minneapolis photographer | jennifer witt photography

Oh the quiet season that is winter in Minnesota. After a crazy-busy fall, winter seems so quiet. I will be shooting a wedding in March, a large prom group in April, and will be doing a commercial shoot for a small headband/tutu company this spring. I’m excited for all of them because they are not what I typically photograph. I know I said I would never do another wedding but it’s for a good friend who has assured me there will be no -zilla’s at the wedding (bridezilla, mother-of-the-bride-zilla). Plus, the bride and groom are so fun so I know I will have a blast photographing their big day!

I was so grateful to receive holiday cards from many clients. It meant so much to me to know that my photos were gracing holiday cards on doors, walls and fridges across the nation. It was wonderful to have them all displayed on my holiday card wall. I still haven’t taken them down!

I did a little impromptu mini-session with my boys. By impromptu I mean I was snapping pictures of them and out of the blue it was like they actually wanted their photos taken. It was bazaar. A bazaar moment I am so thankful for because I got a chance to get some good shots of their faces. Usually they are so enthralled in whatever they are playing with that I get profile pictures or the tops of their heads. Hudson was playing with his bear and actually stayed in one spot long enough for me to capture his sweet little face. Corbin thought he was on a photoshoot. It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. He would smile or pose and then ask to see the photo. I love the one I got of him looking up. We were in front of a sliding glass door and it was snowing outside. I told him to look at the snow, which he hadn’t noticed yet, and I managed to snap his surprise (and his amazing lashes). I’m not sure what his amazement was all about in the last photo, but I’m so glad I captured it. It’s so him. I can’t choose whether I love it in color or black and white most so I included both! Enjoy the pictures of my boys and check back to see the exciting sessions I will be doing this spring!

I love photographing newborns. This one is super special because Kyler is my very first nephew. We did a mini-session with Kyler. A mini-session is about half the time and half the photos of a regular session. It worked well for all involved because we only had about an hour and a half smashed between two family Christmas celebrations. I prefer to photograph newborns before 10 days old when they are still all curly and sleepy. Kyler was 20 days old so we got some great awake shots, and a couple sleepy photos. He wasn’t nearly as excited to be all curled up as he would have been a week before but he was so patient and so alert. Here are some of my favorite photos from the day.

I was kind of sad to do my last photo session of the season. It’s been good to look back through the posts of the families that I’ve been lucky enough to do sessions with. You all made my first “real” photo season awesome. I was thrilled that my last session was with a dear friend. She was hearing about jennifer witt photography before it even was. She (along with the awesome momma from this post) is part of my Friday retreat. Well, kind of. I mean as much as having a playdate with four children – two and under – running/screaming can be a retreat. Hey, every momma knows time with other mommas is pretty sacred, even if the soundtrack to the playdate is two year olds arguing over a toy broom. But, I digress…

This family was so fun and laid back. Laura left her purse just about everywhere you can imagine and it’s a miracle it didn’t get lost at some point. Here are my favorite shots from the day. Enjoy B family and thanks for letting me end on a fabulous note!

I had to include this last photo. I cracked up as I was editing. It’s as if Chase is saying, “You have got to be kidding me. We are sitting on old wood, what is there to smile about?”

I had never been to Bandana Square before but this family heads there often. Their boys love the train museum. It was an awesome location with loads of character. We ended up getting shots in and around the outside of the building. Grayson wasn’t so sure of me at first, but my super duper preschool teacher powers won him over and he told me all about his ball themed birthday party. Xander was down for anything and pretty much stayed put wherever we decided to put him. Thanks for a fun morning D Family! It was great to work with you.

This is one of my dearest friends. One of my dearest friends who is also beautiful, inside and out, and uber-creative. I can’t forget to give a shout out to Mike, who was totally a trooper. One of Amy’s friends said to her “How did you get Mike to wear that hat?” Her response? “Constant nagging.” If he was reluctant, he didn’t show it. I think now that he has seen the photos he realizes they wouldn’t be the same without that hat. I love when clients get creative. Does it mean you have to? Of course not, but it makes for some pretty stellar photos. We headed to the Mill District in Minneapolis and had a fun, albeit cold, session. They are such a gorgeous family and the love they have for each other is so evident. Their daughter Natalie has curls just like I had when I was little and I’m so jealous that my boys did not inherit them. Look at those tight little ringlets! Thanks for choosing me to capture your vision and your love for each other J family!

I got a little carried away with this sneak peek but once you see all the images you’ll see why it was so hard to choose.

Remember that uber-creative thing I was talking about?:

Amy rocked her heels:

Most of the time anyway!:

Mike and Amy were changing their outfits and I was hanging with Natalie who had yet to put on her fancy clothes. I loved this photo so much, I couldn’t resist including it:

More love:

This is my FAVORITE photo. I love it. Amy was laughing (and pointing even!) at Mike’s pose. I thought he looked quite distinguished. Amy had other ideas:

Thanks for choosing me to capture your vision and your love for each other J family!

I love this family. The girls and I are intertwined through the friendship that our parents share. I started off with the plan of just doing one of the family’s photos and then I got an e-mail that they wanted pictures of all the kids and grandkids. I was so excited to be able to get images of ALL of them! A family tree session typically consists of mini sessions (10-15 photos instead of the usual 20-30) for all the families plus a mini session for the large group shots. In the middle of the shoot John and Julie let me know that we were at the same location that they got married! They then went on to say that their photographer didn’t get any photos of just the two of them on that day. I felt honored to go back to the spot where the wedding family photos were taken and to give them some photos of just the two of them. I found out later they both cried as they looked through the slideshow. I know it is not always fun to get photos taken but what an amazing gift to give your family! It was an awesome experience and it was a beautiful day so the kids had a blast. Thanks for letting me capture your connections R family!

I had the pleasure of photographing 3 sweet girls and their parents this past weekend. I traveled to my hometown of Algona, IA to do this shoot as well as a large “family tree” type session (stay tuned for that blog!). These girls were fantastic. They were totally diva-licious. Not in an I-only-want-red-m&m’s-in-my-dressing-room way but in an I’m-gonna-rock-this-shoot sorta way! I had to QUICK take shots of anything that could even be considered a posed shot because one or two shots in the arms would start flaring out and the hands went on the hips and these girls totally rocked the camera. It made for a fabulously fun session. I LOVE the first photo below, B was snuggling her sisters. ADORABLE! Even though Baby P wasn’t so thrilled about her sisters holding her today (diva in-training?), she held her own when she saw the camera coming. Thanks R Family for letting me photograph your beautiful and vivacious family!

Wow, I can’t believe fall is upon us already! Around here the weather got so fall-ish last week and then this weekend it was back into the 80′s. I am not complaining, but it did make the N family have to tough it out in sweaters for a bit while we took the pictures. Nevermind that, however, because this family knows how to get their pictures taken. The girls were so natural in front of the camera and they all just fell in to place for each picture. They made my part of the afternoon super easy! Here are a few pictures from the afternoon:

The rest of my fall is completely booked. Thank you to my wonderful clients! Keep checking back to see what else jennifer witt photography is up to in this crazy pre-holiday season!

We hit up the “the great Minnesota get together” this weekend.  AKA The Minnesota State Fair. It was fun. Well, after driving around for an hour to find an open lot that would take our prepaid parking pass, then it got fun. We did all the normal stuff; animals, rides, fair food. I have to admit though, out of all the photos we took at the fair, there are two snapshots that I just adore. Mostly I adore them because they are my kiddos being themselves. I’m glad I have them. Don’t get me wrong, I love the photos of my son grabbing a baby goat’s tail and my younger son’s reaction to eating Dole Whip. They just don’t scream “Corbin and Hudson”. They scream “FAIR!” Which is fine, I’m glad I have those too but these, I love.  Am I making you want to see them yet? Well, you have to wait because here’s the part where I talk about you and your photos.

When I come to photograph you and yours, I want you to have that same reaction. I, of course, want photos of your family all together, looking happy. It’s a good snapshot of physical appearance of your family at the time. Beyond that though, I want to get some photos that make you say “Yes! That is exactly what my goofy child does” or “Yes! We always used to nuzzle our noses together like that!”  Both kinds of photos are important to have. Those candid photos might not be everyone’s favorite thing to put on the wall (they are mine!), but they are a wonderful memory.

And now, without further ado, here are my favorite photos of the afternoon at the fair. The first is my son in the middle of showing off his rockin’ dance moves. When I say showing off, I mean a small crowd had formed to watch him rock out to the music on the Kidway. He leaned way in towards the camera and said “Smile Momma!” The second is of my younger son drinking his night time bottle. He decided he needed to figure out what I was doing, so tilted his head way back, making sure to hold on to his bottle. Neither is fair related at all, but I adore that they are a snapshot of my kids’ personalities: Corbin the showman and Hudson the quiet observer.

I am not sure what was behind me that is reflected in Hudson’s eyes. It looks like a ferris wheel, but I dont think that was right behind me. Just some fair lights I guess!

Janelle is my littlest sister. She is the baby of the family and a whopping 12 years younger than me. She is only going to be a junior this year but I decided I would take her out for a “mock senior session”. Janelle has an affliction we like to call “fake-smile-itis” and it can be a horrifying disease. All my siblings have it and I know we are not the only ones. Janelle’s session was a great lesson in how amazing a REAL smile can be. I totally welcome a friend coming along with you to your senior session. It can really help in getting real smiles and easing those nerves. Please note I welcome a friend, not a posse. That’s just way too many people for you to try to impress!

For Janelle’s session, we went to an interesting “antique” store. A five acre store. It had all kinds of vehicles, signs, and randomness. It made for some great pictures and she was such a trooper for dealing with the make-your-hair-curl-up humidity that day. We also went walking around a trendy suburb and found all kinds of great places for photos. Here are some of my favorites from the day. I had a really hard limiting myself to two… so I didn’t:

Most of my high school senior bookings will start being made in the spring, but if you know your schedule and are ready to book now, let me know! I will also be in Algona, IA for a week of senior sessions as well. I haven’t set the dates yet, but if you would like to be notified when dates are announced, please contact me and I will put you on the mailing list. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer!