Let it snow, let it snow!

It's a beautiful snowfall, really. With Christmas only 5 days away, and another 2+ inches of new snow on the ground this morning it seems we are assured of a white Christmas this year. Which, since we live in Minnesota seems only right.

Karon and I want to wish a Merry Christmas to all of our friends out there. You may have started out as clients and we, as your photographers. But with each wedding, new baby or family portrait that passes, we are blessed to have made new friends! Your friendships mean so much to us and we are so thankful for every one of you!

Merry Christmas!

Karon and Nancy

Mo and Hunter's family pics

We were lucky enough to take family portraits for some good friends last Sunday afternoon. What a sweet fam. Every time I look at these shots, I can hear Hunter's mischievous laugh all over again. It really was contagious! I love every shot we took that day. This is how all family portraits should look!

Kira and Greg

C'mon Greg, Smile! You can do it... As it turns out he CAN smile! After we convinced him this picture taking thing really is quite painless, Greg was a good sport and gave us some great face time. He and Kira said they were both a little nervous, but you would have never known. They did a great job and made our work easy! We had a great afternoon in the warm autumn sun. Which is a bit rare here in Minnesota!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Karon and I both know how blessed we are to get to "work" as wedding photographers. How lucky are we that we get to spend so many days at "work" doing exactly what we love? Nothing can be more fun than spending a wedding day with one of our wonderfully, amazing couples who truly have become friends by the time their wedding day comes along. However, Karon and I did recently discover a whole new facet to this busy, crazy studio business that we love almost as much as the weddings.... we had our first speaking engagement last week! Though we were a little nervous, and slightly surprised that any other photographers would want to hear what we have to say, we had a GREAT time! All went well and we owe a BIG thank you to Barb, Art and everyone at the Mankato Digital Photo Club! Everyone was very kind to us and made us feel very welcome. Hopefully we offered up some tiny morsels of helpful information, too! All in all, we decided we liked this speaking thing and it wasn't nearly as scary as we thought it would be, so we hope to do more in the future. It keeps us on our toes and more importantly, we meet even more amazing friends!

Brian, Nissa ....and baby Lydia!

A little over 3 years ago, Karon and I met Nissa and a bridal show. She was looking for a wedding photographer ~we were looking for brides! The three of us clicked and Nissa was kind enough to entrust her wedding day portraits to us. Since then, we've shot sister Maggie's wedding, too. These two sisters are amazing, wonderful women!

We've have had a great time getting to know this family and now call them friends. About 9 months ago, Nissa shared with us some big news: she announced she was pregnant! Today, baby Lydia Louise made her big debut!! Brian and Nissa sent us snap shots of these first moments via email!

Lydia may not know it yet, but she is a blessed little girl to get two such wonderful parents!

Congratulations Nissa, Brian and Welcome to the world baby Lydia!!!

Erin and Chris

Super-fun, super-sweet, Erin and Chris and some of our fav images from their engagement session!

Christmas in October?

There is still time to get a family portrait taken in time for your Christmas cards! We're booking studio and location shoots NOW!

Ashten gets engaged

Just a few years ago, we did Ashten's graduation portraits. Now, she's getting married! These past few weeks, taking her sister Tay's graduation portraits and then Ashten and Michael's engagements have been a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. Gone are the days when Lynette and I spent sunny, summer afternoons in the backyard chatting while the girls jumped on the trampoline. Or driving them to Awana. (Once in a while Greg drove. The girls looked forward to Greg's turn to drive... They would giggle and squeal when he did the "brake test" in the mini van.)

Ashten has grown into a lovely young woman who will make a wonderful wife and mother. She graduates from college next spring, right before the wedding and will be teaching just a few weeks later. Those kids don't know it yet, but they will be blessed by having her as their teacher.

When I think of Ashten, I could comment on her love for the Lord, her impeccable character, her sincere, kind and giving heart, her devotion to family. But I couldn't say it quite as well as this small excerpt from Proverbs:

Proverbs 31

10An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.
¹²She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.

²⁰She extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

²⁶She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Congratulations Ashten and Michael! You two are a special couple. Know that many people stand with you as you take those vows next May. Greg and I couldn't be happier to share our wedding anniversary with you, we consider ourselves in good company with you two!

And thanks for entrusting your wedding day portraits to Red Shoe. I'm honored!

Love you guys!

It's starting already

So, I know I posted about this on Friday. However, on Friday, the school didn't have the sign updated! Taylor was chosen as her high schools homecoming queen (and all of us who know her could be more proud!) Over the weekend, I made my way down to the school to get pictures of her name in lights.... Like I said a couple of weeks ago, Taylor is going to do great things in her life. I think this is just the beginning. Today: homecoming Queen, tomorrow: ???

Breaking News..Tay is Queen!

Big news today from West High School! Taylor has been chosen as Homecoming Queen!! Shown here with "the queen" are proud mom and dad and her sisters.

She looks stunning in her white, floor length gown and sparkling smile. That amazing smile is the perfect accessory to the jeweled crown she will wear for the parade and football game tonight! I have to wonder, is she wearing flip flops with her dress?! :o)

Taylor will be reigning over homecoming festivities for the rest of the day and carry this special memory in her heart for years to come. Your fellow students couldn't have picked a better woman for the job. They see the special person that you are too.

Congrats Tay!!! We're so proud of you!

The Wedding Show

We had a great day today at the wedding show. Had a chance to visit with so many wonderful, newly engaged brides! A lot of ladies are already coming in, booking 2011 dates. It's amazing to me how far in advance wedding planning needs to be done.

We get asked at every show how we came up with the name Red Shoe. Today, after telling the story several times, we decided I should blog about it. So, I promise to do that soon. It's a great story, rather humorous. Well, at least I think it's humorous... Karon? not so much! More on that, later this week.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to see us today! We really enjoy the shows. We get a chance to meet so many wonderful people. We are already gearing up for the show in January at the Kato Ballroom so if you didn't get a chance to make today's show, make plans to attend that one.

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and visit with us today!

Keep watching for that infamous "How we got our name" post. I promise to have that for you later this week!

Check. It. Out.

As with any website, it's always a work in progress. But we're excited to say there has been a major update and it's ready for viewing! Check back often, there are a lot of changes still in the works! Visit redshoegallery.com

Make a statement with your senior portraits!

Looking for something different for your senior portraits? Want to make a statement and tell the world exactly who you are? Call Red Shoe Gallery and book your senior session today!

Kyle the Model

Kyle is just one of those guys who is really comfortable in front of the camera. He was game for anything and we pushed him to the limit! We had him climbing trees, bridges ands train cars. All the while, he just smiled and posed for the camera (and didn't smile when we said we were looking for a more serious expression for a shot)  He is a natural in front of the camera and it shows. It was such a great night and we had so much fun! 

Congratulations and thanks, Kyle! 

Taylor is graduating

I've known Taylor since she was about 6. She and her family lived across the back yard all through grade school and most of high school. She and her sisters, Ashten and Maddie and my daughter, Elizabeth all grew up together in that back yard. Endless summer days spent composing dance recitals, jumping on the trampoline, playing kickball and just being girls.

These girls are all growing up now. Many milestones have been reached. The first day of kindergarten, the first day of sixth grade, high school, drivers license's, boys, now they're going off to college. It's been amazing to watch each of them grow into beautiful young women.

If I had to describe Taylor in one sentence, it would be: She has the most infectious laugh, sparkling eyes, a kind heart and is the most warm blooded person I know! When she was a little girl and came knocking at the back door, it didn't matter if it was sunny and warm or if there was several inches of snow on the ground, she was most likely wearing flip flops and shorts! 

Truly, Taylor is an exceptional young woman who I feel blessed to know. She is going to do great things in her life... and to think I'll be able to say I knew her way back when!

Congrats Taylor!!

Red Shoe on the News Stand!

A couple of our portraits were recently chosen for ads in Martha Stewart Weddings and Brides magazines! Watch for another one, appearing in the Winter issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, too! 

pretty on paper

Is it any wonder why I love this job? Even the paper is pretty! I see a lot of different kinds of wedding invitations every day.  If I were a bride today, I know I'd have a particularly hard time deciding on any one invitation.  I have a hard enough time picking out a Christmas card each year!

A wedding worthy of theknot.com

Sara and Dustin's July wedding was beautiful. The little country church, pictures by the lake. ~All dotted with vibrant pinks and oranges. It was the perfect palette for a summer wedding. Every detail was artfully planned. Sara was a stunning bride, Dustin a handsome groom. Could there be a more beautiful couple? Their smiles were infectious from the very start of the day. Together, they made our job very easy!

It's also easy to see why they were chosen as a feature in "my real wedding" on the knot.com. Check it out!! <http://myrealwedding.theknot.com/photo/view/Sara-amp-Dustin039s-Wedding>

A perfect day for a perfect couple

You can see it in their eyes each time they look at each other. Jen and Matt are meant to be together. They smile and their eyes sparkle. Full of a joy that is contagious. Just one of those couples you love to be around. They are going to make their mark on this world. I can't wait to see their story unfold. It'll be an epic! 

Congrats you two and thanks!!!! You're the best!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain on your wedding day is supposed to bring good luck.  I think I can safely say Beth and Kevin will enjoy their share of good luck until their 20th anniversary! 

It poured that day, but oh what wonderful light that gave us! Even though we dealt with rain for most of the three hour shoot, Beth and Kevin were all smiles and willing to let us try just about anything. 

What was supposed to be an outdoor bbq style dinner with an old fashioned barn dance to follow, turned in to an indoor affair. ~And it couldn't have been more beautiful. There were so many lovely personal touches that Beth took such care to create for her wedding day. It was the perfect day, rain or shine!