Cozy Indoor Photos - {Minnesota History Center, St. Paul, MN -- Sarah Elizabeth Photography}

With this week’s chilly weather, it’s perfect timing to share this cozy indoor family session.  We took these at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, where we shared some laughs about Christmas hats, elves and kissing under the mistletoe. 

Enjoy the weekend everyone, and stay warm!

Baby Amelia {Minneapolis Newborn Photographer}

It seems like just yesterday I was shooting Emmitt’s one year photos (above) and now he is welcoming a new baby sister into the family!  Beautiful little Amelia was as sweet and as could be and slept so soundly through our session. Her mom and I were able to have lots of fun dressing her up in pretty hats and headbands. Emmitt is such a loving big brother and I'm so happy to be able to capture this special time for this family! 

Birthday Party Photography {A Cat Themed 7th Birthday} Sarah Elizabeth Photography, Minneapolis, MN

Welcome to the party - Come on in and put on your kitty ears and whiskers! 

My daughter turned 7 this past summer and we celebrated with a cat themed pool party.  Yes, an interesting combination, but it worked out well!  She’s been a bit cat-obsessed lately so I knew we had to do a cat theme, and since her birthday is in July, being able to be outside and swim made the party even more fun. 

If you’re planning a party soon, keep in mind that I offer special birthday party photography packages to capture the day’s events.  Packages also include an online gallery to share the photos with friends after the party. Contact me for more info. 

Even if you don’t hire a photographer for your child’s birthday, I highly recommend assigning the task to a friend or family member. It’s hard to document all the little details of the day while actually enjoying the moment yourself. (I will be taking my own advice next year!) 

And now, on to all the cat party details...

I sent out these cute cat-themed invitations from My Paper Crane.




After putting on their own cat ears and whiskers, the girls got to make cat collars for themselves and their "adopt-a-cat" kittens.





I printed out these fun adoption certificates from Chickabug.



Kitty cat party favors:

Graham Turns One! {First Birthday Photos - Sarah Elizabeth Photography, St. Paul, MN}

This past fall was filled with so many fantastic photo shoots. I haven’t done much blogging lately, but am hoping to catch up now that I'm through the busy season.  This is just one of my favorites from the past few months -  Graham and his parents celebrating his first birthday at  Carver Lake Park. Graham is such a happy boy, he was smiling like this throughout the entire session! 

Fall Mini Sessions!

I'm excited to announce that I will be offering a limited number of mini sessions again this fall! These are perfect for families looking for a few fabulous photos for their holiday cards, or anyone who would like some beautiful updated professional photos. 


With the warm weather we've been having, I know it's hard to start thinking about the holidays already, but wouldn't it be nice to have updated photos done BEFORE the holiday craziness ensues? 

Session times will be available on Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th from 3:00 - 5:30pm.  Friday sessions will take place around the Guthrie Theater and Stone Arch Bridge area in Minneapolis.  This location offers a variety of natural and urban backdrops.  Saturday sessions will take place in the beautiful outdoor setting of French Park in Plymouth, MN.  Each mini session is $195 and includes 20 minutes of shooting time, post processing of the images, and 12 high-resolution digital files with printing rights.

Friday, Sept. 27th, 2013
Guthrie Theater and Stone Arch Bridge area, Minneapolis, MN
3:00  |  3:30  |  4:00  |  4:30 |  5:00  |  5:30

Saturday, Sept. 28th, 2013
French Park, Plymouth, MN
3:00  |  3:30  |  4:00  |  4:30 |  5:00  |  5:30

To schedule your session, please contact me at sarahelizabethphotos@gmail.com or 612-961-6565. 
$50 deposit reserves your spot.  Session may be rescheduled due to weather if necessary.

Please email me for available times and any other questions you have!

Birthday Questionnaire and Photo Idea for Kids {Sarah Elizabeth Photography - Plymouth, MN}

I've been so behind on blogging lately! Mostly because it's been a busy month of summer sessions and also because I've been busy planning my daughter's birthday party. Her party was this past weekend and was such a blast -  I have lots of fun photos to share with you soon.  

With birthdays on my mind, I wanted to share a photo today of a sweet little girl I photographed recently who just turned 3.  I love this idea of doing a questionnaire every year on your child's birthday.  The idea is to use the same questions every year and see how they change. I started this with my daughter last year.  I've also been creating a yearly birthday photo by overlaying some of the answers onto a recent photo. 

Here's sweet Saira and a few of her answers. I love how this gives just a little snapshot of your child on their birthday and their favorite things that year!

Here's the list of questions that I've used. Feel free to change it or add to it for your own list of questions - this is just to get you started!

1. What is your favorite color?

2. What is your favorite toy?

3. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

4. What is your favorite place to go?

5. What is your favorite thing to do?

6. What is your favorite fruit?

7. What is your favorite animal?

8. What is your favorite song?

9. What is your favorite book?

10. What is your favorite TV show or movie?

11. Who is your best friend?

12. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?

13. What is your favorite game?

14. What is your favorite snack?

15. What is your favorite thing to do outside?

16. What is your favorite drink?

17. What is your favorite holiday?

18. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?

19. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? 

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? 

Photo Session Idea: Invite the whole family! {St. Paul Family Photos - Sarah Elizabeth Photography, MN}

When planning your next photo session, think about inviting your extended family along. It's a great way to get some special portraits with grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles, or cousins. Make a day of it by planning a family get together after the photo session.

This family met up for some photos before a family barbecue. I was able to photograph each family individually along with a group shot of everyone. We also got some wonderful cousin and grandparent shots. These were taken at the Highland Park Water Tower where this family sells pumpkins from their farm every year.