once in a while i look back through the albums

of photos i've taken. i think as a photographer it helps

me be to identify and define my style and helps

remind me of the kind of photos i want to deliver to my clients.

i've figured out that the photos i love the most,

the ones i'm drawn to and am most proud of are the ones

that show emotion, have movement or 

intensity in them. i love real moments. moments that aren't posed, but

rather captured almost as if the person i'm photographing doesn't 

even know i'm there.

 i have always loved black and white photography.

take away the color and the image becomes one that could 

have been taken today or 30 years ago.

i've pulled out a bunch of photos that speak to me.

some are client work and some are personal. 
 friends and family probably groan when i pull out my camera,
but hey~ it's my "thing".

for as long as i can remember i've seen the world
like i'm looking through the lens of a camera.

i hope you enjoy looking at what are some of my personal favorites.

be in the profound value that photos have

long after the days are gone.

*if you haven't taken out your camera for awhile, or had someone take

photos for you,  you should do it.

and then, please, please print some.
because we all have cameras on our cell phones people are
taking more photos but again, take the time to print some.

i believe in the profound value that photos have
long after these days and years are gone.

                                                                           my beautiful niece. she's a cat person but was laughing at our dog.

this friend of mine rarely cries. she told me the emotions of her wedding day caught her off guard. the way her dear old dad is holding her hand gets me.

                                                                                                                           laughing so hard you have to lean in.

                                                                                                       separated by a generation, bound by a fierce love.

                                                            when you trust your dad to keep you safe.

             this day was a long time coming and it was very special to be the one to capture these intimate moments for them.

                                                                                 i can still hear this man's laugh. he was a storyteller extraordinaire.

                                                                                                                   my girl

                                                                                                                                                                      so much to learn.

these two men holding hands were the best of friends. they saw each other through their hardest days, the loss of their beloved wives. this was on one of those days. they are all together now, in heaven and they are missed something fierce. 

                                                                                                                                                                  when you turn one.

                                                         magical light on a wedding day.

                                                                     this trio of 3 are my besties. this mom and her girls...their bond is crazy strong.

                                                                                         this dear man's mind is slipping away but he still knows his wife.

                                                                                                               life skills

                                                                                                               6'8"

                                                                                    twin babies were on the way. now they have 2 precious little girls.

                                                                                                              pet chores

                                                                                                                                                                          this much love~

it's friday and although it's only feb. 17th i'm in a bit of a

spring cleaning mood. when is spring anyway?? i can't waste these moments because they're

few and far between. who says you can't clean the top of a tall cupboard that

hasn't been wiped off for hmmm, probably about 15 years

(sadly, not even kidding) and call it your spring cleaning? 

 i've got the ladder set up and i should probably go find a dust mask.

i'm going in, i'm going up and who knows i may not even stop there.

there are some blinds that need a haz mat team to rescue them too.

i've also got the urge to spray paint stuff. i know it's all just the

"longing for spring" thing. i've got some peat pots ready for seeds

and the first issue of magnolia journal showed up in my mailbox yesterday.

horray!!!!!!!

i've started reading every single word on every single page and i can tell

it's going to be a favorite magazine of mine.

are you fans of chip and joanna gaines from fixer upper like i am?

i've got a slight crush on chip. what a goofball. : )

ok, now i really am going to go wipe the dust off that cupboard,

peace guys, b.

*update: after i posted this, i forged on and took every single thing

out of that cupboard in my studio and cleaned the inside too.

star on my star chart- yeah!!!

                                                                 

hey guys! i'd like to introduce you to my uncle, tom baldwin.

tom is the oldest from a family of 7 children and my mother's brother.

he's been the patriarch of our family for over 35 years and

he celebrated his 85th birthday this week.

(or should I say we celebrated him).

: )

uncle tom is as solid a man as there is.
he married the love of his life jean

right out of high school and then served in the korean war.

when tom was drafted someone in boot camp told him

that the best thing he could do was to sign up for any kind of schooling.

the first thing that came up was tank artillery so he and his best friend keith

signed up and that sent them straight to korea---

straight to the front line.

at the tender age of 19, tom became a tank commander supervising guys

much older than he was.

together tom and jean raised 4 children who are all

phenomenal human beings and they had 4 grandchildren.

they've had a good life and my uncle is always

positive and good natured, but can I tell you a few things
about what they've overcome?

they lost one of their children, one of a set of twins, at birth.

then they lost a beloved 19 yr. old granddaughter.

tom has had cancer and so have all

4 of their children.

jean has overcome some serious health issues too and we're
very blessed to still have her with us.

but you know what? see the face below~

this is a man that laughs easily and cries just as easily.
tom and his family have
been an unbelievable example to me of overcoming adversity and still
seeing all the grace and beauty left around you.

*I like to tell him that if every child on the planet had

a father like him, our world would be ok.

we'd all be so o.k.

*how cute is he??

tom's daughter kim planned a birthday party at the historic hubble house
in mantorville, mn.

they are famous for their garlic bread and i can see why- yum! below is the dessert they

brought the birthday boy.

after dining there, we carpooled back to Owatonna to tom and jeans house

to visit more (and so the rest of us could have dessert too. hehe)

roger, nick and dale

uncle tom with his two grandgirls. anna on left and maddy who's

expecting their first great grandchild in about 2 months.

umm, yeah- grampa is excited.

dale and son randy. (mike their other son and his wife were on vacation.)

daughter sue (showing us a vintage light fixture) and son in law rog.

photo sweatshirts are well worn and well loved by tom.

aunt jean, adjusting her glasses to read one of the funny cards tom got.

uncle tom got two tattoos while in the service and i hadn't seen them

for a long time. this one had jeans name through the middle until it faded and i

remember as a girl thinking it was soooo romantic. (that and the fact that he always called her "babe").  i'd never know anyone with tattoos before and i liked that they

were part of his experience being a soldier.

this one on his upper arm is his serial number. he and his buddy keith both

got serial number tattoos and tom could still tell me what keith's number was.

they were the best of friends, but sadly keith had a heart attack 

watching his son wrestle and passed away many years ago.

daughter kim and her hubbie saying goodbye to their daughter.

kim made a cheesecake dessert for us that was delicious.

it was a wonderful evening with family and so fun to be a part of it all.

happy, happy birthday to one of my favorite people.

my uncle tom.
(and uncle "ben", i love you & your big hugs).

have a great weekend guys, they're predicting unheard of temps

in the high 30's/low 40's for feb. in mn. woo hoooooo!!!

i'm starting to buy packs of flower seeds and

making a list of some new things i want to grow this summer.

one of them is hellebores. have any of you grown them?

if so leave me a comment,  i'd love some advice!

xo, beth