at updating my blog.

That is somewhat true!

The other thing, is that I've had a very wishy washey internet (what i call "Interjet") connection. My husband is my IT guy, and he'll work on it soon. It's super frustrating to not be able connect to a website (including my blog). I can sit there and hit "Try again" about 15 times before it actually loads a page, and even then, I might only get half the page loaded. But, as soon as we get that all figured out, I really do want to post more regularly!

A few photos from Stephanie and Paul's Wedding in January!!!

The Stunning Bride:

The Dashing Groom... Steph(my 2nd shooter, not the bride:)) took this one:

Bein' a Bridesmaid &, Growing out your hair+keeping your healthy(short or long!)

2009-01-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

I have the pleasure of being a bridesmaid in two weddings this Spring: my brother-in-law's wedding (his fiance, Liz, asked me to be a bridesmaid) and two of my very best friends' weddings-- Sarah and Dan. I always like to see what styles are in at the weddings I shoot and in the magazines... dress styles, colors, jewelry trends, and hair-dos! My brother in Law's fiance, Liz, has very unique and upbeat style, and Sarah has a very classic and trendy style.

Liz decided to have each of her 4 bridesmaids wear different dresses. Yesterday, my sister-in-law and I went to pick out our styles. Here's the dress I chose (it will be in this color too):

It's a medium-short length(a good length for me, since I have super long femurs!) and I like the style very much. I found what I was hoping to find!

And Sarah chose this dress for us(the color in real life is more eggplant than this bright purple)-- which I also like.

I'm constantly noticing hair and makeup options-- So, I'm excited to get prettied up for these weddings this Spring! I'm trying to grow my hair out, so I'm not sure how long it will be by those dates. I cut my hair after I got married, as many brides do. My reason was not because I didn't like having long hair-- but because my hair was damaged from growing it out and not getting regular trims to keep it healthy-- instead, I just let it grow, resulting in a lot of split ends.

This time, I'm hoping to grow my hair out WHILE keeping it healthy. I just got it trimmed this week, and will probably go again in 8-9 weeks, assuming that it remains in good condition until then.

If you are growing out your hair(or if you just want healthy hair), are:
*Get a trim every 5-6 weeks for short hair, and 6-8ish weeks if you're growing it out, depending on the state of health of your current hair. If you have split ends, get
them cut off as far as possible.
*Use a quality conditioner every time you wash your hair. Rinse with cool water.
Shampooing everyday may not be necessary, depending on your hair-type. If it's not,
you can still condition every day.
*Spray your hair with a heat protective spray(if blow drying or heat styling) AND a de-tangling spray.
*Gently finger comb through your hair first, and then use a wide-toothed comb
to go through the rest. Do not (I repeat DO NOT!) rip the comb through your hair.
If it is tangled, work through it very slowly. When you hear the ripping sound of
your hair, you are actually ripping it and therefore, damaging it.
*If you don't have to blow dry your hair everyday, don't.
*If you blow dry your hair and you have it on the highest heat setting, make
sure you're moving the blow drier around your head, and not have it sit stationary,
blowing heat on one spot of your hair for too long.
*If you must back-comb your hair, again, be careful not to rip your hair to shreds. Be gentle.
*The more often you put your hair back in a binder, the weaker it becomes and is
more prone to breakage-- so when possible, let your hair down, and when you need to
put it back, the thicker the hair binder and the looser you tie it back, the better.
*If you highlight your hair a lighter color than your natural hair color, you are
stripping the color FROM your hair, versus when you dye it darker, you are adding
color. Stripping your hair of it's color is more harmful. Some hair responds better
to bleaching than others-- but many people have much more damage after doing this
type of coloring treatment to their hair-- it dries it out, and it is more breakable.

Once you damage your hair, as much as some of the shampoo and conditioner commercials claim, it is not exactly possible to repair hair that is already damaged.

That said, some hair is just stronger, and other hair is more prone to be damaged. Shampoo ads in magazines have highly edited photos-- so don't believe we can have hair like that-- however, it IS possible to have healthy hair when you give it love. And I can guarantee, the more healthy your hair, the more it will add to your beauty, make you feel confident, and the more you'll love the hair you meant to have!

Weddings of 2008!!! Wow, what a year!

2009-01-13T21:27:00.000-08:00

Just a single favorite photo from each of my couple's weddings in 2008! (And OH, it was hard to choose a fave!)

Amy and Carl: February 16th

Erin and Matt: April 5th

Jason and Joanna: May 16th

Jenni and Don: May 17th

Drew and Betsy: May 25th

Emily and Jeff: June 27th

Katrina and Tommy: July 12th

Joe and Britta: July 25th

Aasa and Samantha: July 26th

Becky and Scott: August 1st

Sara and Brandon: August 16th

Jim and Rebekah: August 23rd

Terese and Ryan: September 20th

Kirstin and Adam: October 11th

Eric and Becca: October 18th

You are all SO amazing. I could not have had a more blessed year, getting to know all of you. Much love to you.

Feelin' Better!

2009-01-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

Dear friends....

I feel SO much better today! I feel joyous and happy... which are probably the same thing... but that is how I feel:)

I've sneezed about 14 times today (make that 16, by the end of this post), but other than that, I'm feelin' pretty good. I'd say 90%.

My poor husband, though... he has the same sore throat:( He is a trooper and says that he's not feeling too badly.

Did anyone else watch the 4 hour premieres of "24"??? Oh man.... it has been a LONG (nearly) 2 years waiting for that show to return. Let me tell you. And in my opinion, it's already way better than the last season.

I also watched a bit of American Idol tonight. The guy that made me laugh the most was the black guy with a shaved head who sang really low. "I'm a cowboy... on a steel horse I ride..." HAHA!:) Oh, I hope they didn't hurt him too badly with their comments. I'm not a huge fan of the new judge. She's kinda a jerk. And by jerk, I don't mean the nice kind of jerk. The last contestant made me cry when he hugged his family... I don't think he even knows how amazing that is to be able to play the piano that well and be blind... he clearly has a gift for sound, even though he does not have sight.

10 years ago, if I had to choose to be blind or deaf, I would have chosen to be blind. But now that I have a love for photography... that decision would be impossible because I also love music so much too.

I haven't posted many photos lately! I'm bad!
Here are just a couple pics from Christmas Eve at my parents' house. It was such a fun time:

On Christmas Day, my parents, Aaron and I went to see my Grandma at her assisted living apartment. Isn't she lovely in her warm sweater?

My parents got Spartacus a very fun Christmas present. Aaron set it up when we got home, and Sparty had fun playing in it right away. It was totally cute!! Me, being the crazy pet owner that I am, had to take a photo...

We have his "house" in the basement now. When we watch TV, sometimes he goes crazy and likes to race from upstairs, to downstairs, across the room, up on the couch and behind the curtains. We call him "Insane-o Cat!" when he does this (said in a deep voiced announcer-tone as for a Monster Truck show)... then, he'll race back across the basement into his house. We call it his "Secret Cave" (because no one can see him... but really, we can... but don't tell him I told you). At this phase, he is called "Stealth Cat." He sits in the bottom level of his house, peering out... we know he is plotting things.

(taken with my super stealthy camera phone... )

He then BURSTS out of his Secret Cave and tears up the stairs, and we hear him run across the main level, into the kitchen-- where he hides behind the curtains.

Very peculiar and entertaining.

blah!

2009-01-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

I'm "sick" for the first time since May of 2007 (seriously... I remember the last time I was really sick!).
I've had some slight sniffles here and there, and some non-descript symptoms that made me feel simply "yucky," but nothing serious enough to even call a full out cold.

It's still not as bad as it could be... It's a sore throat, is all. Enough to be bothersome, that's for sure. I'm thankful that a sore throat is all it is, though (and I lose my voice if I sit quietly for awhile and try to talk again). Could be much worse. At least I can still talk without it hurting... fortunate for my husband, ha:)

What's probably worse, is that my hair has an attitude today.

Boo hoo for Ging.

Tomorrow will hopefully bring a non-ouch throat and a better hair day;)

In the process of changing my business colors, and I only now JUST realized I could change the colors on my blog. So I'm pretty excited. These are my current colors... Sometime within the next month, I will have a totally new color scheme!

I'm really tired (my body is fightin hard! go immune system, woooo!), so I need to take a nap for a bit, then will work for a few hours again...

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve!

Aaron and I hosted a party this year. Lots of fun, lots of good food and laughs.

Aaron and me:)

The gang after the clock struck midnight:

Christmas Eve... Hug your loved ones.

2008-12-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

One of our loved ones passed away yesterday. Aaron's uncle, Darrell. He got an infection that kind of came out of nowhere. Darrell had also been suffering the effects of a severe stroke he had 4 years ago... wasn't able to communicate like he wanted to, and needed help with many things. He is no longer suffering, now.
Still, for those he left behind, it is a sad time. Aaron and I didn't get to the hospital in time, and we are sad about that... and that we couldn't be with his family yesterday night. Please pray especially for his wife Judy, and kids-- Heather, Kristi, and Mike.

Here is our family at the wedding... Darrell is in front next to me, and his wife and kids are the first 4 people on the left of the photo.

(I love his grin in that pic... ha:)).

In August, I photographed the wedding of Kristi's friend. I snapped a quick pic of Judy, Kristi, and Darrell.

I am so happy I have these photos of him. They mean something to me. This is why, at weddings, I try to capture as many of the guests as possible. Two reasons... each person at the reception is special to the couple, and, you never know when it will be their time to go.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Hold your loved ones closely. May there be much peace and comfort in your lives.

Ben's da man... and early Christmas presents!

2008-12-20T00:07:00.001-08:00

This is Ben.

He's the one editing the promo video like a madman right now.

In the meantime, I ordered groceries online because I am in the midst of editing a bajillion pics and no time to shop.
"Coborn's delivers!" I wrote to my friend Johanne and sent her this quick pic on my phone:

"Boy do they ever!" she replied.

When I had opened the front door to check if they had come while I was sleeping, they surely had.
".... Oh my....." I said.

I will absolutely use them again. It saved me SO much time, and it truly wasn't that much more expensive-- and they even have weekly coupons as well.

The delivery fee? Five bucks. That's it. Sweet! 6 huge bins of food! But it was fun! Like opening Christmas presents!!

Speaking of Christmas presents...... Aaron got me a Wii for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think it's partially from his parents too. I don't know yet, because I was the one who bought it today, haha! He's paying me back (no seriously... cause we have separate accounts:)). He asked me today if I wanted a Wii for Christmas, and I was at Target running errands, and I said, yes, and that I would check for one there.... they weren't on the shelves, but when I asked the Target Team Member (:)), she checked the inventory, and they had one in the back!!!!

I can't open it until Christmas, so that's fine with me. But I am so excited to play it with friends. AND, I have no time to play it now-- much editing to do!

My parents got us some new rugs for our entryways today (so that we don't have to put two together as shown in the photo above) for an early Christmas present, and paid to recover our dining room chairs as well (they really needed it). Early Christmas is way fun!!!

Back to work-- hope you all enjoy your weekend!

My Promo Vid production is underway!

2008-12-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

All of Friday, and part of today, and a chunk of tomorrow are all devoted to taping for my promo vid for my website, so it's going to be a long weekend, but exciting too.

I am working with my designer on new color schemes for my logo, as well.

Have some editing to do this weekend also, AND I have a family Christmas to attend later on Sunday!

Busy weekend, so I'll try to post some more photos this coming week at some point.

My BABIES!!! (sob!)

2008-12-09T00:54:00.000-08:00

I sent both of my pro cameras in for check ups today!!! They should be back soon enough, but STILL... I feel NAKED!!!! It's the best time of year for it-- in between portrait sessions and weddings.

Also, my point and shoot camera has been busted for a few months now... now is a good time to take it in to get fixed so I am not completely without a creative outlet relating to photography. I remember the first time my FIRST point and shoot broke. It was my junior year of college. I had NO idea how much I truly loved taking photos, and how OFTEN I took photos until that camera broke. They took a month to repair that point and shoot, and I was in agongy! I realized that I probably had used my camera nearly ever single day... it's no wonder it wore out, ha:)

Thank God for extended warranties they offer at Circuit City and Best Buy. Let me tell you this... Whenever you purchase a point and shoot camera, if you know you will be using it a lot, it is SO worth it to get the extended warranty. SO worth it. I bought it for both of my point and shoots, and it was what... $60...? Well, it saves me the money that I don't have to spend getting it repaired now, or buying a new one!

I await the day of my babies' return.... returns... (?).

I have plenty to do in the next two weeks though... some editing, shooting the rest of my promo vid(So excited!), meeting with clients and friends, and Christmas related things, of course!

In the meantime, I will rely on my trusty camera phone for random everyday use.
It took these photos in low light, which isn't too shabby for a camera phone.

This is my friend Marie getting texts from my friend Matt and me.

This is Matt and me laughing at the texts we were sending Marie.

Matt is going to Iraq for the LAST TIME in a couple weeks! Then he is home in Minnesota for good in July. He's been in the Air Force for what seems like 10 years (I'm sure he feels the same), so it will be fun to have him around for good! His little girl (pictured with him in my "Family Pics" post, just a few posts down) will be happy with that as well! Thanks for serving, Matt!

Lindsay & Andy: Just for Fun

2008-12-06T13:56:00.001-08:00

Lindsay and Andy wanted some photos taken of them for some Christmas cards, and just for fun. I shot their wedding last December, and I can see they are still very much in love and a beautiful couple. We had a ton of fun on this shoot. It had just started getting cold at this time, and it was really funny... by the end of our shoot, all of us had no feeling in the bottom of our faces. Seriously! Our chins and cheeks were numb! (That could refer to ALL "cheeks" haha:))

Happy Thanksgiving/Black Friday!

2008-11-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

So very much to be thankful for this year!

I had an early morning call for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. Reminds me just how much we all have to be thankful for. The parents who lost were a beautiful couple, who have each other... and for that, I am thankful.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving,

And to those of you who participate in Black Friday, happy shopping! I plan on participating this year, and a few of my business purchases will include a Garmin, as well as some VERY cheap 4GB memory cards from B&H Photo. (Dig in, fellow photographers!)

Love,
Ginger

Family time!

2008-11-26T19:16:00.000-08:00

Fall was a great time for family photos. These families will be using a photo for Christmas cards, gifts, or just to put in their homes!

(3 years old! Yay!)

("Brrr!!!" she said. "My eyes are cold!")

What a bunch of fun fams! :)

Here's a photo I snapped while I was out shooting. Good-bye, Fall!

A different type of week....

2008-11-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

I know I've been MIA lately. It's been a very different week for me.

*Aaron was out of town all last week-- he went out to San Fransisco for work, and didn't get home until yesterday. I don't' want to sound like a baby, but every night was so so long. I slept on the couch every night with my cat because I didn't want to be alone in a cold bed. I hate being in the dark alone, and I hate the cold! I didn't mind it, and I was super comfortable.

*My back has really been bothering me for 2 weeks now... I have been working in a bad desk chair since this summer when I moved my office down to the basement temporarily. I didn't realize it wasn't a good chair until my back started hurting, and I started getting migraines. It's nice down here in the basement, but sitting and editing or emailing for hours with the slouchy posture that I have isn't good on my back. I had to spend a couple days just laying down (which was totally boring) because I couldn't sit for longer than 15-20 minutes without the nerves in my back getting mad at me. Even driving places hurt... or SITTING on the couch hurt. The only thing that felt good was lying down with a hot pack... that way the pressure was off that part of my spine that was hurting.

*My friend Matt is in town. He's in the Air Force and is home for one last "leave" before he heads off to his final tour in Iraq. He'll be there for 6 months, and then home for good-- which he, and everyone else, is looking forward to. This week, I took some photos of his little girl for him and his fam, so he can have some good photos of her to bring with him. We've hung out a couple more times, just to get in some fun before he leaves again. Sarah, Dan, and Marie and Matt came over and played Wii one night. Not my Wii... Dan brought his over. I WISH I could even FIND a Wii at the store!

*My parents took me out for dinner on Thursday night, so that I wasn't too lonely (I seriously was pretty lonely... I'm a people person, so I was thankful for their company, and my friends' company!).

*I've been having orchestra rehearsal the last month (Northern Symphony Orchestra) in which I play the cello! Long rehearsals were hard on my back the past couple weeks, but we played a lot of fun music. Saturday, we went up to St. Cloud for the day and played there for the man who was doing the piano concerto with us. He was celebrating 60 years of being a concert pianist. Isn't that AMAZING?? Our home concert was at the local high school tonight, and everyone loved his playing. We had a lot of notes in the concert, and we were all exhausted but satisfied at the end!

*I went to a funeral out of town this morning, and it was sad, but happy, as well. A celebration of life, AND, life after death... exactly what I want my funeral to be someday.

*I have been on a pretty "opposite" schedule since March. It started off with going to bed at 2-3am when I was out in Vegas for WPPI. When I got home, I didn't adjust back very well (2 hour time difference), then I went back to Vegas 2 weeks later with Aaron for work, and I got more into that schedule. With not having to be up in the morning, except for on Saturdays, it worked well for while. Now that it's November and I don't have any weddings this month, and only portrait sessions later in the day, I had no reason to try to get up. Only a month ago, I was sleeping 10-13 hours a day when I was fighting some sort of virus that a doctor said was either a relative of Mono, or my body was just fighting hard to get rid of something, and it was making me exhausted... and so, that really threw off my sleep schedule more. When Aaron was gone this week, and with having to rest for a few days in a row because of my back, my sleep schedule was "at it's worst." I was getting enough sleep, but it was just at such an "opposite" time of everyone else. This last week, Tuesday, I went to bed at 8:30AM, and woke up at 5pm, and then I worked at night. I have tried SO many things to get back on a regular schedule, and according to my cousin's sleep specialist (she was having similar problems), I need to adjust it little by little. Well, last night, I fell asleep after "eating dinner" at 11:30pm... why? I have no idea... other than it was perhaps an answer to prayers. And so, tonight, I hope to get to bed at perhaps by 2:30AM... and I hope to FINALLY slowly work backwards to the sleep schedule I would prefer. (Wake up at 9AM, go to bed at 11:30pm).

So, tonight, after I am done editing in this grumpy desk chair, I hope to get to bed at a decent hour, wake up at a decent hour, and go shop for a new desk chair... so that I can enjoy orchestra... and sitting... and life. Because life is really too short to not enjoy, and too long to have back pain at the early age of 25.

My family?

2008-11-16T12:46:00.001-08:00

My friend Corrie sent this to me on my phone, and I thought it was funny.

"Your family in 5 years. Apparently you triple in size after having 2 kids."

I miss Fall already!

2008-11-07T14:36:00.001-08:00

I took this pic with my phone just about 2 weeks ago... it was so beautiful!!

Today, it is rainy and yucky, and it snowed a bit this morning too. What the heck? Not cool.

You know how they say if you have nothing to talk about, talk about the weather?
Well, in Minnesota, the weather is never a boring topic, because it is so CRAZY.

Aaron has every other Monday off, and since I often work on the weekends, it works out well! A couple weeks ago we headed down to the Jordan apple orchard (Minnesota Harvest), and went through the corn maze. It was a lot of fun, and the colors in Jordan were SO pretty.

This is the drive once you enter the orchard area. It just glows!! (Again, all pics taken with my camera phone.)

After some cider, we drove over to the corn maze:

Aaron climbed a ladder to see if it would help us find our way out...
He looks and goes, "I can't see anything."

So we navigated our way out with the map... which was kinda hard, since half the time we didn't know where we were, and the "map" is a maze. Once we figured out where we were, we got out!

So anyway... yes, I miss fall... but I am glad that I got to get out and enjoy it a bit!

Katrina & Tommy's Wedding

2008-11-05T16:26:00.000-08:00

Hello, friends!

I have been editing away... portrait sessions, engagement sessions, and weddings. And I am happy with the results, and happy with my clients!!

I have also had the pleasure of meeting with a few wonderful couples over the past month to discuss having me shoot their weddings. I love client meetings-- being able to hear about the beginning process of their plans for the big day!

I admit it... I am a blog slacker! I do better at getting these pics up on Facebook than I do on my blog. Some of you may have already seen these, but for those who haven't, here are some images from Katrina and Tommy's wedding!

Her groom awaits...

Everyone was pretty happy these two were finally hitched! They had loads of friends and family to support them, and celebrate their day!

Most of the guys were on the Bethel football team together...

Steph captured this wide shot with the natural dance light. So pretty.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:33:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, we had snow flurries, and today, it is 60 degrees! Ah, now THAT is what I'm talking about! That is perfect weather for trick-or-treating!

(Actually, I took this pic at an August wedding, ha:)).

I just wanted to share this story. I find it funny. When I was a bride-to-be, my in-laws-to be (in-law aunts and cousins of aunts, etc) threw a shower for me. They came up with this really fun game, where they would ask me some questions so that they could get to know me, and then they called Aaron and put him on speaker phone and asked him how I answered. One of the questions was, "What is your favorite holiday?"
"Halloween!" I answered.
...Then I saw the look on some of the more conservative Christian faces in the group...you know that sweet, "Oh, that's nice" I'm trying ot be kind look, and I added...
"... because you get to dress up and be someone you're not... and eat candy..."
... and then I added...
"I also really like Thanksgiving..."

To make things worse, when they asked me what music I did NOT like, my answer was, "The worship kind where everyone is singing together..."
And I didn't realize until later that what I meant to say was, "The LIVE RECORDED worship music they play on the radio where a large crowd is singing together! (I just don't like live recordings at large concerts!)"

Oh my lands. GULP! So now I really portrayed myself as a heathen and gluten!! (Is that how you spell that?).

Well, while no one said anything, I'm sure they have gotten to actually know me and know that I am not a heathen. ... The gluten is to be decided on, depending on your definition of "gluten!" Ha! :)

I like food a lot (it's like a hobby), and it's true... I love Halloween (even though I am a Christian... what??!).

Why? Well, I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that I grew up celebrating Halloween in the "Halloween Capitol of the World!" No lie. Just google it, and "Anoka" pops up. When I was in Elementary school, we used to have Halloween parties, and we participated in the Kiddie Halloween Parade... we would walk down Main Street in our costumes while hundreds of people gathered to watch. We learned how to spell "Halloween" by learning THIS song... and I have been singing it all day!

(There is a "play" button under the Halloween image. The song starts around the 1 minute mark.)

This is the same tune, but with no words... I love this cartoon, haha!

We used to play Danse Macabre in orchestra. So much fun.

The Saturday before Halloween, there is a BIG parade that takes place again. People from all over the state show off their city royalty on floats, and all sorts of businesses hand out candy. This is no dinky parade, folks. This is a LONG parade... lasts a long time, AND it is at least a mile long. It's that, if not longer for sure.

Halloween parties are also a big deal... there is ALWAYS someone throwing one. I have thrown my share of them, and they are SO much fun. We also do pumpkin carving contests often.

I also like Halloween because of the excitement in the air... the leaves are blowing, the kids are running from house to house... people put up fun and/or scary decorations...

And literally, as I am writing this, I just heard some kid jump out from behind my house to scare his friends as they walked by. I love the shrieks of excitement.

I'm obviously not into the super dark Halloween stuff... just the fun aspects of it. Yeah, some people get weird about it. But let's be honest. The majority of people who "celebrate" Halloween, celebrate it because it's fun to dress up, eat candy, carve pumpkins, decorate, go on haunted hayrides and to haunted houses(the fake kind of course) and drink cider.

I hate the dark, so I don't go to haunted houses much:)

Tonight I'll be decorating my entryway (complete with a very fake looking skeleton, Dead Fred, and strobe light) so that hopefully I can once again be told by a 6th grader, "Nice getup!" Ha! :) I love handing out candy. And if I can find a costume from my huge costume box, I'll be attending a Halloween Party tomorrow night.

And so, Happy Halloween, everyone, from the Halloween Capitol of the World! (Well, next to it, anyway...I moved:)).

SNOW??

2008-10-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's suppose to snow here tomorrow night.

THIS, people, is why I've thought for many years, that Halloween in Minnesota should be earlier in October.

I was in 2nd grade when the infamous "Blizzard of '91" hit... children all around Minnesota were dressed in their costumes, ready to collect their treats, and we were forced to wear snow pants, boots, and huge puffy coats over our costumes.

It is currently 54 degrees at 9:30pm. Tomorrow it's suppose to be 26 degrees at this time.

Fall is wonderful, and then it gets cold REALLY fast. It's ridiculous. I am so not ready for snow tomorrow!!!! It probably won't stay, but it's still not necessary for winter to rear its ugly head at us so early! Winter is only welcome from December 10th through January 10th. Then it can go away.

Unfortunately, that's not how it works here in Minnesnow-ta.

Faith and Fotos tonight!

2008-10-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight I will be hosting a woman's photographer retreat titled Faith and Fotos at my parent's place. It was such a busy time in the season for so many photographers, so it will just be an intimate group, but we are hoping to do it again in the future!

We'll be talking about our business, photography, and what role our faith plays in those things... it will be a good time for us to bond as photographers, answer each others' questions, challenge and encourage each other to set new goals, and hopefully find some renewal! (As I said, it is the busiest season, October in Minnesota, because we are all doing many weddings and portrait sessions because of the fall colors).

We're going to throw a log on the fireplace, enjoy some great food, and music too-- provided by my husband's cousin Heather, who often assists in leading worship at her church (and she has such a beautiful pure voice!).

I'm really looking forward to tonight. While tonight isn't about actually taking photos, I will do my best to do that so I can post some up here;)

Sarah and Dan's Engagement Session

2008-10-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

The pics below were a few of the images from Sarah and Dan's engagement session.

They are two of my favoritest people in the entire world. I have known Sarah since 2nd grade, and Dan (who I call Nimmy:)), since my freshman year of college-- we met through a mutual friend and hit it off online-- but we didn't' actually meet in PERSON until about a year later.

Sarah and Dan never actually met until a New Year's party at my place (is that right, guys?). It wasn't until a year later that Dan apparently started liking Sarah (which was first noticed by my friend Johanne-- just to give her credit), and Sarah and Dan would both come over for "24" (the TV show) nights at my place for the next few months... and then they started dating... which made my cry...
Because every time I thought about it, I KNEW they were going to be married... and it made me so happy. Because they are absolutely perfect for each other, and two of my best friends.

I will be Sarah's maid of honor in June, and the fabulous Erin Benner(another good friend of mine) will be shooting their wedding... she allowed me to take their engagement photos:)

We shot them up at Gooseberry Falls, along the amazingly beautiful north shore. (To those of you who don't live in MN, "The North Shore" is the shore of Lake Superior... it is the closest thing we have to an ocean around here:)).

Here are just a couple of my faves:

(Dan says this is almost exactly the spot where he asked her to marry him...)

(This one is obviously not a "serious" engagement pic... haha:) A wave just splashed up and Sarah was feeling the freezing cold mist... it was super funny).

Sarah and I lusting over the shirtless statue:

Dan took this pic of me and my hubby, Aaron:)

Before and After

2008-10-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

I love editing a photo to make it look what it was meant to be, and how I "see" it.

I love flipping back and forth between "before and after" shots if I've really done some tweaking with them. ALL of the photos I give my clients are edited. Each photo receives a basic editing procedure, but some of them need some more work-- whether it be the lighting conditions, the settings the camera was on, the lack of color in the image, to some people, a "blah" photo may be present-- but to me, I see potential-- and I edit the photo to bring that potential out. You will likely never see the original photos that I take, because they are not "the best they can be," (I only give the best quality to my clients), and so you may never notice the work that goes into the photo.

And so, today, I wanted to show you a few Before and After shots to give you a better idea of the work, process and love that go into my photos! :)

(In Lightroom: Boosted the temperature, brought out the blacks, vignette, contrast and vibrance boost. In Photoshop: adjusted the curves.

(In Lightroom: Cropped, boosted blacks/shadows, flare control preset, readjust contrast, lighten auto vignette, In Photoshop: select subjects with "circle" tool, feather, adjust curves so that subjects are brighter. Clone out a few flyaway hairs--it was super windy! :)).

(In Lightroom: Crop, Flare control preset, tone down the preset (contrast, vignette), and boost temperature. In Photoshop: select subjects with "circle" tool, feather, adjust curves so that subjects are brighter. Clone out the shadow in foreground so that photo is brighter, more symmetrical, and "happier.")

Christmas Card Sessions are here!

2008-09-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Pam and John's engagement photos were taken around the same time last year (mid October).
We had such a blast! Here's one photo from their session!

Aren't they adorable??