Last weekend Stan and I got the chance to enter Prince’s personal recording complex, Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen. Yes, THE Prince! Both the exterior and interior were simply amazing with its funky and modern design. Generally, the studios are not open to the public–you can drive by and check it out, but there are no tours.
So, why were we there? Zumba, baby! Some of my fellow MN Zumba instuctors (Mary Pirela, Cindy Sorini Reistad, Lora Johnson & Darcy Fox) worked their magic and were able to snag this awesome location as their venue. The event featured the very talented Colombian actor and Zumba instructor, Wally Diaz. He heated up the stage. His dance moves were simply mind-blowing.
Unfortunately, any type of photography is banned so we were not able to shoot at Paisley Park itself. But after the event, we headed on over to a nearby Classic Athletics for a lively after party. All who attended had lots of fun. There was a Zumba wear sale, food and beverages, and a photo booth get photos taken with Wally. And, let’s not overlook, a sexy dance performance by some of the Zumba men from Minnesota.
We also wanted to give a big shout out to our friend, Tonya Wilson, who assisted us in shooting the after party.
I love Fall. It’s the time of the year where it’s not too hot or too cold. You look around and see people walking their dogs, jogging, biking and just enjoying the natural beauty around them. With the colors bursting off of the tress, you couldn’t help but take a moment to enjoy it’s splendor. On a mid-November morning we had a wonderful time shooting family portraits for the Jones family. Nathan and Martina waited several seasons for this perfect Fall day to arrive. It was a family portrait shoot that was long overdue with their beautiful daughters. And who could forget their lovable pup, Lady, who wanted to get in a few pics herself.
Here are some of our favorites that we captured that day.
The leaves on the trees were almost all gone. You should feel the bitter cold as the wind whipped around on this late Fall afternoon. Winter was just around the corner but not quite yet. We were excited to shoot one more outdoor shoot with the Hess family. Even though at times the weather became a wee bit chilly, we really didn’t notice too much. We all were too busy cracking jokes, and telling funny stories. It was a wonderful time and before we knew it, the shoot was over.
Here are a few of our favorites from the day. It was very hard to decide which ones to select for the blog. The Hess family definitely knew how to work it in front of the camera.
She waited months for this day to arrive. She worked hard at getting fit so that she can look and feel confident in her pictures. She carefully debated which outfits to wear and what accessories would work well with them. On the day of her session, she even treated herself to a new style to make her portrait session special.
Naseema was ready for her close-up, confident, energetic and beautiful. We did a few looks with her. Since she was looking for a new and exciting job, we did some standard business head shots. Naseema is also a part time Zumba instructor and wanted some pictures of herself in her Zumba wear. And lastly, she wanted something glamorous – a special surprise for her husband.
Last Fall, we volunteered to photograph the 2010 Party in Pink Zumbathon. Stan and I thought that volunteering to take pictures of the event would be an great way to give back to the community and support the fight to end breast cancer. And a fun new thing to push our creativity on.
So, Stan and I dove into the world of Zumba photography. We had no idea of where it would lead but we knew it would be fun. Since last year, we’ve had a terrific journey. We got the opportunity to shoot various Zumba Master Classes with some very talented instructors from all over the U.S. We also participated in a wide array of Zumba charity events from a relief benefit for the earthquake in Japan to an East Side St. Paul benefit to help a family who lost their young son.
Along they way, we met some of the most amazing and good-hearted people you would ever meet. The Zumba community in Minnesota welcomed us with open arms. We want to extend our gratitude to all of you for letting us come into your lives and being apart of the Zumba family.
We had a wonderful time at the 2011 Party in Pink. Here’s a highlight video of the day.
As we scouted Lion’s Park in Taylor’s Falls we just knew it would be a great session. It was summer-like weather, but with autumn beauty. A combination rarely seen, but definitely appreciated. We had made our rounds picking out spots and scenic backdrops that we thought would be fun and interesting and we began to set up our portable lights and cameras. Just as we had wrapped up our preparations the air was filled with the distinctive low rumble of Harley Davidson. Our couple, Karie and Erick had arrived, donned in matching Harley jackets. Oh yeah, it was going to be a great session.
I’m sure you remember the adorable pictures we took of Maggie earlier this year. Well, it was now time for Maggie’s Baby Bunch. Maggie was so excited for her shoot that she could not stop smiling, giggling and striking her pose. She was anxiously waiting for this day to arrive, especially after seeing her friend, Violet’s Baby Bunch. The highlight of the day was getting to wear all the pretty, fun hair accessories that her mom handmade for her shoot. Thanks mom
We had a fun family shoot at Minnehaha Falls a few weekends ago, which is a popular spot for photography here in the Twin Cities. Deservedly so with all of the beautiful scenery.
Our clients had come all the way from Japan to visit family in Minnesota. With that much of a geographic gap, they don’t get to have the entire family together very often. So they figured this would be a great time to get some family portraits. Lorita and I were proud and honored that they chose us to capture these precious moments for them.
It was a great time on beautiful day. Check out some of our favorites!
I have known Eric’s mom for a number of years from when we worked together at a bank. We kept in touch throughout the years and it was a pleasure to do her son’s senior photos. As you can imagine, not every senior looks forward to taking their senior photos. Eric was a bit shy and nervous at first but that didn’t last long once we started talking about his many interests. Playing the saxophone is his passion; he’s been playing it for six years and is quite good. He also plays the guitar too. You can tell Eric loves music because when we would take breaks for set-up, he’d pop in his ear buds on his Ipod….even if it was for a few minutes.
In his spare time, he is a gamer. One of his favorite games was World of Warcraft which Stan and I knew about all too well. We’ve played it for several years when it first came out. So, it was fun to chat about the things we have in common even though we are years apart.
We had a wonderful time heading out to the Maple Grove for this shoot. We want to wish Eric a fun senior year! Here are some our of faves from the day.
On Aug. 21st, 160 people gathered at the Northwest Youth and Family Services Building in Shoreview, MN for the Zumbathon®: Raise the Roof for Refugees fundraiser. They were ready to dance for food security and agriculture in South Sudan that was hosted by Shelter for Life International. The day was particularly special because international sensation, Mo Diakite was in the house.
Mo is a refugee from French Guinea where he learned tribal and African dance as a little boy. Mo has also been the official presenter of the African specialty session at the Zumba® Fitness instructor convention for the past three years with his classes having around 2,000 instructors following his lead.
Minnesota is proud to have been one of the stops in Mo’s Midwest Tour. Initially, he was just scheduled for a Master Class on Aug. 20th in St. Paul but once he heard about the fundraiser he immediately volunteered his time to help raise money and awareness for South Sudan.
We had a wonderful time at Mo’s Master Class and the Zumbathon®: Raise the Roof for Refugees. It’s always nice to see people coming together to do something good and to make a positive difference in this world. To show our support as well, we are donating a portion of the proceeds from all DVD sales from the Zumbathon® gallery. If you are interested in purchasing a DVD of all of the images from the fundraiser, go to our Zumbathon® gallery and just click any image from the event and then go to Gallery Combos to purchase your DVD. It’s not too late to show your support!
Check out some of the highlights from that weekend!
