Children's Cancer Research Fund Archives – Studio Laguna Photography

Up, Up, Up

February 17, 2013 By katrina Leave a Comment

Last night, the Varsity Theater and KS95 hosted a very special Rock the Cause event. Zach Sobiech created a youtube sensation with his song Clouds, and he and his band A Firm Handshake performed that night and debuted a new song Fix Me Up. The headliner of the evening was Vicci Martinez, who is as sweet as can be and man can she SING! I also really enjoyed the music of local band, Squares. Everyone had a great time, listened to some fantastic music, and benefitted Children’s Cancer Research Fund. Zach is an inspiration to us all and has proven that you can deal with terminal cancer with grace and dignity. There was not a dry eye in the house as he and Sammy Brown performed their goodbye song to each other. Here are some images from the event, and you can see more on the facebook page of CCRF!

Date for Life – 2013

February 7, 2013 By katrina Leave a Comment

Tonight was Children’s Cancer Research Fund’s Date for Life event. The swanky Graves 601 was the perfect place to host this event full of the good looking singles of the Twin Cities. Upon arrival, guests chose to wear either a green or red light to signal their availability and the mingling began.

Carly Aplin from the CW hosted tonight’s event, and was also one of the bachelorettes being auctioned. Each bachelor/bachelorette came up with a date before hand (one date included a helicopter ride!) and then had a couple hours to chat up the guests and get bids. The bidding system was high tech and interactive, bidders could set bids on their smart phone and watch it all night to make sure they were winning.

Yeah, there were some good looking people up on the auction block…

The donuts get their own portrait…because they were just that delicious!

There was quite a flurry of media at the event as well, which all contributed to the excited atmosphere.

Halfway through the evening, Katie’s mother spoke to the group. The event tonight was in Katie’s memory, and the story of how she battled cancer as a teenager brought tears to everyone’s eyes. It was a very vivid reminder of how fortunate we all are to have our health, and how important Children’s Cancer Research Fund is to the community.

A little bit later, Zach Sobiech performed. He has over two million hits on the You Tube video of his song Clouds, you should check it out!

After the reminder of what they were raising money for, the crowd was ready to give to the max. The bachelors and bachelorettes with the top 10 bids had a live auction for their dates. Karen Sorbo, as always, was fantastic! She got that crowd cheering and there were a couple bidding wars that were very fun to watch!

Overall, it was an amazing night, with almost $60,000 raised! All for a fabulous cause!

Macy’s Glamorama – The British Invasion

August 3, 2012 By katrina 3 Comments

Tonight was Macy’s Glamorama! An event so important, facebook and twitter were full of mentions of people taking the day off to get ready. This is where the fashion lovers of the twin cities dress in everything from simple to flamboyant and attend to see and be seen. The theme this year was The British Invasion, which gave many fashionistas the chance to wear hats, and the Union Jack was seen everywhere.

Each year, Children’s Cancer Research Fund picks an ambassador who gets Glamorama off and running. Laura got to spend time on the red carpet with the musical talent for the evening.

The fashion show was wonderful, as always. John Paul Gaultier went very gothic with leather leggings, capes, and heavy chains. Tommy Hilfiger was at his preppy best, Marc Jacobs embraced giant fur hats, and Diesel’s designs brought down the house.

Hip hop group, Karmin, wowed us all with their speed rapping and catchy tunes (and darling looks).

The music was fantastic, all the best of what the UK sent across the pond. The dancing was vibrant and full of energy, and the kids stole the show.

Robin Thicke was the show’s finale. His smile, sexy songs and hips sure got the ladies swooning.

The afterparty was so amazing. The FOOD! WOW! The desserts alone got me doing a happy dance.

The afterparty had dancefloors inside and out as well as photo ops, makeovers, and a variety of activities. And FOOD! (I mentioned how awesome the food was, right?) When it started raining outside, some hard core partyers stayed out to dance, while the majority piled indoors to crank up the party.

Enjoy this sneak peek! There will be a ton of images on the Children’s Cancer Research Fund’s facebook page in the next couple days!

Macy’s Glamorama – Artrageous!

August 5, 2011 By katrina Leave a Comment

The tag line for this year’s Glamorama was, “High fashion. Fierce performances. One unforgettable night.” This certainly was a precise description of the night.

At Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theater, excited fashion lovers spanning generations lined up to be a part of Glamorama. Macy’s Passport presents Glamorama each year to give back to the community, and the proud charity that receives the proceeds in Minneapolis is Children’s Cancer Research Fund. I love that Glamorama can bring such visibility to a wonderful charity that promotes further research to end childhood cancer as well as supports families going through trying times. Over the years, I have gotten to know quite a few of the CCRF crew, and they are all so giving and passionate about the cause. I consider myself very fortunate to photograph events for them on occasion.

The night started out with a red carpet press meet and greet for the stars. This year’s CCRF sponsored family and some of the top people from Macy’s and CCRF spoke to press about the importance of the charity and a bit about the night. Far East Movement and Bruno Mars (the entertainment for the evening) also chatted for a bit and posed for pictures.

Though I could feel the excitement building, I had no idea at what was to come. The amount of energy that poured off that stage was infectious and I can now see why there are Glamorama addicts =)

This year’s show was themed around famous art pieces. The show did a great job pairing the fashions with artists and incorporating music as well. For example, Sonia Rykiel’s collection of bohemian looks was shown in front of moving images from Toulouse-Lautrec paintings of Moulin Rouge while Rufus Wainright’s “Complainte de la Butte” played. The art pieces, music, and fashion ran the gamut of styles, from Degas to Banksy to Lichtenstein, all seamlessly flowing into one another. My favorite fashions were from Jean Paul Gaultier’s collection and the Impulse collection designed by Karl Lagerfeld. And I also included an image from the Papi collection, for your viewing pleasure. Though I did decide I like men that have leg hair…these guys were too…shiny.

Besides the art, fashion and music, there was also dance. Not only did the models have intricate choreography that kept things interesting, there were a few times during the night where dancers performed and hyped up the crowd. They also fit in with the art. Classical ballet, hip hop, break dancing and ballroom captivated the audience, the choreography was fantastic. And then there were the live performances of Far East Movement and Bruno Mars. The girls screamed louder for Bruno than the underwear models ; )

The show was spectacular, but the after party sealed the deal for this being an amazing night. The party took place on the top floor of the Minneapolis Macy’s store and was such an experience. The food was over the top with buffets to satisfy every palette, even if you were craving waffles. The decor carried the art theme, and there were activities strewn about the space that included a luxe photo booth, designing your own clothes, and a silhouette artist. The decor continued outside to the top level of the parking ramp (which looked nothing like a parking ramp!) where there was a VIP lounge, another dance floor, more food, and comfy seating. A gorgeous moon and distant lightning storm emphasized how cool it was to be partying among the skyscrapers outside!

I could seriously go on and on about how my eyes couldn’t soak all of the visual goodies in…but lets just get the pictures, shall we! Seriously consider coming to next year’s Glamorama, it is for an amazing cause!