Photography by Megan Sneak Peek Blog!

Lake Bronson Sessions: Jena and Jon

Seriously, I couldn't have picked a better "rain day re-schedule" day than this one!  It was absolutely gorgeous and the skies only got bluer throughout the afternoon.  My next session at the park was an engagement session with Jena and Jon, and we ventured down to the dock to capture a fabulous reflection of clouds behind them!  It was fun to play with the light a little more as it changed every few hours.  I've never shot so many pictures in one location, but with the moving sun it kept things interesting!

 

 

Lake Bronson Sessions: Ava

The blogging continues!  I hope to get caught up a little more so expect to see LOTS of posts and pictures over the next few days.  This next set of shots are of little Ava, who came all the way from the city with her parents to run around in the wilderness and step into the water with her shoes on!  You might remember her from last winter...I know I say it all the time but she's growing up fast and has has really gone from baby to toddler! 

Lake Bronson Sessions: Nancy and Jordan

It's never too late to get pictures as a couple--even after the engagement and wedding have passed by!  Nancy and Jordan were married last summer and wanted some updated shots, just in time to get those early fall colors and possibly get some images for a Christmas card.  The only mishap was Jordan getting stung by a bee in the parking lot!  Luckily, he was just fine, but still--Ouch! 

Lake Bronson Sessions: Lawrence

Time for the Lake Bronson Sessions!  I shot six sessions at the park a couple weeks ago (yes, I'm crazy!) and it was an absolutely gorgeous day.  Warm, sunny, breezy and NO rain!  Because our original date got rained out, this was the second option and it ended up working out perfectly.  My first family of the day was one you may recognize from last year around this time.  Lawrence has grown!  He's no longer a toddler--he's a little boy!  We had a great time and he even got a few balloons!

Rylan and Reagan: The Big One!

I can't believe the same tiny babies I photographed last year are already turning one!  It was birthday cake and toy cars and cowboy hats for these two.  We had perfect timing at the park because as soon as they finished their cake at the end of the session it started raining!   It sure was fun to watch these two grow up the past year!

Carly's Senior Session

First off--a huge THANK YOU to all of the kind words and thoughts about our beloved dog, Buddy!  I appreciate all the notes and e-mails and messages.  Nathan does, too!

Secondly, I have to apologize to all my patient and waiting clients as with all that has been going on lately in our household (and how busy it's been this season!) I've been delayed in getting blogs and galleries finished and online.  I am also way behind on e-mails so if you've sent me one in the last week I promise I haven't forgotten about you!  It will just take some time for me to sort through everything.  I sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding!

Carly has been excited to see her photos since the day we shot them and I don't blame her!  She is absolutely gorgeous and was a joy to photograph.  I have a few to share now and maybe I'll add one or two more tomorrow if I get a chance.  Here's a peek!

Our Best Friend

I haven't been around much the last couple days, and I apologize for that.  Nathan and I lost our best friend yesterday, our eleven-year-old black lab, Buddy.  He was getting old and it finally all became too much for him when he collapsed as he was chasing a ball and didn't want to get back up.  We rushed him over to the vet and found out he had some major heart problems along with a failing liver and other issues.  We had to make the unbelievably tough decision to put him down.  He's been a part of our family for years so this wasn't easy!  We both stayed with him until the end, holding his paw and stroking his soft fur.  He went peacefully and we know he is not suffering anymore. 

I was lucky enough to have so many pictures of Buddy, so I felt like I should share some.  We miss him so much!

One more... a poem and collage.

Alyce

Alyce is ALL baby, from her perfect chubby cheeks to her big blue eyes.  At almost six months she can almost sit up, as long as she's propped forward so she can balance with her arms!  She was so much fun to photograph and this is one of my favorite baby-stages to capture.  Full of personality and still in that roly-poly stage.  We even brought her (and some furniture) outside in the front yard--it was a beautiful day!  Oh, and she also modeled her insanely adorable MONKEY costume!!

Lexi, Marlee, and Morgan

It was a gorgeous evening for photos with these three girls along with Mom and Dad!  It had been raining off and on throughout the day but the sun came out at just the right moment and reflected some amazing golden light against the blue clouds in the distance.  I also immediately spotted their fabulous backyard tire swing and an old red shed--jackpot!  We even explored a little around some of the alleys in town for some "urban" shots of this very rural community!

Brooke, Riley, and Cooper

Here's a fun session from Lake Bronson (but not from my full-day, that's coming up later!) where I met up with a great local family for some colorful early fall shots.   We had perfect timing with the weather because as soon as we were done with the initial family shots near the lake and headed back to our vehicles it started pouring!  When we arrived at the tower just down the road for our second spot of shooting, the rain stopped and the SUN came out!  What are the odds?  I was hoping their session wouldn't be rained out so we were definitely lucky that it all worked out.  And I LOVED their outfits, especially Brooke's colorful sweater!

Alex, Andi, Izyk, and Berlyn

This fun bunch definitely kept me on my toes!  With four adorable kids, three dogs, a bottle-fed calf, acres and acres of green grass and trees, a couple red barns, and some great John Deere shirts I was in photography heaven!  It was definitely hard to narrow down the pictures for this post, let alone narrow down the spots to take pictures at their farm.  I probably could've shot there all day!

 

Lance and Lacey - 9.6.08

Lance and Lacey hit the weather jackpot of the entire season...and it was even more perfect because they had an outdoor wedding at the golf course!  It could not have been a more gorgeous September day with sun and a little breeze and temperatures in the comfortable 70s!  Eventually an evening storm rolled in (enough for some great clouds!) but they were already indoors eating at the reception and it cleared off again just in time for the outdoor dance!  Also, I loved how the couple included their dog, Baxter, who even got to walk down the aisle!  You may remember these two from their engagement session a few months ago!

Fallon, Three Months

I can hardly believe three months have already flown by and it was time for this little girl's pictures again!  Fallon was so smiley and happy and she's definitely grown!  She's already got a fun personality and I'm looking forward to capturing many more moments this first year.  I had some fabulous morning light to work with in the backyard and it couldn't have been a more beautiful day!

Sue, Paula and Jeannine Say Goodbye

Sue and her mother and grandmother have all lived together in the same house her whole life...that is, until now!  Paula and Jeannine have sold the house and are moving out to Colorado to be closer to family, and Sue is already out of college and on her own.  So the three of them decided to do a photo session to mark the final days at their home all together and I was happy to record these special moments for them and to capture their close bond!  Even Emma the dog joined in!

Carter, Emerson, and Hudson

Last time it was just Carter and Emerson...this time there's a new little guy in the picture!  Baby brother Hudson joined the family and was ready to smile! We also got to venture outside this time and explored the backyard and played on the swings.  Our timing was just right because as soon as I got in my car when we were finished with the session the rain started pouring! 

Just had to add this one... love her expression!

Dillon, Dallas, and Lila

I had the pleasure of photographing another set of twins--Dallas and Lila--along with their big brother Dillon a couple weeks ago, and they were all so smiley and fun!  We went outside for just a few shots before the crazy wind and the rain started to fall, pushing us back indoors.  But luckily this home was absolutely flooded with gorgeous natural light from a gigantic window in the living room which I used to its fullest potential.  And of course we had to check out the kids rooms, including more names on the wall!

 

Lydia and Carther

These two siblings just celebrated their 2nd and 4th birthdays--BOTH on September 2nd, which also happened to be the day of our session!  We mostly explored the backyard with fence climbing, tomato picking, and of course a little swing-set swinging.  They were also very good about doing pictures together, with lots of hugs, kisses, and squeezes!

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Ryder

Ryder is back!  And he's definitely not a baby anymore...he runs so fast it's hard to keep up with him!  It's also been almost a whole year since I saw him last, and his cute curly blonde hair is still growing. I love it!  We decided to meet downtown for the urban look and ventured to all the hot spots in the area.  Lots of textures and colors--and his green Crocs were a perfect "kick!"

Evan and Micah

I'm gonna say it even though it's cliche--you're definitely "seeing double!"  Twins Evan and Micah looked so alike (to me, at least) that I could only tell them apart by their shirts!  We had a fun family backyard session which included playing with mom and dad, husking some corn on the cob, and polishing off a couple dripping melty fudgsicles!  But by then we decided to let them ditch their shirts so they could get extra messy.  Just what little boys love!

Erin's Senior Session

Erin is a perfect example of how to have fun with last year's prom dress!  I mean, how often can you wear it again to go swinging at the park and sit on the cement in front of the closed-for-the-season swimming pool building?  She was up for anything and we had a lot of fun.  It was also neat that she is the yearbook editor and brought along one to use in a shot, and then showed me a couple of seniors from her school I photographed last year who used my pictures in the yearbook... I guess after all these years I'm still honored to be published in any form!

Vayle, Six Months

She's growing SO fast I can hardly believe it... and I know Mom wants her to slow down since she's the baby of the family!  (She's another one I last saw at three months!)  Vayle can now sit up in a chair and her smile is even bigger (although it took some coaxing) and she looked so pretty in her purple hat with her big, blue, inquisitive eyes.  What a gorgeous girl!

Afton, Six Months

This little cutie smiles more every session... I can't wait for the next one!  (Check out her three month pictures!) I ended up with some great shots that really show her personality--right down to her brand new "high heels" which were so incredibly adorable.  I figured everyone might want to know where Mom got them so I did a little research and you can get them here.  Afton wore them well so I know she'll be great advertising!  Dad and Kyzer, the family dog, jumped in for a few shots, too--so much fun!

 

Mahren, Three Months

Another baby growing up fast!  It was time for Mahren's three month pictures (I last photographed her at just one week old!) and she's definitely changed!  We happened to have our session on probably the last day of real summer for awhile, it was HOT and sticky!  Thank goodness for the wind, because I'm not sure how long we would have lasted outside due to some of the mosquitoes.  Luckily she was all smiles (mixed in with a few curious looks, too) and it was fun to document this next stage of her life as she grows like a weed.  Even Dad got to join in on a few shots this time!

Casey, Nora, and Owen

If you dig way, way back to the early years of my blog, you'll see a post about a little girl named Casey.   Well, a lot has happened since that first post, including sister Nora in 2006, (I checked in with them last summer, too) and now they've got another addition: baby BROTHER Owen!  I'm sure Dad was thrilled to add a boy to his house of girls.  Here's the latest from this growing family!

Haylie's Senior Session

Call me crazy but I LOVE shooting pictures in Kennedy.  This little town is full of cool spots for pictures and everything is just within blocks!  We started at Haylie's house (her room has a fabulous colored wall) and then headed over to the old school and took advantage of the abandoned playground...red swings and all!  We ended up down by the coulee just outside of town where Haylie told me the story about a teepee she and her brother had made years and years ago.  The only catch: we had to walk through shoulder high grass swarming with mosquitoes to get to it!  We made it and I got the shot--only one of her boots ended up filled with water!

 

Kailey's Senior Session

Kailey lucked out on the weather for her senior picture day, just a little bit of wind but otherwise gorgeous!  Even a sprinkling of puffy white clouds dancing across a dazzlingly blue sky for some wheat field shots, and the water at the river was warm enough to wade in... at least up to her knees!  Kailey's mom and sister came along and they showed me all the great spots around Thief River Falls and then we headed out to her grandparents farm where there was a neat old red barn and an antique tractor!

The Bengston Family!

What a fun session!  I met up at the Bengston family farm where for the first time the kids were home all at once...including spouses and grandchildren!  You may recognize a few of the little ones, as I've done pictures for Annika and her cousins Kajsa and Greta in the past.  It was so great to see everyone all together because the older kids live far away and I know it was extra special to have them all together--they were so happy! 

Jared and Beth - 8.22.08

I last met up with Jared and Beth for their engagement session back in March in Minneapolis...this time it was a bit closer (Moorhead) for their wedding day!  We even ventured over to downtown Fargo to the Hotel Donaldson for a few fun shots around the area.  I loved the brick walls and of course leave it to me to find some cherry red doors!  I LOVE finding bright colors.  For those of you who have asked, yes I have radar for them :)