personal Archives – Page 2 of 3 – Studio Laguna Photography

Natural Beauty

November 15, 2013 By katrina Leave a Comment

Every year I dedicate money for education. We are mostly self taught photographers so continuing education is all the more important. I try to attend the Fearless Photographers convention every year and was excited to get to go to Phoenix for this year! Since I was just a hop skip and a jump away from my cousins in Colorado Springs, I headed there for a couple of days before going back to Minnesota. I tried to keep my camera down for most of the trip so we could just hang out, but the views were AMAZING and I couldn’t help myself! First we went to Garden of the Gods…

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I just love my 85mm 1.2!

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I adore this image by Steph Guidera.

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Here is a really awesome story. As we were scrambling on the rocks, we started to hear music, and low and behold, a proposal was happening! I snuck a few images, and then after the couple had calmed down a bit and were getting ready to leave I approached them and offered to do a couple portraits. This one was a candid shot right after the proposal. It was so cool to see!

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The next day, we drove to Rocky Mountain National Park. And I will definitely be bringing the family back here! It was simply stunning.

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I didn’t have a zoom lens, so I got really close to this guy!

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Look at the beauitful nymph we found in the meadow =)

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I’m so grateful to John and his parents for making it possible for me to take some time to refresh!

San Juan del Sur

July 18, 2013 By katrina Leave a Comment

After Victor and Laura’s destination wedding in Leon, we took a little vacation, with the majority of the time spent at Buena Vista Surf Club near San Juan del Sur. I just so happened to not only find a place where John could surf, but one that was also located near the only disk golf course in Nicaragua! (big awesome wife points here!) Buena Vista is sustainable in every way, from the products they use, to the solar power, to giving back to the community. It was a lovely place to unwind for a few days!

Here is the sloth that happened to be hanging around near the tree house the first night.

The main tree house above the canopy was designed for simply relaxing to the sounds of ocean waves and howler monkeys.

These little guys were everywhere!

It was fun to be in the Pacific this far south…it was WAY warmer than in California!

The beach, just a 5 minute walk down a hill reminiscent of Jurassic Park, was in full hippie glory. Though the hillsides are now getting developed (too bad) with resorts, the beach is still relaxed and chill, with cheap drinks, good tacos, and lots of space.

John got in some good surfing…and then as the tide came in and the waves got bigger, we enjoyed a drink and watched some other guys tear up the waves.

It was actually difficult NOT to get a butterfly in our pictures! Beautiful butterflies were everywhere!

Every thing was so pretty, it was hard to put the camera down sometimes =)

One of our days at the beach, we took a truck into San Juan del Sur to see the town. Talk about a hippie surf town! It was great! Full of hostels and cute little shops, and a place with some of the most amazing gelato! This truly seemed like a town where people from all over the world retired and opened up a little part time business where they could do what they loved. The calm bay was full of fishing boats, and the streets were busy with trucks, mopeds, surfers and tourists.

Overall, this was such a lovely trip! We are so thankful to have had this opportunity and we hope you enjoy all of the pictures!

Ainsley’s Fairy Birthday Party

November 18, 2012 By katrina Leave a Comment

We don’t do birthday parties every year…so when the kids turn 5, they get a big bash. Our little Ainsley is inquisitive, shy, mischievous, dainty, and bright. She truly IS a pixie…here is some evidence, though it is difficult to catch her on camera ; )

So when it came time for Ainsley’s birthday party, it was pretty natural to get into a fairy theme. We aren’t all about pink and glitter and girly stuff, so when the newer Tinkerbell movies came out, we were super excited. YAY for intelligent female leads that do things other than smell flowers and braid their hair! In the Tinkerbell movies, the fairies gather Lost Things and tinker with them to build useful tools. Since we already have fun little items from years of photo shoots and crafts, it was easy to decorate. These little guys have been in our garden for two years now and perfectly show our kids’ personalities, so they greeted guests at the door.

Over the last few weeks, we started making and collecting food and decor items. Oranges, yellows and purples along with moss and neutrals gave us the woodland theme we were looking for. We kept all the leaves in our yard and took down the prints in our front studio to be replaced with giant butterflies (thanks Marie!), leaves, and paper florets. We made sure the kids were involved in everything to keep them excited and create some fun memories.

Healthy food as well as some goodies were on the tables for people to graze on. We even had sparkly fairy grown up juice for the parents (ie beer) and tried to keep everything organic and natural to keep the fairies happy. Cake pops and macarons from Cocoa and Fig were a huge hit naturally, as were the basil citrus bites from Jessica’s Cakes. Since Jessica has transitioned from baking to creating cake details (www.sweetbloomssugarcraft.com), I was super nervous that we wouldn’t be able to have her delicious treats at our birthday parties anymore. But I camped outside her shop and cried and cried until she finally agreed to bake one last cake for Ainsley. (I know, I’m shameless…but her cake is THAT GOOD) She designed a little fairy for the top of the cake that Ainsley will get to keep!

John led the kids on a scavenger hunt. Luckily, he is a PE teacher and knows how to wrangle masses of young children. Also luckily, the weather was AMAZING so we could use the outdoors.

The final part of the hunt led the kids with flashlights in the dark basement to quietly search for something…and they discovered A REAL LIVE FAIRY!!!!! Her name is Clove, and the kids were completely mesmerized by her.

After reading everyone a story, Clove and Ainsley quietly colored…

…while Stephanie entertained the more boisterous kids…

…and experienced a bit of Lord of the Flies. Nothing like getting kids riled up and then giving them back to their parents!

Here is another picture of beautiful Clove, also known as Emily. She is one of the sweetest people I know and not only is a very talented dancer and actress but also is an amazing floral and event designer. You should check out her company, Prairie Fair!

The afternoon sun started to set, children went home (and will hopefully sleep well tonight) and our little fairy had the biggest grin on her face. SO WORTH IT =)

Family Lunch

July 27, 2012 By katrina Leave a Comment

We don’t get normal family weekends, which is fine, we knew that when we started being wedding photographers. But it can get tough to carve out time during the work week. Balancing family and work has been something we learn year by year, adjusting as we go. Our main focus is, of course, to keep a stable, happy life for our kids and marriage. We meet so many amazing families through our weddings and portrait sessions, and I grill them on how they parent (seriously) which has also helped us formulate our parenting structure and how we manage our life. Something that we have recently discovered is the impromptu outing. This can be tough for our type A personalities. John doesn’t like impromptu decisions very much, and I like making sure we’re efficient with our time. But we have learned to let that go and just enjoy.

Today, we had to scout a location for tomorrow’s wedding, so rather than go by myself I suggested we all go and explore. Of course, I did get the kids dressed awesomely cute (I can’t let go of my type A all the way…) but otherwise, we just went with the flow.

After exploring the site, we parked near Marquette in Minneapolis to get lunch from a food truck, which was a fun adventure all on its own. The Barrio tacos were delish and a sushi truck gave the kids a little pickled octopus (which they did not eat). Feeling a nice breeze and walking downtown on a summer day felt so luxurious!

We found ourselves near Gaviidae Commons, so went upstairs to Cocoa and Fig for some cake pops. Since I wanted to take a few pictures of the kids, we thought we’d get them sugared up.

My plan didn’t necessarily work…they didn’t want to smile, they wanted to eat…so John asked to hold onto their pops for a couple pictures…

…plenty of goofy…no smiles.

They burned out quickly…Lyra wouldn’t stay still and Cooper and Ainsley were SO OVER IT.

Which means it is time for jumping pictures, which then leads to the very last shot…

…awesome, real smiles.

Goodness, we love these kiddos! (now back to editing…)

The Big Easy

November 11, 2011 By katrina 1 Comment

If any of you know me personally, you know that I’ve been a TAD stressed. Ok, that is a lie, the words “nervous breakdown” were spoken more than once…but we knew that owning a customer service driven business while raising three little ones was going to be tough. This year has been very tough and culminated into major stress at the end of October and early November.

Before I knew November would be the craziest part of our year, I signed up for the Foundation Conference in New Orleans. We are very proud to be part of the Fearless Photographers community as well as an active member on the FW Forum. I can’t tell you what inspiration and influence this group has had on me. The constant push to be better in a positive manner is priceless. And once a year we meet.

This year’s conference was going to have some fabulous speakers and I couldn’t wait to learn from them! Because of the Unveiled show, I missed most of the first day, but got a ton of education out of the second day. The presenters are amazing photographers that all had something different to share and it was fascinating to see each of their unique views and histories. Even during meals we got together and talked shop over a po’ boy.

Since I missed the first day, I stayed an extra day after the conference to explore New Orleans. I had never been here before and wanted to just wander the streets and absorb. I am a lover of architecture and couldn’t wait to see all Nola had to offer. I also took what I learned at the conference and tried to get some lovely pictures as well.

The biggest thing I need to work on as a photographer is waiting for the moment. Not worrying about getting a shot and running off to get another, but sitting and waiting. Anticipating something is going to happen, getting the shot ready and just waiting. Patience is not a virtue of mine…and neither is making someone uncomfortable…so I usually see a moment and try to photograph it before anyone notices. This time, I got right up to events and waited and finally took a picture. I still need more practice, but throwing self awareness out the window is a good thing for photographers and hopefully I’ll get better at it.

The Garden District was lovely, full of gorgeous iron work and trees pushing their way out of the cobblestone side walks. I think one of my favorite elements was that many of the houses still had their gas light fixtures on their front porch. I saw a ton of beads hanging from trees, rode on the old streetcars, and stood in front of Nick Cage’s house for a while hoping he’d see me admiring his place thoughtfully and invite me inside for mint juleps (that didn’t happen). I walked pretty much the entire French Quarter and now can say I’ve stood at both the start and end of the Mississippi River. The cemeteries were gorgeous and probably my favorite place to wander, though seeing one mausoleum where a mother lost a child a year and then her husband the next year really made me miss my family.

One thing I couldn’t get over was how nice everyone was. The people on the street and in restaurants were sweet, smiled at you, said yes ma’am when I asked a question and were very proud of their city and loved to talk about it. I had a wonderful time and got to sleep in and eat what I wanted and not have a thought in my mind…a very good thing for a couple days! Now back to the grind stone! Here are a few images from the trip and I’ll post more on facebook in a couple days. Enjoy =)