ice Archives – Studio Laguna Photography

Cozy in Your Arms

January 30, 2016 By katrina 4 Comments

Adam and Becky had their engagement session today in Edina! This outdoor loving couple decided to ice skate for part of their session, I was so thrilled. They make skating look so easy! But first we did some romantic pictures off the ice. Becky had gotten all dolled up at Brett Dorrian Artistry Studios, and she and Adam looked just picture perfect. We took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and were out without jackets, in January! I love how the images turned out, full of fun and warmth.

Such a sweet image.

Playing with reflections

I love this image, with the guy’s reaction at Adam and Becky goofing around!

Ending the session warming up by the fire.

Enjoy your sneak peek!

Di and Tracie

December 13, 2014 By katrina 13 Comments

Tracie and Di were married today! Actually, they have been married for 15 years, but tonight they made it legal in the state of Minnesota!

These two wanted to just have a simple pot luck get together, but their family and friends wouldn’t have it. The couple was flooded with requests to help decorate, design flowers, play music, and contribute in every way they could. Tracie and Di are both very giving loving people, and their tribe wanted to love on them right back. The brides planned this entire wedding in under a month. It was stressful and crazy, with so many things to consider and decisions to make quickly. Fortunately, they hired Gretchen from Rocket Science Weddings and Events to help guide the process.

The wedding took place at Sokol Hall, a true part of St Paul history. It is a lovely theater, and has a variety of antique backdrops to choose from. Di and Tracie chose a woodland scene, and Avant Decor hung cafe lights across the front of the stage to give it even more charm. As it got dark outside, guests arrived for the wedding, all bringing a favorite dish to share, made with love. Beloved nieces and nephews started the processional and then the brides were escorted in by their parents to live bagpipe music.

Music was a huge part of the evening. With various friends and family performing.

The vows and ring ceremonies were full of laughter and love, shared respect and appreciation. Pride in their state for being brave and standing up for equality. I truly lost it when the officiant asked for all the LGBT couples in the hall to stand that had been together for 15 or more years…and to see so many stand! Such loving relationships, it was so moving.

After the recessional, Tracie and Di were completely surprised when all of their guests flash mobbed them with a performance of Glory of Love.

Then, it was time to eat! The smorgasbord of food was quite impressive! Guests enjoyed eating at long tables, sharing stories, drinking wine, and celebrating.

After heart felt speeches, there were two performances to kick off the dance!

Tracie and Di, it has been so fun getting to know you in this whirlwind time! I hope you had a magical evening and I’m so thankful to have been a part of it!!!

2013 Crashed Ice

January 27, 2013 By katrina Leave a Comment

Finally I, John, get to post a blog!

The Red Bull Crashed Ice tour had a stop in St Paul! If you don’t know much about Crashed Ice, it’s basically a downhill race on hockey skates. A massive 45 degree ramp was constructed near the Cathedral to plunge athletes into the frosty course fast and furious. The course includes jumps, turns, and an occasional up/down hill, taxing the athletes’ muscles all the while.

When Red Bull had a call for athletes a while back, I simply flashed back to the 5 or so hours I had spent in my life on skates and laughed at the thought of me sliding down the whole course in a great blooper reel. These athletes know how to skate well and have trained hard for this series, coming from all over the world (except maybe the Sahara Desert).

There were an estimated 100,000+ spectators there for the event, with many leaving early (those who didn’t dress warm enough) and many who arrived late (because they weren’t willing to pay $20 for a parking spot). I used my parking prowess and vast knowledge of St Paul thanks to my cross country training years to find an awesome spot nearby for FREE! Too bad there wasn’t a competition for that.

It was easy enough to find a great place to see athletes zip down the track……and if you wanted to catch everything, you could simply position yourself near one of the many jumbotrons. Although there was much support for our USA athletes, only one made it to the finals. The last race was a very close one, with the American in it the whole way until a fall near the end, leaving Canada on top.

It was a fun and unusual event to photograph with my height giving me advantage over anyone nearby. Thank you Red Bull for swinging through St. Paul for an awesome event!