Focused photography workshop contest winner is...

Gretchen Koshire!!! ! Gretchen has a passion for photography and is a mother of three who is excited to capture her family in a whole new way. This will be her first time attending a workshop, and I'm so happy that she's able to do it for free thanks to my readers! Thank you to everyone who e-mailed nominations. Gretchen, please e-mail me at info@noemiphotography.com so we can get you registered for the workshop. * Sorry this post is up later than originally promised... I've had some internet issues and had to be delayed.

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3 Generations - The Reedy Family Portraits, Prior Lake, Mn

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I don't often get to capture 3 generations in a family photo-shoot. It's fun but, when the mosquitoes are out and rain may fall at any time...it can be a little stressful too! Hopefully the pictures make it worth while. Thank you to the Reedy family for rising to the challenge!

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The Reedy Family Portraits - Prior Lake, MN

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Ohhh I love this family! They have been such an incredible blessing to us (and our kids!) They live right next door and we're both stay at home Moms who love staying home! We share a mutual love for photography and finally (after living here for almost 2 years) I got to capture their family. Their boys are adorable - look for the shot of little Alex giving his brothers the stink eye. Enjoy your family pictures! It's about time. I can't wait to see them framed on your walls. Love ya!

I'm a Wedding Photographer

Every year it sinks in a little more. I am a wedding photographer. It's my job and my career choice AND I LOVE IT! I'm always talking about how I feel like it's the best job in the whole world (well, after being a wife and mom of course!). I get to capture everything beautiful and help preserve it for families. They will remember because of my images. I love writing it when I fill out paper work. What's your occupation? Professional Photographer.

I love walking around with my cameras and seeing peoples reactions. Those cameras are my extended family - kinda like my adopted babies!

Wow.

I'm truly honored.

AND not only do I get to capture weddings I have the privilege of capturing babies, momma bellies, growing families and so much more.

I love my life! www.noemiphotography.com

From Minneapolis to South Carolina...

...wow I love being on vacation! I feel like we've been here for weeks and it's been won-der-ful! i have a million freckles and my daughter is so brown I don't think we're related. (Somehow those beautiful Latin genes skipped me and went straight to her - dark hair, dark eyes and gorgeous tan skin!) Leyton is loving the ocean. Drawing trucks in the sand is his favorite part!

Clara has been such a trooper. She's a great baby and everywhere we go someone comments on how beautiful she is. Of course I always agree with them. I love holding her knowing she's my baby. I'm savoring every moment!

So, tonight is more games and then back to the beach tomorrow.

Wish you were here. The more the merrier. www.noemiphotography.com

Happy Father's Day!

I have four men to give tribute to today. First, my Daddy...there's no one like you in all the world. The twinkle in your eyes, your quick wit, your full smile and belly laugh. No one cooks like you - everything you make brings back memories. I love watching you with my kids. Seeing you in the roll of spoiling suits you. I know I have natural instincts in business and I know they come from you. Watching you run your businesses as a child has made me the hard worker I am today. I love you for being my Daddy. The Lord knew what he was doing in choosing you to be my Dad.

Second, my step-dad Wayne...you have filled a totally different roll in my life. Thank you for your kindness towards my family and my mom. I love knowing that you and mom are best friends and always have each others back. Have fun exploring the world together.

Third, my father-in-law Tony...the first time we met Tony and I argued and when we were done I walked in the house and said to Matt, "He's either going to love me or hate me after that conversation!" Later that trip  Tony pulled me aside and told me he liked me and he followed it with, "You're different from every other girl Matt has brought home. That either means this relationship won't last or you are the one." His honesty has always been one of my favorite things about him! My sister-in-law wrote an incredible blog about him and his art work...follow this link to read more.

Lastly, my husband Matt...the most incredible Father I know. Watching him with our kids is one of my favorite things. He makes Adriah giddy with excitement and Leyton roll with joy and Clara's face with delight. His love for kids drew me to him. I wanted to marry a Father and I picked an amazing one. Matt works hard and no matter what he's working on he always has time for his kids. Amazing. I chose wisely.

Happy Father's Day!

www.noemiphotography.com

Last call for the Mom FOCUSED Photography Workshop!

The weather is gorgeous! Everyone should have their cameras out and should be clicking away!

Our kids grow and change so quickly it's up to us to captured them. The Mom FOCUSED Photography Workshop will help you learn your camera and teach you how to compose images, work with different ages, use light, get rid of blurry images and more!

The first evening is filled with camera and photography basics then we meet again (about a month later) to work on the practical application - photograph a couple and 1-2 families!

We end our time by introducing you to Adobe Lightroom and how to simply edit images before you print.

The space is limited so if you're thinking about coming but haven't registered please sign up soon!

www.noemiphotography.com

House Saga - Hopefully the conclusion!

My floors go in today and tomorrow...we've been kicked out during the process so we're turning it into a Merry Christmas getaway and spending two days at a hotel in the area. We'll be spending time at the Mall of America, going on Nickelodeon rides, checking out the Underwater World, swimming in the hotel pool and eating out! Sounds like a wonderful vacation to me! The floors are the final piece of the puzzle - putting my house back together. All in all the damage from the toilet lever that got stuck came to around $20, 000.00...I'll never know the exact total cause the insurance paid for it but, from what I've learned it was a pricey venture! Too bad the house was new to begin with and didn't need any of the upgrades...oh well! I'm thankful it's going to be done...before Christmas.

Then (and this is my favorite part) the insurance is sending a cleaner to clean up all the dust and more after they finish the floors. I've never had a cleaner before and I'm really happy they are coming right before Christmas. We come home Wednesday to a new house and it will be clean! YAH!

www.noemiphotography.com

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I love being a Minnesota Wedding Photographer!

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Okay, I know we don't have an ocean near by and our weather is unpredictable but, there's so much that I've come to appreciate about Minnesota! Last weekend I photographed a wedding in Grand Rapids, MN (about 3 1/2 hours north of the Twin Cities) and it was absolutely gorgeous. Ruttger's was the perfect location to host! The leaves have begun to turn color and the drive home was stunning! Every road, sky, and tree was a picture waiting to be captured! Truly breathtaking - even more so when you add a bride, groom and wedding party! October weddings are really popular...they are usually my first Saturday's to book and I totally understand why! There's nothing like the drama of color behind every photo!

Last year I photographed an October wedding where the wedding favors were Caramel Apples. I think the Caramel was Abdallah chocolates I think? It was totally my favorite wedding favor EVER!

I know a lot of photographers that are always wanting to get away and capture destination weddings but, I love Minnesota! This is my home and I want to be the best at capturing its beauty! Each season has it's own delights and I'm loving the challenges of each...

So keep those October wedding inquiries coming!

www.noemiphotography.com

My purse was stolen...

I normally don't blog on Sunday's but, I had to make an exception...I need to talk out what happened today. I went out to a regular spot of mine to do a photoshoot and came back to my car an hour later to find my purse was gone. I took me while to digest that. I came home and kept saying, "I can't believe someone would steal my purse?" I had everything in it of course. (isn't that the purpose of a purse?) Once I swallowed the hard truth I started making calls to my bank and credit card company...in the hour they had my card they had already charged over $1500.  I shut them down in a hurry and even though I know I probably won't pay for the charges...it totally bugged me. It's the injustice of it all. My husband is a pastor and has been speaking on loving our neighbors and choosing to love those who curse you. Today really tested that. I didn't want to bless them...I wanted to be angry! Do you know how much time I'm going to have to put it to rebuild my wallet? Anyways, this is why we have our lives to walk out our faith! I eventually came around and realized there are a lot worse things that could've happened and I'm thankful they didn't.

Ok...here's where the plot thickens...just when I had let it go I came from a family function to find a message from the Bloomington Police Department! They called at 4pm and had 2 suspects in their custody and wanted to confirm that I did not give them permission to use my NoemiPhotography business cards. But, I missed the call and the officer couldn't find the cards on them when he caught up with them so he had to let them go. He did get their names and info though.  But, because they didn't charge them then we might be able to charge them with more because of the amount they charged.

I don't know whether to be happy or sad. I don't really want them to be charged I just want my purse back. I had untouched gift cards in my wallet.

I called my sister who is a cop in Canada and told her the whole story. It felt good to be taken care of by the police department and I wanted to toot their horn! She told me everything I need to bring to the Edina Police Department and I'm going to put it together and drive it over tonight.

I don't want to think about it anymore.

Nothing like this has ever happened to me before...it's hurtful and personal. Weird. Why do people do mean things? So funny that one of the places they chose to go on their shopping spree was Burger King...wouldn't have been my first choice.

As always, thanks for reading.

www.noemiphotography.com

Flesh and Blood

I'm home...if home is where your family is...I have a home in Canada! I'm staying with my baby sister for 10 days. She is so sweet to host my family! I love being with her. We arrived late on Monday night and Adriah's loving her cousins...and all our adventurers! My older sister flew in from England on Wednesday. I miss being with my family so much that even when I'm with them I miss them. You kinda miss what you haven't been able to share together. Family is really important to me and I'm trying to instill that in Adriah. I try not to do it in a Godfather-family-way but more like there's nothing-like-flesh-and-blood. I tell her all the time, "Do you know why I love you? Because there's no one in the world like Adriah." Then she plays along and says, "Yes there is. What about Mari?"

"Nope. Mari has blonde hair and yours in brown."

"Well, what about Bella?" she says.

"Bella lives in Brazil and you live in my home!"

"I know. I'm just like Avery."

"No. She has blue eyes and yours are a pretty brown."

Finally she relents, "OK mom...there's no one in the world like me."

Ohh I love her so much and it's so hard to put it into words. But I want her to know so I keep trying. The other day I was giving her a big hug and I asked, "Why do I love you so much? Do you know why?" and she said "No." I took her face in my hands and said, "because you're mine. You're my little girl and nothing will ever change that!"

I know she'll go through many stages in her life (and some I love more than others) but, one thing will always be true, she is mine...my flesh and blood. It's a powerful thing. I feel like I should wake her up and tell her...there's always tomorrow!

www.noemiphotography.com

Ready to Register for the FOCUSED Photography Workshops?

I'm so excited the workshops finally feel real...I can't wait to meet a new bunch of photographers ready to take the next step! We should have a button on the side of the blog to click directly to the event registration soon but, until then CLICK HERE! and the link will get you where you want to go! Again, I'm only taking the first 10 registrants to keep the workshops personal and make sure we have tons of one on one time.

If  you're interested in the Mom FOCUSED Photography Workshop...Here's the dates and details:

Friday Sept 4 - 7pm-9:30pm
Friday Sept 18th - 7pm-9:30pm
Saturday Oct 17th - 9:30pm-12pm
Even writing this down I can barely contain my excitement. It's my dream to train Mom's how to take amazing pictures of their kids!
The first two sessions will be training & answering questions and the third we're going to do a practice shoot! We'll have two families be our "clients" and I'll talk through lighting, posing, laughing, camera techniques and so much more!
Please feel free to email with any questions at info@noemiphotography.com

Vacation update!

We are back in wonderful Tega Cay, South Carolina! After spending a few days at the coast with my family I have to say it's nice to be back here! The coast is wonderful but, our first two days were rainy and cold. But, we still managed to go to the beach! It definitely warmed up for our last two days (70 degrees) and we made the most of it! We went to two incredible plantations and then spent our last day in Charleston...one of my favorite cities in the entire world. If you've never been I would absolutely put it on your list of "places to go" because you won't find anywhere else like it. Adriah and I took a carriage ride/tour (which I'd done every time I've been there) cause I love learning about the city and the history behind it!

We're on our way home tomorrow. Can't wait to sleep in my own bed.

www.noemiphotography.com

Tomorrow's my birthday...

This is not my normal blog entry! You may already know what's coming...I get all reflective around my birthday, anniversary, new year, and well any new season really! Looking back on the last couple of years I can see with such clarity. God is at work in my life. 2009 has been an incredible year...I know we're only 2 months in but, it's been one of the greatest years of my life so far. Something has changed in my heart and I want more. What I mean is I want more out my relationships, more in my marriage, and I want to pour more into my kids. It's so easy to settle and I know I have...but, I pray I won't from this point on.

There is a lot going on in my immediate family and extended family right now. I know this year will be huge for us and I know we'll need each other more then ever. It is my prayer that I would serve my family with the same (or more) passion than I give to photography. Sad but, true. Sometimes it's easier to serve strangers. I want to be a better sister, daughter, mother and wife - that's not even mentioning the kind of friend I want to be! And I'm going to spend this year going deeper in the Lord and living with expectation that His love will pour out of me and into my relationships.

I have high hopes...I know, I'm the eternal optimist!

www.noemiphotography.com

Wedding Wire (weddingwire.com) Are you wired in yet?

I just found out and signed up for weddingwire.com and I love the concept. Brides get to browse websites and reviews from other brides. It's raw opinions...and helpful information! This kind of site works for me because I strive to make sure each client is taken care of and happy with their experience and product! If you're a client of mine please check out the site and rate the service you've received! I love taking pictures and this is one more way for me to find people looking for quality photography.

P.S. If you're a budding photographer...make sure you sign up as a vendor! It's free!

www.noemiphotography.com

Photography is a GIFT!

I was thinking today about all that I've been blessed with...so much...too many things to list! It occurred to me a while back that photography is a gift. I mean that in every sense. It's a skill or gifting that I have and it's a gift that I love giving to people. There is nothing like capturing a bride or a family and seeing them cherish that gift. But, since I've been thinking about being blessed and having a gift to give, I've also been thinking about giving it away! I know I charge for my services because I have bills like everyone else. But, I pay my bills and after that I want to give back. Where am I going with this? If you are a photographer and you love photography as much as I do...find a way that you can bless someone with the gift of photography. Here's a couple ways I'm looking at:

-find a women's shelter and volunteer to take pictures of families. (possibly families that left in a hurry and left all their memories behind) Pictures can help them create new memories and start over.

-the ministry of "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep" is incredible! They're always looking for photographers willing to give of their time and their talents to serve families who have lost a child.

-find a family that could never afford you...and surprise them with a gift certificate for a shoot!

-visit a senior home or retirement community and offer to come in for an afternoon! Shoot and print images free of charge...memories for them and for their families. Priceless!

-One of my friends offers her services to families that have a member with a terminal illness. She comes in every couple of months or weeks and captures the family together.

The ideas are endless! I'm sure you have many that I haven't listed I WANT TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS! Let's all commit to do something this year that doesn't have anything to do with growing our business. We're doing it because photography is a gift and is meant to be shared.

Live from Kansas City!

Hello fellow blog readers! I'm reporting live from the ONE THING conference in Kansas City. Ever been to a conference where you have to sit through session after session with two kids? Now I can say I have!!! My kids are 3 1/2 and 8 months...some may call us crazy and at certain moments yesterday I was one of them! Overall, the kids have been great and the conference has been amazing. It's a bonding things between me and my husband! We're in this together and have been working like clockwork.

Hope you're having a relaxing week!

www.noemiphotography.com