Kristina Lynn Photography & Design Blog

Twin Cities Senior Portrait Photography | Shelby’s session in downtown Stillwater

Kristina Lynn — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:03:44 +0000

I LOVE senior season! It’s one of my favorite times of the year because the seniors start coming in and I get to do all kinds of creative stuff. I get to tap into my inner fashion side, try out new lighting, new backgrounds and new poses. A couple weeks before her senior session, Shelby emailed me a couple inspiration images of what she wanted to try. I love it when people do this because then I know I’m creating images that are unique to them and that they will love. So early last Saturday morning, Shelby, Jody of Makeup Savvy and I met at the studio, hashed out a plan and started to play (with seniors I always have so much fun so I hardly can consider it work!). Jody had even brought some of her fantastic jewelry that she is now selling (check it out at Maison Galleria in downtown Stillwater or contact Jody directly) to help accent Shelby’s wardrobe. If anyone who knows me and has done a session with me before, you know that when I get an awesome shot I get all excited and start to jump all over (yeah a little weird I know..I just LOVE my job!). So needless to say, I was jumping around quite a bit during Shelby’s session Here are JUST A FEW of the killer shots I captured of Shelby last Saturday but if you want to see more check out my Seniors – Class of 2011 gallery on my Facebook page.

OH and I forgot to mention that Shelby is one of my fantastic senior models from Stillwater Area High School. If you go to school at Stillwater or see Shelby around, ask her about a special deal she can get you on senior portraits. 40% off all senior session fees this month too…just in case you were wondering on what other deals we’ve got going on

Twin Cities Senior Portrait Photography | Ashley – Class of 2011

Kristina Lynn — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:09:26 +0000

Ashley is one of my senior models, representing the studio at Woodbury High. We had a fantastic senior model session earlier this spring and now she’s back to do her full senior session. Her session was so much fun! She brought killer outfits, Jody Olson of Makeup Savvy did a phenomenal job on Ashley’s makeup, and we just had a blast hanging out and creating some great photos that really capture who Ashley is. Since she’s got lighter colored hair, we did some really fun high key images on the white background which really made her eyes pop! She’s really into music and singing so she brought along some sheet music that we made a sweet background out of. I think my favorite images are the ones we did outdoors. The session was later in the afternoon and so by the time we got to the outdoor part, the lighting was PERFECT! I even had her do a little cat walk strut down one of the alleys which resulted in some amazing movement shots with her hair flowing behind her. My absolute favorites!!!!

If you are a senior at Woodbury High and want awesome images like Ashley’s, contact her for a special deal! And don’t forget that all senior sessions are 40% off this month!!!!

Every model needs to eat! Thank goodness Dairy Queen is right across from the studio. Mom to the rescue!

Twin Cities Architectural Photography | House For Sale!

Kristina Lynn — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:54:44 +0000

So if you are new to my blog, you probably think the only things I photograph are newborns. While a lot of my recent sessions have been children I do a lot more than that! For example, I got a call just this week from Joan and Doyle Freemyer who are realtors in Woodbury. They had just gotten a listing and needed some photos ASAP of the house so they could put images online and create brochures. I came highly recommended from another realtor, who I happened to photograph last fall for new head shots and business cards, and so they gave me a jingle to see if I could help them out. Sure enough, our schedules meshed and I was able to photograph the house for them this week and I must say, the house is fantastic!!! If you are looking for a place in Woodbury, you definitely need to check this one out!

Iowa Children’s Portrait Photography | Christian’s newborn session

Kristina Lynn — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:34:43 +0000

I think the BEST time to photograph newborns is when they are just around one week old. It’s great because they are still in the very sleepy stage and are super easy to work with. Take Christian for example, he and mom showed up to the session right about the time he should be getting hungry again. It worked out great because mom and I had a little time to chat about what outfits to wear and what images we wanted to capture, then I could set up my first background while she gave him a little of his bottle to make him really content. It worked like a charm! Since we really wanted to do some naked baby shots, we decided to start there first. I had just picked up some new pieces of fabric to use as baby wraps and was DYING to try a brown one out with him. I love how all the colors came together and really love how the extra texture of the fabric adds to the photo. I also tried out some other print fabric as a background with a simple white blanket. As soon as we wrapped him up in the blanket, he was out like a light! I absolutely LOVE how I was able to capture a few sleepy smiles from this little cutie. Enough to make anyone’s heart melt! You’ll also see photos of this little one at Dr. Gabrielson’s women’s clinic in Webster City very shortly. If you’d like to see more photos from little Christian’s session, check out the Children & Family gallery on my Facebook Page.

Iowa Children’s Portrait Photography | Khale’s newborn session

Kristina Lynn — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:18:05 +0000

Babies, babies everywhere…and loving every minute of it Khale is another one of the cuties that will be featured in the woman’s clinic in Webster City, Iowa. At only a couple weeks old, he was a doll to work with! So easy! We got some great wide awake shots that show off his beautiful eyes and capture a couple great expressions. Then we turned on the heat and watched as he slipped into nap mode. He got really comfortable very quickly and before we knew it he was off into happy little dream world. So cute! If you’d like to see more of Khale and the rest of my recent baby session images, check out the Children & Family gallery on my Facebook page.

Iowa Children’s Portrait Photography | Aleigha’s newborn session

Kristina Lynn — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:02:30 +0000

So as a part of my plan to expand my studio into Iowa, I have partnered with Dr. Gabrielson’s women’s health clinic and will be displaying some of my artwork in his Webster City office. So I have been getting the chance to meet some of his amazing patients and photographing their new little family additions Aleigha got to be my very first model! She is such a sweetie and has gorgeous eyes (I LOVE baby eyes!). She started off the session wide awake but by the end, we got the room warmed up and she feel fast asleep for some very cute naked, sleeping baby photos.

Iowa Children’s Portrait Photography | Lorelei’s three month session

Kristina Lynn — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:51:54 +0000

It’s funny how you never know where life will take you and who you will meet up with again down the road. For example, a couple months ago after posting some of my first images of my niece Quincy, I got a message on Facebook from a couple people I went to college with. Suzie, Adam and I had all been RA’s at Morningside College and had a chance to get to know each other fairly well. But as it usually goes, after graduation we lost touch. When Suzie saw my photos of Quincy on Facebook, she knew she wanted me to be Lorelei’s personal photographer but wasn’t sure that since I’m mainly located up here in Stillwater while they’re in southeast Iowa, if we could work it out. It was perfect timing! I was looking to expand the business down into Iowa more so it was the perfect opportunity. We decided to meet up in Des Moines (kind of half way for both of us) to capture some images of little three month old Lorelei. It was a great session! She’s such a doll and this is such a cute family! Can’t wait for the 8 month session!

Twin Cities Family Portrait Photography | The Thompson Family

Kristina Lynn — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 03:29:23 +0000

One thing I think all business should do is be able to share with the community and every once in awhile donate to local causes. Last year I did just that by donating a gift certificate to The Partnership Plan’s annual Jeans & Jewels Gala, which leads me to this session with the Thompson family. They were lucky enough to win my certificate and just book and fantastic family photo shoot at their home in Stillwater. When I talked to Heidi and she told me they lived in a great older house, I knew we’d have some fun places to photograph the entire family. Their front porch was great. I loved shooting from all the different angles and doing the different family groupings, but I’d have to say my favorite spot is the front steps with the house in the background. The lighting was amazing there plus we got to do some fun shots with the family dog A big thanks to the Jeans & Jewels fundraiser that brought me and the Thompsons together! And if you’re a business looking to donate to a local cause I highly recommend donating to Jeans & Jewels!

Iowa Children’s Portrait Photography | Paxton is 8 months old!

Kristina Lynn — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:32:18 +0000

Ok so there’s one thing I know for sure…never go into a children’s session with a solid game plan. Now I’m not saying that you should go into one unprepared…just be ready for the unexpected. For example, Paxton ALWAYS takes a nap from 9-10, so of course we scheduled his session for 10:30 so he’d be bright eyed and bushy tailed. But of course, on the day of our session he refused to take a nap (must have been really excited for his first professional photo shoot! ). And Paxton is always the little boy with a smile on his face, except for the day of the photo shoot. So a session that looked super easy on paper wasn’t so much in real life. But never fear! I’m always ready to improvise and do whatever it takes to get fantastic images!

We started out Paxton’s session outside by the big, green John Deere tractor (I shall refrain from making a comment on the farmer’s color choice of farming equipment). I could tell he was a daredevil when he was standing by himself, holding on to the tractor step, and then decided to let one hand go. Pretty sure Mom got just a little nervous right about then So what better to do with a daredevil? Why not perch him on the ledge right next to the door! I thought it sounded like a great idea! (with close parental supervision of course!) I should say that Mr. Daredevil behaved himself and no one got hurt in the making of these images! On to outfit number two! There was some amazing window light pouring into the living room from the giant wall of windows, so we started to take photos with Paxton on the couch. Right about this time Paxton decided it was almost nap time and started to fuss. Here’s where the creative thinking comes in to play….how to make a tired child last for a few more clicks of the shutter? We had him bang on the coffee table, which entertained him for .5 seconds. Then we brought in Dad to help Paxton stand up which usually makes him a little happier…no such luck on this day. And last but not least, we took him to his favorite spot in the whole house, on the giant, comfy bed in Mom & Dad’s room! SUCCESS…and I must say a huge thank you to Uncle Ryan for showing up at the most opportune time and getting little Paxton to smile for us So even though he wasn’t bright eyed and smiling the whole time, we got some great images of Paxton. I can’t wait to photograph this little cutie again! Want to see more images of Paxton? Check out the children’s gallery on my Facebook page!

Twin Cities Commerial Photography | Sweet Pea bouquets with Studio Fleurette

Kristina Lynn — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:01:05 +0000

So pretty sure that I’ve found my floral designer who will be designing my wedding day flowers and her name is Danielle with Studio Fleurette in Stillwater. This is my second photo session that I have done of her flower arrangements and they are just fantastic! The flowers she uses and the colors she puts together are just stunning. Not to mention I love all the little details she puts into the design like the decorative pins she attaches to the ribbon on the stems or the metal wire she uses on the boutonnieres (which I absolutely LOVE by the way!). I know that no matter what I dream up in my head for my wedding day flowers, Danielle’s design will completely surpass my expectations. Now that I’ve got my floral designer, all I need to find now is a groom!