William David Romans

Today I received a call I never thought I would get in a million years. Williams father called me to let me know that Will had passed away this morning unexpectedly due to cold & flu like symptoms. My heart sunk into my throat and the tears began to roll down my cheeks. I just saw Will September 23rd for his 9 month session. I've been photographing William since last December 2008 and every 3 months since then. It's so hard to believe that he is gone. Will was such a light into so many lives. His smile and giggle could light up the room and I know that he will be missed by so many, including myself. I feel so honored that David & Jaimi asked me to create a collage of our last 4 sessions together for his funeral. As you can see below, his face just makes you want to smile! My heartfelt prayers go out to the Romans family. I know William's smile and the light that he shared in his 9 short months of life will be forever treasured by all who loved him dearly...

Holiday Mini-Session Give Away Winners

First I want to thank everyone who submitted entries for my Free Holiday Session!! It was so hard to choose a winner because there are SO MANY deserving people! However, I feel that I found a very deserving family and I'm looking forward to their session in December. Here is their story....

Meet The Schmidt family.....submitted by Karen Hanson

A year after getting married, Eric and Denise had a son, Evan. Sixteen months later, their son Alex was born. Soon after birth, Alex was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. A few weeks ago, at 6 months of age, Alex underwent heart surgery to correct the defect. After being in the ICU post-surgery and recovering at home, Alex and the rest of his family are doing well. I greatly admire Eric and Denise for being such strong parents and taking such good care of both of their boys. I would love for the Schmidts to be able to receive a photography session this holiday season to document their love for one another and togetherness as a family.

Holiday Mini-Session Update

I apologize for not updating the times as they came in but I was not expecting things to book so quickly! I didn't have time to update things between the phones and emails coming. All of the sessions have booked though. If you didn't get a chance to get in for the holiday mini-sessions, stay tuned because I'll be doing Spring/Easter mini-sessions in March!

Tis The Season For Giving

I know it's only just fall but the holidays are coming up faster than we know it! I absolutely love the holiday season and the whole reasoning behind it....Giving to others! This year I want to give away a FREE holiday session to a deserving family. I'm looking to my blog readers to help me find this very special family!

Here's what the winning family will receive: (Session will take place in December)

* 1.5 hours of photography

* Editing of the images

* CD with the high-resolution images

* Custom holiday card OR 11X14 Collage

Here's how to enter:

Please email me at j@jmphotomn.com with the following information

*Names/Ages of the family members (would love a photo too!)

*Contact info for family you're submitting for

*150 words(or less) description of why you think this family is deserving of a Free Holiday Session.

**All entries must be received by WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7TH, 2009**

2009 Holiday Mini Session Details

The dates are set in stone! Holiday Mini-Sessions will be Saturday November 21st and Sunday November 29th. Both days will begin at 10am and end at 2pm. This year you will have the option of two different packages (see below). Booking for these sessions will begin at 9AM, October 1st, 2009. I will not be answering any calls or emails before 9AM to ensure fairness. Bookings will go in the order of first come first serve and I will update my blog as session times book up.

Saturday November 21st:

10am-Booked

10:30-Booked

11:00-Booked

11:30-Booked

12:00-Lunch

12:30-Booked

1:00-Booked

1:30-Booked

2:00-Booked

Sunday, November 29th:

10am-Booked

10:30-Booked

11:00-Booked

11:30-Booked

12:00-Lunch

12:30-Booked

1:00-Booked

1:30-Booked

2:00-Booked

Package Option A- $100 ($50 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit due at booking)

Includes: 20 minute session, editing of images, 10-20 high resolution images on CD with full printing rights.

Package Option B- $120 ($60 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit due at booking)

Includes: 20 minute session, editing of images, custom holiday card (choose one of designs below) 10-20 high resolution images and holiday card digital file on CD with full printing rights.

** Everyone will receive their CDs by Saturday, December 5th**

Below you will find the 2009 holiday card designs. I wanted to release them early so people can start planning for outfits! All cards will have the ability for photos in Color, B&W or Sepia. You will also have the flexibility to customize your salutation (closing of card) and your names.

Choice of RED or GREEN in this card!

Sophie-1 Year

Sophie came into the studio for her 1 year session and oh my, what a cutie! I was absolutely in love with clothing options that her mom Karen picked out! She has an addiction to Etsy.com just like me :) In case you're wondering where she found these adorable items check out these links! Moms of boys... Etsy.com has great hats/shirts for your cute wee ones too!

Cupcake Onsie (this seller has boy items as well)

Tutu (lots of color options available)

I also LOVE hats in photos! Here is one of my favorite Hat sellers! Tiny Toppers

Lucy-4 Months

Lucy is ready for summer!  We had a great session at my studio last week!  Lucy was very happy, even when we put her in a tea cup!  I totally forgot I had this tea cup for quite some time.  It's pretty small so not all babies can fit in it.  But I remembered before Lucy's session that she was a petite little one and though she could be the perfect fit and indeed she was!

Amaya (5) & Avery (1)

oh my goodness these kiddos are little models!  I had such a great session with Amaya and her little brother Avery today.  They both were just little ham's in front of the camera.  Amaya was especially good with directions.  She knew exactly what to do and I'm just amazed with the images we got of her!  Watch out for this duo!

Christian- 1 Year

Christian came to the studio this morning to take photos for his 1 year!  He is such a good baby and we had a really great time this morning.  We spend 1/2 our session in the studio with his adorable overall outfit!  His mom Tracy also brought a super cute hat and #1 made out of wood for props too.  Then we headed out on my roof and took some photos with the cool brick background.  This was my first time out on the roof since moving studio's.  The weather was perfect and I am in LOVE with the brick color up here!  I hope to utilize this little outdoor space a lot this summer for my sessions!

Jaiden

Could this kiddo be any cuter?  I had such a great session with Jaiden!  This little 2 year old cutie models for target and just recently was put on the packaging for targets brand of strawberry/banana mini dried fruit.  His mom called me wanting to do an urban session for his two year photos and I was so excited!  It's been a while since I've had a chance to do an urban session.  We did a few shots in the studio and then headed down to minneapolis and found this awesome ally!  Jaiden just has the cutest serious face!  Watch out for this hearbreaker in 16 years...ha!

Gavin & Gabe

I always look forward to my sessions with Gavin & Gabe.  We have such a good time together and the boys are adorable brothers!  My favorite part of our session this time was going outside on the railroad tracks.  Unfortunately it was crazy windy outside but we still managed to grab a few cute shots of the boys exploring the tracks together.  

Gavin & Madeline

I last photographed Gavin & Madeline back when they were 6 months old! Its amazing to me how much they change!  Our session this time was in their home and a nearby park.  Madeline has such a sweet spirit.  She's the type of baby you just want to take on the couch and cuddle with.  And sweet Gavin...he's such a joyful child.  His smile just lights up the room!  After a little snack we headed to a local park and took some family photos and finally we took a few of the kiddos together.  Although they were both very tired, Gavin was still willing to give his big sister (by about a minute) a shoulder to lean on :)  

Cole & Zach

Could these boys be any cuter!!..Seriously, I think I've died and gone to heaven!  They belong to the fabulous Kelly of Kelly Brown Weddings  I was so flattered when Kelly contacted me to photograph her boys.  We had a great day in the studio together and you can tell that these boys really do love each other and their momma!!!  Thanks for coming Kelly and bring your boys anytime!

Nolan-3 months

You may remember Nolan's cuteness from the hospital and his newborn session just 3 months ago! Today I had the privilege of photographing him again today for his 3 month photos. This time his brother Griffin got to join us and it made for some adorable photos! I've been photographing Griffin since he was just 10 hours old...his mom is my best friend! So I feel so blessed to be a part of Nolan's life too.  

Gavin & Madeline - 6 Months

This is a catch up post!  I photographed Gavin and Madeline back in December of 2008.  However, I first met Gavin & Madeline back in June 2008 when they were just preemies in the NICU.  My daughter happened to be at the same hospital they were born at during the same period.  When I saw them, they were just a little over 3lbs each!  So incredibly tiny!  Now at 6 months they have grown into beautiful babies.  Even though they were many weeks early, these kiddos were fighters!  I feel so privileged that their mom and dad chose me to document their growth!  I know they will only continue to grow and do great things in life because they are so deeply loved by their parents Wes and Elisa.  

Elijah-6 Months

Eli's mom Jennifer is a friend of mine from a mommy board I frequent quite often.  I was so excited when she emailed me to set up an appointment for Elijah.  He is so adorably cute and these totally show his personality.  Eli had so many expressions I had a very hard time narrowing down the photos for the blog!  Looking forward to seeing you in 3 months!

Paul & Lisa

Paul and Lisa just recently moved to the Twin Cities because of a job transfer.  Lisa contacted me a few months after they moved seeking some updated photos of the two, since it'd been 7 years since their wedding!  They really wanted some fun photos that included them, their adorable dog Kissie and the beautiful city of Minneapolis!  We had a great session between my studio and St. Anthony and Main!