Check out Shelby's sweet new INK! You may recognize her from a few blogs back and she is also a fellow blog diva (Check out her awesome blog, Brönette)

After years of contemplating a tattoo and what it might be, Shelby was given a tattoo as a Christmas gift this year from her brother and sister in law. Talk about a cool gift! Luckily, they have a very talented tattoo artist in their family (a cousin, Garrett) who happens to be local here in the Twin Cities with his shop Live Fast Die Young.
Her vintage Sailor Jerry style tattoo combines Shelby's love for vintage anything, birds and a sweet homage to her parents with their birth year. I just love the bright colors and adorable design - its so cute, and so very Shelby. I wanted to create a beautiful photograph for her, so she wouldn't have to admire it backwards in the mirror all the time! :) {s.j}

I was thrilled when Karie agreed to be my model for testing out a fun idea I've had brewing awhile now. Friends of mine will tell you I have a slight fascination with birds (others may tell you its not so slight) I have these great peacock feathers in a vase in my living room and often wondered how I might incorporate them into a portrait shoot. This shoot is the result of literally 'just goofing around', but we ended up with some fun stuff! Enjoy!! :) {s.j}

You may remember my friend Alyssa from a past blog post, and her adorable new hair cut! She needed a couple new indoor headshots with her new look, and was kind enough to let me use her as a guinea pig with some new backgrounds and pattern overlays I've been anxious to test out. :)

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He had a great mix of clothes for different looks, and I played around with some different lighting techniques to really bring out his features. It was such a fun shoot! Thanks, Cade for letting me share some images from your awesome shoot on my blog! {s.j}

We also had the opportunity to visit their county courthouse, where the interiors have been recently restored. Look how beautiful it is!

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Every year I try to incorporate some of their favorite 'things' into the photos, whether its a stuffed animal, dump truck, cowboy boots, favorite blanket, or in Ben's case this year -- his tie! 

Too cute... I just love their genuine expressions. 

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To make a long story somewhat short, Nora is a long-time friend of my good friend Shelby. They met while both studying in Germany as exchange students during high school and have remained great friends ever since. (I can't even begin to name off all the languages they know how to speak- its truly incredible!)

Nora spent this past fall semester in the U.S. studying at Purdue, and visited Shelby here in Minneapolis a few times. She wanted a nice photo to give to her parents in Norway, so we found some time during her last visit. Here are a few favorites from the shoot. 

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