Dan's Photography

Minneapolis Winter Engagement Session

2012-01-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

Up until last week it was very rare to see snow here in the Twin Cities, Gillian and Cam were lucky enough to get some. We didn't plan on seeing any snow that day, but out of no where it started to snow like crazy! To stay dry we got a few shots under the bridge and then headed back to the Stone Arch. They really wanted some skyline shots and by this time it had let up enough to see the skyline again.
I had a great time with them and wish them all the best with their Brainerd wedding this spring.

tags: engagement, minneapolis, downtown, urban, snowing, winter,

Angie & Steve - The Womens Club of Minneapolis - Wedding

2012-01-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

My first wedding of 2012 was a gorgeous one! Angie and Steve tied the knot at the Women's Club of Minneapolis, a very nice venue with loads of character. They were hoping for some snow (to prove it was a winter wedding), but that stuff is hard to come by these days :( Instead we had a great time exploring the building.

tags: wedding, ceremony, reception, women's club, minneapolis, mn, downtown, pictures, photography, dan's photography,

A look back through 2011

2012-01-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

If I had to pick one shot from each session last year...

MN Bride Feature

2011-12-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

Those awesome editors over at MN Bride loved the "first look" from Alice's wedding, when her mom saw that she was wearing her old dress! You can check it out here

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Alice and Lem - The 1 Hour Wedding!

2011-12-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

Alice had contacted me wondering if I would be interested in shooting their wedding, there were no venues, no timelines and the date wasn't set in stone either. We would simply meet somewhere, take some pictures, wonder around, meet their parents and officiant (her bro) anywhere we wanted, say some vows and it was over.
"YES!" I replied, "that sounds awesome!"
We met at Mill City (for the very first time), on a late Thursday afternoon, took a few shots there, then they walked across the Stone Arch Bridge to meet their parents and say their vows in the park.
Alice was even able to surprise her mom by wearing her wedding dress from about 40 years ago! ...with a few minor alterations.

A November Wedding.... but without the people.

2011-12-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

I'm torn apart inside not being able to show you all the images from this spectacular wedding! It was shot at an amazing old church and the reception was at one of my favorite spots in Minneapolis. Well, here's what I can show you....

Laura & Adam - New York Wedding

2011-12-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

Laura and Adam were married at the Garrison just outside Fishkill, NY in October... after their initial wedding plans were ruined by Hurricane Irene at the end of August (click here for some shots of the first trip). It was an amazing experience (both times) and I am so grateful for the opportunity to shoot it.
Fittingly enough, the weather was fantastic! Laura and Adam both looked amazing, the flowers (by Engaging Floral Designs), and the Garrison (the property, the food, the service) were spectacular.
The wedding itself seemed to fly by, and the reception was fantastic. They had a live band (Around Town) that was out of this world and kept the guests on their feet the entire night.

LOVED IT!

The C Family Portraits

2011-12-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

I always enjoy taking shots of this group, who are also good friends of ours.... and lovers of N.D. Hockey!

Chris & Emily - Engaged

2011-11-29T08:59:00.001-08:00

Chris and Emily were able to get their engagement session in, just before all the leaves fell in late October. We hit the small town of Jordan MN, to capture all the variety it has to offer and exploit as much color out of the parks as we could. They have great chemistry together and I can't wait for the wedding next year!

Keith & Stephanie - Wilds Golf Course - Wedding Photography

2011-11-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

Keith and Stephanie were married at the Wilds in Prior Lake on a beautiful, yet incredibly windy day in October. These two were simply fabulous together, so much fun to photograph along with their entire wedding party... lots of laughs that day!
Paul from Midwest Sound was rocking the dance floor once again, he is quite possibly one of my favorite DJ's to work with.
I have to give a huge thank you to Evan from Lumen Photography who was in town from Chicago that weekend and second shot for me that day. He did an amazing job and many of the shots below would not have been possible without his contribution!

Randie - Senior Preview

2011-11-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

Meet the lovely Randie - 2012 Minneapolis Senior! Randie introduced me to Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, and I completely fell in love with it. Unfortunately part of the park was devastated by the tornado we had this past summer, so I didn't get to use all of it. The graffiti under the bridge was a bit of a hike, but TOTALLY worth it!

tags: mn, minneapolis, senior, pictures, portraits, outdoor,

FEATURED

2011-11-18T09:18:00.001-08:00

In case you missed it yesterday, I was featured on the WeddingChannel.com for Marianne and Joe's spectacular wedding!

Megan & Scott - MN Landscape Arboretum Wedding

2011-11-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

Megan and Scott's small family wedding, took place at the beautiful Landscape Arboretum during the peak fall color this year. It was perfect, Megan was stunning in her dress, the weather was amazing, and the fall color was gorgeous!
I've shot at the Arboretum a few times before, but never a wedding. There's no question this spot is one of the most popular outdoor destinations for photography.... I was just happy to find a parking spot!
Following the ceremony we headed to the Wildfire Restaurant in Eden Prairie for some AMAZING food, drinks and speeches. After that, Scott's parents had a small reception for them in Cologne.

With 5 other weddings that day and 6 billion photo sessions going on, it was pure luck, patience and maybe some Photoshop to make it look like we were the only ones there.

tags: wedding, photography, arboretum photographer, outdoor, portrait, fall

The Johnson Family

2011-11-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick preview of the lovely Johnson family. We took these portraits just down the street from their house in this beautiful park.

tags: outdoor, fall, family, photography, portraits, professional photographer.

Mike and Molly - Minnehaha Falls Engagment Session

2011-11-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

I had a great time with Mike and Molly last month wondering around Minnehaha Falls for their engagement session. Can't wait for the wedding next August!

tags: engagement, photographer, photography, mn, minnehaha falls, portraits

Lamaja's Senior Picture Preview

2011-11-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

Meet the lovely Lamaja. Her senior session started off at Como Park and finished up in downtown Minneapolis. She was a blast to work with. I hope you enjoy your senior year!

Amy - Senior Portrait Preview

2011-11-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Meet Amy, she traveled about an hour to get her senior portraits taken a couple of weeks ago. We had the full spectrum as far as weather goes. Started off overcast for about 5 min, then it started to lightly rain, then heavier rain which basically ruined everything. So we had to stop and borrow my wife's hairdryer for a few minutes. Fortunately after that the sun had started to peak out which gave us some amazing light. Amy was a great sport through it all! She is very photogenic and easy to photograph.

The car shot below lasted all of 5 seconds, we just got set up and as soon as she leaned against the car... we had to leave.

tags: senior, portraits, photographer, photography, mn, twin cities.

Kyle & Kelly - Engagement Photo's

2011-10-31T20:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's November already! This session takes me back to the beginning of October (I feel like I'm going to be playing catch-up until New Years... well, at least you will always have new stuff to see this winter :). Kyle and Kelly are a fabulous couple, so much fun together and so much fun to photograph. They were constantly joking and laughing.... I can tell their wedding is going to be a blast!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

What can I say.... we really got into it this year :)

The A Family

2011-10-28T13:19:00.001-07:00

This was my second time photographing this lovely fam, everyone is another year older now, and their girls are still as cute as ever. This year we made a departure from the classic fall color and headed downtown for some rustic brick.

Scroll down to see how the session ended.....

As I was talking with their mom and dad, the twins found some dirt....

then this happened.....

so I suggested, "wouldn't it be funny if everyone had dirt on their face?"....

which turned into this.....

which ended up as the best Christmas card shot I've ever seen...

tags: fall, family, portrait, pictures, outdoor, minneapolis, downtown, photographer

The S Family - Fall Portraits in the Backyard

2011-10-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

This marvelous trio stopped by my home studio for some family portraits a few weeks back. Most of the shots were taken in the back yard, followed by a few in the studio. Their little girl was pumped for pictures this time around!

She is a crazy "daddies girl" right now, which makes for some adorable pictures.

tags: fall, family, portraits, photography, photographer, outdoor, studio, savage, prior lake, shakopee, burnsville, lakeville,

Troy and Kelly - The Wilds - Fall Wedding

2011-10-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Troy and Kelly were married back at the beginning of October, at the Wilds Golf Course in Prior Lake. The fall color was at it's peak and the weather was amazing. These two make a wonderful couple and were a treat to work with.
Special thanks to Joanne for helping out that day!

above image courtesy of Joanne Chappellaz

tags: wedding, photography, wilds, prior lake, mn

Bailey - 2011 Senior

2011-10-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

I have had quite a few seniors this year that have driven over an hour to see me, Bailey is one of them. She wanted some fall color and didn't want to go where all her friends went. We worked one of the parks here in Prior Lake, then some main street action, and she also liked the infamous "red barn" (who's location will remain anonymous).

I would have used this awesome old car a little more, except I didn't know who's it was and their yard didn't look all that inviting....

tags: high school, senior, portraits, mn, burnsville, prior lake, lakeville, shakopee, savage, eagan,

Madelyn's football inspired 3 month portraits

2011-10-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

Both her mom and dad are avid football fans (except one likes the Packers and the other the Vikings.... but they make it work).
The last picture here happens to be my all time favorite baby picture... and I don't think it's possible to ever top it. There are soooo many possibilities for this picture. It also proves that she doesn't like me and still remembers her 2 week pictures.

tags: baby, girl, 3 month, pictures, portraits, photographer, football, pink

L - Family

2011-10-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

One of the fabulous brides from last year wanted to give her parents updated family pictures for Christmas.... and maybe take care of a few Christmas card pictures in the mean time. Well, without giving away to much from this session (it's no fun when everyone has already seen your Christmas card picture) here are only 3 pictures from that gorgeous day!

To the people that called the cops while we were taking pictures against the beautiful fall colors, in an undeveloped residential lot - shame on you!
To the cops that responded and laughed at the people that called - thanks.

tags: fall, family, pictures, portraits, Christmas, card, savage, prior lake, burnsville, shakopee, outdoor,

Jessy & Cameron - A Fall Wedding at Stonebrooke

2011-10-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Jessy and Cameron are a marvelous couple, they had a gorgeous wedding at Stonebrooke this fall, perfect weather, great colors, and great family. I wish you both all the best as you start your new lives together!
Special thanks to Joanne Chappellaz for helping out that day, many of the images below would not have been possible without her!

Favorite Grandpa of the Year award goes to this guy and his 55 year old Tuxedo!

tags: stonebrooke, golf, wedding, reception, ceremony, mn, skakopee, photographer, photography, october, fall,

Tom & Shelly - Downtown Minneapolis Wedding

2011-10-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly catching up on the blog posts. Tom and Shelly put on a fabulous wedding and reception at the Atlas restaurant in Minneapolis. Bliss Event Planning helped make sure everything ran smoothly (which they did perfectly). Shelly got ready at the beautiful Grand Hotel in Minneapolis. From there we took a few pictures on the short walk over to Atlas. The weather was beautiful, except for some gusty winds which kept the bridesmaids indoors. Following the ceremony, the food and ambiance at Atlas was spectacular. Shelly and Tom were amazing to work with, very easy going, and so much in love.
Many of the shots below would not have been possible without Joanne's help. Special thanks to her for assisting / second shooting that day.

(didn't get kicked out this time - ha ha, inside joke for any blog / facebook followers).

tags: minneapolis, mn, atlas, restaurant, wedding, reception, grand hotel, photography, wedding photographer

Don & Bridget - Mill City Wedding - Minneapolis

2011-09-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a little behind on the blog.... This gorgeous wedding was shot the beginning of September at the Mill City Ruins in Minneapolis. Bridget and Don are two fabulous people with wonderful families. Their wedding was simply amazing, the weather was perfect and the venue is stunning. Not to mention their first dance, which was probably the best one I have ever seen. I have so many great pictures to show for this wedding, but I had to restrain myself since I'm running out of time and I fly out tomorrow (so I'm trying to do 10 things at once).
I have to give a special thanks to Glenda Conner for helping me out. Many of the images below would not have been possible without her!

tags: wedding, photographer, mn, mill city, minneapolis, photography, ceremony, reception, fall

Katie - 2012 Senior

2011-09-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

Meet Katie, a 2012 senior here in the Twin Cities. She wanted an urban session, the less vegetation the better. She also mentioned that she is more on the edgy, serious side. We tried to do a mix of serious and smiley, but the serious won out most of the time (I tried to pick a 50-50 sample for the blog though). Here are the results...

tags: senior photographer, senior pictures, photography, twin cities, savage, prior lake, burnsville, eagan, lakeville, edgy,

Ashley & Bjorn - Arboretum Engagement Session - Natural Light Photography

2011-09-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

I met Ashley and Bjorn at the Landscape Arboretum last Sunday morning (8 ish). The weather was perfect and NO ONE else was there! I couldn't believe it, almost spooky. Ashley and Bjorn are spectacular together, their chemistry just explodes on camera. Next August can't come soon enough.
For any camera savvy followers out there, this was an all natural light session.

tags: engagement, photographer, mn, landscape arboretum,

Stephanie & Keith - Engagement Session

2011-09-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful weekend for outdoor pictures (outdoor anything really). Stephanie and Keith made the most of it with their engagement session at a local park (one of my faves). Keith did great despite his dislocated shoulder.... he went home to an ice pack and his sling.
You will see more of this fantastic couple following their wedding in mid October.

DJ Dickie Degrees - Portrait Session

2011-09-07T21:43:00.001-07:00

DJ Dickie Degrees stopped by the garage studio recently for some business portraits. My goal was to keep it as simple as possible but give the feeling of a club or wedding reception.
I've got some behind the scenes shots I'll try to post when I get a chance (nothing special). We also did some green screen shots so we could put him basically anywhere.
Below are two of my faves.

12 Hours in New York City

2011-08-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

We saw a lot of things in a very short period of time. Here is a quick look at what my eyes took in. None of this would have been possible without our driver, Allen, who would drop us off and pick us up wherever we wanted. He was incredible!

Hurricane Irene - New York City

2011-08-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of New York a few hours before hurricane Irene was set to hit and the police were evacuating certain areas. Unfortunately the wedding I has here to shoot was also canceled by Irene :(

Matt and Michelle - Downtown Minneapolis Engagement Session

2011-08-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

What a FUN session, it's not everyday I get to shoot someone getting punched in the face on purpose! We chose downtown Minneapolis for its mix of architecture, skyline and dirty alleys. Since we were going for a mix of grungy and fancy shots, it was perfect. The only down side was the Twins game, which made parking a little tricky.
I know this will be a very fun wedding, and can't wait for it to get here!

As a side note - I'm heading to New York to shoot a wedding this weekend, so it will be a little quiet on the blog until I return.

OK, I feel the need to explain these a little. When you think of a typical engagement session, you might picture holding hands, kissing, sharing a bowl of spaghetti (see Lady and the Tramp), not fighting. But Michelle likes to box and REALLY wanted a picture punching out Matt, so what the hell. We even made a little series out of it (by the way, people really get edgy when you are taking pictures right outside a naughty toy store... who knew). Anyway, here are two shots from that series, the first one Michelle "accidentally" hits Matt (even though I told her she could be 4 inches away and it would still look real). Now picture getting one of those as a save the date!

Brian & Erica's - St Thomas Engagement Session

2011-08-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

I had a great time following Brian and Erica around the St Thomas campus (and breaking a Frat house window.... I can explain!) last week. The weather was great, except for the 5 minute shower when we first started (taking away almost any seated poses). They have such great chemistry together, I can't wait for the wedding next year.

tags: engagement photographer, photography, engagement, st paul, st thomas school,

Morgan's Senior Session - Northfield to Minneapolis

2011-08-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Meet Morgan, a 2012 Senior! She was looking for a mix of urban and rural shots (2 of my favorites :) She also wanted 2 different hair styles, but to accomplish that we had to split her session in two parts... a straight hair day, and a curly hair day. For the straight hair day we chose Northfield for the mix of "urban" and then into the rural area's for the fields and abandoned buildings. The curly hair day was all urban, and it was a toss up between St Paul and Minneapolis (duh), but Minneapolis won out with the option of the Stone Arch Bridge (and as it turns out, I'm REALLY glad it did).

I just want to stress - I DON'T have set locations that I use with everyone! It totally goes by what the client (YOU) wants. Of course, if you don't know exactly what you want, but have an idea of what you're after... we just bounce ideas around until something sounds good. I love a challenge, so if you have some bizarre concept you want to do... let me know!

Location: a random back alley loading dock

Location - the parking lot of a Bail Bonds shop.

Location - A random farm field in the middle of no where.

tags: senior portraits, senior portrait photographer, lakeville, savage, prior lake, apple valley, eagan, northfield, minneapolis, pics by dan.

Best of Photography 2011 - PUBLISHED

2011-08-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

My brain just exploded! I was catching up on some mail and came across a letter from Serbin Communications who publish the Best of Photography Books. They receive over 15,000 images from 90 countries worldwide for consideration in their publication. As it turns out.... my image made it to the top 10% and will be published in the Best of Photography 2011 book! CRAZY!
Funny story - that exact same image was overlooked in the local Savage Art Show.

Brittany and Scott - another HOT one

2011-08-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

This was one of the warmest, muggiest weddings I can remember (along with Karen & Kris's the day before). We spent a lot of time outside... about 75% at least, and I had to stay outside to keep my gear from fogging up. Even when we went to the waterfall and field, I couldn't use the air conditioning because it would fog everything up. Brittany and Scott were great sports about it, I felt bad for Scott in his suit, but they both were amazing to tolerate the humidity so well (I guess when you live in Florida for half the year you sort of get used to it).
Their ceremony and reception was held at the Wilds Golf Club in Prior Lake, most of these first few pictures were taken at the entrance and over at a field across the street. The ceremony, reception and food (they had 9 different meals to choose from) were fabulous.
I have to give a special thanks to Alica Mady for helping out that day, second shooting and stopping things from blowing away.

image courtesy of Alicia Mady

tags: wedding, wilds golf, mn pics by dan, wedding photography, prior lake, july

Kristopher & Karen - Hitched in the heat!

2011-08-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

First of all I'd just like to apologize for the random order of this post. It is coming to you from boonieville on a very slow internet connection and my laptop isn't having the best day (this post has taken me about 3 hours to put together).
Karen and Kristopher had a wonderful wedding (albeit a warm one) a few weeks ago. They had a very busy lead up to it, buying a house, moving to a different state and having a wedding in MN. But it went off without a hitch. They are a fantastic couple, very easy going and a pleasure to be around. Their wedding party entrance was one of the best ones I've seen, and the speeches were amazing (but what do you expect from trained actors and doctors).
I'd like to give a special thanks to Aaron Mullins for assisting and second shooting and Alicia Mady for shooting during the ceremony (the church had some of the strictest rules I've ever seen so Alicia was able to pose as a guest to get around them).

above image courtesy of Alicia Mady

above image courtesy of Aaron Mullins

above image courtesy of Alicia Mady

above image courtesy of Aaron Mullins

above image courtesy of Aaron Mullins

The next four shots make up one of the best wedding party entrances I've ever seen

above image courtesy of Aaron Mullins

I have no idea what is going on with the images below, but if they don't show up, just click the link to see them.

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below image courtesy of Aaron Mullins

tags: wedding, stonebrooke, mn, golf course, photography

Canadian Prairies - Travel

2011-07-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

I've been traveling through the Canadian prairies for the last few days... getting more and more remote as the miles pass by. Here is a quick panoramic from the highway.

Kyle & Mandi - Urban Engagement Session

2011-07-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Kyle and Mandi wanted a few urban shots included in their engagement session. They strolled around St. Paul and Minneapolis one day taking note of their favorite locations. St Paul ended up having more of what they were looking for, so that is where we headed.
With it's mix of city parks, grungy alley ways, historic architecture, and skylines, St Paul is a wonderful city for pictures (of all types).
I had a great time with them, exploring a few city blocks, playing with some poses.... can't wait for the wedding next year!

tags: engagement session, st paul, urban, mn, photographer, photography.

Jarrod & Krista - Farmington Wedding

2011-07-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

This fabulous couple tied the knot at the Farmington Lutheran Church, with a rocken' reception to follow at the Northfield Ballroom (complete with their fabulous country, home cooked food). Farmington Lutheran is a great church and it sits on a very large chunk of land. Which allowed us to do all of their pre-ceremony shots right there (very close to the air conditioning, and this was the week before the tropical humidity moved in).
Jarrod and Krista were great to work with, very easy going and they loved to party!

above image courtesy of Joanne Chappellaz

After the ceremony a party bus took everyone to a local bar, en-route to the reception at the Northfield Ball Room!

OK, I realize the ring shot below isn't for everyone. But I don't shoot to please everyone, I shoot to please the bride and groom. When you give away beer cozies that say "to have and to hold, to keep your beer cold", this shot just made sense!

Zeph and Dawbie - K9 Portraits

2011-07-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

Big Zephrum and little Dawbie stopped by for some indoor and outdoor portraits last week. It's always fun shooting our furry friends, but what makes it funny is when 2 dogs... that live in the same home... don't like each other. We wanted to get a few shots of them together... or as close as possible, but they weren't to keen on that idea. A lot of trickery and treats were involved.

Baby Madelyn - Infant Photography

2011-07-14T22:47:00.001-07:00

I was very excited to take pictures of baby Madelyn, I don't often get the chance to photograph little bitty babies (we're talking under 14 days old). I had so many ideas and have seen so many cute, sleeping, baby portraits, I just couldn't wait. Madelyn on the other hand did not feel the same way! This adorable little baby was MAD, very MAD. Most of these shots were taken while she was catching her breath, in between cry's. It was actually quite funny, and I really wish I would have taken a short video clip for some "behind the scenes" fun.

tags: infant photographer, portraits, photography, family, baby, photographer

Laura and Adam - Engagement Session

2011-07-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

Meet Adam and Laura. They both live in New York city right now, but they were in town over the July 4th weekend and we were able to get their engagement session in. They are a fantastic couple, very easy to work with and talk to. I am ridiculously excited to be shooting their wedding IN NEW YORK THIS AUGUST! I have to give a special shout out to Joanne for passing my info along - thank you.

tags: photography, engagement, pictures, dan buettner, mn, ny, house

Sammi - Senior Portrait Photographer

2011-07-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

Sammi drove in about 1.5 hours to get her senior portraits taken. Fortunately the weather worked out perfectly for her (after having to reschedule once already). She wanted a country feel, with a fence a field. So I did a little location scouting to make it happen, here are a few of the results....

I have a few behind the scenes shots I'll have to share one day...

Turns out this wild field had a lot of thistles, fortunately I brought my hip waders along (not for this reason, to use for the dock shots), they came in handy here for her though.

We also did a few studio shots to.

tags: senior, portraits, high school, outdoor, fun, creative, country, fence, barn, flowers, sunny, mn, savage, prior lake, burnsville, shakopee, lakeville,

Frankie & Sarah - Blaisdell Manor - Minneapolis, MN

2011-06-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Where to begin... the couple, their families, the location, the emotion, the color, this wedding had it all. Frankie and Sarah had a spectacular wedding at the Blaisdell Manor in Minneapolis. So much love and thought went into this wedding. They are two wonderful people, and after meeting their families it is clear that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
It is no secret that I love capturing emotion, and this wedding had plenty for me. On top of that the color in the bridesmaids dresses, the matching flowers and boutonnieres, so many elements of detail.
I wish you both all the happiness in the world!

Above image courtesy of Joanne Chappellaz

tags: wedding, blaisdell manor, Minneapolis, MN, photography, Dan Buettner, picsbydan, reception, ceremony.

Cottage Country

2011-06-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

We went a few hours north last weekend in search of some pictures, some fish and a good time. Fortunately we got all three. The weather wasn't the best for the pictures that I had in mind (think latest J. Crew catalog... sunny fashion shots on a dock), but I did come away with at least one keeper. That would be the shot right below... my son fishing off the dock in this foggy, misty weather (on fathers day). Something about this image speaks to me, it could be the fact that he is still wearing his pajamas, or the bright yellow life jacket (I tried it in black and white, and it just wasn't the same without the yellow), or maybe the quiet peacefulness of it. Whatever it is, I like it.

This massive snapping turtle (yes, it was a snapping turtle), greeted us on the lawn when we first arrived.

This cabin (not the one we stayed in) is roughly 100 years old. I just loved the setting, sitting dwarfed amongst these huge pine trees.

Sillys and Scott - Red Wing Engagement

2011-06-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sillys and Scott brought me out to Red Wing (an awesome little town) for their engagement session. Scott is originally from there, and Sillys is from the Dominican Republic (which is where their wedding will be). They make a fantastic couple, and the entire session seemed to just fly by.

You wouldn't know it from these two pictures but the bugs were out in full force. These shots lasted about 90 seconds and they did a fantastic job pretending they weren't getting eaten alive.

tags: engagement, photographer, mn, Red Wing, Dan Buettner, picsbydan, Dan's Photography

Homemade Boutonnieres

2011-06-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

On the way to the park today my kids picked some flowers to take back for their mom. I couldn't help but see some really cool looking homemade boutonnieres! Unless of course you have allergies :)

Spring - around the yard

2011-06-03T13:07:00.001-07:00

Spring started to fly by on me, and the weather didn't help any. I love chasing after tree blossoms every year, but this year proved to be rather difficult. Just as many of the trees in my area were reaching full bloom, along came the wind and rain (and hail and tornadoes... depending on where you live) and poof, they were gone.
I was glad I took the time to walk around my yard one day, and take a few pictures of spring before it was all gone. All of these tulips were planted last year, so I was extra excited to see them bloom.

We have a great crab apple tree in our yard (which is a good thing in spring, but a not so good thing in late summer, when they go "squish" on the grass). The day after I took this, there were about 10% of the blossoms left on the tree. I would have preferred blue sky, but there is always next year.

I put up a little tree swing this year, and it has been a HUGE hit with my kids.

Eric & Carri - 1 + 1 = 7

2011-05-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

Eric and Carri tied the knot a few weekends ago, bringing their individual families together. It was a small ceremony, and I think the kids well out numbered the adults (by about 4 times). They had a large reception with a great band and everyone brought some food to the mix. Unfortunately the weather got in the way of a the outdoor pictures. But the rain did let up just after the ceremony for a few shots outside the church.

These guys stole the show during the formals. It all stemmed from me asking one of them to "just stand here while I test the lights".

The day before the tornado...

2011-05-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

May 21st, 2011 at 8:30pm. I really enjoy landscapes, especially when amazing cloud formations get in the way. Landscapes are what initially pulled me into photography, and I find it interesting how they now end up filling my personal time.

Ben & Kelly - Northfield Wedding Awesome-ness

2011-05-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

Ben and Kelly had a fabulous wedding in Northfield, MN a few weeks back. The weather was "wedding perfect"... not to hot, not to cold and not raining. Kelly made such a beautiful bride, her make up, dress, jewelry and flowers all fit together so nicely. Her bouquet of orchids was the perfect choice.
Following the ceremony, we hung out around downtown Northfield for a few bridal party shots and then it was off to the reception at "The Grand".

Just after the "first look" shots.

Each bridesmaid had their own unique selection of jewelry and shoes.

I must say, Kelly BLEW THIS SHOT AWAY, the pose, the expression... PERFECT! I love it!!!!

tags: wedding, Northfield, MN, photography, photographer, Dan Buettner, Dan's Photography, The Grand, reception,

In Print...

2011-05-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the spread from the local Prior Lake / Savage Magazine. They used 2 of my images in featuring "All About Brides" boutique where Nicole found her beautiful dress!

Christy & Mikey - Faribault Wedding

2011-05-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Mikey and Christy were married in the great little town of Faribault, MN. The day started off with threats of rain, but by the time the ceremony was finished the sun had broken through. After the ceremony we hit a few bars on the way to take some more pictures in "downtown" Faribault. This wedding party was easily one of the funniest groups of people that I can remember working with.
Mikey and Christy both play hockey and love the Minnesota Wild (as do I... but I don't play hockey), so they brought in a few elements of the game to their wedding.

above image courtesy of Joanne Chappellaz

Somebody bet Mikey $5 that he couldn't bike that Zamboni up the hill with one flat tire.... somebody owes Mikey $5

Rocken' the Mary-Go-Round

2011-05-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

On our last trip we stumbled across this little park, it consisted of one slide, two swings and a mary-go-round.... an "old school" mary-go-round. You can guess which item received the most attention.

On a completely separate note, this was one of my favorite shots from the entire trip. Just a quick "snapshot" of my daughter who is trying to teach her older cousin how to play chess.

Gina & Cody - Treasure Island

2011-05-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Gina and Cody were married in April at the Treasure Island Marina. They chose that spot because they are both avid boaters (Cody grew up on the coast in Washington). Unfortunately it was one of the coldest and windiest days in April, but they were real troopers about getting some outdoor shots.
Regardless of the weather they were so easy going and a pleasure to work with. I wish them both all the best as they start their new lives together back in Seattle.

Izzy - The Model

2011-05-01T12:37:00.001-07:00

This is Isabella, my oldest niece. On my last trip to Canada she says "Uncle Dan, since you take pictures of models for magazines, could I try to be a model?" That made me smile :)
So we headed out for a few quick pictures (about 10 minutes worth actually.... we had to be back by dinner).

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

I have been traveling a little lately so this post took me a little longer to get up. On Good Friday it is a tradition in my family to color Easter eggs... and then compete to see who did the best egg. This year we were able to add my nieces into the mix.

These are my daughters fingers...
Job site accident...

Strict attention to details....

The winners circle....