Chris 'n Carrie

After some confusion during which we discovered that there are not one, two, or three, but FOUR Heine Brothers coffee shops on Bardstown road (honestly, is that necessary?), we finally landed at the same one. I thoroughly enjoyed my time getting to know them and talking about their wedding coming up in September. They are laid back, easy to work with and I genuinely appreciate that! For example, I have to embarrass Chris and mention that his one special request for the wedding photography is that we have as many awkward close-ups of his friends as we could manage. Photographers, how often do you get permission, and not only permission, but requests, like that!? :)

Meet Chris and Carrie...Love Carrie's shoes!

In contrast to the serious pose above, I had to post this one.
Isn't Carrie photogenic??I believe the answer to the above question is yes!A pretty old church...
And a good-looking young couple...
Classic situation. He's a Louisville fan, she's a Kentucky fan... we did a really fun series with these t-shirts. I wanted to post them all!
They look like they get along pretty well for rival fans...
They took me to where they had their first kiss – on a playground. It was a gorgeous day and there were underage kids tearing around everywhere. They did a great job with this part of the session, I'm really glad we came!
We had to boot some kids (nicely, of course) off the swings to get these. Once again, I'm so glad we did. I really like this one, it has that little something...
Last, but not least, one of my most favorites...
You guys were great! I'll look forward to September!

Mark + Melissa

You might recall a wedding in the recent past where the bride has some similarities with this bride. For good reason, Katie is Melissa's sister and got married just 6 months ago. Melissa and I also have tons of memories together. I love this girl! Not only is she so much fun, but above all, she has a heart that seeks God no matter the cost. And she got married this past weekend in Michigan! Seeing her with Mark would put a smile on anyone's face. I know Mark is a good man, he treats her so well and makes her SO HAPPY. A beautiful thing to see God's plan unfold for them!
Beautiful, and it shines from the inside out.So happy!UPDATE: As I was looking back over this post, I wondered to myself, "What's with the groom always taking second violin at their own weddings??" So, this is Mark – looking pretty good himself... He's definitely looking at Mel here. And that's the way he likes it, obviously. :)
They met out west on a traveling harvest crew, so it was only fitting that we photograph at the farm... I love this one of them!
And this one.

A fun little shot...
This wedding party looks like they came right out of the latest "winter wonderland weddings" magazine, don't they?

The colors for the wedding were orange and blue, and it was gorgeous! Melissa thought of every little detail...
We headed outside for one last shot... Here's to having and holding each other for the rest of your lives.
Love you guys!

A visit to Cargill

It was a snowy day last week when we all pulled up to Cargill Manufacturing Company (the largest in Minnesota). But the cause was good.

Over 30 students from the Brooklyn Park area, many Cargill employees, and a large representation from Compatible Technologies International (CTI) gathered here to assemble Grain Mills...Who is CTI? From their website- "... founded in 1981 by a group of missionaries, and research engineers and General Mills food scientists as a unique non-profit volunteer organization devoted to alleviating hunger and poverty and promoting food security in the developing world.

Rather than simply feeding the world’s most impoverished people, CTI develops, builds and distributes post-harvest technologies that help people feed themselves with greater predictability and nutrition. Our low-tech tools are compatible with, and adapted to, the diverse cultures and environments in which they are deployed around the world."CTI brought the grain mills to be assembled, then they will be shipped to Africa...Each table divided into teams, one team had the instructions the other team had the pieces. Working blindly like this and only from instructional direction, the first team to complete two grain mills was the winner.A large number of the students there that day came with the A-List, a non-profit group started by college students from the University of Minnesota. The national statistics for the success of youth are sad... staggering. Along with addictions, teen pregnancies, and dropouts, four teens are murdered every day. And the youth in Brooklyn Park are no different. They need jobs, they need something better to do. Enter the A-List. Check out their website for more... A great work they are doing!The students had a great time racing to finish first, and they also learned alot about profitable work and serving others.The winners!Thanks for the opportunity to photograph this great event. It was indeed my privilege. My eyes were also opened to how privileged I am, and how I can help carry out Jesus' command to love and serve the poor and underprivileged.

Winter wonderland

First of all, those are not the first two words that come to mind when the thermometer reads 30 below or when I spend my day off digging my car out of a snowbank. There are more choice words that come to mind for situations like that. :) But a few mornings this week, everything was covered with "hoar frost"- frozen dew, basically. It really is a "winter wonderland". So beautiful!! What an AWESOME Creator!




Frost on the window...

Knock-out in Knoxville

Ah, what to say about Jordan and Charlotte? In this post you will only see the beauty on the outside (and there is plenty of that) but let me just tell you that it flows from beauty within. This is truly a God-written love story. Anybody who knows them will agree that God is very much glorified in this beautiful relationship... and it began with two people separately running hard after God.

We were in Knoxville together for a conference and went out on the town one sunny afternoon. These portraits were so easy to do. Not only is the couple good-looking and stylish, they are very much in love. :) Jordan treats Charlotte like such a lady and she returns his love with complete devotion.

A sidewalk cafe...
This is outside of my "typical lighting techniques" box, but I love pretty much everything about this picture.
These are the kind of pictures that make me look forward to the next time I get to photograph two people in love.
We stopped at this little coffee and chocolate cafe and they sat down for a cup of tea, where we took this next little series.
The first thing they did as they sat down was pray together.
Hilarious! Love this.
Seriously. Could they be any cuter?
The sign behind them says "Do not put anything in front of these doors. Thanks." :) These sort of places usually make the best backdrops.

This makes me smile everytime I see it.
And this one. Practicing their dance moves...
This was at the end of the shoot. Charlotte was almost completely frozen. But then we saw this red door. I know they were groaning inside when I asked for one more shot. But I'm so glad we did. This is my favorite shot.I am looking forward to your wedding so much!