Soon To Be One...

Today I had little Melina in the studio for her One Year/Christmas Card photos!  She is getting so big!  She was all serious today, and gave me some beautiful poses.  She's a little model in the making!!!  Here's a preview for Tina and Dan - a couple of my "first look" favorites.  Enjoy! ~

And just for fun....

Happy (soon to be) Birthday, Melina!!!!

Journey to Jordan

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of photographing Matthew and Michelle's family - their two boys and little girl - in Jordan, Minnesota.  Never have I seen two more sweet and helpful boys - they were such a wonderful pair of big brothers to their beautiful little sister.  Here is a little sneak peek for them.

Thank you Matthew and Michelle, for sharing your beautiful family with me!  I would love to work with you again in the future.

Beautiful Brittany..

Today I had a photography play-date of sorts with Photographer Heather and her step-daughter Brittany.  We brought along my new couch and skully umbrella, and Brittany rocked them both.  Thanks for braving the heat to be our model, Brittany!  Here is a little sneak peek!

The Winners Announced!

That's right, I said WINNERS (plural!), which means that I won the GRAND PRIZE in my competition - thanks to ALL of you - so there are TWO winners in my blog comment contest!!!!! 

And now, to announce the winners of my blog comment contest - they are as follows, according to www.random.org.

DBS4 (Comment #18) and Holly Crosby (Comment #2), you are the winners!!!  Contact me via email at info@pixelationsphotography by Tuesday July 27 at 11:59pm to claim your prize (if I don't hear from you by then, another winner will be randomly chosen)!  Choose between a $25 Amazon gift certificate, or a $25 gift certificate to Pixelations Photography!  Thanks to ALL for your participation and for your support!  I am so honored to claim this prize, and I owe it all to my fans.

The "Help Me Win, Help You Win" Giveaway!

 Have you heard about my photo in the semi-finals for MCP's contest to win Photoshop CS5?  Let's make our own little contest out of this! Everyone can play, no matter where in the world you are!  Here's how it works:

If you haven't already, go to http://networkedblogs.com/5YGm7 and vote for Entry #4, my photo of the frog on the skateboard, then come back here and comment under THIS post that you have voted.  If you have already voted, and commented on my Facebook post, you will need to please add a comment to THIS blog entry, to make it fair - ONLY comments left on this blog will be considered submissions.

The photo contest ends on Sunday, July 25th at 6pm EST, and so does this one.  At that time, I will use www.random.org to choose the winning comment number.

What will you win?  One random comment will be drawn to win a $25 Gift Certificate which can be applied towards any Photography Session at Pixelations Photography (to be used locally only), or if you've already had one, towards Add-Ons (printable files, or prints), OR a Gift Certificate to www.amazon.com, where you can buy just about anything! 

If I win the Grand Prize, which is Photoshop CS5, I will use www.random.org to select another comment for an additional $25 Gift Certificate!

To get additional entries:

1. Become a Facebook Fan of Pixelations Photography (go here, then "like" my Fanpage), and then come back here and post a separate comment that you are a fan (or were already a fan).

2. Post about this contest to your Facebook Wall - your post must include a link to this blog entry in your post, and your Facebook profile must be set to be viewable by anyone on July 25th, so that I'm able to confirm your claim - then come back here and post a separate comment stating that you did this and including a link to your profile.

Good luck!  Spread the word!!  Let the commenting begin!!

Birthday Girl

Today I had the pleasure of photographing Mark and Jessica's family, and specifically, a soon-to-be-Birthday-Girl, "Princess Pea".  At only almost-one, she already "ooooh"s and "aaaahhh"s over frilly little girl things.  Her little "ooooooh" face is priceless. :)

Thanks for choosing me to do your portraits!  Mark & Jessica, you have a beautiful family!!!!

Action Jackson

Yesterday I did an art photo shoot with my gracious volunteer, Mitch "Action" Jackson, a star MMA fighter who trains at my gym, American School of Martial Arts in Savage, MN.  His current record is 12 wins, 1 loss.  Awesome record, Mitch!  Here are a couple of preview images from our session.  The first is an HDR image, the second is a moody B&W.  Enjoy, more to come! :)

Little Baby Josie

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing little Josie, who was 4 weeks early, and 4 weeks old.  Gorgeous little Josie didn't want to let me out of her sight for very long - she was very alert for such a little girl.  Here is a little sneak peak for her parents.  Elizabeth, it was a pleasure, and I would absolutely love to work with you again in the future, and watch Josie grow up. She's an absolute angel. :)

Three Kids, One Lollipop

Usually this would make for a bad equation, but these three had a blast licking on this one HUGE lollipop.  Meet Jack, Charlie, and Lucy (not necessarily in that order).  We braved the heat today at the Arboretum, and the bugs - LOTS of bugs - to capture some of their adorable expressions.  This one in particular makes me laugh. :)

Little Z

Last night, I went to my nephew Zach's baseball game, and while I was there, took some photos of him in action.  There are a couple of Zachs, so they just call him "Little Z".  At this age, they are so serious about the game.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Nephews

Today my brother and his family stopped by for some food and fun, and while they were here, a quick (very quick) mini-session for the boys, my nephews.  I managed to catch a few cute images of them, even though photography wasn't exactly on their agenda :)  These are my favorites.

Diva Melina

My good friend Tina brought her gorgeous daughter Melina over for a mini-session today; we got some amazing images and tested out my new background.  This is just a little teaser :)

What a cutie pie!!!!  Thanks Tina, Dan, and little Melina. :)

A boy and his Guitar..

Yesterday, I did a mini-shoot with my son, Hunter.  Awhile back, he got a new guitar, and we had yet to get some great photographs with it.  He absolutely loved the "graffiti bridge" we went to with Jeff's car, and so we ended up back there for a bit, getting some attitude shots with his guitar.  Enjoy :)

Pretty as a Picture

Today I photographed the beautiful baby Ava.  She was snoozing for most of the time, and we had no problem getting some absolutely adorable shots.  Here is a sneak peek for her parents..

Thanks again, Bart and Renee!  She is an absolute dream.. :)

A beautiful day at the Arboretum..

Today I had the pleasure of photographing a couple of beautiful and incredibly curious girls.  Here is a teeny tiny preview for their family.

Thank you Nikki, Lyla, and Rayah, for sharing your day with me!

Jeff's Audi S5

My first blog post!  I thought I'd start with the gorgeous car I had the pleasure of photographing last weekend - this Audi S5.  Not only is it beautiful, but this V8 puurrrrrrs.  I photographed the car on location under a graffiti bridge in Shakopee, which about two weeks before was completely flooded by the Minnesota River.  Patience paid off, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with this car in HDR.  Enjoy!

 Thanks Jeff!  Let me know when I can photograph that R8! ;)