Photos by Robin » hopkins http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog Blog Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:19:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Miss Jena! {the rest} | Minneapolis Natural & Studio Light photographer http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/miss-jena-minneapolis-natural-studio-light-photographer/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/miss-jena-minneapolis-natural-studio-light-photographer/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:11:08 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/?p=745 Here’s the rest of my session with beautiful Jena!  (btw…pronounced “Jenna” rather than “Gina”)  :-)

When Jena booked her session, my first question was how old are your kids?  To which she replied she didn’t have any – she just wanted photos for herself!  Fun fun!  

She was very natural in front of the camera!  And she had very unique & pretty eyes – see the little fleck of brown/gold? Totally looking like Liv Tyler here, don’t you think? Totally Justine Bateman here….?  ;-) Gorgeous!  I got the Lensbaby out again!  I find myself getting easily frustrated with it, but I do like a couple of these shots.  Love the softness to them.  :-)

This one I tried something different – shot on the gray seamless still, but added a texture to it.  Hmmm….gotta keep experimenting with that! Then we got the ring flash out and played in the studio room a bit!  btw…used the 20 degree grid for about 1/2 of them. tried something a little different here too w/ some cross-processing. and used Pioneer Woman’s “seventies” action here – then ctrl-alt-U and made the lightness like +16.  back out to the gray seamless again – which was looking a little blue at times, but I was digging it because the tones went really well with her outfit.  It IS winter in MN, so we braved the elements for a few shots! Thanks so much for coming Jena!  You were a blast to work with!  :-)

]]> http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/miss-jena-minneapolis-natural-studio-light-photographer/feed/ 2 Jena | Minneapolis Studio and Natural Light Photographer http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/jena-minneapolis-studio-and-natural-light-photographer/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/jena-minneapolis-studio-and-natural-light-photographer/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:57:16 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/?p=733 Meet Jena!  We had a blast taking her photos this morning!  She loved the black & white checkered hat, so we decided to do something completely random with it – ha!  :-) Isn’t she gorgeous?  Reminds me of a mix of Justine Bateman, Liv Tyler and Sandra Bullock (she thinks!)  Many more to come!  :-)

]]> http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/jena-minneapolis-studio-and-natural-light-photographer/feed/ 2 SUPER fun family! http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/super-fun-family/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/super-fun-family/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:23:00 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/super-fun-family/ OK, meet Tabatha, Blake, Carter and John – all the way from Morris, MN! This is without a doubt one of the most FUN and genuinely HAPPY families I’ve ever photographed! Carter is 14, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect (you know those teenagers can be pretty moody!) – but he was a complete crack-up! This kid is going to be famous some day, I just know it! He’s so animated and funny!
And Blake is 11 and a total goof-ball! (and hey – I know what Baukugan is now! – however you spell it!)
We started out in the Hopkins studio….
They were all over the props at the studio! In fact, I had to confiscate my rubber chicken because it looked like his life was in danger! ;-) Awww, mom and her boys!And Tabatha warned me that she and John weren’t all mushy-gushy, lovey-dovey – so we kept it real!Then we started our Hopkins exploration adventure! Dad spotted this frame at an antique store – great idea John!This was almost like a little stage – perfect for Carter! Then to the parking ramp by the Children’s Theater.and we got a little air time! I love how this shows their personalities – Carter the cool guy, mom – a dancer in a former life? Dad the nice guy – like he’s waving hello! and Blake the loveable goof-ball!

and yeah! We even had some sun! And for November, we had AWESOME weather – like almost 60 that day I think!

Back to the studio for one quick jersey shot! (go VIKES!)Then on to some more fun stuff! Carter plays bass guitar (and he loves putting his hair into a faux hawk!)Blake plays the drums!Thanks for coming guys! Your family rocks! (literally!)
]]> http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/super-fun-family/feed/ 1 Hopkins Mini Sessions – Family #2! http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/hopkins-mini-sessions-family-2/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/hopkins-mini-sessions-family-2/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:45:00 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/hopkins-mini-sessions-family-2/ Meet Ben! It was his FIRST birthday on the day of our session! What a cute little guy! Love his green eyes too – they match his sweater perfectly!
and he brought his beautiful big sis Lexi along! The photo at the bottom is my absolute favorite – that sweet, shy look! what a little cutie! Love the strawberry blonde hair too!I like this one of dad & the kiddos….We popped outside the studio really quickly to get a shot of mom & dad – so cute! Too bad it was RAINING the whole time, otherwise we could have grabbed some family outdoor shots!Thanks for coming guys! It was great meeting you all! :-)
]]> http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/hopkins-mini-sessions-family-2/feed/ 1 Hopkins Mini Sessions – Family #1 http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/hopkins-mini-sessions-family-1/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/hopkins-mini-sessions-family-1/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:40:00 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/hopkins-mini-sessions-family-1/ Well, actually family #1 had to cancel because of some medical issues :-(

But here is Addi (and you might remember her from here and from here too!) & her new little sister Josie! When I met Addi last year, Traci was just a few months pregnant. It was fun to see the new little addition!

Dad Jeff had to do an important meeting at the last minute, so he was unable to come. Poor Traci had her hands full w/ Addi & Josie! She commented that everyone else on my blog/website looks so happy – what’s wrong w/ their family? haha! Are you kidding me??? If I had video footage of myself doing sessions, it might appear I’m in the business of torturing young children! But somehow, it usually manages to edit out OK! ;-)

Anyway, poor Josie missed her nap, but you wouldn’t guess it based on this photo (my favorite of her!) What a little cutie!! Miss Addi didn’t want to hold still for more than like one second, UNTIL I got my suckers out….here she is anticipating the lollipop! :-) mmmm good! (and hey, it matched her outfit!)We got a couple of head shots of mom while the babysitter Carrie was wrangling up the girls… Traci’s so pretty, isn’t she? Kind of an Eva Longoria look to her! and some snuggle time w/ Josie…

Thanks for coming Traci! I hope you end up liking SOME of the photos! :-)

]]> http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/hopkins-mini-sessions-family-1/feed/ 1 Max & Hannah http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/max-hannah/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/max-hannah/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:59:00 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/max-hannah/ Here’s Max and Hannah! The last time they came was in the fall of 2007 – so it was fun to see them again! If I had more time, I’d dig out photos from the very first time they came, but time is in short supply these days it seems!

Anyway, they were just as fun as last time! You can tell Max is such a great big brother! He didn’t flinch at all when I had Hannah hug him or get close. What a sweetie! Hannah really needs to model! She came up with almost all of these poses on her own- such a natural!

She looks way older than 6-1/2, huh?
I guess this “her thing” – the double peace signs!
All of these were taken at the Hopkins studio using natural light & white seamless. :-) Then we got some props out! Max came up with these on his own! Very clever!I told them to look at each other and laugh. Hannah was so funny – she said, “It’s easy to laugh cuz Max looks so funny so I laugh and my laugh is contaigious, so then he laughs!” Yes, her laugh is very contaigious!
A possible card?
I bought this hat last week and it matched Hannah’s outfit PERFECTLY! Love it on her!
I really like these of Max too.
And of course I brought along some fun suckers!
Mom got in on one at the end…so pretty! OK Aimee, next time I’m taking more pics of you and Dave (if you can get him to come!)Thanks for coming again guys! It was nice to hang out with you again!
]]> http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/max-hannah/feed/ 2 William & Grace – the rest! http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/william-grace-the-rest/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/william-grace-the-rest/#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:49:00 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/william-grace-the-rest/ So I posted a sneak peek the other night, but here is the rest of the session w/ William, Grace, Mike & Sarah! How cute is Grace?! I just love babies at 6-7mos – it’s my absolute FAVORITE age! Love her little dress! So cute! And love her spikey hair! :-) and how many 2 year old boys do you know that would do THIS? William is SO GREAT with his little sis! What a little sweetie!Dad Mike asked if I thought he could model – like would people pay to take his photo? And I said YES! I think he’d do great at modeling! I can honestly say he’s the best behaved 2yr old boy I’ve had in a LONG time! He was just full of smiles! And instead of saying “NO!!!” all the time, he’d say “yes!” or “yep”. :-) and I don’t think I heard a peep out of Grace the whole time! She was so good!

(love her expression here!)

btw these were all taken at the Hopkins studio using natural light – on white seamless.a little storyboard w/ dad….
…and mom!
then we went outside and got some “urban” shots. :-) Will loved the old tricycle I brought!Of course we had to get one of mom & dad! Used Sheye’s “little buttercup” here w/ “whiter shade of pale”.

Thanks for coming Mike, Sarah, Will & Grace! Your family is adorable!

]]> http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/william-grace-the-rest/feed/ 1 sneak peek….and Minis available 10/29! http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/sneak-peek-and-minis-available-1029/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/sneak-peek-and-minis-available-1029/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:31:00 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/sneak-peek-and-minis-available-1029/ OK, so I had a cancellation for the urban mini session on 9/27 – so does anyone want it? Let me know asap! Otherwise I’ll just run it w/ 4 families…. ETA = spot is FILLED for 9/27 – thanks!

I shopped til I dropped last week…OMG! there are SOOOO many cute things out for fall! I am lovin’ all the fall fashions! I’ll *try* to get some sample outfits together…to help give clients some ideas what to wear. :-)
For the 9/12 mini sessions – I bought a FUN (OLD) orange tufted chair! I can maybe bring it along to my 9/27 urban minis as well…and also the cool (OLD) PINK tufted girly chair! So keep that in mind….but of course you don’t have to be limited to those colors.

For the 10/29 minis – (2 spots remain!) they will be at the Hopkins studio indoors (using natural light…preferred!) and these will run slightly longer – around 30-40 minutes. And outdoors right around the studio if the weather allows. Here are a couple of quick examples of what indoor & quick outdoor shots might look like – I plan to do them indoors on white seamless, plus I’ll possibly have two other “stations” – a natural light set up w/ either different seamless (gray? brown?) in a different room and/or a studio set up w/ lights? We’ll see…tbd. :-) These would be ideal too if there are parents that maybe want their kids (or pets!?) to be the focus of the photos for holiday cards…and ideal for kids not in school since the session is on a Thursday. :-)

These examples are from tonight’s session with Mike, Sarah, William & Grace. You might remember them from this session! Well, needless to say the weather was MUCH better this time around! We had a great session and I must say for their ages (Will just turned TWO, Grace is 6 months) they did GREAT!

I was excited to be able to use my new pettiskirt tonight! At $75 a pop, they are certainly not cheap, but they are definitely adorable!


Not sure what Will is laughing at here, but this is one of my early favs…
Many more to come! It will be hard to narrow them down…

]]> http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/sneak-peek-and-minis-available-1029/feed/ 3 Peyton & Jaxson http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/peyton-jaxson/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/peyton-jaxson/#comments Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:03:00 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/peyton-jaxson/ Meet Peyton & Jaxson! They came to the Hopkins studio last Sunday for some family photos!Love the fun summery citrus colors! So cute!Miss Peyton was just as sweet as could be!Jaxson was a little shy at first, but then he warmed up more. And did a pretty darn good job for being TWO! :-) Of course we can’t forget about Mickey! She’s a big part of the family so of course she had to come along for some photos too!

It’s funny because if you said “Nebraska” or “rollerblading” Mickey would cock her head and look at you so cutely! :-)
anyway, we went outside the studio quickly and got some shots against the wall. I think this is one of my favorites from the session! :-)

OK, so here’s the point where the GOOD photo shoot started to turn a little sour…eek!! hehe!

I honestly feel like I learn a lesson or two (or more!) with each session I do. Here’s some lessons I learned from last Sunday:

#1 – Don’t take a family w/ kids under the age of 6 to Lake Harriet…especially when it’s 85 degrees out and there is a live band playing at the band shell (i.e. NO PARKING!) We had to park 3 blocks away…

#2 – Don’t walk with a dog on the sidewalk behind the bandshell – because the dog MIGHT JUMP IN THE WATER – like she might jump off a 5 foot cement wall! (Hey, at least it wasn’t the kids!)

#3 – Bring poop baggies if a dog is coming along… :-)

Here’s a collage that kind of sums up our beach experience…haha! Wet dog, child crying (scared of being on the dock and scared of the water), frustrated parents, and another hot, tired child who just wants to be done with photos! :-)

but hey, it wasn’t all bad! Look how cute mom & dad are!
And here’s another one I sorta like… :-)

and this one…
OK, back to lessons learned.

#4 – do NOT throw a rubber chicken at a 2-year old to try to get him to laugh/look my direction…haha!

Disclaimer: NO CHILDREN, DOGS, OR CHICKENS WERE HARMED DURING THIS PHOTO SHOOT. ;-)

Nebraska? Rollerblading?

Back to happier times….ahhh…. :-)

Thanks for all your patience Bill and Shelly! Here’s a Christmas card I put together too! See this post for details… It was nice to meet you all! Your family is so cute! :-)

]]> http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/peyton-jaxson/feed/ 1 Eric & Sylvie! http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/eric-sylvie-2/ http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/eric-sylvie-2/#comments Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:08:00 +0000 Robin http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/eric-sylvie-2/ Here’s the rest of Eric & Sylvie’s session! Love Eric’s new ‘do! Looks so cute!and little Sylvie couldn’t be any cuter! Love her curls and big blue eyes!and she was so cooperative! I’m really liking age 3+! Here’s Sylvie giving her dad a big squeeze! I must say Robin, Karen, Eric & Sylvie are just great together! They are naturally so affectionate to each other, so it makes it easier for me! :-)

I thought of this card right away, so just popped a picture in there quickly. Yeah, yeah, I know it’s too early for Christmas cards! :-)

When I asked Karen what she wanted for her session, she said that one thing she really wanted was to bring along some American flags to commemorate Robin’s new (upcoming!) citizenship! He’s a Canadian and is becoming an American! Pretty neat! So I brought along a sign I have from our house….as well as a couple other fun props. :-) I used Heather’s quick fill kit #43 for this…

I really like this one of the kids…and used Sheye’s Vintage wash duotone action here…

I used Urban Acid here! You can download it for free at http://www.atncentral.com/ !
After the studio, we went to a park close by. Sylvie found some flowers…And they just basically ran around and got all hot & sweaty! :-) Used Sheye’s vintage wash duotone here again…and of course we had to grab a few more of mom & dad! :-) Thanks for coming again Robin, Karen, Eric & Sylvie! Your family is just adorable!

btw….I didn’t tell Sylvie to kiss her mom…she just did! :-)

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