Minneapolis Family Photography | Gravel Family

Fine Art Studio Family Photography

Matt + Kristi Gravel found me through a mutual friend of ours. Their daughter Eliza was turning one in Feb of 2020, so they wanted a photoshoot to commemorate her big day. Not only were they celebrating her birthday, but they were also celebrating their newly built home in Lauderdale MN. Naturally, I was so excited to work with this cutie and her family, we had such a great time!

MN Family Photography

Matt, Kristi + Eliza met me at my St Paul MN studio on a cold February morning. We spent lots of time hanging out, singing songs, playing with stuffies, and having fun! We captured photos of Eliza alone, as well as with each of her parents, and then all three of them together. Eliza was so curious and excited, we had a blast! Once we were finished with their portrait session, we took a short break so I could organize their photos, and then we held their Cinematic Reveal + Design Presentation shortly after their session. They narrowed down to their favorites, and ordered beautiful matted prints for the walls of their new home.

Thank You!

Thank you, Gravel family, for working with me as your family photographer. I had so much fun working with you three, and I loved seeing your beautiful matted prints in person! I hope they look amazing on your new walls.

Make sure to take a peek at other family sessions I have photographed: Huntwork Family, Samolytz-Brossoit Family, Novak-Nadeau Family, and Ford Family.

If you’d like to work together for your family photography, contact me soon!

Minneapolis Newborn Photography | Kelzer Family

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Fine Art Studio Newborn Photography

I met Addie several years ago at a wedding vendor event. We became friends pretty soon afterward. I was so excited when I found out that she and Kory were expecting a new addition to their family in a few short months! And then I was lucky enough to be able to work with them for their maternity photography as well as their newborn photography at my St Paul studio.

MN Baby Photography

Addie and Kory brought sweet little Genevieve to meet me at the studio. We worked together for just about an hour, which was plenty of time for baby snuggles, swaddles and photos. Little G was the perfect level of sleepiness with curiosity mixed in (just long enough to open an eye to see what we were up to, then she could go back to sleep.) We captured photos of the three of them together, each parent with G alone, and then little Genevieve herself. We even had a few photos with grandma who was visiting from Idaho!

After their session, I had them out to my St Paul studio for their Cinematic Presentation + Design Consultation. A number of photos that were their favorites, it was a tough choice to narrow down. They ended with a set of digital files – excited to create holiday cards and birth announcements!

Thank You!

Thank you, Kelzer family, for working with me as your newborn photographer. I had so much fun working with you three, and I am thrilled that you love your photographs!

Make sure to take a look at other newborn sessions I have photographed too! Ford Family, Svendsen Family, Troldahl Family, Gangl Family, Ranheim Family

If you’d like to work together for your newborn photography, contact me soon!

Fine Art Studio Family Photography | Samolytz-Brossoit Family

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Fine Art Studio Family Photography

Angel has been one of my closest friends for years. I was thrilled in the past to be able to take engagement photos of Angel when she was engaged to Aaron, and then even more excited when they asked me to capture their maternity photos a few years later. Recently, I was lucky enough to be able to capture family photos of them and their sweet little boy Asher while they were in town visiting from their home in California. We had such an awesome time at my St Paul photo studio!

MN Family Photography

Our family session went pretty quickly. They are pretty good jokesters, so we captured a number of “silly” photos of them too – fits their personalities perfectly! It helped to keep the laughs going and their session time just flew by. We captured all three of them together, as well as photos of Asher with each parent, and then some of Asher alone.

After their session, I had them out to my St Paul studio for their Cinematic Presentation + Design Consultation. They had a number of photos that were their favorites – Aaron even decided to use one as an updated business headshot for his company!

Thank You!

Thank you, Angel, Aaron and Asher, for working with me as your family portrait photographer. I had so much fun working with you three, and I am thrilled that you love your photographs!

Also, make sure to take a look at other family and child portrait sessions I photographed: Ford Family, Novak-Nadeau Family, Huntwork Family

If you’d like to work together for your family or child’s portrait photography, contact me soon!

Minneapolis Family Photography | Huntwork Family

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MN Family Studio Photography

I met Maddie years ago when I started working as a wedding photographer. She is a phenomenal wedding planner, and once we worked at our first wedding together, we became fast friends. A few months ago, I was lucky enough for the chance to work with Maddie and her family right around the time her daughter Freya turned one year old.

MN Children’s Photography

Maddie, William and Freya came out to my St Paul photo studio and we worked together for just about an hour. Freya did an amazing job! She is a curious, happy, dancing, bouncing little darling! We captured photos featuring all three of them together, some with each parent and Freya alone, and then some of little Freya alone dancing, playing with her stuffies and having fun. They all had such a great time, and little Freya was a champ!

Afterward, I had them out to my St Paul studio for their Cinematic Presentation + Design Consultation. They had a number of photos that were their favorites – they even ended up highlighting the photo of Freya having a melt-down on their 2019 Holiday Card! Lol!

Thank You!

Thank you, Maddie, William and Freya, for working with me as your family portrait photographer. I had so much fun working with you three, and I am thrilled that you love your photographs!

Also, make sure to take a look at other family and child portrait sessions I photographed: Ford Family, Novak-Nadeau Family, Samolytz-Brossoit Family

If you’d like to work together for your family or child portrait photography, contact me soon!

Long Lake Regional Park Family Photography | Novak-Nadeau Family

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Long Lake Park Family Photos

Mary and Lisa knew that life doesn’t slow down, and their girls were growing up so quickly in front of their eyes. They contacted me to update their family photography last fall. They really enjoyed working at Long Lake Regional Park, the location of our first family session. So we decided to head on over to the beautiful park one more time. We had so much fun together!

St Paul Family and Child Photography

We happened to luck out and get a day of beautiful fall weather last October, during a time when the weather had been really uncooperative for awhile. (Lots of rain and freezing temps). We met up in the early morning and the light was so beautiful! Between the perfect sky and weather and the best fall colors, we had such an amazing day!

Mary + Lisa came back out to my studio to review the gallery of photos from their session. They loved them, and had a tough time narrowing down their favorites! They settled on a number of fine art matted prints. They were so beautiful, and I loved the look on their faces when they saw their prints for the first time!

Thank You!

Thank you, Mary, Lisa, Amelia and Eliza, for choosing to work with me as your family portrait photographer. I had so much fun working with you all, and I am thrilled that you love your photographs!

Also, make sure to take a look at other family and child portrait sessions I photographed: Ford Family, Huntwork Family

If you’d like to work together for your family or child portrait photography, contact me soon!

MN Landscape Arboretum Family Photography | Ford Family

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Minneapolis Family Photographer

As a Minneapolis family photographer, I love getting a chance to work with my clients again after their big day. Whether headshots, portraits, or even their growing family, I’m open for most anything. In 2017, Safiyyah + Rory asked me to photograph their maternity session and their newborn session once their son Remy made his debut. (I had previously worked with them on their 2014 Aria Mpls wedding photography.)

Safiyyah + Rory contacted me this summer to schedule Remy’s first birthday photo session. When deciding upon locations, they gravitated toward the natural beauty of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen. Anytime I can work at this beautiful location, I jump at the chance. So I was naturally super excited not only to work with my awesome friends and clients, see how big Remy had gotten (wow!!!) and also to see how things were looking at the beautiful Arboretum.

Family Photo Session

Our family session was so much fun! In the year since I had seen him, Remy had grown into a running, laughing, babbling little munchkin! It was a warm and humid day, perfect for him to explore every place he could reach. We meandered through several of the gardens and photographed Remy taking it all in with mom and dad.

Viewing and Ordering Session

Holding our Viewing/Ordering session, it was a tough choice to narrow down the images to Safiyyah + Rory’s “best-of-the-best”. They selected an Heirloom Portrait Box – a handmade copper-foiled glass box filled with gorgeous heirloom matted 8×10 prints. Their final box was absolutely stunning!

Safiyyah + Rory, thank you so much for choosing to work with me for your MN Landscape Arboretum family session. I always love working with you guys. It was a joy to see little Remy growing so fast, and I wish you every happiness as you grow together as a family!

If you would like more information about working with me for your children and family portraits, contact me soon!

Minneapolis Newborn Photography | Ford Family

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Minneapolis Newborn Session

As a Minneapolis newborn photographer, I love getting a chance to work with my clients again after their big day. I especially love when they contact me to photograph their growing family. Naturally, I was ecstatic when Safiyyah + Rory asked me to photograph their Como Park maternity session AND their newborn session. (I had previously worked on their 2014 Aria wedding photography!)

First, we worked together in mid-July for their Como Park maternity session. Then, when the adorable Remy made his appearance in mid-August, we met again a few weeks later for their Minneapolis newborn photography at Safiyyah + Rory’s home.

Newborn Photography Session

Our newborn session was so much fun! Rory’s mom was visiting from Iowa so she was able to spend lots of quality time with Remy. And Maddox was there mugging for the camera whenever he could. Remy did a great job holding it together – either napping or else snuggling with mom, dad or grandma on cue. We were able to work both in his bedroom as well as their dining room with their awesome farm-style wooden table, sheer lacy curtains, and super cool “Ford Family” tub!

Viewing/Ordering Session

Holding our Viewing/Ordering session, it was a tough choice to narrow down the images to Safiyyah + Rory’s “best-of-the-best”, but we were finally able to narrow down and create a beautiful newborn/family photo album for them. I am so excited to see it in final form when it is sent to me from Graphistudio in Italy!

Safiyyah + Rory, thank you so much for choosing to work with me on both your Como Park maternity photography as well as your Minneapolis newborn photography. I always love working with you guys. It was a joy to meet little Remy, and I wish you every happiness in your new lives together as a family!

Take a look at a few of my other Minneapolis newborn photography blog posts here!
Svendsen Family
Troldahl Family
Gangl Family
Ranheim Family

If you would like more information about working with me for your newborn and family photos, contact me soon!

Minneapolis Newborn Photography | Gangl Family

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Lifestyle Newborn Photography

Today I’m posting about a Minneapolis newborn photography session I worked on with the Gangl family several years ago. I photographed their session before I had my blog up and running, so I never posted their session until now!

Little Aurelia was born in 2014. Once Leah and Jim settled at home with Aurelia, I worked with the three of them for their lifestyle newborn session. We photographed them spending time together around their home on a beautiful mid-fall day. We spent a lot of time in the natural light of their home, in both the living room and family room as well as Aurelia’s nursery. I especially loved getting photos of the three of them cuddling close with Aurelia sound asleep. Images of Leah as well as Jim holding her closely were absolutely adorable. I also enjoyed capturing a few images of Aurelia swaddled, cuddled up and sleeping soundly.

Image Viewing and Ordering

Once Leah and Jim reviewed their final photos, they chose several images as their favorites. I created a gorgeous canvas triptych of a few of their favorite photos from the session. They looked so awesome on their walls!

Thank you so much, Leah and Jim, for working with me as your Minneapolis newborn photographer. I had so much fun! And I’m so happy to watch your family grow! Fast forward a couple of years later, and now Aurelia has a little sister, Beatrix! They also have a new baby on the way!

Be sure to take a look at some of my other Minneapolis Newborn Photography sessions too:
Ford Family
Svendsen Family
Troldahl Family
Ranheim Family

If you would like more information about working with me for your newborn and family photos, contact me soon. I would love to talk more about your vision for your lifestyle newborn photography.

Minneapolis Newborn Photography | Ranheim Family

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Lifestyle Newborn Photography

Continuing on with finding sessions to blog about that I never blogged about before: today I’m posting about a Minneapolis Newborn Photography session I worked on with the Ranheim family several years ago.

Minneapolis Newborn Photographer

Little Mya was born in 2013 – such a sweetie! Once Suanne and James settled at home with little Mya, I worked with the three of them around their home, photographing them on a beautiful late-winter day. We spent a lot of time in the natural light of their home, in both the living room as well as Mya’s nursery. I especially loved getting photos of the three of them cuddling close with Mya sound asleep. I also was really happy I was able to easily capture images of them along with their sweet doggies. They were getting on in years, and the Ranheims were wanting nice photos of them together before the doggies passed away. Images of Suanne as well as James holding Mya closely were particularly adorable. I also enjoyed capturing a few images of Mya swaddled, sleeping soundly cuddled up and adorable in her crib.

Thank You!

Once Suanne and James reviewed their final photos, they chose several images as their favorites. They particularly wanted photos for their newborn announcements, so I was happy to help with that.

Thank you so much, Suanne and James, for working with me as your Minneapolis newborn photographer. I had so much fun, and I’m so happy to watch your family grow!

Be sure to take a look at some of my other Minneapolis Newborn Photography sessions too:
Ford Family
Svendsen Family
Troldahl Family
Gangl Family

If you would like more information about working with me for your newborn and family photos, contact me soon!

Meet Joanna Carina of Carina Photographics

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Minneapolis Photographer Joanna Carina

Minneapolis Wedding Photographer Joanna Carina of Carina Photographics

Today I put together a little Q&A session with me, Joanna Carina, the founder and lead photographer of Carina Photographics. Hope you enjoy!

About Joanna

I spend a lot of time during my days at home with my kids, aged 5 and 3, as well as my hubby, who also works at home as a freelance product designer, illustrator and fine artist. Spending time with my kids is priceless. I started my photography business about 5 years ago, and opened up my photo studio in St Paul about two years ago. It’s great meeting and working with clients there, too.

Hobbies and Activities

I LOVE traveling. I’ve been all over the US and the world, although I have not yet completed my Bucket List! Camping, hiking and being in nature are important to me. The US National Parks are a big favorite. I cannot wait to take the kids when they get a bit older. Also reading and learning new things is a big love of mine, especially taking photo classes and learning new techniques.

Fun Fact About Joanna Carina

Before my husband and I got married, we took ballroom dance classes so we could really dance it up to the jazz band we had for our day. We loved it so much that we kept up on our lessons for many years afterward. We even performed for crowds! The last name “Carina” was adopted by us when we got married. It was based on the name of a constellation.

How Long I Have Been Photographing

I’ve been fascinated by photography as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, I taped photos of beautiful landscape photography on my bedroom walls. In middle school I joined the Photography Club. There I was in a closet under the back stairs along with eight other students learning how to roll film and use a photo enlarger. By the time I got to the College of Visual Arts in St Paul, I filled my schedule with as many photography courses as possible. I have always maintained a professional camera setup. My primary interest in the early years was travel and landscape photography. Then later I moved to portraiture and weddings. I also art directed commercial photoshoots while working for several years as a graphic designer in a marketing firm.

Why I Got Into Wedding Photography

Once we had our daughter in 2011, I decided to leave my graphic design job to stay home with her. Soon afterward, I decided to pursue my love of photography. I found myself photographing a couple of friends’ weddings early on, and I was hooked! Seeing a couple’s love and happiness, being included with one of the most important days in their lives, and giving them such joy at visually reliving their day afterward has been so rewarding and amazing to see. And getting to meet such wonderful people, as well as their families and friends, is awesome!

My Favorite Part of the Wedding Day

The first look and couple’s portrait session are wedding highlights for me. My couples always start out preparing separately, and they are often sooooo nervous during that time. Then, when they finally get to that moment and see each other, the reactions I see are priceless! Laughter, happiness, relief, tears, hugs. Such honest, warm, genuine moments, I often can’t help but tear up myself. Then, as we spend our time during their portraits, I see them calm down, relax and look so happy and in love. It’s so amazing to witness them spend that time alone together. By the time we are done with that portion of the day, they are so relieved and happy to head out to the ceremony.

Advice for Couples Planning Their Wedding

First, I would say to make sure to surround yourself with competent professionals. There are so many amazing wedding vendors out there, from wedding planners to caterers to florists to bands. They can all help you take the stress out of one of the biggest days of your life. Next, I would say, from a photographer’s perspective, please give serious consideration to having your wedding day remembered with a high-quality wedding album. From showing your friends and family today, to showing your kids and others in years to come, to enjoying it over your married lives, there is nothing that is so treasured, timeless and secure as having a wedding album as a perfect keepsake of your day.

Also, be sure to check my other recent blog post showing the Top 10 Things to Look for In a Wedding Photographer to give more info on that aspect.

Thank You!

Thanks for reading about me, Joanna Carina! Contact me soon so we can grab a coffee or glass of wine sometime and learn more about working together!

Learn more about my photo gear I use. And learn more about my St Paul photography studio.

Fine Art Wedding + Portrait Photography | Custom Heirloom Artwork Design

Fine Art Studio Family Photography

MN Family Photography

Thank You!

Fine Art Studio Newborn Photography

MN Baby Photography

Thank You!

Fine Art Studio Family Photography

MN Family Photography

Thank You!

MN Family Studio Photography

MN Children’s Photography

Thank You!

Long Lake Park Family Photos

St Paul Family and Child Photography

Thank You!

Minneapolis Family Photographer

Family Photo Session

Viewing and Ordering Session

Minneapolis Newborn Session

Newborn Photography Session

Viewing/Ordering Session

Lifestyle Newborn Photography

Image Viewing and Ordering

Lifestyle Newborn Photography

Minneapolis Newborn Photographer

Thank You!

Minneapolis Photographer Joanna Carina

About Joanna

Hobbies and Activities

Fun Fact About Joanna Carina

How Long I Have Been Photographing

Why I Got Into Wedding Photography

My Favorite Part of the Wedding Day

Advice for Couples Planning Their Wedding

Thank You!

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CARINA PHOTOGRAPHICS

MINNEAPOLIS MN WEDDING + PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY