Last month I flew back to Minnesota for a Valentine’s Day wedding in Red Wing, and I had just enough time to take G and J’s engagement pictures on the Stone Arch Bridge while I was home. This was awesome for several reasons: 1. G and J are super fun to hang out with, 2. I don’t get the opportunity to take very many engagement pictures in the snow anymore, and 3. did I mention G and J are super awesome??  They were so fun to work with and they handled the cold February weather splendidly.  I hope you enjoy these fun winter engagement photos!

It was a rainy February on Maui this year.  Liz and I had visitors for a few weeks, and they got to witness the rare occurrence of downpouring rain in Kihei on more than a couple days.  Kelsey and Robbie had the same luck… In an area of the world that is notorious for its desert-like lack of rainfall, the day we’d reserved for Kelsey and Robbie’s engagement shoot was just plain crummy.  But luckily, Maui is still beautiful (and warm) in the rain! We knew that the beaches wouldn’t have the color that we wanted for pictures that day, so we headed to the Grand Wailea on the south side of Maui to make use of the resort’s tropical landscaping and beautiful fountains.  Later we walked down to the beach anyway to get some fun photos of Kelsey and Robbie playing in the ocean.  I mean hey, they were already soaked!  I’m glad they were willing to get in the water, because the pictures turned out great!

The 200 foot high railroad bridge that traverses the St. Croix just north of downtown Stillwater has a special place in my heart.  As a kid, I used to climb the trusses and tie off a rope from which my cousins and I could swing and fling ourselves into the river over and over again.  Later in life, I spent peaceful nights camping alone under the bridge, and still later, I excitedly brought my future wife there on one of our first dates.  We climbed up to the top and boldly trespassed on private railroad property to take in one of the most breathtaking views Minnesota has to offer. Gazing out across the endless miles of wetlands and islands within the St Croix River valley, my wife whispered, “It looks like Africa.”

The view from the Soo Line High Bridge is otherworldly.  This must be one of the reasons my cousin Angela and her fiance Marco picked it as their engagement picture location, not to mention they both grew up in Stillwater, and so it has a nostalgic appeal for them as well. It was sort of a gloomy day for our photo session, but sometimes those moody skies are just what makes engagement portraits pop!  Angela and Marco looked great, and we were all fortunate to get one last day outside before the snow!

Allie and Brian’s will be the third Stillman family wedding that I photograph within 5 years.  I love getting referrals from past wedding photography clients, and I love already knowing the whole family at a wedding.  When you’ve worked with a group before, everything is more natural and effortless, and the wedding photo sessions can be that much more fun!

Allie and Brian have been together for some time… I got to see them both when they came out to Hawaii last year along with Lauren and Jason for their mother’s wedding on Maui.  Allie is a certified Bikram Yoga instructor, and we had some fun during her engagement photo session at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden with Brian by getting some great photographs of her yoga poses as well!

Erica and Chris are such a sweet couple.  After a first attempt to take their engagement pictures at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, I went out to Lake City, Minnesota for a second photo session.  Why, you ask?  Because Minnesota summers are just too darn fun! That’s why.   Really…. Due to live music and an outdoor movie at the Lake Harriet Bandshell, I couldn’t find a place to park for over a half hour!  Which cut into our photography time immensely… SO we scheduled a round two in Erica and Chris’ hometown!  This, of course, turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it gave me an opportunity to take some engagement pictures at the Lake City Marina, which made for an awesome backdrop!  These pictures are fun and summery.  Enjoy!