This summer I made my first trek to Minnesota! If you know me, you know I have an unexplainable accent of sorts. People often ask me if I'm from up north, the midwest, or another country all together. Once a grocery cashier was certain she heard me speaking another language and kept asking me what language I was speaking!

"What language is that?"

"What? um...English...?"

"No, what language were you just speaking?"

"English."

"No, really, you sounded like you said something in another language!"

"Sadly, I only speak English, I promise you it was English!"

So, anyway, no one in MN asked me where I was from! Somehow, I can slip into that Minnesotan accent wayyy to easily :) But, I promise this was my first time actually stepping foot in the state!

I used to work for an awesome nonprofit called, Feed My Starving Children, (headquartered in MN).  Through that experience I was able to travel to many states leading volunteers and making new friends along the way. Rachel was one of my co-workers back then and we've kept up a great friendship since. She wanted to do a session in front of this mural! This is just the backdrop of a parking, the backside of Schmitt Music store. (Incidentally, If you google it, you will find a picture of Prince in front of this same wall!). 

I used to stress a lot about location preparedness... I would anxiously scope out the locations, and try to pre-plan what poses to do where. This is helpful, but honestly, I've created the best magic working on-the-spot.

Sometimes you are gifted with a subject you are comfortable enough with to not have to "have it all together" and you just get to focus on having fun.

As a photographer, take a second, breathe and just look around. I promise, you can make a lot with a little.

So, on this day, we parked in the lot, blasted Beyonce out of the car speakers, and crossed our fingers that it wouldn't rain too hard. 

Work that diffused light!